Westwood Primary School

SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 7 th – 10 th July 2003

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SCHOOL

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

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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. Westwood Community Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Westwood Road Clayton-le-Woods Bamber Bridge Preston Lancashire Postcode: PR5 8LS

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The Governing Body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mrs L Walmsley

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: December 1997 Westwood Community Primary School - 4 INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities 10638 Mr M Newell Registered inspector English as an additional language English Art and design Physical education The school’s results and pupils’ achievements How well are the pupils taught? How well is the school led and managed? What should the school do to improve further? 9981 Mr S Hussain Lay inspector Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development. How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 17767 Mrs S Power Team inspector Special educational needs Science Information and communication technology Geography How well does the school care for its pupils?

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

17543 Mr R Coupe Team inspector Educational inclusion Mathematics History Religious education How good are the curricular and other learning opportunities?

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

18027 Mrs S Mawer Team inspector Foundation stage Design and technology Music

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Lynrose Marketing Limited Bungalow Farmhouse Six Mile Bottom Newmarket Suffolk CB8 0TU

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

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 SCHOOL

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Westwood Community 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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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 11

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The school is situated in Clayton-le-Woods, about five miles from Preston in Lancashire. The majority of pupils live close to the school although some live a distance from the school. There are currently 201 pupils on roll with 100 boys and 101 girls. The school has a high level of pupil mobility. Thirty pupils joined and seventeen pupils left the school during the last 12 months at times other than the usual times. Most classes in Year 3 toYear 6 have at least a third of pupils who have not spent their full educational lives at the school. Most pupils are of white ethnic origin and there are no pupils who speak English as an additional language. The number of pupils eligible for free school meals currently stands at approximately 25 per cent which has increased from last year and is just above the national average. Approximately 23 per cent of pupils have special educational needs which is a little higher

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

than the national average, as is the percentage of pupils with a statement of special educational need. Assessment information shows that attainment levels of children when they start school cover the full ability range and are generally below average overall. The school was awarded Beacon status by the government in 1999 which was renewed three years later.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a good school with some significant strengths. The school is very well led and managed by the headteacher. Teaching in English, mathematics and science is good across the school and enables all pupils to achieve well in these subjects. It is a very inclusive school where very good procedures are in place for assessing, tracking and nurturing pupils’ academic, personal and social development. The school has established a very strong working partnership with many parents who are very supportive and appreciate all that the school offers. Taking all factors into account, the school provides good value for money.

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What the school does well

• Standards are above average in science by the time that pupils leave school. • The good and at times very good teaching in English, mathematics and science across the school enables all pupils to achieve well. • Behaviour is generally good. • The school makes very good provision for the personal and social education of all pupils. • The school is a very caring and supportive school with high quality procedures for assessing and tracking pupils’ personal development as well as their academic progress. • The school has established a strong and effective partnership with parents and provides parents with very good quality information. • The leadership and management of the headteacher are very good. He is supported most ably by the deputy headteacher and an effective Governing Body.

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What could be improved

• The attitudes of some pupils to learning and what the school has to offer. • How well pupils record their work so that it more closely matches their oral knowledge. • The role that curriculum co-ordinators play in monitoring the quality of pupils’ learning. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan. Westwood Community Primary School - 7

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school has made good progress since the last inspection. The improvement and successes of the school are reflected in the Beacon status awarded to the school by the government. Following on from the last inspection the school set about tackling the identified issues in a rigorous manner. Good schemes of work are now in place to support teaching and learning in different subjects of the curriculum. The quality of individual education plans is now of a higher standard. Assessment has improved to such an extent that it is now a major strength of the school and the school has invested much money to improve the quantity and quality of resources so that the school is now a well resourced school. In terms of the wider picture, the standards that the school achieved improved in the years following the inspection with the school gaining government recognition for its attainment levels. The increasing level of pupil mobility and pupils attending the school with special educational

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

needs means that attainment levels fluctuate. However, this is a school that constantly evaluates how well it is doing and is putting a great deal of time and effort into ensuring that the individual academic and social needs of all pupils are met in an effective manner. These factors all indicate that this is a school that constantly adapts well to changing circumstances and is well placed to continue to improve and develop the quality of education that it provides for pupils.

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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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schools

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

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schools

The above table shows that on the basis of the 2002 National Curriculum tests at the end of Year 6, attainment was below the national average in English and mathematics and well below the national average in science. When compared to similar schools attainment is below average in mathematics and well below average in English and science. However, when comparisons are made with pupils’ prior attainment at the end of Year 2, attainment is above average in mathematics and average in English and science. Inspection findings show that attainment in science is above average. Attainment is average in English overall with reading standards being above average. Standards in mathematics are at an average level. The fluctuating pattern of attainment can be explained by the fact that there is a high level of pupil mobility in the school and a fluctuating number of pupils with special educational needs. For example the present Year 6 cohort has 38 per cent of pupils with

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schools

special educational needs and 40 per cent of pupils that entered the school at other than the usual time. Evidence indicates that pupils who have spent more of their educational lives at the school generally attain higher standards. All pupils, including those with special educational needs, make good progress and achieve well in English, mathematics and science. The school sets challenging targets in literacy and numeracy. The school’s trend of improvement is slightly below the national trend but can be explained by factors such as Westwood Community Primary School - 8 pupil mobility. There is no significant difference in attainment between boys and girls that cannot be explained by natural ability differences.

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schools

Standards by the end of Year 6 are in line with national expectations in all other subjects of the curriculum with elements of certain subjects such as information and communication technology and physical education being above average. It was not possible to make a judgement on standards in music as no lessons were timetabled during the inspection. The quality and quantity of pupils’ recorded knowledge and skills in some subjects do not match their oral knowledge and understanding. Pupils of all abilities make satisfactory progress over time and at times progress within lessons is good when matched by good or better teaching.

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schools

The results of the 2002 National Curriculum tests and teacher assessments for Year 2 pupils show attainment to be well above the national average in writing, above average in reading and mathematics and average in science. When compared to similar schools attainment was well above average in reading and writing and above average in mathematics. Inspection findings show attainment to be above average in mathematics and at an average level in English and science. Differences between inspection findings and test results can be explained by factors such as natural ability levels of pupils and fluctuating numbers of pupils with special educational needs. Pupils of all abilities, including those with special educational needs, make good progress and achieve well. Standards in all other subjects of the curriculum, apart from music where no evidence was available to make a reliable judgement, are at an expected level with all pupils making satisfactory progress and on occasions good

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schools

progress where the quality of teaching within individual lessons is good.

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schools

When children start school, assessment data shows that children’s ability covers the full range and is below average overall, although the present Reception class started school with average levels of attainment. All children make good progress in communication, language and literacy, mathematical development, knowledge and understanding of the world and in creative development so that by the end of the reception year attainment exceeds the nationally recommended Early Learning Goals in these areas of learning. Attainment in children’s personal, social and emotional development and their physical development meets the early learning goals and all children make satisfactory progress.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Satisfactory. Many pupils have very positive attitudes to school but some pupils show an indifference to learning and what the school has to offer.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Good. Pupils behave well, are polite and courteous and show a good awareness of the needs of others.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Relationships are good and add to the quality of the school’s ethos. Some pupils do not take enough initiative and responsibility for their own learning.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Good. Attendance is above the national average, indicating that many pupils thoroughly enjoy coming to school. Westwood Community Primary School - 9

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Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

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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Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

Teaching overall in the Foundation Stage is good. The quality of teaching is particularly good in the key areas of communication and language, mathematical development and in children’s knowledge and understanding of the world. Activities are well planned and very good levels of support are provided by the nursery nurse. Teaching is most effective when children are provided with opportunities to develop as independent learners alongside the formal teaching of specific skills.

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Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

Teaching in English, mathematics and science is good across the school. Reading and writing skills are taught well and in a progressive and systematic manner. Plenty of opportunities are provided for pupils to take part in practical and investigative activities in mathematics and science and these tasks are often demanding and challenging. Teaching is at its best when high expectations are set in terms of both the quantity and quality of work that pupils are expected to produce. Teaching is less effective when not enough demands are made of pupils in terms of the amount of recorded work or teaching does not capture the full attention of the pupils. Throughout the school the contribution made by support staff is of a high standard and makes a very important contribution to the quality of pupils’ learning.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Good. The school provides a broad curriculum which is enhanced by a good range of visits and visitors. The good range of extra-curricular activities and the school’s links with the community and partner institutions bring another dimension to pupils’ learning.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. Pupils are supported very well. Individual education plans are of a good standard and pupils make similar progress to their classmates.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Very good provision is made for pupils’ personal development and social and health education. The very good provision the school makes for pupils’ moral development and good provision for pupils’ spiritual, social and cultural development make significant contributions to pupils’ personal development.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Very good. This is a very caring school where the welfare of all pupils is given a high priority and the individuality pf pupils recognised. Very effective procedures are in place for assessing and tracking pupils’ personal as well as academic progress.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school works in partnership with parents. Very good. The school has established very strong and effective links with parents which impacts positively on pupils’ learning. The quality of information provided for parents is very good. Westwood Community Primary School - 10

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Good. The leadership and management of the headteacher are very good. He is very well supported by a very good deputy headteacher. The school has rightly identified the need for subject co-ordinators to play a more rigorous role in monitoring teaching and learning.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Good. The school has an effective and very committed Governing Body who fulfil their statutory duties well and play an important role in holding the school to account for the quality of education it provides.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Very good. The school has very good procedures in place for analysing test and assessment data and for target setting. The information is used very effectively for identifying areas for improvement.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Very good. The school uses all available funds, grants and services astutely to improve pupils’ learning. Financial planning is of a high standard and the principles of best value are applied very well when purchasing goods and services.

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Aspect Comment

The adequacy of staffing, accommodation and learning resources. Good overall. There is a good level of teaching and support staff to meet the demands of the curriculum. The accommodation is attractive, well maintained and used most effectively. Resources are of good quality and quantity in many subjects.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• The fact that their children like coming to school. • The good teaching and progress that children make. • Standards of behaviour. • The approachability of staff and the information that they receive. • The expectations that the school sets and how the school helps children to become mature and responsible. • The partnership between school and home. • How well the school is led and managed. • The amount of homework that is provided. • The range of activities outside of lessons.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Inspection findings endorse many of the very positive views of the parents. The parents are very appreciative and proud of much of what the school has to offer. The amount of homework that is set is similar to that found in most primary schools and is therefore judged to be satisfactory. The quality and quantity of activities provide outside of lessons are good. Westwood Community Primary School - 11

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. Children’s attainment when they start school is usually below average, although attainment for the current group of reception children was at an average level overall when they started school. Good quality teaching means that children of all abilities get a good start to their educational lives in the Foundation Stage. Children make good progress and achieve well in communication, language and literacy, mathematical development, knowledge and understanding of the world and in their creative development and exceed the nationally recommended Early Learning Goals in these areas of learning by the time that they are ready to start in Year 1. Children make satisfactory progress in their personal, social and emotional development and in their creative development, and attainment in these areas of learning is in line with the Early Learning Goals.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. By the end of Year 2, on the basis of National Curriculum tests and teacher assessments in 2002, pupils’ attainment was well above the national average in writing, above the national average in reading and mathematics and similar to the national average in science. Compared to similar schools attainment was well above average in reading and writing and above average in mathematics. The evidence from inspection is that attainment is above average in mathematics and at an average level in English and science. Differences between inspection findings and test results can be explained by the fluctuating number of pupils with special educational needs in each year, and differences in natural ability between the different groups of pupils. All pupils, including those with special educational needs make good progress and achieve well. There is no significant difference in attainment between boys and girls.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. Inspection findings show that standards in speaking and listening are at an average level. Many pupils are attentive listeners and show a willingness to take part in discussions and to talk about their own experiences. The vocabulary that pupils use is not particularly expressive or expansive. Reading and writing standards are at an average level. Skills are taught in a rigorous manner and pupils are provided with a wide and varied range of writing stimuli. Many pupils read with accuracy and fluency and use a good range of strategies to help them with unfamiliar words. Fewer pupils have well developed comprehension skills. In writing, pupils extend ideas logically and often demarcate sentences using capital letters and full stops. The vocabulary that pupils use lacks a little sparkle or variety.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. Standards in mathematics are above average by the end of Year 2. Pupils’ number skills are well developed. Pupils measure capacity and length confidently and handle data well. Pupils use these skills well in practical and investigative activities but pupils are not as strong when estimating or in naming a wide range of three-dimensional shapes. Standards in science are at an average level. Pupils have a satisfactory level of knowledge and understanding about life processes and living things, materials and physical processes and through the provision of a good range of practical and investigative activities pupils are developing their scientific enquiry skills well. Pupils’ use of a good scientific vocabulary is more limited.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. Standards in all other subjects of the curriculum, apart from music where insufficient evidence was available to make a secure and reliable judgement, are at an average level. All pupils, including those with special educational needs, make satisfactory Westwood Community Primary School - 12 progress with progress within individual lessons being good when matched by good quality teaching.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6. By the end of Year 6 on the basis of the 2002 National Curriculum tests, pupils’ attainment is below the national average in English and mathematics and well below the national average in science. Compared to similar schools, attainment is below average in mathematics and well below average in English and science. A better picture emerges in comparison with similar schools on the basis of prior attainment with attainment being above average in mathematics and average in English and science. Inspection findings again show a more positive picture. Attainment in science is above average and attainment in English and mathematics are at an average level, with standards in reading above average. Standards are set to rise again in 2004. The good quality of teaching in all three subjects ensures that all pupils, including those with special educational needs, make good progress and achieve well. The statistics,

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

however, do not tell the full story. Differences between test results and inspections can be partly explained by differences in the natural ability of pupils between the different cohorts. The good achievement of pupils is borne out by the fact that the present Year 6 pupils include almost 40 per cent of pupils with special educational needs and an equal percentage of pupils who have not spent their full educational lives at the school. Pupil mobility and fluctuating percentages of pupils with special educational needs in different year groups have a significant impact on attainment at the school. Carefully collated and detailed evidence provided by the school clearly shows that pupils who have spent longer at the school attain higher standards. For example, only 42 per cent of the pupils who arrived later in the school attained the expected levels for 11-year- olds in 2002. The percentage for pupils who had been at the school all their

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

educational lives was double this figure. The school sets challenging targets in literacy and numeracy. The trend of improvement is a little below the national trend but this can be explained by the relatively high level of pupil mobility and percentage of pupils with special educational needs. The school’s test results in 2003 should be more favourable when compared to similar schools as there has been an increase in the number of pupils eligible for free school meals and the school has moved into the next higher band which is 20 per cent to 35 per cent.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. Standards in English are at an average level overall with standards in reading above average. Standards in writing are average but are improving from year to year because of the focus the school has placed on this area. Standards in speaking and listening are at an average level. Pupils generally listen carefully and pay attention to the contributions of others before making their own contributions. Some pupils are a little reluctant to participate in large group discussions. Reading standards are above average. Many pupils leave school as fluent, accurate and expressive readers with well developed comprehension skills. Pupils read a good variety of fiction and non- fiction and locate information quickly using well developed referencing skills and other reading skills such as skimming and scanning. Pupils are provided with a good range of writing opportunities and are directly taught the skills to enable them to tackle these

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

tasks well. Pupils’ work pays attention to grammar, presentation and correct spelling. There are occasions when the vocabulary lacks a little vibrancy and in other subjects of the curriculum the amount of recorded work does not always match pupils’ oral knowledge.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

8. Standards in science are above average by the end of Year 6. Pupils have developed a good base of scientific knowledge and understanding across all elements of the subject. The many scientific investigations carried out by pupils, are a significant factor in the good understanding they develop about scientific processes and events and pupils have acquired good investigative skills. There is scope for improvement in how pupils interpret the findings of their scientific investigations. Standards in mathematics Westwood Community Primary School - 13 are at an average level. Pupils have well rounded number skills overall, although division is not as secure as other rules of number and pupils apply their skills well in problem solving activities. Quick mental recall of number enables pupils to arrive swiftly at answers. Pupils are very good at calculating, recognising and measuring angles, although some of the higher skills such as calculation of the area of triangles

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

and circles and the use of volume are insecure.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

9. Standards in all other subjects of the curriculum are at an average level. In music a lack of direct first hand evidence prevents a secure and reliable judgement being made. All pupils, including those with special educational needs, make satisfactory progress. Progress is good within individual lessons when the quality of teaching is good. There are particular strengths in elements of subjects such as information and communication technology and physical education.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

10. Pupils with special educational needs make similar progress to their classmates. The pupils’ needs are identified at an early stage and good planning, clearly focused teaching and the support staff all make an important and significant contribution to how well pupils learn and achieve and to the progress that they make. Pupils with a statement of special educational need receive equally good levels of support. For all pupils the quality of individual education plans is of a good standard and the targets that are included are precise and challenging but attainable, and pupils’ progress towards these targets is closely monitored and regularly reviewed.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. Pupils’ attitudes to the school and to learning are satisfactory overall. Pupils show good levels of interest and involvement in lessons and extra-curricular activities, and enjoy their time at the school. When teaching is good and pupils are engaged well in learning, their attitudes are very good. There are, however, a few pupils who are a little indifferent to learning and what the school has to offer. They do not always put a great deal of effort into their work, which is sometimes reflected in the amount of written and recorded work they complete. The efforts and commitment to work of other pupils in school is hard to fault, and they show a keen desire to achieve well and to please and take a pride in their work. An unusually high number of pupils join the school in year groups other than reception, which is a different situation from the time of the last inspection. This affects their achievements and also shows in their attitudes to

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

learning, since many pupils do not have the full benefit of the very good educational and personal support and guidance given by the school. This largely explains why attitudes to learning are not at the same high level as at the time of the last inspection. Children’s attitudes to learning in the Foundation Stage are generally good, although in their personal development they need more opportunities at times to plan their own learning and become more independent. Behaviour in the Foundation Stage is good with the children working well together and caring for each other in a supportive way.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. Behaviour is generally good elsewhere in the school. This makes a strong contribution to learning. Pupils behave well in lessons, assemblies and at break-times. They say that bullying is not a problem, but if it occurs, they know staff will always help and try to resolve it. Personal, social and health education is successful in giving pupils a good understanding of the impact of their actions on others. For example, in a Year 2 lesson pupils took part in a good circle-time discussion about incidents, feelings and experiences. They considered many different situations from different points of view and learnt about how they each felt. There were five exclusions at this school in the last academic year, including one permanent, for unacceptable behaviour. Westwood Community Primary School - 14 13. Relationships between adults and pupils, and between pupils, are good. Pupils work well together, demonstrating their good social development. For example, in a Year 4

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

physical education lesson on the football field they worked through many drills in small groups with good co-operation. Pupils show high levels of respect for the feelings, values and beliefs of others. This was highly evident in discussions with pupils as they talked about their schoolmates. They appreciated that peers might be better learners than themselves, have special educational needs, different religious beliefs and personal views. Pupils show good moral development in their views about equality. In a discussion with Year 6 pupils about sex and race discrimination, they all had strong views about fair treatment. As one pupil put it “we are all the same on the inside”. 14. Pupils’ personal development is satisfactory overall. Many pupils carry out a variety of jobs around the school such as taking registers, helping to set the hall out for assemblies, setting out and returning lesson resources and helping out at lunch times.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

Pupils care for others less fortunate than themselves and often raise money for charities and good causes. These factors show their good spiritual development. The issue for further development is that not enough pupils take initiative and responsibility for their own learning. Some pupils rely too heavily on adults, which is not helped on occasions by staff being too directed in their approach rather than letting pupils try things out for themselves and make their own choices.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

15. Attendance rates are above the national average and most pupils arrive on time for school. Attendance has been maintained at this level since the time of the last inspection.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

16. The quality of teaching is good. Teaching in the Foundation Stage is good. Teaching in Year 1 to Year 6 is good and at times very good in the key subjects of English, mathematics and science. This quality of teaching enables pupils to make good progress and achieve well. Teaching in other subjects is at least satisfactory with examples of good and better practice in many classes. During the week of inspection no unsatisfactory teaching was observed. Teaching was very good or better in almost a quarter of lessons and good or better in seven out of ten lessons. Despite the best efforts of the teachers, the attitudes to learning shown by some pupils do not do justice to the quality of the teaching. There are occasions when learning and progress could be even stronger if pupils took a greater interest in and responsibility and initiative for their own learning. However, the quality of teaching has improved since the time if the

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

last inspection with more good and better teaching and no unsatisfactory teaching. Because teachers reflect critically on how they teach, the school is well placed to improve.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

17. The teaching in the Foundation Stage is good. It is mostly characterised by a good understanding of the needs of young children and by well-planned activities that help the children to make good gains in their learning. There is a very good ratio of adults to children and the nursery nurse and support assistant are highly skilled in helping the children to learn effectively. However, because the class is so generously staffed with adults, on occasions there is a tendency to organise too many adult-led sessions and provide fewer opportunities for children to plan and work independently themselves. Relationships are warm and supportive and the children are secure in their learning, receiving good levels of support and praise.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

18. The quality of teaching in English is good across the school with examples of very good and excellent teaching. Reading and writing skills are taught well. They are Westwood Community Primary School - 15 taught in a direct and progressive manner and make a big impact on how well pupils achieve. Younger pupils in school are provided with a range of strategies to help then tackle unfamiliar words and phrases and pupils are constantly encouraged to use these skills in both literacy and other subjects when they are reading texts. Older pupils are taught higher-order reading skills which enable them to skim and scan and to locate information at speed. Writing skills are taught equally well and improving teaching and standards in writing has been a focus in the school over the last two years. The fact that standards have improved and continue to do so reflects the quality of the teaching. Throughout the school pupils are taught the skills to enable them to

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

write effectively for a range of audiences and purposes. The writing stimuli are often well thought out and capture the interest and imagination of pupils, boys as well as girls. Lesson planning is uniformly of a good standard and lesson objectives are shared with pupils. In very good and excellent lessons observed in Year 3 to Year 6, common factors were high expectations, very clear learning objectives, excellent pace, a variety of teaching strategies to keep the pupils hooked and very good subject knowledge whether teaching about subordinate clauses, complex sentences or grammatical structure. The headteacher and deputy headteacher support the teaching of English and provide models of very good practice. An area for development is that some teachers do not have high enough expectations of the amount of recorded work that pupils are expected to produce. Pupils’ written work does not always match their

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

oral knowledge not only in literacy but also in other subjects of the curriculum where opportunities are missed to really extend pupils’ writing skills.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

19. The quality of teaching in mathematics and science is good across the school with examples of very good teaching in some classes. The National Numeracy Strategy is firmly embedded in school practice and this has had a positive impact on pupils’ attainment and achievement. Many opportunities are provided for pupils’ mental agility skills to be put to the test in sessions at the start of lessons. Pupils enjoy these very much. Tasks that are set are usually sufficiently demanding and challenging for pupils of all abilities. Teaching ensures that plenty of opportunities are provided for pupils to explore and use a range of different strategies to solve problems that are real and meaningful. Teachers have good subject knowledge which means that they deal with any mathematical misconceptions or deal with complex and challenging questions in an effective manner. Good examples were observed of pupils’ numeracy skills being

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

used and enhanced in other subjects such as science, geography and design and technology. Where teaching is not as effective there is over consolidation of previously learnt work through lengthy discussion and as result pupils do not always get enough time to tackle new work or complete a good amount of work in their books. Teaching in science is good and at times very good in Year 1 to Year 6. Teaching ensures that many opportunities are provided for pupils to develop their enquiry and investigative skills alongside the development of a good knowledge base. Pupils are encouraged to find things out for themselves and to use their scientific knowledge to guide and inform their hypotheses and predictions and to explain why things happen as they do. Teachers stress the importance of using a correct scientific vocabulary. Occasionally opportunities are missed to extend the learning for the higher attaining pupils by, for

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

example, initiating and reviewing their own scientific investigations.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

20. Teaching in other subjects of the curriculum is satisfactory with examples of good and at times very good teaching in some classes. In religious education and history, for example, teaching is brought to life by the use of artefacts, visitors trips to museums or through tapping into pupils’ own experiences. Pupils respond very positively to this ‘’hands on’’ approach to learning and often make good and at times very good progress within lessons. Another very good example of this type of learning was observed in a Year 4 class in geography where the teacher made very effective use of her own visit to a Masai village in Kenya, to motivate and interest the pupils in finding Westwood Community Primary School - 16 out about the way of life in a contrasting locality overseas. A ‘hot seating’ teaching strategy in which the teacher became a Masai child, complete with costume, promoted dynamic learning. Where teaching is not as good in these subjects there is an

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imbalance of discussion and the time provided to complete the intended work, not enough opportunities are provided for pupils to find things out for themselves or there is an over-reliance on mundane commercially produced worksheets. Subsequently in some instances there is too little work recorded in books and this fact together with unattractive worksheets do not match pupils’ oral knowledge or provide a good aide- memoire to help them remember previously covered work.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

21. In art and design, teaching is most effective when pupils are directly taught specific artistic skills and then are provided with a good range of stimulating and exciting projects in which they can put these skills to the test. In the best teaching in design and technology there are good opportunities for pupils to investigate the ‘mechanics’ of making models and to ensure that the finished products are made to a good standard and fit for the purpose. Where teaching is satisfactory it is because tasks are too directed and not enough choice is given to the pupils as to the materials and processes to use. In information and communication technology, better teaching is characterised by good subject knowledge, the effective teaching of new skills and very good use is made of computers to support pupils’ learning in other areas of the curriculum. Occasionally demonstration sessions are too long and pupils become

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distracted and lose their attention. Good teaching in physical education teaches specific skills, uses exemplars of good performance to improve the learning of all the class and expects pupils to keep physically active throughout the lesson. Teaching in physical education is less successful when too much time explaining activities restricts the amount of time for practising and refining skills.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

22. The quality of teaching provided for pupils with special educational needs is generally good throughout the school. Teachers know their pupils well and usually provide good support for them in lessons. Planning is of a good standard in ensuring that the needs of the pupils are met. Teaching is focused and rigorous and support staff make a significant and important contribution to how well pupils learn and achieve. Teaching and support is equally good for pupils with statements of special educational need who take a full part in all aspects of learning. A specialist tutor who is employed by the school to provide support for pupils with behaviour problems provides good quality teaching and support. She provides good levels of teaching and is proving effective in helping pupils to deal with their behaviour problems and in them taking greater responsibility for their actions. The teaching for the higher attaining pupils is usually of

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

a good standard and ensures that work is sufficiently demanding and challenging to meet their needs. When on the odd occasion this is not the case the pupils do not make the progress of which they are capable.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

23. The quality of relationships is good. Teachers work hard to create an effective and pleasant learning environment and to make lessons interesting but do not always get the positive response that such teaching deserves. A few pupils do not respond to this and behave in an inappropriate manner. Occasionally this means that teachers spend too much time on behaviour management rather than imparting knowledge or skills. Where teachers are firm and clearly outline what is expected in terms of behaviour as well as the quality and quantity of work, the behaviour in the classroom is of a better standard and pupils are left under no illusion as to what is expected of them in terms of commitment, application and outcome.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

24. The school has rightly identified the need for pupils to play a more active part in setting their own targets for improvement and to provide more opportunities for pupils to undertake independent study and research. This will help pupils to take a greater Westwood Community Primary School - 17 responsibility and initiative for their own learning. Most, not all, pupils respond positively to verbal praise and pointers for improvement and in most instances teachers provide warranted praise or gentle criticism in equal measure. There are some very good examples of the marking of pupils’ work being used to outline what pupils need to do to improve or highlighting why a particular piece of work is of a good standard. This very good practice is, however, not as consistent across the school as it could be. A high percentage of parents that responded to the questionnaire sent out before the inspection are happy with the quality of the teaching and the good progress

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that their child is making. About 11 per cent of parents are less happy with the amount of homework that is set. Inspection findings show that the amount and range of homework that is set is broadly similar to that set in the majority of primary schools and is therefore judged to be satisfactory.

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25. The school offers its pupils a good curriculum, which is broad in content and satisfactorily balanced in structure and time allocation. It meets statutory requirements. Since the last inspection the school has satisfactorily addressed the key issue referring to the curriculum by providing clear schemes of work for all subjects. The school has also made good improvement in the curriculum development of the Foundation Stage by successfully introducing the recommended curriculum for children of this age. Schemes of work are in place for all subjects. The National Strategy for Numeracy and The National Strategy for Literacy have been fully implemented. The school has also implemented the new Code of Practice for pupils with special educational needs. All pupils are offered equal opportunities to fully participate in all aspects of school life.

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26. The quality of the curriculum in the Foundation Stage is good and has improved since the last inspection. Planning is thorough and fully reflects the agreed areas of learning for children of this age. The range of activities is sufficiently broad overall apart from some aspects of physical development. Occasionally in lessons it is not always balanced enough to provide opportunities for the children to initiate and choose their own activities. There is a good focus on helping children to acquire their early literacy and numeracy skills.

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27. The provision that is made for pupils with special educational needs is good. Individual education plans are of a good standard and targets that are set for pupils are challenging and achievable. The support staff make a very significant contribution to the progress that pupils make and to how well pupils achieve. Good procedures are in place for additional support in literacy and numeracy. The provision that is made for pupils with a statement of special educational need is good. The provision that is made for the higher attaining pupils is generally good, particularly in the core subjects and only occasionally is the work not demanding enough to meet the needs of these pupils.

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28. The overall quality of learning opportunities provided outside the formal curriculum is good. The curriculum is enhanced through additional provision that enables groups of pupils to participate in French and Spanish lessons and in musical instrument support through visiting specialist teachers. It is also enriched through good extra curricular activities and good provision for pupils’ personal, social and health education. However a curriculum weakness is the lack of sufficient independent learning opportunities for pupils to extend their research skills and too infrequent opportunities for them to increase the range, quality and extent of their written work. Westwood Community Primary School - 18 29. As at the last inspection, there is good provision for extra-curricular activities and this contributes well to learning. Activities outside of lessons include several sports, music, homework, French and Spanish clubs. Pupils go on many school trips and visits each

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year and this positively supports their studies and topic work. There is also a residential opportunity for Year 5 and Year 6 at an outdoor pursuits centre.

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30. Provision for personal, social and health education is very good. This marks good improvement since the last inspection. The school has developed good policies for personal, social, citizenship and health education. A very strong feature is the depth of planning regarding personal and social skills development. Personal, social and health education lessons, circle times and assemblies make a very good contribution to pupils’ personal development. The inspection team observed much good teaching, for example, to develop pupils’ self esteem, confidence and relationships. Drugs and sex education are sensitively taught. The school nurse makes a strong contribution by giving talks to older pupils about both drugs and sex education. The school has recently enrolled for the ‘healthy schools award’ and provides many additional activities under this scheme.

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31. The community makes a good contribution to pupils’ learning. This represents good improvement since the last inspection. Many visits and school trips in the community give pupils valuable learning experiences. For example, pupils go to Preston Museum to see the military displays and artefacts when they learn about World War II. The school has also established useful links with a number of regular visitors, including the police and fire service. For example, the community police officer gives talks for pupils about ‘stranger danger’, personal safety and good citizenship. Theatre groups give performances regularly, contributing well to pupils’ cultural experiences. Plays often contain strong underlying moral themes and messages, for example, regarding bullying. A community poet is regularly invited to work with pupils and this promotes literacy well. Sporting links include Bolton FC and a local Judo club, both providing

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pupils with many opportunities for physical development through coaching. The school is seeking to extend links with local churches to further support pupils’ personal development. The school has good, constructive relationships with universities and colleges. For example, trainee teachers provide pupils with additional learning experiences. The school works closely with adult education colleges, for example, in organizing courses such as ‘parents as educators’. Good links with several high schools in the area ensure that pupils and parents receive much information to inform choices. Induction arrangements are good, enabling pupils to settle into the next stage of their education effectively.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

32. The overall provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good and is similar to that of the last inspection. The provision for pupils’ spiritual, social and cultural development is good. Moral provision is very good and is better than at the last inspection. The school is an inclusive school. It welcomes all into a caring environment in which pupils are made to feel happy and secure.

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33. The good provision for pupils’ spiritual development is often evident in the classrooms. For example, in the Reception class children are very excited as they witness the baking mixtures they have made turn into gingerbread men after cooking. Year I pupils delight in new experiences as they handle mini-beasts gathered in the school grounds and one Year 6 pupil who appreciated the beauty of the Lake District described it as “Cool.” On the whole, however, spiritual opportunities in lessons often arise randomly rather than through discrete planning. In assemblies, good and often very good spiritual provision is made. Candles, holy books and subdued lighting are very effectively used to establish a focus for prayer and reflection, leading to good participation, respect and uplifting experiences. Westwood Community Primary School - 19 34. Moral provision is very good, ensuring pupils have a very clear understanding of right

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and wrong and a sense of fairness and justice. This was demonstrated when pupils in one class fully cooperated to successfully find a pupil’s watch that had “gone missing” earlier in the day. Religious education lessons provide a good insight into the beliefs of others, leading to subsequent respect and understanding. Programmes of study promoted through personal, social and moral education lessons, teach pupils about themselves, their relationships with others, and the need for understanding and fair play. In these lessons pupils are encouraged talk about moral problems, discuss feelings and empathise with others learning how to offer them help and support.

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35. Provision for social development is good. Relationships throughout school are good. Teachers care about their pupils. They are good role models and this enables pupils to be open in their discussions, comfortable in the presence of adults, yet respectful and generally compliant. Pupils support one another well and are happy and capable when doing small tasks. However, there is room for their greater involvement and support in helping to develop their initiative through the organisation of routine school activities. Extra curricular provision is good. Through this, additional opportunities are arranged for pupils to learn, play, and engage with one another in meaningful activities. Many are of a sporting nature and reinforce pupils’ understanding of teamwork and the need for rules in sport. Educational visits not only encourage learning, but also teach pupils how to relate to others in different situations and circumstances. This is particularly

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true of residential visits, enjoyed by Year 6 pupils, when they learn how to live and share with others.

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36. Cultural provision is good. Some opportunities are provided through art, enabling pupils to study the art of many cultures, including European and African art. It is less well developed through music, where some opportunities are lost. Nevertheless there is a good range of ethnic instruments. Visitors to the school have included poets and theatre groups, the latter making a good contribution to drama and encouraging pupils to greater participation in the regular school productions and performances. Some pupils learn about European customs as they progress through Spanish and French language courses. Satisfactory multicultural provision is made in curriculum subjects, such as geography and religious education. However, this aspect of education is in need of further development in order to better equip pupils for life in a multicultural society.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

37. This is a very caring school providing a secure and positive learning environment. Pupils are valued as individuals and relationships are good. The educational and personal support and advice given to pupils is good. These factors are effective in supporting pupils in their learning.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

38. Arrangements for child protection and for ensuring pupils’ welfare are good. This represents good improvement since the last inspection. The designated officer for child protection is appropriately trained and deals with any issues effectively. Members of staff receive good quality guidance about the school’s policy and procedures and show a high level of care and vigilance at all times. Risk assessments are carried out regularly for the premises, school trips and residential visits and are effective in identifying potential hazards. School governors are very well involved in premises checks and ‘inspections’. Accident and emergency procedures, including arrangements for first aid, are good. The school has addressed the point raised in the last inspection regarding fire drills. External agencies make a good contribution to Westwood Community Primary School - 20 raising awareness about health and safety. For instance, rail transport police give talks

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

39. As at the last inspection, there are good procedures to monitor and improve attendance. The attendance clerk makes prompt telephone calls home regarding any unexplained absence. The school works closely with the educational welfare service where necessary. Newsletters regularly give reminders to parents about the importance of good attendance and punctuality in their children’s learning. Certificates are given to pupils for achieving 100 per cent attendance in a school term. The school is looking to develop the rewards system further to value high and improving rates of attendance.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

40. As at the last inspection, procedures for monitoring and promoting good behaviour, and eliminating oppressive behaviour, are very good. Very detailed records are kept of any problems. Much work is done in personal, social and health education on how to deal with bullying. The ‘yellow and red card’ system is very well known by pupils and very effective in maintaining discipline. A very good feature of this system is that parents are sent a postcard when pupils have earned a certain number of tokens to celebrate their children’s good behaviour. The ‘golden rules’ are displayed in most areas of the school and ‘golden time’ works exceptionally well as a reward for pupils.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

41. There are very good procedures to monitor and support pupils’ personal development. This represents good improvement since the last inspection. Staff know pupils very well and give much informal advice and guidance. The school has a very good system for record keeping, target setting and measuring progress in personal development for pupils in Year 3 to Year 6. The school uses these ‘personal and social development records’ very well regarding pupils’ concentration, organization and completion of work, behaviour, co-operation, helping others, listening, confidence, leadership and other qualities. Evaluations take place twice a year with pupils being very well involved in target setting.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

42. Since the last inspection, the school has made considerable improvements to its assessment procedures and practices and these are now good throughout the school. Very good procedures are in place for tracking and monitoring pupils’ attainment and progress in English, mathematics and science and the information gained is used well to meet pupils’ learning needs. New procedures have been implemented to track pupils’ progress in information and communication technology and in other subjects of the curriculum but their impact on standards has yet to have the fullest possible impact on further raising standards. A new initiative is being piloted in information and communication technology, to involve pupils in evaluating their own progress, and has the potential to make pupils more aware of how well they are doing. In the Reception class, the teacher and support staff make good use of careful ongoing records of how

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

pupils are progressing, to plan learning activities. The school carries out careful analysis of test data and uses the information very effectively to identify areas for improvement in curriculum provision and teaching and for setting targets for both individuals and year groups.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

43. Assessment procedures and practices in the Foundation Stage are good overall and have had a positive impact on the good progress being made. Regular on-going assessments are carried out and individual targets are set in some aspects of literacy and mathematics. The procedures for identifying pupils with special educational needs and for assessing their progress towards their individual targets are good. Pupils giving cause for concern are quickly identified so that their needs can be evaluated. The specialist tutor, employed by the school for supporting pupils with special educational needs, is effective in supporting pupils towards their targets and in providing individual Westwood Community Primary School - 21 programmes of work that complement the work being done in class. In circumstances where the school has concerns about a pupil’s behavioural well-being, a behaviour plan is devised and implemented well.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

44. The school has made a few very good improvements in its parental links since the last inspection. Links with parents are now very effective and their involvement has a very good impact on the work of the school. The contribution of parents to children's learning, at school and at home, is good.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

45. Parents have a very high opinion of the school. The parents’ meeting was generally very positive and nearly half the questionnaires were returned. It is clear that parents are very supportive of the school and are pleased with the quality of education provided. Returns to the questionnaire and responses at the parents’ meeting show that almost all parents are pleased at the way the school is led and managed, teaching, the school’s expectations for their children to work hard and achieve their best, their children’s progress and how the school helps their children to become mature and responsible. The great majority is pleased with their children’s behaviour in school. Parents also say that their children like school, they are kept well informed about how their children are getting on, they find the school approachable when there are problems and the school works closely with them as parents. Parents made a point

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of saying that the school is always looking to improve further. A small number of parents would like to see more activities on offer outside lessons and about 10 per cent of parents feel that their children do not get the right amount of homework. Inspection findings show that the quantity and quality of activities outside of lessons are good and that the amount of homework that is set is similar to that found in most primary schools. Homework is therefore judged to be satisfactory.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

46. The school places great emphasis on communications. The quality of information to parents, especially about pupils' progress, is very good overall. There are several excellent aspects of information to parents. Timely year-group meetings are held to inform parents about forthcoming work in the curriculum. The booklet ‘learning together’ is especially helpful, giving excellent advice about supporting learning at home. Parents are also given an excellent booklet about the issue of bullying. The school works very hard in organizing special meetings and workshops on topics such as bullying, national initiatives or special educational needs. Parents’ courses are also organized, for example, ‘parents as educators’. Newsletters are excellent such that parents are kept informed on current issues and given dates to remember. Pupils' annual reports usually give enough information about what they know, understand and

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can do. However there are some reports that use too much educational jargon.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

47. The school has established a very strong home and school agreement. This is supported very well by a package that includes reading bags and mathematics games. The Parents, Teachers and Friends Association organizes many successful social and fundraising events each year. The group supports the school very well. For example, they have purchased much additional learning resources and equipment for the school including for music and for the library. Several parent helpers give their time generously to supporting school activities, mainly in Year 1 to Year 2. For example, they listen to readers, give general help in lessons and accompany school trips.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

48. The links with parents are very strong in the Foundation Stage, with a positive and welcoming approach at the beginning and end of the day. Regular meetings take place to discuss the children’s progress. Home-school diaries are used well to share Westwood Community Primary School - 22 important information about the progress being made in reading. These are supplemented with good levels of information in the regular newsletters that are sent home on topics being taught and approaches to the teaching of literacy and mathematics. The successful partnership approach to learning that took place to help children learn to tell the time is being extended to other areas of learning. The teacher values highly the very good support that most parents give to their children’s reading at home and the benefits this brings to their progress. Parents of pupils with special educational needs are kept fully informed of the progress their children are making and

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are given ample opportunities to meet with teachers to discuss the termly reviews of the pupils’ individual education plans. Parents of pupils with statements of special educational need are given sufficient opportunities to be fully involved in the annual review process, in conformity with statutory requirements.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

49. The school is well led and managed. The leadership provided by the headteacher is very good. He has established very clear educational direction for all aspects of the school’s work and his leadership is very strong and purposeful. He has an excellent grasp of the school’s strengths and areas for development and improvement. He is very effective in the manner in which he uses a variety of management strategies and techniques to ensure that targets and priorities are met and in getting the best out of people. He has played a significant and pivotal role in the continued development and improvement of the school and in the renewal of the school’s Beacon status which was initially awarded in 1999. The very good, effective and strong qualities of leadership and management that the headteacher brings to the work of the school have earned him the full respect of staff, pupils, governors and parents.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

50. The systematic and thorough manner in which the headteacher leads the school in order to tackle identified weaknesses is of a high standard. He shows a steely determination to continue to raise standards and the quality of education that the school provides. All of these factors have made a significant and vital contribution to the continued development of the school. The headteacher has been very successful in moulding a team of staff that works together very well and whose driving desire is to provide a good quality of education for the pupils in their care. The headteacher is supported very well by the deputy headteacher, who has established a very strong and effective partnership with the headteacher and shares his vision for school improvement. Together they form a powerful partnership which capitalises on their individual strengths in different aspects of school life. The deputy headteacher plays a

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very effective role in monitoring curriculum provision and teaching and learning as well as leading in other aspects of school life such as her very good leadership of English and in managing innovative and exciting initiatives linked to the school’s Beacon status. The headteacher benefits from good support from the school adviser, and a dedicated and committed teaching and non-teaching staff.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

51. The headteacher and deputy headteacher meet on a regular basis and these meetings are often extended to include the full senior management team. The meetings have rightly concentrated on discussing strategies and initiatives directly aimed at improving standards, curriculum provision and the quality of teaching. These issues are then fully discussed at full staff meetings where staff are given every opportunity to be fully involved before initiatives become embedded in school practice. The high quality of leadership and management of the headteacher has, however, ensured that the impact of all initiatives has been carefully monitored and evaluated. Westwood Community Primary School - 23 52. The monitoring of teaching and learning in English, mathematics, and to a slightly lesser extent science, has been very effective, and has led to an improvement in standards and in the quality of teaching. The headteacher, deputy headteacher and in

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some instances, subject co-ordinators, have carried out a number of lesson observations, and the culture of monitoring is firmly established in these subjects and in physical education. This strategy has proved effective because formal feedback is given after every observation and any areas for improvement then form the focus of the next observation. The school has rightly and accurately identified the need to ensure that co-ordinators of all subjects play a more active role in monitoring, supporting and evaluating teaching and learning in their subjects in order to help raise standards further and to give them a good grasp of the quality of provision and the standards that are being achieved. It is equally important that this process is used to disseminate the good practice that is evident in some classes and to tackle any identified weaknesses. The very good procedures in place for analysing test and

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assessment data and for target setting have a very positive impact on pupils’ progress and achievement. The headteacher leads the analysis of test data and takes very good account of factors such as gender and pupil mobility. Very detailed information, for example, is to hand on the breakdown of each class in terms of pupil mobility, special educational needs and other social factors with the data clearly showing that pupils that have spent a longer time at the school tend to achieve much higher standards. The strategies in place enable the school to set very detailed individual targets for pupils and to track and analyse their progress towards these targets closely. The effectiveness of the systems are such that the value that the school adds for each and every pupil can be assessed.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

53. The school has made good progress since the time of the last inspection. The improvement and successes of the school are reflected in the Beacon Status awarded to the school by the government. After the previous inspection the school addressed the identified key issues in a rigorous and effective manner. As a result good schemes of work are now in place to support teaching and learning in all subjects; the quality of pupils’ individual education plans is now of a better standard; assessment has significantly improved and is now a strength of the school, and the quantity and quality of resources are much improved and impact positively on pupils’ learning. In terms of the wider picture, the standards that the school achieved improved in the years following the inspection with the school gaining government recognition for its attainment levels. The increasing level of pupil mobility and pupils attending the school

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with special educational needs means that attainment levels fluctuate. However this is a school that constantly evaluates how well it is doing and ensures that the individual needs of all pupils are met in an effective and inclusive manner. These factors all indicate that this is a school that constantly adapts well to changing circumstances and is well placed to continue to improve and develop the quality of education that it provides for pupils.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

54. The school provides good opportunities for the professional development of all teaching and non-teaching staff. This has contributed to the improvement of the quality of teaching across the school. The headteacher has put in place good procedures for the process of performance management. The headteacher and deputy ensure that in- service training is closely matched to the needs of the individual as well as meeting the needs of the school. Non-teaching and support staff are given opportunities to attend in-service training that they then put to very good use either in the classroom or to assist in the smooth and efficient running of the school. The knowledge and skills that teachers have gained on training courses in areas such as literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology have contributed to the improvements in standards and teaching. Good procedures are in place for supporting and inducting

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

teaching and other staff that are new to the school. This means that staff quickly get a Westwood Community Primary School - 24 grasp of school routines and know precisely what is expected of them. This is helped further by good quality, clear and concise job descriptions, which ensure that everybody is aware of their role in helping to bring to life the school’s aims stated in the school prospectus.

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55. The work of the special educational needs co-ordinator in managing this aspect of the school’s work is good. A new co-ordinator has recently taken up this post after a prolonged period of absence by the previous post holder. She has worked hard to bring the school’s procedures into line with the requirements of the new Code of Practice and has been very successful in gaining the confidence of parents whose children have special educational needs. She is fully supported in her management role by the governor with responsibility for special educational needs, who maintains a good overview of the school’s arrangements. Good procedures are now in place to meet the requirements of the Code of Practice and record keeping procedures are improving. However, there are still some deficiencies in the way in which records, relating to the provision made for pupils and the review procedures for their individual

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

education plans, are stored and monitored. Management of the Foundation Stage is good. The co-ordinator ensures that curriculum provision matches the needs of the children and that induction procedures are effective in ensuring that children make a smooth start to their educational lives. The Governing Body’s policies for equal opportunities and racial equality are of a good standard and are rigorously applied and monitored. The school fully complies with requirements to report racist incidents and such incidents are fully investigated and parents informed. The school is an inclusive school where all pupils have full access to all aspects of the curriculum and all that the school has to offer as a community.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

56. The vehicle for improving the school is the good quality School Development Plan. It contains an accurate assessment of the areas of school life that need to be developed, clear and concise success criteria, rigorous monitoring procedures, costings and realistic yet challenging timescales. The great strength is that all the initiatives and priorities in the school development plan are directly linked to the impact that they will have on improving teaching, learning and standards. The headteacher is keen to involve as many parties as possible in drawing up the identified priorities. This is to include parents and pupils so that they too can take a greater pride and responsibility in the quality of education that the school provides.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

57. The Governing Body plays an effective role in the management of the school. Governors fulfil their statutory duties well and are effective in holding the school to account for the quality of education it provides. Meetings of the Governing Body and committees are venues where policies and other decisions are discussed in detail before being accepted as school practice. Many governors visit the school on a regular basis, have observed lessons and have frequently observed the general work of the school. This gives them a good insight into the quality of education that the school provides. Many governors have established strong and effective links with subject leaders or with teachers that have responsibility for other areas of school life such as special educational needs. These meetings provide governors with good quality information and an informed insight into the quality of provision that is being made.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

Governors support many of the school’s social functions and governors use their professional skills for the benefit of the school. Information provided by the headteacher for governors is of a high standard, as is the quality of relationships that exist between staff and governors which add to the sense of community that exists within the school. Governors regularly attend training courses which help them to set the quality of education that the school provides in a wider context. Westwood Community Primary School - 25 58. The school’s financial management is very good and spending is closely linked to the educational priorities that are identified within the school improvement plan. Since the last inspection improvements have been made to the way that new initiatives and priorities are monitored in relation to likely costs and the impact on standards and quality of education. For example a recent priority has been to employ and train more

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

support staff in classrooms in order to improve the effectiveness of teaching. In order to judge the impact of the support staff, the headteacher has monitored their work closely in the classrooms. His findings show improved teaching and learning when they are present and a reduction in the stress levels of teachers in dealing with large classes and some challenging behaviour. The headteacher, deputy-head and a small group of governors have overall responsibility for financial control. The administrative officer in the school, the local education finance team and the headteacher very effectively manage the school’s budget. The administrative officer plays a very important role in ensuring that governors receive up to date information about expenditure. She also contributes significantly to the smooth and efficient running of the school. The governing body’s finance committee is very well informed. They meet

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

regularly and are very effective in monitoring, evaluating and challenging spending decisions in the school budget.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

59. The specific grants received by the school are used wisely for their intended purpose such as Beacon funding, the standards fund and special needs funding. In the case of the Beacon funding, the school has benefited from its close links with other schools and the sharing of good practice. Parts of the standards fund have been used for the deputy headteacher to take classes and release teachers to carry out their management duties as co-ordinators. These initiatives have impacted positively on the quality of pupils’ learning in English, mathematics and science. The principles of best value are applied very successfully in all decisions on spending. The school is very aware of the need for a competitive approach when purchasing goods and services to ensure cost effectiveness. For instance, competitive tendering was used successfully for the construction of a perimeter fence around the school. The school also regularly

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

compares its results and performance against other schools to see how well it is doing. Although there is no school council, more account has been taken recently of the views of the pupils into management and resources issues. For example the pupils have been consulted about improvements being made to the playground. Parents too are being approached more widely on important school issues such as the implications of being involved in Beacon status. A parents’ questionnaire is sent home each year and the answers are analysed and used to inform sections of the school improvement plan that are focused on aspects such as behaviour, special educational needs and homework. Taking all factors into account, the school is providing good value for money.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

60. The match of teachers and support staff to the demands of the curriculum is good and this supports learning well. This is a similar picture to that of the last inspection. The school has enough qualified teachers and many support staff for the number of pupils on roll. There is good teamwork between teachers and support staff. There are good arrangements to induct new staff to the school, including newly qualified teachers. This includes the allocation of a mentor and good provision for appraisal. The staff handbook is well detailed regarding the school’s policies and procedures.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

61. Accommodation is good and this supports the curriculum well. This is a similar situation to that of the last inspection. The school has a picturesque setting with very good outdoor space for physical education, play and nature studies. For example, the school has a full size, grassed football pitch and several ‘wildlife’ areas. Classrooms are adequate in size and there are a few areas for specialist teaching or withdrawal Westwood Community Primary School - 26 work. There are two library areas and a music room. Access to the head-teacher’s room, secretary’s offices and staff room is a problem for wheelchair users. Disabled toilets are conveniently located. The whole school is kept very clean and tidy.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

62. Learning resources are good overall and they support learning well. The school has made a few good improvements to learning resources since the last inspection including in English and mathematics. Resources are now good in English, mathematics, science, art, design and technology and physical education. All other resources are satisfactory.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

In order to further improve the quality of education that the school provides, the governing Body, headteacher and staff should:

p.26

offer by:

• consistently providing more opportunities for pupils to undertake personal study and research; • emphasising the need for pupils to take greater initiative and responsibility for their own learning; • providing more opportunities and a greater level of expectation for pupils to organise, be responsible for and take part in activities that would make a valuable contribution to the life of the school as a community.

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knowledge by:

• consistently setting high expectations as to the quantity and quality of work pupils are expected to complete and record within individual lessons and over time; • using the marking of pupils’ work as a vehicle for outlining to pupils what they need to do to improve their work and where the expectation of the amount of work pupils are to complete is clearly stated; • capitalising on opportunities to enhance pupils’ writing skills in other subjects of the curriculum and avoiding the overuse of uninspiring worksheets which require too little effort from pupils.

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knowledge by:

(paragraphs 7, 11, 18, 20, 24, 62, 79, 96, 115, 121, 142)

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subjects where they are not adequately developed by:

• ensuring that co-ordinators are provided with opportunities to monitor, support and evaluate teaching and learning across the school in order to disseminate the good practice and to tackle any weaknesses; • undertaking the regular scrutiny of pupils’ work.

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subjects where they are not adequately developed by:

(paragraphs 52, 98, 104, 110, 116, 122, 127, 131, 143) Westwood Community Primary School - 27

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 22

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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 2 20 49 29 0 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 two percentage points.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR-Y6

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) N/A 201

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals N/A 51 FTE means full-time equivalent.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs N/A 3

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register N/A 48

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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 0

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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 30

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 17

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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. Westwood Community Primary School - 28

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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 11 16 27

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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 11 11 11 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 15 16 16

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

Percentage of pupils School 96(90) 100(93) 100(97) 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 11 11 11 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 15 15 14

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

Percentage of pupils School 96(90) 96(97) 93(90) at NC level 2 or above National 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 22 12 34

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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 15 16 19 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 9 9 10

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

Percentage of pupils School 71(86) 74(81) 85(100) 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 16 16 19 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 10 10 11

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

Percentage of pupils School 76(89) 76(84) 88(100) 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. Westwood Community Primary School - 29

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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 0 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. Westwood Community Primary School - 30

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 9.42 Financial year 2002/2003

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 21.4

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR Y6 Total income 509589

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 10 Total expenditure 535427

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 203 Expenditure per pupil 2562

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Balance brought forward from previous year 35642

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) N/A Balance carried forward to next year 9804

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher N/A

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff N/A

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week N/A

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per FTE adult N/A FTE means full-time equivalent.

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 7

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 6

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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) 3

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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. Westwood Community Primary School - 31

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Questionnaire return rate

Percentage of responses in each category

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Questionnaire return rate

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

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Questionnaire return rate

My child is making good progress in school. 66 32 1 1 0

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Questionnaire return rate

Behaviour in the school is good. 50 44 4 0 2

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Questionnaire return rate

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 43 46 8 3 0

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Questionnaire return rate

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 54 40 6 0 0

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Questionnaire return rate

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 71 25 3 1 0

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Questionnaire return rate

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 80 18 1 0 1

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Questionnaire return rate

The school works closely with parents. 57 39 3 0 1

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Questionnaire return rate

The school is well led and managed. 74 25 1 0 0

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Questionnaire return rate

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 64 34 1 0 1

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Questionnaire return rate

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 36 46 9 4 5 Westwood Community Primary School - 32

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

63. The provision for children in the Foundation Stage is good and has improved from the last inspection when it was satisfactory. This is because improvements have been made to the planning of the curriculum and there are more opportunities for outdoor play and for children to develop their writing skills successfully. The unit is well led and managed and the children make a positive start in the Reception class, firmly developing and consolidating their skills.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

64. Children are admitted to the Reception class to attend full-time at the beginning of the year in which they have their fifth birthday. The attainment of the children when they start school varies from year to year, but over the past few years it has been below average. This year the detailed assessments that are kept by the school and inspection evidence show that attainment is at an average level overall. The children achieve well and make good progress in their learning. At the end of this reception year attainment exceeds the nationally recommended Early Learning Goals in communication, language and literacy, mathematical development, knowledge and understanding of the world and in children’s creative development. Attainment in personal, social and emotional development and physical development is in line with the Early Learning Goals.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

65. Teaching is good overall. The best teaching is characterised by a good understanding of the needs of young children and by well-planned activities that help them to make good gains in their learning. The teaching is particularly successful in promoting and extending early literacy and numeracy skills and the children make good progress. There is a very good ratio of adults to children and the nursery teacher and support assistant are highly skilled in helping the children to learn successfully. However, because the class is well staffed there is on occasions a tendency to organise too many adult-led sessions in the day and because of this there are sometimes fewer opportunities for children to choose and plan for themselves. Assessment procedures are good and help the teacher and support staff to build on what the children already know. Relationships are warm and supportive and the children are happy and secure

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

in their learning, receiving good levels of support and praise. The constant praise from the teacher to the children sometimes needs to be balanced more with further encouragement of ways to improve their work.

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Personal, social and emotional development

66. Attainment in this area of learning is at an expected level by the end of the reception year as almost all children will achieve the Early Learning Goals but few will exceed the standards. Progress for all pupils is satisfactory. This is because although there are times given for children to plan their own work and make choices in their learning, there is a generally greater emphasis in many lessons on adult-led tasks, which do not always give children enough opportunities to develop their independent skills or initiate their own ideas. However a very good example of children initiating their own ideas was seen when four of them dressed themselves in the characters of ‘Goldilocks and The Three Bears’. They collected the resources needed and acted out the story together very successfully, taking turns to speak and moving in and out of the ‘three bears’ house’ as the story progressed. Although most children have good attitudes to

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Personal, social and emotional development

their work, a small number are happy to accept the praise of adults, but less inclined to put more effort into what they do to make it better. The children generally show good Westwood Community Primary School - 33 levels of interest in the literacy and numeracy lessons. They confidently stand up on their own and tell the rest of the class the details of the ‘bear hunt’ they carried out in the school grounds. When they retell the events of the story of ‘we’re going on a bear hunt’, they become very animated and show pleasure and joy in predicting what happened next. These successful activities heighten the children’s spiritual awareness and development very successfully.

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Personal, social and emotional development

67. The children are very secure in classroom routines. The topic ‘Ourselves’ was planned and taught well at the beginning of the year to help them quickly settle into school life. Effective teaching ensures that ‘circle time’ is often used to support the children with moral and social dilemmas and a good range of stories such as ‘Angry Arthur’ reinforces the issues they face each day in school and at home. Most children are very sensible and behave well, sharing and co-operating together when, for example, making biscuits and tidying up afterwards. Children are thoughtful in their concern for others and this is shown in the good relationships that they have with one another. Special festivals from around the world are celebrated and help to extend the children’s beliefs and understanding of the wider world. The small group of children with special educational needs are well integrated and receive very good support from

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Personal, social and emotional development

the teaching assistant in order to take a full and inclusive part in school life.

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Communication, language and literacy

68. Good provision and teaching enable the children to make good progress and by the end of the reception year attainment exceeds the Early Learning Goals. Good teaching ensures that children have good opportunities to develop their language skills effectively across all areas of learning. Speaking and listening skills are well developed. The children are usually good at listening to others and asking questions. Most children speak confidently to adults and one another. As well as providing good opportunities for speaking and listening activities in the ‘Bear cave’ and ‘Noah’s Ark’, the children often re-tell and make up stories themselves.

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Communication, language and literacy

69. Teaching ensures that a good emphasis is placed on the development of early reading skills and by changing the focus of the book corner regularly, the children are interested to stay there and read together. This is another improvement from the last inspection. Many children already read simple stories fluently and have built up a wide vocabulary of familiar words. They also know the difference between fiction and non- fiction books and where to find them in the library. A few of the more able children use the contents and index pages of information books to find out which are the oldest toy bears and what they are made of. The books being read in class are regularly sent home along with a home-school diary, in which the teacher and parents record progress. The school values highly the very good support that most parents give with reading at home and the good contribution this makes to the progress being made.

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Communication, language and literacy

Lessons regularly include the regular reinforcement of sounds and words and the sharing together of a wide range of stories. Stories often form the basis of work in other areas of learning. For example last term when ‘Journeys’ was the focus of study for children’s knowledge and understanding of the world, the children’s language skills received further reinforcement from books, which ranged from ‘Noah’ to Mr Gumpy’s Outing .’

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Communication, language and literacy

70. There are many well planned opportunities for children to develop their writing skills and become confident writers. A good balance is achieved between providing time for them to write freely and a planned and regular input of good teacher support in the literacy lessons. Because of this most children form their letters correctly and the higher attainers write confidently in sentences. Children’s free writing includes letters, books, lists, and invitations. The good levels of achievement are clearly seen in the Westwood Community Primary School - 34 progress made in the children’s books over the course of the year. In September the higher attaining children were copy writing and in the very early stages of emergent writing. They are now writing independently in their diaries, sentences such as ‘On Sunday I went to my friend’s house where we had a picnic. It was good’. Most words are spelt correctly and punctuation is in place. Many children are beginning to use

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Communication, language and literacy

simple dictionaries to find their own words.

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Mathematical development

71. There is a good focus on developing mathematical skills and using the correct language. Because the teaching is good, all children, including those with special educational needs, make good progress and attainment exceeds the early Learning Goals by the time that children are ready to start in Year 1. The teacher probes the children’s understanding of numbers beyond twenty by asking for example the number before and after 25. The more able children have a good understanding of numbers to 100 when they fill in missing numbers in a number square and estimate larger numbers realistically in practical situations. Both the more able and average attaining groups record their answers formally in books, while lower attaining pupils are familiar with coins to ten pence and add them together. The good quality of teaching provides good opportunities to learn about measuring, direction, pattern and shape in the

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Mathematical development

planned activities. The vocabulary for weight was promoted well when children used a balance to weigh objects. A very good initiative to involve the parents in their children’s learning of mathematics has been to make three dimensional model clocks at home with moveable hands and to practise telling the time. Further learning has been reinforced in school and now all children read ‘o’ clock’ and the more able children read ‘half past’ correctly. The computer and a programmable toy have recently been used to help children successfully learn more about the language of direction.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

72. The topics chosen in this area of learning provide good levels of interest for the children and the good teaching and progress of all children ensure that attainment exceeds the Early Learning Goals by the end of the reception year. Activities are well planned and enriched with visits or visitors whenever possible in order to bring children’s learning alive. As part of their work on journeys and animals the children recently visited Blackpool Zoo. When they learnt about people in the community, the local policemen came along to talk to them all. Their work on ‘Noah and his animals’ ended up with the children dressing up in character and presenting a play to everyone including their parents in assembly. The role-play areas are often used well to extend the children’s knowledge and understanding of the world. It was recently made into a café where they learnt about healthy eating when they made a fruit salad and gained

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

an awareness of different cultures when they celebrated the Chinese New Year and ate rice and prawn crackers with chopsticks. A good opportunity was planned for the children to investigate different transparent and translucent materials to see which would let the light through using a torch. This was a very good exercise in encouraging the children to think for themselves and use their own ideas. One of the children predicted ‘I think this material will let light through because I can see through it myself’. The children would benefit from more activities like this one that are not too teacher- directed, so that they can find out for themselves and develop their skills of observation and prediction. Most children are confident in moving the computer mouse skilfully and finding the correct letters on the keyboard to make pictures and patterns and write their own names. The computers are also used to practise language and

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

mathematical skills, and their regular use gives the children a good foundation on which to build their information and communication technology skills as they move through the school. Westwood Community Primary School - 35

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Physical development

73. By the end of the reception year almost all children attain the Early Learning Goals in their physical development. A key issue from the last inspection was to improve the outdoor play facilities for children in the Foundation Stage. A small and secure outdoor area has been built since then, which contains a few wheeled toys and some role-play equipment. The school in part has addressed some of the past weaknesses in providing facilities for creative play, but the area is too small to allow access for children to move freely on bikes and trikes and there is no large apparatus on which to learn to climb and balance freely and imaginatively. Because the children miss out on the regular activities recommended for this age and adults are restricted in what they can plan in their teaching, the teaching and progress that the children make are satisfactory rather than good. There are regular sessions in the hall for more formal

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Physical development

physical education lessons and children use the outdoor climbing equipment in the infant playground at break times and occasionally in lessons. During the inspection children worked well together to move a parachute in different ways, showing good co- ordination skills and an awareness of space and the people around them. They know how to travel safely and in travelling in different directions under the parachute they move with confidence and control, following carefully the instructions of the teacher. All of the children handle pencils, scissors, brushes and other tools with good control and confidence. However, because the outdoor area is small there are limited opportunities to explore and build with large construction equipment and there is no garden for the children to use tools for growing and caring for plants.

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Creative development

74. The children make good progress in their creative development because the teaching is good and resources outside have been improved. By the end of the reception year attainment exceeds the Early Learning Goals. Adults are now timetabled to support creative play and this has extended the opportunities and experiences of the children and had a positive impact on their learning. The direct teaching of specific creative and artistic skills results in children’s work showing good attention to detail in the ideas, colours and shapes that are used. For example after they had looked at the sunflower paintings of Van Gogh, they showed good observational skills in painting their own sunflowers, using his ideas and techniques. Recently the children enjoyed the opportunity to work alongside a local artist. Not only did they explore the different patterns they found around the school grounds, but they also worked together to

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Creative development

produce a mosaic-tiled collage of the ideas they had collected together. The children have built up a good repertoire of songs and nursery rhymes, which they enjoy singing together at regular times of the day. They also add actions to the songs and keep to the beat of the music by clapping or with instruments. Because they regularly join the rest of the school for assemblies, they also enjoy singing the hymns with the rest of the pupils. They listened very attentively to some of the older pupils playing their guitars. Although musical instruments are often used in the teacher led activities, they are not usually freely accessible to the children to enhance the role–play activities.

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ENGLISH

75. The attainment of pupils in Year 2 on the basis of the National Curriculum tests in 2002 was well above the national average in writing and above the national average in reading. When compared to similar schools attainment was well above average in reading and writing. Teacher assessments put pupils’ attainment in speaking and listening above average. On the basis of the National Curriculum tests for Year 6 pupils in 2002, attainment in English was below the national average and well below Westwood Community Primary School - 36 average when compared to similar schools on the basis of eligibility for free school meals but average on the basis of prior attainment. Inspection findings show that attainment is at an average level in English by the end of Year 2 and Year 6 overall, with standards in reading above average by the end of Year 6. The consistently good and at times very good teaching of English across the school means that all pupils,

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ENGLISH

including those with special educational needs, make good progress and achieve well. There are a number of reasons that explain the differences between test results and inspection findings. The differences in attainment at the end of Year 2 can be explained by significant differences in the natural ability of the differing cohorts. The good achievement of Year 6 pupils is demonstrated by the fact that approximately 40 per cent of the cohort has special educational needs and an equal percentage of pupils have not spent their full educational lives at the school. Detailed data maintained by the school shows that pupils that spend more time at the school generally attain higher standards. The high level of pupil mobility and fluctuating percentage of pupils with special educational needs in different year groups account for levels of attainment from one year to the next. The school, however, sets challenging targets for pupils and monitors their progress rigorously. There is no

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ENGLISH

significant difference in the attainment of boys and girls that cannot be explained by natural ability differences.

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ENGLISH

76. By the end of Year 2 and Year 6, pupils’ speaking and listening skills are at an average level. Pupils across the school listen to their teachers and one another well and follow instructions in a satisfactory manner. The older pupils in the school listen to the views and opinions of others and take these comments on board before making their own responses. In most instances the manner in which pupils get on with their work after a whole class introduction to a lessons shows that they have taken on board what is required of them. By the end of Year 2 pupils are keen to ask and answer questions with the higher attaining pupils organising their views and opinions in a concise manner. The weaker element is that few pupils have command of an expressive or expansive vocabulary. In Year 3 to Year 6 learning is more effective when pupils are provided with opportunities to take part in discussions about feelings, emotions,

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ENGLISH

poverty or racism and pupils encouraged to express their views and opinions. Activities such as role-play or ‘’hot seating’’ provide an ideal vehicle for developing pupils’ speaking and listening skills. Many pupils show increasing confidence in these activities and support their standpoint well even if the vocabulary that they use lacks a little sparkle. A small number of pupils are reluctant to take part in discussions and rely on the contributions of others, despite the promptings of the teacher.

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ENGLISH

77. Reading standards are average by the end of Year 2 and above average by the end of Year 6. By the end of Year 2, pupils enjoy reading and having books read to them. They follow the text in an appropriate manner in lessons and the good quality teaching provides them with a good range of strategies to tackle unfamiliar words and phrases which they use well in literacy and other lessons. Pupils are aware of terms such as contents and index, and the higher attainers use these features to locate information at speed. Pupils read with a secure degree of accuracy and fluency and are becoming more aware of how the correct interpretation of punctuation can help text spring to life. Fewer pupils read with a high level of expression or have well developed comprehension skills. Pupils continue to acquire reading skills at a good rate in Year 3 to Year 6 with standards being above average by the end of Year 6. Pupils are

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ENGLISH

introduced to a wide range of fiction and non-fiction and poetry. Many pupils locate information quickly using techniques such as skimming and scanning. Pupils have a good knowledge of a wide range of authors and higher attaining pupils know the importance of reading with suitable intonation and expression and of extending their understanding beyond the literal level. The aim is for more pupils to be working and attaining at this level. Westwood Community Primary School - 37 78. Standards in writing are currently at an average level by the end of Year 2 and Year 6 but this does not tell the full story. Standards have improved considerably in writing over the last three years and improving standards has been a priority in school. The school has successfully addressed this issue with pupils throughout school achieving well in relation to their ability, and standards are set to rise again in 2004. The school’s

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ENGLISH

success in this area is due to the manner in which writing skills are taught well and pupils are provided with some very good writing stimuli. In Year 1and Year 2 pupils are provided with opportunities to re-tell the story of Puss in Boots, to write news, to write about visits, book reviews, poetry, letters and a host of creative writing opportunities. Good attention is paid to the development of pupils’ phonic awareness, presentational skills, handwriting and the correct use of grammar and spelling. By the end of Year 2 many pupils write imaginatively and creatively and pay satisfactory attention to the use of capital letters and full stops, with the higher attainers using more advanced punctuation such as exclamation marks. Spelling standards are at an average level with the school identifying the need to provide pupils with more inventive strategies to help then spell correctly. Pupils are equipped with the skills to help them write for a

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variety of audiences and purposes, although pupils’ vocabulary is not always particularly expressive.

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79. In Year 3 to Year 6 pupils continue to be provided with a wealth of good quality writing stimuli. They are taught more advanced writing skills and given very good guidance sheets and writing frameworks to enhance their writing skills. Pupils use arresting language at the start of work to capture the attention of the reader and use punctuation to increase tension and drama. Pupils write tales of their childhood, autobiographies, life in Victorian times, write persuasively on issues such as why children should not have homework, limericks, poetry, diary entries, myths and legends, scenes for plays, wanted posters and how to take notes accurately and swiftly. Pupils’ presentation skills are often of a good standard and spelling standards are at an average level. The areas for development are for pupils to use a more expansive vocabulary and for the amount of pupils’ written and recorded work in different subjects of the curriculum to match

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their oral knowledge. There are some excellent examples of pupils’ writing skills being enhanced in other areas of the curriculum but there are other occasions when teachers use uninspiring worksheets and miss an opportunity to enhance pupils’ writing skills further through other subjects of the curriculum.

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80. The behaviour in lessons is generally of a good standard. Most pupils listen attentively and show respect for the views and opinions of others. Pupils take a pride in their work and many are keen to do well. Although many pupils put a lot of effort into their work, a few do not complete enough work, and rely too heavily on adult guidance, rather than taking responsibility for their own learning in ways which would add much to the effective learning environment that is a feature of many lessons across the school.

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81. The quality of teaching is good and at times very good across the school and adds considerably to how well pupils learn and achieve. The National Literacy Strategy is firmly embedded in the school’s practice. Reading and writing skills are taught well throughout the school. Pupils are provided with good strategies to help then read with the older pupils directly being taught higher order reading skills. Pupils are taught well how to write for many different audiences and purposes and they are provided with frameworks to write for specific purposes. For example older pupils are taught how to build up the tension of a story, how to build up characterisation and how punctuation can be used to increase the dramatic impact of writing. This level of teaching impacts most positively on pupils’ attainment and achievement. The deputy headteacher and headteacher support teaching in literacy and between them take a number of lessons.

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Both provide very good models of good practice and add considerably to the quality of pupils’ learning. Some good examples of computers being used to enhance pupils’ Westwood Community Primary School - 38 work through word processing and for research purposes although on occasions opportunities for pupils to directly draft and edit their work on the computer are missed.

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82. Examples of very good or excellent teaching were observed in Year 3 to Year 6. Common features in these lessons were very good pace, high expectations, strong subject knowledge which enables elements of literacy to be clearly explained, and a variety of teaching strategies to capture and maintain the interest of the pupils. In a very good lesson for Year 4 pupils the teacher used role-play, even donning a balaclava to enter into the character of the story, and in so doing deepened the pupils’ understanding of the character. In an excellent lesson in Year 3 a firm teaching approach, recapping of previous learning, constant reference to learning objectives and high expectations enabled pupils to obtain a very clear understanding of how to build up the mystery factor in stories which was later and articulately reflected in the high standards of work that pupils produced. Teachers’ planning is of a consistently

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good standard, and teaching and learning are more effective when pupils are expected to take a greater initiative and responsibility for their own learning. The support staff play a very important and significant role in supporting the learning of pupils with special educational needs. Good liaison procedures are in place with teachers and together they ensure that the targets in pupils’ individual educational plans are met. The contribution made by support staff is pivotal in how well pupils achieve. The areas for development are the need for some teachers to set higher expectations for the amount of work pupils are expected to complete, and for the marking of pupils’ work to be more consistently used as a vehicle for outlining what they need to do to improve.

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83. The leadership and management of the subject are very good. The deputy headteacher leads the subject, with some assistance provided by the Key Stage 1 co- ordinator. The deputy headteacher, who has played a significant role in helping to raise standards in the subject, particularly in writing, is very knowledgeable and enthusiastic and has an excellent grasp of the strengths in the subject and the areas for further development. Very good procedures are in place for monitoring the quality of teaching and learning through direct observation, scrutiny of pupils’ work and through talking to the pupils. The co-ordinator provides very good support for colleagues and has provided a great deal of in-service training which has impacted greatly on the quality of teaching and learning. Very good procedures are in place for assessing and tracking pupils’ progress and there are equally good procedures for target setting and for analysing test and assessment data, which takes full account of

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factors such as gender, attainment of different year groups and pupil mobility. The co- ordinator has initiated numerous activities such as ‘’writing partners’’ which specifically target identified pupils for a specified block of time. Very good pupil profiles are maintained which contain accurately levelled work. Pupils’ learning is further enhanced by visits from poets, authors and theatre companies and also by character days. All of these experiences are organised by the co-ordinator and add much to pupils’ cultural development. Resources to support teaching and learning are good in terms of quantity and quality and reflect the high status the subject is afforded within the school.

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MATHEMATICS

84. The evidence from inspection is that the attainment of pupils by the end of Year 6 is in line with the national average. Attainment by the end of Year 2 is above average. Differences in attainment in national tests do not indicate a fall in standards but more accurately reflect the natural ability of the different groups of pupils. The progress made by all pupils, including those with special educational needs, is good throughout the school and all pupils achieve well. Improvement since the last inspection has been satisfactory. Westwood Community Primary School - 39 85. The fluctuating pattern of attainment in school needs further explanation. The most recently published results of the national standardised assessment for Year 2 pupils in 2002 showed attainment in mathematics to be above the national average and above average when compared to similar schools. National Curriculum tests for Year 6 pupils

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in 2002 showed attainment to be below the national average and below average when compared to similar schools on the basis of eligibility for free school meals. When compared to similar schools on the basis of prior attainment, attainment is above average. Despite these differences and a picture of fluctuating standards over time, overall standards are rising and there are good reasons why there is inconsistency in perceived attainment and achievement. They include a higher than average percentage of pupils with special educational needs, a considerable variation in the attainment of cohorts of pupils on entry to school, and a high incidence of pupils who enter and leave the school other than at normal times. School records show the latter to be of significant importance. For instance, 40 per cent of last year’s cohort had previously attended other schools. Furthermore, the performance of this group of

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pupils is significantly below that of the pupils who start at the school in the Reception class with only 42 per cent of them achieving at the expected level by the end of Year 6 compared to double this figure for the pupils that have spent their full educational lives at the school.

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MATHEMATICS

86. By the end of Year 2, pupils’ knowledge and their understanding of skills in organising strategies to arrive at answers have developed well. For instance, when adding two numbers, they would add the smaller number to the larger number. The majority explain the methods and processes they use and realise that there is often more than one way to achieve a result. Pupils count in twos, threes, fives and tens. Their knowledge and application of number bonds to twenty, and for some pupils, to thirty, are well embedded and quickly recalled. This effectively memorised knowledge enables them to show and use good mental arithmetic skills. They apply skills further to add and subtract larger numbers with confidence, often by rounding up or down to the nearest ten and then making the necessary adjustment. Telling the time to the nearest quarter-hour presents no difficulty. Pupils are equally proficient when

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measuring length and capacity using centimetres, metres and litres and half-litres. However, estimation is not so well developed and although pupils recognise and talk about some two - and three - dimensional shapes, their knowledge is not extensive. They show good skills when collecting and handling data and very clearly talk about it, making sensible judgements about the information displayed in graphs and pie charts.

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MATHEMATICS

87. By the end of Year 6, pupils have a well-rounded mathematical knowledge and over half of them are able to draw upon their previous learning. They effectively use it to solve problems involving more than one aspect of mathematics in “real-life,” situations. For instance, in solving a baking problem, they cost out the total ingredients, calculate weights and measures and arrive at the final cost of individual items. Quick mental recall of number enables pupils to arrive at answers swiftly. Addition, subtraction and multiplication skills are very secure, but some pupils’ skills in division are not as strong as in the other areas of computation. Pupils are able to find similarities in many mathematical situations, for instance links between money and decimals, and the connections with fractions decimals and percentages. Pupils handle a wide range of measures confidently and are good at calculating, recognising and measuring angles.

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They also know and talk about properties of a wide selection of shapes. However, some of the higher skills, such as calculation of the area of triangles and circles and the use of volume, are insecure. Pupils are adept at collecting statistics and information and representing them effectively in graphs and Venn diagrams. Often the graphs are used to help solve problems such as when converting decimal money into some other currency. Westwood Community Primary School - 40 88. Generally, teaching and learning are good. During the inspection most of the teaching seen was good with some of it very good. On the whole teachers’ subject knowledge, their lesson planning and their methods of teaching are good. Good use is made of sessions at the start of lessons to test out pupils’ mental agility and pupils enjoy these sessions. The best teaching uses the sessions at the end of lessons to re-visit the learning objectives to assess what has been learnt by different groups of pupils and

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then use the information to inform future lesson planning. An area for development is that in some lessons too much time is spent on consolidating previous work and not enough time provided for recording new work in their books. However, in most instances the level of challenge is high. For example, in Year 6, provided tasks required pupils to apply their knowledge to solve some difficult and complex problems involving factors and prime numbers. As a result, learning was effective. Very good teaching was also seen in Year 4. Here the teacher had very high expectations of her pupils. Learning was enhanced by very good use of resources and time. Pupils made very good progress as they very effectively extended mathematical vocabulary, their knowledge and understanding of sorting, representing and interpreting information in Carroll and Venn diagrams. In exciting lessons like these, pupils’ response is very

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good, because by rising to the challenge, they accept responsibility for their own learning and work hard to achieve success. Pupils enjoy lessons on the whole, but a few have a limited concentration span and unless they are effectively managed can sometimes affect the learning of others. A strong feature of teaching is the very good deployment of support staff. They make a valuable contribution to learning, and in particular they offer very good support to those pupils identified with special educational needs, helping them make equally good progress to that of other pupils.

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MATHEMATICS

89. Leadership of the subject is good. A particular strength lies in the good assessment procedures and the use the school makes of the information gained from these procedures for setting targets and identifying areas for improvement. The analysis of data also takes full account of factors such as gender and pupil mobility and the very detailed records that the school keeps means that they can quantify the value that the school adds for each individual pupil. However, pupils could become more independently involved in their own learning if this valuable information were to be shared with them. It would identify for them where they would need to improve in order to achieve at a higher level. Good in-service training has not only ensured that the national numeracy strategy has been firmly embedded, but has also provided teachers with support and additional professional development. Monitoring of teaching has been

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regular and helpful in developing skills. However, a greater emphasis on curriculum monitoring is now required through the more regular planned opportunities for scrutiny of pupils’ work and matching it against the planned programmes of study. The school has worked hard to extend numeracy skills across the curriculum and examples may be found, for example in science by the production of graphs to record the results of scientific experiments. Overall, resources are good and good use is also made of computers to support teaching in lessons.

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SCIENCE

90. Since the last inspection, the school’s results for Year 6 pupils have remained consistently higher than the national figure but dipped in 2002, when the latest available National Curriculum test results were published. The results for 2002 show pupils’ attainment at the end of Year 6 to be well below the national average and well below that of similar schools. This uncharacteristically low result is attributable to the high number of pupils with special educational needs in the group of pupils tested and a significant proportion of pupils who joined the school late in the key stage. In 2002, Westwood Community Primary School - 41 the Year 2 teacher assessments show pupils’ attainment to be average in relation to the national average and similar schools.

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SCIENCE

91. The evidence from this inspection shows a much better picture at the end of Year 6 with attainment above average. Pupils currently in Year 2 are attaining standards that are average for their ages. Throughout the school pupils make good progress and achieve well from a lower than average starting point. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress in relation to their prior ability due to the good quality support they are given in lessons. Pupils throughout the school make particularly good progress in the development of scientific enquiry skills due to the increased focus placed on this area and recent improvements in the teaching of investigative work.

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SCIENCE

92. By the end of Year 2, pupils have had good opportunities to study a range of scientific topics and have gained a satisfactory level of knowledge about life processes and living things, materials and physical processes. In their studies of living things, they name the significant parts of a plant and know about the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. They learn successfully about human growth and the safety aspects of beneficial medicines. In their studies of everyday materials, the pupils become familiar with the observable properties of common materials and what makes them suitable for their use. In Year 2, the pupils made decisions about how to kit out Fireman Sam according to their satisfactory knowledge of the properties of materials such as plastic and metal. They took into account the fireproof and waterproof qualities of the different materials and made well-informed choices. In their practical exploration of the effects of heat on

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SCIENCE

materials, such as chocolate and margarine, they have a satisfactory awareness of the processes of reversible and irreversible change in materials. Pupils make satisfactory progress in developing their ideas about electricity. They know about the uses of electricity and, with help they construct a simple electrical circuit. They have good understanding of how sounds are produced and describe sound in terms of vibrations. They know that pushes and pulls cause movement and, in their investigations of toy cars, they know that they have to ‘push harder to make it go faster’. The area for further development is to help pupils develop a better level of scientific vocabulary when talking about or explaining their work.

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SCIENCE

93. Through a good range of practical investigative work, the majority of pupils, including those with special educational needs, make good progress in developing their scientific enquiry skills. The investigations they carry out are linked well to learning in other parts of the subject and help to consolidate their scientific knowledge as well as their investigative skills. A very good investigation of ‘how to keep Jack Frost solid’ contributed significantly to the pupils’ understanding of the processes of freezing and melting, while a study of the relationship between seed size and plant size helped the pupils to understand the conditions needed for plant growth.

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SCIENCE

94. By the end of Year 6, the pupils have built very successfully on these early experiences and have made good gains in scientific knowledge and understanding. Due to the many high quality opportunities for investigative work, they make particularly good progress in developing their scientific enquiry skills and develop a good scientific vocabulary, which they apply accurately in their work. Pupils demonstrate a secure knowledge of the structure and function of the main organs of the human body and link plant parts with the processes of pollination, fertilisation and photosynthesis. In their studies of the physical properties of materials, they have a good understanding of the fact that materials can exist as solids, liquids or gases and they are beginning to understand the chemical changes that occur when materials are heated or mixed together. Throughout Year 3 to Year 6, the pupils make good gains in

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their understanding of the action of forces such as gravity, friction and air resistance. They know much about the function of different components in a circuit and present Westwood Community Primary School - 42 circuits in diagrams, using the correct symbols to represent the different components. They know how light and sound travel and about the role of the eye and ear in seeing and hearing.

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95. The many scientific investigations carried out by pupils, are a significant factor in the good understanding they develop about scientific processes and events. They know the stages of planning an investigation to find the answer to a scientific question. They make predictions about what might happen, control the variables to make the test fair and collect reasonably accurate data, which they record in tables and graphs. However, there is scope for pupils to use a wider range of measurements and create different graphs from which to look for patterns and base conclusions about the answers to the questions they investigate.

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SCIENCE

96. The quality of teaching is consistently good throughout the school. Teachers encourage their pupils to be active learners and provide many opportunities for pupils to develop their science enquiry skills alongside knowledge and understanding. They use appropriate teaching strategies and contexts for the ages and interests of the pupils. Lessons are usually well planned and managed, although there are occasions when the learning objectives for a lesson are not sufficiently specific and progress is slowed as a result. Teachers’ subject knowledge is usually strong and enables them to deal with the questions of pupils in an effective manner and in doing so take pupils’ understanding to a higher level. The best teaching challenges pupils’ thinking and independence as learners, in contexts that ensure the required knowledge and skills are effectively developed. This creates a very positive climate for learning and gains

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the interest and co-operation of pupils, most of whom enjoy their science lessons. There are occasions when not enough expectation is made in terms of how much work pupils produce or when the marking of pupils’ work is not used well enough to outline what pupils need to do to improve the quantity or quality of their work.

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SCIENCE

97. Teachers know their pupils well and usually match work to the learning needs of individuals and groups. Learning support staff are used very effectively to provide high quality support for pupils with special educational needs and help them make maximum progress in lessons. Science makes a good contribution to the development of the pupils’ literacy skills, particularly when pupils write investigation reports and findings in their own words. The contribution of the subject to mathematical development is satisfactory but there is scope for more use to be made of measurement data and graphs in investigations. The use of computers makes a satisfactory contribution to science learning, for example through environmental monitoring, but the subject would benefit from more data handling and research to enhance learning.

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SCIENCE

98. The subject is well led and managed. Although the subject co-ordinator has been on leave in the recent past, she has succeeded in making a significant contribution to the development of science teaching, particularly in the area of investigative science. She has a good overview of the strengths and areas for improvement in the subject and has accurately identified areas for development. However, there is scope for the monitoring role of the co-ordinator to be further extended to include a broader view of standards and teaching quality through lesson observations and through the regular scrutiny of pupils’ work. Very good procedures are in place for assessing and tracking pupils’ attainment as they move through the school. Very good procedures are in place for analysing test and assessment data which informs the target setting process in a most effective manner and is a highly successful tool in identifying strengths and areas

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for development within the subject. The subject is well resourced to support the requirements of the National Curriculum, and the opportunities that the subject provides for pupils to work together and experience the wonders of the natural world Westwood Community Primary School - 43 help it to make an important contribution to the spiritual and social development of pupils.

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ART AND DESIGN

99. Standards in art and design are at an average level by the end of Year 2 and Year 6. All pupils, including those with special educational needs, make satisfactory progress. Improvement has been satisfactory since the time of the last inspection.

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100. By the end of Year 2 pupils have developed satisfactory artistic skills. Pupils drawing skills are at an average level and they make observational drawings that show a satisfactory likeness and a fair degree of perspective. Pupils mix colours to produce the desired colour and are provided with good opportunities to work with pastels, paints, pencil and crayons. Pupils show a satisfactory awareness of techniques such as shading and recognise that watering paint down or adding glue to paint can create different effects and textures. Pupils have also mixed sand with paint to produce a’’ rough’’ effect. Pupils have been given opportunities to work with clay and have made models of plants and animals. The pupils layered the paint on the models and the finished products were of a satisfactory standard with a good level of imagination and few models looking the same. Pupils’ knowledge of the work of famous artists is a little

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limited and not all pupils are confident in evaluating their work or that of their classmates or in expressing preferences and suggesting ways in which it might be improved.

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101. By the end of Year 6 standards are at an average level. Pupils use sketchbooks in an adequate manner to try out new techniques. Pupils have a satisfactory knowledge of the work of famous artists such as Picasso, Monet and Van Gough but sometimes have difficulty recalling the names and work of other famous artists. Some good examples of work were observed for pupils in Year 3 in which they looked at the work of Van Gough and his depiction of light and shade and then created their own wool weavings incorporating Van Gogh’s techniques. Some very good examples of batik were also observed in this class. Pupils use paint washes to create effective backgrounds and the finished work is of a satisfactory standard. Pupils continue to work with a wide range of media including paint, pastels, pencils and charcoal. They have developed satisfactory skills of shading and fading and recognise that different thickness of pencils can create different effects. Pupils have completed work in three

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dimensions such as clay pots using the coiling technique, African masks and weaving, although the school has rightly identified the need for more work to be completed in this aspect of the subject. Pupils have made fabric wall hangings of a satisfactory standard. Pupils are not secure in appraising different pieces of art work or in justifying their likes and dislikes.

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ART AND DESIGN

102. Most pupils have positive attitudes to the subject. Many show good levels of concentration and take a pride in their work. They maintain their attention to ensure that work is completed to the best of their ability. Pupils handle materials well. Behaviour in lessons is usually of a good standard although on occasions not all pupils listen attentively and seek to distract others with the effect of missing valuable teaching points and marring an effective learning environment. Overall, however, the positive attitudes and good behaviour of many pupils contribute much to the learning environment.

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ART AND DESIGN

103. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory with good features. A strength in the teaching is that artistic skills are taught in a direct manner and then pupils are provided with opportunities to put these skills to good use in a range of different Westwood Community Primary School - 44 activities working with many different media. Explanations are clear and precise with the result that pupils know exactly what they need to do when they go off to work. Classes are usually well organised and resources are well prepared and offer a good variety of choices for pupils to make their own decisions and to underpin their ideas and interpretation. For example pupils in Year 3 were taught how to weave using wool. Pupils in Year 4 were directly taught how paint washes could be used to create sunrise and sun set effects. In both instances the pupils’ initial lack of confidence was overcome with further measured teacher inputs leading to significant improvements in

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pupils’ work. Pupils are encouraged to be creative and imaginative in their work and to put their own stamp of originality on their work. Teachers’ subject knowledge is often secure and in some instances very good and in these instances is used very well to enthuse and motivate the pupils and pupils often then become engrossed in their work. Some use is made of computers for pupils to carry out research about famous artists but other opportunities to use computers to enhance pupils’ learning are not capitalised upon. When teaching is not as effective it is because introductions are over long and not enough time is provided for pupils to practice and refine their skills or classroom management techniques are not effective enough in dealing with more problematic pupils.

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ART AND DESIGN

104. The quality of leadership and management of the subject is satisfactory with some strengths. The co-ordinator is enthusiastic and has very good subject knowledge and has a secure grasp of the quality of provision in the subject across the school. There has been some limited direct monitoring of teaching and learning and assessment procedures have been recently introduced. The school has recognised that there is scope for further development in these areas in order to have a bigger impact on helping to raise standards. The pupils have visited art galleries and art studios and use the local environment well for artistic stimuli. Other areas for development identified by the co-ordinator include more regular visits to galleries and the more consistent use of sketchbooks. The curriculum provided in art and design includes the study of non- Western as well as Western art and this makes an important contribution to the cultural

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development of the pupils. Resources to support teaching and learning in the subject are good and add much to the quality of pupils’ learning experiences.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

105. Standards in design and technology are in line with national expectations by the end of Year 2 and Year 6. All pupils, including those with special educational needs, make satisfactory progress as they move through the school. Standards and progress have been maintained at a satisfactory level since the last inspection and weaknesses in planning and assessment have been addressed. National guidelines have been introduced and this has improved the planning. Assessment procedures are now in place and although they have only been introduced recently are beginning to be effective in guiding the teaching and learning more successfully.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

106. By the end of Year 2, pupils have used a reasonable range of materials, tools and techniques to make ‘winding up’ structures, bookmarks and houses. Although most pupils have a satisfactory understanding of the design process, a greater focus is needed in the teaching on helping pupils to produce more detailed plans, which list the equipment and materials needed. Teachers sometimes select materials rather than letting pupils make their own choices and in doing so enabling pupils to play a greater role in the designing process. Pupils’ making skills are better. When pupils started making their ‘winding up’ structures they used construction kits to study the movement of an axle. They modelled their ideas on nursery rhymes such as ‘Jack and Jill’ and ‘Incy Wincy Spider’ and so extended their language skills. All work seen is finished to Westwood Community Primary School - 45 at least a satisfactory and in some instances a good standard. The axles are fixed

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securely in the models and the structures are reasonably strong. Joining skills are often good, but because the teacher has selected most materials, pupils are not in the position of learning for themselves that some materials are better suited for a particular purpose than others. Although pupils could say what worked well in their models, they could not suggest improvements or modifications and there are no written evaluations.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

107. Pupils continue to make steady progress and by the end of Year 6 there is more focus in the teaching on the designing aspects of the subject as well as some evaluations. While pupils’ skills in evaluating what they make are satisfactory overall, it is the weaker element of the subject because it receives less coverage. Good links are often made with other subjects, which broaden the opportunities for pupils to practice and combine their different skills more widely across the curriculum. For example in Year 6, science, computers and mathematics are used to make fairground ride models. After examining how a pulley works from a construction kit, pupils produced their own designs with good step-by-step plans. Measurements are clear and accurate and tools and materials are listed. The finished models have to meet certain criteria and these are used as the focus for evaluations. A strong framework has been constructed using

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either a horizontal or vertical rotation and this is connected to a current using a reverse switch. While the finished product shows a good resemblance to the original design, the pupils are not afraid to make some modifications to improve their models. For example a group changed the materials for the base of their fairground when it became clear that it would not support the weight of the framework. Pupils used the Internet to collect information on fairgrounds for homework to help them plan the finish for their models. The process of evaluating products varies from year to year. It played a prominent part in Year 4, when pupils completed a written evaluation with their ideas for improving the Egyptian masks they had just made. Other classes use the criteria set in the design stage to evaluate the success of what is made. At the moment however too many evaluations are more of an afterthought, discussed briefly at the

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end of the topic. Opportunities are often missed to carry out detailed written evaluations in which pupils also extend their writing skills. Pupils are provided with satisfactory opportunities to take part in food technology such as making sandwiches in Year 3 and bread making in Year 5. There is also a good focus in improving pupils’ knowledge and understanding of what constitutes a healthy diet, when pupils in Year 1 prepared a fruit salad to eat.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

108. In lessons seen pupils show positive attitudes to their work. They concentrate well and support one another to complete their tasks with a high level of enthusiasm. The spiritual awareness of pupils in Year 6 was heightened considerably when they attached their models to an electric circuit and watched their fairground ride models move round smoothly. When given the opportunity, they show good levels of initiative in selecting materials and working out ideas themselves. They use saws and a glue gun very sensibly, following closely the health and safety requirements they have learnt. Some books contain examples of unfinished work which lack care and effort.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

109. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall. In the better teaching there are good opportunities for pupils to investigate the ‘mechanics’ of making models, which ensures that the finished products are made to a good standard and fit for the purpose. This was the case in Year 5 with the cam mechanisms used for models of animals. Where teachers are confident in their knowledge and understanding of the subject, they challenge the pupils with exciting projects, demonstrate important skills and use the right kind of questions to enable pupils to explore their own ideas successfully. Relationships are good and lessons are purposeful, safe and well organised. Where the teaching is less successful the design and evaluation aspects of the subject are not given enough attention and the teacher chooses methods and materials for the Westwood Community Primary School - 46 making process. On a few occasions, the pupils are told what to do in lessons rather

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than the teacher raising questions to help pupils to be less dependent on adults.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

110. Subject co-ordination is satisfactory. The co-ordinator is confident and knowledgeable and has a good commitment to further improvements. Her skills have already been used successfully to support teachers with their planning and this has had a positive impact on standards. She has a satisfactory overview of the quality of teaching in the subject through examining planning, pupils’ work and some limited observations of lessons. She has identified the need to further improve monitoring procedures and to make the development of pupils’ evaluation skills and the more active involvement of younger pupils in the design processes the focus for improvement. Resources to support the subject are good and used well in the variety of topics that are taught and add to the quality of pupils’ learning.

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GEOGRAPHY

111. Standards are broadly average by the end of Year 2 and Year 6 and standards are similar to those reported at the time of the last inspection. Throughout the school, all pupils, including those with special educational needs, make satisfactory progress in developing their geographical knowledge and skills overall, although there is scope for further development in how well pupils acquire geographical skills. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress when they are given support by classroom assistants but progress made by these pupils is less good when no additional support is available, because teachers do not plan tasks which suit the learning needs of different groups of pupils

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GEOGRAPHY

112. By the end of Year 2, pupils have developed a satisfactory sense of place in relation to their own locality and are beginning to be aware of contrasting localities further afield, such as Southport. The travels of Barnaby Bear help the pupils to become familiar with features of localities that contrast with their own area, such as Dublin. The pupils have a satisfactory knowledge of different forms of travel and leisure facilities. In their studies of the imaginary island of Struay they make good progress in learning about the key features of an island locality and are beginning to understand how human and physical features can be represented in maps and plans. In a lesson in Year 2, pupils showed good levels of understanding of the similarities and differences between Chorley and Southport and most were able to classify these features as human or physical. Pupils’ geographical vocabulary is not particularly well developed.

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GEOGRAPHY

113. By the end of Year 6, the pupils have made satisfactory progress in developing their knowledge of places beyond their own locality and overseas. Progress is stronger in some year groups, for example in Year 4, where there is a good emphasis given to the acquisition of geographical skills as well as geographical knowledge. Although the pupils develop a secure understanding of how places are represented in maps and plans, their mapping skills are not developed as well as they should be by the time that pupils leave school. Pupils develop satisfactory awareness of environmental concerns such as pollution. They are able to describe some features of the course of a river and explain the water cycle in satisfactory terms. In fieldwork studies, such as in monitoring the rate of flow of a local river and comparing the water table in different areas of the school grounds, more demand is made of the pupils to develop their study skills. As a

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result, the pupils are better motivated and make good progress in these circumstances.

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GEOGRAPHY

114. Attitudes to the subject are satisfactory. Although many pupils are keen and eager to learn about the wider world and who take an active part in class discussions there are Westwood Community Primary School - 47 a few who are more passive learners and do not always put a great deal of effort into their work. Behaviour in lessons is usually of a good standard and is of a high standard when expectations of how pupils are to behave are clearly stated and the management of the pupils is of a high standard.

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GEOGRAPHY

115. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall with particular strengths in some teaching in Year 2 and Year 4. Here the teachers’ subject knowledge is strong and is used to motivate and enthuse the pupils. In the best lessons, teachers challenge and interest their pupils and bring geographical learning alive in the classroom. In a very good lesson in Year 4, the teacher made very effective use of her visit to a Masai village in Kenya to motivate and interest the pupils in finding out about the way of life in a contrasting locality overseas. A ‘hot seating’ teaching strategy in which the teacher became a Masai child, complete with costume, promoted dynamic learning. The pupils were captivated by details of Masai daily life and made very good progress as a result. Pupils benefit greatly from this style of teaching and it captures the interest and imagination of all pupils in a highly effective manner. However, in some lessons this

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GEOGRAPHY

dimension to learning is missing. Teachers rely too heavily on worksheets and opportunities are therefore missed to further develop pupils’ writing skills or for pupils to write more in terms of quantity and quality. Although there are some good examples of the marking of pupils’ work, this good practice is not consistent across the school. The subject makes a good contribution to the development of the pupils’ computer skills, particularly for research purposes, but there is scope for more use to be made of computers to improve the pupils’ understanding of maps and plans, and for collecting and analysing data. Geography makes a satisfactory contribution to the development of the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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GEOGRAPHY

116. The subject is led and managed in a satisfactory manner. There is scope for further improvement in the co-ordinator using her considerable knowledge and expertise through opportunities being provided for her to monitor the quality of teaching and learning across the school. The school has rightly identified the need to improve the status of geography within the curriculum and to improve opportunities for fieldwork and links with the environment. Some in-service training has recently taken place and has already begun to have an impact on the quality of teaching and learning. The subject has the capacity to improve still further under the guidance of the well-qualified co-ordinator. Since the last inspection, some good development of the scheme of work for geography has taken place. Satisfactory assessment procedures have recently been put in place and are starting to have an impact on standards in geography.

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GEOGRAPHY

Recent expenditure has improved resources for teaching and learning and resources are now satisfactory although there is still a need for more globes and maps.

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HISTORY

117. Attainment at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 is in line with national expectations. All pupils, including those with special educational needs, make satisfactory progress. Improvement since the time of the last inspection has been satisfactory.

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HISTORY

118. By the end of Year 2 pupils demonstrate a satisfactory knowledge and understanding of the past. They relate this to their own lives and those of other members of their families. This is particularly true of their grandparents, because they find artefacts to see how toys and household appliances have changed over the years. For instance they compare former irons, kettles, books and wooden toys with those available today. They learn about famous people from the past, such as Florence Nightingale, and use their writing skills in a satisfactory manner to record a “Nurse’s Diary,” from the hospital at Scutari. A visit to the local war memorial enables pupils to have a greater Westwood Community Primary School - 48 understanding of the significance of the effect of World Wars upon peoples’ lives and why we wear poppies on Remembrance Day. Pupils have a satisfactory awareness of the concept of chronology.

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HISTORY

119. By the end of Year 6, pupils have a satisfactory knowledge of periods of history that they have studied. They talk confidently about invaders and settlers, particularly the Romans and Vikings. They know how their presence has influenced the naming of some of our towns and cities. Studies of the Ancient Greeks and Ancient Egyptians provide them with considerable knowledge about their gods, customs, traditions and legends. A few pupils demonstrate maturity of thought about past events and explain that historical interpretations may vary with how different groups of people were affected by events but not enough pupils are secure in historical interpretations and understanding why in history people acted as they did. Pupils understand that there are primary and secondary sources of evidence to inform them about events in the past and know that research is a useful way of finding out information about the past

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HISTORY

and explain how they can do this through the use of computers.

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HISTORY

120. Pupils’ attitudes to the subject are variable and are satisfactory overall. Many pupils are enthusiastic learners and rise enthusiastically to the challenge when asked to find things out for themselves and responses are often of a high standard when learning is brought to life through visits, visitors and other practical tasks. A minority of pupils are less enthusiastic in their efforts and although they are not disruptive in class some are passive learners and do not take enough initiative and responsibility for their own learning.

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HISTORY

121. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. There are notable strengths and some areas for development. The strengths lie in the practical activities through which pupils say they best learn. These include the collection and good use of artefacts, both in school and of those loaned from various support services. They also include external visits and field trips, such as to the local museums to study the Victorians and Egyptology and “Viking” visitors to the school. These enable pupils to gain first hand evidence and realistic understanding of the past, through which history comes alive and exciting. Teachers’ planning is at its best when it clearly outlines the historical skills that pupils are to acquire alongside the development of good levels of historical knowledge. Teaching is very effective when pupils are expected to act as historical investigators and find things out for themselves about historical events and to examine

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HISTORY

the different interpretations that the same historical events may be open to. There are occasions when tasks are too teacher directed and opportunities for independent study and research are missed. The amount of recorded work in pupils’ books does not always do justice to their oral knowledge and understanding and books do not always provide a good reference point for revising or recapping on previously covered work. Opportunities to use marking of pupils’ work to make clear what is expected in terms of quantity and quality of work are sometimes missed.

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HISTORY

122. The leadership and management of the subject are satisfactory. The emphasis placed by the school upon the core subjects has meant that history has been a relatively low priority for development but is to be a priority area on the School Development Plan in the near future. The co-ordinator monitors teachers’ planning and provides much informal guidance for colleagues and has a secure grasp of the quality of provision in the subject. The school has identified the need for the co-ordinator to more actively monitor the quality of teaching and learning through lesson observation and the rigorous scrutiny of pupils’ work. Satisfactory assessment procedures have recently been introduced and if rigorously applied will inform teachers of how well pupils are attaining and the progress that pupils are making. The subject makes a good contribution to pupils’ cultural development, particularly through the visits and visitors

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HISTORY

Westwood Community Primary School - 49 that help to being the subject to life. Resources to support teaching and learning are satisfactory.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

123. Pupils’ attainment is in line with expectations by the end of Year 2 and Year 6 and by the end of Year 6 some pupils exceed the expected levels. Since the last inspection, the school has made considerable improvements to the range and quality of hardware available in classrooms and this is beginning to have an impact on standards across the subject. In consequence, pupils, including those with special educational needs, make satisfactory and at times good progress in the development of their information and communication technology skills.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

124. By the end of Year 2, pupils are confident in using computer technology to present information in text, pictures and graphs. They make good progress in developing their word processing skills and are able to change colour and size of text, select capital letters and use keyboard and mouse with increasing competence and accuracy. They are particularly adept in their use of graphics and they select tools, colours and effects with great confidence. Pupils develop a satisfactory understanding of control by writing simple programs to control the direction travelled by a floor robot. Pupils make satisfactory progress in developing their data-handling skills, for example in the collection and input of data about pets and the generation of a pictogram to show patterns of pet ownership. Pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the use of computers in the wider world are less secure.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

125. By the end of Year 6, pupils have made satisfactory progress in the development of their computer skills. Their word processing skills have developed to a good level, enabling them to work with increasing independence when generating text during their lessons in other subjects, although opportunities are sometimes missed for pupils to directly draft and edit their work on screen. Pupils are very familiar with the use of the Internet and CD-ROM to research information relating to their work across the curriculum. However, they are given insufficient opportunities to practise their electronic communication skills and consequently, these are not developed as well as they could be. Most pupils make satisfactory progress in developing their understanding of data-handling and become increasingly independent in creating spreadsheets to organise and interrogate the data they collect, for example in answering questions about dinosaurs or finding out if girls are taller than boys. Pupils

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

continue to develop their control skills in a satisfactory manner for example in devising programs to control the movements of an on-screen robot. They are becoming increasingly confident in the use of simulations of real life and imaginary situations to explore options and make decisions, for example in deciding conditions needed for plants to grow or problem solving in an adventure situation. When they are given direct access to computer hardware and software, pupils make good progress in the development of their computing skills, behave well and show increasing independence in their work.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

126. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory throughout the school. Teachers have sufficient expertise to support their pupils in computer work. Lessons are planned to cover the full range of the required curriculum and teachers make the best use they can of the available computer equipment. Information and communication technology is used effectively in most instances to support learning across the curriculum and teachers ensure that all pupils have access to computers on a regular basis. However, there are some areas for development in the way in which key skills are taught. The deployment of available computers places restrictions on access to enough hardware Westwood Community Primary School - 50 for large groups or whole classes to have ‘hands on’ experience when they are learning new skills. This means that progress in acquiring and then practising newly learnt skills is sometimes a little slower than desired. Occasionally, demonstration

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

sessions are too long and require the pupils to be inactive for long periods. As a consequence, their concentration and interest levels deteriorate quickly and many pupils, particularly those with special educational needs, do not learn as effectively as they should. However, pupils throughout the school have positive attitudes towards computer technology and collaborate well together when sharing the use of computers.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

127. The subject benefits from the expertise of its co-ordinator and management is satisfactory overall. The co-ordinator monitors teachers’ planning, has good subject knowledge and has a good grasp of provision and standards in the subject. The school has identified the need for the co-ordinator to play a more active role in the direct monitoring of teaching and learning in the subject. The considerable development that has taken place recently has begun to have an impact on standards, particularly in the use of the Internet for research to support other subjects. The school follows the national scheme of work and satisfactory procedures have recently been implemented for monitoring the pupils’ progress. The school now benefits from an adequate number of up-to-date computers and further expenditure is planned for the purchase of laptop computers to address the problem of access for larger groups of pupils. The

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

appointment of a computer technician has facilitated the smooth running and dependability of the available resources. Although staff development has taken place in the use of electronic mail, this aspect of the subject is still not developed as much as it could be. The Internet access policy has recently been updated to ensure pupils’ safety when using different websites.

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MUSIC

128. No lessons were observed during the inspection and therefore it is not possible to judge the overall standards that pupils attain in all the different aspects of music or to assess the progress made. The evidence available in aspects such as singing indicate that standards are at an expected level. Several assemblies took place in which pupils of all ages sang hymns together as well as listening to pieces of recorded and live music. Pupils in Year 6 were also observed practising two songs for the leavers’ service. The quality of singing from pupils in Year 6 is in line with expected standards and progress is satisfactory. A small group of pupils from Year 4, to Year 6 who are learning flute, clarinet and saxophone performed in two of the assemblies. Their playing is good and above the standards expected for pupils of this age. They have achieved well in the time they have been learning to play. However, these pupils

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MUSIC

represent only about ten per cent of the age group in the school. Most pupils listen attentively, especially to the group playing their instruments. At the last inspection pupils reached the required standards expected for their age at the end of both Year 2 and Year 6 and progress was satisfactory.

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MUSIC

129. Over the course of a year, pupils throughout the school cover the different elements of music to include performing, composing, listening and appraising. However in discussion with teachers and pupils and looking at planning, it is clear that although there are more opportunities for pupils to play instruments than at the last inspection, there are some gaps in what pupils have covered in lessons. For example, by the end of Year 2 pupils have not used tuned percussion instruments to practice melodic patterns for their compositions and by Year 6, pupils are not usually writing down their compositions in the form of a graphical or pictorial score so that ideas can be developed within a musical structure. The singing is tuneful and by the end of Year 6, Westwood Community Primary School - 51 most pupils sing with enthusiasm, although phrasing and expression needs further development. A good range of songs is sung in unison and pupils perform them at the

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MUSIC

end of term concerts to which parents are invited. All of the accompaniments for singing are provided by taped music and when this also includes recorded voices, it is sometimes difficult for teachers to judge the quality of the pupils’ voices and what is needed to improve the singing. That is why phrasing and expression still needs further development. Although pupils in Year 5 and Year 6 occasionally sing in rounds they have not sung together in two parts.

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MUSIC

130. Pupils have positive attitudes to music and are enthusiastic about the activities they have taken part in. Unfortunately, at the moment the normal clubs for recorder and choir have been suspended because the co-ordinator for music is absent. There are good opportunities for the few pupils who are learning instruments to play regularly in assemblies. Pupils listen to a good selection of recorded music from different times and cultures in assemblies and lessons, but pupils in Year 6 have little recall of the music they have heard, or the composers who have written it.

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MUSIC

131. The leadership and management of music are satisfactory overall. The deputy headteacher is overseeing the subject until the permanent co-ordinator resumes her duties. Monitoring and evaluation are satisfactory and have included the observation of some teaching but no discussions with pupils or an examination of the planning. This is needed to have a better overview of the current provision and to identify the areas that need a greater focus. Recently the co-ordinator organised a day of training for the whole staff and this has proved beneficial in improving the skills of the less confident teachers in the school. Additional teaching materials have also been bought to help teachers with ideas for their planning and to improve their knowledge and understanding of the programmes of study. Satisfactory assessment procedures have recently been introduced and should provide teachers with a good insight into pupils’

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MUSIC

attainment and progress. Resources are satisfactory and the subject makes a satisfactory contribution to the spiritual and cultural development of pupils.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

132. Standards in physical education are at an average level by the end of Year 2 and Year 6. All pupils, including those with special educational needs, make satisfactory progress over time. Progress within lessons is sometimes good when the teaching is good. Improvement since the time of the last inspection has been satisfactory.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

133. By the end of Year 2 pupils have attained satisfactory standards in physical education. Pupils know the importance of warm-up and cool-down activities and of the effect that physical exercise has on the body. Pupils move around the hall at different speeds and on different levels showing an appropriate awareness of space and the needs of others. Pupils are creative in their movements and put together sequences including different levels, balancing on different body points and jumping and landing in a satisfactory manner. The higher attaining pupils put together good quality sequences, show good levels of poise and elegance and attempt quite complex balances with good degrees of success. When taking part in small games activities most pupils throw a ball with a satisfactory degree of power and accuracy for their age. Pupils have developed satisfactory levels of co-ordination and catch a ball with a fair degree of skill

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

although many find more difficulty when they are further away from their partner. Although many pupils balance a ball well on a bat, batting skills are not as well developed as throwing and catching skills. Pupils are confident at evaluating their own performance and that of their classmates and make sensible and mature suggestions as to how performance could be improved. Westwood Community Primary School - 52 134. Pupils continue to develop physical skills at a satisfactory rate in Year 3 to Year 6 and attainment is at an average level by the end of Year 6 with swimming standards above average with all pupils able to swim at least 25 metres and many swimming well beyond this distance. Pupils are provided with opportunities to take part in outdoor pursuits through their attendance at a residential activity centre. Pupils continue to recognise the importance of warm-up activities and know that muscles should be

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

warmed and stretched before taking part in physical activities. Pupils are aware that exercise results in increases in the heart and pulse rate and that regular exercise is an important component in living a healthy lifestyle. Pupils have acquired satisfactory ball skills. They throw and catch balls with satisfactory levels of accuracy and throw the ball a considerable distance. The higher attaining pupils closely watch the ball as it travels towards the bat and hit the ball well avoiding the placement of fielders. Many pupils kick a ball with reasonable accuracy but have more difficulty in controlling ad trapping the ball. Pupils understand techniques such as shimmying and put the techniques of attacking and defending to effective use in small games. Pupils show a good understanding of the need to move into space to either receive a pass or to pull a marker out of position. Many pupils show a secure awareness of the need for a good

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

balance between sportsmanship and competitiveness although on occasions some pupils do not co-operate well enough with partners. Many pupils continue to show a readiness to evaluate and modify their own level of performance and sensibly suggest ways in which other’s performance could be improved.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

135. Attitudes and behaviour are usually good in most lessons. Most pupils take a full and active part in lessons and thoroughly enjoy themselves. A few pupils are more reluctant to take part and need persuading to join in by teachers or support staff. Pupils generally work well together, are eager to demonstrate sequences they have put together and share resources well. Pupils show a good awareness of health and safety issues and proceed and return either to the hall or the playing fields in a mature and sensible manner. This means that very little time is wasted.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

136. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall with some good strengths. Teaching often ensures that direct skills are taught in a direct manner. Skills such as how to throw and catch, how to hit a ball with accuracy, how to achieve a better quality balance or how to land correctly are all taught directly and lead to improvements in pupils’ performance. Good examples were seen in Year 2 and Year 3 in particular. Instructions are often clear and precise which mean that pupils know exactly what is expected of them. Teaching is most successful when expectations are high, where the lesson zips along at a good pace and where class management strategies are of a high standard and keep pupils captivated throughout the lesson. Teachers stress the importance of keeping physically active throughout the lesson and in many instances teachers make good use of demonstration of a good piece of learning to enhance the

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

performance levels of the rest of the class. On occasions this effective technique is not used and opportunity to advance learning is missed. Teaching is less effective when too much time is spent on organising or explaining an activity to the pupils, on dealing with behaviour management issues or when the teacher does not get the full attention of all pupils when making an important teaching point.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

137. Leadership and management of the subject are good. The co-ordinator is very knowledgeable and enthusiastic and has provided much training for the staff. The co- ordinator monitors teachers’ planning in an effective manner and ensures that all elements of the subject are taught in sufficient depth over the course of the year. She has also observed teaching in different classes and provided formal feedback. The co- ordinator has good grasp of the quality of teaching, learning and provision across the school and has identified the need to improve teachers’ confidence and expertise in the teaching of gymnastics. Assessment procedures are satisfactory and are used to Westwood Community Primary School - 53 track pupils' progress as they move through the school as well as guiding and informing future curriculum planning. The school runs a good number of extra- curricular sporting activities that include football, netball, cross country, athletics as

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

well as activities such as judo run by outside agencies. Activities are well attended by both girls and boys with some activities open to the younger pupils in school. Coaches from a local professional football club also take training sessions. The school takes part in many inter-school competitions in sports such as football, cross-country, swimming, hockey, netball and athletics and has enjoyed some notable successes. The opportunities to work together and to take part in after school activities and residential visits add to pupils’ personal and social development. The school has good internal and external accommodation for the teaching of the subject and these together with the good quantity and quality of learning resources add to the quality of pupils’ learning experiences.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

138. Attainment by the end of Year 2 and Year 6 is in line with the requirements of the Locally Agreed Syllabus for religious education. All pupils, including those with special educational needs, make satisfactory progress as they move through the school. Improvement since the last inspection has been satisfactory.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

139. By the end of Year 2 pupils’ have a very secure grasp of Christianity, Christian principles and stories from the bible. In particular pupils relate many stories about Jesus. They explain the meaning of a miracle and then illustrate this with examples, such as, Jairus’s daughter, the ten lepers and the marriage at Cana. They also have a satisfactory recall of stories from the Old Testament. For example they relate details of the Creation, of Moses and Noah and know that these events occurred before Jesus was born. Pupils understand that there are people of other faiths who may have different customs or traditions. Pupils show good levels of respect for the views and beliefs of others. Their knowledge of other faiths is satisfactory and is reflected in their knowledge of the facts that Muslims, Sikhs and Christians all have holy books and that their places of worship are respectively called mosques, temples and churches.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

140. By the end of Year 6, pupils have satisfactorily built on previous learning. They explain the significance of some of the sayings of Jesus. For example, they apply their life knowledge to Jesus’ statement, “I am the light of the world,” by illustrating our dependence on light to look ahead and see what we are doing. They study Christian values, such as, forgiveness, kindness and selflessness, and recognise their connection with the beatitudes. In addition to revisiting Sikhism and Islam, pupils increase their knowledge and understanding of Judaism and Buddhism and overall their knowledge is at a satisfactory level. Pupils have a satisfactory understanding of the fact that there are great similarities as well as differences between different faiths and that different faiths have different symbols, buildings or artefacts that are important to them. For instance, in Judaism they describe the significance of the synagogue, the

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

141. Pupils have satisfactory attitudes to the subject. Most pupils listen attentively in lessons and value and respect the opinions of others. Many are keen to learn about different faiths and religions and show a good level of respect when talking about the differing beliefs, faiths and cultures of others. The area for development is for pupils to take a greater responsibility and initiative for their own learning. Behaviour in lessons is often good and adds to the quality of the learning environment. Westwood Community Primary School - 54 142. Teaching overall is satisfactory. Planning ensures that all aspects of the syllabus are covered in sufficient depth. Opportunities are provided for pupils to reflect on their beliefs and to examine their own feelings as well as reflecting on the beliefs and characteristics of different faiths. In a good example of teaching observed in Year 2 during the week of inspection the teacher had prepared the lesson well and through

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

good discussion and careful questioning, she enabled pupils to grasp the importance of celebration. A good activity provided pupils with the opportunity to extend their own interpretation of celebration. This was based on pupils’ own experiences, such as Christmas and birthdays, and resulted in effective learning through creative work and writing. However, a scrutiny of work and discussions with pupils show that on occasions there is an imbalance between the time allocated for discussion and the time allocated to pupils’ activity. This reduces the time pupils have to write down their own thoughts and interpretations and subsequently there is too little work recorded in their workbooks.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

143. The subject leader manages her subject in a satisfactory manner. She is supportive of the staff and her good quality guidance has enabled them to adjust the curriculum in accordance with the new Agreed Syllabus. She has carefully gathered resources to support teachers in their lessons. She often uses them to produce effective displays to raise pupils’ awareness of other peoples’ faiths and religious practices. Satisfactory assessment procedures are currently being trialed across the school which should provide teachers with good quality information about how well pupils are progressing. However, there is need to further develop the role of the co-ordinator by providing her with more opportunities to enable her to more effectively monitor the quality of teaching and learning through lesson observations and scrutiny of pupils’ work. Resources to support teaching are satisfactory.

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