Westgate Primary School

WESTGATE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 30 th June to 2 nd July 2003

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WESTGATE 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.

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WESTGATE 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. Westgate Primary School

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Age range of pupils: 4 to 11 (Reception to Year 6)

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Bowling Green Street Warwick Warwickshire Postcode: CV34 4DD

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Nora Holland

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 9 th February 1998 Westgate Primary School

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Michael Miller Registered inspector Information and communication technology Religious education Modern languages What sort of school is it? How high are standards? How well are the pupils taught? How well is the school led and managed? School improvement and effectiveness Ann Taylor Lay inspector Educational inclusion and equal opportunities Pupils’ attitudes, behaviour and personal development The pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural, development Attendance How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? Sylvia Gatehouse Team inspector English and literacy Geography History Special educational needs Gifted or talented pupils English as an additional language The efficiency of the school: financial management and organisation

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Mike Best Team inspector Mathematics and numeracy Music Physical education Foundation Stage The school’s staffing, accommodation and resources for learning

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Bob Battey Team inspector Science Art and design Design and technology How good are the curricular and other opportunities? Educational guidance and assessment

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

The inspection contractor was: TWA Inspections Ltd 102 Bath Road CHELTENHAM Gloucestershire GL53 7JX

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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: The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Westgate Primary School

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

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

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 10

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Westgate Primary School is set in the centre of Warwick close to the mediaeval west gate of the city. It is a community infant and junior school for pupils aged 4 to 11 (Reception to Year 6). It is smaller than most other primary schools. There are 176 pupils on roll, 86 boys and 81 girls. Because of falling rolls in the Warwick area, the school is now smaller than at the time of the previous inspection. It is currently under- subscribed because of the falling rolls and the school is increasingly taking its pupils from outside the catchment area. Most pupils live on local council or private estates in the West Warwick area and travel to school by foot or car. There are currently seven classes, with most pupils joining the reception class at the beginning of the year in which they become five. There are currently no part-time pupils. However, levels of pupil mobility, at over 15 per cent, are high. The attainment of pupils on entry to the school is below

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

average. Most pupils are from white ethnic backgrounds. However, at over 5 per cent, the percentage of pupils from other ethnic groups, or whose mother tongue is believed not to be English, is high. Employment rates in the area are slightly better than the national average, but those for the local ward are below average. At 23 per cent, the proportion of pupils registered for free school meals is just above average. Some 35 per cent of pupils are on the register of special educational needs, which is above average. At over 2 per cent, the proportion of pupils having full statements of special educational need is above average.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Westgate is an improving school, which is popular with its parents because their children are happy and provision for their personal development is good. It has a very caring ethos and a good reputation in the local area. It provides well for pupils with special educational needs. The school shows sound levels of effectiveness because, although standards are average, pupils’ achievement is good. Teaching and learning are good overall. The leadership of the headteacher is good and overall leadership and management are sound. The school provides satisfactory value for money.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What the school does well • The headteacher and senior management have been effective in securing the good improvement since the previous inspection. • Teaching and learning are good overall. • Pupils’ attitudes to learning, and their behaviour, are very good. • The pupils’ personal development is good and provision for their moral and social education is very good. • Provision for pupils with special educational needs is good and they make very good progress. • Links with parents are very good because the school provides them with good quality information.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What could be improved • Standards overall by the end of Year 2 and attainment in science and geography by the end of Year 6. • The use of assessment to identify what needs to be improved to set targets for pupils and to guide teaching. • The school’s provision for gifted or talented pupils. • The role of the school’s key management staff in monitoring the school’s performance. • The effectiveness of the governing body in helping to shape the direction of the school. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS PREVIOUS INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in February 1998. Since then, there has been good improvement overall on the key issues from the previous report. Teaching throughout the school has improved and is now good. The school’s curriculum is now sound and meets statutory requirements. Manageable systems of assessment have been successfully established. However, the use of these satisfactory assessment systems by teachers to plan and set targets for pupils requires further development. The school is committed to improvement but the monitoring and tracking of improvement are not yet systematic enough. Westgate Primary School

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STANDARDS

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

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STANDARDS

Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

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STANDARDS

English E E C B well above average above average A B Mathematics E* E* C B average below average C D Science E* E E D well below average lowest 5% nationally E E*

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STANDARDS

The results of the 2002 National Curriculum assessments for pupils in Year 2 were well below average in reading and mathematics. When compared with all schools nationally, they were very low (in the lowest 5 per cent) in writing. However, the results of the teacher assessments in science were above average. In 2002, boys achieved better than girls in the National Curriculum assessments. However, when looking back over the last three years, there is no consistent pattern indicating significant differences between the genders. Any differences are more closely related to the percentage of boys or girls with special educational needs. In the 2002 National Curriculum tests for pupils in Year 6, results were average for English and mathematics, but well average for science. However, when taking into account the standards the pupils attained when they were in Year 2, the results are above average for English, well above

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STANDARDS

average for mathematics, but below average for science. When compared with all schools nationally, the school’s overall trend for improvement since 1999, when it became a full primary school, has been better than the national trend.

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STANDARDS

By the end of the Foundation Stage, standards in all areas of the children’s learning meet the expectations of the Early Learning Goals. The standards attained by the present Year 2 pupils, as seen during the inspection, are below average in reading, writing, mathematics, science and geography. Attainment is average in information and communication technology (ICT), art, design and technology, history, music and physical education. It is in line with the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus for religious education. Pupils’ achievement is unsatisfactory in geography. It is satisfactory in mathematics, ICT, history, physical education and religious education. Achievement is good in English, science, art, design and technology and music. The standards attained by the present Year 6 pupils, as seen during the inspection, are below average in science and in geography, but average in all other National Curriculum

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STANDARDS

subjects. They are in line with the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus in religious education. However, although achievement is unsatisfactory in geography and satisfactory in religious education, it is good in all other subjects.

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STANDARDS

Pupils with special educational needs, and those for whom English is an additional language, make very good progress because of effective support from their class teachers and learning support assistants. However, although the school provides satisfactorily for the more able pupils, it has only just started to identify pupils who are gifted or talented. Planning for extension or enhancement work for gifted or talented pupils is at an early stage of development and provision is unsatisfactory.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Aspect Comment Attitudes to the school Very good. Pupils enjoy their lessons, and are keen and enthusiastic. Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Very good. Pupils understand the correct way to behave and behaviour has improved considerably since the previous inspection. Personal development and relationships Very good. Relationships throughout the school are warm and friendly and make a significant contribution to the ethos of the school. Attendance Satisfactory. Attendance is in line with the national average. Westgate Primary School

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

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

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Quality of teaching Good Good Good Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that the teaching is adequate and strengths outweigh weaknesses. Overall, the quality of teaching and learning is good throughout the school. The teaching and learning support for pupils with special educational needs is good. The teaching of literacy and numeracy is good throughout the school, because teachers implement the national strategies effectively in lessons. Teaching and learning were good or better in most lessons seen during the inspection. They were very good or excellent in just under a quarter of lessons. They were consistently good in the reception class. Very good teaching was seen in Years 1, 4 and 5. Some excellent teaching was seen in Years 1 and 5. In only one English lesson in Year 6 was unsatisfactory learning or teaching seen. This was because the

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

work was insufficiently challenging for the pupils and the pace of work too relaxed.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

In Years 1 and 2, teaching and learning are sound in mathematics, information and communication technology (ICT), design and technology, geography, history, physical education and religious education. Teaching and learning are good in English, science, art and music. In Years 3 to 6, teaching and learning are unsatisfactory in geography. They are satisfactory in ICT, history and religious education, and good in English, mathematics, science, art, music and physical education.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Characteristics of the very good or excellent teaching relate to the high quality of the working relationships between teachers and pupils. Teachers have worked hard to ensure the personal development of their pupils. They make lesson objectives very clear, so pupils know what is expected of them. Questioning techniques and strategies are very good. Pupils are helped well to become more independent in their approaches to learning. There are high expectations of, and challenge for, all groups of pupils. Lessons are very well planned and the planning is flexible enough to respond to the contributions made by the pupils themselves. Support assistants are used well by the teachers to develop and support pupils’ learning.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Aspect Comment The quality and range of the curriculum Sound. There is a balanced programme of work throughout the school. Statutory requirements are met. The school provides a good range of extra- curricular activities for the pupils. It makes good use of its local environment. Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. The teaching and support provided for pupils with special educational needs are good. Consequently, younger pupils make good progress and older pupils very good progress. Learning support assistants provide good support for pupils. Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Good. Work is well matched to the needs of those pupils whose mother tongue is not, or believed not to be, English. They are challenged sensitively to achieve their potential. Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Good. The pupils’ moral and social development are very strong features,

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

combined with a good quality personal, social and health education programme. Opportunities for the pupils’ cultural, multicultural and spiritual development are good. How well the school cares for its pupils Very well. The school works hard to ensure pupils’ welfare needs are very well catered for and in this it is successful. The school’s procedures for assessment Satisfactory. Procedures for assessment are sound but the practical use of assessment data and information to set targets for pupils’ improvement, and to guide teachers’ planning in order to achieve this, requires improvement. How well the school works in partnership with parents Very well. The school’s relationship with parents has improved significantly since the previous inspection. Much of this is down to the headteacher’s approach and enthusiasm, when working with parents.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Westgate is a strongly inclusive school where everyone is welcomed, regardless of their background or needs. However, the school has not yet fully developed its provision for gifted or talented pupils. Westgate Primary School

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Satisfactory overall. The headteacher has been effective in leading the school in its good improvement since the previous inspection. However, the monitoring and evaluation of standards and pupil performance, by all subject leaders with management responsibility, require further development.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Unsatisfactory overall. In most respects, the governing body serves the school well. However, the governing body is too reliant upon the professional expertise of the headteacher in the monitoring of financial management and areas of improvement planning.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school’s evaluation of its performance Unsatisfactory overall. Monitoring has improved by the headteacher and senior management team. However, although the school prides itself in setting high targets, it requires a sharper focus, through the improved used of performance data and evaluation.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The strategic use of resources Satisfactory overall. Specific grants are used well to improve the quality of educational provision. However, the school relies on the expertise of the local authority to monitor its finances. This has led to some recent difficulties in the interpretation of the school’s financial position. The use of new technology to support the school’s management is satisfactory, but is still developing.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school’s staffing, accommodation and learning resources. Satisfactory overall. Staffing and accommodation are satisfactory. However, the school has encountered considerable difficulties in finding teachers to cover for their absent colleagues. Learning resources are unsatisfactory, particularly in history, geography, design and technology and religious education. The school’s library facilities and provision are also unsatisfactory.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved • Their children like school and the pupils’ behaviour is good. • Teaching is good, enabling their children to make good progress, and teachers set the right amount of homework. • Parents feel comfortable approaching the school with questions or problems. • The school has high expectations of their children, who become mature and responsible. • The school is well led and managed. • The school works closely with parents and they are well informed about their children’s progress. • Some parents would like to see a wider range of activities offered to their children outside lessons.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

The inspection team agrees with most of the parents’ positive views. However, whilst the school is well led by the headteacher, aspects of the school’s management and governance require further development, for example in the more regular monitoring of the school’s finances by the governing body. For a school of its size, Westgate offers its pupils a good range of extra-curricular activities. Westgate Primary School

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. Westgate Primary School is effective because its pupils are enabled to achieve well. By the time pupils leave the school, at the end of Year 6, the overall standards attained by pupils are average and in line with national expectations. Most children enter the school in the reception class with below average levels of attainment. Subsequently, pupils make secure progress as they move through the school. However, standards can, and do, vary between year groups. This is because of the nature of the school’s intake. The school has higher than average numbers of pupils with special educational needs. It is particularly popular with parents of pupils with special needs because of the good quality of its provision for those on its special needs register. Over the past five years, the proportion of pupils with special educational needs has ranged from 20 per cent to over 60 per cent. The family background of the pupils also ranges from relatively affluent

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

professionals to those with significant deprivation. Some year groups have a high percentage of pupils where difficulties relating to their home or personal background affect the individual standards they attain.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. The direct comparison of standards with those at the time of the previous inspection presents difficulties. The school was then emerging from first school to full primary school status and, for example, there were only four pupils in Year 6. The school ran a unit for autistic pupils until this closed in April 2002. However, trends for improvement overall have been positive and the school gained achievement awards for improvement up to 1999-2000 and 2001-2002.

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Foundation Stage: Reception

3. By the end of their reception year, the children have achieved well in meeting their expected levels in their Early Learning Goals 1 . This is from below average levels of attainment when they started at the school. Pupils make good progress in the reception class because the teaching is consistently good and the children learn well because staff have high expectations. Consequently, the children’s experiences in the reception class provide them with a sound foundation to move on to the work of the National Curriculum in Year 1.

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Foundation Stage: Reception

4. Most of the children in the current reception class have successfully achieved the Early Learning Goals. Children reach expectations in the areas of personal, social and emotional development, the areas of language, literacy and communication, in their mathematical development, their knowledge and understanding of the world, their physical development and in their creative development. Children with special educational needs make good progress during their reception year.

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Years 1 and 2

5. Although the school’s results for the Year 2 and Year 6 national tests and assessments became available during the week of the inspection, no national data was available to make comparisons with other schools nationally. The latest data available is for 2002. Consequently, comparisons are made for that year, but trends for 2003 are indicated.

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Years 1 and 2

1 The QCA (Qualifications and Curriculum Authority) has produced a set of ‘Early Learning Goals’ for children in this stage of education. These outcomes are a set of skills, knowledge and understanding that children might be expected to achieve by the age of six. There are six areas of learning: personal, social and emotional development; communication, language and literacy; mathematical development; knowledge and understanding of the world; physical development and creative development. Westgate Primary School 6. The results of the 2002 National Curriculum assessments for pupils in Year 2, based on their average points score 2 , and when compared with similar schools 3 , were well below average in reading and mathematics. When compared with all schools nationally, they were very low (in the lowest 5 per cent) in writing, and taking into account all the Year 2 tests. The percentage of pupils reaching Level 2B 4 or above was well below average for

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Years 1 and 2

reading, writing and mathematics compared with all schools nationally, and with similar schools. The percentage of pupils reaching the higher Level 3 was well below average in reading and mathematics, and below average in writing, when compared with all schools. They were well below average for reading compared with similar schools, but below average for writing and mathematics. During the 2001 to 2002 academic year, the school faced significant difficulties in providing teachers for this class during a maternity leave and in the absences of the teacher covering this. Nevertheless, in 2002, the teacher assessments for science indicated significantly greater success in the subject than in English and mathematics. At the nationally expected Level 2, and the higher Level 3, results were above the national average. When compared with similar schools, results were well above average.

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Years 1 and 2

7. In 2002, boys achieved better than girls in the National Curriculum assessments. However, when looking back over the last three years, there is no consistent pattern indicating significant differences between the genders. Any differences appear more closely related to the percentage of boys or girls with special educational needs. From the data provided by the school, the 2003 tests and assessment, for current Year 2 pupils, indicate overall well below average results in English, mathematics and science. The school’s reasons for this, with which inspectors agree, relate to the high percentage of pupils with special educational needs, over twice the national average, in the current Year 2 class.

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Years 1 and 2

8. Current inspection findings judge that, by the end of Year 2, standards in reading, writing, mathematics, science and in geography, as developed through Years 1 and 2, are below average. Pupils’ attainment is average, in line with national expectations, in information and communication technology (ICT), art, design and technology, history, music and in physical education. Attainment is in line with the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus for religious education. Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory overall by the end of Year 2. It is satisfactory in mathematics, ICT, history, physical education and in religious education. Achievement is good in English, science, art, design and technology and in music. It is unsatisfactory in geography.

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Years 3 to 6

9. When compared with all schools nationally, the school’s overall trend for improvement since 1999, when it became a full primary school, has been better than the national trend. The results of the 2002 National Curriculum tests, for pupils in Year 6, based on their average points score 5 , were average for English and mathematics, but well below average for science. Science depressed the overall results for all core 6 subjects to below average. However, when compared with similar schools, results were above average for English and mathematics and below average for science. When taking into account the standards

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Years 3 to 6

2 Average points scores are calculated for Year 2 tests. For example, the average Level 2B is worth 15 points. A pupil achieving Level 5 in all subjects would therefore have an average points score of 15.0. The national average points score in 2002 was 13.6 for reading; 10.9 for writing; 14.3 for mathematics. 3 In this case, schools with more than 20 and up to 35 per cent of pupils entitled to free school meals. 4 It is the national expectation that pupils should achieve Level 2 and above in the Year 2 National Curriculum assessments. Level 2 is divided into 2C, 2B and 2A, with 2A being the higher level. 5 Average points scores are also calculated for Year 6 tests. For example, the expected Level 4 is worth 27 points. A pupil achieving Level 4 in all three subjects would therefore have an average points score of 27.0. The national average points score in 2002 was 26.8. 6 The National Curriculum core subjects are English, mathematics and science. The foundation subjects are: art; design and technology;

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Years 3 to 6

geography; history; information and communication technology; modern foreign languages; music; physical education. In addition, religious education is taught to the requirements of a locally agreed syllabus. Westgate Primary School the pupils attained when they were in Year 2, the results are above average for English, well above average for mathematics, but below average for science.

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Years 3 to 6

10. The percentage of pupils gaining the nationally expected Level 4, or above, was average for English and mathematics, and below average for science when compared with all schools. However, when compared with similar schools nationally, it was above average for English, well above average for mathematics and average for science. When compared with the pupils’ attainment at the end of Year 2, the percentage of pupils gaining Level 4 was well above average in English and mathematics, and average in science. This shows good overall progress by the pupils concerned, particularly in English and mathematics.

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Years 3 to 6

11. The proportion of the potentially more able pupils gaining the higher Level 5, or above, was below average in English and mathematics and well below average in science when compared with all schools nationally. Results were better when compared with similar schools since they were average in English, well above in mathematics and below average in science. Taking into account the pupils’ progress since they were in Year 2, the 2002 results were above average for English and mathematics, but again below average for science.

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Years 3 to 6

12. From the data provided by the school, the 2003 tests and assessment results, for current Year 6 pupils, indicate attainment in line with national expectations overall, but with significant improvement in science. Initial comparisons with the standards these pupils attained when they were in Year 2 show they have made good overall progress from Years 3 to 6.

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Years 3 to 6

13. During the inspection, the standards seen in lessons and the work of pupils by the end of Year 6 were below expectations in science and geography. Pupils’ attainment met expectations in all other subjects of the National Curriculum. They were in line with the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus in religious education. However, although achievement was unsatisfactory in geography and satisfactory in religious education, it was good in all other subjects of the curriculum.

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The standards of pupils with special educational needs

14. Pupils with special educational needs achieve well, make good progress and reach standards which are good compared with their below or well below average starting points. They are enabled to do this because of the good support they receive during lessons from teachers and classroom support staff. When their work is well matched to their needs, and where support staff are particularly well briefed, pupils with special educational needs achieve very well. For example, in a design and technology lesson, pupils with severe learning difficulties reached very good standards when designing special biscuits for a celebration.

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Standards of literacy and numeracy

15. Standards in literacy are below average by the end of Year 2, but the pupils achieve satisfactorily and make satisfactory progress when compared with their levels of attainment when they entered the school. This progress is maintained at a steady rate through Years 3 to 6. Literacy standards for the oldest pupils are average and their achievement is good.

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Standards of literacy and numeracy

16. Standards in numeracy are similar to those expected of pupils nationally at the end of Year 6. The recent focus on problem solving is helping to raise standards. Pupils successfully use their numeracy skills in geography and science. At the end of Year 2, standards in numeracy are below those expected at this age. However, pupils enjoy dealing with Westgate Primary School numbers and accurately make straightforward calculations but they do not consistently apply what they know to finding ways of solving problems.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

17. Pupils have very good attitudes to school and they behave very well. Relationships are very strong. This is a significant improvement since the previous inspection, when some elements were unsatisfactory.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

18. Pupils enjoy coming to school. They are interested in their lessons and are happy to be involved in class activities. Pupils willingly take part in discussions and there is no shortage of hands shooting up when the teacher asks questions. The large majority are well motivated and eager to learn.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

19. These very positive attitudes were clearly shown in a Year 4 lesson when pupils looked at X-rays and a skeleton and learned how bones grow. Having an actual skeleton in class (clothed in a matching tee shirt!) obviously captured their interest straight away. Their good concentration and high levels of motivation, for example in observing that some people do a lot of their growing early on, led to a discussion about the role of cartilage and the effect of age on bones. Extra learning took place because of pupils’ perceptive questions and the teacher’s enthusiasm for the subject.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

20. Overall, the pupils’ very good behaviour has a positive impact on their learning. They respond well to the code of conduct and school charter, which they helped to compile, and have a good understanding of right and wrong. They are pleased and proud when their names are mentioned in assembly, or entered in the ‘Happy Book’, which one teacher reserves for extra special deeds of kindness and thoughtfulness. They are accustomed to showing respect for school resources, especially when using new equipment in the lovely information and communication technology suite. There is a little bullying, mostly name- calling, which the school deals with well. Pupils agree this is so. There have been no exclusions for poor behaviour and this is the usual picture for the school.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

21. Relationships within the school are very good and pupils make very significant progress in developing their social skills. The large majority show confidence when talking about their behaviour, feelings and experiences with their classmates, especially during circle time 7 , for instance through comments such as, ‘ I wish I hadn’t done it! ’, or when talking about ‘telling’ on each other in the playground.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

22. Pupils contribute enthusiastically to the life of the school and community. They readily accept responsibility for routine classroom jobs which they carry out with care and pride. It is a sign of their interest and enthusiasm that school council members asked the headteacher for more regular meetings, to which she willingly agreed. Councillors are mature and realistic in their understanding that much of what pupils would like cannot be afforded, but are pleased they have secured improvements to the toilets. Older pupils are not afraid of showing initiative and have raised good amounts of money for the Blue Peter Appeal and National Canine Defence League, by organising their own fundraising events.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

23. Attendance rates are satisfactory and in line with national averages. They have remained stable since the previous inspection. A few families are sometimes late for school in the mornings, although the school monitors this carefully.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

7 During Circle Time pupils discuss a wide range of issues. They agree that nobody will interrupt and only one person at a time will speak. They will respect other pupils’ views. Pupils therefore feel confident that they can talk with ease and free from any form of interference of interruption from other children. Westgate Primary School

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Attitudes, values and personal development of pupils with special educational needs

24. Pupils with special educational needs have very positive attitudes in lessons. They work hard, concentrate well and do their best. They show respect and courtesy towards the staff and towards each other. When required, they work together very well in pairs or small groups. For instance, in an information and communication technology lesson, pupils with special educational needs worked together very well, sharing mice and keyboards sensibly, and taking turns.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

25. Overall, the quality of teaching and learning is good throughout the school. It has worked hard to improve the quality of its teaching since the previous inspection, when just over 10 per cent of lessons were unsatisfactory. In 1998, there was a particular problem in Years 1 and 2, where a third of the teaching was unsatisfactory or poor. Overall, the teaching and learning support for pupils with special educational needs has improved and is now good. Current pupils have better levels of self-motivation because the quality of teaching, which underpins and supports their learning, is now good. Teachers’ expectations of pupils are higher than reported in 1998 and there are improved levels of challenge. However, although appropriate work is provided for all groups of pupils, including higher attainers, the school is still developing its provision for those who are gifted or talented.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

26. The headteacher, with the full support and involvement of the senior management team, has instigated a regular programme of lesson observations through which the work of all teachers is monitored. Discussions arising out of lesson observations are subsequently held between the teachers concerned and the headteacher. As a result of this process, sound individual targets for improvement and teachers’ professional development are properly set and agreed. This process has played a valuable and important part in improving the overall quality of teaching and learning. Senior management monitor pupils’ work on a regular basis and subject leaders are invited to join in this. Core subject leaders have half a day a term, and foundation subject leaders half a morning a term, to monitor their subjects. However, this is insufficient time overall to enable them to properly monitor or effectively support the work of other teachers in their subjects or areas of responsibility.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

This currently limits the potential for the sharing of good practice and the development of professional debate. Nevertheless, the school has successfully adopted the range of teaching approaches recommended by the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies and is applying and adapting these successfully in other subject areas.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

27. During the inspection, good teaching was seen across all year groups. Overall, teaching and learning were good or better in nearly 80 per cent of lessons seen during the inspection. There were very good or excellent lessons in just under 25 per cent of those observed. The inspection findings judge the quality of teaching to be consistently good in the reception class. This makes a very important contribution to the learning of children in the Foundation Stage. Very good teaching was seen in Years 1, 4 and 5. Some excellent teaching was seen in Years 1 and 5. In only one lesson was unsatisfactory learning or teaching seen during the inspection. This was a Year 6 English lesson where pupils were involved in work specified for all primary schools within the local authority. This work is subsequently shared with their new secondary schools as a ‘passport’ or ‘bridge’ between the pupils’ primary and secondary education. The lesson was unsatisfactory because the

p.14

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

work was insufficiently challenging for the pupils and the pace of work too relaxed. Pupils were not sufficiently interested in the task and lacked a sense of purpose.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

28. Taking into account all the available inspection evidence, including pupils’ work as well as lessons seen, teaching and learning are good overall in Years 1 and 2 and in Years 3 to 6. In Years 1 and 2, they are sound in mathematics, information and communication technology (ICT), design and technology, geography, history, physical education and Westgate Primary School religious education. Teaching and learning are good in English, science, art and music. In Years 3 to 6, teaching and learning are unsatisfactory in geography. They are satisfactory in ICT, history and religious education. They are good in English, mathematics, science, art, music and physical education. Nevertheless, there are areas for further development and enhancement in the satisfactory or good teaching. These relate particularly to the provision of more challenging extension work for gifted or talented pupils and to the

p.14

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

marking of work to include improved and more consistent guidance which is more specifically focused on what pupils need to do to improve further.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

29. The very good or excellent teaching seen during the inspection was characterised by some major strengths. These strengths reflect well the improvements made since the previous inspection and the response of the teachers to the continuing development of strategies to underpin and support pupils’ learning. They include, for example: § working relationships between teachers and their pupils that are of high quality where teachers have worked hard to ensure the personal development of their pupils; § lessons where teachers make lesson objectives very clear, so that pupils know what is expected of them; § very good questioning techniques and strategies which are aimed at encouraging pupils to think through problems and issues for themselves; § lessons in which pupils are helped well to become more independent in their approaches to learning; § high expectations of, and challenge for, all groups of pupils, including the more able;

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

§ very well planned lessons, ensuring that learning progresses at a good pace and the planning is flexible enough to respond to the contributions made by the pupils themselves; § lessons in which support assistants are used well by the teachers to develop and support pupils’ learning.

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The teaching of pupils with special educational needs

30. Pupils with special educational needs are taught very well. Teachers plan their work carefully, taking into account the targets in pupils’ individual education plans. Teachers work closely with their support staff who are aware of pupils’ targets. They work well with their groups, providing them with good support.

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The teaching of literacy and numeracy

31. The teaching of literacy and numeracy is good across the school. Teachers are familiar with the requirements of these national strategies and have worked hard to establish them in the school. In preparation for children’s move into Year 1, the reception staff gradually introduce the more formal structure of the literacy and numeracy strategies during the latter part of the summer term. Overall, the quality of teaching is good because staff plan their lessons well and manage pupils effectively. Learning objectives are clear, systematically shared with pupils and well reviewed in the final (plenary) part of lessons. However, there is still work to be done to adapt learning more finely to the differing needs of pupils. For example, some numeracy lessons are too long and the pace of learning in mental mathematics is sometimes too slow. Westgate Primary School

p.15

PUPILS?

32. The quality and range of learning opportunities provided are good for children who are under five, at the Foundation Stage of education. For pupils in Years 1 to 6, the quality and range of learning opportunities are satisfactory. The school has improved the range of its curriculum since the previous inspection and it now fully meets statutory requirements in all National Curriculum subjects and religious education. The school has adopted mainly commercial schemes of work for all subjects and for the Foundation Stage. These schemes satisfactorily aid teachers’ planning and support the overall good quality of teaching and learning across the school. However, the school is now starting to review and further develop some of these schemes to meet the specific needs of its pupils. The provision for information and communication technology (ICT) is suitably supported through the provision of a computer suite which allows for whole-class teaching. Pupils

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PUPILS?

usually have sufficient access to the use of a computer in classrooms.

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PUPILS?

33. Lesson observations and an analysis of class timetables show that the required time is given to the teaching of all subjects across the school. Teachers prepare their own timetables and support these through appropriate plans. Most teachers use these to plan their lessons effectively with a satisfactory awareness of the needs of the pupils. Policies for subjects and other areas of provision are satisfactorily in place and have been approved by the governing body. There is a satisfactory, ongoing, programme of policy review. However, teachers who have responsibilities as subject leaders do not have a sufficient means of undertaking their advisory roles in the planning and teaching of the National Curriculum across the school. Their time is too limited to enable them to properly carry out their management roles. Some have not received any recent management training but all subject leaders are involved in the local authority’s scheme of subject

p.16

PUPILS?

support training. The headteacher provides some ongoing training for subject leaders during staff meetings, for example, relating to subject monitoring. Not all subjects have been given a priority for development in the school improvement plan, for example the core subject of science.

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PUPILS?

34. All groups of pupils, including those with special educational needs and English as an additional language, have equal access to the curriculum and there is good access and opportunity for all. There are some occasions when pupils are withdrawn for effective extra help. For example, pupils with special educational needs are helped well in literacy lessons by support staff. Other pupils are withdrawn for reading support and, when the need arises, for behavioural support. Pupils with English as an additional language are adequately identified and supported through the visits of a specialist teacher, who works as part of the local authority support service. The regulations to ensure promotion of good race relations are in place and no pupils are excluded from attending the school because of gender, race, ability or religion. All pupils are enabled to play their full part in the day-to- day life of the school. The governors have not yet indicated to parents, in their annual

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PUPILS?

report, the suitability or otherwise of the school’s accommodation to admit physically disabled pupils and the facilities which the school has for them.

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PUPILS?

35. The school’s extra-curricular provision is good. At present, the school offers pupils a wide range of mainly sporting opportunities. Examples are sports coaching from professional coaches, such as cricket. Two sports coaches organise well-attended lunchtime play sessions. Other activities include, at various times across the year, football, hockey netball, ICT, French, dance, cross-country and athletics. There is no current provision for extra-curricular music, except for the visits by a variety of peripatetic music teachers who provide specialist tuition in a range of different instruments. The school is considering starting an art club. Other activities which enhance the curriculum are educational visits in all year groups and a biannual residential trip to an activity centre. Teachers and outside Westgate Primary School agencies willingly give of their time to effectively support the running of the clubs which

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PUPILS?

pupils attend with enthusiasm and in quite large numbers.

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PUPILS?

36. Links with the local community are good. These include visits from people such as a local vicar who regularly leads assemblies. Good use is made of visiting artists, musicians and drama groups. Visits to museums, art galleries and places of interest, including the local Hill Close Garden and Warwick Castle, offer an interesting balance to classroom lessons. Pupils’ artwork is displayed in local places. Older pupils have sung in a schools’ prom in a local church and younger pupils take part in an Easter bonnet parade around Warwick. Cultural aspects are well considered, with the visit of a South American group who held workshops with three classes and gave a musical performance to the whole school.

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PUPILS?

37. There are good relationships with partner institutions. Effective links are established with the local high schools, other primary schools and charitable organisations. Pupils from Years 5 and 6 benefit from visits to local high schools. There are very good links with a local playgroup, including a representative from this group being on the governing body of the school. There are good links with some of the local authority advisers who work with the school and ably assist it to improve the curriculum.

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PUPILS?

38. The school makes good provision for personal, social and health education. This includes teaching sex education for older pupils, and the dangers of alcohol, smoking and drugs. At present, these are mainly taught within the science programme of work. Good emphasis is placed in classes on sharing thoughts and feelings. Pupils are encouraged to be aware of their responsibilities as well as their rights. Aspects for discussion, such as making choices, pupils’ responsibility, their attitudes and responses to others, are integrated into subject areas and assembly times. The school actively encourages pupils to take on a range of tasks around the school in order to assist with its smooth day-to-day running. The involvement of pupils, and the success of the teaching, is well illustrated by the positive responses pupils make in class to their work. Furthermore, good learning by the pupils and the big improvement in behaviour seen since the previous inspection are

p.17

PUPILS?

reflected in their very good attitudes and their good social and moral development.

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(a) Pupils on the school’s register of special educational need

39. The school provides a good curriculum for pupils with special educational needs. They have full access to all subject areas and activities, including clubs and the many and varied extra-curricular activities. This includes taking part in the good range of school trips and visits organised to enrich the curriculum, for example to Butterfly World.

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(a) Pupils on the school’s register of special educational need

40. Pupils have good individual education plans. Under the relevant guidance of the special educational needs co-ordinator, teachers write targets for their pupils, which are well related to their special educational needs. These targets, in most cases, are well defined and mainly concentrate on improving the pupils’ literacy needs and occasionally their numeracy and behavioural needs. There is a clearly defined period for review. There are good strategies for reviewing these individual education plans, in conjunction with parents, support staff and any involved professionals. This is because the school allocates the time and financial resources to enable the reviews to take place. The learning support staff satisfactorily record the progress of special educational needs. This contributes well to the teachers’ ability to plan for the future learning needs of these pupils. Because of their suitable training and expertise, most learning and classroom assistants offer good levels of

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(a) Pupils on the school’s register of special educational need

support in classes and through the occasional withdrawal of pupils with special educational needs. The present system of review is good because it involves parents well and benefits from an effective oversight from the special educational needs co-ordinator. Westgate Primary School

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(b) Pupils for whom English is a second language

41. There are three pupils at the school whose mother tongue is not or believed not to be English. Provision for these pupils is good. They are taught well and have full access to the curriculum, including the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies. In lessons, they receive good support from class teachers who plan their activities carefully. The pupils are effectively guided and supported by a well-trained team of learning support assistants and, as a consequence, these pupils make good progress. Pupils with English as an additional language have positive attitudes to their learning. They try hard and concentrate well. Their behaviour is very good.

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(c) Pupils who have been identified as being gifted or talented

42. Provision for pupils regarded as gifted or talented, as well as for those identified by the school as ‘more able’, is unsatisfactory. The school has established a register for pupils regarded as gifted or talented and parents were consulted about this. However, although there is some more advanced provision for Year 5 pupils in mathematics, not all gifted or talented pupils are yet challenged sufficiently stringently in other subjects or year groups. The register also includes pupils who are regarded by the school as ‘more able’. Gifted or talented pupils are not achieving the standards of which they are capable because not all teachers make the distinction between the two groups in setting tasks for them in lessons. Insufficient extension or enhancement work is provided for these pupils.

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The National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies

43. The school has sound systems for implementing the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies with a satisfactory range of opportunities for pupils to use their writing and numeracy skills across the curriculum. However, the effectiveness of these strategies is unsatisfactory overall because staff have yet to use assessment and other information to adapt them more closely to the needs of pupils.

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Personal development: the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

44. The overall provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is good. Since the previous inspection, the school has successfully improved all aspects of its work in supporting pupils’ personal development.

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Personal development: the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

45. Spiritual development is good. Themes which pupils are encouraged to explore during circle time are well thought out and relate closely to their experiences and needs. During the inspection, one such occasion was used for discussing how it feels when others unfairly ‘tell’ on you in the playground. This discussion was held to try to overcome the habits of a few pupils in one particular class. Pupils are provided with good opportunities for appreciating the beauty of nature. For one class, this involved a ‘bug hunt’ in Hill Close Gardens, adjacent to the school. The wall display shows pictures of their finds, including snails, aphids on poppies and a spider between parsley and lettuce. Much is made of each individual pupil’s efforts. There are many rewards, such as ‘Star of the Week’, and ways in which the school celebrates how each pupil is special, for instance by presenting them with a birthday card in assembly.

p.18

Personal development: the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

46. Provision for pupils' moral and social development is very good and moral development has significantly improved. The daily act of collective worship complies with statutory requirements, and assemblies are well planned and contribute strongly to moral and social provision. The school is very good at helping pupils understand the difference between right and wrong, and how they must think about the correct choices to make. For example, they were fully involved in deciding their own classroom code of conduct and school charter. The headteacher places great emphasis on pupils learning the correct Westgate Primary School ways to behave, by modelling themselves on the adults who work in the school. She sets the tone in her caring approach and in the respect afforded to each pupil. Very good relationships make a significant contribution to the school's positive atmosphere. The school council, formed since the previous inspection, provides a good forum where pupils

p.18

Personal development: the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

can express their views and influence change. Part of the school’s good personal, social and health education programme involves aspects which encourage pupils to be responsible citizens. This is another effective way in which they are carefully guided. For example, pupils in Year 3 were taken to Priory Park to look at the environment and to encourage them to think how it can be improved. As a result, they wrote to the council complaining about the litter.

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Personal development: the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

47. Cultural provision continues to be good. Visits from artists, poets and musicians are regular features of school life and a particular strength of the provision. This is mostly because the school takes full advantage of the local authority’s support services, of which they speak very highly. This partnership has seen pupils produce some high quality, large-scale group artwork with a visiting artist, using an African style and interpretation. The school, valuing pupils’ hard work, has ensured these pictures are carefully looked after and treasured. Buying into the annual summer Warwick Arts Festival adds another dimension to the activities the school offers. Last year, this meant pupils were able to take part in a poetry workshop. The Armonico Consort, supported by the Henry VII charity, provided pupils with a Christmas workshop to look at carols through the ages, Tudor dance and song.

p.19

The personal development of pupils with special educational needs

48. The school provides good opportunities for the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils with special educational needs. They attend all assemblies, take part in celebrations in the local church and have many opportunities to work and play together during the course of the school day. Pupils with special educational needs have good opportunities to appreciate the difference between right and wrong, and know and understand the school’s code of conduct displayed around the building. They have access to all cultural activities, such as visitors to school, and visits to places of interest in the locality, such as the Dolls’ Museum.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

49. The school’s aims include the desire to provide a ‘caring and supportive environment’. All staff successfully achieve this at Westgate Primary. The standard of support and care for pupils has improved since the previous inspection.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

50. Procedures for child protection, safety and welfare are of very good quality and are well established. The school has developed very good procedures for dealing with child welfare concerns. The headteacher is the designated child protection co-ordinator and attends regular update courses. She spends a considerable amount of time attending case conferences and liasing with external agencies, because of the degree of need within the school. This is increasingly taking up the headteacher’s time because there is currently no other member of staff, fully trained to designated status, who can support her in this work.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

51. The school’s good personal, social and health education programme is seen as vitally important by staff and is given high priority. It provides another strand of the very good support and guidance pupils receive. This approach is carried right through to the school tuck shop where, in the interests of pupils’ well-being, sensible snacks are sold rather than chocolate biscuits. Westgate Primary School 52. Procedures to ensure pupils’ health and safety are good. Much of this is down to the involvement of a governor who takes his role very seriously and devotes a good amount of time to establishing procedures and conducting checks. He recognises the health and safety policy is old and plans are in place to update it. Risk assessments are undertaken regularly and procedures continually refined and improved.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

53. Overall, the ways in which the school monitors and promotes regular attendance are good. The headteacher is constantly vigilant to ensure the school’s attendance remains at least stable. Any unauthorised absences are followed up carefully and parents are spoken with informally, often as they bring their children to school in the mornings. The headteacher keeps her own detailed records, updated on a monthly basis, as to how the attendance picture is developing. When appropriate, good use is made of the services of the educational welfare officer. The headteacher is pleased with the improvements of specific families, over time. Her initial approach is to offer families help, rather than blame them for their child's non-attendance. This approach is working well.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

54. Parents are pleased with the high standards of behaviour in the school and systems for monitoring and promoting good behaviour are good. They have particularly improved over the years. Class teachers, and key stage 8 co-ordinators, keep records carefully of any poor behaviour. The school helps create a happy atmosphere which promotes good behaviour and self-discipline, and the behaviour policy is consistently followed. There is good contact between school and the parents of children whose behaviour gives concern. The use of ‘time out’ 9 , where pupils can cool down, is used effectively. Teachers write pupils’ names on the board to serve as warnings and this mostly prevents small incidents of misbehaviour from escalating.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

55. Procedures for monitoring and eliminating any oppressive behaviour are good. The headteacher places great store on listening and responding to pupils’ views. She plans to act on the results of a school survey which showed a small minority of pupils had worries they were not sharing with others. Pupils are happy the school takes any bullying incidents seriously and inspection evidence supports this view. However, pupils point to the ‘Problem Box’ 10 not being used and feel it needs to be publicised and made more prominent. Having seen it sitting on the floor, inspectors agree totally, although the school states pupils do use it regularly in order to communicate any concerns they may have about school life.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

56. The way the school monitors and supports pupils’ personal development is good. Staff are very aware of and sensitive to the personal and home circumstances of each pupil. Perceptive comments written on pupils’ annual reports about their attitudes to work and personalities demonstrate this to be so.

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The care and welfare of pupils with special educational needs

57. The school is a caring community and provides a high standard of care for pupils with special educational needs. In classes, pupils are supported and guided in their work discreetly and sensitively. In the playground, and in classrooms during wet playtimes, supervisors take great care to watch over the pupils diligently.

p.20

The care and welfare of pupils with special educational needs

58. The school has a very good system of record keeping for each pupil with special educational needs which contains many samples of work over the years. The individual education plans are of a very good standard and contain relevant targets across literacy

p.20

The care and welfare of pupils with special educational needs

8 Key Stages: the Key Stage 1 coordinator has overall responsibility for Reception and Years 1 and 2. The Key Stage 2 coordinator has overall responsibility for the work of Years 3 to 6. 9 Time out: this is where pupils are given a short time away from the rest of the class to think about their behaviour and calm down. 10 This is a 'letterbox' in the school where pupils may post any written comments or concerns they may have concerning bullying or any other matters. They may do this anonymously if they wish. Westgate Primary School and numeracy. Pupils are invited to evaluate how well they are doing and their classroom support assistants also write evaluations to celebrate pupils’ success.

p.20

Assessment

59. The procedures for assessing pupils’ attainment and progress are satisfactory. Testing of children on entry to the school in the reception class is carried out well. For older pupils, the school uses tests in reading to assess the levels of attainment of pupils across the school. For younger pupils, it records the levels of attainment in English, mathematics and science according to the National Curriculum programme of study. However, examination of these records shows some inaccuracy in the levels attained by individual pupils. The use of record sheets to track pupils’ progress, matched to National Curriculum programmes of study, is not fully in place from Year 3 onwards. It is undertaken for English, mathematics, science and information and communication technology, but not for the other subjects. Nevertheless, these assessments and teachers’ records of concern, are used effectively to assist in the early identification of pupils with special educational

p.21

Assessment

60. The use of assessment information to guide teachers’ planning of the curriculum is unsatisfactory. In lessons, teachers do not sufficiently use gathered and recorded data to monitor the pupils’ academic performance or to analyse trends in performance. There is not enough attention given to making comparisons between year groups or the relative achievement of boys and girls.

p.21

Assessment

61. In many lessons, all pupils are given the same tasks, irrespective of their abilities. Teachers’ planning for English, mathematics and science insufficiently reflects the information gained from the use of assessment. However, in these subjects, teachers do group pupils for tasks according to the type of support or resource considered appropriate for the pupils’ needs. Overall, work is insufficiently matched to the needs of individual or groups of pupils, for example the gifted or talented. Nevertheless, assessments have led to individual target setting which is starting to help pupils to better understand their own learning. However, the targets are usually either too broad, too few, or the same for many pupils. They do not sufficiently inform the pupils of the small steps which must be taken to make improvement. The school has not yet devised a common assessment procedure for all subjects. The marking of pupils’ work to inform them what to do next is under-

p.21

Assessment

developed. Some teachers are properly undertaking this type of marking, but the practice is inconsistent across the school. The newly appointed assessment co-ordinator has some relevant ideas for the further development of assessment but these have not yet been adopted across the school.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

62. Parents have positive views of the school which reflect typical school practice well. Since the previous inspection, the headteacher has spearheaded huge improvements in the relationships between school and home, resulting in some very effective links.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

63. About one quarter of all of parents returned their questionnaires and slightly fewer attended the meeting with Ofsted inspectors. Despite this relatively low response, many more parents replied positively to the questionnaire about different aspects of school life than is often seen.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

64. Overall, parents feel their children make good progress at school and agree the teaching is good. They are very happy with the values and attitudes promoted by the school. The overwhelming majority are pleased with the standards of behaviour and feel comfortable approaching the school should they need to. Inspectors agree with the parents’ positive views. Westgate Primary School 65. Only one minor issue emerged from the questionnaire and that was dissatisfaction with the range of activities the school provides outside lessons, known as extra-curricular activities. This is the one area where inspectors disagree with parents. There is a good range of extra-curricular activities, including different sports, a dance club, French club and games. Overall, this is better than is seen in some schools of a similar size.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

66. The school is constantly looking for ways to develop further the very good relationship with parents. The quality and quantity of information provided for parents is good. There is plenty of guidance on how parents can help their children, through the termly class letters sent out by teachers. These are friendly and welcoming and seek to involve parents, for example by encouraging them to loan resources: ‘ … any small sculptures would be appreciated! ’ as requested by one class. Fortnightly school newsletters are upbeat and nicely presented, conveying warmth and a willingness to keep parents up to date with everything happening in school. Pupils' annual reports contain a satisfactory amount of information about their progress. Reports give a clear overview of progress made and contain relevant targets to help pupils improve in literacy and numeracy.

p.22

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

67. One of the school’s strengths in its relationship with parents is its willingness to listen and to respond to their views. For instance, in the school’s own survey last year, a few parents said they would welcome more information about how their children are getting on. In response, interim reports were trialled but, after consideration, the school is to rearrange its autumn term parents’ evening and make it more focused on progress, rather than simply being a ‘settling in’ evening.

p.22

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

68. Parents’ involvement makes a significant contribution to the life and work of the school. The hardworking Friends of Westgate School (FOWS), established since the previous inspection, are making a positive contribution to school life. They raise a good amount of money, enabling purchases the school would otherwise be unable to afford. They have recently been able to buy two new computers. Parents who are governors give freely of their time and a few parents and other relatives come and help in classes.

p.22

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

69. In addition to the school’s very good partnership, there is useful involvement from a family literacy worker who helps to give a few parents more confidence and knowledge about ways they can help their children at home. Those parents involved especially value this initiative.

p.22

The work of the school with parents of pupils with special educational needs

70. The school works very hard and conscientiously to involve parents of pupils with special educational needs in the work of, and provision for, their children. Letters and invitations, copies of individual education plans and reports are sent home regularly, together with information about the work that pupils with special educational needs will be doing in the term ahead. Unfortunately, parents do not always respond positively to these approaches. Consequently, opportunities are lost to work closely with the school to support their children as fully and profitably as possible. Westgate Primary School

p.22

the school

71. The leadership and management of the school are satisfactory, overall. The leadership of the headteacher is good and her management skills are effective. These qualities are recognised by parents and governors alike as having played an important and central role in securing the good improvement since the previous inspection. However, there are some important elements in the management and governance of the school which now require review and additional development in order to help the school in its desire to improve further. The shared commitment of staff and governors to improvement and their capacity to succeed in this are clearly good. The reflection of the school’s aims and values in its work is good overall. There are very good elements in the way the school promotes the worth of each individual pupil, the values of respect and tolerance and the development of a caring and supportive environment.

p.23

the school

72. The headteacher works very hard. In the past, she has had to take on considerable levels of responsibility without delegation. An example of this is in child protection. The headteacher is the person responsible and provision for pupils is very good. However, work with outside agencies is increasingly taking up the headteacher’s time as there is no second person specifically trained to share this work. Nevertheless, the headteacher has worked hard since the previous inspection to properly delegate responsibility where it should be rightly placed. A successful example of this is in the development of the role of the special educational needs co-ordinator. However, the full development of the role of subject leaders is not yet complete. Their approach is satisfactorily changing from straightforward co-ordination into the management and leadership of their areas of responsibility. Nevertheless, they have yet to take on fully, for example, their strategic

p.23

the school

management roles for the monitoring of their subjects or the analysis of performance data in order to target better for further improvement in standards.

p.23

the school

73. The headteacher and governors set the school very challenging targets relating to standards. This is part of their high expectations and desire to improve. However, these targets are not always realistically related to the pupils’ abilities and, consequently, the school has been inconsistent in meeting them. The school is developing sound systems of pupil assessment which it expects will provide it with more focused information on individuals and groups of pupils. The use of such assessment data to set targets and help in its analysis of pupils’ performance is, therefore, an area for further improvement. The school has a sound understanding of its performance in relation to other schools locally, but has not developed sufficiently well a broader perspective, for example in comparing its performance with other and similar schools nationally. Consequently, the monitoring and evaluation of the school’s performance overall is unsatisfactory. The evaluation element,

p.23

the school

in particular, is not fully developed. When asked, the school can explain its targets and trends in performance because the knowledge is with the teachers but these evaluations are not well or rigorously enough recorded. Development planning is satisfactory, with some good elements in the school’s strategy for consultation between staff and governors. However, improvement planning is limited to one year and thinking relating to longer-term strategies is not evident.

p.23

the school

74. The school and its governors work well together. The governing body serves the school well in most respects. The majority of individual governors give freely of their time and energy in support of the school. The governors show a good commitment to the school and an appreciation of its role within the local community. The governing body is a good and valued friend to the school. However, it is not always critical enough in holding the school to account. For example, there is an important weakness in its monitoring of the school’s finances, which is explained in paragraphs 80 to 83 below. In some such Westgate Primary School respects, the governing body has become over reliant on the headteacher for information and guidance. Therefore, its current effectiveness in fulfilling its responsibilities is unsatisfactory. Nevertheless, governors are now becoming more involved in taking responsibility for monitoring the work of subjects through, for example, visits to the school

p.23

the school

and discussions with subject leaders. This is positive action on the part of the governing body. It is aimed well in helping them to understand better the strengths and areas for improvement for the school.

p.24

educational needs

75. The special educational needs co-ordinator is currently absent on maternity leave. She has set up a very good raft of support systems which the acting co-ordinator is putting into full swing with enthusiasm and efficiency. She liaises closely with class teachers and support staff and has a good working relationship with the governor who has an interest in special educational needs. The acting co-ordinator assists staff in writing individual education plans and spends much time in dispersing these and other documents around the school. Overall, the new Code of Practice 11 for special educational needs is being soundly implemented. However, the co-ordinator’s time in the school is very limited. Considering the very high number of pupils with special educational needs, the amount of time allocated to the management of special educational needs is insufficient.

p.24

The school’s staffing, accommodation and resources for learning

76. The school is sufficiently staffed by properly qualified and experienced teachers. Suitably experienced support staff make a valuable contribution to pupils’ learning and the smooth running of the school. Job descriptions are in place for all staff and these are regularly reviewed. The school’s strategy for the performance management of teachers is good. The provision meets statutory requirements and objectives effectively support individual and whole-school priorities. A regular programme of lesson observations is in place and objectives are closely linked to teachers’ continuing professional development (in-service training). The school makes satisfactory arrangements for the induction of new staff. There is sound provision for the training of new teachers and students who are following child-care and education-related courses.

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The school’s staffing, accommodation and resources for learning

77. The accommodation is adequate for the teaching of the curriculum. The main building has been adapted and extended over the years and, whilst not ideal, the best use is made of the available space. However, there is a shortage of storage space which means some learning resources are only accessible with the use of a stepladder. The removal of the stage from the school hall has resolved the concerns in the previous inspection about the space available for physical education but it is still cluttered by equipment. The school has recently established a good quality suite for the specialist teaching of information and communication technology. A small fenced area has been provided recently for children in the Foundation Stage for outside activities and learning but it is not big enough for them to use large equipment. There is no grassed area within the school site but good arrangements are in place for pupils in Years 3 to 6 to use the local sports club’s fields for

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The school’s staffing, accommodation and resources for learning

78. Display around the school is of good quality and reflects the encouragement and celebration of pupils’ work. The school itself is free of litter and does not suffer from vandalism or misuse by its pupils who show care and concern for the school’s environment. The school is undergoing a programme of redecoration which is almost

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The school’s staffing, accommodation and resources for learning

11 Code of Practice – this gives practical advice to schools and local education authorities about their responsibilities and tasks to ensure that pupils who have special educational needs receive the most appropriate help to further their learning and personal development. This is a statutory duty under the 2001 Education Act. Westgate Primary School complete. In the absence of a permanent caretaker, a parent has willingly stepped into the role to ensure the continued care and maintenance of the buildings.

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The school’s staffing, accommodation and resources for learning

79. The adequacy of learning resources is unsatisfactory overall. They are unsatisfactory in design and technology, history, geography and religious education. In other subject areas, special educational needs and the Foundation Stage, learning resources are satisfactory. There has been satisfactory investment to support the introduction of the National Strategies for Literacy and Numeracy and the development of information and communication technology. However, the library provision is insufficient to promote and develop pupils’ independent research and study skills. Access to the school library is difficult as it is in a temporary classroom which is also used for the teaching of music. Improvements to the library have been part of the school’s improvement planning but have not been carried out due to financial constraints.

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The school’s financial management and efficiency

80. The present management of the financial resources available to the school is unsatisfactory. This is because governors do not receive regular information about the school’s expenditure against planned budget headings. Consequently, in determining the future direction and development of the school, the governors have not been sufficiently engaged in linking the priorities of the school improvement plan to planned expenditure.

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The school’s financial management and efficiency

81. There is currently some uncertainty on the part of the school’s governance and management as to the full range of financial services provided to the school under its agreement with the local authority. Although the governing body is presented with full and proper details of the school’s finances at the annual budget-setting meeting, they have not been given the regular summary financial reports throughout the year. Consequently, governors have been disadvantaged in properly identifying trends and in the consideration of contingency planning. Because of this, the governing body is insufficiently aware of the best value principles of comparison, challenge, consultation and competition. This is a situation requiring urgent action on the part of the governing body and the management of the school.

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The school’s financial management and efficiency

82. However, there have been some very recent changes in the composition of the governing body. There is now a new governor leading the finance committee who, although new to his responsibilities, is taking a conscientious approach to resolving the issues. Discussions with the school indicate systems to rectify the problem are being planned and relevant meetings between the headteacher, the new chair of finance and the local authority are shortly to take place. The governing body does appreciate, however, that the school secretary manages the day-to-day financial systems satisfactorily, successfully combining these responsibilities with her other many and varied duties. The school’s finances currently show a contingency fund of nearly one-fifth of the school’s income. At the time of the inspection, all this had been allocated to ensure that the number of teachers, classes and class sizes are maintained through to the end of the 2003-04

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The school’s financial management and efficiency

academic year, when it is expected the budget will be balanced.

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The school’s financial management and efficiency

83. The governors have organised themselves into committees and some individual governors are paired with individual classes or subjects. This is good practice, enabling them to catch a glimpse of how the school’s finances are spent. For example, in observing the provision for the many pupils with special educational needs, in lessons, they see how the school’s finances are put to good use. Since the previous inspection, the chair of governors, together with the headteacher, has attended training courses in financial management. Westgate Primary School

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Value for money

84. Overall, the school is providing a good quality of education for its pupils who achieve well. Teaching and learning are good. Pupils’ attitudes towards school, and their behaviour, are very good. Pupils’ personal development and working relationships between pupils and teachers are very good. Standards are average overall by Year 6 but the pupils start from a below average base on entry to the school. The leadership and management of the school are satisfactory overall. The school’s unit costs per pupil are higher than average in comparison with national figures. Overall, the school’s improvement since the previous inspection has been good. The commitment of the school to improve further and its capacity to succeed in this are also good. Consequently, the inspection team finds that the school is currently showing sound levels of effectiveness and is providing overall satisfactory value for money.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

85. In order to secure further improvement, and to build on the school’s good

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the end of Year 2 by:

• building on the good practice which has been developed to support Foundation Stage children in the reception class; • fully implementing the school’s current development planning in order to raise standards in pupils’ literacy, particularly writing and spelling; • adapting and further enhancing the school’s numeracy strategy and mathematics scheme of work to meet more closely the specific needs of all individual pupils; • improving the school’s systems for tracking pupils’ progress in Years 1 and 2 and setting appropriate targets; • developing and implementing a wider range of teaching strategies to further support all groups of pupils with challenging learning needs; (see paragraphs: 6 to 8, 15, 115, 117, 119, 127 to 128, 130, 132, 141)

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(b) raise attainment in science by the end of Year 6 by:

• ensuring a greater consistency in the coverage of the National Curriculum programme of study; • ensuring the targets for improvement given to pupils are better matched to their individual needs; • improving marking in the subject to ensure pupils are guided better in what they need to do next to improve; • ensuring the subject is given proper priority in the school’s improvement plan; (see paragraphs: 9 to 11, 13, 33, 142, 144, 146 to 147, 149)

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(c) raise attainment in geography by the end of Year 6 by:

• reviewing and evaluating the way the curriculum for geography is organised; • ensuring the curriculum includes progression between year groups in the acquisition of skills, knowledge and understanding; • improving the quality of teaching of the subject throughout the school; • developing assessment systems to ensure planning is adjusted to meet the needs of pupils and provide exciting and vibrant lessons; • conducting an audit of resources and providing sufficient resources to support the chosen topics effectively; Westgate Primary School • reviewing the use of teaching and learning materials, through Years 3 to 6, to ensure materials are matched to pupils’ needs and abilities; (see paragraphs: 13, 28, 165 to 166, 168 to 169)

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can do better, to set targets for pupils and to guide teaching by:

• developing fully the role and responsibilities of the newly appointed assessment co- ordinator; • making full use of the school’s software for the collection and analysis of data on pupils’ attainment and progress; • ensuring teachers make more effective use of gathered and recorded data to monitor the pupils’ academic performance and to analyse trends in performance; • giving greater attention to making comparisons between year groups, different groups of pupils or the relative achievement of boys and girls; • establishing a system of moderated portfolios of pupils’ work in order to set expected standards and to use as examples and encouragement for pupils; (see paragraphs: 43, 60 to 61, 73, 115, 120, 124, 127, 139, 142, 147, 149 to 150, 154, 158, 163, 165, 169, 180, 186, 190, 196 to 197, 202, 204, 207)

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(3) develop the school’s provision for gifted or talented pupils by:

• ensuring staff fully understand and appreciate the distinction between higher attaining pupils and those who are gifted or talented; • planning and setting additional work, including homework, which provides sufficient challenge for gifted or talented pupils; • providing extension and enhancement work designed to develop the particular gifts or talents of the pupils; (see paragraphs: 25, 28, 42, 115, 124, 180, 185, 204, 207)

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performance by:

• ensuring all subject leaders, as part of their strategic management role and development, are fully trained in the use of assessment data and other performance information to set more informed targets related directly to teaching and learning; • broadening the school’s perspective of its performance in national, as well as local, terms; • ensuring all subject leaders have the necessary time to monitor teaching and learning in their subjects and to share and promote the very good and excellent practice which exists within the school; (see paragraphs: 26, 33, 71 to 72, 150, 158 to 159, 164, 170, 204 to 205)

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of the school by:

• reviewing and developing the positive partnership role which exists between the headteacher and governing body, in order to ensure the more effective sharing and delegation of management and governance, responsibilities and practice; • ensuring the governing body is regularly and more fully informed about the financial position of the school in order that it may determine better the school’s future direction based on priorities linked to longer-term improvement planning; • ensuring that challenging but realistic targets are set for the school which are more effectively and sharply informed by the improved analysis and use of performance data on pupils. (see paragraphs: 71, 73 to 74, 80 to 83)

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of the school by:

86. In addition to the main areas for improvement, governors and senior management

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should consider the following subsidiary issues:

Westgate Primary School (6) improve the school’s resources for learning: • in the school library, in order to support more fully the pupils’ development as independent learners; • in the resources necessary to support pupils who may be gifted or talented; • in resources to further support learning in design and technology, history, geography and religious education; • in the further development of information and communication technology software resources for everyday classroom use to enhance pupils’ learning through other subjects of the curriculum. (see paragraphs: 79, 136, 158, 163, 165, 169 to 170, 179, 187, 206, 212) Westgate Primary School

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 27

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very poor

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Percentage 7 16 56 19 2 0 0 The table gives the number and percentage of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about teaching. Care should be taken when interpreting these percentages as each lesson represents more than two percentage points.

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 167

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 38 FTE means full-time equivalent.

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 7

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 58

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

English as an additional language No of pupils

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 9

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 15

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 13

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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. Westgate Primary School Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2) Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2002 11 18 29

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Boys 7 7 8 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 10 11 13

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Percentage of pupils School 59 (82) 62 (79) 72 (89) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (84) 86 (86) 90 (91)

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Boys 8 8 10 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 12 12 18

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Percentage of pupils School 69 (82) 69 (89) 97 (93) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (85) 89 (89) 89 (89)

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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 12 20 32

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Boys 9 10 9 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 15 15 18

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Percentage of pupils School 75 (63 78 (33) 84 (74) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 73 (71) 86 (87)

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Percentage of pupils School 81 (63) 84 (44) 81 (48) 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. Westgate Primary School Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

White – any other White background 4 0 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Mixed – any other mixed background 0 0 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Asian or Asian British - Pakistani 0 0 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 0 0 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Black or Black British – Caribbean 0 0 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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. Westgate Primary School Teachers and classes Financial information

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 8.8 Financial year 2002-2003

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 19.1

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 496,506

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total number of education support staff 12 Total expenditure 471,543

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total aggregate hours worked per week 220 Expenditure per pupil 2,841

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Balance brought forward from previous year 70,088

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Balance carried forward to next year 12 94,601 FTE means full-time equivalent.

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 1

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 1.4

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0 FTE means full-time equivalent.

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

12 NOTE: This carry forward represents one-fifth of the school’s budget. This amount represents a contingency fund to meet the current financial year’s expected deficit budget and has been set aside by the school to ensure the numbers of teachers, classes and class sizes is maintained through to the end of the 2003-04 academic year, when it is expected the budget will be balanced. Westgate Primary School Results of the survey of parents and carers Questionnaire return rate: 25%

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Percentage of responses in each category

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

My child is making good progress in school. 73 27 0 0 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Behaviour in the school is good. 34 64 2 0 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 41 52 5 0 2

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 66 29 5 0 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 76 24 0 0 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 66 32 2 0 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

The school works closely with parents. 59 36 5 0 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

The school is well led and managed. 61 35 2 0 2

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 66 32 0 0 2

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 27 57 7 2 7 Westgate Primary School

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

87. Overall, the quality of provision in the Foundation Stage is good .

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Strengths:- • The quality of teaching is good and children make good progress in all area of learning. • Children’s skills are systematically developed. • Children with learning difficulties are well supported. Areas for improvement:- • The more regular provision for children to use a range of large-wheeled vehicles and equipment.

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Standards in the areas of learning:- Foundation Stage

Standards in children’s work and lessons seen by inspectors: Meet the required early learning goals

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These standards are attained because:-

Children’s achievement in relation to what can be expected of them is: Good The quality of teaching is: Good The quality of children’s learning is: Good Children’s attitudes to their work are: Good The progress children make as they move through the year is: Good Progress made by children with special educational needs is: Good Progress made by children with English as an additional language is: Good Provision for children who are gifted or talented is: Insufficient evidence

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Other contributory factors:-

The contribution to the children’s personal development is: Good The leadership of the Foundation Stage is: Good The management of the Foundation Stage is: Good Improvement since the previous inspection has been: Good

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Commentary:-

88. Children enter the reception class at the start of the school year following their fourth birthday. Many come from the privately run pre-school group which shares the same site as the school. There are good links between pre-school providers and the reception staff and this ensures a smooth transition to full-time education. Relations with parents and carers are good. Nearly all the children in the reception class had reached five years of age at the time of this inspection. The good provision reported at the time of the previous inspection has been maintained.

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Commentary:-

89. Simple checks made, once children have settled into the reception class routine, show that many lack the skills and experiences expected for their age. There is, however, a wide range, with some children demonstrating above average skills in many different areas of learning. During the course of the school year, a number of children have joined the class and, although most have had some experience of pre-school education, the nature of this varies considerably.

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Commentary:-

90. The inspection team’s overall judgement is that attainment on entry to the school of this year’s reception class is below average. Evidence from previous years indicates attainment on entry is sometimes well below average. Year group sizes are relatively small and children’s needs vary considerably from year to year. Information provided by Westgate Primary School the school shows, during the past five years, that the proportion of children in the reception class with special educational needs has ranged from just under 20 to over 60 per cent.

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Commentary:-

91. There are good assessment procedures in place. The testing of pupils on entry to the school is used to help develop planning in the reception class and to shape targets for children to achieve by the end of Year 2. Staff plan to the required national ‘ Stepping Stones’ for the Foundation Stage. They make sound use of the information they gather about children’s day-to-day progress to build up a profile for each child. This is passed on to Year 1 teachers at the end of each year.

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Commentary:-

92. The Foundation Stage is fully inclusive for all children. Boys and girls take part in a similar range of learning experiences. Children with special educational needs are well supported, often on a one-to-one basis, and make good progress. Children from minority ethnic groups settle happily into school life and get on well with everyone.

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Commentary:-

93. Teaching and learning are consistently good. Effective teaching encourages children to make choices and decisions about their learning and to develop their confidence and independence. Staff successfully balance adult-guided and child-chosen experiences. In guided group work, good teaching is enabling children who work at a faster rate to reach higher levels with their reading, writing and number work. As a result of this good teaching, children achieve well. In all areas of learning, they make good progress. The majority of children are expected to achieve the Early Learning Goals in all areas of learning by the time they start in Year 1.

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Personal, social and emotional development

94. By the time they enter Year 1, the majority of children are expected to achieve the Early Learning Goals in this area of learning. When they start in the reception class, many children’s personal and social skills are below average. However, teaching is good and staff have high expectations of children. They effectively encourage children to take turns, offer ideas and speak confidently within a familiar group. They kindly, but firmly, reinforce children’s understanding of right and wrong and help children to appreciate how selfish actions can affect others. Those who join the class during the year mostly settle well into established routines, although some need regular reminders about sharing and respecting the work of others.

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Personal, social and emotional development

95. Good relationships between children and adults encourage them to have greater confidence when approaching new and unfamiliar experiences. A good feature of teaching is the way in which expectations and boundaries are well defined. For example, after a particularly warm and exuberant lunchtime, the teacher calmed the class down and made it quite clear the sort of behaviour and self-control she expected whilst she took the register and read a story to the class. The children rose well to the challenge and were suitably praised for their efforts. Likewise, in a physical development lesson in the hall, children behaved impeccably whilst staff set out and checked equipment.

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Personal, social and emotional development

96. The effectiveness of this approach is particularly evident when children are working independently with construction equipment. They show good initiative as they plan and improve their models and are justifiably proud of the finished results. Children take good responsibility for tidying away materials and equipment at the end of lessons. They listen carefully to each other, as demonstrated when the class representatives on the school council reported on a meeting they had attended. Important messages about not frightening the tadpoles, and behaviour in the playground, were passed on. Most importantly, however, was the warning that children should not fall asleep during assembly. The children received this with considerable solemnity and concern! Westgate Primary School 97. Most children change their clothes for physical activities quickly and without assistance. At lunchtime, they eat independently with the minimal amount of help, for example with

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Personal, social and emotional development

wrappers, lids and in peeling fruit. Children are aware of the importance of healthy eating, particularly about the problems caused by eating too many sweets or crisps. They are fully independent in using the toilet, although some need regular reminders about the importance of washing their hands.

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Language, literacy and communication

98. Children make good progress in all aspects of this area of learning and the majority are expected to achieve the Early Learning Goals by the time they enter Year 1. Children make good progress in the development of speaking and listening skills. Teaching is effective because staff make good use of questioning and encourage children to give full and detailed answers. Staff discreetly, but effectively, help children who find difficulty in putting their ideas into words by modelling responses. Most children talk freely in small groups and some are particularly confident in addressing the whole class. They listen attentively and respond positively to stories.

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Language, literacy and communication

99. Children enjoy sharing ‘Big Book’ stories. Many recognise, by sight, familiar words in books and around the classroom. Good attention from staff in helping children to link letters to sounds helps them to develop successfully early reading skills. Children confidently talk about familiar characters in stories. Some explain successfully the role of the author and illustrator and most are comfortable in using pictures to help explain the storyline. They know a story has a beginning, a middle and an ending and can suggest, for example, an alternative ending to the story of ‘The Three Pigs’.

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Language, literacy and communication

100. Although some children can write independently by the end of the reception year, many are still at the earlier stages of tracing and copying letters. During a lesson observation, one child wrote his name unaided for the very first time, to the delight of staff and other children. Although the steps in learning for some children may be small, comparisons of their past and present work show their progress is as good as that of more able pupils. Well-focused teaching in small groups makes a positive contribution to children’s achievement. Staff take advantage of incidental opportunities to encourage children to read and write. For instance, they make lists, write labels and sort out the sequence of stories and events.

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Mathematical development

101. Teachers make good use of incidental opportunities during the day, as well as more formal lessons, to develop children’s mathematical skills. Children make good progress as a result of this effective approach to learning and the majority of children are expected to achieve the Early Learning Goals in this area of learning by the time they start Year 1.

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Mathematical development

102. Children confidently count to ten and many are confident to count up to twenty. Most match numerals and number names to ten. When studying a number square, some independently recognise patterns, such as 10, 20, 30, that all end in a zero and 100 ends in two zeros. Children are familiar with such instructions as ‘one more’ and ‘one less’. Some children progress quickly to ‘counting on by two’ each time, whilst others are less confident. In this situation, support staff intervene promptly to support and help children by breaking down learning into smaller steps, enabling the teacher to develop further, and consolidate, the more able pupils’ learning. This example of the good teaching in this area of learning ensures all children make similarly good progress.

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Mathematical development

103. Most children are familiar with simple shapes. They are familiar with such vocabulary as ‘corner’, ‘side’, ‘longer’, ‘shorter’, ‘bigger’ and ‘smaller’. Children have regular opportunities Westgate Primary School to work, under adult supervision, with both sand and water and this helps them to develop effectively their understanding of measures.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

104. Children make good progress in this area of learning because of the good range of interesting experiences provided by staff. Teaching is good, particularly as staff pick up well on individual children’s existing knowledge. Teachers use this to develop and extend the children’s understanding. This is particularly important as some children, who come from different cultures and backgrounds, have a wide range of experiences and prior knowledge. By the time they start in Year 1, the majority of children are expected to achieve the Early Learning Goals in this area of learning.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

105. Children are familiar with the life cycle of the butterfly. They successfully recognise its development through the stages of pupae, egg and caterpillar. They discuss, draw pictures and sequence events. Some independently, and correctly, label the different stages of development. A well-resourced display of clothing, prayer mats, prayer beads and Islamic patterns has helped the children become more familiar with the customs and religious ways of Muslims. In recent weeks, children have enacted a Christian wedding and a christening. They understand, for example, that certain celebrations are common to all religions and cultures.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

106. Children make good use of construction kits to produce models with moving wheels. Some collaborate successfully to construct larger models using a full range of equipment. Staff show a keen interest in what pupils are making and ask questions about the construction process and how the finished model matches their initial ideas. Not only does this help pupils successfully develop their confidence in speaking and listening, but it also aids their development of imaginative and thinking skills.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

107. Children have regular access to computers. They have good mouse control and many can successfully ‘drag and drop’ using an icon when, for example, sequencing a story. They follow instructions carefully and know how, for example, to adjust the volume control and stop and start a program.

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Physical development

108. Since the start of this school year, children have had access to a secure outdoor area. It is, however, small and too limited for children to have regular and sustained use of large wheeled vehicles and other large equipment. The reception staff have arrangements with the pre-school group to use their large equipment each week. In addition, the reception class has the timetabled use of the school hall for physical activities. Staff make the best use of the facilities available. Children make good progress and the majority are expected to achieve the Early Learning Goals in this area of learning by the time they start in Year 1.

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Physical development

109. Children have a good sense of safety in the hall. They sit still and are quiet as adults check equipment. They follow instructions carefully. Most are aware of the proximity of others when finding a space or using equipment, although some occasionally forget to walk around, rather than over, obstacles in their path. The majority of children successfully experiment with different ways of balancing and jumping and know how to land safely. Staff give good support to children who lack confidence or find balancing hard to sustain. Teaching is good because lessons move at a good pace, successfully develop children’s confidence and engage them in sustained activity.

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Physical development

110. Finer physical skills are effectively developed in the classroom through, for example, modelling butterflies from pipe cleaners. Staff provide a good range of other activities Westgate Primary School which focus on helping children to improve the quality of their movements and encourage them to persevere when developing and practising new skills.

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Creative development

111. Children are expected to achieve the Early Learning Goals by time they start in Year 1. Staff provide children with a good range of activities from which to choose during group time. Over a period of time, children visit and explore a wide range of experiences, including modelling dough, printing, painting and collage. For example, they successfully develop their skills with using and applying paint to produce paintings of flowers in the style of Van Gogh’s ‘Sunflowers’.

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Creative development

112. Children in the reception class have recently joined those from Years 1 and 2 for a massed music lesson with a visiting specialist music teacher. They enjoy singing together and the presence of older children has helped them improve their pitch and sense of rhythm. Many recognise such terms as ‘loud’ and ‘quiet’ or ‘fast’ and ‘slow’.

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Creative development

113. In the role-play area, children re-enact the wedding they celebrated earlier in the week or collaborate in running the pet shop. In both these activities, they respond well to questions about their specific roles and share their thoughts openly. Each activity is well resourced and provides good opportunities for children to develop and extend their skills in speaking, listening and numeracy. Rarely have the dog biscuits in a pet shop been so thoroughly sorted and counted!

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Creative development

114. A strength of the good teaching in this area of learning is the way in which children are encouraged to be independent, yet work together. They take good responsibility for their roles and sustain the activity well. Although they do not always agree with each other, any differences are swiftly resolved without adult intervention. This makes a major contribution to the children’s personal development and the good progress they make in this area of learning.

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ENGLISH

115. Overall, the quality of provision in English is good .

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ENGLISH

Strengths:- • The school’s confident implementation of the National Literacy Strategy. • The good quality of teaching, particularly in Years 1, 3, 4 and 5. • The good improvement since the previous inspection in standards in Years 3 to 6. • Provision for, and progress of, pupils with special educational needs and English as an additional language. • The positive behaviour and attitudes of pupils in English lessons. Areas for improvement:- • Standards in Years 1 and 2, especially in writing. • The levels of challenge in work for pupils who are identified as being gifted and talented in English. • The use of assessment to evaluate progress and adjust planning accordingly. • The use by teachers of methods and materials, which are appropriate for the age group, especially in Year 6. • The school’s reviews of teaching to more effectively identify the use of literacy across other areas of learning. Westgate Primary School

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Standards in English:- By Year 2 By Year 6

In national tests and teacher assessments in 2002 were: Below average Average

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Standards in English:- By Year 2 By Year 6

Standards in pupils’ work and lessons seen by inspectors are: Below average Average

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These standards are attained because:-

Pupils’ achievement in relation to what can be expected of them is: Good Good The quality of teaching is: Good Good The quality of pupils’ learning is: Good Good Pupils’ attitudes to their work are: Very good Very good The progress pupils make as they move through the school is: Good Very good Progress made by pupils with special educational needs is: Good Very good Progress made by pupils with English as an additional language is: Good Very good Provision for pupils who are gifted or talented in the subject is: Insufficient evidence Insufficient evidence

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Other contributory factors:-

The contribution of the subject to the pupils’ personal development is: Very good The leadership of the subject is: Satisfactory The management of the subject is: Satisfactory Improvement since the previous inspection has been: Very good

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Commentary:-

116. Since the time of the previous inspection, standards in English have risen considerably between Years 3 and 6. This is a significant achievement. The school has worked very hard to improve standards in Years 3 to 6 and, in this, it has been successful. For example, the percentage of pupils in Year 6 reaching the expected Level 4, or above, rose from 63 per cent in 2001 to 75 per cent in 2002. The improvement is due to a number of key factors, including the improved quality of teaching. The school has now securely implemented the National Literacy Strategy 13 . Pupils’ handwriting and their presentation of work have improved. There is now improved monitoring and evaluation of teaching and learning, particularly by the school’s senior management team. Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour towards the subject in lessons have improved and are now very good.

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Commentary:-

117. However, standards in English in Year 2 fell sharply between 2001 and 2002. The percentage of pupils reaching the expected Level 2, or higher, in reading fell from 82 to 59 per cent. It fell from 79 to 62 per cent in writing. Those pupils gaining Level 2 fell from 60 to 52 per cent in spelling. The sharp decline was due to a combination of factors, including a severe and prolonged disruption in staffing. In this particular year group, there is a very high proportion of pupils with special educational needs, 46 per cent. Mobility in the year group has been high, with a significant number of pupils joining and leaving the school for good reasons. Some pupils with special educational needs were prematurely withdrawn from the special educational needs register. These pupils are now, once again, being given the specialist support they require. The school regards very seriously this decline by

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Commentary:-

Year 2 and has faced up squarely to its weaknesses. The headteacher, the subject leader and all staff are working very hard to recover the lost ground. There are clear indications that the steps taken so far are beginning to have an effect on improving standards. However, there is still some way to go, especially in writing, which remains a high priority. Contributory factors in helping to raise standards include a clear commitment and capacity to succeed amongst all staff. There is very good provision for pupils with English as an additional language and for those with special educational needs. Staff now manage pupils’ behaviour very well. There is now a more stable staffing situation and close

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Commentary:-

13 The National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies aim to raise the standards attained by pupils aged 7 and 11 in primary schools, by transforming approaches to teaching and learning. Westgate Primary School teamwork between all staff, including the special educational needs co-ordinator, visiting support staff and learning support assistants.

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Commentary:-

118. Pupils’ listening skills throughout the school are good. They listen closely and pay attention to their teachers and assistants because the lessons are interesting and explanations and instructions are clear. For example, Year 2 pupils enjoyed a humorous story and were keen to answer good teacher questioning about the characters in, ‘Not Now, Bernard!’. They used ‘different voices’ when reading the story and brought it vividly to life. Pupils’ speaking skills vary, especially in Years 1 and 2. Most speak clearly and confidently but some are reluctant to speak in front of large groups. Teachers are very well aware of these pupils and use their skills well to draw them into discussion, by sensitively directing questioning. By Year 6, pupils’ speaking skills are well developed and they contribute confidently in discussions and conversations. For instance, Year 6 pupils were eager to share their opinions about the Romans and the Egyptians.

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Commentary:-

119. By Year 6, pupils write in many different styles, such as stories, biographies, poetry, reports, descriptions and instructions. Their stories are well constructed with beginnings and endings and include characters, settings and events. Pupils in Year 5 efficiently list the advantages and disadvantages of living in a tourist area, appropriately using the headings ‘pros’ and ‘cons’ . In Years 3 and 4, pupils’ writing covers a wide range of styles, from persuasive writing typically found in advertisements to writing messages as e-mails to friends. In Year 1, pupils write their news, using short sentences such as, ‘/ played with my daddy’. Through Years 1 and 2, pupils are satisfactorily developing their story writing using a story plan and know that stories have beginnings, middle sections and endings. They begin and end their stories confidently but are less sure when writing about events in

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Commentary:-

the middle sections. Throughout the school, average and above average pupils have acquired the writing skills they need. However, in spite of teachers’ best efforts and very good support from learning assistants, this is not the case for pupils with special educational needs, especially in Years 1 and 2. Handwriting is taught regularly and is good in pupils’ handwriting books. Younger pupils practise forming their letters correctly and older pupils have developed their personal style using clear, joined script and ink. Spelling is satisfactory throughout the school. Regular spelling patterns are practised and tested from Years 3 to 6. Pupils’ knowledge of initial letter sounds is secure in Years 1 and 2 but their knowledge of blends is weaker, for example ‘sn’ in the word ‘snore’.

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Commentary:-

120. Taking into account the limitations of pupils’ skills on entry to the school, they achieve very well in reading. The more able pupils, and a large proportion of those with average ability, reach good standards, reading fluently with expression and accuracy. They tackle unfamiliar words, using sensible strategies and thoughtfully predict what might happen next. Nearly all pupils are very keen and interested in reading and discuss the features of their books confidently. They distinguish between fiction and non-fiction and talk enthusiastically about the characters and the events in their chosen books. They know what an index is and where to find the ‘contents’ page. The school has worked hard since the previous inspection to improve the standard of reading. A good feature of the school’s provision is the short period, on most days, for individual, quiet reading. Teachers’ records indicate dates and books read but do not always contain information about how well the

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Commentary:-

books are read or what the next steps should be to improve.

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Commentary:-

121. The good teaching is supported very well by the partnership between teachers and their support staff. These support staff make a very valuable contribution to lessons, being well briefed and playing an active part in supporting pupils, especially those with English as an additional language and special educational needs. Support staff are well aware of the targets contained in the individual education plans for pupils with special educational needs. All staff manage pupils’ behaviour extremely well. For instance, if necessary, they exert control using a look, raised eyebrows or a shake of the head. These are good strategies because they allow the flow of the lesson to be maintained and the Westgate Primary School concentration of others in the class is sustained. Most teachers end their lessons well, leaving pupils with a strong sense of achievement. In lessons seen during the inspection,

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Commentary:-

the best teaching was characterised by teachers making the aim of the lesson very clear so pupils ‘sit up’ and pay attention. There is good use of interesting materials such as newspaper cuttings, ‘Big Books’ or real items, such as souvenirs, to capture and sustain interest. Teachers create a strong sense of purpose by giving pupils clear instructions and explanations. Through their planning, different work is set which meets pupils’ needs and capabilities. In the best teaching, there is suitable challenge and high expectations are made plain, for instance about quantity and quality of work. Teachers manage lesson time efficiently so pupils are ‘kept on their toes’.

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Commentary:-

122. Pupils have positive attitudes in English lessons. They listen closely and pay attention, especially when teachers use exciting resources. They work hard when their interest is aroused through very good tasks selected to challenge their abilities. For example, they become completely engrossed in using texts from newspapers to identify examples of persuasive writing, or to read the accounts of John Lennon’s death. They are especially interested in using their skills to summarise information when writing a ‘blurb’ for a CD sleeve. Teachers provide good opportunities for the development of pupils’ personal and social skills in English lessons. For instance, Year 2 pupils helped each other to write a story about a monster which drops into school from space one day. They listened politely to each other, took turns and shared ideas. When using computers, they advise each other about how to make spaces and capital letters or how to delete and insert. Year 1

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Commentary:-

pupils remind each other about full stops and about using question and speech marks.

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Commentary:-

123. Pupils achieve well in lessons, even when their attainment is below the expected level. They work hard and do their best. The many pupils with special educational needs, and the very small number of pupils for whom English is an additional language, make good or very good progress because of the quality of teaching and support they receive. Pupils with special educational needs try their hardest, even when what they are doing is a struggle. For example, they carry on with writing when their pencil control is weak and their letter formation is not well developed. Their determination to do as well as they can is driven in part by the genuine warmth of the praise and encouragement teachers and assistants provide. This very good practice, which prevails in lessons throughout the school, enhances pupils’ self-esteem and confidence and makes the pupils’ efforts worthwhile.

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Commentary:-

124. The subject leader has worked hard to raise standards in Years 3 to 6. She carefully monitors planning and examines pupils’ work in their books. She reports regularly to the governing body on her findings. Resources are satisfactory but the reading scheme books are becoming worn and bedraggled through over-use. The range of ‘Big Books’, both fiction and non-fiction, is adequate to support the teaching of reading and comprehension skills. However, the school has ordered more for the new academic year and has plans for further improvement. Two further key areas for development relate to improving the levels of challenge in work for pupils who are identified as being gifted or talented and the use of assessment to evaluate pupils’ progress and adjust teachers’ planning accordingly.

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The school’s development of literacy across other subjects of the curriculum

125. Literacy skills are threaded through many other subjects such as religious education, history and geography. For instance, excellent links are provided in history lessons in Years 1 and 5. For example, pupils in Year 1 discuss whether souvenirs from a trip to the seaside are ‘old’ or ‘new’ and write captions or sentences describing their decisions. In Year 5, pupils make excellent use of their skills in summarising information both in discussion and in writing about the life of John Lennon. Good links with information and communication technology are being developed, especially with the exciting advent of the Westgate Primary School new computer suite. For example, pupils have already used computers there to write e- mails or captions about their favourite toys.

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The school’s development of literacy across other subjects of the curriculum

126. Pupils use their speaking and listening skills in many lessons when they listen to their teachers and assistants and answer questions or offer opinions. Some are willing to speak in front of large gatherings, as in assemblies. For example, a pupil was eager to explain what it meant when someone is said ‘to have a bad name’. Older pupils use their knowledge and understanding of grammar and punctuation when they write in a wide range of styles. They use terms such as ‘phoneme’, ‘apostrophe’ and ‘summarise’ with confidence. When reading, they observe speech marks, question and exclamation marks to good effect. They know that words printed in capitals should be emphasised or shouted.

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MATHEMATICS

127. Overall, the quality of provision in mathematics is satisfactory .

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MATHEMATICS

Strengths:- • The quality of teaching is good. • The pupils make good progress in problem solving in numeracy. • There is good support for pupils with special educational needs. • Standards of presentation, especially in Years 3 to 6, are good. Areas for improvement:- • The use of assessment information to more accurately identify the next steps in pupils’ learning and to set individual targets to raise pupils’ attainment. • The adaptation of the Numeracy Strategy, and commercial scheme, to the specific needs of pupils. • The use of information and communication technology to support learning. • The application of numeracy and investigative skills in mathematics and in other subjects.

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Standards in mathematics:- By Year 2 By Year 6

In national tests and teacher assessments in 2002 were: Well below average Average

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Standards in mathematics:- By Year 2 By Year 6

Standards in pupils’ work and lessons seen by inspectors are: Below average Average

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These standards are attained because:-

Pupils’ achievement in relation to what can be expected of them is: Good Good The quality of teaching is: Good Good The quality of pupils’ learning is: Good Good Pupils’ attitudes to their work are: Good Good The progress pupils make as they move through the school is: Satisfactory Good Progress made by pupils with special educational needs is: Good Good Progress made by pupils with English as an additional language is: Satisfactory Satisfactory Provision for pupils who are gifted or talented in the subject is: Insufficient evidence Satisfactory

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Other contributory factors:-

The contribution of the subject to the pupils’ personal development is: Good The leadership of the subject is: Satisfactory The management of the subject is: Satisfactory Improvement since the previous inspection has been: Satisfactory Westgate Primary School

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Commentary:-

128. In the 2002 National Curriculum tests, standards at the end of Year 6 were similar to the national average and above the average for similar schools. This represented a significant improvement over the previous two years when the results placed the school in the bottom 5 per cent in England, and reversed the decline in standards since 1998. In the 2002 tests at the end of Year 2, standards dipped to well below the national average and that for similar schools. Although below average over time, results have been improving in line with the national trend. The school attributes this decline to significant staffing difficulties.

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Commentary:-

129. In many respects, the school has made good progress since the previous inspection. For example, teachers’ expectations, which were too low, have risen and pupils now make good progress. There have been significant improvements in the quality of teaching and pupils’ attitudes in Years 1 and 2. However, progress is only satisfactory overall because standards of attainment have not been maintained during the intervening period.

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Commentary:-

130. In the work seen during the inspection, standards of attainment at the end of Year 2 are below average. A substantial proportion of pupils in this year group have challenging learning difficulties. Many find it difficult to sustain their concentration and to independently apply skills and knowledge. Staff manage pupils well and their expectations of pupils’ behaviour, particularly in whole class or group work sessions, are met. They work hard to support pupils’ specific needs. In oral work, pupils respond accurately, if sometimes slowly, to their teacher’s questions and, with prompting where necessary, successfully complete the answer. For example, whilst most pupils were quick to say that 7+5=12, some needed help to complete the inverse operation of 12-5=7 but higher attainers quickly saw the alternative of 12-7=5. Overall, Year 2 pupils only make satisfactory progress because, for many, better mathematical achievement is affected by

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Commentary:-

131. Year 1 pupils make good progress. They achieve good standards because they rise well to the different challenges set by their teacher. For example, in work on time, most pupils were familiar with such terms as ‘before’, ‘after’ and ‘o’clock’. Higher attaining pupils confidently set their analogue clock faces to show ‘half an hour before’ or ‘half an hour after’ a given ‘o’clock’ with the minimum of adult help and many accurately told the time shown. Others, including those with special educational needs, positively benefited from the support staff gave them, particularly when they found difficulty with matching ‘before’ and ‘after’ with ‘earlier’ and ‘later’.

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Commentary:-

132. Scrutiny of pupils’ work indicates a strong focus on numeracy work, with regular reinforcement of addition, subtraction and multiplication in different topics such as capacity, weighing, money and mathematical games. Pupils cover a suitable range of mathematical topics but, in Year 2, skills in using and applying mathematics are underdeveloped. Without adult support, many of these pupils cannot successfully complete the written work set for them. As a result, the school predicts pupils’ performance in unaided national tests is likely to be significantly below that achieved in supported classwork. In Year 1, inspection evidence supports teachers’ predictions of better results in the 2004 national tests.

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Commentary:-

133. Inspection evidence indicates that standards of attainment by the end of Year 6 are similar to the national average. Pupils have made good progress during the year in the development of numeracy skills because of the strong emphasis placed by teachers on problem solving. Regular homework has successfully supported work done in class. Scrutiny of pupils’ work indicates correspondingly less coverage in their past work of shape, space and measures and handling data. However, in both of these aspects, Year 6 pupils have made sound progress this year. Westgate Primary School 134. In mental mathematics, by the end of Year 6, pupils satisfactorily explain how they arrive at their answers and achieve average standards. Most correctly interpret the problem set, suggest a suitable way forward and select the appropriate sequence of operations. In the best practice, the pace is brisk and pupils are well challenged. In a Year 5 lesson, the

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Commentary:-

teacher very effectively increased the demands made on pupils, encouraging them to build upon what they had learned in answering previous questions. Good use of individual marker boards, together with the well-focused interpretation and intervention from support staff for those requiring it, helped pupils to apply their skills and share their understanding. Similarly, in a Year 4 lesson on fractions of a whole, the teacher very successfully challenged pupils to justify their thinking as they demonstrated their answers on their boards. In some lessons, however, the mental mathematics session is too long and the pace slows, particularly when pupils stumble over the recall of basic number facts.

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Commentary:-

135. As they move through Years 3 to 6, pupils make good progress. Teaching and learning are consistently good, and often very good. Staff and pupils work well together. Standards of presentation are good, helping pupils to achieve accuracy in their calculations. In Year 3, this has been a contributory factor in raising the very low standards achieved by pupils in the 2002 statutory tests. Pupils are familiar with a number of different ways of solving problems and, although they usually get the correct answers, they do not always show their working or methods in their books. In discussion, higher attaining pupils say finding alternative ways of working out problems appeals to them. When working collaboratively, they successfully make suggestions and revise their thinking in response to what others say. In the Year 6 lesson seen, pupils were using calculators to work out some complex multiplication puzzles, with answers exceeding 31

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Commentary:-

million. When reading out their answers, pupils realised there were variations. They quickly recalculated and discovered the error lay in reading out the digits rather than in the calculation itself. Pupils have a secure understanding of mathematical terms and vocabulary because teachers use an effective range of questions and scenarios to present problems.

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Commentary:-

136. At present, throughout Years 1 to 6, there is limited use of information and communication technology in the support and development of learning in mathematics. The school has recognised shortcomings in its software provision and is resolving these. Where it is used, as in a Year 5 lesson on symmetry, it effectively supports pupils’ learning. When instructing a programmable vehicle, Year 4 pupils demonstrate good recall of angles when inputting instructions to complete a right angle or 180 degree turn. Pupils make sound use of literacy skills when interpreting problems and when sequencing events.

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Commentary:-

137. The support for pupils with special educational needs is good and well directed at their needs. This enables them to make similar progress to their peers. The identification of numeracy targets in pupils’ individual education plans is a positive feature and they make good progress towards these. Very few pupils speak English as an additional language but there is a small number who come from other continents. Through discreet questions, staff ensure these pupils, who make similar progress to others in their classes, understand instructions and vocabulary. In Years 5 and 6, the school has begun to teach pupils mathematics in groups defined by their ability. Whilst this has the support of many parents, some pupils have reservations about learning away from all their classmates. The school has made a suitable start in identifying more able pupils.

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Commentary:-

138. The National Numeracy Strategy is soundly established. The subject leader gives colleagues good support with their planning and choice of resources. A regular programme of monitoring of teaching and learning is underway and national test results are analysed to identify areas for development throughout the school. The adoption of a new commercial scheme for teaching mathematics is effectively helping to raise the quality of teaching and learning. However, there is still work to be done to adapt these new approaches to the needs of pupils. For example, the length of some lessons exceeds that Westgate Primary School recommended and some teachers adhere strictly to suggested time spans for each section of the lesson, even though pupils’ needs indicate this is inappropriate. Most teachers make good use of the final part of the lesson, the plenary, to reinforce earlier learning and look at the progress made towards the learning objectives identified at the beginning. In

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Commentary:-

the best practice, teachers stimulate pupils’ curiosity as they flag up the next steps in learning.

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Commentary:-

139. The quality of teachers’ assessments of pupils’ attainment and progress and the use of this information to plan more accurately the next steps in learning is not yet sharp enough. Teachers’ marking, although regular, does not consistently identify specific shortcomings in pupils’ work. The individual targets set for improvement are often too general and do not focus sufficiently on exactly what is needed to raise attainment from one level to the next. This is reflected, for example, in teachers’ assessments in the national tests, which do not tally closely enough with the test results. At present, the school does not maintain a collection of pupils’ work that illustrates pupils’ achievements in relation to the different levels of the National Curriculum. As a result, teachers lack the comparative evidence to refine their assessments.

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Commentary:-

140. The quality of learning resources is sound. However, across the school, storage facilities are at a premium. Each class maintains a stock of regularly used items and specialist resources are stored centrally.

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The school’s development of numeracy across other subjects of the curriculum

141. Pupils’ application of numeracy skills across the curriculum is satisfactory. There are some good specific examples of numeracy skills supporting learning in geography and science. Numeracy skills are also evident in information and communication technology when, for example, pupils give instructions to a programmable vehicle. However, the application of numeracy skills across the curriculum is not systematically developed in teachers’ planning.

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SCIENCE

142. Overall, the quality of provision in science is satisfactory .

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SCIENCE

Strengths:- • The quality of teaching and learning is good. • Pupils across the school achieve well. • Pupils show very good attitudes towards their work. • The application of literacy and numeracy in the subject is good. • Pupils with special educational needs and English as an additional language make good progress. Areas for improvement:- • Attainment is too low in some classes across the school. • The use of assessment to help pupils improve the quality of their work. • The subject has been given no priority for its development in the school improvement plan. • The present scheme of work is not up to date. • Opportunities for teachers to receive further training in the subject are insufficient. Westgate Primary School

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Standards in science:- By Year 2 By Year 6

In national tests and teacher assessments in 2002 were: Above average Well below average Standards in pupils’ work and lessons seen by inspectors are: Below average Below average

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These standards are attained because:-

Pupils’ achievement in relation to what can be expected of them is: Good Good The quality of teaching is: Good Good The quality of pupils’ learning is: Good Good Pupils’ attitudes to their work are: Very good Very good The progress pupils make as they move through the school is: Good Good Progress made by pupils with special educational needs is: Very good Very good Progress made by pupils with English as an additional language is: Very good Very good Provision for pupils who are gifted or talented in the subject is: Insufficient evidence Insufficient evidence

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Other contributory factors:-

The contribution of the subject to the pupils’ personal development is: Very good The leadership of the subject is: Satisfactory The management of the subject is: Satisfactory Improvement since the previous inspection has been: Satisfactory

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Commentary:-

143. In 2002, teachers assessed pupils by the end of Year 2 as having above average standards compared with those of schools nationally. As a result of staff changes in 2002, four teachers were involved in the assessment. The inspection finds that standards of work for these pupils, most of whom are now in Year 3, are below average. An examination of pupils’ work in Year 3, together with teachers’ records and discussions with teachers, show some of the pupils were assessed in 2002 at too high a level of attainment. Over the previous three years, pupils’ standards have been well below average. Compared with similar schools, attainment is below average. The 2003 unconfirmed teacher assessments indicate well below average attainment.

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Commentary:-

144. Test results in 2002 for pupils by the end of Year 6 show that standards were well below average. Inspection finds that pupils’ standards are below average. The improvement is due to the good quality of teaching and the very good progress made by significant numbers of pupils with special educational needs who are very well supported in classes. Trends over the last three years indicate pupils’ attainment is well below average. Compared with similar schools they are below average. The recent yet unconfirmed 2003 tests show a big improvement in the percentage of pupils attaining average and higher levels. Across the school, there are large numbers of pupils with special educational needs. Some classes have nearly 50 per cent of pupils who are recognised as having special educational needs. There is an overall good provision for these pupils and for pupils who have English as an additional language. This supports the very good progress

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Commentary:-

they make. All pupils show very good attitudes to their work and this supports the good achievement of pupils across the school. However, the increasing proportion of pupils with special educational needs has led to a lowering of standards overall since the previous inspection when attainment was average.

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Commentary:-

145. Standards in the current Year 2 are below average. Many of the pupils in this class have a range of complex learning difficulties. In the current Year 1, samples of work show pupils are attaining average standards. For example, they show a good awareness of the parts of the body and a plant. They collect data well, answering questions and describing the features of objects, living things or observed events. They communicate their findings with drawings and applying words and simple sentences. Although standards were below Westgate Primary School average in a Year 2 lesson, pupils successfully compared the similarities and differences in humans. They verbally described what they saw from observing a boy and a girl and from photographs of people. Through their successful observations, they were able to describe the main features, draw what they saw and applied words and simple written descriptions. Here, supported by good teaching, they achieved well and made good

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Commentary:-

146. By the end of Year 6, standards are below average overall. Nevertheless, in some year groups, standards are higher, due to very good teaching, high challenge and expectation and tasks which are matched well to the needs of pupils. For example, pupils in a Year 4 lesson attained well above average standards. Following a very thorough investigation of the human skeleton, pupils showed clearly how bones grow and what happens to them in the ageing process. They responded with high levels of enthusiasm and motivation. In applying their previously learned knowledge, they predicted accurately what might happen. They used, with high levels of accuracy, the appropriate scientific terminology to identify the names, positions and purpose of the bones and some of the associated muscles. Year 6 pupils, when designing and making an electrical circuit for a game suitable for a younger child, showed a good knowledge of how simple electrical circuits work. When

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Commentary:-

asked, they showed a good awareness of the importance of switches and the need to hide the electrical wires from the player. They designed the front of the game to make it attractive to young children. They had a good knowledge of words such as ‘insulator’ and ‘conductor’. They knew how to complete circuits with the use of switches to make lights light up when appropriate choices are made. In addition, some work representing scientific enquiry and life process and living things is at average or above average standards.

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Commentary:-

147. Nonetheless, an analysis of samples of pupils’ previous work shows below average standards overall by the end of Year 6. This is because the standard of pupils’ work has been inconsistent between Years 3 to 6. Although the range of learning opportunities within the subject is satisfactory overall, there is a wider coverage of the required National Curriculum programme of study in some years than in others. The teaching of science has not been monitored effectively enough across all year groups, as the subject leader has too little time to properly undertake this work. The use of assessment is unsatisfactory and the marking of pupils’ work is under-developed. Whilst the school takes good care to determine the pupils’ levels of achievement over time, pupils have too few targets to improve their own individual learning. The targets they have are usually the same for many pupils and are too broad. On some occasions, the whole class attempts the same

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Commentary:-

task at the same level of difficulty. Some pupils’ work is incomplete and pupils generally have limited opportunities to study materials, their properties and physical processes. However, satisfactory opportunities are given for pupils to conduct scientific enquiries, to collect data and answer questions, find information and come to scientific conclusions. Good attention is given to the study of life processes and living things.

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Commentary:-

148. In lessons seen during the inspection, teaching was good and sometimes very good. The school uses its support staff very well to help the large number of pupils with special educational needs. Teachers and support staff work hard to successfully meet the needs of these pupils. Overall, the personal development of the pupils is given a high priority and is very good. Pupils quickly apply themselves to their tasks, working at a good rate with very good levels of interest and enthusiasm. Teachers prepare their lessons well and resource them thoroughly with a good awareness of the subject. They give very good, clear explanations which help to develop pupils’ understanding. They explain and use scientific words. This occurred in a Year 3 lesson when the pupils conducted experiments with sticks of celery and a coloured liquid to see how the liquid was drawn up the stem. This aided well the pupils’ learning of how plants obtain water and nourishment as part of

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Commentary:-

the growing process. Teachers evaluate well the progress of pupils as the lesson proceeds. However, overall, they do not use assessment information sufficiently well from Westgate Primary School Year 3 to Year 6 to identify pupils’ knowledge and understanding and to help them plan lessons that better meet pupils’ individual learning needs.

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Commentary:-

149. The subject has not been identified for attention in the current school improvement plan. However, the subject leader has drawn up a relevant action plan, recognising the need to update the present scheme of work to review the use of assessment, to influence planning and to moderate work and assessments. The subject leader recognises the need for an audit of the present satisfactory resources and for the further training of staff to improve pupils’ standards. The use of information and communication technology (ICT) is satisfactory. The subject provides good opportunities for the pupils to apply their literacy and numeracy skills. Some good examples of this are seen in the graphical presentation of data arising from experiments with the use of ICT.

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ART AND DESIGN

150. Overall, the quality of provision in art and design is satisfactory .

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ART AND DESIGN

Strengths:- • The good achievements of the pupils. • The overall good teaching and learning, supported by good links with the community. • The very good attitudes pupils show towards the subject. • The very good progress of pupils with special educational needs and English as an additional language. Areas for improvement:- • The more consistent teaching of the subject across the school, in order to improve pupils’ standards. • The use of assessment to determine what pupils should be taught next. • Opportunities for the subject leader to monitor and evaluate the teaching of the subject across the school.

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Standards in art and design:- By Year 2 By Year 6

Standards in pupils’ work and lessons seen by inspectors are: Average Average

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These standards are attained because:-

Pupils’ achievement in relation to what can be expected of them is: Good Good The quality of teaching is: Good Good The quality of pupils’ learning is: Good Good Pupils’ attitudes to their work are: Very good Very good The progress pupils make as they move through the school is: Satisfactory Satisfactory Progress made by pupils with special educational needs is: Very good Very good Progress made by pupils with English as an additional language is: Very good Very good Provision for pupils who are gifted or talented in the subject is: Insufficient evidence Insufficient evidence

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Other contributory factors:-

The contribution of the subject to the pupils’ personal development is: Good The leadership of the subject is: Good The management of the subject is: Good Improvement since the previous inspection has been: Good

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Commentary:-

151. Standards have been maintained since the previous inspection and pupils throughout the school continue to attain the standards expected for their age. Pupils’ achievement has improved and so has the quality of learning and teaching. These are now good. However, the subject is not always taught consistently well across the school and in some classes, art is timetabled to alternate with design and technology. The pupils’ studies of artists’ Westgate Primary School work and their interpretation of this work in order to influence their own style is under- represented. Opportunities for observational drawing are limited in some classes. When pupils use sketchbooks, teachers do not usually suggest how their work can be developed to further their understanding and raise standards. Nevertheless, pupils have a good range of opportunities to develop their work with the support of visiting artists and this

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Commentary:-

152. Samples of previous work and displays show that pupils in Year 1 make satisfactory links with science, for example in drawing objects that make sounds. Collage pictures are completed on subjects such as ‘Christmas holidays’, ‘at the seaside’ and for the story of ‘The Hungry Caterpillar’. Pupils enjoy painting portraits of each other, including three- dimensional masks made to express feelings they were having in ‘circle time’. They successfully complete mosaic pictures and high standards are achieved when they make three-dimensional clay figures. The range of work is not so wide in Year 2, where some confusion is shown between art and design, and design and technology. Pupils complete paintings and design posters. However, on many occasions, they hurriedly crayon in pictures and not enough attention is given to developing their skills further. Good standards are seen in their observational drawing of a tree and growing plants, with good

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Commentary:-

153. Pupils in Year 3 successfully sketch a design for a tile. They make the shape of the tile in clay and decorate it well, according to their given design. They explore their ideas well and show a good knowledge of the properties of the material by modifying and improving what they are doing as they progress. Pupils in Year 4, in doing the same work, do not achieve as successfully. Their progress is limited because they do not have the proper tools available to cut and mould the clay. Some find problems translating their two- dimensional designs, previously drawn in the sketchbooks, into three dimensions. For example, the younger pupils in Year 3 made many attempts to mould their clay into a tile shape, ably aided by the teacher. Here, most achieved the desired shape before applying their decoration. Some work of well above average standards is seen in paintings of wall hangings, around an African theme arising from the support of a visiting artist, which pupils

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Commentary:-

in Years 4 and 5 have completed. They represent the cultural designs in a very good manner.

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Commentary:-

154. By Year 5, pupils have wider opportunities to increase the range of the media they use. Drawings of a high standard were seen of shoes and slippers, portraits in pastels were satisfactorily developed and silk tie-dye or printing on silk were well developed. However, standards are not always as high, for example in Year 5 work, where pupils had completed pencil sketches in their sketchbooks arising from their studies of Greece but work was rushed and incomplete. Pupils had not been encouraged sufficiently to give thought to the development, modification and improvement of the work or to its presentation. Conversely, in Year 6, some work of a high standard was seen where pupils used computers for image development and the distortion of pictures in the style of ‘pop’ art. Across the school, teachers do not assess the progress of their pupils and so are unable to plan work that is better matched to the pupils’ abilities.

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Commentary:-

155. The good learning is supported through the good range of opportunities taken by teachers to link with the community where pupils’ work is on display. For example, the whole school was involved in designing and making two mosaics to celebrate the Queen’s Golden Jubilee. The school has exhibited work in a local exhibition in St Mary’s Church, Warwick. Year 4 pupils have been involved in the Holocaust Memorial Day, when they created two enormous pictures of a high standard depicting the rise of the Nazis and British intervention in their fall, which were displayed in the council chamber at the Shire Hall. The close links the school has with the local Hill Close Gardens have led to many drawings and designs arising from the pupils’ frequent visits and these often show a good standard of observation and plant drawing. Westgate Primary School 156. When motivated by their teachers, the pupils’ attitudes are very good. They behave very

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Commentary:-

well, working with high levels of application, interest, enthusiasm and motivation. Consequently, pupils with special educational needs and those with English as an additional language make very good progress.

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Commentary:-

157. Classrooms and displays are well organised. The subject leader is showing good, perceptive management of the subject. Having conducted a good audit of the subject, a relevant action plan has been produced. For example, this plan appropriately identifies the need for an increase in the range of artists’ work to be used as a resource with the pupils. Planning is also in place to ensure better continuity and smoother progression in learning for all pupils.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

158. Overall, the quality of provision in design technology is satisfactory .

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

Strengths:- • Pupils achieve well in lessons. • Pupils show very good attitudes to their work. • Pupils with special educational needs and English as an additional language make good progress. • Pupils are given good opportunities for construction and making activities. Areas for improvement:- • Opportunities for pupils to evaluate and develop ideas in their preparation work and during construction. • Time for the subject leader to evaluate teaching and learning across the school. • The use of assessment, to identify which skills the pupils need to acquire and develop. • Resources for the subject, particularly tools.

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Standards in design technology By Year 2 By Year 6

Standards in pupils’ work and lessons seen by inspectors are: Average Average

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These standards are attained because:-

Pupils’ achievement in relation to what can be expected of them is: Good Good The quality of teaching is: Satisfactory Satisfactory The quality of pupils’ learning is: Satisfactory Satisfactory Pupils’ attitudes to their work are: Very good Very good The progress pupils make as they move through the school is: Good Good Progress made by pupils with special educational needs is: Good Good Progress made by pupils with English as an additional language is: Good Good Provision for pupils who are gifted or talented in the subject is: Insufficient evidence Insufficient evidence

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Other contributory factors:-

The contribution of the subject to the pupils’ personal development is: Good The leadership of the subject is: Satisfactory The management of the subject is: Satisfactory Improvement since the previous inspection has been: Good

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Commentary:-

159. Although standards by the end of Years 2 and 6 have remained the same since the previous inspection, there has been a good improvement in overall provision. Pupils now achieve well, make good progress and show very good attitudes to their work. The subject is suitably supported by an adopted commercial scheme of work. There are good examples of objects pupils have made which are displayed the school. They show the Westgate Primary School application of a good range of ideas with understanding. However, there are not enough opportunities for older pupils to design and evaluate what they intend to make before beginning their constructions. They do not have sufficient opportunity to consider their designs as they progress, with an awareness of the end use of the product. They have too few opportunities to evaluate and distinguish between what works well and what could be improved. Teachers complete their own timetables for their classes and decide when the

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Commentary:-

subject is to be taught. The subject leader has insufficient time to monitor or evaluate what is taught across the school and this leads to uneven coverage of the subject, with some classes doing less work than others.

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Commentary:-

160. Samples of work and displays show evidence of a satisfactory range of work overall, with pupils attaining average standards by the end of Year 2. In Year 1, pupils successfully design pictures of animals with tails, tongues and legs which move. A design of a bedroom in a shoebox shows good control in cutting and assembly. Pupils in Year 2 successfully develop designs for the school grounds. They label their designs and say how they can be improved. Jointed toys, made in card, showed a satisfactory understanding of how to assemble, join and combine materials.

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Commentary:-

161. Samples of work, displays and lessons seen show that pupils attain satisfactory standards by the end of Year 6. For example, pupils in Year 3 successfully used planning sheets to decide how to develop a design for a book with pop-up pictures. They developed a good series of progressively amended designs for money containers. In making these containers out of felt and cloth, they showed a good knowledge of how to join and decorate them attractively. Pupils in a Year 5 lesson were challenged well when they designed a special biscuit to celebrate an anniversary. Supported by very good teaching, they came up with a range of good ideas. They decided the biscuit should be colourful, exciting and tasty, saying the shape should relate to the event being celebrated. The homework set was well linked because it involved the pupils in discussing their design with their families. By Year 6, pupils have advanced sufficiently in order to design and make

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Commentary:-

toys with moving parts. They draw their ideas and properly label their designs. However, most pupils do not understand what it means to evaluate and modify their designs before making. Teachers, in the limited time available, move too quickly to the making of the actual objects. Pupils have too few opportunities to take notes of users’ views in order to plan the further development of their work.

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Commentary:-

162. Pupils’ very good attitudes to their work are illustrated in the way they talk with high levels of enthusiasm and motivation about their completed and on-going work. In lessons, they quickly apply themselves and work at a very good rate, with very good levels of behaviour and relationships.

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Commentary:-

163. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall because some teachers are more secure than others with the development of the subject. There is an uneven range of opportunities. These vary in number from class to class for pupils to use tools, such as saws and hammers to cut and shape, or to assemble materials in a variety of ways, for example with nails and screws. Resources, overall, are unsatisfactory. There is only one set of tools, including items such as saws and hammers, for the whole school to use. Many of these appear new and under-used. There are insufficient opportunities for all pupils to be aware of food safety and hygiene. For older pupils, tasks to allow them to utilise a range of materials, including electrical and mechanical components, food, mouldable materials, stiff and flexible sheet materials and textiles require further development. When teachers plan according to the adopted commercial scheme of work,

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Commentary:-

there are limited links across the school to subjects such as science, and information and communication technology. The use of literacy in the subject is satisfactory. For example, pupils label drawings and older pupils provide written descriptions. The use of numeracy is underdeveloped. The assessment of pupils’ progress is starting to be developed Westgate Primary School successfully and procedures are satisfactory. However, the use of assessment to support and guide what individual pupils should be taught next is unsatisfactory.

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Commentary:-

164. During the inspection, the subject leader was on maternity leave. Discussion with the acting subject leader and the deputy headteacher shows there is a suitable action plan for the development of the subject. This plan appropriately mentions the need for more money to purchase a wider range of resources and the retention of annotated samples of pupils’ work to check coverage and standards. However, there is not enough time given for the subject leader to properly monitor teaching and learning across the school.

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GEOGRAPHY

165. Overall, the quality of provision in geography is unsatisfactory .

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GEOGRAPHY

Strengths:- • The good support given to pupils with special educational needs. • The very good teaching of the subject in Year 5. • The awareness of the subject leader regarding the re-organisation of the subject’s curriculum. Areas for improvement:- • The standards and attainment of all pupils across the school. • The organisation and evaluation of the geography curriculum to ensure pupils properly acquire the necessary skills, knowledge and understanding in the subject. • The quality of teaching throughout the school. • An assessment system to ensure planning is adjusted to meet the needs of pupils and to provide exciting and vibrant lessons. • An audit of resources in order to provide sufficient resources, including library resources, to support effectively the chosen topics. • The use of teaching materials, to ensure they are properly matched to pupils’ needs and abilities.

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Standards in geography:- By Year 2 By Year 6

Standards in pupils’ work and lessons seen by inspectors are: Below average Below average

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These standards are attained because:-

Pupils’ achievement in relation to what can be expected of them is: Unsatisfactory Unsatisfactory The quality of teaching is: Unsatisfactory Unsatisfactory The quality of pupils’ learning is: Unsatisfactory Unsatisfactory Pupils’ attitudes to their work are: Satisfactory Satisfactory The progress pupils make as they move through the school is: Unsatisfactory Unsatisfactory Progress made by pupils with special educational needs is: Satisfactory Satisfactory Progress made by pupils with English as an additional language is: Satisfactory Satisfactory Provision for pupils who are gifted or talented in the subject is: Insufficient evidence Insufficient evidence

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Other contributory factors:-

The contribution of the subject to the pupils’ personal development is: Unsatisfactory The leadership of the subject is: Unsatisfactory The management of the subject is: Unsatisfactory Improvement since the previous inspection has been: Unsatisfactory Westgate Primary School

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Commentary:-

166. Standards have fallen slightly since the previous inspection. Only one lesson was observed during the inspection. Judgements are therefore made on the basis of an extended scrutiny and analysis of pupils’ work from the past year and from talking with pupils and staff. By the end of Years 2 and 6, pupils’ standards are below average. The quality and quantity of work in pupils’ books are unsatisfactory.

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Commentary:-

167. Nevertheless, in the Year 5 lesson observed, the attainment of pupils was in line with expectations because of the very good teaching. Pupils achieved well in this lesson because they were well motivated and interested in their task. Their behaviour was very good and their concentration levels were high. Pupils with special educational needs made good progress due to good support from learning assistants. Pupils study the contrasting locality of Castleton. They are developing an understanding of what it would be like to live there and are using terms like ‘resident’ confidently. They list the ‘pros’ and ‘cons’ of living in a tourist centre, referring to these as advantages and disadvantages. They make very good use of their literacy skills, reading, selecting and recording their decisions in note form.

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Commentary:-

168. The use of information and communication technology (ICT) is under-developed in geography throughout the school. The subject leader hopes that the recent acquisition of a specialist ICT suite will have a positive effect on geography in the future. Map reading skills are satisfactorily developed in Years 3 and 4. Pupils have designed their own island and used a ‘key’ with appropriate symbols to indicate various features of their imaginary island, such as a camping site or a forest. However, discussion with Year 6 pupils revealed that they could not recall the meaning of the term ‘contour lines’. Furthermore, although they recalled their Year 5 studies of a river, they could not recognise the terms ‘meander’, ‘tributary’, ‘banks’ or ‘estuary’. They did not know the name of the river which runs through Warwick.

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Commentary:-

169. The curriculum for geography is appropriate but the school has organised the subject in a two-year cycle. This leads to fragmentation in pupils’ knowledge and understanding and a lack of progression in the development of geographical skills, such as map reading. Teachers do not use assessment well enough to help plan the pupils’ work and enable the pupils to make sufficient progress. The subject leader is aware of the weaknesses in the subject and has sensible plans for the re-organisation of the curriculum but these have not yet implemented. Resources to support the subject are too few and the books in the library are of an unacceptably low standard.

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HISTORY

170. Overall, the quality of provision in history is satisfactory .

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HISTORY

Strengths:- • The excellent quality of teaching and learning in Years 1 and 5. • The very good use the school makes of its local environment. • The high quality of support for pupils with special educational needs. • The enthusiasm of the subject leader. Areas for improvement:- • A review of the curriculum in order to ascertain which topics are to be covered by which year group, term by term. • The progression in the development of pupils’ skills from year to year. • Resources and teaching materials for the subject to support and enrich history topics. • Timetabled opportunities for the subject leader to share her excellent practice throughout the school to raise the standards of teaching overall. Westgate Primary School

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Standards in history:- By Year 2 By Year 6

Standards in pupils’ work and lessons seen by inspectors are: Average Average

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These standards are attained because:-

Pupils’ achievement in relation to what can be expected of them is: Good Good The quality of teaching is: Satisfactory Satisfactory The quality of pupils’ learning is: Satisfactory Satisfactory Pupils’ attitudes to their work are: Good Good The progress pupils make as they move through the school is: Unsatisfactory Unsatisfactory Progress made by pupils with special educational needs is: Good Good Progress made by pupils with English as an additional language is: Good Good Provision for pupils who are gifted or talented in the subject is: Insufficient evidence Insufficient evidence

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Other contributory factors:-

The contribution of the subject to the pupils’ personal development is: Very good The leadership of the subject is: Satisfactory The management of the subject is: Satisfactory Improvement since the previous inspection has been: Satisfactory

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Commentary:-

171. Standards are the same as they were at the time of the previous inspection. Three lessons were observed during the inspection. Judgements are based on these, on looking at pupils’ work and through talking to teachers and pupils. The scrutiny of work and discussions with pupils show standards by the end of Years 2 and 6 are in line with what is normally expected. In lessons seen, pupils in Years 1 and 5 are reaching very high standards because the teaching in those classes is excellent. Consequently, these pupils have very good attitudes to history and are keen to learn, and the support for pupils with special educational needs is very good.

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Commentary:-

172. Pupils in Years 3 to 6 study a range of topics organised over a two-year cycle. Through these studies, they satisfactorily develop their knowledge and understanding of the lives of people in the past. For example, in Years 3 and 4, they study the Romans and the Tudors. They visit a Roman Fort to enable them to develop a fuller understanding of the lives of Roman soldiers. Furthermore, they have gained a deep insight into the lives and times of the Tudors through visits to nearby places of interest in Warwick. In Years 5 and 6, pupils study the lives and times of the Egyptians and closely examine the lives of famous people in the more recent past, such as John Lennon.

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Commentary:-

173. Younger pupils are beginning to develop a satisfactory knowledge and understanding of the passage of time and use phrases like ‘long ago’, ‘a very long time ago’ or ‘now and then’ to show their understanding of the placing of events in history. They identify holidays over the period of a year, such as Christmas and Easter, and plot these satisfactorily on a twelve-month timeline. They sort souvenirs into those from the past, which are old, and those bought recently, which are new. They enjoy looking at pictures in an old guidebook for a seaside town, noticing well how people dressed in those days and what the cars and buses looked like.

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Commentary:-

174. The quality of teaching in Years 1 and 5 is excellent, and in Year 6 it is satisfactory. There was very little work to see in Year 2 in history because much is done through talking and discussion. Consequently, although there is some evidence of this in pupils’ writing and drawing, records of class discussion are minimal. Pupils’ work in Years 3 and 4 shows good teaching with good planning and interesting activities which bring lessons to life. For instance, pupils visit Tudor buildings in Warwick and use their observational skills very effectively when sketching the half-timbered houses. They construct striking three- Westgate Primary School dimensional half-timbered houses using cardboard and paint and their work shows they have appreciated well how these houses were constructed.

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Commentary:-

175. In Year 1, a good range of borrowed souvenirs fascinates pupils and their teacher helps them to identify these as ‘old’ or ‘new’. These seize pupils’ attention and their concentration is very high. One pupil said, ‘ We could look at these all day!’ Very good links with science and literacy are made because the teacher uses a very rich vocabulary and encourages pupils to decide what materials have been used, such as shells, glass, leather and wood. Excellent opportunities for pupils to experience awe and wonder are provided when the teacher reveals her own special souvenir, from her childhood by the sea, which is a painted pebble. This makes all the pupils gasp, ‘ Ooh!’ They consequently express their opinions with suitable feeling: ‘ It’s precious…’ and ‘ … it’s amazing how they put those little shells inside the glass’ .

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Commentary:-

176. In Year 5, pupils are engrossed in their studies of the life of John Lennon because the teacher makes very strong links with literacy by using newspaper reports of his death. These capture pupils’ interest and they rise willingly to the challenge of writing their own brief newspaper headline and report. The teacher sets clear time limits which make them work at high speed. Concentration is intense. Expectations are demanding and pupils are spurred on to try their very best when the teacher uses comments like, ‘ Oh, I’m a bit disappointed that more hands aren’t up’.

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Commentary:-

177. Pupils with special educational needs and those who have English as an additional language enjoy history and work very hard. The quality of support they receive is very high and they make good progress in lessons because of this help. All pupils have equal access to all aspects of the subject and are included in any extra-curricular activities and visits.

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Commentary:-

178. The curriculum for history is considerably enriched by very good use of the locality. Pupils have first hand access to a wonderful range of buildings, including Warwick Castle, Mill Street and the Leycester Hospital. They particularly enjoy visits to the Dolls’ Museum and the Coventry Car Museum. Teachers make their lessons interesting with unusual methods and features. For instance, Year 4 pupils construct Roman boats and measure how quickly they travel. This provides very good links with design and technology and with science in their studies into friction and materials. Visitors to school, dressed in magnificent Tudor costumes, bring this aspect of Tudor times vividly to life. Good links with information and communication technology are being developed through the use of digital photographs and Internet searches for information about Tudor characters, such as Sir Francis Drake.

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Commentary:-

179. The subject leader is enthusiastic about the subject and is determined to raise standards further across the school. She enthrals and inspires her own class. However, resources are unsatisfactory overall. For example, the quantity and quality of history books in the library are unacceptably low. Westgate Primary School

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

180. Overall, the quality of provision in information and communication technology (ICT) is satisfactory .

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Strengths:- • The improvements in resources and the development of an ICT suite for specialist teaching. • The development of teachers’ personal ICT skills, which is supporting well pupils’ learning. • Pupils’ attitudes and their willingness to learn, which leads to good achievement and progress. Areas for improvement:- • The day-to-day use of ICT to support learning in other subjects of the curriculum • The use of the school’s systems for assessing attainment in ICT, and the use of this information to set targets for improvement. • The development of extension and enhancement work to challenge those pupils who may be gifted or talented in the subject.

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Standards in information and communication technology:- By Year 2 By Year 6

Standards in pupils’ work and lessons seen by inspectors are: Average Average

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These standards are attained because:-

Pupils’ achievement in relation to what can be expected of them is: Satisfactory Good The quality of teaching is: Satisfactory Satisfactory The quality of pupils’ learning is: Satisfactory Satisfactory Pupils’ attitudes to their work are: Good Good The progress pupils make as they move through the school is: Satisfactory Good Progress made by pupils with special educational needs is: Good Good Progress made by pupils with English as an additional language is: Satisfactory Satisfactory Provision for pupils who are gifted or talented in the subject is: Insufficient evidence Insufficient evidence

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Other contributory factors:-

The contribution of the subject to the pupils’ personal development is: Satisfactory The leadership of the subject is: Satisfactory The management of the subject is: Satisfactory Improvement since the previous inspection has been: Satisfactory

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Commentary:-

181. ICT is currently under the guidance of an acting co-ordinator, due to the subject leader being on maternity leave. As a direct result of new resources for ICT and the teachers’ recent participation in a national training scheme, this is a rapidly developing area of the curriculum which is well poised for further improvement. In this, the school has advanced well since the previous inspection. Nevertheless, improvement is satisfactory overall because standards currently remain at the expected levels. However, growth in the subject is exciting because teachers and pupils together are learning to make productive use of the school’s new equipment and software. Pupils are enthusiastic about working in the new computer suite. Combined with teachers’ increased confidence in the subject, this is leading to the satisfactory progress and achievement of the younger pupils, where the foundation of key ICT skills is now being firmly laid. Older pupils are successfully starting

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Commentary:-

to build on their key skills and this is leading to good progress and achievement by the end of Year 6.

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Commentary:-

182. In a good Year 2 lesson, pupils achieved well in locating information from a CD encyclopaedia and satisfactorily copied and pasted their findings into their own word- processed document. Pupils were satisfactorily able to swap between programs and documents. The skills to enable them to do this were well reinforced by whole-class teaching, using a computer-projected display. However, the quality of the display was Westgate Primary School limited by projection onto a wall, as the computer suite does not yet have a proper screen. Weaker literacy skills from a number of pupils limited their use of searches because of difficulties with spelling or a lack of skills in using a spellchecker. Overall, the teacher and learning support assistant helped pupils to learn well through constant monitoring of their progress. Requests for help were supported effectively through questioning to help pupils to think through the problems for themselves and to find solutions.

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Commentary:-

183. Examples of good practice were seen in two Year 4 lessons on the use of a computer program to model and create a number of ‘crystal flowers’ on screen. Pupils were well prepared for this work through a preparation session in the school hall. Here, they physically played the part of a screen turtle and moved around the hall to sequences of commands to change angle and direction. Good levels of concentration enabled pupils to recognise and write their own ‘procedures’ (sets of instructions) to use during their subsequent session on the computers. This enabled pupils to make good progress in their experimental programming work. Just as importantly, pupils and teacher had good fun in learning. There were very good levels of excitement and wonder as the pupils’ increasingly complex designs unfolded on screen. This provided a good stimulus for success, achievement and self-motivated learning.

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Commentary:-

184. By the end of Year 6, pupils reach expected levels in their work on multimedia presentations. However, there were some limitations in the development of independent learning skills. This was because the teacher did not take full advantage of the more advanced pupils’ skills in demonstrating and experimenting with a presentation program. Nevertheless, this work built well on the pupils’ trip to Coombe Abbey and the sound background preparation undertaken by the pupils helped them to think carefully about their ‘audience’ for the presentation. By the end of the lesson, most pupils experimented satisfactorily with hyperlinks and special effects to enhance their work.

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Commentary:-

185. Teachers plan lessons which provide work at different levels and which are designed to support pupils of varying abilities, including the more able. Nonetheless, the school has yet to develop an expected range of enrichment or enhancement activities to challenge fully those pupils who may be gifted or talented in the subject. There is a satisfactory element of challenge from some teachers, through higher expectations and the encouragement of pupils to experiment in their work on computers. However, this has yet to be formalised in a planned approach to provide for gifted or talented, as opposed to higher attaining, pupils.

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Commentary:-

186. Overall, teachers have worked well in thinking about, and starting to develop, systems of recording pupils’ learning and progress in ICT. Teachers are now satisfactorily starting to use record sheets, matched to National Curriculum criteria for the subject, in order to note their assessments of pupils. A clear directory structure is being established on the school’s main server where pupils’ work may be stored. This enables easy access by teachers and pupils alike. Such initiatives and work illustrate the sound and improving leadership and management of the subject. However, the use of these good systems to create a portfolio of pupils’ work, in order to set expected standards, has yet to be developed. The record sheet system records when a pupil achieves a particular ICT skill or masters a technique, but not to what standard they are able to do so. The use of this assessment information, to provide targets for individual pupils and to help teachers in

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Commentary:-

their planning, is now an area ripe for development. Westgate Primary School

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subjects of the curriculum

187. Although teaching and learning in ICT as a separate subject is progressing well, the use of ICT and computers on a day-to-day basis in classrooms is not yet fully developed. For example, evidence of the use of ICT to support other subjects was not always seen in classroom displays of pupils’ work. There are computers in every classroom but the school is still in the process of improving the software and programs to support fully its work outside of the main computer suite. ICT is starting to be used effectively to support pupils’ literacy work, but to a lesser degree in numeracy.

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subjects of the curriculum

188. However, the foundations of secure development and application of ICT are clearly to be seen. For example, pupils in Years 1 and 2 have ICT ‘buddies’ who help each other when using the classroom computers. This helps to contribute well to their personal development. In Years 3 to 6, there is secure evidence for the sound application of ICT skills to expected levels in each year group. Year 3 pupils use word processing satisfactorily to support design and technology displays describing sandwich making and so help to develop their literacy skills. Year 4 pupils extend their numeracy work well through tally charts and block graphs in an analysis of the rubbish in classroom waste bins! Year 5 pupils show satisfactory use of data handling from their design and technology investigations of favourite biscuits. Year 6 pupils use satisfactorily a combination of word-processing and images to enhance their design and history work on

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subjects of the curriculum

189. Year 3 pupils, in particular, have created a good display in the hall, with digital photographs of litter in the local environment. Pupils show good social awareness in their word-processed letters to local councillors informing them about the problems. This makes a good contribution to their personal development as responsible future citizens.

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MUSIC

190. Overall, the quality of provision in music is satisfactory .

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MUSIC

Strengths:- • The quality of specialist teaching is good. • Achievement is good in singing in Years 1 and 2 and in composing in Year 6. • The opportunities for pupils to learn musical instruments at school. Areas for improvement:- • Assessment procedures for the subject, and their use across the school to support learning. • The use of information and communication technology to support learning in music.

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Standards in music:- By Year 2 By Year 6

Standards in pupils’ work and lessons seen by inspectors are: Average Average

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These standards are attained because:-

Pupils’ achievement in relation to what can be expected of them is: Good Good The quality of teaching is: Good Good The quality of pupils’ learning is: Good Good Pupils’ attitudes to their work are: Good Very good The progress pupils make as they move through the school is: Satisfactory Satisfactory Progress made by pupils with special educational needs is: Good Good Progress made by pupils with English as an additional language is: Insufficient evidence Insufficient evidence Provision for pupils who are gifted or talented in the subject is: Insufficient evidence Insufficient evidence

p.58

Other contributory factors:-

Westgate Primary School The contribution of the subject to the pupils’ personal development is: Good The leadership of the subject is: Satisfactory The management of the subject is: Satisfactory Improvement since the previous inspection has been: Satisfactory

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Commentary:-

191. It was possible to see only two lessons taught during the inspection, both of which were led by a specialist music teacher from the local education authority’s music service. The school has put in place a programme of in-service training in music to help non-specialist class teachers with its new scheme of work. This is an effective use of resources as it not only meets training needs but also provides pupils with specialist teaching on a regular basis. As a result, their achievement is good.

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Commentary:-

192. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 listen carefully to recorded music. They name various instruments, such as the violin. They sing enthusiastically in unison and show a good ear for the melody. During the lesson, pupils demonstrated a secure sense of rhythm when listening to recorded music and when sounding out two-beat words such as ‘seaside’, ‘bucket’, ‘roses’ and ‘daisies’. With good encouragement and suitable examples from adults, they quickly met the challenge of more complex rhythm patterns such as ‘sea horses’ and ‘little crabs’.

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193. In Year 6, pupils have been working on a composition, ‘Journey into space’, for the past five weeks. They have successfully acquired a good understanding of terms such as ‘timbre’, ‘dynamics’, ‘texture’ and ‘structure’ as the result of the specialist knowledge of the visiting teacher. They effectively demonstrate this in their performances. Pupils handle a range of tuned and untuned instruments carefully and show some ingenuity in creating such effects as ‘echo’, an underlying ‘ostinato’ motif or a contrasting beginning and middle section. They have a good understanding of how to use other signals to change the mood and direction of their work. When appraising their own performances and those of others, pupils show a good respect for achievement and make sensible suggestions for improvement. A strength of the pupils’ learning in the lesson seen was the way in which they worked together well. All pupils, including those with special educational needs, were

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well involved in making decisions and turning ideas into performance. The role of the teacher was particularly effective in drawing together the particular features from each group’s work and these were successfully shared with others. For example, one group had ‘discovered’ that themes using the pentatonic (five note) scale blended well with each other.

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194. Visiting teachers provide instrumental tuition on keyboards, guitar and piano. The governors’ charging policy does not prevent any pupil from participating in such lessons. Teachers try to ensure pupils do not miss the same class lesson each week.

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195. The headteacher, acting as subject leader, has resolved the issues raised by the previous inspection through the adoption of a commercial scheme of work to support teaching and learning. This provides suitable coverage of all the National Curriculum areas of learning and, importantly, gives clear guidance to teachers about how to use resources to develop and extend successfully pupils’ learning.

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Commentary:-

196. Learning resources are satisfactory overall, but there is limited use of information and communication technology in the subject. Links with literacy and numeracy are incidental rather than planned. The use of a spare classroom as a shared room for music makes a positive contribution to the school’s provision. At present, assessment arrangements are unsatisfactory. They are informal because the school has yet to agree how pupils’ attainment and progress in music will be assessed.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Westgate Primary School 197. Overall, the quality of provision in physical education is satisfactory .

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Strengths:- • The school provides a full range of learning opportunities, despite difficulties with accommodation. • The good range of extra-curricular sporting activities. Areas for improvement:- • Opportunities for pupils to observe others and refine their own performance. • The use of assessment information to help teachers in their planning.

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Standards in physical education:- By Year 2 By Year 6

Standards in pupils’ work and lessons seen by inspectors are: Average Average

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These standards are attained because:-

Pupils’ achievement in relation to what can be expected of them is: Satisfactory Good The quality of teaching is: Satisfactory Good The quality of pupils’ learning is: Satisfactory Good Pupils’ attitudes to their work are: Good Very good The progress pupils make as they move through the school is: Satisfactory Good Progress made by pupils with special educational needs is: Satisfactory Good Progress made by pupils with English as an additional language is: Satisfactory Satisfactory Provision for pupils who are gifted or talented in the subject is: Insufficient evidence Insufficient evidence

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Other contributory factors:-

The contribution of the subject to the pupils’ personal development is: Good The leadership of the subject is: Good The management of the subject is: Satisfactory Improvement since the previous inspection has been: Satisfactory

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Commentary:-

198. At the time of the previous inspection, standards were adversely affected by the accommodation. Since that time, the removal of the stage and the provision of additional storage facilities have improved the amount of space available in the school hall. However, although the school has done the best it can, the hall remains cluttered by equipment for which there is no alternative storage space available. On a more positive note, the school has secured the regular use of a suitable grassed area and changing facilities at a nearby sports club for winter and summer games and athletics. These improvements have had a positive influence on pupils’ achievement. Inspection judgements are based on two games lessons in Years 1 and 2, a swimming lesson in Year 4, discussions with staff and scrutiny of teachers’ records.

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199. Year 2 pupils successfully control the speed and direction of a range of different sized balls. They use hockey sticks and tennis racquets correctly and show increasing control and balance as they practise skills such as serving, or passing and dribbling a football around a line of bollards. Year 1 pupils throw and catch a range of different sized balls, rings and beanbags with increasing accuracy and control. They improve their hand and eye co-ordination and bend and stretch to provide the thrust for throwing and the best position for catching.

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200. Pupils enjoy physical education lessons and most co-operate well with each other. Pupils with special educational needs are well supported by staff and play a full part in lessons. Teachers have good expectations of pupils’ behaviour and make good use of praise to reward achievement. In both of these lessons, clear instructions from teachers helped to focus pupils’ concentration on particular skills and activities so they made steady progress. Westgate Primary School However, some opportunities for pupils to observe others and refine their own work were missed. Although not a major shortcoming, this was raised in the previous inspection report.

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201. By the end of Year 5, when the pupils’ three-year swimming programme comes to an end, the school reports that the majority of pupils meet the national requirement to be able to swim 25 metres unaided. Pupils have a good understanding of hygiene and safety procedures at the pool and listen carefully to their teachers’ instructions. They work with enthusiasm and make good efforts to practise and improve. Teachers build effectively upon earlier skills and examples so pupils’ learning moves on systematically. They identify good opportunities for pupils to watch others and identify how the pupils can improve their own performance. The current teaching arrangements, with fewer than ten pupils to each adult, enables staff to meet all pupils’ needs well. This is particularly relevant because some pupils have little water experience outside these lessons. Good arrangements are made for more advanced swimmers, although extension and enhancement work has yet to

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be planned for pupils who may be gifted or talented in the subject.

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202. The subject leader has a specialist background and is keen to make the best of the available resources in the school. He has led the revision of the school’s curriculum plans and works closely with colleagues, helping them to plan their lessons and improve their subject knowledge and understanding. He has a clear vision for the development of the subject in the school. He is building up a very useful portfolio of pupils’ work and achievements in physical education by using digital camera images on a shared staff site on the school’s computer system. This fits in well with a straightforward, yet effective system, for recording pupils’ attainment. However, the use of this information to help teachers’ in the development of their planning is not yet consistent throughout the school.

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203. The school’s provision is strengthened by a good range of extra-curricular sporting activities run by teaching staff, which includes football, cross country and netball which are available to pupils in Years 3 to 6, and a dance club, which is open to all pupils. Specialist coaches support cricket and tennis activities. At lunchtime, sports leaders provide activities of good quality for pupils in Years 1 to 6.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

204. Overall, the quality of provision in religious education is satisfactory .

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Strengths:- • The ongoing implementation of the new locally agreed syllabus for religious education by the subject leader is increasingly effective. • The contribution of the subject to the pupils’ personal, spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. • Pupils’ attitudes and approach to the subject are good. Areas for improvement:- • Opportunities for the subject leader to monitor the practical implementation of the new locally agreed syllabus for religious education. • The assessment, marking and levelling of religious education work by all teachers. • Provision for pupils who may be gifted or talented in religious education. Westgate Primary School

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Standards in religious education:- By Year 2 By Year 6

Standards in pupils’ work and lessons seen by inspectors are: Average Average

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These standards are attained because:-

Pupils’ achievement in relation to what can be expected of them is: Satisfactory Satisfactory The quality of teaching is: Satisfactory Satisfactory The quality of pupils’ learning is: Satisfactory Satisfactory Pupils’ attitudes to their work are: Good Good The progress pupils make as they move through the school is: Satisfactory Satisfactory Progress made by pupils with special educational needs is: Good Good Progress made by pupils with English as an additional language is: Good Good Provision for pupils who are gifted or talented in the subject is: Insufficient evidence Insufficient evidence

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Other contributory factors:-

The contribution of the subject to the pupils’ personal development is: Good The leadership of the subject is: Satisfactory The management of the subject is: Satisfactory Improvement since the previous inspection has been: Satisfactory

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Commentary:-

205. The subject leader has worked hard in recent months to plan and ensure the implementation of the new locally agreed syllabus for religious education. The recommended scheme of work has been explained to teachers and is now in the final stages of implementation. Overall, this work has contributed to the sound leadership and management of the subject in the school. However, this work is not yet monitored to ensure a more careful balance between the two major elements relating to learning about religion and learning from religion. At present, there is too much emphasis on the former than the latter, although the balance is significantly better in Years 1 and 2 than 3 to 6. The subject leader has had insufficient time to formally monitor the work of her colleagues throughout the school. Improvement since the previous inspection is, consequently, satisfactory because standards have remained in line with the expectations of the locally

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agreed syllabus. In spite of the work of the subject leader, religious education has too low a profile in the work of the school. This is exemplified by the lack of pupils’ work on display around the school.

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206. Resources for the subject require further improvement, particularly those relating to the use of information and communication technology within religious education. The subject leader has provided all teachers with a list of Internet sites, which support learning in the subject. However, there is little evidence of teachers using this list, or ICT to support pupils’ learning. CD-ROM and other program resources for religious education are lacking. The subject leader is gradually, and prudently, improving the school’s artefact resources for the teaching of the major world religions.

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207. A key area for the subject’s development relates to the use of assessment in the subject. The locally agreed syllabus has adopted the nationally recommended levels for the subject. However, with one or two notable exceptions, teachers do not mark pupils’ religious education work well enough. There are no records of the levels attained by pupils, as required by the locally agreed syllabus. Consequently, there is insufficient analysis by most class teachers of the achievement of pupils in the subject. This often leads to a lack of variety in the work pupils record in their books. It is this element which makes the teaching satisfactory overall, in spite of some good or better teaching seen during the inspection. Furthermore, whilst there is more emphasis on the needs of lower or average attaining pupils, there is too little emphasis on challenge or specific provision for pupils who may be gifted or talented in the subject.

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Westgate Primary School 208. Nevertheless, examples of good and excellent, practice were seen in lessons during the inspection. For example, good teaching and learning took place in a Year 6 lesson on Hindu beliefs. Pupils had listened to traditional stories about Krishna and greater emphasis had been placed on pupils’ interpretation of the symbolism of such stories, in order that they could compare them with those of other religions. Pupils learned and achieved well because they had been well prepared to consider for themselves the characteristics of Krishna, such as love, care, bravery and courage. Independence in learning was encouraged through group work and, consequently, pupils were self- motivated and showed good attitudes to their studies. The teacher supported learning well through a sequence of timed activities which maintained the variety and pace of the lesson.

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209. By Year 2, discussion work encourages pupils to talk well, for example, about the natural things around them and to explore the world’s resources. In one such lesson, pupils showed a natural sense of wonder at a very large seashell provided by the teacher. This led to a good consideration of other natural objects, such as stones, an apple and a pinecone. Through this, good links were made with the pupils’ science work on living things and what they need to grow and survive. The teacher employed a good range of teaching strategies, with special educational needs pupils being well supported by a learning support assistant. Good quality planning, and guidance for the pupils, contributed to the lesson providing a firm foundation for future work relating to creation stories from around the world.

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210. An excellent religious education lesson was seen in Year 1. In just 40 minutes, the teacher helped the pupils along a learning path which explored growth and change. Through the use of photographs of herself as a baby, child and adult, pupils were very well enabled to consider changes they themselves had gone through and to predict future changes in their lives. Through the skilful use of a story about a frog who found a dead bird, pupils were enabled to talk openly about the gifts life brings, such as birdsong. The very good working and pastoral relationships clearly built between teacher and pupils encouraged discussion of the pupils’ own experiences of death and a sensitive consideration of their own and others’ feelings. This not only made a major contribution to the pupils’ personal and spiritual development but also underpinned the essential groundwork for future religious education units on religious rituals and symbolism.

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OTHER SUBJECT INCLUDED IN THE INSPECTION: MODERN LANGUAGES

211. In the weeks immediately before the inspection, the school introduced modern languages into its curriculum for Years 5 and 6. The aim is to provide older pupils with an introduction to the subject before they transfer to their secondary school. Westgate is currently in discussions with its main secondary school concerning the eventual introduction of Spanish as well as French. French was taught on a day when inspectors were not in the school. However, a lunchtime French Club for pupils in Years 3 and 4 was observed during the inspection. To all intents and purposes, this was a practical language lesson.

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212. Overall, the quality of modern languages provision in the French Club is very good . The quality of the learning is very good because of the very good, professional approach and subject expertise of the teacher. Pupils’ attitudes and involvement are very good because they are very well motivated and show very high levels of interest in the club’s activities. However, the school currently lacks its own resources for modern languages teaching and the teacher personally provides those which are available.

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213. The work undertaken by the pupils provides very good support for the development of their literacy, especially listening skills. Participation in the club contributes well to the pupils’ Westgate Primary School personal and social development. For example, pupils take turns in taking the register, ensuring responses are in French! Throughout the lesson, the use of the target language is stressed and English is only used for clarification when new learning or vocabulary is introduced. Consequently, pupils are starting to develop a useful and practical vocabulary to a sound standard. For example, pupils correctly answer questions such as ‘Ç a va? ’ (How are you?), ‘ Oû habite tu ? ’ (Where do you live?) or ‘ Quelle age a tu ?’ (How old are you?). Pupils count up to 50 in French with confidence. They test the security of their work with lower numbers by throwing sets of dice and adding up the numbers. Such

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activities contribute well to the pupils’ numeracy development. The teacher supports the pupils’ learning very well by constantly checking their understanding and reinforcing their knowledge and quality of pronunciation. Pupils of all abilities, including those for whom English is an additional language, are therefore enabled to contribute with confidence.

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214. The Club’s activities support other subjects well, such as music. For example, the pupils sang ‘Fr?re Jacques’ with enthusiasm and their ability to sing a ‘round’ was well developed. Pupils’ enthusiasm was maintained throughout because the club’s activities were varied and the pace of the work maintained well. The final game of ‘Bingo’ maintained suspense up to the end and the cry of ‘ Gagne!’ (I win!) summed up the successful contribution the introduction of modern languages makes to the quality of the pupils’ education.

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