Glusburn Community Primary School

GLUSBURN COMMUNITY PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 30 June – 3 July 2003

p.1

GLUSBURN COMMUNITY 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

GLUSBURN COMMUNITY 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. Glusburn Community Primary School

p.2

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Colne Road Glusburn Keighley Postcode: BD20 8PJ

p.3

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

p.3

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mr T. N. M. Stow

p.3

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 6 October 1997 Glusburn Community Primary School

p.3

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Mrs M. R. Shepherd Registered inspector Information and communication technology What sort of school is it? How high are standards? How well are pupils taught? How well is the school led and managed? Mr C. Herbert Lay inspector How high are standards? How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? Mrs A. Patterson Team inspector Mathematics Art and design Music Equal opportunities English as an additional language How good are curricular and other opportunities? How does the school cultivate pupils’ personal development?

p.4

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Mr G. Bancroft Team inspector Science Religious education Physical education How does the school cultivate pupils’ personal development? Ms L. Thorogood Team inspector English Design and technology History Special educational needs Mr A. Mumford Team inspector Foundation Stage Geography How good are curricular and other opportunities?

p.4

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

TWA Inspections Ltd 102, Bath Road Cheltenham GL53 7JX

p.4

Team members 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.4

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

p.4

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Glusburn Community Primary School

p.4

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

p.5

HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 10

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

p.5

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Glusburn Community Primary School serves the villages of Glusburn and Crosshills as well as the areas around these villages. The school is larger than average, with 311 pupils and with slightly more girls than boys. In addition there are 50 children who attend the Nursery on a part-time basis. The majority of pupils move on to Reception from the Nursery. Four per cent of pupils have free school meals, which is less than average. Attainment on entry to the Nursery is above average, with a wide range of ability, and lower standards in speaking and listening than in the other areas of learning 1 . Fourteen per cent of pupils are on the special educational needs register, which is below average. Three per cent of pupils have full statements of special educational need, which is above average. Seven per cent of the pupils in both the current and previous Year 6 age groups had full statements of special educational needs. There is a very

p.6

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

small proportion of pupils from ethnic minority groups, with less than one per cent with English as an additional language. There are job share arrangements in a Year 6 and Year 2 class.

p.6

HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a good school. Pupils make good progress overall. They have very good quality relationships with each other and with adults, and appreciate each other’s individuality. Teaching is good overall with some excellent features. The leadership and management of the headteacher and deputy headteacher are good. Governors have a very good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. The school greatly values its role in the local community and its partnership with parents. It provides good value for money.

p.6

HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What the school does well • Standards in mathematics, science and design and technology are well above average; progress in the Nursery is very good because the teaching is so effective. • Pupils with special educational needs make very good progress. • Attitudes, relationships and behaviour are very good; attendance rates are well above average. • Teaching is good, with some excellent features; the work of the classroom assistants is very good. • Leadership and management are good overall. • The curriculum for moral, social and cultural development is very good. • The school takes very good care of its pupils. • There are excellent links with the community and very good links with parents.

p.6

HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What could be improved • Children’s progress and the quality of teaching in Reception. • Handwriting and presentation. • The role of co-ordinators. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

p.6

HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school has made good improvement since the previous inspection in October 1997. All the previous key issues have been attended to. Standards of Year 6 pupils have risen in mathematics, science and history and they have risen significantly in design and technology. There is a higher proportion of very good and excellent teaching. Pupils’ attitudes have improved and the systems for pupils’ care and welfare are much better. The moral, social and cultural curriculum is better. Links with parents are stronger and there have been significant improvements in the partnership with the community.

p.6

HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

1 The areas of learning are the government recommended curriculum for children in the nursery and reception classes. Glusburn Community Primary School

p.6

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.7

STANDARDS

Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

p.7

STANDARDS

English C A C E well above average above average A B Mathematics C B A B average below average C D Science C A C D well below average E

p.7

STANDARDS

The inspection judges standards in Year 6 in English as above average and standards in mathematics and science as well above average. The trend over the past four years is broadly average. The school now sets itself appropriate targets based on the new tracking systems. Standards of Year 6 pupils are well above average in design and technology and above average in information and communication technology, history, music and physical education.

p.7

STANDARDS

The 2002 national tests in Year 2 show average standards in reading and well above average standards in writing and mathematics. Compared with similar schools, standards are at the same level in writing and mathematics and well below average in reading. The school has worked hard to raise standards in reading and the inspection judges standards as above average in reading, writing and mathematics. This is good progress from the standards at the end of Reception. Standards in science, information and communication technology, religious education, history and music are above the expected level in Year 2.

p.7

STANDARDS

Children make very good progress in the Nursery. Progress slows in Reception and, by the end of this year, children are above expectations in personal, social and emotional development and mathematical development, but at the expected level in all the other areas of learning. Progress is too slow in these classes.

p.7

STANDARDS

Pupils with special educational needs make very good progress. Children with English as an additional language make very good progress in the Nursery and satisfactory progress in Reception. More able pupils achieve their potential by Year 6.

p.7

PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attitudes to the school These are very good. Pupils are very enthusiastic about school. They concentrate well in lessons and are proud of their work.

p.7

PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms This is very good. Pupils behave very well in lessons and move very sensibly around the school. They are polite and well mannered to visitors. They play very well together in the playground. They remain very sensible even when they have not been able to go out to play because of rain.

p.7

PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Personal development and relationships These are very good. Pupils have a very good understanding of right and wrong, and enjoy working together. They are keen to celebrate each other’s successes.

p.7

PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attendance This is well above average. Glusburn Community Primary School

p.7

TEACHING AND LEARNING

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

p.8

TEACHING AND LEARNING

Quality of teaching Satisfactory 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.

p.8

TEACHING AND LEARNING

Nearly three quarters of the teaching is good with nearly half being very good or excellent. The teaching in the Nursery is excellent but there are weaknesses in the Reception teaching. There is a very small proportion of unsatisfactory teaching in art and design and in the teaching of the orchestra. Teaching in English is good and in mathematics it is very good. Teachers use computers very effectively across lessons. They work very effectively with the high quality teaching assistants, particularly in supporting pupils with special educational needs. These pupils work hard and match the good work rate of other pupils. Teaching of basic skills is good, which includes the skills of literacy and numeracy. The teaching meets the needs of the pupils with special educational needs well. The marking of pupils’ work is inconsistent.

p.8

OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The quality and range of the curriculum This is good overall. The school uses computers very effectively across the curriculum. The school has excellent links with the community to enrich the curriculum.

p.8

OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with special educational needs This is very good. The school provides clearly written individual education plans with well-defined targets. Classroom assistants work very sensitively with these pupils. The support in the withdrawal groups is very good. The support for the boys who have behavioural targets is particularly effective.

p.8

OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language This is very good in the Nursery. The teaching team uses the advice of outside experts very effectively to support these children’s needs. Provision in Reception is satisfactory.

p.8

OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development This is very good in moral, social and cultural development and good in spiritual development. The school uses the community extremely well to provide a range of interesting experiences for pupils. The school provides rich and varied opportunities for pupils to understand both their own culture and those of other faiths and customs.

p.8

OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

How well the school cares for its pupils The school takes very good care of its pupils. There are thorough procedures for child protection and health and safety. Procedures for assessment in English, mathematics and science are good and used well in planning.

p.8

OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Partnership with parents The quality of information for parents is very good. The Friends Association works hard to extend the work of the school. Parents make very positive contributions to school life.

p.8

OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The school works hard to include all its pupils in the full curriculum. Glusburn Community Primary School

p.8

HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The leadership and management by the headteacher and deputy headteacher are good in academic aspects and very good in personal aspects. Leadership by the co-ordinators is inconsistent.

p.9

HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Governors have a very good understanding of the strengths and developments of the school to which they all have a high level of commitment. The chair of governors leads the governing body very well.

p.9

HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school’s evaluation of its performance This is good. The school has begun a thorough programme for evaluating key features of its work.

p.9

HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The strategic use of resources This is good. It is particularly good in the use of support staff. The bursar and secretary are very efficient.

p.9

HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Staffing, accommodation and learning resources Staffing levels are good. Accommodation is satisfactory overall. The three separate buildings require staff to work hard to ensure effective communication. Learning resources are good and well organised.

p.9

HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school uses the principles of best value well.

p.9

PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved • The school has high expectations. • Parents feel comfortable to approach the school with concerns or suggestions. • Their children like school. • The school is well led and managed. • Their children make good progress. • Their children become mature and responsible. • Behaviour is good. • There is not the right amount of homework. • They are not well informed about their children’s progress. • The school does not work closely with parents.

p.9

PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

The inspectors agree with the positive views of parents. They disagree that there is not the right amount of homework and judge this to be satisfactory. They judge the information about pupils’ progress to be good and that the school has very effective systems for working closely with parents. Glusburn Community Primary School

p.9

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. Children enter the school with attainment above the expected level, but with a wide spread of ability. Attainment in speaking and listening is at a lower level than the other areas of learning. Children settle into their schooling extremely well and make very good progress because of the high quality teaching in the Nursery. However, standards fall in Reception because there are some unsatisfactory features in the teaching. In one of the reception classes there have been several different teachers and this has produced a range of different teaching styles over the year. By the end of Reception, children’s standards are above expectations in personal, social and emotional development and mathematical development but at the expected level in all other areas of their curriculum. Children respond well to each other and work well in groups. They handle numbers confidently but their reading skills are restricted to identifying letter sounds.

p.10

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. The table below shows attainment in English, mathematics and science.

p.10

Writing

Above average Average (1 overall standard)

p.10

Writing

Above average Mathematics Well above average Above average Well above average Well above average

p.10

Writing

Science (No tests) Above average Average Well above average

p.10

Writing

3. Compared with similar schools in the 2002 national tests, standards of Year 2 pupils were well below average in reading but well above average in writing and mathematics. Compared with national statistics, standards have been very variable over the past four years in Year 2. There is now a good team of teachers in the Year 2 classes and they have worked hard to ensure consistent standards across English, mathematics and science. These pupils have made good progress since they left Reception. In Year 6, the 2002 national tests showed standards compared with similar schools were well below average in English, below average in science and above average in mathematics. Standards have risen over the past two years in mathematics because the co-ordinator now supports teachers very effectively across the junior school in this subject. She uses her considerable expertise to support teachers and to take classes herself. The school is

p.10

Writing

working hard to extend pupils’ investigative skills. This is having a significant impact on science, where standards are now well above average, regaining the level of two years ago. The school is aware of the lower standards in writing compared with reading in previous years and has introduced a range of effective strategies to increase pupils’ progress. Standards overall in the past four years have risen broadly in line with the national trend. The school now tracks pupils’ progress more thoroughly and sets itself appropriate targets based on this tracking system. Standards in literacy are above expectations and standards in numeracy are well above expectations. Glusburn Community Primary School 4. By the end of Year 2, pupils speak confidently in lessons and follow instructions correctly. By Year 6, pupils have extended their skills and a higher proportion than usual show effective skill in addressing an audience formally. This is due to good opportunities to

p.10

Writing

speak to the whole class at the end of lessons and to the range of drama activities. In reading, in Year 2 pupils have confident strategies for tackling new words and enjoy reading aloud. By Year 6, pupils discuss the storyline and the characters well and identify their favourite authors. In writing, most pupils use spelling and grammar effectively and write interesting stories. Pupils develop a neat standard of handwriting but this is not followed through in the junior classes, and standards in this aspect fall. By Year 6, pupils write regularly for a range of different audiences and use technical grammatical terms correctly.

p.11

Writing

5. In mathematics, pupils in Year 2 enjoy working with numbers to 100 and use simple multiplication sums correctly. Pupils solve mathematical problems well because they get regular opportunities to develop these skills. By Year 6, they handle large numbers accurately and have a very good understanding of shape and measurement. Their data- handling skills are much better than expected because they regularly use computers to carry out this work. Year 6 pupils use mathematical language confidently because teachers use whole class discussions very well to extend these skills. In science, in Year 2, pupils carry out investigations confidently. They have a good understanding of the different aspects of the science curriculum. By Year 6, pupils’ confidence in carrying out experiments has increased even further. Pupils record their findings accurately and have a thorough knowledge of living things, materials and physical processes.

p.11

Writing

6. Pupils with special educational needs make very good progress. Teachers and support staff track their progress carefully and ensure that their learning builds systematically on their previous skills and understanding. Pupils with full statements work systematically towards their targets. Children with English as an additional language make very good progress in the Nursery because the teaching team carefully follows the specialist advice given by external experts. These children make satisfactory progress in Reception.

p.11

Writing

7. The following table shows standards in subjects other than English, mathematics and science.

p.11

communication technology

Above the expected level Above the expected level

p.11

communication technology

Art and design At the expected level At the expected level

p.11

communication technology

Design and technology Well above the expected level Well above the expected level

p.11

communication technology

Geography At the expected level At the expected level

p.11

communication technology

History Above the expected level Above the expected level

p.11

communication technology

Music Above the expected level Above the expected level.

p.11

communication technology

Physical education At the expected level Above the expected level

p.11

communication technology

Religious education Above the expected level At the expected level

p.11

communication technology

8. Standards in information and communication technology are above the expected level because teachers regularly provide opportunities for pupils to develop their expertise across different subjects, and combine these with clear teaching of basic computer skills. Glusburn Community Primary School Pupils in Year 2 have a good understanding of celebrations in religions and about key events in the Christian calendar. Pupils achieve high standards in design and technology because they regularly receive high quality opportunities to design, make and evaluate across a range of exciting projects. Teachers provide a varied range of activities to extend pupils’ historical skills, which builds consistently through the school. Standards in singing are above the expected level and a high number of pupils have skills on musical instruments due to the expertise of the visiting specialists. The headteacher makes very

p.11

communication technology

valuable contributions to standards through her regular teaching of music in the junior classes. Standards in dance of Year 2 pupils are above the expected level but standards in games are below. This is due to the different expertise of the teachers. However, in the junior classes there is considerable expertise in games and pupils’ skills are above the expected level in a variety of sports.

p.12

communication technology

9. There has been good improvement since the previous inspection in Year 6 standards in mathematics, science, history and physical education, and very good improvement in design and technology. There has also been an improvement in Year 2 in reading and writing, music and religious education. Standards in art and design are lower.

p.12

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10. Pupils have very good attitudes to school and to their learning, and they are very well behaved in and around school. The relationships between pupils and each other and between pupils and adults are also very good. The majority of parents who responded to the questionnaire, or who attended the meeting, had very positive views on the behaviour of their children. The school has improved this aspect since the last inspection.

p.12

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. From the moment that they arrive pupils are enthusiastic about school. In the playground each morning or on coming into school pupils of all ages have a smile on their faces. This enthusiasm extends into the classroom. For example, in a Year 2 design and technology lesson, pupils were trying really hard to produce attractive finger puppets that they had designed earlier. They were proudly showing their completed puppets to visitors. Additionally, in a Year 6 literacy lesson, pupils concentrated hard on features of a persuasive text. Members of the School Council speak with enthusiasm about discussions that they are involved in to bring about improvements in school.

p.12

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. The pupils’ behaviour is very good overall. In the classroom the attitudes and behaviour of pupils were good or better in four fifths of lessons inspected. Standards of behaviour in the playground, in the dining hall at lunchtime or in assembly are also very good and sometimes excellent. Pupils are polite and well mannered towards visitors as they move around school or when they have dinner with them in the hall. The majority of pupils play very sensibly during wet playtimes when they are restricted to their classrooms. These aspects of school life are closely linked into the very good provision of both social and moral development provided by the school. There was no indication of any oppressive, racist or sexist behaviour whatsoever during the inspection. There are no exclusions.

p.12

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. Relationships between all members of the school community are very good. The school motto ‘Where everybody counts’ permeates throughout the school community. All pupils demonstrate a very good understanding of right and wrong and always show respect towards each other and everyone in the school community. The school values the contributions of all its members, whether adults or pupils. The quality of relationships has a very positive impact on pupils’ learning.

p.12

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. Pupils respond very well to all the opportunities for taking responsibility and demonstrating initiative in school. They enjoy taking responsibility for a variety of activities such as playground buddies and paired reading between older and younger children. Pupils play an important part in the government of the school through the School Council. The Glusburn Community Primary School elected representatives discuss items that are important to them such as play equipment, road safety and the quality of school dinners. These opportunities have a good impact on the personal development of pupils and, as a result, they are confident to talk to adults and express their views. For example, when a visitor was touring the school, a pupil asked in a very mature way, ‘Are you a man from the government?’ Pupils also have a very good understanding of those who are less fortunate than themselves and they make

p.12

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

generous donations to a number of charities, including Children in Need, Guide Dogs, the British Heart Foundation and Poppy Day. The attendance of pupils has been maintained at well above the national average. The rate of unauthorised absence is well below the national average. Punctuality to school is good.

p.13

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

15. Teaching is good overall, with three quarters of lessons seen at this standard or better. Nearly a third of lessons were judged to be very good quality and nearly a fifth were excellent. The excellent teaching is in the Nursery, in mathematics in Years 6, 5, 3 and 2, in English in Year 2, science in Years 6 and 2, music in Year 6 and physical education in Year 2. The high proportion of excellent teaching in the Nursery and in mathematics has a major impact on learning and pupils make very good progress in these areas. In contrast, the teaching in Reception has some significant weaknesses and the progress of children slows in this age group. There is a very small proportion of unsatisfactory teaching in art and design and in music, which is confined to the teaching of the orchestra. However, the strengths of teachers in other age groups compensate for these weaknesses. The quality of teaching is better than during the previous inspection because there is a higher

p.13

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

proportion of very good and excellent teaching.

p.13

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

16. There is a close partnership between teachers and the high quality classroom assistants, which provides good support for individuals and groups. This makes a very positive impact on pupils’ progress. For example, in a Year 3/4 lesson in English, the classroom assistant checked every pupil’s spelling homework to ensure that it was accurate before it went home. Pupils with special educational needs greatly benefit from this additional support because they receive extra help in understanding the tasks and in carrying them out. Teachers work hard to support these pupils during whole class sessions, valuing their contributions and giving them a chance to contribute to the discussion. The classroom assistants work particularly well when they withdraw pupils for additional support outside the classrooms. The support for underachieving boys is particularly good and provides a clear set of targets for them to improve their work. Teachers manage pupils’ behaviour

p.13

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

very well because they create high quality relationships with each individual in the class. In the class where teaching is very good, children with English as an additional language receive carefully focused support. Where teaching is satisfactory these children make satisfactory progress.

p.13

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

17. Teachers are very skilful at using computers to capture pupils’ interest at the beginning of lessons and in using visual demonstrations to extend pupils’ learning. For example, in science in Year 2, the teacher used a computerised microscope and the large interactive screen to provide high quality opportunities for pupils to observe the different features of contrasting seeds. Teachers use computer programs very effectively to extend learning across different subjects. For example, in a Year 5 lesson, pupils produced a range of different graphs and charts to illustrate the outcome of their science investigation. This regular use of computers in lessons very effectively extends pupils’ understanding of the use of technology in everyday life.

p.13

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

18. The subject knowledge of teachers in English, mathematics, science, information and communication technology and design and technology is good. There are several teachers with subject expertise in music, and the additional teaching of the headteacher in this subject plays an important role in raising standards. The nursery teacher has very Glusburn Community Primary School good subject knowledge of the curriculum for her pupils. However, the reception teachers do not have a clear understanding of the requirements across the different aspects of this curriculum.

p.13

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

19. The teaching of basic skills is good and the school has just received the Basic Skills Award. Children receive a high quality start in these skills in the Nursery because the teacher has very high expectations and teaches these skills explicitly every week. However, this is not continued effectively in Reception. Through the rest of the school, teachers use the numeracy and literacy strategies effectively to teach basic skills directly. For example, in a Year 5 lesson, the deputy headteacher organised a very exciting game where the pupils had to put themselves in order using numbers to two decimal places.

p.14

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

20. Planning in English, mathematics and in the Nursery is very good. In other subjects, teachers use the termly planning effectively to ensure there is a sequential pattern of work for pupils over time. The headteacher is promoting more efficient planning and has introduced new systems for planning science, which is reducing the amount of paperwork for teachers. Teachers plan carefully to provide individual education plans for pupils with special educational needs, and classroom assistants have a very good understanding of each of these pupils’ targets.

p.14

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

21. A feature of the very good and excellent teaching is the teachers’ high expectations of the pupils. Teachers insist that pupils work consistently hard in lessons, and set a fast pace to their teaching. This ensures that pupils cover a large amount of ground in lessons. For example, in an information and communication technology lesson in Year 6 the pupils watched a demonstration of how to include a hyperlink to a presentation, worked in pairs to produce an exciting beginning to their presentation and then shared their successes with the rest of the class, all in half an hour.

p.14

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

22. Teachers provide pupils with well-balanced lessons. They use whole-class sessions well to introduce new learning and explain the different tasks. They use questioning effectively to extend pupils’ listening and speaking skills, and use pupils’ contributions well. This encourages pupils to offer their own suggestions and experiences. For example, in a geography lesson in Year 2, the teacher gave pupils the opportunity to describe their experiences on holiday in a foreign country where they had taken the class animal ‘Zak’ with them. Pupils were fascinated to find out what Zak had done and the teacher used this very effectively to extend pupils’ understanding of the concept of distance and location. Teachers provide interesting tasks for pupils to extend their skills, which encourages pupils to work hard. For example, pupils in Year 5 designed different jewellery based on Egyptian historical sources and couldn’t wait to interpret their designs in practice.

p.14

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

Teachers use the end of lessons well to recap on the learning and to celebrate pupils’ successes. For example, at the end of a music lesson the Year 6 teacher asked the class to pretend that they were in the Albert Hall and the different groups presented their compositions with a great sense of pride.

p.14

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

23. The nursery teacher provides very carefully organised independent tasks for children and, together with the nursery nurse, works very effectively with small groups during their independent play. This extends individual learning very effectively and ensures that children develop high quality independent skills. For example, during a lesson, children were engaged in a wealth of challenging activities. The teacher supported a group of children in the garden centre planting large flowers in real flower pots with real soil and the nursery nurse worked with children to make patterns with shells on the letter ‘t’. In contrast, reception teachers do not use their time effectively during these lessons or provide enough interesting tasks for children. They do not provide tasks that match the children’s needs well enough or produce a clear focus for the key learning in lessons. As a result, children are confused about what they are expected to do or are complacent

p.14

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

because the work isn’t challenging enough. Glusburn Community Primary School 24. Pupils receive effective feedback in lessons about the progress in their learning. Teachers use the pupil-friendly target-setting books to support this feedback. Some teachers provide high quality comments in their marking of pupils’ work, but this is not consistent through the school. Teachers do not consistently encourage pupils to take a pride in their presentation of written and other recorded work.

p.14

PUPILS?

25. The school provides a good range of opportunities for all its pupils. These clearly reflect its agreed aims. The school’s curriculum satisfies the requirements of the National Curriculum and religious education, and of the curriculum for children in the nursery and reception classes. The school places a strong emphasis on the development of pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills and on inclusion of all pupils. Links between curriculum areas are well developed, except for the use of writing across different subjects.

p.15

PUPILS?

26. The curriculum for children in the Nursery is very good, but is not continued as effectively in Reception, where the curriculum is not as well balanced. Planning is of high quality in the Nursery where children have opportunities to explore through structured play activities, both inside the classroom and outside. The outside play area is well used by the nursery staff.

p.15

PUPILS?

27. In Years 1 to 6 the curriculum is broad and balanced. Planning is thorough and covers an appropriate range of activities for pupils to follow. The National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies have been successfully implemented and are having a positive impact on the quality of teaching and on standards. Curriculum policies and schemes of work are in place for all subjects and are reviewed appropriately to ensure continuing relevance. Theme weeks, such as Multi-cultural Week, enable a focus on particular aspects of learning and give opportunities to investigate one area in some depth. The school uses information and communication technology very effectively across the whole curriculum.

p.15

PUPILS?

28. The school provides good extra-curricular opportunities for the pupils. There are a number of clubs covering mainly sports and music, which are well attended. These experiences extend the curriculum offered to pupils and help to develop personal and social skills. They involve around 150 pupils. In addition, the school organises a termly school newspaper, which is run by an editorial board of representatives from each class in Years 2 to 6, which extends personal development very well. The School Council’s views are valued and pupils enjoy this responsibility. The curriculum for personal, social and health education is good. Circle time takes place in each class weekly, where issues to do with living together as a community and consideration of individual feelings are discussed. Sex education takes place formally in Years 5 and 6. A programme for citizenship was implemented during the current year and this runs through the school.

p.15

PUPILS?

29. The community provides an excellent contribution to pupils’ learning and there has been an improvement in this aspect of school life since the last inspection. Pupils make numerous visits to places of interest, such as Bolton Abbey and Silverdale. They also explore the immediate village locality, where they carry out surveys of the local shops and houses. Additionally, an interesting variety of visitors come to the school, such as theatre groups, an African drummer and an introduction to Angklung music. A particularly effective link has been developed with the village Women’s Institute and, as a result of their Millennium Initiative, members visit the school to teach sewing and knitting to pupils. Additionally, the school is developing very effective links with a school in Bradford, which will allow pupils from both schools to compare their school environments. Very effective support is provided by local businesses and the school has developed an excellent

p.15

PUPILS?

relationship with the North Yorkshire Business and Education Partnership. This link has Glusburn Community Primary School proved mutually beneficial to both organisations. For example, the school gains from the regular visits of engineering apprentices and the apprentices gain in confidence as they work with pupils producing working models that demonstrate hydraulics. The school also sees itself as a member of the international community and it has developed links with Ghana, Holland and France. The Ghana link provides pupils with an opportunity to study the lifestyles of children from other continents. The school links all these activities very clearly into the curriculum and they have a very positive impact on pupils’ learning and development. Additionally, a very good link has been developed with the local secondary school and this allows a smooth and effective transition into Year 7.

p.15

PUPILS?

30. The overall provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good. This is an improvement since the previous inspection. Parents are pleased that the school successfully helps their children to become mature and responsible and are proud to state that, ‘ This is a happy school’.

p.16

PUPILS?

31. The provision for pupils’ spiritual development is good. Although this is a large school, teachers strive to respect their pupils’ individuality and this fully reflects the aims of the school. For example, in every class there are photographs of each pupil, which successfully develop pupils’ values of worth and self-esteem. Daily assemblies offer valuable opportunities for reflection. Pupils listen carefully and thoughtfully and consider, for example, the theme of the week, ‘Our Perfect World’. One pupil has written, ‘ No litter, no need for charity, no anger, no greed, everyone should be equal’ as a response to this belief. Pupils grow in self-esteem as they receive recognition of their worth in achievement assemblies. Pupils’ questions are valued and they are given space to develop their thoughts in every aspect of their learning. The beauty of the natural world around the school provides excellent opportunities for pupils to study and appreciate the landscape

p.16

PUPILS?

and living things, particularly the millennium garden, instilling strong feelings of awe and wonder. One Year 5 pupil has written, as thanks to God, ‘Thank you for Easter and your creations and the wonderful Easter eggs’. The art of Andy Goldsworthy inspires Year 3 and 4 pupils to emulate his style.

p.16

PUPILS?

32. Provision for pupils’ moral development is very good. Teachers and other adults are very good role models and set very good examples of behaviour. There are class rules in each class and pupils receive behaviour and achievement certificates as recognition of their developing positive attitudes, both in classes and at lunchtimes. This ensures that pupils from an early age are aware of the difference between right and wrong. Throughout the school, pupils have opportunities to develop moral values. They are encouraged to take responsibility for their actions, for example by looking after their property, taking care of the environment and providing models of good behaviour in lessons, acts of worship and in their play. Teachers regularly praise their pupils for what they do well. As a result, they are learning to develop a respect for others’ needs as well as their own. This has a very positive effect on their attitudes to work and to school.

p.16

PUPILS?

33. Provision for pupils’ social development is very good because the school has very good systems for supporting social development. All teachers provide pupils with many opportunities to interact and respect each other. The school has successfully fostered a sense of community with shared values. Pupils work well together and share resources and ideas amicably. For example, photographs and pieces of work in art and design folders illustrate the extent to which pupils are involved in working collaboratively. The school provides positive experiences for pupils through assemblies, games, school productions and residential visits. The production of the school newspaper promotes very good standards of responsibility and initiative. Pupils learn to develop leadership qualities and accept responsibility by giving out books, returning the register to the office and helping to tidy up. They enjoy taking turns to speak and listen carefully to what others

p.16

PUPILS?

have to say. They make good use of these skills in, for example, the School Council meetings. They have debated and decided to restrict the playing of football to the school Glusburn Community Primary School field to ensure that pupils may be safe in the playground area. Parents agree that the school helps their children to become mature and responsible.

p.16

PUPILS?

34. Provision for pupils’ cultural development is very good. There are very good opportunities to learn about and celebrate both their own cultural traditions and those of others. The school does much to promote an appreciation of what is special both locally and regionally. Pupils understand that local restaurants offer a wide variety of food from other countries, such as Mexico, India and China. They extend this appreciation because they compare at first hand the different cultures of their own country and others further afield, such as France and Holland. Studies in subjects such as history, art, music and religious education help pupils to understand that people have cultures, language, faiths and ways of life that are very different from their own. For example, during their multi-cultural week, they learned about the musical customs of people in Ghana, India and South America. One pupil’s understanding of the conflict between different cultures is sensitively reflected

p.17

PUPILS?

in writing, ‘I ask you to help in places like Iraq and Afghanistan because people suffer as a result of our war’. There are a number of regular visitors to the school. These include ministers, governors and other adults and parents from different parts of the country. They all contribute very well to pupils’ growing appreciation of the diversity and interdependence of cultures. There are good quality displays of pupils’ work, which illustrate their understanding of the work of famous artists such as Monet, Kandinsky and van Gogh. They appreciate the music of traditional and modern composers such as Vivaldi and Jon Williams. There are regular residential visits for Years 6 pupils to Silverdale. Visits to places of interest such as Bolton Abbey, Yorkshire Sculpture Park and the Industrial Museum in Bradford further develop pupils’ cultural development and prepare them for living in a multi-cultural society.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

35. The school now provides very good care for the emotional and physical needs of its pupils. Procedures for the promotion and monitoring of attendance are very good as are the systems to promote and monitor behaviour. There are excellent procedures to eliminate oppressive behaviour. There has been a good improvement in this aspect of school life since the last inspection. At their meeting, all parents expressed very positive views about the care that their children received in school.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

36. The school maintains very good records for first aid, fire drills, accident recording and for contacting family and friends in case of an emergency. The procedures for child protection are very effective and the designated teacher ensures that all members of staff have an appropriate understanding of it. Both teaching and non-teaching staff take very good care of pupils and administer tender loving care after spills or bumps in the playground.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

37. The governing body takes its responsibility for health and safety very seriously. The premises committee ensures that regular inspections are carried out and that a comprehensive risk assessment strategy is in place for all visits into the community. They have continually applied pressure to local agencies to remove a safety hazard on the playing field and now, after three years, their diligence and tenacity are to be rewarded. The school looks after pupils well at dinnertime and in the playground. The midday supervisors are an effective and important part of the school family. The school is very careful to ensure that pupils with special educational needs are supported very sensitively to maintain their self-esteem and confidence.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

38. The school promotes and monitors attendance very well. The impact of this is that high levels of attendance have been maintained. Additionally, the school has introduced a first- day contact procedure for any pupil who has not arrived at school. The school promotes and monitors behaviour very well through the very good provision of moral development Glusburn Community Primary School and the way that it is implemented throughout school. The procedures for eliminating oppressive behaviour are excellent.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

39. Procedures for assessing pupils’ attainment and progress are good for English, mathematics and science. The procedures for other subjects are also good but are not used consistently by all teachers. Whilst all teachers record clearly whether pupils are exceeding, are in line with or are below the expected level for the work they have covered, teachers do not always record the National Curriculum level attained by each pupil in all subjects.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

40. Good use is made of the information gained from making assessments to guide curriculum planning and to guide the next stages of teaching and learning. The work undertaken by the headteacher and deputy headteacher when they analyse the results of national tests, and other tests administered by the school, is very good. This provides them with a clear picture of the standards attained by pupils and what needs to be done to improve standards further. However, subject co-ordinators are not involved sufficiently in these processes.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

41. Procedures for supporting pupils’ academic progress are good and pupils’ knowledge of their own learning is satisfactory. Pupils are given targets for their learning in English, mathematics and science and in some other subjects. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 are particularly knowledgeable about these targets and are fully aware of how well they are doing and about what they need to do to improve further. However, the quality of the marking of pupils’ work is inconsistent. In some year groups, where marking is very good, it is detailed and informs pupils about what they need to do to improve, for example in science in Years 5 and 6. Pupils find this helpful. In some years marking is unsatisfactory and pupils are not provided with enough written information about how well they are doing, and about what they need to do to improve.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

42. Procedures for monitoring and supporting pupils’ personal development are good and pupils are supported well. This is mainly because teachers and teaching assistants know their pupils very well and are very knowledgeable about the community served by the school. The systems are not fully formalised. However, they are effective and important details of pupils’ personal development are recorded and shared correctly with all interested parties.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

43. The school promotes itself very well to parents and those who responded to the questionnaire or who attended the meeting had very positive views about many aspects of school life. It is very clear that parents hold the school in high esteem. The quality of information provided for parents is very good. The school values all the support given by parents and this has a very good impact on pupils’ learning. There has been an improvement in this aspect of school life since the previous inspection.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

44. The contribution of parents to school life is very good. A large number of parents and grandparents come into school on a regular basis to help in class. Many other parents are involved in initiatives such as sewing with pupils as part of the Women’s Institute Millennium project. Many more provide effective support for visits into the community. Many parents have also been involved in the SHARE 2 initiative and they speak enthusiastically about their learning, which has led in many cases to accreditation towards a qualification and a greater understanding about how they can support their children in learning. The Friends of Glusburn School is a very active organisation and successful events are organised by the hard working and committed committee. Parents and friends

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

2 This is a project to support parents in gaining qualifications through courses run in the school. Glusburn Community Primary School of the school are very supportive of events such as the Christmas Fayre and Easter Extravaganza. Monies raised from these events are used to provide important extras for the school, such as curtains for the hall.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

45. The information provided by the school for its parents is very good. The newsletters and the pupil newspaper provide parents with a very good idea of events and activities. Both are very attractively designed. Annual reports on pupils’ progress are good and contain appropriate targets to enable pupils to make further progress. Additionally, the school is very welcoming to its new parents and informative meetings are held in the term prior to children joining reception class. The school communicates well with parents who have children with special educational needs. The nursery staff organise the beginnings and ends of school days extremely sensitively to ensure that children make a happy transition between school and home.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

46. The leadership of the headteacher is good with some very good features. She sets a high priority on personal development and including all pupils in the full curriculum, which the school responds to very well. This results in pupils acquiring very positive attitudes towards their work and ensures that staff work together in harmony to provide a secure basis for learning. This is particularly effective for pupils with special educational needs, who receive sensitive consideration for their individual needs. The headteacher works extremely hard to extend the links with the local, regional and international communities. For example, the village contributed the funds and the labour for the delightful millennium garden and the school has been working over time with a local university to carry out international research. The headteacher provides good leadership in raising standards and sets very high standards in her own excellent teaching of music.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

47. The management of the headteacher is good. She sets up effective systems to extend the work of the school. For example, there is now a well-organised system for identifying the progress of pupils as they move through the school, which is used well to track individual progress. The headteacher produces a well-structured school improvement plan and continues to work on improving its effectiveness. For example, she has been working with a group of headteachers to include a detailed programme for self-evaluation within the plan. She considers the organisation and movement of the pupils in the three different buildings very carefully. This results in efficient systems through the school day, with pupils moving sensibly around the school, getting to lessons or assemblies quickly and settling down straight away to begin their learning.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

48. The deputy headteacher works very closely with the headteacher and plays a valuable role in raising standards, particularly in mathematics and information and communication technology through working with teachers across the school. There are considerable variations in the effectiveness of the work of the subject co-ordinators. Some play an important role in extending the work in their subjects. For example, the information and communication technology co-ordinator has trained all teachers and support staff to extend their computer skills and they now use equipment with confidence throughout the school. However, some co-ordinators do not have enough understanding of the work in year groups other than the one in which they teach. The headteacher has identified this weakness and plans to create partnerships of shared co-ordinators across the infant and junior classes. The junior school co-ordinator does not have a clear view of his role and,

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

consequently, does not extend the work of his team consistently.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

49. The governing body has a very good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. They visit it regularly to ensure that they are kept up to date. For example, the governor for special educational needs works regularly in the school on a voluntary basis and gains a very good understanding of the school’s work in this area. All governors have Glusburn Community Primary School a high level of commitment to the school. Each governor brings considerable expertise to the school, particularly in monitoring the finance. The chair of governors has a very long association with the school and takes his role very seriously. He works closely with the headteacher to support her, both in the daily running of the school and in the long-term planning.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

50. The headteacher and deputy headteacher monitor teaching regularly every term to support teachers’ development of skills. They produce high quality written summaries of their observations with well-focused areas for improvement. A programme has begun to facilitate subject co-ordinators to monitor teaching of the subjects they lead and manage. However, the school does not monitor the development of pupils’ written work effectively enough and this is leading to some inconsistencies through the school, such as how well pupils’ work is marked. There is a good match of qualified teaching and support staff overall to meet the demands of the curriculum. The headteacher deploys them very effectively, particularly in supporting pupils with special educational needs. The school takes staff development seriously and has been awarded the Investors in People Award. Performance management is fully in place. Systems are particularly good in inducting new

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

teachers into the school. The school plays a full role in working with a local university to train students and this institution greatly values the school’s contribution in supporting these trainees.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

51. The school uses its specific grants well. For example, the money received from initiatives such as the National Grid for Learning has been wisely spent to improve the hardware in school, such as scanners and digital cameras. Additionally, good and effective procedures exist for the allocation of funds to planned projects to meet the school priorities. The most recent audit of the school’s financial management judged that the systems were good. The high carry forward figure is unusually large this year and includes monies that have now been spent to improve standards in school, through staffing levels. Additionally, extra monies had been received that were not expected. The carry forward figure will be considerably reduced by the end of the current year. The school has a good understanding of the principles of best value and has applied them well in initiatives such as caretaking, cleaning and grounds maintenance. The school uses the School Council’s

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

views well in considering future initiatives. There is very good use of new technology throughout the school and in the office, which is very well organised. The secretary and the bursar make a valuable contribution to the daily running of the school.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

52. The adequacy of accommodation is satisfactory. The school benefits from a large and well maintained play area, which contains the millennium garden. Additionally, a new, large, physical education storage area has been created. However, some classrooms in the reception area and in the juniors are cramped, and pupils and adults have difficulty in free movement around the classes. The hall is too small for parents to be invited to events where the whole school is involved. The three separate buildings require the staff to work hard to ensure effective communication. The caretaker and his staff are effective members of the school family and ensure that the school is very well maintained. There is a good range of resources overall, which are well organised. However, the range of reading books in Reception and for home reading in the infant classes is not wide enough.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

53. Children enter the school above the expected level of attainment. They leave the school with standards well above average in mathematics, science and design and technology. Attitudes, relationships and behaviour are very good. Teaching is good with some excellent features. Leadership and management are good. The cost per pupil is just above average. Taking all this into account, the school provides good value for money. Glusburn Community Primary School

p.20

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

In order to improve further the work of the school, the governors, headteacher and staff should:-

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) increase the progress of children in the reception classes by:-

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• using the expertise of the nursery teacher to extend her systems and organisation into reception classes; • raising reception class teachers’ expectations of every child, particularly the more able children; • extending the range of strategies children use in reading and providing more opportunities for developing literacy across the curriculum; • providing more challenging independent activities to extend learning in knowledge and understanding of the world; • identifying the key learning in each lesson more effectively and keeping the focus of the lesson clearly on this learning; • matching tasks more closely to children’s needs and sequencing them more effectively in order to ensure steady progress through the lessons;

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) improve pupils’ handwriting and presentation skills by:-

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• giving handwriting and presentation a higher profile through more regular practice of these skills and by emphasising the importance of these features when pupils produce written work; • providing consistently applied systems through the school to produce steady development of handwriting and presentation skills; • reducing the amount of worksheets and writing on separate pieces of paper and providing systems for organising pupils’ work that encourage them to take a pride in their work and allow them to track through their progress over time more effectively;

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(3) facilitating co-ordinators to be trained for and to monitor lessons across the school in order to identify strengths and weaknesses in teaching and learning and to provide more consistent progress in pupils’ learning as they move through the school.

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Paragraphs 40, 48, 50, 74, 88, 94, 121-2

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

The governors also need to include the following weaknesses in their action plan:-

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• marking is inconsistent across the school. Paragraphs 24, 68 Glusburn Community Primary School

p.21

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 67

p.22

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very poor

p.22

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Percentage 18 28 28 21 5 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 one percentage point.

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 25 311

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals N / a 13 FTE means full-time equivalent.

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR– Y6

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 11

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 2 44

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 2

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 7

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 16

p.22

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. Glusburn Community Primary School

p.22

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 25 23 48

p.23

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.23

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

Boys 21 24 25 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 21 23 22

p.23

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

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

p.23

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.23

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

Boys 23 25 25 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 22 21 22

p.23

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

Percentage of pupils School 94 (95) 96 (98) 98 (100) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (85) 89 (89) 89 (89)

p.23

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

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

p.23

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 28 23 51

p.23

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.23

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

Boys 19 23 25 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 21 20 21

p.23

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

Percentage of pupils School 78 (98) 84 (90) 90 (100) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 73 (71) 86 (87)

p.23

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.23

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

Boys 18 22 24 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 20 18 21

p.23

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

Percentage of pupils School 75 (90) 78 (92) 88 (96) 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. Glusburn Community Primary School

p.23

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.24

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

White – any other White background 2 0 0

p.24

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Mixed – any other mixed background 1 0 0

p.24

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British - Pakistani 0 0 0

p.24

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 0 0 0

p.24

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.24

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – Caribbean 0 0 0

p.24

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.24

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. Glusburn Community Primary School

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 15.4 Financial year 2002 - 2003

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 22

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 861,318

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 15 Total expenditure 855,556

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 297 Expenditure per pupil 2,480

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Balance brought forward from previous year 5,762

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 1 Balance carried forward to next year 3 73,132

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 25

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 1

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 32

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per FTE adult 13 FTE means full-time equivalent.

p.25

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 2.4

p.25

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 3.4

p.25

Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

p.25

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.25

Recruitment of teachers

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 3 FTE means full-time equivalent.

p.25

Recruitment of teachers

3 This includes money that has now been spent on additional staffing. Glusburn Community Primary School

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

p.26

Results of the survey of parents and carers

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

p.26

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 49 45 4 2 0

p.26

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 42 51 4 0 3

p.26

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 33 48 14 2 3

p.26

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 44 40 14 2 0

p.26

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 61 35 4 0 0

p.26

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 58 40 2 0 0

p.26

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 38 49 11 1 1

p.26

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 52 42 3 1 2

p.26

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 54 38 5 0 3

p.26

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 37 46 8 1 8 Glusburn Community Primary School PART D: THE STANDARDS AND QUALITY OF TEACHING IN AREAS OF THE CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES

p.26

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

54. Children spend three terms attending on a part-time basis in the nursery class prior to starting school full time. They then join a reception class in September and attend full-time after an initial settling in period. This helps to build good relationships with parents and helps all children have a smooth start to school. Attainment on entry to the Nursery is above the expected level except for speaking and listening, physical and creative development, where attainment is at the expected level. In the Nursery, children make very good progress in all areas because there is high quality teaching in this class. Progress slows in Reception so that, by the end of these classes, standards have fallen to the expected level except in personal, social and emotional and in mathematical development, where they are above expectations. This is due to unsatisfactory features in the teaching in Reception, where teachers’ expectations are too low.

p.27

Personal, social and emotional development

55. Teaching in the Nursery is excellent. Children are happy and settle quickly, confidently leaving their parents and carers. They co-operate well, share and take turns. Effective role-play areas and cookery sessions, for example, give children good opportunities to work as members of a group or independently. They participate with total involvement and concentrate on chosen activities for extended periods. They have excellent relationships with each other and with adults because adults act as very good role models for the children. They respond well to each other and to visitors with equal ease. Teaching in Reception is satisfactory. Teachers provide a range of opportunities for children to understand the differences between right and wrong, and pupils continue to work well together. Children’s behaviour is good because expectations are high. In Nursery and the reception classes, children quickly learn the clear organisation. For example, they put on

p.27

Personal, social and emotional development

aprons before painting without being told and willingly wash up the equipment afterwards. They are increasingly aware of the needs of others.

p.27

Communication, language and literacy

56. Teaching in the Nursery is excellent. Children’s speaking and listening skills are developed by the adults’ very good questioning. As a result, higher attaining children answer in full sentences, whilst the rest use shorter phrases. Pupils who speak English as an additional language make very good progress. When children are involved in activities, within the classroom and outside, adults frequently engage them in discussions to develop their use of language and their ideas. In the Nursery, children take great pride in their books. The teacher has very high expectations and systematically introduces letter sounds to children. They respond very positively because she makes this learning fun. For example, she played with different objects beginning with ‘t’ and the children thoroughly enjoyed finding the odd one out. However, pupils in the reception classes do not build on this and they make unsatisfactory progress. Children enjoy listening to stories

p.27

Communication, language and literacy

and most want to participate in re-telling them. Most children recognise their own name and can write it with increasing accuracy. However, when reading they do not use enough strategies to tackle new words and rely only on letter sounds. They are very dependent on adult support and are not trying to work out words for themselves. Apart from their own choices from the library, the quality and range of books that they read is limited, so their interest and independence wanes. Some children include writing in their play but, by the end of Reception, most children do not have the confidence to write independently. By this time, most children form at least some letters correctly and some make them a consistent size, so their handwriting skills are satisfactory. The children in the reception classes experience the full literacy hour by the end of the year. Frequently these lessons Glusburn Community Primary School

p.27

Communication, language and literacy

do not challenge or engage their interest enough and do not consistently promote effective learning.

p.28

Mathematical development

57. Teaching in the Nursery is excellent. The teaching team takes every opportunity to encourage children to count. For example, when the teacher joined the children in the role-play garden centre, she encouraged them to count the flowers and pay for their purchases with real money. There are high quality whole-class games in counting, where pupils learn about patterns in numbers. Teaching is satisfactory in Reception. Children receive opportunities to count, sort and use mathematical language. They recognise and use numbers to 20 and beyond in their play, and most children can add two numbers to make totals of up to nine. Higher attaining children can go further. Most children know and use positional language accurately, such as ‘in front of’, ‘next to’ and ‘behind’.

p.28

Knowledge and understanding of the world

58. Teaching is very good in the Nursery. Children explore a range of different activities to extend this learning. They develop confidence in using computers because the teacher provides interesting programs that match pupils’ needs very well. They control the mouse accurately and use it to point and click, moving items on the screen. Children develop designing and making skills through making structures out of construction kits. They develop investigation skills through working with water and exploring what objects will sink and float in it. Adults give good advice and support in some activities, such as how to use tools when cooking. Teaching in Reception does not extend children’s learning systematically across all the aspects of this area of learning. Children learn about and name the parts of a plant, and explore jungle and seaside environments in their play. They have a satisfactory understanding of place, as they follow the route of Rosie’s Walk

p.28

Knowledge and understanding of the world

and make their own adventures for her, then work out their own routes from home to school. Children do not have regular enough opportunities to develop their skills on computers.

p.28

Physical development

59. Teaching in the Nursery is excellent. Standards of these children in dance are particularly high and children move with grace and co-ordination. Most children are confident in their use of equipment, both large and small. Children enjoy the opportunities to explore the hall and the large equipment, and they do this with increasing control. The teaching team uses the outdoor play area well. Children enjoy using vehicles and resources, such as bikes and other wheeled vehicles, to follow a road painted on the tarmac, a climbing frame and a variety of sizes of soft balls. As a result, they develop good co-ordination skills. Teaching in Reception is satisfactory. Children enjoy handling large apparatus and work well together to create interesting structures. Most children use brushes correctly when painting. They can use scissors to cut paper, demonstrating increasing accuracy and they have good control by the end of the year in the reception classes. They are confident in

p.28

Physical development

using tape or glue, such as when they chose pictures of items to put into the shape of a suitcase.

p.28

Creative development

60. Teaching is very good in the Nursery. Children in the Nursery explore and use different colours to produce patterns. They confidently mix paint and water to achieve the consistency they want. They use malleable materials such as dough to produce models and are pleased with what they achieve. Children sing enthusiastically and enjoy exploring sounds in the Nursery. They explore the sounds different percussion instruments make and some know the names of the instruments. Teaching is Glusburn Community Primary School unsatisfactory overall in Reception, with a particular weakness in musical activities. Children do not make the expected progress in lessons because the tasks do not match their needs. Children make better progress in exploring colour and texture. For example, they produce drawings of people with many recognisable features.

p.28

ENGLISH

61. The table below shows attainment in the national tests for Year 2 and Year 6 pupils, together with the inspection judgements.

p.29

ENGLISH

2002 National tests compared with all schools 2002 National tests compared with similar schools Inspection judgements

p.29

Writing

Average Well above average Well below average Well above average Above average Above average

p.29

Writing

Year 6 Average Well below average Above average

p.29

Writing

62. Results in the national tests at the end of Years 2 and 6 have varied over the past four years. Standards in Year 2 have improved since the previous inspection. There is no significant variation between standards achieved by boys and girls. Across the school, pupils with special educational needs make very good progress because teachers and classroom assistants provide very effective support in lessons. More-able pupils achieve their potential. Key strengths of the school’s work include the effective implementation of the National Literacy Strategy with very good planning and the successful support in additional literacy strategies for pupils who are withdrawn for group work. There is dedicated support of well-qualified teaching assistants to help pupils on these programmes. Teachers use computers very effectively in lessons and pupils receive carefully targeted support for learning basic skills. The additional time for guided reading

p.29

Writing

is having a positive impact through the school on increasing progress.

p.29

Writing

63. Younger pupils are confident to talk about their work and they speak up well in class. By Year 2 they listen carefully and follow instructions. In Years 3 to 6, oral skills develop well partly because of good opportunities for discussion in other subjects such as design and technology, when they evaluate their own and each other’s work. In literacy lessons, teachers plan, either in pairs or in groups, opportunities for speaking and listening effectively. Pupils are confident when speaking in front of the whole class and do it well. For example, in a Year 4 lesson the more able pupils were given the opportunity to plan for and lead the plenary to the lesson. They spoke authoritatively on the topic of story planning, using an overhead projector transparency they had prepared to show the main points of the presentation. Drama contributes well to the development of oral skills throughout the school and the older pupils have the opportunity to attend a drama club,

p.29

Writing

which makes a positive contribution to their speaking skills and to their confidence.

p.29

Writing

64. By the end of Year 2, standards in reading are above average. Most pupils read storybooks aloud with understanding. The focus on early teaching of letter sounds enables pupils to use their knowledge of the sounds groups of letters make to tackle new and complex vocabulary they encounter in their reading. A below average reader was able to combine knowledge of letter sounds with picture clues to work out the words ‘blackbird’ and ‘jaguar’ , showing sound reading skills. The majority of pupils read confidently and with expression, even in the youngest age groups. The most able read fluently and say they enjoy reading both fiction and non-fiction books as well as other material they encounter at home, such as comics. Pupils borrow school library books to take home and change them each week. They also take home a ‘home reading’ book, Glusburn Community Primary School although there is no formal recording of whether the pupil has read to his or her parents

p.29

Writing

and no opportunity for parents or carers to comment on their child’s progress. Guided reading takes place every day using a structured and graded series of books. This ensures that pupils make steady progress and read books that offer a sufficient level of challenge to extend their reading skills.

p.30

Writing

65. By Year 6, pupils’ standards in reading are above average. Pupils enjoy reading and most have favourite authors. They discuss the storyline and the characters, and make predictions about what might happen next. The majority of pupils read fluently and with expression. One Year 6 pupil entertained the listener by putting on a range of accents and voices when reading a dialogue involving several characters, explaining that, ‘Cedric Diggory talks really posh and he’s stuck up, but Ron is just like me!’ Pupils know how to retrieve fiction and non-fiction books from the library and how to use the index and contents to locate information. Several are members of a local public library and borrow books regularly. One pupil said she regularly borrowed poetry books, which she reads for pleasure. Several pupils noted that they prefer to use the Internet rather than a printed text if they need to find out about a topic, showing developing research skills.

p.30

Writing

66. Progress in writing is satisfactory, but pupils do not have enough opportunities to write at length. Standards by the end of Year 2 are above average and pupils produce interesting stories. In lessons, teachers cover key skills of grammar, punctuation and spelling. The quality of pupils’ handwriting in Year 2 is good. The majority use a clear, legible, joined style and the presentation of work in their English books is good. Pupils write successfully for a range of different purposes and use a good range of vocabulary in their writing. A Year 2 class learnt how to take notes from a non-fiction text and benefited from the teacher’s modelling of locating key words and writing information in note form.

p.30

Writing

67. As pupils progress through the junior classes, they write for an increasingly wide range of purposes and audiences, and use an increasing range of vocabulary and more complex sentences. The writing is varied and interesting, and pupils write for different audiences, for example in letters, book reviews and diaries. They edit and re-draft their work successfully, including work that is word-processed. Pupils in Year 4 learn how to structure a story ending by using a planning sheet. Older pupils in Year 6 learn how to write a persuasive argument, showing an impressive grasp of the features required, such as ‘rhetorical questions’, ‘emotive language’ and ‘elaboration’. Wall displays support the development of current writing themes effectively by showing examples and prompts. The quality of handwriting in the junior classes is of a lower standard than expected. In some classes many of the pupils have abandoned joined up script and reverted to a print style.

p.30

Writing

This is because pupils’ poor letter formation means that joining the letters is difficult. Pupils do not consistently take a pride in their work and some work is untidy and poorly presented. A good deal of the work is written in pencil rather than pen, even in the older age groups.

p.30

Writing

68. The teaching of English is good throughout the school, with some very good teaching observed during the inspection. This has a positive impact upon the standards achieved. A significant strength is the quality of the planning, which meets the learning needs of all pupils. Support assistants work in close partnership with teachers to provide very effective support for pupils with special educational needs, including those with statements of special educational need. Teachers use information and communication technology very effectively to support their teaching. For instance, in a very good Year 6 lesson the teacher used a computer presentation to demonstrate the effect of adding and removing text from a piece of prose. Teachers have very good subject knowledge, which ensures that they respond effectively to pupils’ contributions in lessons. Partner discussions are a good feature of many lessons that helps pupils develop speaking and listening skills and

p.30

Writing

supports social development. Marking of work is inconsistent. Some books are marked very thoroughly and pupils are given feedback, which helps them to understand what they Glusburn Community Primary School must do to improve. In other classes, marking consists mainly of praise which, whilst appropriate in many cases, does not help pupils to understand how to do even better.

p.30

Writing

69. Relationships are good and teachers have high expectations of pupils’ attitudes and behaviour, which results in pupils working hard in most lessons. In lessons that have a brisk pace and challenging and interesting activities, pupils sustain concentration and interest. In lessons with a slower pace and when pupils are required to sit and listen for extended periods, concentration wanders, particularly in the younger age groups.

p.31

Writing

70. The subject is satisfactorily led by the co-ordinator. There are updated policies and guidelines to support teachers in the planning of English. Portfolios of work matched to National Curriculum levels help teachers to assess work accurately and set targets for pupils. Pupils are well prepared for the national tests at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 by undertaking additional optional tests. The results of these tests are producing useful information on the strengths and weaknesses in literacy, which the school is using to develop and improve the curriculum. Some reading books are not appealing, particularly the books that go home, which reduces pupils’ interest in reading them.

p.31

MATHEMATICS

71. The table below shows attainment in the national tests for Year 2 and Year 6 pupils, together with the inspection judgements.

p.31

MATHEMATICS

2002 National tests compared with all schools 2002 National tests compared with similar schools Inspection judgements

p.31

MATHEMATICS

Year 2 Well above average Well above average Above average Year 6 Well above average Above average Well above average

p.31

MATHEMATICS

72. By the end of Year 2, standards are above the level expected. This judgement matches that of the previous inspection. By the end of Year 6, standards are well above the expected level and a small percentage of pupils achieved a higher level. This represents considerable improvement since the previous inspection, when standards were above the expected level. There is now a rising trend of improvement in standards because the quality of teaching i s very good overall, with a significant number of excellent lessons observed throughout the school. The subject co-ordinator is very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about raising pupils’ standards and improving their progress. Together with the headteacher, she has monitored the quality of teaching throughout the school. However, there is still a need to recognise and share the expertise of the best teachers to raise standards further.

p.31

MATHEMATICS

73. The school has accurately analysed national and other tests to identify pupils’ strengths and weaknesses. The headteacher and deputy headteacher have set up very good systems to track and assess pupils’ progress over time in order to raise standards. Teachers use these results to plan accurately for all their pupils. All teachers place a strong emphasis on teaching real-life problem-solving strategies. They allocate time at the start of each lesson for pupils to practise mental calculation. These experiences have had a positive impact on their progress. All teachers make very good use of information and communication technology to support mathematics and numeracy is used well in other subjects such as science, art and geography. There is very good provision for pupils with special educational needs and they make very good progress because they receive very valuable support from teaching assistants. All pupils have very positive attitudes to their

p.31

MATHEMATICS

work and they work well together. Although they are very proud of what they do, the quality of their written work is usually badly presented. Teachers regularly mark pupils’ work but they rarely provide constructive comments to support their pupils’ achievement or Glusburn Community Primary School explain what they need to do to improve. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 have too many worksheets to complete. These are unhelpful in identifying pupils’ progress because they are not retained in date order and are interspersed with work from other subjects. They limit pupils’ opportunities to record what they know because they only have to fill in the answers. There is no significant difference between the attainment of girls and boys.

p.31

MATHEMATICS

74. Year 1 pupils enjoy mathematics and participate in a range of activities. For example, in one lesson, the teacher encouraged pupils to explain how to use near-double numbers to add examples such as 5+6. More able pupils tackled examples such as 9+5. All clearly explained the strategies they used because they had practised this skill in a previous lesson. This had a positive impact on their progress. The quality of teaching in one of the Year 1 classes is excellent because the teacher has excellent subject knowledge. She provides very clear explanations so that all pupils know exactly what to do and they make excellent progress. More able pupils give change from at least £1.20. They record their results formally and understand the difference between plus and minus signs. Less able pupils work with adult support to calculate change from at least £1.

p.32

MATHEMATICS

75. Year 2 pupils enjoy working with numbers up to at least 100. They understand how to multiply by five and ten because they regularly practise their tables and they know the properties of regular two-dimensional shapes. In one very good lesson, the teacher successfully extended pupils’ problem-solving skills. They thoroughly enjoyed scanning a pizza menu to order a take-away meal consisting of up to three items costing no more than £10. They recorded their choices accurately and were well praised for their efforts. As a result, they worked at a brisk pace and made good progress in calculating total costs and estimating how much change they would have. There are many opportunities to develop speaking and listening skills because all pupils are eager to participate. For example, in the Year 2 lesson, open-ended questions such as, ‘Have you noticed anything about the prices, like £2.99 or £3.99?’ immediately alerted pupils’ attention and created a lively

p.32

MATHEMATICS

debate. They realised that they needed to round up to the nearest pound to calculate more easily and quickly. They establish very good relationships with each other and their teachers. As a result, this has a very positive impact on their personal development and they all make satisfactory progress. Pupils with special educational needs make very good progress because of the very good levels of support that they receive from teachers and class assistants, and they have equal opportunity to participate in class lessons.

p.32

MATHEMATICS

76. In Year 3, teachers provide very clear explanations at the beginning of each lesson so that pupils know exactly what is expected of them. For example, in one lesson, pupils enjoyed a challenging problem. ‘Dad gave four children £56 each. How much money did he need?’ More able pupils worked this out mentally and others worked hard to find the simplest strategy. In both classes, lessons are stimulating and challenging. Teachers know their pupils very well because they have very good questioning skills and high expectations for their pupils to succeed. As a result, relationships are very good and pupils are very well behaved. In Year 4 pupils continue to extend their numeracy skills. They use number lines effectively and enjoy tackling mathematical problems. In the single age Year 4 class the teacher’s questioning does not consistently challenge pupils’ thinking. In Year 5, teachers provide a wide range of activities to broaden their pupils’ knowledge

p.32

MATHEMATICS

and understanding of mathematics. They develop their mathematical skills very well because they have regular opportunities to work on solving mathematical problems. For example, pupils worked in an animated way because their teacher shared her excellent knowledge as she provided them with a challenging task. Opportunities abounded to develop their mental skills and to discuss their results in a lively and enthusiastic manner. The teacher offered positive support to all pupils, including those with special educational needs. They were very well supported by the class assistant, so that they all achieved success within the targets set for them. This had a very positive impact on their progress. Glusburn Community Primary School 77. All Year 6 pupils are very confident in working with very large numbers. They use the four rules of number, fractions, percentages and decimals with confidence and ease because

p.32

MATHEMATICS

the quality of teaching in these lessons is mainly excellent. For example, they understand that 6/12 is the same as 0.5 or 50%. Pupils develop their investigative skills very well because their teachers have excellent subject knowledge and provide challenging tasks for pupils of all abilities, such as rotating shapes in four quadrants. Teachers encourage them to explain their methods in clear mathematical language and further develop their speaking and listening skills. Teachers make very good and sometimes excellent links with information and communication technology. For example, pupils successfully programmed two-dimensional shapes such as octagons into the computer. They calculated the size of interior and exterior angles, incorporated repeating procedures and practised with speed and confidence to achieve success. As a result, a brisk pace was set and so no time was wasted. High expectations for all to succeed were paramount in these

p.33

MATHEMATICS

lessons. Pupils of all abilities collaborated very well to produce results of a high standard of which they were very proud. Pupils with special educational needs have equal opportunity to share these tasks because they are very well supported by class assistants who have very good subject knowledge and boost their pupils’ confidence. As a result, they make very good progress within their individual targets. They take responsibility for their decisions, positively developing their speaking and listening skills.

p.33

MATHEMATICS

78. Features of the excellent teaching include the use of challenging and exciting tasks, which motivate their pupils to do their very best. These teachers value their pupils’ contributions highly, whatever their ability. As a result, their pupils develop very positive attitudes to their learning and strive to succeed.

p.33

SCIENCE

79. The table below shows attainment in the national tests for Year 2 and Year 6 pupils, together with the inspection judgements.

p.33

Inspection judgements

Year 2 No tests No tests Above average Year 6 Average Below average Well above average

p.33

Inspection judgements

80. In recent years standards by the end of Year 6 have varied. This is mainly due to changes in the number of pupils with special educational needs in each year group. The overall pattern is one of improvement. In 2001 standards were well above average and this is again the case in 2003, although standards in 2002 were average. The above average standards by the end of Year 2 are because of good teaching and the standards in Year 6 are well above average because of very good teaching. Teachers also ensure that there are very good opportunities for pupils to undertake scientific investigations. Because of this pupils in Years 1 and 2 achieve well and make good progress, and those in Years 3 to 6 achieve very well and make very good progress. The achievement and progress of pupils with special educational needs is very good. Standards at the time of the previous inspection were above average and the quality of teaching was satisfactory. Improvement

p.33

Inspection judgements

81. Excellent use is also made in Years 1 and 2 of information and communication technology to support pupils’ learning. Pupils in Year 2 undertake investigations to predict and observe the growth of seeds. They do this very well and make excellent progress. Guided by their teachers, they record images of the seeds using digital cameras and enhance the images for easy viewing on a large screen. This enables pupils to comment thoughtfully Glusburn Community Primary School about what they see. Teachers also link microscopes to the computers, enabling pupils to observe the seeds in great detail. This helps pupils’ understanding very well. By Year 2, pupils have a good understanding of living things, materials and physical processes.

p.33

Inspection judgements

82. The high standards found in Years 5 and 6 are achieved because the quality of teaching is sometimes excellent. During the inspection, pupils in these years undertook an investigation to show how quickly sugar dissolves in samples of water subjected to different variables, such as heating and stirring. At this time, pupils worked together very well in groups, showing very good understanding throughout their discussions about the investigation. Progress was very good because the teacher matched the challenge of recording the outcomes very well to pupils’ abilities. Lower attaining pupils used bar graphs to record their results, whilst higher attaining pupils produced accurate line graphs. Pupils have a very good level of knowledge across the scientific curriculum.

p.34

Inspection judgements

83. Information and communication technology is also used very effectively to support pupils’ learning in the junior classes. For example, during the inspection pupils in Years 3 and 4 investigated how much water was absorbed by different types of paper and entered their results into a computer for presentation in graph form. Skilful use of questioning by teachers and good levels of discussion amongst pupils enables them to analyse their results, draw conclusions and compare the results with their initial predictions. Pupils throughout the school record very well the processes and outcomes from their investigations. This is because teachers provide them with helpful guidance about how to do this. By the time pupils are in Year 6 they are very clear about how to record investigations correctly. Pupils develop literacy and numeracy skills well in this subject but standards of presentation of written work are not consistently good enough through the

p.34

Inspection judgements

84. Procedures to assess pupils’ attainment and progress are good and assessments are usually accurate. However, in Year 2, some pupils who attain the higher than expected Level 3 are not previously identified as likely to do so. The quality of marking of pupils’ work is inconsistent. In some years, where marking is very good, it is detailed and informs pupils about what they need to do to improve. Pupils find this helpful. In some years marking is unsatisfactory and pupils are not provided with enough written information about how well they are doing and about what they need to do to improve.

p.34

Inspection judgements

85. The leadership and management of the subject are satisfactory. The monitoring and evaluation of teaching and learning and the analysis of test results, carried out by the headteacher and deputy headteacher, are good. However, there are not enough opportunities for the co-ordinator to monitor and evaluate the quality of teaching and learning. Resources to support pupils’ learning are satisfactory and computers are used very well for this purpose. Many parts of the school have very good displays relating to pupils’ work in science. These capture pupils’ interest and support their learning very well. Glusburn Community Primary School

p.34

ART AND DESIGN

86. Standards in Year 2 and Year 6 match the expected levels overall. These standards match the judgement of the previous inspection. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall, with very good teaching in Year 2 but some unsatisfactory teaching in Year 6 in three-dimensional work. Pupils have regular opportunities to emulate the work of famous artists such as Monet and Andy Goldsworthy. These experiences provide rich opportunities for pupils to develop their skills and appreciation of different styles of art and design, and make a very powerful contribution to all pupils’ spiritual, social and cultural development. Pupils systematically build on their skills that they have previously learnt and so make satisfactory progress. The enthusiastic co-ordinator is only recently back into post and so does not yet have a sufficiently clear overview of standards or the quality of teaching. However, she has made a good start in, for example, completing the subject

p.35

ART AND DESIGN

policy and has introduced sketchbooks into Years 3 and 4. The lack of monitoring of teaching is producing some inconsistencies in the progress of pupils through the school, particularly in three-dimensional work. Displays around the school clearly indicate pupils’ development of skills across most aspects of the curriculum. Satisfactory use is made of their literacy and information and communication technology skills. These further broaden pupils’ experiences. For example, pupils use digital cameras to capture selected images and use these to enhance their interpretations of their work. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress because they are given sensitive support from staff.

p.35

ART AND DESIGN

87. Year 1 pupils make good use of the immediate environment to develop their close observational skills. For example, they produce detailed drawings and paintings of trees through the seasons. There is clear evidence that they know how to mix colours to good effect. Year 2 pupils use their own photographs of the stones used to build the school wall. They studied them intently and, as a result, they reproduced these images as clay tiles with detailed markings and were very proud to share their achievements. Pupils produce colourful interpretations of different artists’ styles, such as that of Mondrian.

p.35

ART AND DESIGN

88. From Year 3 onwards, pupils build on their knowledge and skills acquired earlier. Pupils in Years 3 and 4 have opportunities to work with a variety of materials and resources. There are good links with other subjects, such as history and geography. For example, pupils produced three-dimensional Greek theatre masks. Printing of patterns and symbols from Ghanaian designs illustrate their developing understanding of the art of other cultures. Teachers provide valuable opportunities for pupils to reflect in their writing on the quality of their own work. For example, one pupil has written , ‘Buds as green as grass spread across the bare trees’ , to convey the message of spring in a blossom-covered tree. The school provides interesting opportunities in art and design lessons for pupils to become more responsible and mature. For example, Year 5 pupils learn how to create pleasing appliqué designs of nursery rhymes, such as ‘The Grand Old Duke of York’ , because their

p.35

ART AND DESIGN

teachers have clearly explained how to design and stitch onto fabric to depict the stories.

p.35

ART AND DESIGN

89. In Year 6, pupils’ understanding of the different styles of artists is further developed. They have very positive attitudes to their work because teachers provide regular opportunities for them to explore ideas and visual information on the work of famous artists such as Picasso and van Gogh. They develop confidence in handling a range of media such as paint, pastels, charcoal and collage. There are very good links with the community. For example, a group of pupils worked with the local Women’s Institute. They produced knitted or embroidered squares to add to the wall hanging in the school entrance. Boys who were learning to knit for the first time were totally committed to achieving success. There were gasps of horror as one dropped his stitches and sighs of relief as these were successfully picked up. However, the lack of challenge in some three-dimensional work reduces pupils’ opportunities to extend their skills in this area of the curriculum.

p.35

ART AND DESIGN

Glusburn Community Primary School 90. There are good quality educational visits to places of interest, such as Bolton Abbey, the Sculpture Park and further afield to France and Holland. These experiences provide an added dimension to pupils’ learning. There is a good range of resources and all teachers use these very well to promote pupils’ development of skills throughout the school.

p.36

ART AND DESIGN

91. Throughout the school, the quality of relationships between teachers and pupils provides a very secure platform for all pupils, whatever their ability, to work purposefully and to succeed. There is a clear emphasis on the importance of self-discipline and mature behaviour so that all pupils clearly understand the rules and have a high degree of respect for their teachers and each other. They are very proud of their achievements. Ongoing assessment throughout lessons confirms that most teachers plan appropriately. As a result, most pupils make satisfactory progress in developing their skills and their enjoyment in their tasks, particularly in Year 2.

p.36

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

92. By Year 2 and Year 6 pupils’ standards in design and technology are well above the expected levels for their age. Good planning ensures that pupils learn very well about all the aspects of the subject, according to the requirements of the National Curriculum, and develop their skills very thoroughly as they move through the school. They have a very good range of experiences across the design and technology curriculum. There is an extensive range of examples such as models and projects displayed in the school. This represents a very good level of improvement since the last inspection, when standards were judged to be satisfactory.

p.36

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

93. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 make very good examples of puppets in a variety of styles including glove, string, pop-up and finger puppets, using a variety of materials and methods. They design their puppets thoughtfully and evaluate and modify their first attempts. They carefully cut out pieces of fabric using templates they have made and show good sewing skills when fixing the seams. They trim and decorate them well using appliqué work and stitching. Pupils are encouraged to make decisions about the best way to make their puppets and some decide to glue instead of stitching or to make a puppet in a different way, such as by attaching a cut-out model to a stick. They show very good joining and construction skills. Teachers and adult helpers give very good guidance, balancing direct teaching in skills of cutting, fixing and joining with encouraging pupils to experiment with ways of achieving effects. Pupils evaluate their own and others’ work

p.36

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

thoughtfully, suggesting developments and improvements, and celebrating achievements. Pupils also make large scale models of cars and aircraft, using construction kits, with the help of a retired engineer who helps regularly in the school.

p.36

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

94. Pupils in Years 3 and 4 benefit from participating in a scheme called ‘Primary Engineers’, which is supported by a local business. Volunteer helpers assist in lessons and help pupils to construct pneumatic and hydraulic mechanisms to make model animals move. They also visit a local factory and see engineering processes taking place. This enhances the provision for design and technology and promotes high standards of attainment in the subject. Years 5 and 6 pupils undertake a range of work in designing and making models and products, including making a mechanised fairground ride controlled by an information and communication technology program package. This presents a high level of challenge to which all pupils respond enthusiastically, producing designs of a very good standard. Good links with earlier work in science are developed as pupils display what they know about forces, gravity and electricity as they discuss how to make their models move.

p.36

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

Another project involves designing and making slippers. One pair of slippers made by a Year 6 pupil was found to be functional and comfortable. The examples of pupils’ work on display show very good planning, making and evaluation skills. Glusburn Community Primary School 95. Teaching in design and technology throughout the school is very good. Lessons are well planned and additional help provided by parents and other volunteers is well used. This leads to very good achievement and positive pupil attitudes towards the subject. Teachers use the last part of the lesson to draw together learning and to prepare pupils for the next stage of their projects. As pupils share their views and explanations they learn from each other and develop their skills of speaking and listening. Pupils with special educational needs are well supported by teaching assistants and by working in mixed ability groups, and they achieve very well in relation to their ability. Mathematical skills such as

p.36

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

measuring and estimating are developed in a range of design and technology activities.

p.37

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

96. Leadership and management of design and technology are good. The enthusiastic subject co-ordinator has improved the organisation of resources and developed a new policy and scheme of work. Assessment in the subject focuses on the development of skills and ensures that teachers know what pupils need to do next in order to make good progress. The subject is well resourced, a factor that also supports the attainment of very good standards.

p.37

GEOGRAPHY

97. Pupils’ attainment has been maintained since the previous inspection and matches national expectations by Years 2 and 6. Pupils who have special educational needs are well supported by teachers and teaching assistants and so make very good progress. During the inspection only three lessons were seen, all in Years 1 and 2. However, discussion with pupils and examination of their work shows that they make satisfactory progress throughout the school and that the quality of teaching is satisfactory.

p.37

GEOGRAPHY

98. In Years 1 and 2, the pupils follow ‘Zak’ around the world on his travels and learn about where people go on holiday, locating the places on a map of the world. As a result they develop satisfactory knowledge and understanding of other places. They examine the school and its environs, and develop good observation skills by looking round the premises. They have satisfactory mapping skills as they draw maps of the imaginary island of Struay, using pictures to represent locations. In Years 3 and 4 they have undertaken a local study. The data gained is turned into a graph and patterns are investigated. They learn about India and make satisfactory comparisons between life for people in a village there and their own experiences in Glusburn. By Year 6, pupils know about water in many different contexts, including the use people make of it and the geographical features of rivers. However, they find it difficult to name the world’s main

p.37

GEOGRAPHY

rivers or capital cities, so their knowledge of geographical features is insecure. They develop satisfactory map skills. For example, they use 6-figure references for OS maps as they prepare for their residential visit to Silverdale. This very good opportunity is enjoyed by all pupils and enables them to make comparisons with a small village in very different circumstances from their own area. Other excellent chances given to pupils in Years 5 and 6 are the trip to France in even-numbered years and to Holland in odd-numbered years. Although these do not have a geography focus, they give pupils an insight into other countries and different cultures, as did the school’s recent multi-cultural week.

p.37

GEOGRAPHY

99. Pupils take little care with their presentation of work in geography, especially in Years 5 and 6. There are too many worksheets used in the younger classes. Where geography is taught well, pupils enjoy it and they participate thoughtfully in discussions. Teachers make links with other subjects and some geography is taught with history in particular, such as learning about the local area. Recently, links have been made with work in literacy lessons, such as in Year 6 when the pupils used persuasive writing to support different viewpoints on the issue of whether the High Street should be closed to traffic. Teachers use correct technical terms, which pupils then adopt and use. The pace of lessons is brisk and good questioning stimulates pupils’ thinking and discussions. Teachers make good use of the local area. Use is made of computers to produce graphs and to explore the Glusburn Community Primary School

p.37

GEOGRAPHY

Internet, which extends literacy and numeracy skills well. In some classes, pupils’ activities are matched to their individual different abilities, which enables all pupils to experience success and to make progress.

p.38

GEOGRAPHY

100. The subject leader has good knowledge of geography. Procedures for assessing pupils are in place. Whilst senior managers have monitored the quality of teaching, the co- ordinator has only recently had the opportunity to start doing this. Good resources have been purchased to enhance the pupils’ experience.

p.38

HISTORY

101. Standards in history are above the standards expected at the end of Year 2 and Year 6. This is a good level of improvement since the previous inspection. Pupils in Years 1 and 2, including those with special educational needs, make good progress as they build on their understanding of time passing and the significance of a range of historical occurrences and events. They understand the difference between items such as toys made long ago and those they use today. Teachers ensure the good progress through the school by making good links between history and other subjects, such as geography and design and technology, so that new information is presented in the context of what the pupils already know and understand. Older pupils have good opportunities to select and organise their own historical investigation and recording, including using the Internet to research topics. They show good levels of knowledge and understanding of topics they

p.38

HISTORY

have studied. However, a significant amount of written work in history is completed on sheets of paper, which are kept loose in folders and, as a consequence, it is not always possible to see complete units of work correctly sequenced. This fragments the continuity of understanding within the topics and often standards of presentation suffer.

p.38

HISTORY

102. Pupils in Year 2 classes use their literacy skills well to provide a description of the Great Fire of London. They know that Samuel Pepys and John Evelyn wrote diaries about this event. Pupils show by illustration and discussion their understanding of the events leading up to the fire. They consider whether or not the fire may have had positive outcomes and observe that, whilst it destroyed homes, it wiped out disease. Pupils know that Florence Nightingale worked to make hospitals better. The more able write about her life and those with less well developed writing skills cut out illustrations and copy sentences accurately to show their understanding of her nursing work. Younger pupils enjoy dressing up in Victorian costumes and using old-fashioned equipment such as a Victorian washboard. Role play enhances the knowledge and understanding of those pupils whose literacy skills are limited.

p.38

HISTORY

103. Older pupils build upon their previous knowledge and make good progress as they study the past in a variety of contexts. Year 6 pupils show a good understanding of life in Roman Britain and can discuss the effects of the Roman invasion. They demonstrate a good knowledge of life in ancient Egypt, showing a particular interest in the mummification process, which they can describe in detail. They understand why ancient civilisations were different and why people conducted their lives in particular ways. They compare the lives of rich and poor people then and contrast them with life today. Useful links with art, design and technology are developed as pupils design and make jewellery in the ancient Egyptian style. Good use is made of the local area in Year 4 history lessons and visits to local places of historical interest enhance the curriculum provided.

p.38

HISTORY

104. Teaching is good. Teachers take care to plan for the learning needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs. There is good provision of relevant and meaningful activities, with an emphasis on pupils contributing to discussions in lessons. For instance, in a very good Year 6 lesson, pupils discussed the importance of the River Nile to the life and national economy of ancient Egypt. Their contributions and responses indicated a good level of understanding. All pupils have good attitudes towards history and enjoy their Glusburn Community Primary School lessons. They treat resources correctly and with care and take pride in classroom displays of their work. The management of the subject is satisfactory and the knowledgeable co- ordinator has recently revised the policy and scheme of work. Teachers assess pupils’ progress in history at the end of each unit of work and this ensures that pupils build their

p.38

HISTORY

historical knowledge and skills effectively on a sound foundation. History resources are good and plans are in place to purchase additional artefacts to support learning across a number of history topics.

p.39

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

105. Standards in Year 2 and Year 6 are above expectations because the school has worked hard to keep up to date with all the developments in this subject. Standards have been sustained since the previous inspection and the resources for the subject have improved considerably. There is a very enthusiastic co-ordinator with very good subject knowledge. She supports teachers and classroom assistants very effectively through practical advice for teaching and in leading in-service training sessions to update staff’s knowledge. Consequently, pupils receive consistently good teaching through the school. They develop good levels of skills across the information and communication curriculum because it is taught systematically through the year. Teaching is good overall with very good features in Years 5 and 6, where the contributions of the deputy headteacher make a significant impact. Throughout the school, teachers use computers very effectively across

p.39

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

the curriculum to introduce pupils to the content of lessons. This provides a high quality model for pupils to use computers in everyday life. It also extends the expertise of teachers and they use programs, such as PowerPoint , with confidence and develop pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills well.

p.39

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

106. By Year 2, pupils handle computers very confidently. They access the Internet independently and use the keyboards with skill. More able pupils understand the purpose of devices such as the rolling bar at the bottom of the screen for showing how quickly to program is loading. Teachers create very good links with other subjects, which extend pupils’ learning across other subjects and make the learning more meaningful. For example, in a Year 2 class, pupils were fascinated with the information that they were finding about the Fire of London and identified key figures from that time, such as Samuel Pepys, from the photographs. Year 2 pupils handle graphics programs with imagination, using the full range of tools to produce visually exciting pictures with a creative combination of colours. This is due to the teachers’ encouragement for pupils to produce individual responses to the tasks. This is evident in pupils’ use of branching databases,

p.39

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

where they identify key questions such as ‘Has it got a shell?’ or ‘Does it have more than four legs?’ to categorise different mini-beasts.

p.39

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

107. The Year 6 pupils expect to use computers on a regular basis both during information and communication technology lessons and in other subjects. For example, in music they very skilfully combine the range of different sounds available from a composing program with different musical instruments to produce high quality and sensitive performances for the rest of the class. The co-ordinator uses the network very effectively at the end of lessons to enable pupils to present their work to the rest of the class. This engenders a great sense of pride in the pupils because they can celebrate their efforts from the lesson in the certainty that their efforts will be praised by the teacher and appreciated by the rest of the class. Year 6 pupils have good skills in communicating using computers. For example, they thoroughly enjoyed producing an advertisement for their fairground rides, creating colourful website advertisements that included hyperlinks to other websites they had

p.39

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

discovered during their research. Pupils receive well-focused teaching of basic skills as they move through the school. This ensures that they build steadily on their skills and understanding. Pupils in Year 5 develop skills in using spreadsheets, which develops their numeracy skills very effectively. For example, pupils produced a spreadsheet that included the different measurements of absorbency in science. They used the Glusburn Community Primary School spreadsheet to work out the average and identified where they had made mistakes in their calculations. Pupils use computers regularly to word process their work and are proud of their final product. For example, they produced high quality posters to advertise a school plant sale, using different coloured and sized fonts to ensure maximum impact in advertising this event. These opportunities develop literacy very effectively.

p.39

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

108. Pupils with special educational needs make very good progress because teachers organise pupils in pairs and they expect to concentrate hard and support each other. Classroom assistants provide very well focused support because many of them have a high level of confidence themselves in this subject. Pupils from ethnic minorities thoroughly enjoy working on computers and in the junior classes take a leading role in completing the work.

p.40

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

109. The school has close links with a local university and carries out joint research projects into the impact of using computers in classrooms. This greatly benefits the school because it receives an objective evaluation of its work and supports staff in understanding new developments in the subject. However, in Years 1 and 2, the different classes do not receive the same opportunities to use computers because there is better hardware in two of the classes. The school plans to timetable pupils next year to ensure they get an equal chance to use the more sophisticated equipment.

p.40

MUSIC

110. Standards in Year 2 and Year 6 are above the level expected and all pupils make good progress. This is because the headteacher, who is the subject co-ordinator, supports all teachers to develop their confidence and expertise. She regularly monitors the quality of teaching in most classes. Teaching is good overall. The school makes very good use of visiting specialists who provide tuition in a wide range of musical instruments. The school combines these pupils’ expertise in opportunities to play as an orchestra. Progress in these sessions is unsatisfactory because the Year 4 teacher does not ensure that all pupils take part in the music making. Pupils have many opportunities to develop their skills in a wide variety of musical experiences. Singing in Years 5 and 6 is of high quality because pupils practise regularly and are proud to perform in public. Multi-cultural week provides a wealth of experiences for pupils to enjoy a rich menu of musical talents. For

p.40

MUSIC

example, they listen to musicians from other countries, such as Africa and Indonesia, and have opportunities to participate and use their unusual instruments. This is an improvement since the previous inspection when standards matched the level expected. Pupils with special educational needs make very good progress because class assistants have very good subject knowledge and support them very well. As a result, they are able to take part in all class lessons.

p.40

MUSIC

111. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 know how to make simple sounds with percussion instruments and memorise simple rhythmic patterns. Year 2 pupils understand how percussion sounds can be combined with voices to create an exciting atmosphere in their performances. For example, they were observed reciting a poem to consider appropriate dynamics and timbre to include in their own musical compositions. They understood the meaning of these terms because their teacher had already taught them in a previous lesson, ‘Dynamics is louder and softer and tempo is fast or slow’. They chose their musical instruments with great deliberation – ‘We need a drum to make thunder’. They worked amicably in small groups to interpret the mood of their poems as a musical composition. As a result, they made good gains in their learning about the importance of choosing appropriate instruments to represent mood. They enjoy their music and have very positive

p.40

MUSIC

attitudes because their teachers have very good subject knowledge and plan well to develop their musical skills. Glusburn Community Primary School 112. As they move through the school, pupils further develop their skills and learn about musical terms such as ‘ostinato’, ‘pitch’ and ‘timbre’. Teachers’ planning provides clear evidence of the rich variety of experiences offered to all and peripatetic teachers provide extra valuable support in teaching singing, for example to Years 3 to 6 pupils. Pupils learn to evaluate their performances very thoughtfully and so make good gains in their learning. Years 3 and 4 pupils enjoy experimenting with the words and music of ‘ Matchstick Men’ and further improve the quality of their learning. They make good links with other subjects such as history and art. For example, they learn about life in Manchester in the 1970s and the paintings of Lowry because their teachers have planned very well and have very good

p.40

MUSIC

113. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 make very good use of information and communication technology as they compose a musical piece to illustrate a spooky story. They make very good progress because their teacher and class assistants support them very well. There are excellent opportunities for pupils to experiment with difficult effects. For example, they handle computer menus skilfully and combine their computerised program with a variety of different instruments to produce a very high quality composition. They perform with great skill because they have collaborated very effectively to produce the final performance. There are very good links made with drama as they pretend that they are performing at the Albert Hall. Their singing is of high quality because the headteacher has high expectations for them all to do their best and has excellent subject knowledge. They were observed rehearsing a scene for their annual performance of ‘The Pied Piper’. They interpreted the

p.41

MUSIC

words of the songs with sensitivity and clear diction, very good use of dynamics and accurate phrasing. They behaved very well and thoroughly enjoyed the experience because their teachers have high expectations of behaviour and are very good role models. Pupils have regular opportunities to listen to and appreciate the music of famous classical and modern composers of other cultures, such as Vivaldi, Beethoven and Jon Williams, because their teachers provide a wide variety of musical experiences. As a result, they develop a critical awareness of their own compositions and those of various composers. These experiences make a positive impact on their learning and further enhance their personal, social and cultural development.

p.41

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

114. By the end of Year 2, standards are at the expected level and pupils make satisfactory progress. The highest standards are evident in dance and the quality of teaching in Years 1 and 2, which is good overall, and is excellent in dance. By the end of Year 6, standards exceed those expected for pupils at this age and they achieve well, making good progress. This is because the quality of teaching is good. Pupils with special educational needs achieve well and make good progress. At the time of the last inspection standards were in line with those expected for pupils’ ages. Improvement since that time is good.

p.41

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

115. By the end of Year 2, pupils show excellent progress in dance. This is because they benefit from excellent teaching. Because they are taught very well pupils undertake their own warm up exercises. They perform these correctly. They know and can explain the reasons for doing the exercises. They have very good opportunities to plan and develop their dance sequences. They fit the sequences of their movements very well to their teacher’s excellent choice of music. For example, their dances based on the story of ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ and accompanied by ‘A Stranger in Paradise’ , played by Bond, far exceeded the level expected for their age. Their very good understanding is extended very well by the excellent opportunities provided by their teacher to evaluate their work and that of their classmates, and to suggest how the work might be improved. The games skills of pupils in Years 1 and 2 are developed less well. Whilst higher attaining pupils

p.41

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

move well and can throw and catch to the expected level, many other pupils do not have sufficient agility or awareness to throw and catch successfully. When this occurs, pupils Glusburn Community Primary School are sometimes not given enough opportunities to consider what they need to do to improve.

p.41

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

116. In Years 3 to 6, teachers build effectively on pupils’ learning and skills in games. Pupils are given good opportunities to discuss and consider how well they are doing and what they need to do to improve. They are also given good opportunities to practise and acquire skills and to apply them in games. Teachers adapt these games well to match pupils’ abilities. Because of this, many pupils show good bowling, batting and fielding skills in cricket and rounders. The tennis skills of pupils in Year 5 are also developing well because they are taught well. These pupils benefit greatly from very good opportunities to apply their tennis skills in games. These pupils also make good progress because they apply themselves well and work hard during their learning.

p.42

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

117. The leadership and management of the subject are satisfactory, but there are not enough opportunities for the co-ordinator to monitor the quality of teaching and learning. The quality of accommodation for teaching the subject is good. There is a very good playing field that is used very well by the school. Resources to support pupils’ learning are also good. These are stored in a very good, newly-built storeroom and are well organised and accessible. The school has made good use of opportunities to enhance the quality of teaching and to improve the range of resources through its involvement in projects such as the national Junior Sports Programme. There is a good programme of extra-curricular activities. This includes association football, cricket, netball and rugby union. The school also provides good opportunities for pupils to learn to swim. Records show that in swimming a high proportion of pupils achieve standards that exceed those expected for

p.42

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

118. Standards by the end of Year 2 exceed those expected for pupils at this age and they achieve well, making good progress. This is because the quality of teaching is good. Standards by the end of Year 6 are in line with those set out in the locally agreed syllabus for the subject and pupils make satisfactory progress. This is a very similar picture to that found at the time of the previous inspection. The quality of teaching in Years 3 to 6 is satisfactory. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress. The leadership and management of the subject are satisfactory, but there are not enough opportunities for the co-ordinator to monitor the quality of teaching and learning.

p.42

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

119. Work in the books of Year 2 pupils shows they have good understanding of significant celebrations in the Christian faith, such as Easter, Christmas and harvest time. These pupils also appreciate the significance of the Bible to members of the Christian faith. Pupils’ understanding of these aspects of their religious education is extended well as they progress from year to year.

p.42

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

120. Good progress is evident in Years 3 and 4. For example, pupils were taught the story of the Welsh girl Mary Jones and how, after many trials and tribulations, she acquired her own copy of the Bible. This work helps pupils to understand very well the significance of the Bible to members of the Christian faith. In Years 5 and 6, pupils learning about the beliefs of the followers of major world faiths is extended satisfactorily. Teachers of pupils in Years 5 and 6 use opportunities when teaching personal, social and health education satisfactorily to extend pupils’ learning about aspects of religious education. For example, pupils’ acquire satisfactory understanding of how morals and rules for life advocated by the Christian faith apply to their everyday lives. During discussions, higher attaining pupils explain examples of this well.

p.42

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

121. Assemblies make a satisfactory contribution to pupils’ learning in religious education. Sometimes, particularly in the class-based assemblies, there is not enough time for pupils Glusburn Community Primary School to reflect on the theme of the assembly. However, the class prayer books, that include prayers written by pupils, make a good contribution to pupils’ learning and to their spiritual development. Throughout the school, pupils’ work in religious education is making a good contribution to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Revisions to the locally agreed syllabus that is followed by the school ensure that pupils have a good understanding of the customs and beliefs of world religions such as Judaism, Sikhism and Islam. The recent multi-cultural week made a significant contribution to these aspects of pupils’ learning. For instance, the visit by Roop Singh, a member of the Sikh faith, is

p.42

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

122. Good use is made of information and communication technology to enhance pupils’ learning in the subject. For example, teachers in Year 1 use the computers and large interactive screens very well when pupils consider the important features of the different places of worship used by different faiths, such as local church buildings for the Christian faith and the Gudwara for the Sikh faith. In response to the teachers’ questions, pupils show very good recall of this aspect of their learning. However, opportunities in all year groups for pupils to write about what they have learned are sometimes missed. In some year groups pupils have not recorded enough about the work they have done and the presentation of their work is often untidy.

p.43