Fairburn Community Primary School

SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 14 – 15 January 2003

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SCHOOL

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

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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. Fairburn C P School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Infant and junior school

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Old North Road Fairburn Knottingley

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The Governing Body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mrs W Daniel

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: February 1998 Fairburn C P School - 4

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Team members

2607 Mr B Griffiths Registered inspector 19446 Mrs S Wood Lay inspector

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Team members

Yorkshire Educational Services Ltd 16 Burn Hall Darlington Road Croxdale DURHAM DH1 3SR

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Team members

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

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Team members

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Fairburn C P School - 5

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Fairburn is a much smaller than average community primary school for boys and girls aged from four to eleven years. It mainly serves the village of Fairburn, in North Yorkshire, about 15 miles south of York. The school is adjacent to the busy A1 trunk road that bisects the village. The community it serves consists of a mix of local authority built and private housing. All of the forty pupils on roll are of white British descent. Five of them are in the reception year. No pupils are eligible for free school meals. An above average proportion is identified as having special educational needs; two of the eight so identified have a statement of Special Educational Need and most needs are language and learning related. Before they join Fairburn for their reception year, around one half of pupils attend nursery classes, mainly attached to two other nearby schools. During the last school year six pupils left and three new pupils arrived; whilst these are small

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

numbers it is a significant proportion of the total. The attainment of pupils on entry varies considerably from year to year but taken overall is average.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is an effective school. Pupils achieve well and standards in English and mathematics are above average. The school has a strong family atmosphere that belies the fact that there has been a complete change of teaching and classroom support staff over the last two years. The school’s success in dealing with these changes owes a great deal to its good leadership, sound management, the strong team spirit between all staff and the governing body and to the unflagging support of parents and the local community. Although costs are high the school provides sound value for money.

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What the school does well

• Standards are above average in speaking and listening, reading, mathematics, science and art and design. • Teaching is good throughout the school. • Pupils are well-cared for and their all round personal development is good. • The curriculum is enriched by a good range of visits and visiting experts. • Good leadership and the high levels of commitment of all connected with the school have ensured that its momentum has barely slowed during a period of major staffing changes.

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What could be improved

• Pupils’ writing standards. • The design of the curriculum and the teaching methods, that do not always match the needs of the wide age range in each class. • Planning for further improvements The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

When the school was last inspected in 1998, improvements were needed in the partnership with parents and in standards in art and design. These have taken place and both are now marked strengths of the school. The major strengths seen in 1998 in pupils’ attitudes and values have been maintained. A dip in test scores in English, mathematics and science two years ago has been reversed. There has been a good rate of improvement since the last inspection. Fairburn C P School - 7

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STANDARDS

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

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schools

2000 2001 2002 2002 English E C B C Mathematics D A* C D Science D B C D well above average above average average below average well below average A B C D E

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schools

The pattern of the test scores of Year 6 pupils fluctuates year-on-year largely because, with such small numbers, one pupil represents a significant percentage of the total. For example, in 2002 there were six pupils in the year group and each one is around 17 per cent of the total. 2000 was a poor year for test scores in both Year 6 and Year 2; it was the year in which there were many staff changes. The work of the current Year 6 is above average in English and mathematics; school administered tests show that they have made better than the nationally expected progress in the last two years. For some time now, standards in writing have lagged behind those in reading and speaking and listening. The test scores of Year 2 pupils also fluctuate but standards are above average in reading and mathematics and average in writing. Pupils’ good achievements are the result of well-planned and resourced teaching, increasingly aided by the work of classroom support

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schools

assistants. The pupils’ acquisition of basic skills is enhanced by the way that teachers intelligently thread such work through that in other subjects, particularly in the younger class.

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schools

Standards in art are above average while standards in information and communication technology have benefited greatly from improved facilities and improved teacher expertise. The word processing and basic publishing skills of a good number of pupils are high.

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schools

The school sets targets for pupils’ standards in English, mathematics and science that are based on their earlier performances with an appropriate added element of challenge. Individuals usually reach their targets; the achievement of year group targets is regularly affected by pupils leaving or joining the school and they were not reached last year. However, the current Year 6 is on track to meet its targets.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Very good. Pupils are enthusiastic about school and work hard. Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Good. Pupils behave well at all times. Playground behaviour is occasionally boisterous but friendly. Personal development and relationships Very good. Relationships between all groups are very good.

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

Quality of teaching Good Good Good Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that the teaching is adequate and strengths outweigh weaknesses. Fairburn C P School - 8 English and mathematics are taught well and basic literacy and numeracy skills are also developed well in other subjects; thus pupils learn well and reach good standards. Teachers have good knowledge of the subjects that they teach and learning is enhanced by the imaginative use of teaching aids. A good range of techniques is used to ensure that pupils concentrate on the work in hand. Classroom support assistants are making increasingly positive contributions to learning; these contributions are most effective, ensuring a good rate of learning, in the reception year, and with pupils with special educational needs. Sometimes, when the teacher is teaching the whole

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

class, work is directed for too long at one end of the large age range in the class, so that older ones can become restless or younger ones fail to understand. Some introductions to lessons are over- long. When pupils work in small groups of similar ages or attainment, they are given work that matches their needs well and so they make good progress.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Satisfactory. Meets statutory requirements and is enhanced by visits and visiting experts. The reception year makes good use of national advice on the curriculum. The outline curriculum plan for Years 3 to 6 does not give sufficient guidance on the necessary differences in approach needed for such a wide range of pupils. Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. Work is often matched well to their needs, and the additional support they receive allows them to progress well.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Good. The very good provision for pupils’ moral and social development helps them to become caring and friendly, especially with younger pupils.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Well. Pupils feel cared for. Their progress is carefully monitored and sensible use is made of the information collected when further work is planned.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Sound. The headteacher’s good leadership has helped to foster a strong team spirit in teachers, support workers and governors. Planning for further improvements does not make sufficient reference to the intended benefits for pupils. How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Soundly. All statutory duties are met. Governors know the school well because a good number have day-to-day links with the school. They rightly trust the headteacher’s guidance when taking decisions although they could become involved earlier when, for example, improvements to provision are planned. They have taken very successful steps to improve the building. The school’s evaluation of its performance Good. Systematic use is made of the close knowledge and understanding that staff naturally gather in such a small school; formal monitoring of teaching and learning is effective. A good range of data is

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Aspect Comment

collected on pupils’ attainment and this is analysed reasonably well. Fairburn C P School - 9 The strategic use of resources Good. Spending is carefully directed at priorities that enhance overall provision – for example, the improvements to the facilities for younger pupils. Care is taken to ensure that the best value is obtained from spending.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Parents feel that: • Their children enjoy coming to school • Teaching is good and demands much of pupils • Staff are approachable • Leadership and management are good. • The arrangements for homework • The range of activities outside lessons

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Inspectors agree with parents’ positive views. The school’s policy for homework is a sensible one but not all parents are aware of it; the school could usefully clarify this, especially for parents of children who transfer from other schools. There is a good range of activities when the size of the school is borne in mind; there are plans to re-instate a residential element. Fairburn C P School - 10

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Standards are above average in speaking and listening, reading, mathematics, science and

1. The school successfully emphasises children’s speaking and listening skills from a very early stage. This results in younger pupils learning to listen carefully to their teacher and each other, thus gaining maximum benefit from lessons. The very carefully phrased questions that adults pose to children are designed to ensure that they think before answering and the emphasis placed on choosing the exact word to convey meaning ensures a good rate of learning. For example, reception year children worked with the classroom assistant and a puppet theatre. They overcame their excitement in order to listen well to the very expressively told story of Red Riding Hood and then take their turns in retelling the story, using appropriate language, whilst wearing finger puppets of the main characters. Year 1 and 2 pupils listened intently to clearly expressed and animated explanations of how to investigate the magnetic properties of various materials. Several

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Standards are above average in speaking and listening, reading, mathematics, science and

pupils asked sensible and well-phrased questions in order to clarify what they were to do next. In doing this they repeated the accurate scientific language that the teacher had introduced earlier, demonstrating that they understood it well. They had clearly understood, for example, the difference between ‘guessing’ and ‘forecasting’. When faced with forecasting whether a steel and wood clothes peg would be attracted by a magnet or not, one pupil was able to reason out loud. ‘The metal will be magnetic but the wood won’t be, so we can’t put it in just one list; we could put it between the lists’.

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Standards are above average in speaking and listening, reading, mathematics, science and

2. In the Year 3 to 6 class, teachers’ explanations are equally well phrased and use a demanding vocabulary, especially that connected with the subject being taught. This ensures that older pupils understand and use accurately words such as ‘ostinato’ in music, ‘denominator’ and ‘numerator’ in mathematics and ‘mass’ in science. This follows the pattern throughout the school of good skills in speaking and listening contributing to above average standards not only in English but also in other subjects.

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Standards are above average in speaking and listening, reading, mathematics, science and

3. In many lessons pupils progress well because of the opportunities planned by teachers to ensure that basic skills, especially in reading and mathematics, are reinforced. For example, in a science lesson, number work was systematically consolidated, as were letter sounds; this was done almost incidentally but its impact is considerable because it is a regular feature of teaching.

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Standards are above average in speaking and listening, reading, mathematics, science and

4. Standards in reading are above average largely because it is taught systematically, in ways that leave pupils wanting to continue reading – and learning how to do it better. Support from parents helps a good deal and reading diaries passing between home and school show that the good progress that pupils make is encouraged by dialogue regarding pupils’ strengths and weaknesses. The great majority of pupils understand the purpose of punctuation and use the clues that it gives in order to read expressively. The higher attaining pupils read with such good expression that others listening are captivated and smile and frown as the story unfolds. The great majority of pupils understand how reference libraries are classified and they can use its systems, and the contents and indices of such books.

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Standards are above average in speaking and listening, reading, mathematics, science and

5. Standards in mathematics have benefited from the school’s use of national guidance and training. Mental skills in particular are enhanced by teachers’ own expertise, especially in rapid question and answer sessions. Many pupils work hard in lessons and produce a considerable portfolio of work across a broad curriculum. Much of the best work, especially involving three- dimensional shapes, weights and measures, is associated with practical work. Occasionally pupils do not fully understand the word problems that they are set and tend to guess which process they should use; on these occasions their progress and standards slip a little. Fairburn C P School - 11 6. The above average standards reached in science are largely a product of the practical approach used. From an early stage children are used to undertaking experiments and they quickly develop an understanding of what constitutes a ‘fair test’. The higher attaining Year 6 pupils have a

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Standards are above average in speaking and listening, reading, mathematics, science and

considerable knowledge of the planets of solar system and can link this to work on mass, weight and gravity, mentioning, almost in passing, that the gravitational pull on Jupiter will be ‘massive’ while on the moon you ‘will feel really light’.

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Standards are above average in speaking and listening, reading, mathematics, science and

7. Standards in art and design have risen from below average at the time of the last inspection to above average. Skills are well taught, so that pupils acquire a good range of techniques, including the use of texture, colour and tone when painting. Pictures in the style of David Hockney capture the essence of his style well and are attractive in their own right. Pupils work at a good standard in three dimensions and two and three feet high figures made from armatures covered with plaster are impressive in their form and apparent movement. Help from an expert parent and other visiting artists has helped pupils to develop an artistic ‘eye’ as well as have a good range of techniques and understandings.

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Teaching is good throughout the school

8. Teaching is underpinned by the staff’s good knowledge of the subjects of the National Curriculum, religious education and a deep knowledge of the children – many of whom spend up to four years in one class. This does not limit pupils’ experiences of adults, as teaching is augmented by at least two support assistants and teaching in the top class is shared by the headteacher and one other. Relationships are very productive; pupils like their teachers and so usually work hard for them. This contributes considerably to pupils’ personal development as well as their academic standards. The planning of lessons is well set out and detailed. It makes clear what pupils are to learn, and when teachers share these objectives with pupils, as they often do, the lesson gains real purpose. Often these objectives and the subsequent teaching are aimed at one or two age groups rather than the whole class and this limits the progress of some pupils. (See paragraph 24 below.)

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Teaching is good throughout the school

Resources used in lessons are usually very appropriate to the intended learning and some are very effective at fostering learning. Pupils working with their horseshoe and bar magnets in a Class 1 science lesson enjoyed the practical work and concentrated well. The work on fractions in a Class 2 lesson was enhanced by each pupil having a device, made from brightly coloured paper plates, that allowed every pupil to show the teacher, at the same time, what they believed one-tenth, one eighth or two-quarters looked like. This allowed the teacher to check quickly on the understanding of each pupil.

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Teaching is good throughout the school

9. Governors have recently chosen to increase the level of support from classroom assistants. This is already having a positive impact. In group work, they give good, well-pitched advice to individuals, especially those with special educational needs for whom help in the school is well established. They are clearly benefiting from a training programme in which almost all have participated, or are participating. Support is less effective during whole-class explanations by teachers: the help given to pupils with special educational needs remains effective, with assistants giving quiet moral and academic help to the pupils for whom they have responsibility. On other occasions, opportunities are missed for teachers to plan useful tasks for the support assistants such as: • monitoring the concentration levels, understanding and learning of individuals or groups; • making contributions to whole-class explanations;

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Teaching is good throughout the school

• supporting the understanding of particular groups of pupils – for example, those for whom the teachers’ explanations are not primarily intended and • undertaking some of the explaining, perhaps to the younger or older pupils.

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Teaching is good throughout the school

10. On occasions these explanations and instructions take too long so that some pupils lose concentration. However, the positive aspects of teaching outweigh these less strong ones and so all pupils benefit considerably over the medium and longer term. Fairburn C P School - 12 Pupils are well cared for and their all-round personal development is good.

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Teaching is good throughout the school

11. Teaching builds very effectively on the very warm relationships between adults and pupils and on pupils’ very good attitudes to school. Pupils trust their teachers and are clearly fond of them. This allows teachers to give very good levels of personal support and guidance, so that pupils blossom, becoming respectful of others, their personalities, views and beliefs. Pupils co- operate well in lessons; playtimes are characterised by the responsible ways in which older pupils prepare toys and equipment for the use of the younger ones, and then happily join in their play. Children are given appropriate responsibilities from very early in their time at school so that by the time that they are in the older year groups they, for example, very discreetly and maturely help in the preparation of the hall for assemblies, taking responsibility for music, the overhead projector and the furniture lay-out. Visitors are greeted and helped. As well as managing these activities in the ways

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Teaching is good throughout the school

in which they have been taught, pupils also take sensible initiatives in ways that belie their youth. For example, when a lunchtime assistant was busy helping one group of pupils and another one slipped and hurt herself a little, it was older pupils who comforted her and organised adult help. There is both an atmosphere of care and also a structured programme in place that ensures that pupils’ moral and social development are very successfully given high priority.

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Teaching is good throughout the school

12. A high degree of care underpins the ways in which individual pupils’ academic progress is monitored. This is effective in ensuring that pupils’ levels of achievement are known to adults; it ensures that success is built upon, that difficulties are recognised and further attention is given to these areas so that progress is maintained. Pupils with special educational needs are especially well provided for. They receive good levels of personal attention both from teachers and support staff; this attention is structured well, in the light of carefully made assessments of their needs and thorough planning of the work that they do.

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Teaching is good throughout the school

The curriculum is enriched by a good range of visits and visiting experts.

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Teaching is good throughout the school

13. The school works hard in order to provide additional experiences that make learning interesting to all pupils. In this way it compensates to a large degree for the difficulties inherent in teaching several age groups in the same class. Whilst pupils describe their lessons as ‘…quite interesting but sometimes the teacher has to talk to the young ones and we know it already’, they also enthuse at some length about events such as the visit of an African musician and dancer. In that piece of work motivation levels were so high that music, art, geography, drama and dance all benefited and work in all subjects reached a high standard. The good partnership that is growing with a neighbouring school is being used, among other things, to provide learning opportunities that one small school would only rarely be able to organise. For example; a visiting theatre group has enriched work in English and drama; plans are well advanced to re-instate a residential educational

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Teaching is good throughout the school

visit that in the past has been much valued by parents.

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Teaching is good throughout the school

14. Each of the visits and visiting experts brings an important, sometimes small, additional set of experiences for pupils that is creditable for a small school. It is the totality, and the regularity of these contributions that has impact. Included are:

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Teaching is good throughout the school

• tuition in ‘cello, keyboard, piano and guitar; • visitors from local sporting clubs coach a number of sports and this has allowed pupils to, for example, take part in local football and rugby teams; • a local nature reserve is put to frequent good use in the study of geography, science and art, and • the additional computer facilities in the local community hall enhance learning in information and communication technology.

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Teaching is good throughout the school

15. Not only do academic standards benefit from this approach but pupils’ personal development is also enhanced. Many pupils, even younger ones, hold mature conversations with Fairburn C P School - 13 each other, teachers and trusted visitors. They have a calm confidence that clearly draws on their experiences of meeting others in a range of situations.

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ensured that its momentum has barely slowed during a period of major staffing changes

16. A casual visitor to the school could be excused for believing that the school team (all staff and governors) had been in place for a long time. Relationships are friendly yet purposeful and each team member respects and trusts the others. However, no member of the teaching or support staff has been here for much over two years. Parents have good relationships with this relatively new staff; they strongly support the work of the school, are comfortable when approaching staff to discuss any topic - even potentially difficult matters such as behaviour or aspects of relationships beyond school - and give good levels of financial help, usually through the active and generous Parents and Teachers Association.

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ensured that its momentum has barely slowed during a period of major staffing changes

17. There is a clear vision for the school that is shared by staff and governors. This is translated into consistent action because all concerned take their responsibilities seriously and work hard for the good of the school. The headteacher leads well by example, whether it is in teaching, managing a range of National Curriculum subjects or driving forward important innovations. Members of staff care for the school and its pupils. They welcome the headteacher’s calm unobtrusive approach that has welded a highly performing team in a short time. Therefore it is not difficult to motivate them to do well. The governing body plays a vigorous and supportive part in the setting and realisation of the school’s vision. In their role of ‘critical friends’, governors ensure that the school’s priorities are pursued with a good deal of determination. They manage their funds imaginatively and are continuously improving the building by building up the necessary funds

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ensured that its momentum has barely slowed during a period of major staffing changes

18. The headteacher, staff and governors are fully aware that more remains to be done and that a team that has worked well for two years should have even greater impacts over the longer period. As one governor said, ‘If you think that we are doing all right now, then wait until a few years' time …’ Because of the good leadership and good team work the school is well placed to make further improvements.

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Pupils’ writing standards

19. Pupils’ writing is of an overall satisfactory standard, with some work being of high quality. However, above average standards are reached in speaking and listening and reading; the school acknowledges that many pupils could do as well as this in their writing.

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Pupils’ writing standards

20. The high standards reached in reading and speaking and listening are helped by the imaginative ways in which the teaching of basic skills in these areas is threaded through work in other subjects. For example, in a Year 1 lesson on magnets, the teacher took the opportunity to consolidate work on letter recognition of ‘o’, ‘w’ and ‘l’ when she introduced an owl as one of the learning resources and a few minutes later she did similarly with number recognition. There is less systematic development of writing in many other subjects. Writing figures prominently in information and communication technology, where word processing skills are at a good level and some stories are compelling in their plot development and analyses of character. For example, one pupil wrote ‘ (she) is intelligent (but) always has a pinched face because she doesn’t like to show her feelings’. In almost all other subjects, too few opportunities are made for the use of pupils’ own

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Pupils’ writing standards

writing for there to be a substantial impact on standards and some that is done is not given high priority. For example, during the week of the inspection there were displays of work of a good Fairburn C P School - 14 standard in geography, science and art from which inspiration could have been drawn for pupils’ writing – but very little was in evidence either in the displays or in pupils’ books.

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Pupils’ writing standards

21. A substantial number of written exercises are done and many pupils become skilled with the spellings and grammar work that they meet. However, the skills that pupils appear to be developing are not systematically transferred to their own writing. Teachers’ marking of writing undertaken at around the same time does not stress the lessons learned in the exercises. On occasions the balance between exercises and original writing is too heavily weighted to exercises, leaving less time for pupils to do enough writing of their own, in ways that would improve standards.

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needs of the wide age range in each class

22. There are strengths in the school’s curriculum, notably the use of educational visits and visiting specialists and artistes. However, the difficulties of providing a curriculum that demands enough of all pupils in classes containing three or four year groups, have not been fully met in all subjects.

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needs of the wide age range in each class

23. In the class of younger pupils the challenges are met reasonably well, often by using the well-developed skills of the nursery nurse to work with the reception year children. A typical lesson begins with a whole class introduction from the class teacher. This sets the scene for the session and ensures that reception children feel a welcome group and part of the whole class, before they work separately from the older pupils. The class teacher then works with Years 1 and 2 at an appropriate level whilst the nursery nurse works with the reception year, using the nationally recommended Foundation Stage curriculum. This often works well for all pupils. For example, in a literacy session, after a brief introduction from the class teacher the reception year worked in the dining room with the nursery nurse and, using a puppet theatre, retold the story of Little Red Riding Hood. Their personal and social development was enhanced, they consolidated their love of story

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needs of the wide age range in each class

and extended their vocabulary and recognition of sentence structure through talking and acting. Meanwhile, Years 1 and 2 worked using a book, ‘The Wolf’s Story’. They read in turns and consolidated and extended a good range of skills. For example, one pupil was helped by a volunteer governor to break a ‘new’ word into syllables in order to be able to read it. By the end of the lesson, higher attaining pupils were able to accurately use terms such as ‘author’, ‘illustrator’ and ‘blurb’. All pupils had worked at an appropriately demanding level and had enjoyed it.

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needs of the wide age range in each class

24. In the class of older pupils there are many occasions when all four year groups participate in a whole-class introduction and then work at an appropriate level in groups that are often of the same age group. This works well in some subjects – for example art – and satisfactorily in mathematics. In other subjects, the curriculum model needs refining. At present, in many subjects, the national recommendations for each of the four year groups in the top class are allocated time over a two or four year cycle. This works well for the acquisition of facts but less well for the development of skills and understanding. For example, in a science lesson, pupils in Years 3 to 6 used force meters in order to know that ‘weight is a force and is measured in Newtons and a range of related facts, and to develop a range of related understandings. Only the teacher’s careful planning, the use of interesting new resources and her enthusiastic and animated presentation kept

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needs of the wide age range in each class

pupils working and making overall satisfactory progress. Most of the work was such that only the Year 5 and 6 pupils fully understood – and they benefited considerably from the lesson. The younger pupils tried hard to understand that there is such a thing as gravity; slightly older ones were able to make some generalisations about gravity, while the teaching drew largely on relatively sophisticated understandings – for example, that a given mass ‘weighs more on Jupiter’ and ‘less on the moon’ than it does on earth. If the curriculum design showed how the two or four year cycle could ensure that pupils of all ages could work under the same topic but at a level that matched their ages and levels of understanding, the teachers’ task would be less difficult and more pupils would benefit from their skill and enthusiasm.

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needs of the wide age range in each class

25. In many lessons the teachers’ introduction to the work is over long because it is made to the Fairburn C P School - 15 whole class, and questions and explanations are matched to the varying needs of all pupils. The result is that at times younger pupils do not fully understand what is being addressed to older pupils or the older ones are hearing explanations of matters that they fully understand because they have done similar work a year or more previously. Many have difficulty in concentrating for such long periods. Two older pupils explained how much they like school, listed a good number of things that they had enjoyed but explained that ‘sometimes it’s boring when (in mathematics) we have to listen again to an explanation of something that we did in Year 3 or 4’. There is a need to identify ways that would allow the same quality and depth of explanation as at present without it taking so long

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needs of the wide age range in each class

and so slowing the progress being made by a significant proportion of pupils. With the appointment of a greater number of classroom support assistants, who are growing in both skill and confidence, some of the good practice in the reception year to Year 2 class could usefully be extended.

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Planning for further improvements

26. The school monitors its work both formally and informally and uses the resulting evaluations to identify areas for further improvements. These areas are consistent with the school’s overall aims and provide a reasonable agenda for change. The governing body is confident and knowledgeable about the school’s strengths and weaknesses and considers carefully the draft plan for improvements. The views of parents are known to staff and governors not only informally but also by means of meetings and a questionnaire. As a result of these processes a number of changes to its practice have been made, for example increasing the number of formal opportunities for communicating children’s progress and achievement to parents. With neither parents nor governors is there an early stage at which the two groups can systematically influence the strategic direction of the school, by, for example, ascertaining their views at a time that would allow them to

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Planning for further improvements

influence the earliest stages of improvement planning.

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Planning for further improvements

27. The school improvement plan sets out a timetable of events that ensures that there is a reasonable momentum to its actions. Success criteria are largely focused on keeping to time or on having the planned changes in place. Very rarely is there a precise indication of the intended impact on pupils’ achievements, whether these are academic or personal. It is thus difficult for the school to be sure that time and money have been well used, nor that there has been a significant improvement from the point of view of its pupils. More success criteria that are related to the benefits for pupils are needed – and would be more consistent with the school’s pupil-centred approach. Fairburn C P School - 16

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

28. In order to improve further the school’s provision and the standards reached by pupils, the headteacher, staff and governors should act on the following.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

[i] Improve pupils’ standards in writing. Actions should include:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• making more opportunities for pupils to produce high quality writing in other subjects; • changing the balance between English exercises and writing for real purposes; • ensuring that lessons learned in exercises carry over systematically into pupils’ written work (See paragraphs 19 - 21)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

[ii] Ensure a better match between the curriculum, teaching methods and pupils’ existing levels of attainment. Actions should include:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• producing a curriculum model that covers pupils’ acquisition of skills and understanding as well as knowledge; • ensuring that for greater periods of time that teaching is relevant to the needs of all pupils; • making better use of teaching assistants. (See paragraphs 8- 19, 22 - 25)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

[iii] Improve the planning for further improvements to the school’s provision and the standards reached by pupils by:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• involving more members of the school community in identifying priority areas at an early stage; • identifying success criteria that are more closely related to the intended outcomes for pupils’ levels of achievement. (See paragraphs 26 - 27) Fairburn C P School - 17

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of lessons observed 7 Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 12

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor Number 0 0 5 2 0 0 0 Percentage 0 0 71 29 0 0 0 The table gives the number and percentage of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about teaching. Care should be taken when interpreting these percentages as each lesson represents more than fourteen per cent of the total.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Reception to Y6 Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 40 Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 0 FTE means full-time equivalent.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Reception to Y6 Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 8 Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 2

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils Number of pupils with English as an additional language 0

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 6 Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 3

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Attendance

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence % % School data 4.1 School data 0.2 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.

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Attainment

Test scores are not published because numbers on roll are so small. Fairburn C P School - 18

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

White – any other White background 0 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Mixed – any other mixed background 0 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British - Pakistani 0 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 0 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – Caribbean 0 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and classes: YR – Y6 Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 2.5 Financial year 2001/02 Number of pupils per qualified teacher 16 Average class size 20 £ Total income 147,939 Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total expenditure 139,377 Total number of education support staff 5 Expenditure per pupil 3,872 Total aggregate hours worked per week 53 Balance brought forward from previous year 42,238

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 50,797 FTE means full-time equivalent. Fairburn C P School - 19

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 1.3 Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 1.5

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Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0 Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 0 Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) FTE means full-time equivalent.

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Questionnaire return rate Number of questionnaires sent out 40 Number of questionnaires returned 21

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category Strongly agree Tend to agree Tend to disagree Strongly disagree Don’t know My child likes school. 80 20 0 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 57 43 0 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 57 38 0 0 5

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 52 29 19 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 57 43 0 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 81 19 0 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 76 24 0 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 57 43 0 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 76 24 0 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 62 33 5 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 35 40 10 10 5

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Other issues raised by parents

Newcomers to the school feel that they and their children are made very welcome. More written information would make it easier for them to fit in with and understand the school’s approaches.

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