Eldersfield Lawn CofE Primary School

ELDERSFIELD LAWN PRIMARY SCHOOL

Inspection number: 247696 Short inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated.

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ELDERSFIELD LAWN PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Corse Lawn Gloucester Gloucestershire Postcode: GL19 4LZ

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mr R Powell-Chandler

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 19 January 1998 Eldersfield Lawn Primary School - 4

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Team members

1245 Mr B Allsop Registered inspector 13911 Ms J Gallichan Lay inspector 20655 Ms B Rimmer Team inspector

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Team members

Wessex Education Ltd 3 Greenacres Puddletown Dorchester Dorset DT2 8GF

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Team members

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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Team members

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Eldersfield Lawn Primary School - 5

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

This is a small rural school with 78 boys and girls aged between four and eleven. They are taught in four mixed-age classes. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is very low at just over one per cent. There are three children with special educational needs (SEN). This proportion is below average. There is one pupil with a statement of special educational needs. The vast majority of pupils are white British but there are a few from other European countries who have English as an additional language.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The school serves an, overall, advantaged area. Children’s attainment on entry to the school is above that normally expected.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a good school with some very good features. The teaching is good in Years 1 to 6 and the pupils make good progress in English, science and mathematics. The pupils make increasingly good progress as they move up through the school. Whilst provision is overall sound in the reception year, progress here is not as good as in the rest of the school. There are very good behaviour, very positive attitudes and very good relationships throughout the school. Pupils are eager to learn. There is very good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The school has very good links with the local community. Pupils respond well to the activities in the school, the wide- ranging curriculum and very good extra-curricular activities. The teaching and curriculum in the reception class are satisfactory but need to be better matched to the needs of the children. The leadership of the school is good. The school offers good value for money .

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What the school does well

• Pupils make good progress and attain high standards in English, mathematics and science • The quality of teaching is good and often very good • Pupils behave very well, have very good attitudes and form very good relationships • Provision for personal, spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is very good • The curriculum is good and extra-curricular activities are very good • The staff know the children very well and take very great care of them • Links with the parents and community are good

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What could be improved

• The teaching and curriculum in the reception year

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What could be improved

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

There has been good improvement in the school since the last inspection in January 1998. The standards in English, mathematics and science have improved. The quality of the teaching has improved. Standards in design and technology (DT) have improved. There has been good improvement in the curriculum, standards and teaching of information and communication technology (ICT). The systems to check how well the school is doing and the setting of targets have improved. The school now has even more effective assessment systems and records. The quality of teaching and provision for the reception year has improved but further development is still required. Eldersfield Lawn Primary School - 7

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STANDARDS

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

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Key

well above average A above average B average C below average D well below average E

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Key

By the age of eleven overall standards in the school are well above average. The pupils’ rate of progress accelerates as they pass through the school and is particularly good at the ages of ten and eleven. The standards attained in mathematics last year placed the school in the top five per cent nationally. The school also does very well when compared to schools in similar circumstances in all subjects. The school exceeded the targets set in conjunction with the local education authority (LEA) last year in English and in mathematics. These targets were conservative.

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Key

Trends in improvements in the national test results up to the year 2002 have been similar to other schools. However, it is difficult to be sure of trends when the number of pupils taking the tests each year is only around ten.

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Key

The results of national tests taken by seven year olds have, overall, in the last three years been average in reading and mathematics and well above average in writing. However, when the 2002 results are compared to schools in similar circumstances, standards for seven year olds are average in reading and mathematics but above average in writing. Standards in the tests have, however, fluctuated considerably from year to year and it is difficult to draw firm conclusions due to the small numbers of pupils taking the tests each year. While children meet the expected levels in all areas of learning at the start of Year 1, they do not always make sufficient progress given their good attainment on entry to the school.

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Key

The quality of work seen during the inspection indicates that by the age of eleven the pupils are achieving very well in English, mathematics and science. Throughout the school the standards achieved in mathematics are above those expected of children of similar ages. The pupils with special educational needs achieve well and make good progress. The very few pupils who have English as an additional language make good progress.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Very good: the pupils are enthusiastic and co-operative and eager to learn. They thoroughly enjoy the experiences offered in the school.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Very good in the classrooms and playground. Behaviour is excellent at times in lessons.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Overall very good. The relationships between the staff and pupils are very good. Staff and pupils treat each other with great respect. Pupils need greater opportunity to show initiative and take responsibility.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Very good. The school has good systems to monitor and encourage attendance. Eldersfield Lawn Primary School - 8 Pupils’ very good attitudes to learning, very constructive relationships and effective skills in working together are a particular strength of the school. By the time they leave the school pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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

Quality of teaching Satisfactory Good Very good

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

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

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

Overall the quality of teaching is good. Staff are enthusiastic, organise their rooms well and have good subject knowledge. They show great respect for the pupils. They manage pupils well, use a wide range of teaching techniques, and generally have high expectations. The teaching for pupils in Years 5 and 6 is consistently very good. It is often very good for pupils in Years 3 and 4. Work is well matched to the needs of pupils. Those with special educational needs (SEN) are effectively supported by the special needs teacher and learning support assistants. Those pupils who are acquiring English as additional language make good progress.

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

Literacy and numeracy are taught very effectively and used well to support learning across the curriculum. ICT skills are well taught in the ICT suite. These skills are often well applied by pupils in other lessons. The pupils are eager to learn and staff effectively exploit that enthusiasm. Very good behaviour and co-operation between pupils support the effective learning.

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

The teaching in the reception year, overall, is satisfactory. However, there is a need, at times, for the use of more effective classroom management strategies to fully engage the children. The classroom assistants are not always successfully used to promote the children’s learning.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The quality and range of the curriculum The overall curriculum is good. There is very good provision for extra- curricular activities. The curriculum in the reception year does not always follow the national recommendations closely enough.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. The special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) is effective and the learning support assistants are efficient.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language. Good. Pupils with English as an additional language make good progress.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural, development Overall very good. Pupils are frequently asked to reflect on moral issues in the world. The pupils are given wide ranging cultural and social experiences.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

How well the school cares for its pupils The school takes very good care of the pupils. The systems for monitoring and promoting good behaviour are very good. There is good assessment of pupils’ academic progress. Tracking of the progress of pupils with special educational needs is good.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The curriculum is well planned and stimulating. The extra-curricular activities effectively support the curriculum. The school choir and other musical activities successfully capture the pupils’ interests and enthusiasms. Eldersfield Lawn Primary School - 9

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The school is well led. The headteacher provides a good role model for staff. Staff with responsibilities take an informed and enthusiastic lead in the school.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The governors fulfil their responsibilities effectively and take an active interest in the life of the school.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Good. Monitoring and evaluation of the school have improved considerably. The monitoring of the quality of planning, teaching and standards by senior staff is generally thorough and effective.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Good. The school’s spending decisions relate closely to priorities. Good use is made of resources and accommodation.

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Aspect Comment

The team of staff is hardworking and dedicated.

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Aspect Comment

The governors monitor the work and finances of the school closely and are keenly aware of its strengths and weaknesses. They are very aware of the need to apply the principles of best value when purchasing goods and services, for example, when purchasing the improved resources for the ICT room.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• The children make good progress • Children enjoy going to school • The school expects the children to work hard and achieve their best • The behaviour is good • The school provides a wide range of activities outside the classroom • The teaching is good • The closeness with which the school works with parents • The information parents receive about the children’s progress

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Seventy-eight questionnaires were sent out and forty-eight were returned; thirty one parents attended the parents’ meeting. The inspection team endorses all the positive views of the parents. The children do work hard, enjoy the school, behave well and adopt mature attitudes to their work. There is good teaching and the pupils make good progress. The inspection team found that the amount of information sent to parents, the opportunities given for parents to see members of staff, and the quality of the annual reports are very similar to most other primary schools. Eldersfield Lawn Primary School - 10

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Pupils achieve high standards in English by the age of eleven

1. By the age of eleven pupils attain standards which are well above average. They make very good progress in speaking, listening, reading, and writing as they move through the school. Pupils make particularly good progress in Years 5 and 6 in response to the consistently high quality teaching.

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Pupils achieve high standards in English by the age of eleven

2. By the time the pupils leave the school they have developed a wide range of vocabulary and confidently debate, for example, what society should provide them in terms of basic needs. Year 5 and 6 pupils successfully suggested in an English lesson how a piece of writing could be improved. They offered the idea that, “The trees wailed and swayed with agony”. As a result of skilful teaching and careful questioning, Year 1 and 2 pupils are able to express their opinions about how it is possible to hurt the feelings of others and to be hurt. From Year 1 onwards pupils are generally very attentive listeners. They listen to the teachers’ instructions and information with acute interest and give due respect to what other children have to say.

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Pupils achieve high standards in English by the age of eleven

3. The pupils enjoy reading. They read enthusiastically and with expression. Pupils read regularly and express informed opinions about books and authors. The Year 1 and 2 pupils are able to predict what may happen next in a story after a cat is caught and the captors say, “Right now we have got him!” Pupils write in a wide variety of forms such as letters, notes, instructions, reports and extended stories. They are effectively encouraged to add colour and drama to their writing. By the age of eleven a pupil writes, ‘The cloaked figure came slowly down the hall, looked at Carrie’s battered body for a moment, then with a gloved hand laid a blood red rose on Carrie’s chest’. By the age of seven the vast majority of pupils punctuate their work correctly and spell simple words accurately. Pupils confidently use the ICT suite to independently wordprocess their writing. However, the weak element of writing for pupils in Years 1 and 2 is the overall presentation of the work and

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Pupils achieve high standards in English by the age of eleven

4. Pupils make good use of their literacy and numeracy skills across the curriculum. In history, geography and religious education they write notes, research in books and on the Internet.

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Pupils achieve high standards and make good progress in mathematics

5. The high quality teaching of mathematics has a particularly positive effect upon the progress of the pupils aged seven to eleven. Eleven year olds confidently use the four operations, working expertly with four digit numbers, prime factors, positive and negative co-ordinates, Venn diagrams, proportions and percentages. Many of these pupils are in line to achieve at the higher levels in the national tests. The curriculum for mathematics is rich, varied and stimulating for the pupils in Years 5 and 6. They rise to the challenge of rapid fire mental questions to quickly calculate square roots, percentages and to square numbers to obtain the correct answer. Eldersfield Lawn Primary School - 11 They capably analyse the requirements in written complex problems and carry out calculations in the correct sequence.

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Pupils achieve high standards and make good progress in mathematics

6. Pupils in Year 2 are able to share thirty buttons correctly between groups of 3, 4, 5 and 6. They show a good grasp of addition and subtraction. They enjoy solving simple problems and approach mathematics with enthusiasm. The pupils are given good opportunities to explain how they arrived at an answer, “I counted on” or “I used my fingers to help me”.

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Pupils achieve high standards and make good progress in mathematics

7. The teachers effectively encourage pupils to use their numeracy skills across the curriculum by, for example, getting pupils to measure and record in science. Pupils with special educational needs are generally effectively supported by the learning assistants. Their individual education plans (IEPs) are carefully devised and followed closely by teachers and assistants.

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The pupils make good progress in science

8. By the end of Year 6 pupils have a wide range of scientific knowledge and achieve above average standards. They have a good knowledge of fair testing and how to control the variables in an experiment. They have a good understanding of all aspects of the science curriculum.

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The pupils make good progress in science

9. Pupils enthusiastically seize the opportunity to test their skills and knowledge when posed questions such as, “How will you test the strength of supermarket carrier bags?” They discuss how the variety of bags could be tested, gather equipment and carefully record the weights added to the bags. They test for the causes of rusting by putting metal in a range of solutions, observe and record the results and draw conclusions. They capably use their mathematical skills to analyse evidence and draw graphs. They have a good understanding of a wide range of scientific facts, for example, in relation to light, sound and the digestive system. By the age of eleven pupils are given considerable responsibility to devise tests, select equipment and resources and record results. Year 2 pupils know a good deal about plants and are able to name parts and draw diagrams. They produce effective diaries of the growth of a broad bean, understand the lifecycle of a

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The pupils make good progress in science

butterfly and test magnetic and non-magnetic materials.

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The quality of teaching is good and often very good

10. Good quality teaching is a strength of the school. The majority of teachers attempt to ensure that the lessons are active and stimulating and are very aware that pupils require a wide range of different types of activity to stimulate their learning. Almost two out of three lessons are good or very good. The greatest strengths in teaching are for pupils in Years 5 and 6. The characteristics of the good teaching include:

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The quality of teaching is good and often very good

11. Lessons are well planned and prepared . The school has established effective medium-term and short-term planning to support teaching. This is shared and scrutinised by the team of staff and ensures consistency in the quality of teaching and good gains in the pupils’ learning. Teachers ensure that resources and equipment are readily available to support their teaching and capture the interests of the pupils. Many teachers are aware that different pupils have different styles of learning. They plan different types of learning activity during the course of a lesson, for example, individual written work, drama, group work, discussion and good use of ICT. Eldersfield Lawn Primary School - 12 12. Classroom relationships are very positive . In lessons throughout the school teachers, assistants, visiting adults and pupils get on very well together. The pupils are, generally, very well managed. Teachers devote all of their time to teaching

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The quality of teaching is good and often very good

because most have established good classroom routines. Management of the class often appears effortless and this enables teachers to focus on teaching a small group as the rest of the class works hard at set tasks. Pupils work well together in pairs and small groups as they attempt to find the solutions to problems in science such as finding a surface over which an object slides most easily. The staff and pupils generally enjoy working together. With the oldest pupils there is a shared sense of fun and good humour suffuses the classroom activities.

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The quality of teaching is good and often very good

13. Pupils are actively engaged in lessons right from the start . For example, the lesson objectives are often successfully shared with the pupils. In a very good science lesson with Year 3 and 4 pupils, objectives were shared and the question asked, “How much force is needed to pull an object along a surface?” Clear explanation of the use of a force meter, good questioning and brisk pace swept the pupils into the lesson and got them thinking hard.

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The quality of teaching is good and often very good

14. The ICT suite is used effectively to extend pupils’ skills . In a Year 2 science lesson on plants pupils were quickly engaged in writing questions about the things they would like to find out about plants using the Internet. They retrieved work done in an earlier session, checked their spellings and wrote simple questions to guide their research. Lots of relevant questions established that pupils understood what to do and a useful help sheet had been prepared. Pupils were totally engaged with the task, discussing animatedly in pairs how to develop the questions. The lesson provided good support for the development of pupils’ literacy skills.

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Pupils behave very well, have very good attitudes and form very good relationships

15. The pupils develop very good work habits . They are keen and enthusiastic about their work. Pupils are encouraged to sustain concentration on tasks. As they move through the school they listen attentively and make increasingly confident contributions to class and paired discussions. They settle rapidly to work when individual tasks are set, eager to do their best and showing determination and concentration. These well established work habits all help the good progress of the pupils.

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Pupils behave very well, have very good attitudes and form very good relationships

16. Pupils work well in groups and pairs . In a Year 6 science lesson pupils worked in mixed gender and ability groups to find ways of testing the strength of plastic bags. Pupils discussed sensibly possible methods, shared equipment and tried out various processes to test the bags to breaking point. The groups quickly established methods, and co-operated in testing out their ideas. They talked enthusiastically but intently, listening to each other’s ideas and modifying their methods accordingly. Each took an active role, weighing or placing weights or recording results. The good team work gave rise to successful experiments. Pupils’ explanations of methods and results were confidently presented to the rest of the class. Their peers watched and listened respectfully and then offered thoughtful evaluation.

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Pupils behave very well, have very good attitudes and form very good relationships

17. Pupils behave very well . The pupils behave very well in all situations. They sit and listen carefully, work together in a friendly way and enjoy using the resources. The pupils with special educational needs are fully engaged and take a constructive part in many lessons where the support and subject content is well matched to their individual needs. They very seldom misbehave. The learning support Eldersfield Lawn Primary School - 13 assistants generally ensure they are able to focus, concentrate and co-operate in all activities. Behaviour at times is excellent in lessons particularly for pupils in Years 3 to 6.

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Pupils behave very well, have very good attitudes and form very good relationships

18. The pupils have very positive attitudes to school life . Discussions with pupils across the school show that they feel lessons are enjoyable and worthwhile. The oldest pupils are very positive about the range of work they do in lessons, the visits and residential experiences. They particularly enjoy the opportunities to participate in the games clubs and the choir. They feel the teachers are working constantly to help them improve and to succeed. They think the school council is a useful way in which they have a voice in the school. They stress how they all help each other and tell how they try to help the youngest pupils in the school. The parents confirmed that the school is “like a large family.”

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Provision for spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is very good

19. The school makes very good provision for all aspects of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The parents, both through the response to the inspection questionnaire and at the parents’ meeting, praised the school’s efforts to develop the pupils’ self-esteem, confidence and moral understanding and their ability to play and work together co-operatively.

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Provision for spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is very good

20. Spiritual and moral development are very good. Pupils are given good opportunities to reflect upon art, music and literature. A majority of pupils can express feelings and emotions that are evoked by a piece of writing or music. Religious education also gives good opportunities to reflect upon actions, feelings and emotions. The staff show great sensitivity to pupils’ needs. Behaviour is often discussed and pupils respond very well to the positive ethos of the school. The rules of the school are well known and permeate the daily life of pupils in an unobtrusive way. The system of rewards for good behaviour and work rewards pupils with a ‘choosing time’ on a Friday and this is very much appreciated. In discussion they stated how unpleasant it is when they lose this ‘Golden Time’ and have to watch others enjoying themselves. The moral of a religious story told during the regular visit of the vicar captured the pupils’ interest and puppets and

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Provision for spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is very good

humour enlivened the interactions with the children. They are asked to reflect on important aspects of their lives and relationships at home and in school.

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Provision for spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is very good

21. Social and cultural development are very good. The visits, visitors, residential experiences, team activities, music and choir groups all provide good opportunities for the pupils' social and cultural growth. The teachers often make good use of pairs to discuss topics or, for example, to evaluate the quality of each other’s work. There is a consistent expectation that the views of others will be listened to and respected. The pupils are made aware of the multicultural nature of their society. A range of work of British art and music is studied as well as that from other cultures. The pupils are taught to value relationships and each other and are given good role models to follow by the staff. The pupils enjoy being together in the school. They take positive steps to help each other. The pupils’ personal development is effectively encouraged by enabling them to take part in the running of the daily life

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Provision for spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is very good

of the school. The teachers generally have high expectations that pupils will collect equipment, work together productively, discuss sensibly and be responsible for settling to their work. This is very evident when a group task is set and the class teacher focuses her attention on one group. The rest of the class gets on independently and sensibly. Eldersfield Lawn Primary School - 14

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The curriculum is good and extra-curricular activities are very good

22. The curriculum is carefully planned to ensure that the mixed-age classes are generally given highly appropriate learning experiences which successfully build on each other from year to year. The staff plan closely as a team and offer help and advice to each other on aspects of the curriculum. The teachers are very aware of the children’s different learning needs and plan curriculum activities that appeal to pupils visually or through active handling of materials and equipment or through individual focused reading and writing. Personal, social and health education is given a high priority and the pupils are supported in exploring their own feelings and values as well as giving them insights into how others feel and act. Physical activities are highly valued, as are music and art. Although a small school, children take a very active role in local dance and art festivals. The pupils play in mixed gender teams

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The curriculum is good and extra-curricular activities are very good

against other local schools. External coaching is provided for Rugby, cricket and dance. All pupils take part in an annual school production and summer concert. There are frequent off-site visits related to the curriculum and visitors are encouraged to come into the school to share their knowledge and expertise. The annual residential visit for pupils in Years 5 and 6 provides a wide range of worthwhile physical and academic experiences. The small number of staff in the school give very generously of their time to widen the pupils’ horizons. `

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The staff know the children very well and take very great care of them

23. The teachers often teach the children for two years and this enables them to know each pupil’s strengths and weaknesses. They are generally very aware of the next steps in the pupil’s learning. They keep detailed records, plan the curriculum well to meet the needs of the pupils and undertake regular assessments at the end of units of work. As this is a small school all the children are known by all of the staff and this offers a secure and friendly environment for all the pupils. The school has been successful in winning a ‘Healthy Schools Award’. The school grounds and interior environment have been considerably improved in recent times. The school has a good secure outside area for the reception class children. A recent addition has been an attractive environmental area with a pond. The lunchtimes are enlivened with games and music and pupils are carefully supervised by lunch time staff. All of these

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The staff know the children very well and take very great care of them

improvements and activities exhibit the determination of the staff to provide a safe, healthy and stimulating environment for the pupils.

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Links with parents and the community are very good

24. The school is popular and the parents rightly praise its ethos, standards of behaviour, the progress the children make and the quality of the teaching. The parents generally have very positive attitudes to the school and are anxious that their children work hard and do well. The school is the focal point of village life as it is without any other communal building. The school is used for many different events and by local organisations. Church services are frequently held in the school hall. The local vicar regularly visits the school to take the act of worship. His addresses successfully promote the pupils’ spiritual and moral development. All of these activities, together with an ‘open door‘ policy strengthen the links with the local area. Eldersfield Lawn Primary School - 15 25. Information is sent home each term on what is being taught in school and parents are given good opportunities to visit the school. The annual reports to parents are

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Links with parents and the community are very good

detailed and informative and give a good picture of how well their children are doing at school. There is a strong and active parents, teachers and friends association.

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The teaching and curriculum in the reception year

26. The children in the reception year are made to feel very secure and welcome in the school by caring teachers and other staff. The children are encouraged to develop friendly relationships and socially acceptable behaviour, sharing, taking turns and listening. The vast majority of children respond well to this. They will sit and talk animatedly about books whilst waiting for other children to get changed for physical education. Two children discussed the content of one book, “He looks horrid”, “Yes, I think he’s the baddie!”

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The teaching and curriculum in the reception year

27. However, the work in reception was seen as a weakness at the time of the last inspection and, although the teaching has improved, it still has some elements of weakness. A temporary teacher has very recently taken over teaching the class. It is evident, however, that classroom organisation and general classroom routines and management have not been as effectively established as they could be. The children do not always adopt a work like attitude to the tasks and lessons. For example, the children do not engage enthusiastically with writing tasks. They require a great deal of prompting to discuss characters in a story and to write speech bubbles to illustrate what a character might be saying.

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The teaching and curriculum in the reception year

28. The current reception year teacher is enthusiastic and works hard to engage the children and employs a wide range of teaching strategies to attempt to meet the needs of the pupils. This is often effective but, at times, the children fail to engage with the activities and do not make sufficient progress. For example, whilst in the reception year children make overall sound progress in mathematics and most recognise the numbers and add and subtract numbers up to six and write their numbers correctly. There is, however, a significant minority unable to competently count and match numbers with a correct number of objects.

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The teaching and curriculum in the reception year

29. Pupils use the resources and equipment with great care and effectively clear up after an activity session. They collaborate well when they use the outside climbing equipment and large scale construction apparatus. They work hard in PE lessons and rise to the challenges of bouncing and catching balls, “Look I can do it 29 times!” There is, however, a lack of opportunity for children to undertake group tasks by, for example, using large construction equipment to solve problems which the teacher or classroom assistant has set for them.

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The teaching and curriculum in the reception year

30. There are some good examples of teacher and assistants encouraging the children to be independent. This was evident, for example, when set the task of painting plants they had been looking at, touching and smelling as a class. The children understood what they had to do and had access to appropriate equipment and paints. However, some activities are over formal and children sit for too long without being engaged in an activity. Eldersfield Lawn Primary School - 16 31. The lessons are well planned but at times do not pay sufficient notice of the requirements of the curriculum for children of this age. The children are expected to sit still and do not participate in an active way with the teacher’s presentation. They then lose interest and fail to listen to the explanations and instructions. The children are not sufficiently encouraged to be independent, make choices and to work without close adult supervision. There is a need for greater monitoring and

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The teaching and curriculum in the reception year

evaluation of the reception year in order to offer clear support and guidance to the teacher.

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The teaching and curriculum in the reception year

32. The reception year teacher teaches literacy to all Year 1 children in another room. The reception age children are then left with the classroom assistant to undertake tasks and this is not always successful. The tasks left by the teacher are not always sufficiently challenging, for example using felt-tipped pens to decorate a pre-cut out mask. The classroom assistant does not sufficiently engage with the children, challenge their thinking, promote their skills or extend their vocabulary. Too often the role of the assistants in the reception year is a supervisory one rather than being active in promoting the children’s learning.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL SHOULD DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER

33. In order to raise standards further, governors, the headteacher and staff should now:

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the reception year by:

• providing further training for the staff in the requirements of the Foundation Stage 1 curriculum for children in this age group; • widening the range of learning experiences for the children to include more opportunities for them to take decisions, make choices and be independent; • improving the training and briefing of the classroom assistants to enable them to take a more effective role in promoting the children’s learning; • improving the level of challenge to meet the needs of the children; • senior staff regularly monitoring and evaluating the quality of provision for the reception year children and reporting outcomes to the governing body.

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the reception year by:

The Foundation Stage Curriculum is the recommended curriculum, following national guidelines, for children up to the end of the reception year. Eldersfield Lawn Primary School - 17

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 6

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Percentage 0 33 28 33 6 0 0 The table gives the number and percentage of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about teaching. Care should be taken when interpreting these percentages as each lesson represents more than three percentage points.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 78

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 1 FTE means full-time equivalent.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 3

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 2

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 2

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 1

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 5

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Attendance

National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Eldersfield Lawn Primary School - 18

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

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2002 5 5 10

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

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

Boys Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls

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

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

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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

Boys Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls

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

Percentage of pupils School 100 (100) 100 (100) 100 9 100 0 85 (85) 89 (89) 89 (89)

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

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

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

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2002 3 7 10

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

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

Boys Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls

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

Percentage of pupils School 90 (85) 90 (92) 100 (92) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 73 (71) 86 (87)

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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

Boys Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls

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

Percentage of pupils School 90 (85) 100 (92) 100 (92) at NC level 4 or above National 73 (72) 74 (74) 82 (82) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.

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

NB Separate boys and girls results are not published as there were less than ten boys and ten girls taking the tests. Eldersfield Lawn Primary School - 19

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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

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

White – any other White background 2 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Mixed – any other mixed background 0 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British - Pakistani 0 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 0 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – Caribbean 0 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

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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. Eldersfield Lawn Primary School - 20

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 4.71 Financial year 2001/2002

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 16.5:1

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 253,902

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 5 Total expenditure 219,856

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 65 Expenditure per pupil 2,748

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Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. Balance brought forward from previous year 43,931

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 35,489

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 1

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 2

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Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

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Recruitment of teachers

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

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0 FTE means full-time equivalent. Eldersfield Lawn Primary School - 21

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Percentage of responses in each category

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

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 48 48 4 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 31 60 8 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 33 38 15 2 13

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 38 42 19 2 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 46 33 8 8 4

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 65 27 2 0 6

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 31 35 27 4 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 42 31 6 4 17

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 38 44 8 0 10

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 46 42 10 0 2

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