Austwick Church of England VA Primary School

AUSTWICK CE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 31 st March – 1 st April 2003

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AUSTWICK CE PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

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AUSTWICK CE 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. Austwick Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School category: Church of England Voluntary Aided

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Rev John Dalby

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: March 1998 Austwick Primary School - 4

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Team members 3639 A C Davies Registered inspector 9214 J Garland Lay inspector

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

113-115 High Street Uppermill Saddleworth Oldham OL3 6BD

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

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

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6-9

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Austwick is a very small primary school with 43 children, aged between 4 and 10, attending. The vast majority of pupils move on to Settle Middle School at the age of 10. The school is situated in a very rural area in North Yorkshire, six miles north west of Settle. The pupils are organised, by age, into two classes. Very few pupils are entitled to school meals free of charge. A number of pupils come from the farming community and many, including these, are transported daily into school by minibus. Many of the families have been associated with the school for several years. There are eight pupils on the special educational needs list and one has a statement. This is below national averages. The attainment of children on entry to the school varies considerably from year to year. There are strengths in the children’s personal, social and emotional development before they start school. However, a significant

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

number of children start school requiring support from speech therapists.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a very good school that has many, considerable strengths. Pupils attain well in all subjects with some very impressive language work happening. The teaching is very good and this helps pupils to be effective learners. The school’s success is enhanced by the quality of leadership of the headteacher who is at the heart of everything that is happening. The school provides very good value for money.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What the school does well • Pupils make good progress in literacy and their writing, in particular, is very impressive. • Each teacher successfully manages three age groups in each classroom, ensuring that pupils of all abilities are challenged. • The school is exceptionally well led by a committed headteacher who has her finger on the pulse of the school and the local community. • Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour are outstanding and they take on many additional responsibilities, especially helping younger pupils settle into school. • Pupils’ information and technology skills are advanced and they make good use of their skills in all subjects. • Creativity is at the heart of the curriculum enabling pupils to develop their skills and proficiency in art, dance and music.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What could be improved The school has no serious issues but there are two areas for further development: • The outside learning environment for reception-aged children needs further enhancement. This has already been identified as a priority in the school improvement plan. • The level of attendance is unsatisfactory. (Unauthorised absence too high due to late arrival of pupils and many pupils being on family holidays during term time.) The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in March 1998 and it was considered to be a good school at that time but it has improved even more since then. The school has successfully implemented the many national initiatives that have been introduced in the last five years, including the National Literacy and Austwick Primary School - 7 Numeracy Strategies. This has helped to raise standards in all areas because there is good use of pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills in all subjects. The teaching, previously noted as a major strength, has improved and is now very good overall and having a very good impact on pupils’ learning. The school continues to be exceptionally well led with a strong sense of teamwork amongst staff being a key feature of the school’s success. The school had no issues last time and it has successfully dealt with all the minor points identified in the previous report.

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STANDARDS

Because the school has very small groups of pupils in each year it is difficult to use comparative data to try to make judgements about standards compared with national results or similar schools. However, the school’s national test results for Year 2 pupils over the past few years show that a large number of pupils are attaining beyond the level expected for their age and very few, over the past few years, have failed to attain the level expected for their age. The present Year 2 is made up of 7 pupils who write with confidence and read exceptionally well. They are also proficient mathematicians and their overall attainment is well above that expected for their age.

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STANDARDS

There is good progress being made between Year 2 and Year 5 with non-statutory tests and analysis of Year 6 results from the school they move on to showing that a large proportion of pupils attain very well. The present Year 5 is made up of 8 boys who are attaining well for their age. The overall picture is one of pupils attaining highly, making good progress and achieving well. More able pupils are being effectively challenged and less able pupils, including those on the special educational list, are also making good progress because of the quality of support that is provided for them.

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STANDARDS

The standard of work in writing is particularly impressive. Pupils are able to develop interesting and exciting ideas in their stories because of the creative effort they put into them. Pupils are successfully able to develop characters and write stories with imaginative twists by the time they are in Year 5. The vast majority enjoy their reading and can talk with authority about the range of books they read. Many are reading well in excess of 2 years beyond their chronological age by the time they are in Year 5. Pupils quickly develop a secure understanding of number and make good use of this as they attempt to solve problems. By the time they are in Year 5 the vast majority cope very well with multi- step problems, requiring them to organise their work so that they know which numerical operation to apply to each situation. Pupils’ information and technology skills are advanced and they are able to

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STANDARDS

work independently to apply these skills to different situations. Subjects like English, mathematics, science, history, geography, art and religious education benefit from pupils’ using their information and communication technology skills.

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STANDARDS

When pupils first start school their level of attainment on entry varies considerably from year to year. However, most have good personal and social skills. The vast majority are confident communicators although a growing number require additional support from speech therapists. During their time in school all pupils, irrespective of age or ability, make good progress. More able pupils achieve well because they are challenged to produce their best. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress because their needs are identified very early and support is provided for them.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attitudes to the school Outstanding. Pupils are extremely proud of their school and are keen to do well. Their positive attitudes make an important contribution to their ability to learn effectively. Austwick Primary School - 8 Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Outstanding. Pupils are polite, courteous and a pleasure to be with. They are a credit to the school and their parents.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Personal development and relationships Outstanding. The way older pupils take responsibility for younger pupils is particularly impressive. All pupils are keen to be fully involved in the life of the school and Year 5 pupils successfully apply for a range of jobs which they take very seriously.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attendance Unsatisfactory. Many families take their holidays during term time and many pupils arrive after registration.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Teaching of pupils in: Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 5

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

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

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

The teaching is very good and is making a considerable contribution to pupils’ learning. One of the most impressive features is the way the teachers in both classes manage three age groups so that all pupils, irrespective of ability and age, are challenged to produce their best possible work.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

In each of the two classrooms the organisation of the resources is an important feature. The classroom support assistants are very well deployed to provide support for individuals, or groups of pupils. Equipment is set out so that small groups of pupils are able to move to tables after the teacher’s initial explanations and be able to get on immediately with their tasks while the teacher talks to the next group. These two factors are enabling work to be organised effectively to meet the needs of all abilities, especially those with special educational needs. In addition, the teachers work at a demanding rate and take time to ask pupils to check if they have produced their best possible work. Pupils’ learning is helped by the attention that staff give to developing learning targets with individuals. This helps pupils to know what is expected of them and to check to see if they have achieved their goals.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Pupils are encouraged to make decisions about their work. There is a focus on independence with pupils being encouraged to think for themselves and offer ideas in whole class discussions. This is helping their level of confidence and is further enhancing their learning. Pupils feel proud of their achievements and work unstintingly if they feel their efforts have fallen below their own expectations.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Apart from giving due attention to pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills the staff plan work so as to challenge pupils’ creative ideas and thoughts. The links that are demanded across the subjects helps pupils to be use their information and technology skills to find out information in a range of different ways, especially through the Internet. Pupils’ positive attitudes and ability to concentrate for prolonged periods adds to the quality of their learning

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The quality and range of the curriculum Very good. The curriculum requires pupils to use their literacy and numeracy skills in all subjects. Creativity is prioritised with much attention given to art, dance and music. Despite the outside learning Austwick Primary School - 9 environment for reception-aged children needing further enhancement, these young children have a full range of activities provided for them.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Very good. Pupils with learning difficulties are identified early, provided with very good levels of support and have well-organised individual plans to help them improve.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Very good. The way learning is organised requires pupils to get emotionally and personally involved in all aspects of school life. This is helping pupils to take responsibility for their actions and in recognising their role in a multi-cultural society.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

How well the school cares for its pupils Very Good. There are very good systems in place to help the school track the academic progress of pupils. The staff provide a very safe place for pupils to work and play.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Outstanding. The headteacher’s unstinting desire to ensure all pupils are being challenged appropriately and her ability to create a strong team working to a common purpose makes her an excellent leader of this school.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Very good. The very dedicated governors play their part in the way the school is led and managed. They have very good procedures to help them see how well the school is performing.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school’s evaluation of its performance Very good. The school makes very effective use of a range of systems to help it assess how it is performing. Good use is made of this information to set targets for future improvement.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The strategic use of resources Very good. The way the school uses its classroom support assistants is one example of the school seeking and getting the best possible value for its money.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved • The school is well led. • Children are expected to work hard. • The teaching is good. • Children are helped to be mature and responsible. • The information provided for parents about the progress their children make.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

The parents have rightly acknowledged the high quality of the work of the headteacher and staff in helping this to be a very good school. They also have accurately recognised that their children are Austwick Primary School - 10 mature, hard working individuals. The information provided for parents about the progress their children make is good.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

• Pupils make good progress in literacy and their writing, in particular, is very impressive.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

1 The national test results are not a particularly helpful indicator when trying to assess the school’s performance against other schools nationally or locally because very few pupils take the tests each year. In addition, because there is no Year 6 the school is only involved in the Year 2 national tests. However, despite this there is good indication, when taking the school’s national test results for Year 2 pupils over the past few years, that pupils attain well. A large number of pupils are attaining beyond the level expected for their age and very few, over the past few years, have failed to attain the level expected for their age. Non-statutory tests and analysis of Year 6 results from the school pupils move on to also show that a large proportion of the school’s pupils attain very well. The results from national and non-statutory tests show that this is very much the case for English.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

2 The present Year 2 is made up of 7 pupils who write with confidence and read exceptionally well. The present Year 5 is made up of 8 boys who are attaining well for their age. The overall picture is one of pupils attaining highly, making good progress and achieving well in both reading and writing. More able pupils are being effectively challenged and less able pupils, including those on the special educational needs list, are also making good progress because of the quality of support that is provided for them. The standard of work in writing is particularly impressive. Pupils are able to develop confidence in writing with their stories being interesting and exciting. This is because of the creative effort they put into their written communication. Pupils are able to create different types of characters and settings for their stories and include imaginative ideas that take the reader by surprise by the time they are in Year 5. The vast

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

majority enjoy their reading and can talk with authority about the range of authors and books they read. Many are reading well in excess of 2 years beyond their chronological age by the age of 10.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

3 By the time they are in Year 2 the vast majority of pupils are able to read with confidence, expression and fluency. Very few are not reading at least at the level expected for their age. They are able to talk with enthusiasm about their books and have no difficulty choosing a character from a book that they would like to be if they had the chance. Year 5 pupils read with much expression and know how to hold the audience’s attention. They are able to use humour, suspense and tension, as needed, to draw others into their reading. They clearly enjoy reading and are very excited about choosing new books. Most have already developed a strong preference for different styles of authors.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

4 Despite standards being high in reading it is writing that is the most impressive feature of pupils’ literacy. Year 2 pupils write clearly, logically and it is well sequenced. More able pupils are not afraid to use adventurous words and will ‘have a go’ at attempting words that they are not sure about, for example, ‘the river Teams is in London’. They have good imaginative ideas, for example, ‘they saw a magical door that led them to Lapland.’ In one lesson, pupils had to Austwick Primary School - 11 come up with ideas relating to why the elephant’s trunk grew long. The pupils built up their ideas well and one more able pupil added an interesting twist at the end, ‘The elephant was jumping for joy (because his trunk was long) but he didn’t notice crocodile behind him.’

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

5 By the time pupils are in Year 4 their writing has matured further and their stories include phrases that illustrates that they have a wide vocabulary. For example, phrases and words like, ‘big, black limousine’; ‘blindfold’; ‘cold and mouldy basement’; and ‘ransom’, appear in their stories. In Year 5 pupils are able to sustain a story line. They use humour and suspense effectively and can interweave dialogue, description and action well. There is evidence of good imagination being prominent to aid the quality of the writing. In one lesson pupils were able to come up with very creative ideas as to why the dragon, who was looking for a friend, was being rejected by a number of different creatures.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

6 Pupils are confident in their use of simple, compound and complex sentences. Examples such as, ‘At dawn, they set off into the dessert’; ‘Thump, there goes my brother, Prince Romeo.’; ‘Night came, and I decided to continue my search the following day’ punctuate pupils’ writing. They are very secure with the secretarial skills of writing and use a full range of punctuation, including in-sentence punctuation. Their spelling is good and they present their work neatly and legibly.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

• Each teacher successfully manages three age groups in each classroom, ensuring that pupils of all abilities are challenged.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

7 In each of the two classrooms teachers give very good consideration to the needs of all age groups. The classroom organisation and management are very effective, allowing this to happen. There is very efficient use of the classroom support assistants to maximise their influence across the age groups.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

8 In Class 1, which is made up of reception-aged pupils as well as Years 1 and 2, the teacher has created a very well organised classroom to enable all pupils to be stimulated and challenged. In this class the teacher successfully manages the needs of young reception children, working to the foundation stage of learning guidelines alongside the National Curriculum needs of Years 1 and 2 pupils. The use of the classroom assistants is vital to this organisation’s success and the system works very well because of the commitment and dedication of all adults working in this classroom. Most lessons start with the pupils being gathered together. During this period it is usually the class teacher that leads the session and she chooses resources that can provide stimulation for the three age groups. For example, during a literacy session she uses the book, ‘Harriet’ by Debbie Inkpen, a story about the adventures of a hamster, which offers different things for each age group. The younger,

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

reception-aged children hear the story and then move away with the classroom assistant to explore the school grounds, as if they were hamsters. Year 1 and 2 pupils stay together to consider the story’s setting and main characters. They then move on to carry out varies tasks which is differentiated to meet the needs of all pupils. Ability is the main characteristic of each group, not the age of the pupils. The very good classroom management of the teacher sees her give prolonged attention to one group while the others are provided with a task that they are able to start without the need for adult attention. All pupils are fully engaged in their tasks within a matter of minutes of moving away from the whole class setting. Austwick Primary School - 12 9 During a numeracy lesson in Class 1, the teacher manages the pupils in a similar way. Again the whole class start together for the mental and oral warm-up. During this session she directs

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

questions at individuals or groups of pupils and keeps up a brisk pace. The younger pupils (reception) then move away to continue their mathematics work, initially with the classroom support assistant, while Year 1 and 2 pupils continue with their mental and oral work. The two main tasks that follow for the Year 1 and 2 pupils are very well managed. The Year 1 pupils start with a worksheet based on number bonds to 20, and Year 2 work with the teacher on division. As both groups get into their stride the teacher then gives attention to reception-aged children and the classroom assistant has an oversight of others in the class. This form of successful organisation requires a high degree of planning, which is a most apparent feature of the class teacher’s qualities. The careful assessments undertaken with each pupil also helps the teacher to prepare work that builds on their previous knowledge and attainment.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

10 In Class 2, which is made up of pupils from Years 3, 4 and 5, the class teacher is equally as expert in handling the needs of three age groups. In a numeracy lesson, for example, the teacher starts with a whole-class activity that has ‘built-in’ consideration for pupils’ age and ability. During this part of the lesson each pupil has a number of cards, which describe a mathematical property, for example, a four sided, right angled shape with two sets of equal sides. Another person has the word ‘oblong’ written on a card and another description. The fast moving game is known as ‘follow me’ and the pre-prepared cards range in difficulty and cover aspects of shape, measurement and number. The teacher is able to organise the cards carefully when handing them out to her class so that the more able, older pupils receive the most difficult descriptions.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

11 After the mental and oral starter the classroom management is very impressive. Tasks and activities that require independent work are well organised. The teacher gets around each group and sets them off on their work appropriately. Within a minute of moving from the mental and oral starter to the main task, all groups are fully occupied. The working atmosphere is very positive and pupils are enthusiastic.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

12 During a literacy lesson in Class 2, the teacher uses a different model of classroom management to reach the needs of all pupils. The lesson starts with the teacher using different pieces of art work to stimulate pupils’ descriptive language. Each pupil has to respond by writing a sentence, describing the art work, on a ‘post-it’. They then have to improve their original sentence after the teacher reminds the whole class about certain descriptive strategies. Older pupils are asked to consider comparative and superlative adjectives while younger ones are asked to consider similes. This works very well because there is much improvement in the pupils’ sentences. After this session the teacher organises pupils into two main groups. The first group work with her, giving more attention to comparative and superlative adjectives. The other, younger group works with a worksheet, which has flower patterns with a noun written

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

in the centre. The younger pupils have to write an appropriate adjective in each of the petals. Again, the work ethic is impressive with all pupils moving quickly from one task to the other with minimal fuss.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

13 The teacher’s true strength in handling the three age groups comes from the way she successfully engenders a real confidence amongst the pupils. They are good listeners who ask appropriate questions. They also search for additional depth in their work, as was seen when one pupil described the sun as a ‘golden plate’ after giving much thought to the best metaphor to use. Pupils feel challenged and are fully engaged and work hard. They are all keen to offer suggestions and to be asked to answer questions. Austwick Primary School - 13 • The school is exceptionally well led by a committed headteacher who has her finger on the pulse of the school and the local community.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

14 The headteacher provides strong leadership. This is seen in the way she has formed a very effective team around her. Her charisma and drive are evident for all to see and this makes it possible for staff, parents and pupils to have faith in her leadership. The governors are very confident of her ability to continue to take the school forwards. Since the previous inspection she has improved further the management procedures and enabled staff to take on new initiatives both from a national and school perspective. The analysis of the parental questionnaires and the evaluation of the pre-inspection parental meeting reveal that the headteacher is extremely well regarded by the parents, pupils and the community. The governors also state their respect and admiration for the way she leads the school. This is a very impressive picture for someone who is leading the school and having full-time class teaching responsibility for four days of the week.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

15 The headteacher has developed a very effective style of leadership that has many outstanding qualities. She leads by example. Her teaching is of high quality and her handling of whole- school situation, such as, assemblies are equally as impressive. For example, during one assembly on ‘What makes you happy?’ she links pupils from Class 1 with those from Class 2. The assembly is particularly successful for the way she ensures that all pupils make a contribution. Pupils find her style very supportive and are quickly at their ease with her. She encourages and helps to raise their self-esteem, but at the same time is very demanding. The combination works well in bringing out the best in pupils.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

16 She is equally as successful in developing a strong sense of teamwork amongst the staff. Everyone who works in the school, from teachers, secretary, classroom assistants, lunchtime supervisors and caretaker, is part of the team. There is very effective liaison between the teachers, classroom assistants and the headteacher. They work efficiently together to plan for the needs of all pupils, recognising that the planning needs to be thorough, yet not too burdensome. This they have managed because the planning used gives good quality information about how the needs of all pupils are to be met; draws upon the medium and long term plans available and takes full account of pupils’ prior attainment. Yet, it does not have duplication and is organised in a manageable way. The classroom assistants are very clear about their role because the high quality of liaison is excellent, as is the guidance that they are

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

provided with. Similarly, she and the secretary work effectively to ensure that the secretary is able to deal with issues that do not need to brought to the headteacher’s attention. In this way, the effective working relationship that they have releases the headteacher to deal with innovative issues and ensures she is not dealing with matters that can be assigned to the secretary.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

17 The headteacher has been instrumental in developing systems that helps the school to track the progress of pupils and thereby put a high priority on keeping standards high. Good use is made of national and optional tests to facilitate the process of checking on pupils’ progress. Good use is also made of information received from the Local Education Authority to check how well pupils are attaining compared with local and national results. The school has successfully created a proforma to help the staff be clear about expectations for each pupil on an annual basis. There is regular checking of pupils’ on-going work to help with this progress. The headteacher also uses the services of the Local Education Authority to help monitor the quality of teaching and learning. Both the headteacher and full-time teacher are fully involved in the process and often carry out joint observations to help moderate their own judgements. The

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

Austwick Primary School - 14 process used helps enormously with the school’s ability to keep check on standards and provision.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

• Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour are outstanding and they take on many additional responsibilities, especially helping younger pupils settle into school.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

18 Pupils enjoy attending this school. This is confirmed by the analysis of parental questionnaires, which showed that 97 per cent of parents believe that their children enjoy school (77 per cent agreeing very strongly that this was the case). Pupils are undoubtedly very proud of their school and they strive to do well both personally and academically. Their attitudes to school help to create a very positive atmosphere where pupils feel safe and secure. The pupils’ enthusiasm is seen at its best during occasions when visitors come to the school and they have a chance to talk to them about their work. This happens very frequently and is something that the pupils look forward to.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

19 The standard of behaviour in classrooms is very good and is helping pupils to learn effectively. The teachers are able to concentrate on developing pupils’ academic abilities because pupils are receptive to the work that is presented to them and no time is lost to disruption caused by anti-social behaviour. Pupils are a joy to spend time with. The older and younger pupils in the same class interact very well during paired sessions or when they are directed to work together. Discussions with pupils revealed that they were used to talking with adults in a mature way and that they played a significant role in offering opinions about the way the school is run. They are courteous, well mannered and show very good consideration to others. The pupils’ positive attitudes to each other starts from early on, as was seen when reception aged pupils in Class 1 shared resources and helped each other when looking for hamster

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

homes in the environment, as part of their literacy lesson. Older pupils expressed their views in a very mature way with one explaining that, ‘Austwick School has been here for a very long time and it’s up to us to look after it now.’ Others made a point of saying that the school was a quiet place where the rules were very simple and easy to obey.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

20 Nominated pupils represent the feelings of their peers through the school council. A representative from every Year group attends the regular meetings. Each meeting is well run and there are agendas and decisions recorded and circulated to all pupils. Although adults attend the meetings, a nominated pupil chairs them and another takes the minutes. During a discussion with an inspector pupils expressed their support for the school council explaining that it provided pupils with a chance to ‘air their views’. The pupils believe that action is taken on all sensible issues raised. They explained that there had been changes made as a direct result of the school council’s views being put forward to the headteacher and other members of staff. The pupils who attended the school council were very articulate and were well prepared if they had a point to make. They were also prepared to discuss issues in a very

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

mature manner and accepted that others did not always uphold their views.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

21 Apart from the school council pupils have many opportunities to take on additional responsibilities. Pupils formally apply for a range of jobs that include aspects of classroom organisation and monitoring ICT procedures. Pupils also have the responsibility of taking out, and bringing back, equipment before and after playtimes. There is a buddy system in place with older pupils working in pairs to support the needs of younger ones. Most pupils seize on opportunities to be involved in all aspects of school life and are thrilled to be given special roles or responsibilities. Their personal development is greatly enhanced by this. Austwick Primary School - 15 22 The school has also set up a regular reading partnership scheme, which sees older and younger pupils working together. This partnership arrangement occurs once a week with pupils from Class 2 having time with their partner in Class 1. The expression on the faces of the

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younger pupils during these sessions explains a great deal about their success. Older pupils have been taught specific skills to help them engage younger pupils in the reading process. The system works well and is an excellent example of the partnership between older and younger pupils at work. It provides the younger ones with opportunities of extending their reading skills and the older ones with opportunities for taking on additional responsibilities.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

• Pupils’ information and technology skills are advanced and they make good use of their skills in all subjects.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

23 Pupils’ attainment in information and communication technology is good. This is confirmed by the quality of work produced and by observing pupils at work during the inspection. There is good emphasis placed on familiarising pupils with computers from the moment they start school. By the time they leave Year 2, the vast majority of pupils are able to use a word processor to produce sentences. More able pupils are able to refine these sentences and make sensible amendments. They are also able to use a graphics package to organise data. They can use a CD ROM purposefully to search for information and can give a floor robot a set of instructions and set it into motion.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

24 By the time they are in Year 4 pupils show a great deal of independence and have almost daily opportunities to present work on a computer. These pupils can find their own word processing page; insert a picture from the computer’s encyclopaedia and add text to support their picture. They can follow a set of instructions very successfully and can also make decisions without referring to an adult. They show good knowledge of the range of tools that they use and are very familiar with the Internet and can ‘download’ information from it. They are very familiar with the routines involved when receiving or sending e-mail. They are able to open their own saved pages and can save, cut and load information as is required. They work at speed and can use the tools that help them magnify, or reduce, the pictures on their computers.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

25 Year 5 pupils described how they had put together a multi-media presentation for ‘parents’ evening’. They had used a specific program that enabled the pictures or text to swirl on to the screen for effect. The presentation was made up of photographs that the pupils had taken themselves using a digital camera. These photographs were accompanied by brief statements, which flashed onto the screen in a variety of ways. The presentation lasted for approximately 5 minutes and was set on a loop, so that it would be repeated as the evening went on. The pupils were able to edit their first attempts and were able to evaluate their final effort.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

26 Pupils used ICT very frequently in different subjects. The Internet was used very effectively to support work in geography, history and science. Art was another subject to benefit from the use of ICT, with pictures being created on the screen as well as information about various artists being accessed from the Internet. The use of the computers is a regular feature in literacy and numeracy lessons and this is proving to be an effective source of information as well as being a powerful resource to provide pupils with additional challenge.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

• Creativity is at the heart of the curriculum enabling pupils to develop their skills and proficiency in art, dance and music. Austwick Primary School - 16 27 Creativity is very much at the heart of the pupils’ learning experiences. There is additional attention and focus given to art, music and dance by the staff as they develop their curriculum plans. The school has successfully continued to give much attention to raising and maintaining high standards in literacy and numeracy without losing sight of creative development for their pupils.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

28 In Class 1, much of the youngest pupils’ experiences are drawn from practical and imaginative ideas. This was seen when the reception pupils went on a walk in the outside environment after listening to the story ‘Harriet’ by Debbie Inkpen, about a young hamster’s adventures. The pupils had to explore their environment as though they were hamsters and did so successfully because they are used to this type of approach to their work. The same applies to much of the work seen in Class 2. The teacher’s way of working lends itself to challenging pupils’ thinking. For example, the work on creative writing, using a piece of artwork as a starting point, required the pupils to think deeply about their responses. Many came up with very imaginative ideas and as a result the metaphors and similes began to flow.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

29 Art is given a very high priority. This is seen when reception aged pupils are encouraged to look for some time before responding to snowdrops, or daffodils, found locally. Pupils are used to using a range of media and there is often a combination used for good effect, for example, paint and pastel used for creating a picture of foxgloves. There is emphasis given to line drawing; as was seen in the examples of Year 3 work on local artefacts; texture: as is noted in the work inspired by the artist William Morris; and, form: as was seen in the work related to a chair created by the oldest pupils. The art work is very impressive with pupils being prepared to experiment with different media and using the work of famous artists as an inspiration for their own work.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

30 The same attention is given to music with the school making the most of the support provided by an outside specialist music teacher and other members of the teaching staff as well as classroom assistants. There is a heavy investment in providing music tuition, both for whole classes and for individuals who want to learn to play an instrument. In Class 2, there is an ensemble made up of three cellists, six guitarists, three flautists and seven violinists. When they perform together they achieve a high standard and expend much enthusiasm. Pupils have a good working knowledge of notation, rhythms and note values. Younger pupils in Class 1 experiment with singing, with some acting as echoes for each other. The professional expertise of the teacher helps the pupils reach the correct pitch and rhythm very quickly. Pupils are proud of their musical achievements with most learning to play at least one instrument. All

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

pupils in Year 2 play the recorder. Although no dance work was seen during the inspection there is enough evidence to suggest that dance plays a very prominent role in the lives of the pupils. The combination of art, dance and music adds much to the pupils’ creative experiences and ensures that creativity remains at the heart of the curriculum.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED?

31 The school has no serious key issues, but there are two areas for the school to give further attention to:

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED?

• The outside learning environment for reception-aged children needs further

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enhancement. This has already been identified as a priority in the school

improvement plan. Austwick Primary School - 17 32 The school has already set out plans to further enhance the opportunities for reception-aged pupils to have more access to outdoor play. The present arrangements make it geographically difficult for pupils to have access to an outdoor environment without careful planning. Much of this planning has already been undertaken with governors playing a prominent role in looking at all the possibilities. The school is now seeking to make progress on the intentions outlined in their plans and have allocated funding for the extra work to take place.

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enhancement. This has already been identified as a priority in the school

• The level of attendance is unsatisfactory. (Unauthorised absence too high due to late arrival of pupils and many pupils being on family holidays during term time.)

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enhancement. This has already been identified as a priority in the school

33 The school, through its Governing Body, has already alerted parents to the fact that its attendance rate is lower than the national average. This is mainly due to the number of pupils who are taken on holidays during the school term. The school has been very vigilant in checking on the rate of absenteeism and several letters have already been sent to parents concerning this issue. In addition, too many pupils arrive late for school and this is another issue that the school has addressed with parents.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

34 The school has no main key issues to be dealt with. In order to continue to maintain its strong position the school needs to:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Look towards ways of developing still further the outside environment for reception

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aged children, (Paragraph 32), and

• Continue to seek ways of improving the levels of pupils’ attendance (Paragraph 33). Austwick Primary School - 18

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 33

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

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 15 percentage points.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y5

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 43

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 1

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Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y5

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 1

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 7

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language nil

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

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

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 1

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Attendance

National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5

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Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Austwick Primary School - 19

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

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2002 3 4 7

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

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

Boys 3 3 3 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 4 4 4

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

Percentage of pupils School 100 (75) 100 (100) 100 (100) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (84) 86 (86) 90 (91)

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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

Boys 3 3 3 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 4 4 4

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

Percentage of pupils School 100 (75) 100 (100) 100 (100) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (85) 89 (89) 89 (89)

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

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Austwick Primary School - 20

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – any other Asian background

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – any other Black background

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

The table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. It gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded. Austwick Primary School - 21

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 2.2 Financial year 2001-02

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 19.9

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y5 Total income 146,526

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 2 Total expenditure 147,492

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 45 Expenditure per pupil 4,214

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Recruitment of teachers

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

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Recruitment of teachers

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

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Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) nil

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Recruitment of teachers

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

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) nil

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Recruitment of teachers

FTE means full-time equivalent. Austwick Primary School - 22

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category 81.4%

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

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

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 57 26 3 0 14

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 71 29 0 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 49 34 11 3 3

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 34 46 11 6 3

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 77 17 6 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 74 23 0 0 3

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 40 49 9 3 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 77 23 0 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 77 20 0 0 3

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 40 43 6 0 11

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