Mepal and Witcham CofE VC Primary School

LONGRIDGE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 17 – 20 February 2003

p.1

LONGRIDGE PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

p.1

LONGRIDGE PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

p.2

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Barnacre Road Longridge Preston Postcode: PR3 2PD

p.3

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mrs K Kissick

p.3

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 2 February 1998 Longridge Primary School - 4

p.3

Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

20794 G Alston Registered inspector Special educational needs English as an additional language Science Design and technology What sort of school is it? The school’s results and achievements How well are pupils taught? What should the school do to improve further? 19740 A Smith Lay inspector Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 19709 J Fisher Team inspector The Foundation Stage Geography History Music 27591 M Campbell Team inspector Educational inclusion English Art and design Religious education How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils?

p.4

Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

17913 B Frost Team inspector Mathematics Information and communication technology Physical education How well is the school led and managed? Longridge Primary School - 5 The inspection contractor was:

p.4

Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Nord Anglia School Inspection Services Strathblane House Ashfield Road Cheadle Stockport SK8 1BB

p.5

Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

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

p.5

Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

p.5

Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Longridge Primary School - 6

p.5

PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 7

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

p.6

HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 12

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

p.6

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

This primary school serves a socially mixed area of Longridge from which most pupils come. The local area is residential with a large majority of private housing but there are also pupils who come from the surrounding rural, farming area. There are 235 pupils on roll: 127 boys and 118 girls. The majority of pupils are white, with a very small proportion coming from a variety of ethnic heritages. No pupils speak English as an additional language nor are there any pupils at an early stage of learning English. Thirty-nine (17 per cent) pupils are on the register of Special Educational Needs and four pupils (two per cent) have Statements of Special Educational Needs. These levels are around the national average. There is a wide range of disabilities represented in the register. Eight pupils (four per cent) are entitled to free school meals which is below the national average, although there are a significant number of pupils who do not take up

p.7

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

the option of a free school meal. When they join the Nursery most children have a range of skills typical for their age in all areas of learning. There are nine classes and one of these caters for pupils of more than one age group.

p.7

HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is an effective, happy school that serves its community well. Pupils achieve high standards by the age of 11 in English and mathematics and in their personal development. Overall, teaching is good and pupils learn and achieve well in most respects. All pupils’ interests are equally well catered for. Leadership and management are good. The school provides good value for money.

p.7

HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What the school does well • By the ages of 11, pupils achieve good academic standards in English, mathematics and in information and communication technology. • Overall, the quality of teaching and learning is good, particularly in junior classes and in the Nursery class. • Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour are very good and relationships are excellent. • The school provides a good range of experiences for its pupils including very good provision for their moral and social development. • The provision for pupils with special educational needs is good. • Leadership and management are effective.

p.7

HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What could be improved • The standards that are achieved by seven year olds in writing, including their ability to spell and write neatly and legibly. • Standards in science by the age of seven and 11, particularly pupils’ skills in planning and carrying out investigations, drawing conclusions from their inquiries and recording their findings. • The number of lessons where the quality of teaching reaches that found in the best lessons. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

p.7

HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in February 1998. There has been good improvement since that time. In relation to the key issues, identified last time, the following improvements have been made:

p.7

HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

- there is now a clear whole school curriculum plan in place; - monitoring and evaluation procedures by the headteacher and coordinators are good; - the school development plan is an effective management tool; - there are good procedures in place for assessing and recording pupils’ attainment and the information is used well by most teachers; - resources for learning are satisfactory and well maintained; Longridge Primary School - 8 - areas of concern about equal opportunities issues for pupils with special educational needs and children in the Foundation Stage have been addressed.

p.7

HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school has maintained the strengths identified in the last inspection. Standards overall in English and mathematics have continued to rise by the age of 11 but this is less so by the age of seven. The quality of teaching has improved, particularly in junior classes, with much higher rates of good and very good teaching.

p.8

STANDARDS

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

p.8

STANDARDS

Performance in: All schools similar schools Key

p.8

STANDARDS

English A C A B Well above average above average A B Mathematics A B B B Average Below average C D Science A C D D Well below average E

p.8

STANDARDS

By the age of 11, results in national tests were well above average in 2002 for English and they were above average for mathematics but below average for science when compared with all schools. In comparison with similar schools, English and mathematics results were above average but science results were below average. The proportion of pupils attaining the higher than average Level 5 was well above average in English and mathematics but below average in science. Over three years, results are above average in English and in mathematics but average in science. There is evidence of improvement in English and mathematics but not in science. Girls outperform boys in English and mathematics tests. The school met the targets it was set in national tests and is on course to meet the challenging targets it was set for this year.

p.8

STANDARDS

By the time the children enter Year 1, standards are average and pupils are meeting the expectations of the nationally recommended Early Learning Goals. By the age of seven, standards in the 2002 national tests are average in reading, writing and in mathematics when compared with all schools. Teacher assessments indicate average standards in science. In comparison with similar schools reading, writing and science are below average and mathematics results are average. Over three years, results in reading, writing and mathematics are average. Boys are doing better than girls in writing. Whilst national trends have remained steady, the school has been inconsistent, with 2001 being the best year recently. Results fell in 2002 due to a higher proportion of pupils with special educational needs than is normal in the Year 2 class.

p.8

STANDARDS

Inspection findings indicate by the age of seven, standards are above average in reading, below average in writing and average in mathematics and science. By the age of 11, standards are above average in English and mathematics and average in science. There is no significant difference between the achievement of boys in comparison to girls in lessons. By the age of 11, standards in English and mathematics are high enough. By the age of seven, although standards in reading and mathematics are high enough, standards in writing are not. This is because pupils’ skills in spelling and handwriting are weak and many find difficulty in writing down their ideas coherently. By the age of seven and 11, standards in science are not high enough. Pupils are not confident in planning or carrying out their own investigations, their scientific vocabulary is under developed and they do not draw conclusions from their

p.8

STANDARDS

results well enough. In information and communication technology, by the age of seven pupils achieve national expectations and above them by the age of 11. In religious education, by the age of seven and 11, pupils’ attainment is at the level expected by the Locally Agreed syllabus. Across the school, pupils achieve appropriately reaching standards expected for their age in all other subjects where it was possible to make a judgement. This shows standards in all subjects have been maintained. Pupils with special Longridge Primary School - 9 educational needs achieve well in relation to their prior attainment and at times, they achieve very well when they receive the effective help from good quality teaching assistants.

p.8

PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attitudes to the school Very good. Pupils are keen, enthusiastic and highly supportive of their school.

p.9

PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Very good. There have been no exclusions in the last year. Pupils have a clear understanding of right and wrong.

p.9

PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Personal development and relationships Very good. Pupils are mature, thoughtful and willing to accept responsibility when they are given the opportunity. Relationships are excellent.

p.9

PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attendance Very good, pupils enjoy coming to school.

p.9

TEACHING AND LEARNING

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

p.9

TEACHING AND LEARNING

Quality of teaching Good Satisfactory Very 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.

p.9

TEACHING AND LEARNING

Overall, the quality of teaching is good and the needs of all pupils are well met in most lessons. In all of the lessons seen the teaching was satisfactory or better and in 34 per cent was very good or better. The teaching for children in the Nursery and for pupils in junior classes is particularly strong. The good features of the teaching in these classes are the high expectations of pupils, clear objectives of what the pupils are to learn, challenging tasks, and teachers interacting effectively with pupils as they work. These qualities are not always present in all lessons in other classes, resulting in a variation in the quality of teaching across the school. In a minority of classrooms the amount of good and very good teaching is not high enough. In less effective lessons, the tasks given to pupils do not interest or challenge them sufficiently because teachers’ expectations are not high.

p.9

TEACHING AND LEARNING

In junior classes, English and mathematics are taught well. In infant classes, mathematics and aspects of English are appropriately taught with a satisfactory emphasis on developing pupils’ reading and numeracy skills. However, spelling and handwriting are not taught effectively and there is a lack of opportunities for pupils to write independently or at length. Across the school, in science, teachers do not place sufficient emphasis on pupils’ planning or carrying out investigations for themselves and not enough focus is given to developing pupils’ scientific vocabulary and the way they record their results. Pupils who have special educational needs or who are gifted and talented have their needs met very well. The tasks they are set help them make good progress towards the targets set for them. Longridge Primary School - 10

p.9

OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The quality and range of the curriculum Good. The curriculum is broad and relevant and caters well to all pupils’ interests and abilities. Teachers’ planning is very thorough. There is a good range of visits and visitors and an extensive programme of out of school activities. Opportunities for pupils to write and the use of information and communication technology throughout the curriculum are less than they ought to be.

p.10

OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good provision; work is well planned to meet needs. Effective support helps pupils to achieve the targets set in the areas highlighted in their individual education plans.

p.10

OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Overall, very good . Pupils gain a very clear understanding of their moral and social responsibilities from the staff’s good role models and clear codes of behaviour. Learning opportunities for pupils’ personal development are good.

p.10

OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

How well the school cares for its pupils The school provides a very secure, caring environment and promotes race equality well. Teachers know their pupils well and good assessment helps them build effectively on pupils’ past learning.

p.10

OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Parents and the community support the school very well, both in raising funds and by helping pupils at home or in school with their work. The school tries very hard and successfully keeps parents informed about the work of the school and of their children’s progress.

p.10

HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Good. The headteacher, supported by a conscientious deputy, provides effective leadership and his strong commitment ensures he has the respect of the whole school community. There is a good team approach in decision making and day-to-day organisation. Most coordinators conscientiously manage their subjects and are influential in developing and improving the teaching of their subject.

p.10

HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Good. Governors are very supportive and carry out their duties well. They successfully monitor and analyse the work of the school and help in the planning of future developments.

p.10

HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school’s evaluation of its performance Good. The school carefully evaluates its performance. In most cases where areas for improvement have been identified the school considers and successfully implements ways to raise standards.

p.10

HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The strategic use of resources Good. The money the school receives is used well and resources are effectively deployed. The school considers carefully how it can get best value in purchasing equipment and services.

p.10

HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school is satisfactorily resourced. The accommodation and level of staffing adequately meet the demands of the curriculum. Longridge Primary School - 11

p.10

PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

p.11

PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

• Their children like school and behave well. • The approachability of staff.

p.11

PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

• Their children work hard and achieve well. • The quality of teaching and pupil progress. • The leadership and management.

p.11

PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

• The help their children receive to become mature and responsible. • The information they receive. • The range of extra-curricular activities. • A greater quality and range of homework.

p.11

PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Inspectors agree with parents’ positive comments. Overall, the provision for activities outside lessons is good and homework is consistently given and supports what pupils are learning well. Longridge Primary School - 12

p.11

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. Over the past three years standards have generally been consistently about average at the age of seven, except in 2001 when they were above. They have been consistently above average by 11 in English and mathematics but standards in science have fallen in the last two years. The level of achievement in English and mathematics from the time pupils enter the Nursery Year to leaving at age 11 is good. This is largely due to the quality of the teaching and the very good attitudes and enthusiasm of the pupils. The great majority of teachers plan meticulously, expect high standards and cater for individual needs very well.

p.12

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. At the age of seven, standards in 2002 tests are average in reading, writing and in mathematics when compared with all schools. Teacher assessment in science indicates standards are average. In comparison with similar schools they are below average in reading and writing and average in mathematics. The proportion of pupils attaining the higher than expected Level 3 are above average in reading and average in writing and mathematics. Over three years, results in reading, writing and mathematics results are generally average. Results in 2002 were not quite as good as in previous years because there was a higher proportion of pupils with special educational needs than is normal. In the tests boys did better than girls in writing but this was not apparent in lessons observed during the inspection. National trends have remained steady. The school has consistently achieved average results.

p.12

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. At the age of 11, results are well above average in the 2002 national tests for English, above average for mathematics but below average for science when compared with all schools. In comparison with similar schools, science results are below average; English and mathematics results are above average. Pupils attaining the higher than expected Level 5 were well above average in English and mathematics, and below in science. Over three years, results are above average in English and mathematics. However, in science results have fallen for the last two years. The trend dipped in English in 2001, but there is strong evidence of improvement in English. Girls outperform boys in science and mathematics tests but not in English. However, this was not apparent in lessons seen during the inspection. The overall trend in results is below that found nationally.

p.12

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. Children show a wide range of attainment on entry to the Nursery class and early judgements of attainment indicate that, overall, they are average. Achievement is good during the Foundation Stage, mainly due to effective teaching, particularly in the Nursery. Many children are on course to meet the Early Learning Goals anticipated for their age in all areas of learning and to exceed them in their personal, social and emotional development by the time they enter Year 1. By the age of seven, standards of work seen are average in reading, mathematics and science and below average in writing. Standards of work seen in English and mathematics are above average and average in science by the age of 11. This generally reflects the results of last year’s national tests . At the age of 11, standards in reading, writing and speaking and listening are high enough being above national expectations. At the age of seven, standards in reading and speaking and listening

p.12

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

are high enough. However, writing standards are not high enough and are below national expectations at the age of seven. This is because the quality of teaching in the Year 2 class is not as good in the teaching of writing. In mathematics, standards are high enough at the age of seven and 11. In science, standards are not high enough by the age of seven and 11. This is because the coordinator has not identified areas in need of improvement in the teaching of science. Longridge Primary School - 13 5. In English by the age of 11, pupils have good speaking and listening skills that are well developed in a range of lessons, but markedly in literacy sessions. For example, 11 year old pupils listened carefully to others’ well-expressed views about how moods, feelings and attitudes are expressed in poems after reading ‘The Magic Box.’ Throughout the school, the majority of pupils are accurate, fluent and expressive readers who know their books

p.12

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

well. Younger pupils have good basic skills, which they use when they encounter words they do not know. Most pupils have satisfactory library skills. In writing, the highest attaining seven-year-olds have limited ideas and they do not develop them logically or provide the reader with interesting thoughts and words. Similarly, average and lower attaining pupils do not find it easy to express their ideas coherently in written form. Basic skills of punctuation and grammar are generally sound and accurate. However, at the age of seven, pupils’ skills in handwriting and spelling are below the expected level. The majority of 11-year-olds are accomplished writers. The highest attaining pupils show very good skills whilst seeking to entertain and inform. In pieces of creative poetry pupils use rich vocabulary, such as ‘a monstrous boulder’ or when describing winter, used ‘light splintering through the trees.’

p.13

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6. In mathematics, standards of attainment are sound by the age of seven and good by 11. All pupils successfully cover the full range of work that the school offers. Seven-year-olds calculate simple problems, know the value of digits and have a wide knowledge of two- and three-dimensional shapes. Pupils have a sound knowledge of two and five times tables and number bonds and can explain their strategies in working out problems. Pupils have good attitudes and basic skills and present their work neatly. Higher attaining 11-year-old pupils effectively investigate numbers and their use, for instance, when investigating rotational symmetry in the four quadrants using negative numbers. Number skills are developing well, including work on ordering fractions and early algebra. Pupils are competent in a range of measures. The higher attaining pupils have a good range of strategies to solve mental questions.

p.13

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. In science, pupils’ do not achieve as well as they should. By the age of seven, pupils’ lack investigative skills; for example, to choose from a range of ways to plan an investigation or to systematically observe and record results independently. By the age of 11, pupils do not have the ability to recognise the need for a fair test. They do not fully understand why this is important to plan an investigation and are not confident in being able carry out their own experiments selecting relevant equipment. They do not always use their results effectively to draw conclusions. Pupils have a sound knowledge of the natural world, materials and their properties and the physical world. Their skills in recording their work are inconsistent between classes and they do not show a sound knowledge and understanding of scientific vocabulary. At times, appropriate use is made of tables, bar charts and line graphs in

p.13

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

8. In information and communication technology, by the age of seven, pupils achieve standards that are appropriate for their age. In Years 1 and 2, the vast majority of the pupils make at least satisfactory progress. By the age of 11, pupils at all levels of attainment, including those with special educational needs, make good and often very good progress during their time in the juniors. As a result, they achieve standards that are above the levels expected for the pupils’ age. As a result of recent additional resources and training, all pupils are making good progress. By the age of 11, pupils have a good facility with desktop publishing and creating a spreadsheet. They have good skills in word processing and can save their own work, find information on CD ROM and use icons and menus. They can use the Internet and download the information they require.

p.13

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

9. By the age of 11, pupils achieve appropriately in religious education and standards are in line with the expectations of the Locally Agreed syllabus . In nearly all other subjects where it was possible to make a judgement, pupils make sound progress and achieve levels Longridge Primary School - 14 appropriate to their age by the age of seven and by the time they leave the school . Across the school, progress in physical education is good. This shows that standards have been maintained since the previous inspection. There is no significant difference in the progress made by boys and girls in these subjects or by pupils of different abilities or from different cultural backgrounds.

p.13

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

10. The development of literacy skills in other subjects is good in junior classes. Reading skills were used in Year 5 to find information about different religions or life in Tudor Times. In Year 3, pupils labelled diagrams clearly and wrote instructions accurately. Pupils in Year 6 write up their investigations about evaporation and condensation with clarity. In Infant classes, although there are opportunities to read for information, there are limited opportunities for pupils to use and further develop their writing skills in other subjects. Throughout the school, numeracy skills are practised in a range of subjects. Year 6 pupils used accurately their measuring skills when investigating whether the length of an electric circuit affects the brightness of a bulb. In a Year 3 lesson, mathematical vocabulary was well developed, most particularly in relation to the properties of prisms using the terms

p.14

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

‘edges’, ‘vertices’ and ‘faces’. Pupils have used a limited amount of ICT to support their work in most subjects, but good use is made of ICT in art and design and mathematics and at times, in English. This is because the school has yet to focus on how pupils’ skills can be used in most subjects and not enough use is made of computers in some classrooms. However, there are plans to do this. Links with literacy are developing, with good foundations in word processing techniques. There are good links with mathematics and examples were seen of spreadsheets, graphs and drawing symmetrical pictures with a paint program.

p.14

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

11. Pupils with special educational needs achieve well and make good progress towards the targets set for them in their individual education plans. This is because tasks in the classroom are planned effectively by the teacher to meet their needs and the teachers and teaching assistants provide good support. The quality of individual education plans is good. They are jointly compiled by class teachers and the special needs co-ordinator and at times, outside agencies. Learning targets set are, in the main, detailed, specific and achievable in the short term. The individual plans are reviewed regularly and targets modified according to pupil performance. Statemented pupils are well supported in the classroom or when taught out of the classroom in small groups or as individuals by a teaching assistant.

p.14

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. Pupils’ attitudes, respect for others and behaviour are very good. The quality of these aspects, in the last report, was considered to be good overall with a slight concern about the level of consistency in junior classes regarding the standards of presentation of work. Attendance and punctuality were considered to be good. The school has worked very hard to strengthen and further develop all of these aspects since then. Personal development, responsibility and initiative are good. Relationships and pupils’ interest and involvement in activities are excellent. Attendance is very good.

p.14

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. Pupils are extremely interested in school life and they particularly enjoy the high calibre of teaching they receive. Pupils who have special educational needs have positive attitudes to school and are very well integrated into the school community. They relate well to adults and as a consequence gain in confidence and make good progress. Staff know their pupils well and have the skills to enable them to deal positively with any pupils with behavioural difficulties. Pupils are very quick to settle to tasks and act in a responsible and sensible manner. They show very good levels of concern for others and for property. The cleanliness of the school and lack of graffiti on the site demonstrate this. At break times, in the infant playground, a rubbish bin is used well by the infant pupils themselves to remove Longridge Primary School - 15 litter, such as apple cores, banana skins and food packages. . In the Foundation Stage, the

p.14

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

children are happy and enthusiastic, concentrate well and work with interest. They play happily both indoors and outdoors, cooperate sensibly when sharing equipment and are well motivated. Children’s attitudes to learning and their behaviour are excellent.

p.15

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. Pupils are very happy to share with others and take turns. They listen with care to others opinions and organise themselves well in working groups when the opportunity arises. For example, in a Year 1 science lesson, pupils discussed sensibly who would take the lead and they happily accepted joint decisions even though they clearly all wished to ‘be first to try the test’. In the junior play area they understand and are happy to accept the school rules as they share the area on different days for year groups to play ball games. They are confident to give opinions for example, in a Year 6 science lesson, pupils were self-assured enough to try and explain why a straight line on a graph demonstrated a constant rate of change.

p.15

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

15. Discussions with pupils clearly demonstrate that they feel very safe in school. They are unconcerned about bullying, racism and sexism and feel fully included in all activities, whatever they wish to participate in. They know what to do if they do have concerns and many would have no difficulty to approaching any member of staff for advice about any subject. Pupils know and accept the school’s expectations regarding good behaviour and are happy to strive to achieve them. The constant application of the behaviour policy reinforces pupils’ positive experience of the value of adhering to correct rules. There has not been a temporary or a permanent exclusion recently in the school.

p.15

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

16. The personal development of pupils is good. There are increasing opportunities to take responsibility as pupils get older. Pupils are eager to accept any responsibility offered. Individuals have clear duties, which they take seriously and complete in a responsible manner. For example, they assist in assemblies with equipment, in classrooms they are proud to be selected to take messages about the school.

p.15

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

17. Attendance is very good and above the national average. Currently the school is in the top ten per cent of schools for attendance. However, the school continues to strive to make further improvements by attempting to impress upon both pupils and parents the importance of regular attendance and punctuality.

p.15

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

18. Overall, the quality of teaching is good, being particularly strong in junior classes and in the Nursery class. This is an improvement since the last inspection, although there is an inconsistency in the quality of teaching between classes. At the time of the last inspection there was some unsatisfactory teaching, and also relatively small amounts of very good teaching. This time, in almost 7 out of 10 lessons the teaching was good or better and the rest were satisfactory. The teaching was very good or better in 34 per cent of the lessons seen, and in nine per cent the teaching was excellent. The vast majority of parents are very satisfied that teaching in the school is good. A particular area of improvement since the last inspection is the quality of assessment: assessment procedures now indicate pupils’ achievements and help teachers identify individual pupils’ needs. Overall, the quality of

p.15

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

teaching promotes good attainment and achievement.

p.15

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

19. Although the school has undergone several changes in the teaching staff in recent years, the ethos, expectations, and good leadership and management have done much to improve the quality of teachers’ practice. Most teachers work hard, collaborate very well and provide good role models for the pupils. Longridge Primary School - 16 20. Examples of good teaching were seen in nearly every class throughout the school. This consistency is a strength in junior classes and in the Nursery. Particularly strong are:

p.15

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

• the good planning that helps pupils develop effective skills, knowledge and understanding; • the very good classroom management that promotes very good behaviour and ensures pupils’ learning is maximised; • the high expectations, promoting effective learning and very good achievement; • the strong commitment to meeting individuals’ needs, leading to pupils benefiting equally from all the school has to offer.

p.16

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

The teaching of information and communication technology is very good. The quality of teaching of art, geography, physical education and religious education is good. The teaching of design and technology across the school and history in junior classes is satisfactory. No judgements could be made about the teaching of music across the school and in history in infant classes due to limited opportunities to see the teaching in these subjects.

p.16

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

21. Overall in the Foundation Stage, teaching and learning are good. Consequently, the children achieve well and will reach the nationally recommended Early Learning Goals in communication, language and literacy, mathematics, knowledge and understanding of the world, and creative development and exceed them in their personal, social and emotional development by the time they enter Year 1. The teaching in the Nursery is very good and the teacher creates a very calm, secure learning environment. The children are presented with interesting and challenging tasks. The teacher interacts well with the children, questioning them perceptively to move them forward with their learning. Lessons are well organised and meet individual children’s needs well. For example, in a mathematics lesson, the teacher sought successfully to reinforce repeating patterns. The pace of lesson is brisk and there is an increasing emphasis on children exploring. In the Reception class,

p.16

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

lessons are well planned and the teacher and assistant work well together. On occasions, the tasks are too easy and do not challenge the higher attaining children, for example, in a mathematics lesson where the children were asked to overwrite the numbers one to eight and colour in the pictures. The teacher has good relationships with the children and praises them well. However, at times the children are over-directed and this limits opportunities for independent learning.

p.16

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

22. In Years 1 and 2, the quality of teaching and learning are satisfactory and pupils achieve appropriately. In the best lessons, the teacher has very secure subject knowledge and understanding, lessons move along at a brisk pace and the management of pupils is very effective. The teacher takes every opportunity to develop pupils’ speaking and listening skills for example, in a Year 1 literacy lesson, good discussion followed skilful questions by the teacher. Pupils were encouraged to share their ideas and make up their own sentences to complete the story of ‘Cinderella.’ The good teaching reflects the high expectations that the teacher has of the pupils. Good assessment helps teachers plan effective lessons that build on past learning. In a Year 1 mathematics lesson, an interesting task involving the use of ICT helped pupils gain a clear understanding of pictograms as they investigated the frequency of pets that pupils had in the class. The teacher expects a lot of the pupils and is

p.16

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

rarely disappointed. Where the teaching is less effective, qualities that are missing are high expectations of pupils, good pace to the lesson, challenging, interesting tasks, effective intervention by the teacher and the opportunity for pupils to learn independently. For example, In a Year 2 mathematics lesson, the teacher did not intervene sufficiently well as pupils worked in order to extend their thinking or check on their learning. During the introduction too much time was spent in pupils writing their name in the correct circle of a Venn diagram on the interactive board, which resulted in a slow pace. In a Year 2 literacy Longridge Primary School - 17 lesson, the task was uninspiring, when pupils were asked to sequence a number of pictures and use them for their story.

p.16

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

23. In Years 3 to 6 the teaching is very good. The strongest teaching was found in literacy, numeracy and in information and communication technology lessons. In a Year 6 literacy lesson, much of the effective work was related to good questioning by the class teacher. Particularly strong was the way that the teacher engaged all groups. High standards were expected, as when the teacher asked pupils to improve the way they expressed ideas. Pupils are used to being questioned and they know and understand simple responses will not be sufficient. Importantly, lower attaining pupils are invited to make an input. The very good information and communication technology lesson in the Year 5 class was a clear indication of improved provision and learning. The resources to support this lesson included well-prepared worksheets that challenged pupils with problem-solving questions. The management of pupils in the classroom is very good and teachers achieve high levels

p.17

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

of discipline. A variety of teaching methods is used effectively to achieve good levels of concentration and create an industrious learning environment. When teaching assistants are present, they are used productively. Teachers show good skills in assessing pupils’ understanding as they work, and the marking they do when pupils have completed the task provides appropriate comments for pupils to further improve.

p.17

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

24. Across the school, the Literacy and Numeracy strategies are effectively taught. In junior classes the basic skills of English and mathematics are taught well, with a strong emphasis on developing these skills in all subjects. In infant classes, although mathematics and reading skills are taught effectively there are weaknesses in the teaching of writing, particularly in Year 2. This is because:

p.17

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

• the teaching of spelling is not effective; • pupils are not given enough guidance on how to improve their handwriting nor are there regular lessons where it is taught; • there is a lack of opportunities for pupils to write independently or at length in literacy lessons or in other subjects.

p.17

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

25. Across the school there are weaknesses in the teaching of science. These are found when:

p.17

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

• teachers plan investigations but over direct pupils in how to plan or how they are to carry out the investigation; • there is not sufficient focus on developing pupils’ scientific vocabulary or getting them to explain what is happening during their investigations; • pupils are not given sufficient guidance on how to record their results or to draw conclusions from them; • there is an inconsistency in the format of how pupils are asked to record their investigations in writing.

p.17

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

26. Homework is regularly given and supports the work in classrooms. It is effective in promoting the development of reading and number work and at times work on science, geography and history topics.

p.17

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

27. There are small numbers of pupils with special educational needs in all classes who receive helpful support in the classroom. The quality of this support is good and the pupils have access to all areas of the curriculum. Individual education plans exist for all pupils who are on the special needs register. They are well planned and structured and identify appropriate and realistic goals. Good support for these pupils is provided by well-matched tasks planned by the teacher, enabling pupils to make good progress towards the targets Longridge Primary School - 18 set for them. Pupils who work within the classroom or out of the classroom in small groups with teaching assistants make good, and at times very good, progress.

p.17

OR STUDENTS?

28. The quality and range of learning opportunities provided by the school are good and the formal curriculum fully meets statutory requirements in all subjects, including religious education. The curriculum is further extended by provision for all pupils’ personal, social and health education. French is also provided for Year 6 pupils. All pupils have equal access to the full range of learning opportunities in the taught curriculum. The overall provision to make sure the needs of all pupils are met is very good and the school targets the needs of all pupils irrespective of their ability or background. The planning and assessment of the curriculum is a relative strength of the school and curriculum plans for each subject and the use of the Quality and Curriculum Authority’s schemes ensure appropriate skill development. This shows a good improvement since the last inspection.

p.18

OR STUDENTS?

29. The quality of the curriculum provided for children in the Foundation Stage (Nursery and Reception) is good and ensures that young children make a good start to their time in school. A clear and well-structured programme of learning is in place that helps move children forward and towards the Early Learning Goals prescribed for their age. There is a good emphasis on the acquisition of early language skills, particularly in the Nursery where the rich learning environment enables children to talk about their everyday experiences. In the Nursery there are many opportunities for independent learning to strengthen their personal and social skills. However, in the Reception class such opportunities are not as prominent. The quality of curriculum planning combined with good teaching helps to meet the needs of children in all areas of learning.

p.18

OR STUDENTS?

30. A strength of the school is the very good areas of enrichment provided by a wide range of outdoor visits and visitors. These include local services coming into school, such as the police and the fire service. It involves theatre companies performing in school and pupils visiting other venues to watch live drama. Pupils enjoy other environments, such as the Lake District, and Year 6 pupils undertake a residential visit to France. Most subjects are taught as discrete areas although at times, several subjects are linked together. This is especially true when teaching foundation subjects such as history, art and design and information and communication technology. The allocation of time to subjects is satisfactory. The place of information and communication technology has been strengthened in recent times but now needs to be spread across all subjects. However, the science curriculum is under-developed, especially focusing on pupils investigating their

p.18

OR STUDENTS?

own scientific questions and planning and carrying out their investigations independently.

p.18

OR STUDENTS?

31. The school has implemented successfully a personal growth and development policy that incorporates health education, sex education and a drugs awareness programme. Pupils are offered increasing levels of responsibility as they move through the school and by Year 6 many are mature enough to perform their roles as monitors extremely well, or helping staff and younger pupils around the school.

p.18

OR STUDENTS?

32. The school has successfully implemented the National Numeracy S trategy and this is having a positive impact on pupils’ progress in mathematics. The National Literacy Strategy has only been partially successful in helping to raise standards in English, especially by the age of seven. This is particularly so in the infant stage, where there are weaknesses in writing and standards are unsatisfactory. Here, there is a lack of opportunity for pupils to write in all areas of the curriculum. There is not an effective, systematic approach to the teaching of handwriting and spelling, and Year 2 pupils have few opportunities to write at length and for different purposes in their literacy lessons. Longridge Primary School - 19 33. The school has an agreed policy on the recognition of gifted and talented pupils and the provision for these pupils is satisfactory. Provision for pupils with special educational

p.18

OR STUDENTS?

needs is good. Where appropriate, individual education plans are drawn up carefully, resulting in accurate and manageable targets for the pupils to attain. Pupils with learning difficulties are identified at an early stage and are well supported by a range of teaching and support assistants who provide help either in the classroom or by withdrawing pupils for short periods from the classroom.

p.19

OR STUDENTS?

34. The contribution made by the community to pupils’ learning is very good. Pupils visit the theatre, churches, other schools and other environments close to and more distant from the school. There are many visits out by pupils and these provide worthwhile educational experiences. A wide range of visitors support the pupils’ learning with many holding demonstrations, sporting and theatrical events in which the pupils can participate and learn from first-hand experience. There is a very good range of extra-curricular activities that are well supported by the pupils. These include opportunities to take part in several competitive sports, art, sewing, computer, pen pal and a nature and conservation club. Pupils taking lessons from peripatetic music specialists also extend the music curriculum and the school has its own orchestra. The school has established positive and beneficial links with other primary schools and the local high schools, and staff have benefited from a professional

p.19

OR STUDENTS?

partnership with a local building society.

p.19

OR STUDENTS?

35. The school places significant emphasis on the development of the whole child and successfully promotes the personal development of its pupils. Overall, the school’s approach towards the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of its pupils is very good. This represents good improvement since the previous inspection when provision was judged to be good.

p.19

OR STUDENTS?

36. The school’s provision for spiritual development is good. The requirements for a daily act of collective worship are met in full. These are successful in promoting pupils’ awareness of positive values and attitudes to each other and the community. Good opportunities exist for reflection in assemblies and pupils are reminded of the importance of prayer as a way of communicating with God. Staff often tell stories with a moral and use these to relate to pupils’ experiences and the growth of their own beliefs and values. Assemblies start and end with music and this helps to focus pupils’ minds on the theme of the day and to reflect on how their lives should be. In a Year 2 class, following an assembly, pupils listened to two pieces of classical music and were given opportunity to reflect on the thoughts which these two pieces evoked. The school is particularly successful in developing pupils’ understanding of the values and beliefs of others. For example, a visit from a person of the

p.19

OR STUDENTS?

Sikh faith helps develop pupils’ understanding of what it means for an individual to belong to a different faith. This also helps them to develop a respect for other religions and cultures. Throughout the school, teachers make good use of incidental and planned opportunities to raise pupils’ awareness of special moments. This was apparent when Year 5 performed using a puppet theatre for younger pupils and parents. The work that had gone into the production by teacher and pupils gave a marvelous feeling of accomplishment to all concerned. Successes in both academic and personal achievements are recognised and valued by all.

p.19

OR STUDENTS?

37. The provision for social development is very good. Pupils are encouraged to become aware of their responsibilities to the school and their local community. They have many opportunities to develop responsibility, self-confidence and independence, and older pupils play a significant part in the life of the school. They are actively encouraged to take on responsibilities that help enrich their outlook. The organisation of many lessons provides opportunities for pupils to work with a partner or as part of a small group. This is well demonstrated for example in a lesson in physical education which focused on throwing and catching activities. In information and communication technology lessons, during paired Longridge Primary School - 20 work, pupils are sensible and careful to give each other time on the screen. Older pupils play with younger pupils in the playground and this has a positive effect on their self-

p.19

OR STUDENTS?

esteem and confidence. The excellent relationships apparent in lessons ensure that pupils feel comfortable discussing sensitive issues that concern them. A sense of belonging to a school community is developed by the school uniform and by representation of the school at sporting and musical events.

p.20

OR STUDENTS?

38. Very good provision for moral development has been maintained since the last inspection. It is effectively supported by a whole school approach to behaviour. Pupils are taught the importance of getting on well with each other, the value of each individual and their right to respect and self-esteem. School rules are well displayed and these were devised through close consultation with the pupils themselves. Pupils know the difference between right and wrong and that they are responsible for their own actions. Pupils show a healthy respect for each other, the staff and their environment and fully understand the moral obligation of working together in harmony as part of the school community of which everyone should be proud.

p.20

OR STUDENTS?

39. Provision for cultural development is good . Assemblies, celebrations and religious education foster an awareness of other cultures and faiths. Pupils have opportunities to learn about and appreciate the richness of their own and other people’s culture through literature, music, art and design, geography and history. Pupils participate in local events involving sports, agriculture, and musical productions, as well as belonging to local organisations. Pupils study the history of the area in order to make them appreciate the present. Through religious education lessons, pupils study the major world religions and all pupils are made aware of important festivals such as Christmas, Divali, Eid and the Chinese New Year. Cultural diversity is celebrated whenever possible in school.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

40. The school provides a happy, caring environment for its pupils. In the previous inspection report the quality of this aspect was considered to be satisfactory. Assessment procedures, whilst in place, were not consistent between classes and there was not sufficient analysis of the information gained to suitably inform planning. There was inconsistent application of procedures for both personal and academic development. The welfare of pupils was a prime concern in the report. Overall, there has been a substantial improvement and all these aspects are now good.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

41. The class teacher who is the member of staff with overall responsibility for child protection has undergone suitable training. She ensures that all staff are suitably aware of the current requirements as well as keeping them updated about specific cases. There are regular meetings with outside agencies, such as social services and education social workers. There are very good procedures for the monitoring and improvement of good behaviour. There are effective systems for eliminating oppressive behaviour and for assessing pupils, attainment and progress and personal development. The school has an effective policy to promote race equality and harmony.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

42. Overall, the school is effective in ensuring the health and safety of pupils. However, a small number of minor health and safety issues were brought to the attention of the headteacher during the inspection. The school was aware of some of these and is reviewing how best to resolve them. The school takes reasonable steps to ensure that their pupils are protected from offensive material in the Internet or undesirable contacts through e-mails. There are fire drills at regular intervals and these are appropriately recorded. There are a suitable number of suitably qualified first-aiders in the school. All the staff are committed to the positive care and support of the pupils under their supervision. They are understanding and consistent in their warm, sensitive and supportive relationships which Longridge Primary School - 21 they generate with pupils. The school has reviewed its accommodation to make sure it is

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

43. Staff carefully record attendance and punctuality and the education welfare officer monitors this data. The education welfare officer makes periodic visits to the school and is accessible by telephone should the need arise for the school to make contact at other times. There are very good procedures for checking on pupils’ behaviour and dealing with any unsatisfactory behaviour in a positive manner. The school and classroom rules and guidance on how to behave, which pupils do know and accept, are positive in the development of high levels of self-control and respect for others and for property.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

44. The very good levels of behaviour in classes and around the school are managed and supported by the effective procedures which themselves are based upon positive relationships between staff and pupils. The positive behaviour system in place is known and consistently followed by all of the school staff. Pupils know and accept the school’s expectations for good behaviour. Therefore the positive effects produced are in part due to the mutual approach adopted by all. The school’s anti-bullying policy and elimination of oppressive behaviour are very effective in ensuring the equal treatment of all.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

45. Assessment and recording procedures in the school are good. The strategies and practices used by the school allow teachers to develop a clear understanding of pupils’ abilities. This information is used well to set pupils in ability groups within the class and provide targets for improvement. The school uses a good range of procedures to assess pupils’ abilities upon entry. This information enables the school to meet the needs of all pupils by providing an appropriate curriculum for all pupils. The school successfully supports pupils with special educational needs through well established procedures which meet with the Code of Practice for the early identification and monitoring and targeting of teaching support. The effective links with outside agencies make a positive contribution to the quality of education of these pupils.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

46. The school has very good procedures for assessment of literacy and numeracy and sound in all other subjects. All pupils have half-term targets for literacy, science and mathematics. Pupils also engage in regular mathematics tests. Assessment in science is carried out at the end of modular units, with similar end-of-topic or module assessment procedures forming part in the foundation subjects. This information is recorded on year group files each half term. These files contain information on each member of the class and are passed on to the next teacher.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

47. Teachers use a good range of monitoring procedures to follow and record short-term achievement and to assess their own delivery of the curriculum. Teachers make notes on their weekly planning sheet to identify those pupils who have achieved what they were expected to learn from the lesson, those who have failed to meet them, and those who have exceeded them. All of this enables teachers to assess the success of the curriculum from the point of view of teaching and learning and to alter their planning where necessary. In a minority of classrooms best use is not made of assessment. This results in, at times, pupils being given tasks that do not meet their needs sufficiently well.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

48. All pupils take part in optional tests for English, mathematics and science, with the school utilising a good range of annual formal assessment procedures. Most teachers use good marking procedures. Work is regularly marked; teachers use good procedures, apply constructive comments and suggest ways in which work can be improved. Longridge Primary School - 22

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

49. The school has very good links with its parents. In the previous inspection report the quality of this aspect was good. Although parents received satisfactory information about their children’s progress, pupils’ reports did not highlight targets. The prospectus and governors ’ annual report did not fully meet requirements and there were limited opportunities for parents to play a part in the life of the school. There has been a good improvement in all these aspects. Parents have a very positive opinion of the school. The analysis of parents’ responses to the questionnaire and their comments at the pre-inspection meeting reflect a very positive opinion of the school. The school now has very good social and news links with parents and in these areas parents are well informed.

p.22

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

50. There are regular weekly newsletters that are sent out which contain valuable information about various aspects of school life. They detail many social events that are going on in school, and achievements and awards gained by pupils. They are well presented, easy to read and welcoming to look at. The school produces a detailed termly topic information sheet for each class. This is very helpful to parents who wish to support their children’s learning further at home. Annual pupil reports to parents identify what the pupils can do. However, they are not consistent across the school in suitably detailing any future targets for pupils to aspire to. There are two termly meetings between parents and teachers as well as an ‘open afternoon’ in which all are welcomed into school to see it operating. This is a good occasion to observe pupils in classes and to see their work. Parents of children with special needs are well informed about how their children are achieving are well

p.22

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

informed about how well pupils with special needs are achieving. They take an active part when discussions are held on the progress their children are making towards the targets set in their individual plans.

p.22

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

51. The school recognises the value of parental involvement in school. It strives to develop this through the whole school by regular reminders and invitations to parents and carers to come into school and help. There is an open invitation to parents to call in and assist in any way, such as reading with pupils. There is a good core of regular parents helping in school, which is beneficial to all. The school holds meetings for parents to support its strong belief in the value of promoting parents’ understanding of teaching and learning in today’s primary school. There is a very strong Friends Association that raises valuable additional funds. In addition, it is also very effective in organising social and community events involving activities for the benefit of school, pupils, parents and the community.

p.22

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

52. The parents’ meeting with the registered inspector and analysis of the questionnaires shows that there is very strong support for the school. The majority of parents felt that their children like school, behaviour is good, children make good progress and the teaching is good. They also had the view that the school is helping pupils to become mature and responsible and that pupils are expected to work hard. In addition, they felt the school is approachable, provides good information and that the leadership and school management are good. The areas a small number of parents would like to see improved were more extra-curricular activities and regular homework. The inspection team agrees with all the positive opinions that parents hold about the school. However, they do not agree with parents’ views about what needs to be improved. Homework is consistently given and supports pupils’ learning. The school policy clearly states when it is to be given to pupils as

p.22

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

well as when it should be returned to school. The current levels of out of school activities are wide and offer much to many pupils. There are more activities for pupils to participate in than that found in most similar caring and industrious schools. Longridge Primary School - 23

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

53. Good quality leadership and management underpin this well organised and successful school. The headteacher provides purposeful leadership and is ably supported by the senior managers and the governing body. The headteacher has a clear vision for the direction and work of the school. The school has a positive ethos within which the contributions of all connected with the school, including the pupils, are valued consistently. Within this favourable climate, staff and pupils are encouraged to develop as far as they are able. The good quality of the leadership is reflected in the manner in which changes have been made and the positive impact they have had upon standards during recent years. Such changes have enabled key staff to take a clear lead in making improvements that have had a positive influence on raising standards. For example, and notably, three key areas reflect the school’s commitment to improve. These are the positive steps taken

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

to develop better assessment strategies, the changes involved in establishing a new computer suite and the provision of interactive whiteboards in all classes, and the successful introduction of the national strategies for literacy and numeracy. All of these initiatives have led to improved standards since the last inspection.

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

54. Since the last inspection, the headteacher and governors have done much to develop the role of subject co-ordinators. A great deal has been achieved and in mathematics and ICT strong leadership has resulted in improved standards as staff have accepted responsibility within a climate which encourages initiative. There is a co-ordinator who effectively manages provision for pupils with special needs. A strength is her enthusiasm and empathy for these pupils. The school shows a strong commitment to supporting pupils with special needs and invests more money than it receives by providing extra teaching assistants to help these pupils in the classroom. The quality of this support is good. However, the co-ordination of science is a particular concern. Too little influence is exerted in this area and as a result insufficient improvement is evident in the development of the subject and the standards achieved by the time the pupils reach the ages of seven and 11.

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

55. The school has invested much time and effort into monitoring and evaluating the quality of teaching, which form an important part of the school’s strategy for performance management. The headteacher and senior managers visit classrooms regularly using agreed criteria to evaluate the teaching. Outcomes are discussed with staff and areas for further development are agreed within a set timescale. Pupils’ work is monitored regularly by the headteacher and relevant co-ordinators. Increasingly, good use is made of ICT to store information and track pupils’ progress.

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

56. The professional development of staff receives appropriate attention. Staff and governors attend relevant training. Effective induction procedures enable new staff to adapt quickly to the various routines and procedures. The training of staff is linked appropriately to both personal and school targets.

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

57. Constructive involvement of the governors is a good feature of the management of the school. Appropriate governing body committees are in place. They work successfully to meet statutory requirements. Governors show a good understanding of the school’s strengths and priorities for improvement. They give careful attention to monitoring school performance through regular information which is supplied by the headteacher regarding the school’s performance in relation to similar school and to all schools nationally. The governors’ aims for the school are set out in the brochure for parents. The school aims are consistently reflected in the work and life of the school.

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

58. A well-established school development planning process enables staff and governors to suggest issues for attention. However, the process does not yet involve parental consultation to any degree. However, educational priorities are accurately identified and Longridge Primary School - 24 this results in good use of available funding. In particular, the element within the school’s budget for making provision for pupils with special educational needs is used effectively. The governors’ finance committee works closely with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the local education authority’s bursary service and the highly effective school administration, to oversee financial matters efficiently and effectively. The most recent audit of finance carried out by the local education authority, found financial systems to be satisfactory. All of the recommendations for improvements made by the auditors have now

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

59. The governing body seeks to secure best quality and value when purchasing resources and arranging for work to be completed. Much of this is done in conjunction with the local authority. In recent years, the improvement to the outside play area for the Foundation Stage children, and the establishment of the new computer suite and the provision of interactive whiteboards in all classrooms are good illustrations of the governing body’s success in securing best value and quality on behalf of the school. In recent months the school has worked hard to face new management challenges. For example, particular expertise of governors in the construction field has enabled the school to make positive headway with regard to the implications of disability and access requirements. A valuable document has been produced which confirms the school’s desire to meet such requirements.

p.24

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

60. The school is largely successful in enabling all pupils, irrespective of gender, race, background or ability to be included and challenged appropriately in almost all areas of the curriculum. However, science is the exception. The governors are successful in making sure that the school meets the requirements of the Code of Practice for special educational needs.

p.24

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

61. The school has a satisfactory level of staffing, accommodation and resources. The match of teachers and support staff to the demands of the curriculum is good. In particular, the deployment of teaching assistants has a positive impact on the progress of pupils with special educational needs and represents good value for money.

p.24

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

62. Since the last inspection, the quality of leadership and management, overall, shows good improvement. The school development plan is now more precise and serves as a useful tool for school development. Taking account of the context of the school, the good standards achieved, the average income per pupil, the very good behaviour and excellent relationships, the good management and good teaching, the school provides good value for money.

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

63. In order to improve the quality of education the school provides and build on the good improvements since the last inspection, the governors, headteacher and staff should:

p.24

in writing by the age of seven by:

• providing Year 2 pupils with more opportunities to write at length and for different purposes in their literacy lessons; • providing more opportunities for pupils to further develop their writing skills in subjects other than English; • improving pupils’ handwriting and spelling skills by devising a more effective, systematic approach to the teaching of handwriting and spelling; Longridge Primary School - 25 • developing portfolios of pupils’ assessed work so that they can be used as a reference point for teachers to make judgements about pupils’ work. (Paragraphs 4, 5, 9, 23, 31, 75, 82)

p.24

in science by the age of seven and 11 by:

• providing more opportunities for pupils to use and apply their scientific knowledge independently in practical investigations; • providing a sharper scientific focus to the development of pupils’ vocabulary and ways of recording the results of their investigations; • ensuring that time is given in lessons for pupils to discuss their findings from the investigations they have carried out. (Paragraphs 4, 6, 24, 29, 97, 99, 100)

p.25

And further by:

Ensuring that where improvement in standards are identified, clear action plans are established and implemented to address the weaknesses for example, in science across the school and in writing in infant classes. (Paragraphs 53, 86, 103)

p.25

by:

• raising expectations of some of the teachers so that they are consistently high across the school; • consistently using the information gained from assessment to provide interesting and challenging tasks for pupils of all abilities, particularly higher attaining pupils; • providing pupils with more activities which require them to show initiative and be responsible for their own learning or to work collaboratively with other pupils. (Paragraphs 20, 21, 28, 46)

p.25

information and communication technology in all other subjects across the

curriculum. (Paragraphs 9, 29, 130) Longridge Primary School - 26

p.25

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 25

p.26

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

p.26

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Percentage 9 25 33 33 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 nearly two percentage points.

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 12 223

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals n/a 8 FTE means full-time equivalent.

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 4

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 0 39

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 0

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 6

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 10

p.26

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. Longridge Primary School - 27

p.26

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 16 16 32

p.27

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.27

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

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

p.27

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

Percentage of pupils School 84 (97) 88 (97) 94 (97) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (84) 86 (86) 90 (91)

p.27

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.27

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

Boys 12 15 15 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 15 15 14

p.27

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

Percentage of pupils School 84 (97) 94 (97) 91 (100) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (85) 89 (89) 89 (89)

p.27

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

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

p.27

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 14 17 31

p.27

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.27

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

Boys 11 9 10 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 15 14 17

p.27

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

Percentage of pupils School 84 (82) 74 (85) 87 (91) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 73 (71) 86 (87)

p.27

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.27

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

Boys 11 10 13 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 14 15 16

p.27

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

Percentage of pupils School 81 (82) 81 (91) 94 (94) 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. Longridge Primary School - 28

p.27

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 White – British 221 0 0 White – Irish 0 0 0 White – any other White background 0 0 0 Mixed – White and Black Caribbean 0 0 0 Mixed – White and Black African 0 0 0 Mixed – White and Asian 0 0 0 Mixed – any other mixed background 0 0 0 Asian or Asian British - Indian 0 0 0 Asian or Asian British - Pakistani 0 0 0 Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 0 0 0 Asian or Asian British – any other Asian background 0 0 0 Black or Black British – Caribbean 0 0 0 Black or Black British – African 0 0 0 Black or Black British – any other Black background 4 0 0 Chinese 2 0 0 Any other ethnic group 2 0 0 No ethnic group recorded 5 0 0 The table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. It gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and classes: YR – Y6 Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 9.4 Financial year 2002/03 Number of pupils per qualified teacher 24 Average class size 28 £ Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 606,318

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 11 Total expenditure 728,082

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 199 Expenditure per pupil 2,959

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Balance brought forward from previous year 165,000

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 1 Balance carried forward to next year 43,236

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 10.5

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 2

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 60

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. Longridge Primary School - 29

p.28

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.29

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.29

Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

p.29

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.29

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. Longridge Primary School - 30

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

p.30

Results of the survey of parents and carers

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

p.30

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 48 48 2 1 0

p.30

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 54 44 0 0 2

p.30

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 35 47 6 4 7

p.30

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 42 48 5 4 1

p.30

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 65 32 2 1 0

p.30

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 65 31 2 0 2

p.30

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 41 50 6 2 1

p.30

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 58 41 0 0 1

p.30

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 51 41 4 0 4

p.30

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 45 40 6 1 7 Longridge Primary School - 31

p.30

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

64. The school provides a good start to children’s education. The overall quality of the teaching is good, with high quality practice seen in the Nursery. Together with the very good planning of the relevant curriculum, thorough assessment procedures, effective adult support, and the improved facilities for indoor and outdoor provision, the children learn effectively in the Foundation Stage. This shows an improvement in the provision for young children since the previous inspection.

p.31

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

65. Children enter the 52 place Nursery when they are three years old and move into the Reception class at the beginning of the school year in which they become five. During the inspection there were 35 children of Reception class age attending full time and 24 of Nursery age attending part time. Most children have a range of skills typical for their age in all areas of learning when they join the school. By the time they leave the Reception class, they will have achieved the levels expected for their age in all areas of learning and will have exceeded them in their personal and social and emotional development. Teachers have a good understanding of how young pupils learn, particularly in the Nursery. They plan and manage the children very well and provide a wide range of interesting activities. The effective liaison between the teachers and the conscientious support staff is beneficial to all children. As a result, the children are happy and enthusiastic, concentrate well and

p.31

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

work with interest. They play happily both indoors and outdoors, cooperate sensibly when sharing equipment and are well motivated. Children’s attitudes to learning and their behaviour are excellent. Children with special educational needs receive good support from the teachers, nursery nurses and teaching assistants. As a result, they make good gains in their learning.

p.31

Personal, social and emotional development

66. Overall, the teaching in this area of learning is good. Teachers are effective in nurturing all pupils’ personal and social skills. Children enter both classes confidently and adapt quickly to the routines. The children are quickly occupied by a wide range of quality, ‘free choice’ activities, both indoors and outdoors, which builds their confidence, helps them to make decisions and to organise their own time. On a few occasions, the classroom organisation provides limited opportunities for independence. For example, there is no self-registration on entry to the Reception class. During the Nursery ‘Snack’ Time’, children eat and drink sensibly, and sit quietly while the food distribution is undertaken by two children. Similarly, in the Reception class, children go to the teacher in turn to receive their mid-morning drink. The resources are appropriate and are very well matched to individual pupils’ abilities and

p.31

Personal, social and emotional development

children concentrate and persevere with out supervision for a lengthy of time. Reception children also use outdoor equipment and large sized equipment with enjoyment and take turns, showing developing respect for one another. Activities during lessons are generally well thought out, but in some lessons seen, opportunities to make choices and take decisions were limited, particularly in the Reception class. In the Nursery, the respect and care that the children receive contributes well to their spiritual development and most children respond very well by being polite, kind and helpful to others.

p.31

Communication, language and literacy

67. Overall, teaching of language and literacy skills is good in the Nursery and Reception classes. The staff constantly talk to children to introduce new words and vocabulary for them to use to clarify their thoughts, ideas and feelings. As a result, they achieve well in lessons and make sound gains in their learning. Speaking and listening skills are taught Longridge Primary School - 32 well through songs, jingles, games, tapes, stories, questioning and answering sessions and the use of the relevant vocabulary throughout all activities. In a few Reception lessons there is an over emphasis on listening skills, when children are required to sit and listen to adults talking for an inappropriate amount of time, This was the case in a mathematical session and in a knowledge and understanding lesson. The children became restless and some were not fully involved in the answering opportunities. Occasionally, the questions

p.31

Communication, language and literacy

required only a short answer, with little opportunity for children to talk at length.

p.32

Communication, language and literacy

68. Children in both classes listen attentively to stories. Children in the Nursery, for example, enjoy listening to ‘The Hungry Caterpillar’. They listen on their own to interactive stories and reading games on the computer and enjoy looking at books in the library corner. Most Reception children recognise a range of simple words that occur frequently and most can identify the initial sounds of common words. When reading, pupils enjoy the humour of ‘a cat in a hat’ and read with expression words such as ‘SNAP!’ Children are given many formal opportunities to develop their writing skills. The incidental opportunities to develop their creative writing spontaneously are less evident. Throughout the Foundation Stage, teachers draw children’s attention to the correct formation of letters and consequently many children have good pencil control. Nursery children make good attempts at early writing, while children in the Reception class write letters mostly correctly, either copying for

p.32

Communication, language and literacy

example.’ I went to Morrisons’ or write over dotted letters. During a lesson in the Reception class for example, a girl coloured in pictures beginning with ‘h’ and began to overwrite the ‘h’s and then practised them freehand. A few children completed their work sheets quickly and accurately, and went on to choose another activity. Most children write simple words and their forename unaided and many of the letters are well formed.

p.32

Mathematical development

69. Teaching is good overall with some excellent teaching seen in the Nursery. In both classes, teaching ensures that children are given many opportunities to develop mathematical skills through the effective use of practical activities, number rhymes, games and songs. Children use mathematical vocabulary of number, time, shape, pattern and measurement appropriately. Through constructional play, children show an interest in shape and space and begin to talk about shapes in the world around them. In the Reception class, many count reliably to 10, some to 20 and beyond in ones. They sort and use numbers to at least nine and are beginning to count backwards in ones from six, some using fingers. Puppets and ‘snowmen’ are also used to enhance mathematical skills. For example, some Reception children watched quietly and attentively while ‘Sooty’ selected and counted six fruits from a supermarket basket and joined in the counting with enjoyment. However, when

p.32

Mathematical development

the teaching sessions at the beginning and end of the lesson became too lengthy, they became restless and lost interest.

p.32

Knowledge and understanding of the world

70. Overall, teaching is good in the Nursery and Reception classes. This area is successfully promoted through well-planned themes, such as ‘Growth’, ‘Self’, and ’Homes’. There are many opportunities for children to learn about the world about them during lessons, outdoor activities and on visits to the local area. They are encouraged to find out about, and identify features of, living things, and to investigate and question why things happen. Nursery children for example, use a wide range of resources to discover facts about insects, birds and animals and the changes which occur over time. This knowledge is built upon effectively when Reception children plant bulbs and observe their growth and study human development from birth to the present day. All children gain a sense of the passing of time through the regular use of significant times of the day, days of the week and daily routines. Children learn about significant events in the calendar year and the church year, such as

p.32

Knowledge and understanding of the world

‘Harvest’ and ‘Christmas’. All children learn to shape, assemble and join construction Longridge Primary School - 33 pieces together such as the attractive houses made by the Reception children from recycled materials. In the Reception lesson seen on ‘Houses’, progress was slower because children were not used enough to describe, question and explain what they saw, in order to strengthen their understanding. From entering school, children are familiar with the computer and use a computer mouse to click on to the correct picture on the computer screen. In one lesson two children working very well together printed their work independently.

p.32

Physical development

71. The quality of teaching in this area is good in the Nursery and Reception classes. When children enter the Nursery, their manipulative skills and co-ordination are usually typical for their age. The children acquire satisfactory skills in movement. They have a developing sense of space and bodily awareness and use tools and equipment with skill. The facilities and equipment for outdoor play are good and have improved significantly since the previous inspection and the planning for this area is structured well. Nursery children ride, pedal, steer, climb and run confidently. They use space well and learn to cooperate and work as a team At times, however, the lack of regular supervision and of purposeful intervention of the older children does not ensure that children move forward in developing their outdoor physical skills as well as they might. Teachers provide many opportunities for children to develop better control and manipulative skills by using scissors, pencils, crayons

p.33

Physical development

and paintbrushes regularly, and these develop well in both classes.

p.33

Creative development

72. The quality of teaching in this area is good in the Nursery and Reception classes. Most of the creative elements of the Foundation Stage curriculum, including painting, drawing, role- play, sand and water are available as part of the continuous provision planned in the Nursery. Children explore and experiment enthusiastically using a range of media and materials. Nursery children make constructions, paintings and collages and experiment using different textures. They make handprints and learn how to hold a brush correctly when painting vivid rainbows and attractive sunflowers in the style of Van Gogh. No music lesson was seen but some informal singing was used in both classes to support literacy and numeracy. In these lessons all children recognised the tunes and sang tunefully and with zest the familiar songs, nursery rhymes and jingles and happily joined in with the actions, As a result, children’s’ artistic and musical skills are in line with those expected for

p.33

Creative development

their age. There are good opportunities in the Nursery through role-play to explore ideas, and a good quantity and quality of resources stimulate children’s imagination and language skills. However, in the Reception class spontaneous role-play is sometimes curtailed as the area is used for storage because of lack of space.

p.33

ENGLISH

73. The inspection findings indicate that attainment for pupils aged seven in speaking and listening are in line with national expectations. In reading, standards are above the national expectations. However, many pupils do not attain the appropriate standards for their age in writing and standards are below national expectations. Although pupils leave the Foundation Stage at a satisfactory level and make good progress in writing in Year 1, these standards are not maintained in Year 2. In Year 2, pupils do not have enough opportunity to write in English and in all other curriculum subjects. They do not regularly practice and use a joined handwriting style and have limited opportunities to extend or improve their spelling vocabulary. Higher attaining pupils, in particular, do not make the progress they should due to limited opportunities to write. Longridge Primary School - 34 74. The inspection findings indicate that attainment by the age of 11 in English is above

p.33

ENGLISH

average. Pupils achieve above national expectations in reading, writing and speaking and listening. This improving trend is mainly due to very good teaching, the creative English curriculum the school offers and the high expectations that all staff in the junior classes have of their pupils. This shows an improvement in standards and teaching in junior classes since the last inspection. However, in infant classes although standards in reading have been maintained there has not been an improvement in standards in writing which have fallen.

p.34

ENGLISH

75. Results in the Year 2002 national tests showed that standards for pupils aged seven were average in reading and writing. Results in 2002 were not quite as good as in previous years because there was a higher proportion of pupils with special educational needs than is normal in the class. In the tests boys did better than girls in writing but this was not apparent in lessons. National trends have remained steady. The school has been consistent with average results. At the age of 11, test results show standards were well above the national average and average in relation to pupils in similar schools. The school has been consistent with well above average results except in 2001. Results in 2001 were not quite as good as in previous years because there was a higher proportion of pupils with special educational needs than is normal. Standards seen at 11 are not as good as the 2002 results because of the cohort of pupils in the current Year 6 class where there is a

p.34

ENGLISH

smaller proportion of higher attaining pupils than last year. At seven standards in writing are not as good as 2002 test results because of weaknesses in the teaching of writing.

p.34

ENGLISH

76. Pupils in the infant classes make satisfactory progress and, in junior classes, make good progress in improving their speaking and listening. Effective use of open-ended questioning, discussion work and pair and group work enables pupils to be confident and use a rich language. Pupils are attentive listeners in class and around school. They listen carefully to teachers’ instructions on how to carry out their tasks and how to improve their work. This was well illustrated in Year 1 when a group of higher ability pupils discussed possible endings for the traditional story of ‘Cinderella’. Year 4 pupils were able to discuss the techniques Claude Monet used in his paintings, whilst Year 5 pupils talk confidently about the Five Pillars of Islam. Although teachers are aware of vocabulary needed when first introducing a new subject, pupils need greater opportunity to use this language, especially in science. In most class discussions, pupils express their ideas and opinions

p.34

ENGLISH

and offer answers confidently knowing that they will be listened to and valued.

p.34

ENGLISH

77. By the time pupils reach the end of the infant stage, they have generally made good progress in their reading. Letter sounds and word families are taught well, enabling pupils to establish a good foundation for reading. Younger pupils benefit from regular opportunities to read to adults and this helps them to make good progress in acquiring confidence in their reading. Higher attaining pupils in Year 2 read aloud with confidence and good expression. However, some of the texts used do not offer them sufficient challenge and their understanding of more complex words and phrases limits their understanding of the text. They are becoming aware of authors and illustrators and confidently identify main characters and events in the stories they read.

p.34

ENGLISH

78. Throughout the junior stage, pupils continue to make good progress in reading. Books are well matched to pupils’ attainment and interest levels. In Year 4, pupils read poetry enthusiastically, identifying their favourite poems as well as writing their own. In Year 6, higher and average attaining pupils are becoming fluent readers of a wide range of texts, understanding plot, setting and characterisation. They show an understanding of different writers’ styles and accounts and are able to make deductions and inferences from their reading. J.K. Rowling, Jacqueline Wilson and Roald Dahl are favourite authors and pupils are confident in explaining why they prefer one book to another. Lower attaining pupils use Longridge Primary School - 35 a variety of strategies effectively to help them recognise unfamiliar words, such as letter patterns and sounds, context and pictures.

p.34

ENGLISH

79. Teachers are very aware of the need to encourage pupils to read for a wide variety of purposes. As well as reading for enjoyment, pupils are encouraged to read instructions, such as how to read a news report, a weather forecast, or follow instructions in case of a fire alarm. Books for topics are of a good quality and are well displayed to encourage pupils to use them to further their knowledge and understanding of a particular topic such as work on Islam or India. Shared reading sessions, during the literacy hour, are used effectively to identify pupils’ strengths and weaknesses in order to move their learning on, for example, Year 4 pupils compared the works of Walter de la Mare and R. L. Stevenson. Reading for enjoyment is given a high priority and pupils are encouraged to choose freely from a range of fiction and non-fiction books. Year 6 pupils develop good independent research skills as they use dictionaries, glossaries, thesauri, CD-Roms and the Internet to

p.35

ENGLISH

extend their learning. Although the library contributes to pupils’ information retrieval skills, the location of the school library limits its use. Some pupils take books home regularly and parents hear their children read, which has a considerable impact on their progress.

p.35

ENGLISH

80. Pupils in the infant stage make unsatisfactory progress in writing. By the age of seven, many pupils are still unable to spell common words correctly and few are making attempts to spell more complex words. Whereas younger pupils are prepared to have a go at spelling, Year 2 pupils are reticent in writing freely. Pupils are not using capital letters, full stops and question marks with any increasing accuracy and regularity. Higher attaining pupils are not challenged in their writing. Pupils do not find it easy to express their ideas logically in the written form. Progress is further restricted because Year 2 pupils are not given enough opportunity to write freely or to write at length. In subjects other than English, the use of photocopied worksheets restricts writing opportunities and consequently, pupils do not make the expected progress. By the age of seven, pupils are still not joining their

p.35

ENGLISH

letters and printed handwriting is not always neat and well formed.

p.35

ENGLISH

81. Pupils in the junior stage make good progress in writing. Throughout the junior classes, considerable emphasis is placed on developing pupils’ basic writing skills for a wide range of purposes. During literacy lessons, considerable emphasis is placed on spellings, punctuation, grammar and appropriate layout. Pupils have good strategies to write for a wide range of purposes, such as reports, letters, play scripts and instructional and persuasive writing. They have developed an understanding of comparative and superlative adjectives and the use of passive and active verbs. Pupils have opportunities to use these skills in other subjects, for example, to write a play script for Noah’s Ark in religious education or making a comparison between Blackpool and Longridge in geography. Year 6 pupils have written letters successfully arguing the case for mobile phones being banned in school, and interesting playscripts concerned with searching for aliens in space. The

p.35

ENGLISH

work of higher attaining pupils shows a good use of vocabulary, grammar and structure. Poetry included phrases such as ‘a monstrous boulder’ and when describing winter, used ‘light splintering through the trees.’ Punctuation including commas, apostrophes, speech marks, question marks and exclamation marks are used to a satisfactory standard.

p.35

ENGLISH

82. Overall, teaching is good in the infants and juniors. Lessons are well planned and all the programmes of study are effectively covered. All teachers are confidently implementing the Literacy Hour, and targeted additional work is having a positive effect on attainment in the junior stage. Where teaching is very good, teachers plan lessons that are interesting and appropriate to the needs of all pupils. Lessons are of a good pace that maintains pupils’ interest and the content is challenging to all. As a result, pupils show very good attitudes to learning and relate positively to each other and their teachers. They are eager to learn, stay on task and show good levels of independence and concentration. This makes a considerable contribution to their rate of progress. Opportunities to work collaboratively to Longridge Primary School - 36 develop personal skills are used well. Pupils all have individual targets and are reminded of

p.35

ENGLISH

them in order to move learning on. Discussions at the end of lessons effectively check that pupils have understood the lesson and are ready to move on to the next stage of learning. Teachers use praise, comments and questions effectively to check understanding and extend thinking. In a Year 6 lesson, pupils were asked what they could see and could not hold and replies included ‘breath of a baby,’ ‘strength of the wind’ and ‘airwaves of music.’ When teaching is of a high quality expectations are particularly high and the teachers’ enthusiasm, explanations and knowledge have a very positive effect on pupils’ attainment and progress. For example, Year 6 pupils held a media day where they wrote, compiled and produced a Longridge news programme. Pupils confidently offer answers to questions, knowing that even if their answers are incorrect the teacher will help them discover the right answer for themselves. Relationships are excellent and teachers have

p.36

ENGLISH

high expectations of their pupils’ behaviour. Teachers use a range of appropriate and good quality resources to support the teaching of literacy. Provision for pupils with special educational needs is good and tasks are always well matched for pupils’ individual needs.

p.36

ENGLISH

83. Assessment and record keeping procedures are good. National Curriculum tests and other school tests are used effectively to identify areas for school development. Most teachers mark work on a regular basis and there are some very good examples of how comments help pupils to improve their work. However, portfolios of pupils’ assessed work are not in place in order for teachers to use as a reference point to make accurate judgements about pupils’ work. The curriculum meets statutory requirements. The co-ordinator, who is motivated and enthusiastic, has not held the post for long but manages the subject well. Monitoring of lessons in the juniors has been undertaken but she still has to make an impact on the quality of teaching and learning in the infants. Areas for development have been recognised and a programme of action is planned with suggested targets. Links with ICT and literacy are developing with good foundations in word processing techniques.

p.36

ENGLISH

Pupils are also developing their research skills with the use of the Internet.

p.36

MATHEMATICS

84. By the age of seven, pupils achieve standards that are consistent with those expected nationally. The great majority, including those with special educational needs, make at least satisfactory and sometimes good progress in relation to their prior attainment. This reflects the most recent national test results that showed that standards were average in comparison with all schools. Pupils at the age of 11 achieve standards that are above those expected nationally for their age. The vast majority, including those with special educational needs, generally make good progress during their time in the school. This is a similar picture to the pupils’ performance in the most recent national test in mathematics. In comparison to similar school results in 2002 at seven are average and above average at 11.

p.36

MATHEMATICS

85. The Year 2 pupils have a satisfactory understanding of basic number work. The higher attaining pupils and almost all of the average attaining pupils know how to read, write and order numbers to 100 and beyond. Although the pupils enjoy the mental starter at the beginning of lessons, many of them are not sufficiently challenged. This element of their numeracy work is often superficial and allocated too little time in Year 1 and in Year 2. In both year groups, the pupils develop increasing skills in counting reliably and in developing their understanding of place value. However, some Year 2 pupils have yet to grasp the significance of zero as a placeholder.

p.36

MATHEMATICS

86. In Years 3 to 6 the pupils’ progress is accelerated by the good quality of teaching they receive. Work is planned effectively and activities make increasing demands upon the pupils. They respond eagerly to the effective strategies their teachers employ in numeracy lessons. As a result, the pupils develop increasing skills in understanding place value and Longridge Primary School - 37 show good progress in using accurately the four rules of number in their computation work. By Year 6, almost all the pupils demonstrate a good understanding of the extension of the number system. This is reflected in their work using negative numbers and in their knowledge and understanding of the relationship of fractions, decimals and percentages.

p.36

MATHEMATICS

87. In all classes, pupils make increasing progress in work related to shape, space and measures. They are taught precise terminology which they use accurately when talking about shapes in three and two dimensions. For example, in a Year 3 class, the pupils were able to identify a range of prisms and to sort them according to the number of faces, edges and vertices. By Year 6, the pupils use confidently a range of appropriate measures using standard units of length, mass and capacity. The oldest pupils understand how to measure angles to the nearest degree. In addition, they know how to classify a range of triangles. In calculations they are adept at calculating the third angle of a triangle when only two are given.

p.37

MATHEMATICS

88. The older pupils are introduced to handling data. They make good progress collecting information, recording their results and interpreting their findings. They gain increasing skills using an appropriate range of graphs, charts, diagrams and frequency tables.

p.37

MATHEMATICS

89. The pupils benefit from opportunities to consolidate their mathematical skills in other areas of the curriculum, particularly in classes of the older pupils. For example, the Year 6 pupils used accurately their measuring skills when investigating whether the length of wire in a circuit affects the brightness of a bulb. They went on to record their findings clearly in graphical form.

p.37

MATHEMATICS

90. Since the last inspection, the school gives much more attention to the use of information and communication technology to support the work in mathematics. Such work is a regular feature of provision in most classes. Relevant computer software is used effectively to assist the pupils’ progress in all aspects of their work. This occurs during weekly lessons held in the new computer suits and also in classrooms using the interactive whiteboards.

p.37

MATHEMATICS

91. Overall, the quality of teaching is good. This shows an improvement since the last inspection, particularly in classes with older pupils. Teachers plan well following the Numeracy Strategy and focus effectively on the teaching of basic skills. The teaching is at least satisfactory in the infant classes. Overall, it is good in junior classes, with examples of high quality teaching. In these lessons, questioning is a strong feature. It is used effectively to assess the pupils’ level of understanding, to correct some misconceptions and to consolidate and extend the pupils’ thinking. In the best lessons, work is rigorous and challenging, teachers have high expectations that are made known to the pupils and lesson objectives are evaluated effectively during the discussion at the end of the lesson. For example, in a Year 6 class, the mental starter was taught briskly and the content was challenging. The pupils showed much progress in quick mental recall using square

p.37

MATHEMATICS

numbers, factors and multiples. Many were able to use inverse operations effectively to check their answers. The second part of the lesson revealed high quality teaching which enabled the pupils to make very good progress in using co-ordinates in all four quadrants when transforming images using information and communication technology.

p.37

MATHEMATICS

92. Where appropriate, valuable support is provided by teaching assistants, who make a significant contribution to the progress made by pupils with special educational needs. These staff members are well briefed and know the pupils well.

p.37

MATHEMATICS

93. Since the last inspection, standards continue to improve. This is due to the good improvements in the overall quality of the teaching, particularly in classes of the older juniors. In addition, the co-ordination of the subject is highly effective. Careful attention is given to the analysis of test results, in order to raise standards further. Assessment Longridge Primary School - 38 strategies show much improvement so that teachers are able to set the pupils realistic targets. The organisation of the curriculum enables all of the pupils, irrespective of gender, race, social background or ability, to have equality of access to the subject. Mathematics makes an important contribution to the aims of the school. The subject is better resourced than at the time of the previous inspection. Mathematics is allocated an appropriate amount of time and the content of the work meets fully the requirements of the National Curriculum.

p.37

SCIENCE

94. By the age of seven and 11, pupils’ attainment is average. Overall, pupils of all abilities make sound progress in most aspects of science. The standard of work seen in the school during the inspection shows work to be close to national expectations in most aspects of science, not below, as suggested by the 2002 test scores at age 11. This is because of variation in the proportion of pupils of pupils with special educational needs in different classes. Since the last inspection in 1998 standards in the aspects tested by national tests have fallen significantly. In 1999, a high percentage of pupils at 11 reached national expectations, but in 2002 this fell to 87 per cent.

p.38

SCIENCE

95. Standards are not as high as they should be because:

p.38

SCIENCE

• teachers plan investigations but over-direct pupils in how they are to plan and carry out the investigation; • there is not sufficient focus on developing pupils’ scientific vocabulary or getting pupils to explain what is happening during their investigations; • pupils are not given sufficient guidance on how to record their results or how to draw conclusions from their results; • there is an inconsistency in the format of how pupils are asked to record their investigations in writing.

p.38

SCIENCE

96. As a result, although pupils have a sound knowledge of living things, materials and physical processes, their skills at planning and carrying out investigations are under developed and their scientific understanding is not as strong as their knowledge.

p.38

SCIENCE

97. Although pupils at seven are able to identify that pushes and pulls move objects, and change, for example, the shape of plasticine, their attainment is average as they need support to identify, understand and record this work. This is also the case when pupils identify healthy and non-healthy foods. The higher attaining pupils manage to record relevant details in sentences, but the remaining pupils, for example, fill in a worksheet provided by the teacher to record their responses. This lack of language and experience of appropriate vocabulary impedes pupils’ progress and they make better progress when supported by teaching assistants. Pupils’ also lack investigative skills; for example, to choose from a range of ways to plan an investigation or to systematically observe and record results independently.

p.38

SCIENCE

98. The vast majority of pupils at 11 are able to display basic knowledge; for example, they record the relevance of food chains and food webs and have a knowledge of micro- organisms and their impact on everyday life. However, only the highest attaining pupils show any depth of understanding, or relate this to breaking down food and ‘putrefaction’. They are aware that materials when mixed can react with one another, but rarely use appropriate language such as ‘reaction’, ‘acid’ and ‘irreversible’ to discuss them. Year 6 pupils also carry out a range of investigations, but these are largely teacher-directed. There are very few opportunities for pupils to show their independence by, for example, planning their own investigations to answer questions they have raised themselves. The majority do not understand how to ensure that a test is fair. Pupils’ knowledge of the natural Longridge Primary School - 39

p.38

SCIENCE

world, and of materials and their properties and the physical world are at the expected level.

p.39

SCIENCE

99. In the majority of classes the contribution of science to literacy is through pupils recording their investigations but also on occasions, in the development of some technical vocabulary; for example, the use of ‘twisting’, ‘pushing’, ‘pulling’ and ‘patting’ when Year 2 study forces. However, in most cases this is not done enough. The contribution science makes to the development of pupils’ numeracy skills is through, for example, the tabulation of results where Year 4 pupils record the force needed to pull a container with different weights in it. However, the use of science to support mathematics or information and communication technology is not sufficient. It has not yet exploited the potential in science for data logging, the presentation of work using a word processor or multimedia presentation, or the recording and analysis of results from investigations using spreadsheets. All pupils have equal access to the curriculum, including those with special

p.39

SCIENCE

educational needs, who are well supported by teachers and teaching assistants and make good progress. The school does not review pupils’ progress to identify whether the performance of particular groups of pupils is significantly different to that of the rest. However, there were no significant differences between the attainment of boys and girls in the classes observed.

p.39

SCIENCE

100. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall. All the teaching was at least satisfactory, and very good in 30 per cent of the lessons seen. Teachers’ strengths are good control and relationships that encourage positive pupil attitudes, involve them in learning and maintain their interest. This was the case for example, as 11 year old pupils were very involved in investigating the reaction of lemon juice and vinegar on a variety of substances. Another strength is in classes where work is planned and matched to the range of abilities in the class; for example, in a Year 2 class (taken by a part-time teacher) where a range of experiences were provided to develop an understanding of pushes and pulls. This careful planning to meet pupils’ different needs develops good attitudes to learning, with pupils enjoying the practical aspects of science and the challenges they create. However, teachers’ knowledge of the understanding and skills needed by pupils to undertake

p.39

SCIENCE

scientific enquiry is under developed. This is needed not only to develop pupils’ investigative skills but also to consolidate their scientific knowledge and to develop their independence by, for example, giving them the opportunity to create and investigate questions they have devised. Marking does not inform pupils sufficiently about how to improve their work.

p.39

SCIENCE

101. The management of the subject is unsatisfactory. The school has identified in the school development plan the need to raise standards. However, although the coordinator has monitored the teaching in lessons, pupils’ books and teachers’ planning, no clear action plan is in place. There has been a focus on increasing opportunities for pupils to experience more investigations but this has had little impact on standards. This is because teachers’ knowledge of how to develop pupils’ skills in scientific inquiry are insecure and no support has been given to improve their teaching of this aspect. The coordinator has reviewed the curriculum in light of new national initiatives and this has resulted in improvements in teachers’ long-term planning. Teachers have begun to use the newly devised assessment systems to identify what pupils know and understand and this supports medium-term planning well. However, short-term planning lacks detail about what

p.39

SCIENCE

pupils of different ages and abilities will be doing and exactly what pupils are to learn are not stated clearly enough. An analysis of pupils’ books reinforces this finding. Very often pupils of widely different abilities complete the same tasks and record their findings and experiments in the same way. Resources are adequate to support pupils’ learning, but there is no programme in place to maintain or further improve resources for example, in the use of ICT. Longridge Primary School - 40

p.39

ART AND DESIGN

102. By the age of seven and 11, the standards that pupils achieve are at the expected level for their age. Standards and provision have been maintained since the last inspection.

p.40

ART AND DESIGN

103. The pupils in the infants make satisfactory progress. They are given opportunity to use a variety of different materials including a variety of papers. They have sound printing skills and they create collage in the style of David Hockney well. Year 2 pupils do not have as many opportunities to create art work but they have satisfactory skills of observational drawing, as shown in their drawings of tulips, and enthusiastically paint in the style of Picasso.

p.40

ART AND DESIGN

104. Throughout the juniors, pupils are given greater opportunity to develop their creative skills and by the age of 11 have made sound progress. Each class uses the style of a famous artist effectively to replicate technique. Year 3 pupils use the work of Van Gogh effectively with pastilles and paint. Year 4 pupils have a good knowledge of Claude Monet through a thorough study of the work. Pupils make good use of the Internet to research his work. Year 5 pupils study the industrial landscapes of L.S. Lowry and use his style successfully as a backcloth for their puppet show. Year 6 pupils have good skills of observational drawing. Junior pupils have good skills in using pattern, tone, form and shade. They consider painting techniques confidently, especially in Year 4, where they colour mix and use a finger painting style. In Year 5, pupils create collage using their history topic as a stimulus. Pupils in Year 6 link their art to history as they create interesting theatre masks in

p.40

ART AND DESIGN

the style of the Ancient Greeks. Painted urns show good colour mixing skills.

p.40

ART AND DESIGN

105. There is good progression in basic skill teaching and the pupils have a positive attitude to the subject. During lessons their enthusiasm is obvious and they take great pride in their finished work. Pupils express pleasure when their work is displayed around school and this indicates the value that teachers place on the pupils’ efforts. Pupils behave well in lessons, they listen to instructions and try their best. They show confidence and a willingness to try new challenges.

p.40

ART AND DESIGN

106. Overall, the quality of teaching is good, being particularly strong in the junior stage. When teaching is good, teachers plan thoroughly and research their subject. They prepare an exciting range of resources, for example the range of interesting containers that the Year 6 class teacher brought into school for pupils to draw. In Year 4, the teacher inspired the pupils with the very effective use of a program using the information and communication technology suite. In good lessons, teachers have a clear focus for the lesson and pupils are aware of expectations. Teachers continually monitor pupils’ work, offering praise, encouragement and advice. The effective use of support staff ensures all pupils, especially those with special educational needs, make good progress.

p.40

ART AND DESIGN

107. Art and design makes a significant contribution to the pupils’ spiritual development as they show an appreciation of the beauty in the world and in the work of other artists. Pupils enjoy experimentation and they are given some opportunity to be responsible for their own learning in terms of choice of subject or colour used.

p.40

ART AND DESIGN

108. The coordinator fulfils her role satisfactorily. She has developed useful portfolios of work showing sculpture, painting, printing and drawing techniques. These have been used for staff discussions. She has a clear picture of how well the subject is being delivered through monitoring the quality of teaching and learning that is carried out in school. Good use is made of information and communication technology in the subject and colourful examples were seen using a variety of programs. Resources are adequate but resource storage facilities are problematic at the moment. The scheme of work contains an assessment Longridge Primary School - 41 format for the end of each topic. Through their teaching and assessments, teachers measure pupils’ progress against the objectives set at the end of each topic.

p.40

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

109. Pupils achieve satisfactorily and standards reached by seven and 11-year-olds match the expected level for pupils of this age. This shows standards in design and technology (DT) have been maintained since the last inspection. There has been a good improvement in opportunities for pupils to develop their food technology skills, which now match their other DT skills.

p.41

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

110. In Year 1, pupils investigate how folded card can make ‘springy’ movements successfully when considering the problem of making Humpty Dumpty’s arms and legs move. They draw their design, cut, stuck, decorate and test their model confidently. They evaluate their success and suggest improvements. In Year 2, pupils design enthusiastically their own toy with moving parts driven by axles and wheels. They draw labelled designs appropriately from front and side elevations, list the resources needed and formulate a plan of work. In making a doll’s house from card they consider successfully how best to include a circuit that could work a light and find a solution to their problem. They use measuring and cutting skills competently on card and tubing before assembling and testing. They are very enthusiastic in discussion about their work and show good recall of the processes used.

p.41

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

111. Pupils in the junior department explore a range of moving mechanisms purposefully. Pupils in Year 4 design a storybook for infant pupils effectively. They use paper fasteners, flaps and pockets, for instance, to make interesting and exciting things happen to the pictures in their books. In Year 5, pupils work with card and a variety of sliding mechanisms enthusiastically to make Christmas cards. They use tools like scissors and knives safely and are aware of the need for accurate measurement. They suggest appropriate ways of strengthening their structure. In Year 6, pupils are challenged to design and make a pair of slippers. They examine commercially produced slippers and gain a clear understanding of the function of the various parts. They draw an initial design accurately and list the resources before producing labelled diagrams of different stages in the production process. Having made and tested their products, they make a perceptive evaluation of their work.

p.41

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

Pupils work in groups, collaborating successfully to make and test their products. In discussions with the inspector, they show pride in their work and are keen to explain what they had done. They display satisfactory evaluative skills and good awareness of safety aspects.

p.41

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

112. The quality of teaching is satisfactory. In good lessons, effective use of questions by the teacher, a purposeful task and a good range of resources to support the lesson help pupils achieve well. This was the case in a Year 3 lesson as pupils used their knowledge of different kinds of bread and healthy foods to make their favourite sandwich. They evaluate their sandwiches and think of ways to improve them. They co-operate with each other in the making process and in the sharing of tools. In the lessons seen, pupils have good attitudes to work and show great interest in their topics. They take great care in drawing their plans and take a pride in their finished product. Lesson planning is sound, and teachers are supported with an appropriate policy and guidelines for skill development. Teachers are clear about what they want pupils to learn. Lessons are structured to provide opportunities for pupils to share ideas, work individually or collaboratively and to evaluate

p.41

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

their progress. In a Year 2 lesson, pupils were presented with a good opportunity to pool their ideas and discuss what they had to do to make a puppet for different plays they were to perform. Teachers ensure that all pupils are included properly, and boys and girls, including those with special educational needs, do equally well. The pupils’ very good behaviour contributes very well to the purposeful ethos in lessons. Longridge Primary School - 42 113. Management of the subject is good. The curriculum coordinator has been instrumental in broadening the curriculum and improving teaching standards. She monitors the teaching and teachers’ planning, provides good, knowledgeable support, and helps teachers evaluate the outcomes of their work. Assessment of individual pupils’ attainment is fully in place. Resources have been much improved since the last inspection, with the acquisition of an appropriate range and amount of tools. Good opportunities are provided for pupils to

p.41

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

develop socially through practising collaborative skills in group work. Links to literacy are effective as pupils discuss, label and evaluate their work, and numeracy skills are practised in measuring and estimating. Links with information and communication technology are limited but are developing.

p.42

GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

114. At the age of seven and 11, standards of attainment in the humanities are similar to those expected of pupils of this age. The majority of pupils gain satisfactory understanding of the historical and geographical concepts and knowledge. These are taught in blocks of time, through topics and units of work. No teaching of history was seen in Years 1 and 2. However, the level of provision found in the previous inspection has been maintained in both subjects. Most pupils gain the required knowledge, and acquire, use and extend their historical and geographical skills and vocabulary, appropriate to their age. There is no significant difference between the attainment of boys and girls. All pupils, including those with special educational needs, are fully included in all aspects of work in history and geography, and make sound progress in gaining the key knowledge and skills of the subject.

p.42

GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

115. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 have a developing understanding of the passage of time as they investigate pictures and objects from the past with great interest. Their skills in historical enquiry are appropriately developed as they glimpse into the past by researching into toys. They extend their developing knowledge by comparing domestic life of the past, such as clothing, education and holidays, with that of the present. By the age of seven, most pupils understand the differences between the past, present and future and they compare and contrast modern and older toys, houses and schools. They are aware of changes over time of their own town of Longridge. They research into the life and work of famous people. They know about Florence Nightingale and the reasons for her actions and also significant events, such as the Great Fire of London. Planning shows that historical vocabulary is introduced appropriately with the topics undertaken.

p.42

GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

116. By the age of 11, pupils remember events of the periods they have studied in British history and also in ancient civilisations. They have a sufficiently wide knowledge and a satisfactory understanding of the periods they have studied. Pupils are sufficiently skilled in using a range of historical information. They have a developing awareness that there are sometimes differing versions of historical events. For example, they recalled with enjoyment researching into Ancient Greece and the life style of differing social classes. They were intrigued as to why slaves were beaten as punishment for their kings’ misdoings. They recalled relevant facts about the ancient Greek alphabet and remembered types of architectural features such as ‘Ionic’ and ‘Corinthian’ columns and the characteristics of Greek vases. There are colourful and informative displays in the school that clearly illustrate pupils’ understanding of the differences in the way the past is

p.42

GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

117. By the age of seven, most pupils have an appropriate geographical understanding of the physical features of the school and the immediate locality, such as Barnacre Road and Nateby Close. Pupils in Year 1 know that human features can be represented on a map on land, sea and islands. They conduct local traffic surveys to determine the rate of traffic flow and construct graphs using the number and variety of vehicles counted. From the local Longridge Primary School - 43 area, they progress to studying the British Isles and the continents of the world. Pupils make satisfactory gains in their learning, because the teacher provides good opportunities for them to extend their geographical knowledge. They develop their mapping skills through the use of Barnaby Bear’s visits to other counties, such as Spain and Italy and Australia. In one successful lesson, they recalled, accurately, these visits to Dubai and to San

p.42

GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

Francisco. Stimulating resources ensued that the majority of pupils work with interest. For example, pupils successfully matched a selection of artefacts to the countries of origin, such as chopsticks with China and a fan to Spain. Higher attaining pupils successfully recalled that maple syrup was brought back from the Rocky Mountains in Canada. However, lower attaining pupils have a more limited understanding of the concept of travel to other places.

p.43

GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

118. Pupils make sound progress in developing their skills throughout the junior stage, because teachers provide interesting work to motivate them. In one Year 4 class, pupils compare and contrast successfully the physical and economic features of their own town with that of an Indian village. The teaching was conducted at a lively pace. The use of relevant resources motivated the pupils, and differing levels of work for all pupils ensured that learning was meaningful. Pupils engaged fully in an interesting discussion, worked with effort and all made good gains in their learning. Pupils have a good understanding of safety and environmental issues. For example, pupils in Year 5 undertake independent research when carrying out a local survey on the impact of traffic in Berry Lane and elicit the views of people in the town. A residential course for older pupils provides valuable opportunities to further enhance their mapping and orienteering skills. In the past, links with schools in

p.43

GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

American and New Zealand by Year 5 pupils gave them a valuable insight into contrasting localities. Pupils enjoy their geographical studies, particularly the work on watercourses .

p.43

GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

119. Across the school, the quality of teaching is good in geography and satisfactory in history in junior classes. No judgement could be made on the teaching of history in infant classes. Good lessons are characterised by: • clear learning objectives; • good questioning and answering sessions; • a brisk pace with interesting tasks for pupils.

p.43

GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

120. Pupils have regular opportunities to develop their literacy and research skills. In junior classes pupils have opportunities to further develop their writing skills but this is limited in Year 2. Information and communication technology is used satisfactorily, for example, when pupils present their constructed graphs on traffic surveys. The use of information and communication technology is to be developed further, following the recent installation of the computer suite. Most pupils present their work neatly, although some older pupils use print to record their work. Teachers’ marking is regular and praises effort. The best marking is when teachers provide supportive comments so that pupils understand what they have achieved and what they need to do next to improve.

p.43

GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

121. The co-ordination of the subjects is satisfactory and the co-ordinators monitor planning and some observations of teaching have been implemented. Currently the Reception teacher has an overview of geography, as the co-ordinator is absent. The school uses national guidelines effectively. There are formal assessment procedures based on the skills that pupils are to learn. Visits are used well in order to extend pupils’ understanding and to give them personal experiences for developing historical and geographical skills. Visitors to the school, such as parents and grandparents, share discussions about their youth and different cultural life styles, and so provide an added dimension to pupils’ personal, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils use the library to seek information for their topics. Resources in the subject are adequate and have improved since the previous inspection. They now ensure the delivery of the schemes of work, but the school is conscious of the

p.43

GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

Longridge Primary School - 44 need to supplement these to further enrich the provision, particularly geographical books and historical replicas.

p.44

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

122. By the age of seven, pupils achieve standards that are appropriate for their age. In Years 1 and 2, the vast majority of the pupils make at least satisfactory progress. By the age of 11, pupils at all levels of attainment, including those with special educational needs, make good and often very good progress during their time in the juniors. As a result, they achieve standards which are above the levels expected for the pupils’ age. This represents a much improved picture since the last inspection and reflects the high calibre of the teaching in classes of the older pupils.

p.44

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

123. In Years 1 and 2, pupils make increasing progress in the communication element of the subject. They understand how to access and use appropriate tools to produce, amend and save text. They know how to retrieve stored work. As one Year 2 pupil remarked, ‘I do this at home on my own computer’. Year 1 pupils understand how information exists in a variety of forms. For example, they spoke about the pictogram they had produced on their favourite animals. They compared this to a chart showing similar details and gave reasons why the computer-generated pictogram was easier to use. By Year 2, pupils show a developing knowledge of control technology, demonstrating an ability to programme the Roamer robotic toy to travel various distances and change direction. However, although they understood the technical aspect of this activity, they were less secure in their knowledge and understanding of basic angle work in relation to right angles. In discussion,

p.44

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

they found it difficult to express an angle as an amount of turn.

p.44

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

124. In Years 3 to 6, pupils make rapid progress. In word processing, they are proficient in retrieving and refining their work. They know how to adjust the size and style of their text and to present their work to suit the needs of particular tasks. For example, in a class of older pupils, they produced a noteworthy news-sheet. They understood how to incorporate graphic images to enhance their work. They could use effectively techniques such as ‘cut and paste’ to good advantage and they understood how to move text about when editing their work. The Year 6 pupils also make good use of sound and colour to create multimedia presentations using the ‘PowerPoint’ program to great effect. For example, recent work on a variety of topics such as tractors, school sports and wildlife resulted in high impact displays with well chosen colours contrasting with attractively proportioned text set out in clear bullet points. They use the Internet and download the information they require.

p.44

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

125. By the age of 11, the pupils make very good progress handling information in a variety of contexts. For example, in Year 3, the pupils showed much confidence in collecting information and entering and storing it on a database before interrogating it in order to elicit the required information. In Year 5, the pupils demonstrate increasing skills navigating around a database. They show much skill in using the navigation bar to interrogate different files. They understand how to load existing files and know how to locate and describe information in different fields.

p.44

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

126. In all classes, the pupils use a variety of systems to achieve specific outcomes by giving a series of instructions which can be followed at a later time. For example, some of the older pupils extend their control technology skills through the use of computer programs which involve the control of a screen image. They understand how to enter a set of instructions to draw some quite complex geometric shapes on screen.

p.44

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

127. By the age of 11, the pupils make effective use of spreadsheets to support their learning. For example, they used this system to calculate perimeters and areas of rectangles. In another activity, working on a problem solving exercise, the pupils used a computer model Longridge Primary School - 45 to explore the effects of changing the variables when costing rocket travel to selected planets. They understood how to change variables such as fuel costs and weight to work out how to reach their destination and return to Earth. They used the spreadsheet well to keep within total amounts set by their teacher. They were very proficient enlarging or reducing the screen to see relevant parts of the spreadsheet when necessary.

p.44

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

128. Overall, the quality of teaching is very good, with examples of high calibre teaching in classes of the older pupils. Regular use of the computer suite and of computer facilities in all classrooms, including interactive whiteboards, contributes significantly towards the pupils’ progress. In the best lessons, the work in the junior classes is pitched at a level that reflects very good expertise on the part of the teachers and high expectations that they have for their pupils. The pupils respond positively to the challenges set. They concentrate extremely well and apply the guidance they receive very effectively. Class management is a strong feature in lessons, and this promotes high standards of behaviour and a high level of productivity by the pupils. However, the organisation in some of the classes of the younger pupils is not entirely satisfactory because the groups are too large. This restricts

p.45

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

the pupils’ learning opportunities in classrooms, especially when the interactive whiteboard is used. As a result, too few of the pupils are actively involved and their learning is restricted because of the fairly passive nature of the activities.

p.45

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

129. Throughout the school, teachers take great care to enable all pupils, irrespective of gender, background or ability, to have access to all aspects of the work in this subject and, for the most part, to be included and extended by their learning experiences. The work is co- ordinated very effectively and this is an important factor in the improvement in the standards achieved by the Year 6 pupils since the last inspection. Although the school has made advances in the use of ICT to support the pupils’ learning, particularly in mathematics and art and design, and to a lesser extent English, much remains to be done so that ICT is used more effectively to support the pupils’ learning across the wider curriculum. The school is aware of this position and is looking at ways of making further improvements.

p.45

MUSIC

130. Due to timetabling arrangements it was not possible to observe a range of lessons throughout the school. Consequently, there was insufficient evidence on which to base overall judgements about the quality of teaching. Inspection evidence indicates that pupils’ attainment at the age of seven and 11 is similar to the expected level for their age. Standards have been maintained since the previous inspection. The statutory requirements are met and all pupils, including those with special educational needs, make sound progress. Planning indicates that teaching is well supported through the integrated use of a newly introduced published scheme and that music is taught regularly. This ensures that all pupils gradually and systematically acquire and practise their skills, whilst gaining knowledge and understanding of music. There are now opportunities for all pupils to perform their compositions and evaluate their work and that of their peers. The school has

p.45

MUSIC

adopted a planned system to ensure that a broad spectrum of musical genre is used in weekly assemblies and this is to be further developed.

p.45

MUSIC

131. In assemblies, pupils sing a variety of hymns in tune, very confidently and maintain a good rhythm. Teachers who have a very high level of piano and brass expertise, accompany them very proficiently . Pupils listen carefully in assemblies, where a range of appropriate music from different cultures is played. Atmospheric music is well chosen for pupils entering the hall and this calming music sets the scene for reflective worship. For example, in one high quality assembly, taken by Year 5 pupils, well chosen music on entry was enhanced by the high level of musical performing expertise by the teacher and the pupils’ skilled use of puppets. This ensured that pupils and parents were enthralled and added to the experience of a sense of awe and wonder. Longridge Primary School - 46 132. The scrutiny of a wide range of musical, school videos, such as ‘A Christmas at Toad Hall’, and ‘Gnomes’, indicates that the school enjoys a high profile in its musical and school

p.45

MUSIC

orchestral performances. At these events, pupils are given valuable opportunities to perform in front of a large audience, sing together and play a range of musical instruments. From Year 2 onwards, pupils are given the opportunity to play the recorder in weekly, extra-curricular lessons. Thirteen pupils benefit from a range of additional tuition given by visiting instrumental teachers who teach strings and woodwind. Talking to one of them indicates that pupils make good progress.

p.46

MUSIC

133. No teaching was seen in Years 1 to 2 and only one lesson in Years 3 to 6. In the Year 3 lesson seen, the quality of teaching was very good because of the teacher‘s specialist musical knowledge. The lesson was very well planned and exactly what pupils are to learn were clarified to ensure that the pupils had very good knowledge of what they were to learn. Pupils’ applied their previous knowledge and understanding of simple beat patterns to compose and notate a repeated rhythmic pattern, (ostinato). This progressed to building up other rhythmic patterns in layers, (texture). For example, they performed a simple pulse- based pattern, using insects’ names, such as ‘fly, fly, spider, moth’. They emphasised, correctly, the length of notes, such as crochets, quavers, and internalised the ‘rests’. Finally, some pupils using untuned percussion instruments successfully demonstrated that they could perform with correct control of pulse, and also show awareness of what the

p.46

MUSIC

other pupils were playing. Pupils were interested, well behaved and made very good progress. Resources were very good and a picture of a beef burger was used, very successfully, to illustrate the building up of rhythmic patterns.

p.46

MUSIC

134. Music activities make a significant contribution to all pupils’ personal development. The pupils respond well in their musical activities and enjoy working together with other pupils to develop their performances. Through listening to different forms of music, pupils discover different aspects of cultures and make some comparisons with their own lives. Pupils learn to be encouraging and to recognise each other’s achievements. For example, pupils break into spontaneous applause when others sing or perform well. Many are developing good understanding of how to improve their own performances by working with others.

p.46

MUSIC

135. The subject co-ordinator has very good subject knowledge. She gives support to colleagues, at times, some of whom are insecure in the teaching of music. This support is through advising, monitoring planning and observing teaching. She has clear plans how to further develop the subject and strengthen the provision for higher attaining pupils. She plans to reinstate the school choir of 13 years standing. This will offer a valuable link between the infant and junior classes. Satisfactory assessment systems are in place. The subject is now well resourced throughout the school and recent spending has included multi-cultural provision. Currently, there is little use made of computers to enhance the teaching. However, the recent installation of a computer suite will give opportunities to enhance the musical provision.

p.46

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

136. At the age of seven and 11, standards achieved by pupils are appropriate for their age. This shows standards have been maintained since the last inspection . In the two games lessons observed, the pupils in Years 2 and 3 achieved standards above this level. In all lessons, the pupils make good progress and enjoy the activities provided.

p.46

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

137. In games, the Year 2 pupils demonstrate increasing control and co-ordination when throwing a ball over short and then longer distances. They understand how to position their bodies to gain maximum impetus. They work hard to improve the accuracy of their Longridge Primary School - 47 throwing. By Year 3, the pupils know how to throw and catch using a variety of well-taught techniques.

p.46

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

138. In gymnastics, Year 1 pupils make good progress in balancing techniques. They know how to take their bodily weight on two parts of their body. They hold positions appropriately and devise increasingly more adventurous balances. By Year 6, pupils demonstrate effective sequences in gymnastics, using both the floor space and large apparatus. They incorporate interesting routines, including sliding and rotation actions on benches. When moving off apparatus they know to land correctly, showing good posture and balance.

p.47

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

139. At the end of the last academic year, all of the Year 6 pupils could swim at least 25 metres unaided. During the inspection, the Year 5 pupils showed much confidence during their swimming lesson. All of the class could swim and many could use a range of recognised strokes. They know how to breathe correctly so that they swim efficiently and safely.

p.47

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

140. At other times in the year, all pupils take part in dance, and the older pupils participate in athletics and outdoor and adventurous activities.

p.47

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

141. The quality of teaching is good. Lessons are carefully planned and taught so that pupils are aware of working safely. The teachers’ knowledge and expertise in the subject is reflected in the clear teaching of appropriate skills and techniques which do much to support the pupils’ good progress. Good quality support by teaching assistants during lessons enables the pupils with special educational needs to make good progress towards the targets set for them. At the time of the last inspection, not all lessons contained an appropriate cooling down period. A similar position still exists where more might be done to help the pupils to understand the effects of vigorous exercise on their body. The pupils respond very well during lessons. They behave very responsibly and treat each other and the equipment they use with care and respect.

p.47

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

142. The subject is well co-ordinated and managed so that an appropriate balance is achieved in all aspects of the work. Resourcing is very good and the content of the work meets the requirements of the National Curriculum. The scheme of work contains an assessment format for the end of each topic. Through their teaching and assessments, teachers measure pupils’ progress against the objectives set at the end of each topic. A range of extra-curricular activities enhances the curriculum. These also provide the pupils with opportunities to take part competitively against pupils from other local schools. During the inspection the school was successful in an inter-school cross-country event and also played a drawn game against another school in football.

p.47

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

143. Standards are in line with the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus by the age of seven and 11. This shows standards have been maintained since the last inspection. Pupils in the infant stage are making sound progress. Pupils in the junior stage are making good progress due to greater opportunities for discussion and writing given to the older pupils.

p.47

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

144. By the age of seven, pupils know and have an understanding of stories from the Christian tradition and can recall the story of Christmas. They also have a sound knowledge of the story of the Creation according to Aboriginal and Maori cultures. Pupils have an understanding of other world religions such as Islam and Sikhism. This gives young pupils a foundation for work in the junior stage. In Year 2, pupils use role-play sensitively showing an understanding of the Sikh ceremony in the Gurdwana. They observe sensibly Sikh customs such as the non-wearing of shoes, and wear traditional headwear. They show a Longridge Primary School - 48 great awareness of the life-styles and values of other religions and cultures that they may experience in multi-cultural Britain.

p.47

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

145. Year 5 pupils study Islam and Sikhism and then compare these world religions with Christianity successfully. Year 6 pupils understand the Langar tradition in Sikhism (sharing of foods) as they make traditional sweets and then share them with classmates. As a result of good teaching and the practical nature of the lesson, pupils are enthusiastic learners and make good progress in their knowledge and understanding of other religions. By the age of 11, pupils have gained a secure understanding of the customs, practices and festivals of Christianity and also have some knowledge about Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Sikhism. They have a deeper understanding of the importance of religion in the lives of many people. Pupils become increasingly tolerant and reflective about their own behaviour and feelings and those of others. They have studied and have a knowledge of the lives of modern leaders such as Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King.

p.48

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

146. Teaching is good across the school. In the three lessons observed the teaching was good and sometimes very good. In the best lessons, teachers maintain a good pace of learning and are continually assessing pupils’ progress. They make very good use of discussion work to consolidate and extend knowledge and understanding. High expectations by the teachers resulted in positive responses from pupils. Pupils behave very well, are sensitive to the contributions of others and work hard. Most teachers have secure subject knowledge and share their ideas with colleagues. Relationships between teachers and pupils are excellent, enabling pupils to make comments with confidence and often with insight. Teachers plan work well in line with the new locally agreed syllabus. The curriculum is enriched by opportunities to visit the local parish church.

p.48

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

147. Pupils enjoy the subject and are thoughtful in expressing their ideas. More importantly, they, and their teachers focus upon the key moral teachings of the world’s great faiths. They try to interpret them in terms of how they should behave and respond to one another. As a result, the subject makes a strong contribution to the school’s very good provision for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Religious education also plays an important part in the consolidation of literacy skills. Pupils have regular opportunities to develop their literacy and research skills. In junior classes pupils have opportunities to further develop their writing skills but this is limited in Year 2. All pupils, including those with special educational needs, benefit from teaching that emphasises a practical approach and the importance of discussion.

p.48

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

148. The subject coordinator is providing effective leadership and a clear sense of direction. Her management skills are good and priorities for further development are correctly identified. She supports teachers well, especially with their teaching of different religions. She is very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. The school has a good bank of resources to support teaching and at times pupils use the library to seek information for their topics. Plans in the long and medium term are new and well in place since the last inspection; these meet with the revised agreed syllabus. The co-ordinator monitors the curriculum through teachers’ medium-term planning to ensure that pupils can build on their learning from year to year. Pupils’ work is sampled and checked against the planning objectives. Lesson plans are detailed and learning objectives are well related to the new scheme. Assessment procedures are linked to the scheme of work and record pupils achievements based on the

p.48

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

learning objective of the lessons. This is used to inform future planning. Pupils’ learning in religious education links well to assemblies, where moral issues are discussed through religious examples. Learning is also linked to geography through occasional visits to Christian churches. These visits support pupils’ knowledge and understanding well and ensure that they develop respect for different faiths.

p.48