Dunchurch Infant School

DUNCHURCH INFANT SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 30 June – 3 July 2003

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DUNCHURCH INFANT 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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DUNCHURCH INFANT 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. Dunchurch Infant School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: School Street Dunchurch Rugby Warwickshire

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The Governing Body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: February 1998 Dunchurch Infant School - 4

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

21080 Kay Cornish Registered inspector English Geography History Music English as an additional language What sort of school is it? The school’s results and pupils’ achievements How well are pupils’ taught? How well is the school led and managed? 10329 Brian Sampson Lay inspector How well does the school care for it’s pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 21547 Pearl White Team inspector The Foundation Stage of Learning Art and design Information and communication technology Religious education Educational inclusion Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

22704 Garry Williams Team inspector Mathematics Science Design and technology Physical education Special educational needs How good are curricular and other opportunities?

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Evenlode Associates Limited 6 Abbey Close Alcester Warwickshire B49 5QW

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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:

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Dunchurch Infant School - 5

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

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

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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

Dunchurch Infant School is smaller than average and has 176 pupils on roll with almost equal numbers of girls and boys, aged four to seven years. Pupils are organised into six classes, with an average class size of 29. The number of pupils with special educational needs is 30, which is lower than the national average. Four pupils have Statements of special educational need, which is higher than the national average. Three pupils come from homes with English as an additional language. Four pupils are known to be eligible for free school meals, although, with over 50 per cent of pupils coming from out of catchment area, this number of eligibility is uncertain. One pupil was excluded in the past twelve months. The number of pupils joining the school other than at the usual time is high, but the level leaving is low. When the current reception children started school, there was a wide range of attainment, but overall, it was close to the

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

expected level for the age range. Attendance levels, at 94.7 per cent, are satisfactory. There are very good links with the school’s private nursery adjoining the school. The school has been most successful in overcoming the significant staff changes over the past three years. Staffing has now stabilised.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Dunchurch Infant School is most effective at providing a good education to enrich pupils’ needs. Pupils make good progress in their learning. By the end of Year 2, standards of pupils’ attainment in English and mathematics are well above the national average. Teaching is good and a significant proportion is very good. The current headteacher provides very good, purposeful leadership and many worthwhile initiatives have been implemented since the previous inspection. The child is central to the school’s focus, aims and values, and many pupils realise their potential through good equal opportunities. The school gives good value for money.

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What the school does well

• Standards and achievements in English and mathematics are well above the average levels nationally. • The good teaching ensures that pupils make good progress in their learning and that reception children receive a good start to their schooling. • All the hard-working staff ensure that pupils’ individual personal development is very good, resulting in very good attitudes, relationships and respect. • The very good headteacher leads with purposeful vision and is strongly supported by a talented senior management team and conscientious staff. • The governing body fulfils its responsibilities to a high standard and the school has very good relationships with parents and the community. • The provision for pupils with special educational needs is very good and they make good progress.

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What could be improved

• The indoor accommodation in the Foundation Stage to allow for greater ease of movement between activities and more attractive, appropriate furniture which encourages greater independence in children. • The further development of the roles of co-ordinators, particularly those new to their responsibilities, in order to raise standards in all subjects and to ensure that the overall good support from teaching assistants is consistently uniform. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

There has been good improvement since the previous inspection of February 1998. All the key issues have been rectified since the previous inspection, although co-ordinators new to their responsibilities are still developing aspects of subjects within their roles. Improvements include: (1) very successful implementation of the National Strategies for Literacy and Numeracy, (2) improved subject knowledge of information and communication technology (ICT), (3) the teaching of religious education is now based more closely on Warwickshire’s Agreed Syllabus, (4) improved teaching and learning, (5) procedures for assessment, (6) the development of schemes of work using Qualifications and Curriculum Authority Dunchurch Infant School - 7 documents and other sources, (7) regular monitoring of teaching and learning by the headteacher, senior management team and established co-ordinators, (8) additional visits by governors, (9) a new purpose-built

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

nursery on site and a new library which doubles as a base for a before and after-school facilities for pupils, and (10) new outdoor facilities for reception children.

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by pupils at the end of Year 2 based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests in 2002.

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Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

2000 2001 2002 2002 Reading A A B B well above average above average A B Writing B A C B average below average C D Mathematics B C C D well below average E

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Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

Similar Schools refers to those with more than 8 per cent up to 20 per cent Free School Meals.

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Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

The above table shows that standards, based on average points for similar schools, exceeded the national averages in reading and writing, but mathematics was marginally below. This was due to higher numbers of level 3 grades in reading than mathematics. The 2002 results included a higher proportion than average of pupils with special educational needs who, none-the-less, performed well. Based on the average results of the school over three years, pupils performed better than the national average.

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Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

Current Year 2 pupils have better standards. In English and mathematics, pupils’ attainment is well above the national average. Standards in science, art and design, design and technology and physical education are above the average and expected levels. Pupils’ attainment in ICT, history, geography and music are at the expected levels nationally. Standards in religious education meet the requirements of Warwickshire’s Agreed Syllabus. No subject is overall unsatisfactory.

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Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

Over a period of three years, children entered the Foundation Stage with skills in line with expected levels. They make good progress and a majority of children reach above the Early Learning Goals at the beginning of Year 1. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress towards their individual targets and often reach average standards in literacy. Higher attaining pupils, as well as the gifted and talented, are challenged in each year group and consistently reach higher levels. Overall, over time, pupils’ achievement is good and has improved since 2002 and since the previous inspection.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Very good. Pupils take pleasure in the welcoming environment and show a very good level of interest in their lessons.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Good. Pupils are responsive to adults and courteous. A very small number of pupils with challenging behaviour are not allowed to disrupt the activities of the majority. The school is an orderly and pleasant community.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Very good, because pupils feel secure. Older pupils take responsibility to operate the ‘friendship stop’ to help younger pupils resolve their minor concerns.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Current satisfactory attendance contributes effectively towards the overall success of children’s learning. Dunchurch Infant School - 8

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Teaching of pupils in: Reception Years 1 – 2

Quality of teaching 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.

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Teaching of pupils in: Reception Years 1 – 2

Teaching has a positive impact on pupils’ good learning. The quality of teaching during the inspection was good and a substantive proportion was very good. No lessons showed overall unsatisfactory teaching. This is a positive picture and shows that good teaching standards have been maintained and improved upon since the previous inspection. Good teaching at the Foundation Stage ensures that children reach levels above the Early Learning Goals by the end of the reception class. There is very good teaching of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies. The teaching of pupils with special educational needs is good and the needs of talented and gifted pupils are strongly supported. The school has been most successful in overcoming the significant staff changes over the past three years. All staff have been very successful as a team in raising standards.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum The quality and range of learning opportunities are good and meet statutory requirements. All pupils are fully included in an enriching range of experiences.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Provision for pupils with special educational needs is very good, due largely to the drive of the co-ordinator. Pupils have full and equal opportunities to all experiences on offer. They make good progress because of the high quality of their tasks following early identification of their needs.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Pupils with English as an additional language receive good support, initially from the local education authority’s Inter-cultural Support Service. The two remaining pupils, of Gujerati and Cantonese origins, are now fluent and well integrated.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Very good. The successful promotion of very good moral and social development and good spiritual and cultural development makes a significant contribution to pupils’ personal development. The school has worked hard to enlist the help of visitors to inform pupils of the cultural diversity within the United Kingdom.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils The high standard of care demonstrates that children’s welfare is central to the school’s ethos. All staff work hard to maintain a clean, safe and happy environment. There is very good assessment in English and mathematics, and good use of assessment data throughout, in order to ensure individual, group and class progress in lessons.

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Aspect Comment

Parents consider that the school is very good. The quality of information for parents and the impact of parents’ involvement on the work of the school are very good. Parents’ consensus view is that the school has moved forward and improved in recent years. Dunchurch Infant School - 9

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The very good headteacher gives purposeful and clear educational direction. She has strong support from her talented senior management team and hard-working staff. The delegation of managerial responsibilities to staff is expertly managed for monitoring teaching and learning. Due to the past high mobility rate of teachers, co-ordinators new to their duties are still developing aspects of subjects within their roles.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The very good and well informed chair of governors gives loyal support and has been a wise influence through the management of change. The governing body is very good in fulfilling its statutory duties and in shaping the direction of the school. All statutory requirements are met.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance The school’s development plan is regularly evaluated and updated. This has ensured that priorities for developing the school and action taken to meet targets are very good.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources The school’s educational priorities are supported successfully through good financial planning and a very efficient bursar. Daily administration is calm, efficient and unobtrusive due to industrious office administrators. The attractive accommodation and site have been imaginatively improved and have maximum use. Space for the use of reception classes and for ICT is still problematic and has been earmarked for development. Best value principles are applied carefully and the school gives good value for money.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Happy children and relationships. • Individual needs of all pupils met well. • Teachers know their pupils well. • Warm welcome and atmosphere. • Good discipline and children’s evident progress. • Very good support for special educational needs. • Space in classrooms.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspectors agree with the positive views expressed about the school and that space is limited, particularly in reception classes. However, inspectors recognise that funding to improve the accommodation is not possible without the help of the local education authority, parents and the community. Dunchurch Infant School - 10

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. When children enter the Foundation Stage, their standards are generally at the expected levels for the age range, although a small minority are above. Although children’s attainment at the beginning of Year 1 varies from year to year, affecting results, the current children in reception are on line to reach above the Early Learning Goals by the beginning of Year 1.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. Standards of the current Year 2 are generally above the national average and expected levels in most subjects. In English and mathematics, pupils’ attainment is well above average. Standards in science, art and design, design and technology, and physical education, are above the average and expected levels. Pupils’ attainment in ICT, history, geography and music are at the expected levels nationally. Standards in religious education meet the requirements of Warwickshire’s Agreed Syllabus. No subject is overall unsatisfactory. This is a very good picture and shows much improvement from the previous inspection of 1998 when subjects were in line with national levels, ICT standards were below, and progress in religious education was unsatisfactory due to insufficient coverage of the curriculum.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. The National Curriculum assessments in 2002 for all schools show that standards in reading and writing exceeded the national averages for Year 2. Performance in mathematics was in line with the national average. The teachers’ assessments for science in 2002 assessed pupils as above average, but with less confidence reflected in experimental and investigative science. Based on the average of results in the school over three years, the performance of the pupils in reading, writing and mathematics exceeded the national averages. Boys did better than girls, which goes against the national trend. In comparison with schools in similar contexts and in acknowledging that a large proportion of pupils come from out of the school’s immediate catchment area, standards were above the national averages for reading and writing, and marginally below for mathematics in 2002.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. This year’s improvements are due to better resourcing, the longer impact of ‘setting’ arrangements for English and mathematics, and more precise tracking of pupils for ‘value-added’ progress. All pupils have individual literacy and numeracy targets set for them. Pupils with English as an additional language have received good support, initially from the local education authority, and these pupils are well integrated and confident in school routines, showing strongly improved progress. Gifted and talented pupils have their needs recognised early. As a result, they often work in sets for literacy and numeracy in the age-group above their own chronological age, and consequently receive higher challenges to ensure their very good progress. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress. The withdrawal of pupils provides them to be taught in small groups. The good teaching they receive is very effective in raising their attainment. With

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

additional support of good quality in the classroom, these pupils achieve well. They have confidence to take part in all classroom activities and work in small groups. Thus, good reading and language development helps them to complete tasks in other subjects.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. The National Literacy Strategy has been successfully implemented and this has helped to raise standards from the previous inspection. Pupils make very good progress in writing and spelling, due mainly to the very good teaching of phonic strategies for building new words, and the small- group arrangements for ‘sets’ of pupils to learn their spellings. Handwriting is well taught so that, by the end of Year 2, the majority of pupils write fluently with joined letters and in a good style. Pupils make good progress in reading a variety of texts with good understanding. The careful grading of non-fiction books and the variety of practical activities during reading and writing sessions have helped the boys, in particular, to progress rapidly. Dunchurch Infant School - 11 6. There has been very good implementation of the National Numeracy Strategy which has had a strong impact in the current year on improving pupils’ achievement in mathematics, particularly

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

that of higher attaining pupils. Teachers are more confident of their knowledge and expertise. Their planning, analysis of results and target setting, are focused and good. The school’s strategy for enabling pupils to work in sets in each year group has ensured that higher attaining pupils are sufficiently challenged; the less confident pupils in the lower sets, receive good support and tasks well matched to their needs. As a result, all pupils achieve successfully due to their equal opportunities.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. Good enrichment activities through extra-curricular opportunities, such as in music, sport, art, history, geography, visits and visitors to the school, have ensured high standards in pupils’ personal, social, spiritual and cultural development. These have created positive attitudes to work and greater enthusiasm and insight. In addition, the good educational support and guidance for pupils have ensured that all have the same opportunities for good learning, which has led to a corresponding rise in standards. The whole picture of the school’s standards is one of strong improvement, particularly in literacy and numeracy, and imaginative enrichment in order to provide an education most appropriate for the needs of the pupils.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

8. Pupils’ attitudes to the school and personal development are very good. There are very good relationships in the school and pupils behave well. These high standards have improved since the previous inspection.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

9. All pupils take pleasure in the welcoming and caring environment of the school. Pupils feel safe and secure in the well-ordered structure of daily routines. Children in the Foundation Stage quickly gain a sense of belonging and confidence. They respond enthusiastically to the good quality provision in the reception classes because teachers make learning entertaining. They make good progress in personal, social and emotional development.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10. There were many examples in Years 1 and 2 when pupils’ very positive attitudes contributed to their good progress. In a Year 2 literacy lesson, there was a concentrated hush as pupils listened attentively to a biography of one of their favourite authors. All year groups display very positive attitudes in mathematics lessons and particularly enjoy practical activities in science, design and technology and art and design. Pupils take good advantage of opportunities to widen their experience by going on visits and taking part in extra-curricular clubs. Pupils of all ethnic groups and those having English as an additional language mix well at work and play. The positive ethos of inclusiveness in the school enables all pupils to become confident and fully integrated. Parents say their children enjoy school.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. Pupils with special educational needs have similar attitudes and behaviour to their peers. They listen well in lessons and try to answer questions that have been set to meet their needs. Pupils show growing self-esteem and confidence when their contributions to lessons are sought and valued. They are delighted when teachers and friends celebrate their successes.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. Pupils’ behaviour is good, as it was at the last inspection. The school is an orderly and pleasant community. Parents are pleased with the behaviour of their children at school. Each class has formulated its own rules to complement the school’s rules and pupils look forward to having their successes and good behaviour celebrated at the celebration assembly. Pupils are learning to take responsibility for their own behaviour. Depending on how they have behaved in a lesson they place a ‘sad’ or ‘happy’ face on a white board. In a few lessons, pupils fidget and interrupt and become noisy, but on all occasions respond well to teachers’ high expectations for good behaviour. During the most recent year, there has been only one fixed-term exclusion. Pupils from different ethnic backgrounds, boys and girls, play well together, move around the school and grounds sensibly and treat equipment and displays with care. There was no evidence of bullying during the

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

Dunchurch Infant School - 12 inspection, but good evidence of sensitive and supportive behaviour, particularly in the playground when pupils are encouraged to take care of each other. Race relations are very good.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. The quality of personal development and relationships are now even better than they were at the previous inspection. The very good relationships that exist in this school are based on mutual respect between pupils, and between pupils and adults. Pupils share equipment very well during lessons and speak politely to adults and each other. They thrive in the caring environment that all adults work hard to create. The committed teamwork evident among all members of the staff means that they set good examples for the pupils to follow. Pupils throughout the school are sensitive and positive about the special needs of some of their classmates. Pupils are developing a sense of responsibility well. During the lunchtime, they walk in an orderly manner to the junior hall, queue up sensibly, collect their lunches and show good manners while eating their food. In each class pupils respond well to the extra jobs that are assigned to them, such as taking class registers

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

to the office. Older pupils take responsibility to operate the ‘friendship stop’ to assist younger pupils resolve minor concerns.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. Attendance is currently satisfactory and in line with the national average for this type of school. The majority of pupils come to school on time and most lessons commence promptly. The school has no unexplained long-term absentees. Such consistent attendance contributes significantly towards the overall success of the pupils’ learning.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

15. Teaching has a positive impact on pupils’ good learning. The quality of teaching during the inspection was good. Thirty-five lessons were observed in total. Teaching in ten lessons was very good; it was good in 22 lessons; three lessons were at least satisfactory. No lesson was completely unsatisfactory. This is a positive picture and shows that teaching has improved since the previous inspection.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

16. In each age group, teaching is good with very good features. As a result, pupils’ learning in lessons is consistently good and their achievement over time is very good. At the Foundation Stage it is good overall and, on some occasions very good. Teaching is characterised by very good classroom management and the very good use of teaching assistants who support children very well in all aspects of learning. Teachers demonstrate their good knowledge of the Foundation Stage curriculum by making creative links to activities and planning well at all levels, including the outside learning area. For example, children are thinking about transport and are able to be engaged in role play in the ‘pirate ship’ and imaginary cave.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

17. When teaching in other year groups is very good, there are high expectations of pupils’ performances and very good teaching of the basic skills. In addition, teachers deploy very good methods to ensure a variety of approaches, as, for example, when pairing pupils for discussion, ensuring practical ‘hands-on’ investigations as in mathematics, science and design and technology. This variety of approaches helps to maintain pupils’ concentration and interest. The ‘setting’ arrangements in English, spelling and mathematics, ensures that all pupils gain in confidence in their well-matched tasks and that higher attaining pupils receive very good challenges. This was particularly noticeable in the teaching of gifted and talented pupils. Pupils’ co-operation and concentration are, therefore, strongly evident.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

18. Planning of lessons is good and teaching assistants are given good guidance on their deployment. Good assessment is used to plan for further lessons and targets are clearly explained to pupils to help them to learn more effectively. Marking of pupils’ recorded work gives clear guidance for improvement. Homework procedures give clear guidelines for parents to help their children. Displays are colourful, well focused and frequently initiate good responses through leading Dunchurch Infant School - 13 questions, as, for example, when walking down the corridor and ‘dodging’ the large-scale models of insects suspended on a spider’s ‘web’ from the ceiling.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

19. Teachers’ knowledge of the National Strategies for Literacy and Numeracy is very good and their planning of lessons in these subjects is very good. There is very good teaching of reading, and the techniques for using phonics to help pupils in their reading and spelling are very thoroughly implemented. There is very good organisation of group work within the year ‘sets’, particularly for guided reading and understanding a variety of texts. Pupils are encouraged to discuss characters and plots to help them to be aware of the resolution of conflicts within stories. Teaching of skills for researching books on other subjects is very good, so that pupils are proficient in using skimming and scanning techniques. The teaching of writing is of a high standard, particularly in Year 1, where pupils have made very good progress in writing their complete thoughts, in a joined- up handwriting style.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

20. When implementing the numeracy strategy, teachers show confident planning, target setting and analysis of data. Teachers ensure that learning is practical and fun, resulting in keen, interested pupils. In all sessions, pupils are encouraged to use key mathematical vocabulary and to practise quick mental recall. Teachers set clear standards for the setting out of calculations in books, resulting in pupils’ good recording skills. Procedures for assessing and evaluating pupils’ learning are very good in mathematics, and ensure that pupils are highly focused on the numeracy tasks which teachers set for them. The very good implementation of the National Numeracy Strategy has had a strong impact on pupils’ mathematical standards, which are now well above the national average and reflect the very good progress of the current Year 2 pupils from the time when they entered the Foundation Stage.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

21. Teachers are particularly aware of the needs of pupils with special educational needs and, as a result, these pupils make good progress. Pupils’ individual education plans match the work effectively to their needs and teachers make helpful notes on their progress. The use of the special room to support pupils with special educational needs provides a secure and happy environment, which assists learning for all pupils. Pupils with English as an additional language receive good teaching. Initially, in the spring term of 2003, two pupils received extra support from the local education authority’s Inter-cultural Support Service (ICSS), when funding provided a one-to-one approach. Since then, the Afrikaans and the Zulu pupils have moved area, and the remaining Gujerati and Cantonese pupils are now fluent and well integrated. They still receive support as necessary from teaching assistants, and teachers take care to include these pupils in all

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

22. Teaching in all other subjects is predominantly good and at least satisfactory. There are very good features in the teaching of science, art and design, design and technology, and physical education, mainly due to better knowledge and expertise within these subjects. The management of pupils’ behaviour is generally good throughout and the few pupils with challenging behaviour are not allowed to disrupt lessons. An area for development is for more consistent use of computers. The school has already identified the need for the provision of more computers and, possibly, the building of an ICT suite if funding allows. This would ensure greater opportunities for more ‘hands-on’ experiences. Another minor area for development is for greater use of dictionaries during lessons.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

23. Teaching and support staff work very hard as a team to provide a range of enrichment activities throughout the year, so that all pupils are included on visits out of school or when extra opportunities are organised within the school. The support of teaching assistants at the Foundation Stage is exemplary and a model for others. There is very good commitment to raising pupils’ standards, with staff offering good support to each other and pupils. All staff work closely as a strong team and this raises teaching standards, pupils’ achievement, attitudes and behaviour. Dunchurch Infant School - 14

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PUPILS?

24. The overall quality of the curriculum is good due to the enrichment activities provided through visits and visitors, the range of extra-curricular activities, the very strong links to the community, and the very good strategies for literacy and numeracy. This is a considerable improvement since the previous inspection. Schemes of work are now in place and followed consistently by all teachers. Teachers plan work together so that pupils in the same year group receive the same curriculum. Time allocation for each subject is appropriate and allows for links with other subjects to be developed well.

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PUPILS?

25. The curriculum for the Foundation Stage is good and prepares children successfully for Year 1. There is good provision of the full range of activities for young children. The carefully planned and organised curriculum is taught in a lively and interesting way. It provides all children, including those with special educational needs, pupils who speak English as an additional language and gifted and talented pupils, with relevant and rich opportunities for learning. It is well structured and enables all children to make good progress overall in all areas of learning.

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PUPILS?

26. The curriculum for Years 1 and 2 is good and meets the statutory requirements of national curriculum and Warwickshire’s Agreed Syllabus in religious education. It is broad and rich and well balanced. Teachers plan together and make sure that all pupils benefit from visitors and visits alike. These are directly related to their learning. There are minor areas of development in religious education, which the school plans to address. The school provides opportunities for pupils to develop their enquiry skills.

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PUPILS?

27. The school’s strategies for teaching numeracy and literacy are very good. Teachers group pupils in ability sets for tasks and this caters directly for the abilities and needs of individual pupils. Pupils’ speaking and listening skills are thoroughly promoted across the curriculum and pupils listen attentively to questions and respond confidently and fluently. Pupils’ reading skills are advanced most effectively to include guided reading and small group tasks. Writing is efficiently developed in order to record pupils’ ideas in other subjects. Pupils’ numeracy skills are successfully used in other subjects, such as science and geography. The curriculum for ICT is satisfactory. There are plans to build a computer suite, which would provide greater opportunities for pupils to extend their computer skills.

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PUPILS?

28. Provision for pupils with special educational needs, as well as the gifted and talented, is very good. Planning identifies clearly the support these pupils require in lessons, including extended activities for the gifted and talented. Activities are planned to provide very good opportunities for them to work in small groups on particular tasks matched closely to their individual needs. This is particularly so in literacy and numeracy. Good provision for pupils who speak English as an additional language includes very good support in lessons.

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PUPILS?

29. Provision for pupils’ personal, social and health education is good and fosters pupils’ responsibility, levels of independence, self-confidence and self-esteem. Healthy eating initiatives have raised pupils’ awareness of the need for a healthy diet and exercise to keep themselves fit. Drugs awareness and sex education is covered in the science curriculum and taught as a normal part of lessons.

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PUPILS?

30. Provision for extra-curricular activities is good. The varied programme includes football, violins, and recorders, skipping days and preparing for sports day. These activities are greatly appreciated by parents. Pupils love school and feel it is a happy and safe place to be.

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PUPILS?

31. The school organises a good range of visits to enrich pupils’ academic and social development. Visits are made to places of interest and linked to topics, such as the Science Park and the home Dunchurch Infant School - 15 of Guy Fawkes. Pupils remember details of these because they have experienced them at first hand. The many visitors who enhance provision, includes people from different churches, visiting artists, string quartet and theatre groups. All of these are greatly appreciated by the pupils. Visitors from the members of the local constabulary and fire service contribute to pupils’ awareness of safety and the annual visit by the ‘Life Bus’ supports pupils’ awareness of the importance of a healthy lifestyle very well. Such visits enhance pupils’ curriculum experiences and extend and enrich their learning.

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PUPILS?

32. The overall provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is very good. This high quality has improved since the previous inspection and assists pupils in taking full advantage of the good learning opportunities provided by the school for their ‘all-round’ development.

p.15

PUPILS?

33. Provision for pupils’ spiritual development is good and provides them with appropriate opportunities for spiritual growth. The school aims to ensure that everyone is fully included and valued. This contributes well to the spiritual ethos of mutual respect. Teachers set a spiritual atmosphere and have high expectations for pupils to develop an insight into personal values and emotions. This is clearly evident in religious education lessons and class discussion time, when pupils freely share special moments that reflect an appreciation of each other feelings. These lessons make a good contribution to pupils’ spiritual development because pupils are introduced to the beliefs of other religions and develop a growing awareness of, and respect for, different faiths. This is an improvement since the previous inspection.

p.15

PUPILS?

34. There is a good school focus in the life of the school on pupils’ respect for each other and for their environment. Teachers seize opportunities for fostering a sense of awe and wonder in other subjects, particularly in art, when pupils study the beauty of many plants and birds. An air of mystery is also developed for children when they see a chrysalis turn into a beautiful butterfly. Most pupils take part in daily assemblies, which pupils enter and leave to music; this creates a sense of occasion. Special visitors, such as the local vicar and the Baptist minister, help pupils to have an awareness of Christian beliefs. Pupils are given sufficient time for reflection about the clear messages given. However, occasionally a small minority of pupils become restless so disturbing the peaceful atmosphere created.

p.15

PUPILS?

35. The school’s provision for the moral development of pupils is very good. All staff are successful in extending pupils’ moral awareness through discussions both in assembly and in class. In assembly pupils are asked to think about how a bully is often an unhappy person, often without friends and how they can help them realise the outcome of their actions. Teachers make a point of underlining how pupils can provide help to those less fortunate than themselves. Pupils are encouraged to raise funds for several local and national charities and are in touch with a school for children with special needs. Pupils of all ages are involved in drawing up class rules and are familiar with the school rules, being rewarded for good behaviour and effort by having their name entered into the Gold Book. Many teachers use and value discussion time, when pupils are seated in a circle, to ensure that they discuss freely matters which may be troubling them. It is used effectively as a

p.15

PUPILS?

way of helping pupils to explore moral issues and come to decisions.

p.15

PUPILS?

36. The school promotes social development very well. Teachers organise groups in their classrooms to provide good opportunities for pupils to collaborate to find information and solutions to problems. At break and lunch times, good supervision ensures that pupils play and interact amicably in groups, sometimes composed of boys and girls of mixed ages. Older pupils are directed to support younger pupils in the playground, often taking turns to be responsible for the ‘friendship stop’ in the playground for any younger pupils who might be lonely or unhappy. Assemblies are effective in promoting pupils’ social development. In the reception classes good manners, such as remembering to say ‘Please’ and ‘Thank you’, are emphasised by all staff.

p.15

PUPILS?

37. Provision for cultural development of pupils is good. The lack of cultural diversity available to the pupils to understand Britain’s multi-cultural community has spurred the school on to improve the Dunchurch Infant School - 16 provision in this area from the time of the last inspection. In geography and history, pupils successfully learn about the cultures of other countries. Dancers from minority ethnic groups have helped pupils to appreciate minority cultures. Pupils continuously learn to appreciate their own cultural traditions through the visits of artists and musicians. They have visited places of interest in the locality to help them to understand how the local culture has evolved. However, opportunities within art and design are not always successfully exploited to enhance pupils’ understanding of cultural beliefs and traditions of other countries.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

38. The school has very good procedures for child protection and for ensuring the welfare of its pupils. These are yet another strength of the school and have improved since the previous inspection, ensuring a caring and safe environment within which, the children’s learning can flourish. Dunchurch Infant School - 17 39. The headteacher is the named child protection person and both she and her deputy are well trained. The headteacher has ensured that all staff has also been relevantly trained and all new teachers have this aspect as part of their induction. There is good liaison with the pertinent local services. All staff are aware of the school’s detailed written policy and all documentation is securely locked away.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

40. The headteacher is also the trained health and safety person and, with the relevant governor and site manager, ensures regular inspections of the whole school site. All risk assessments are clear and up to date. All fire fighting, gymnastic and portable electrical equipment is in date tested and fire exercises are held termly. Escape routes are accessible and well marked. Accident procedures are caring and effective and all staff has knowledge of any pupil’s medical problems. There are several trained first aid personnel. The school makes good use of outside professional help. The police talk about Stranger Danger, and the Health Caravan visits for the school’s annual Health Week. Other personnel, such as the school nurse, educational psychologist and various therapists, attend regularly. School meals are served at the nearby junior school in very hygienic conditions and the children are accompanied by trained staff at all times. The school operates the

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

local authority Intranet safety for computers and parents are well informed. Before and after- school clubs are held and there are very smooth procedures for transferring children from nursery education and pupils into the junior school.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

41. The school has good procedures for monitoring and improving attendance. All registers are marked and returned to the office for checking, both morning and afternoon. Parents are made very well aware of their relevant responsibilities. However, although the attendance is satisfactory, the headteacher is aware of holidays taken during term times and would like to lessen their occurrence. The school has a tight lateness routine and good use is made of the educational welfare officer.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

42. There are good procedures for monitoring and promoting good behaviour and very good procedures for monitoring and eliminating that of an oppressive nature. The school has an up-to- date, detailed written policy for both which contains realistic awards and sanctions. The pupils are clearly aware of these, and eagerly seek praise and stickers, particularly an insertion in the gold book. Books for monitoring behaviour work beneficially. All children are given the confidence to talk to an adult about bullying by discussing it in personal and social education or at assemblies. The staff are aware of potential difficult situations and of how to prevent them.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

43. The procedures for promoting and supporting pupils’ personal development are good. The school is a warm, welcoming community where pupils are valued as individuals and all achievements celebrated. The school’s procedures for monitoring and improving personal development are good. The well-run personal, social, health and citizenship programme ensures that most children are growing up as potentially mature and responsible citizens. Teachers know their pupils well through class teaching, observing them in the playground, accompanying them on school visits and their interaction in group discussions. Some teaching assistants make competent notes when observing pupils’ personal responses during discussions, and these beneficially add to pupils’ personal profiles.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

44. Procedures for assessment are good overall and have improved considerably since the previous inspection. Careful note is made of what the children can do when they start school in their personal, social and emotional development, and in their early literacy and numeracy skills. Teachers use this information carefully to plan work which builds on specific skills and this helps pupils to make good progress in these areas of learning. Progress is monitored closely through regular daily assessments and this helps teachers to plan tasks to extend skills, knowledge and understanding further. In English and mathematics, procedures are very good. Careful note is made of pupils’ developing skills in reading and writing and gives very clear information about how pupils progress. Teachers have a clear view of the progress and achievements of their pupils. Daily on-going assessments are linked to learning objectives. The plenary sessions are then

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

Dunchurch Infant School - 18 effectively used to assess the knowledge, skill and understanding achieved by pupils during the lesson.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

45. Early identification of pupils with special educational needs is very good. The special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) keeps comprehensive records on individual pupil’s specific needs and makes sure that these are addressed when they are withdrawn to work in small groups outside the classroom. Teachers and teaching assistants are kept well informed so they are clear about the support these pupils need in lessons. This is helping them to learn successfully and to make good progress overall. Individual education plans are up to date and outline the specific needs of each pupil. Parents are fully involved and are kept closely informed about the progress of their children.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

46. Assessment procedures are used fully in order to organise groups in lessons. Data has enabled careful ‘setting’ of pupils into higher attaining and lower attaining groups for English and mathematics in Years 1 and 2. Teachers look closely at pupils’ work and note any recent lower attainment. Spelling results have led to a more formal scheme and setting arrangements being implemented in order to develop pupils’ achievements. Pupils revise relevant spellings at home and this contributes towards raising standards further. In English and mathematics, targets are set for pupils’ future attainment in national curriculum tests, using the baseline profile and teachers’ knowledge as indicators. Pupils’ progress through Reception and Years 1 and 2 is carefully tracked to measure the accuracy of the targets and the pupils’ achievement against these. This, together with analysis of data from end of Year 2 assessment tests, gives a positive indication on

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

the individual, group and class progress in these subjects.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

47. Parents think that this is a very good school. In particular, they say that the school is well led and managed, that the teaching is good, that their children are making good progress, and that the school expects their children to work hard and give of their best. In addition, their children like coming to school and behaviour is good. The school works closely with parents who are comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. Inspectors consider that homework procedures are good and are clearly explained to parents.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

48. The quality of information provided for parents is very good. All parents receive a prospectus, an annual, governors’ report and their child’s school report. School reports are good, are clear for parents to understand, and explain what their children can do. They give realistic targets for improvement. There are regular open evenings and year group meetings for parents and the school offers an open door policy. The school also provides interesting and informative, weekly newsletters, a review of the curriculum for the forthcoming term and a parent website.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

49. The contribution of parents to children’s learning, at school and at home is very good. Several parents come into school and help with reading and other subjects, act as lunch time supervisors or in their capacity as parent governors. One governor talks regularly to the children about Sikhism. Others help on trips out with sporting events and making costumes for plays. At home, many parents are keen to help with reading and mathematics homework and they find that the home/school diary is a great help in communication. Overall, the impact of parental involvement on the work of the school is favourable. The school is indebted to its Parents Association and the recently formed group for arranging and funding the planned computer suite.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

50. There are very good links with parents of pupils with special educational needs. They are kept fully informed of the progress of their children and invited to frequent reviews of targets set. Parents with English as an additional language at home have benefited from the school’s specialised programme. For example, the Cantonese parent is now more fluent in English. All Dunchurch Infant School - 19 parents of pupils with English as an additional language have been well informed about their children’s support to the benefit of the relevant pupil’s learning.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

51. The effectiveness of the school’s links with its parents has improved since the previous inspection and is a major strength of the school. This aspect also has a clear influence on the success of their children’s learning.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

52. Since the previous inspection, the clear leadership and management have been maintained and further improved. The very good headteacher leads with purpose. She has an excellent grasp of the school’s strengths and needs. The headteacher receives very good support from her hard working deputy and talented senior management team. They are helped considerably by conscientious staff in order to consolidate the good initiatives and to implement change.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

53. The shared commitment and capacity to succeed are very good. The child is central to the school’s focus, aims and values, and there is very good reflection of this in the ethos and work of the school. Many worthwhile initiatives have been implemented in recent years and all the key issues from the previous report have been rectified. Due to the past three years’ high mobility rate of teachers, because of pregnancies and moving for promotion, co-ordinators new to their responsibilities are still developing aspects of subjects within their roles. Improvements include:

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

• very successful implementation of the National Strategies for Literacy and Numeracy; • improved teachers’ subject knowledge of ICT; • teaching of religious education is now based more closely on Warwickshire’s Agreed Syllabus; • teaching and learning; • reviewing of assessment policy and formative assessment procedures implemented for all classes, including tracking of individual pupils; • the school has developed its scheme of work using Qualifications and Curriculum Authority and other sources to improve planning and progression of pupils’ skills; • there has been regular monitoring of teaching and learning by the headteacher, senior management team and co-ordinators; • governors visit lessons and are informed of planning by co-ordinators of subjects; • a new, purpose-built nursery, on site, has close links with the school and its reception teachers; • a new library has been built. This ‘doubles’ as a base for a before and after-school ‘OWLS’

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

club for pupils; • outdoor facilities have greatly improved in the reception’s area.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

54. The governing body is very good at fulfilling its statutory duties and in shaping the direction of the school. The very good and well-informed chair of governors gives loyal support and has been a wise influence for financial planning, particularly during the period when the school changed from grant-maintained status to a foundation school. The shared commitment to improvement and the capacity to succeed are very good. For example, the headteacher, senior management team and governors have debated long and hard about the merits of extending the school’s cramped building to ensure better accommodation for the Foundation Stage and improving provision in ICT for the whole school. The very good ethos of the school is strongly reinforced through very good respect for individual differences and ensuring that pupils with special educational needs, the gifted and talented, and those with English as an additional language, reach their potential through good equal

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

opportunities. The management of special educational needs is very good and receives effective support from the special educational needs governor, who is well informed and committed to the role.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

55. The governors’ annual report to parents is clearly written, giving a good account of how the school meets its responsibilities. Governors are kept well informed by the school and the local education Dunchurch Infant School - 20 authority. The school complies with the legislation on Sex Discrimination, Race Relations and Disability. It implements fully the Code of Practice for special educational needs.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

56. Governors have a very good understanding of the strengths and needs of the school and are appreciative of the information provided by staff to help them to make informed decisions. The delegation of managerial responsibilities to staff is clear and well managed. Monitoring of teaching, planning and learning is good and well established by the senior management team and has been particularly thorough for the core subjects of English, mathematics and science. However, due to the high turnover of co-ordinators, some are now very new to their roles. Although their responsibilities are clearly defined, co-ordinators have not been in role long enough for monitoring all non-core subjects and managing the consistency of support given to teachers for all subjects. The school has already recognised the need for stability in co-ordination and has plans implemented for its clear resolution.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

57. All staff in the school are valued, so there is a good programme of staff development, for all teachers and support staff, which is linked appropriately to the targets in the school development plan. All staff attend appropriate training that will benefit both the school and their own professional development. They have attended courses to increase their confidence in using computers and this has helped to raise standards in this area. Teaching assistants, in the reception classes, have recently attended valuable training on observation skills, which will aid them when completing the new foundation profiles. Performance management is implemented successfully. All the teaching staff have agreed targets, and their progress towards these targets is monitored through formal lesson observations. Staff new to the school are supported very well, and they appreciate the support they receive, which is very good. As a result, they settle quickly into the

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

58. The school is an attractive place and many improvements have been made since the previous inspection, such as the spacious, well appointed and well used library, which serves a dual purpose for the OWLS club. However, since the previous inspection, and due to the school’s popularity and success, the increase in numbers of pupils has made the accommodation very crowded and currently unsatisfactory. This is particularly difficult for the children in the reception classes, who lack sufficient space for moving between activities, and lack attractive appropriate furniture to encourage greater independence. However, there are strengths in the outdoor facilities. The school possesses a well surfaced playground and a carefully maintained, well used green area. The school has already identified the weaknesses in accommodation and, when funds allow, hopes to extend and alter the building to accommodate a computer suite and more space for reception

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

59. Overall the school has good resources, which help considerably towards the children’s learning. In English and for special educational needs resources are very good and in information technology, religious education, geography, history and music they are satisfactory. The school recognises that it has insufficient resources for teaching multi-cultural lessons. The library has a good selection and range of books. The outside environment is well used and the playground contains some very good play equipment.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

60. The school’s educational priorities are supported successfully through good financial planning. Currently, the school has an overspend which is more than adequately covered by its large carry forward. The school has had to fund its allocation for pupils with Statements of special educational needs directly from its formula funding this coming year. This has, therefore, had strong implications for re-assessing the next year’s budget. In this, the school is well supported in a very efficient bursar and chair of finance committee, and any surplus funding has been carefully allocated. All financial procedures are correctly maintained. Daily administration is efficient and unobtrusive, due to calm, industrious office administrators. Good use is made of new technology to inform parents, governors and teachers, thus saving valuable time. Dunchurch Infant School - 21 61. The school uses the principles of ‘best value’ with serious intent, resulting in some very good

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

initiatives to improve the current accommodation and pupils’ standards. As a result, the overall effectiveness of the school is good. The school gives good value for money, which is an improvement from the previous inspection, when it was deemed ‘sound’. Dunchurch Infant School - 22

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

62. In order to address effectively the issues of this report, the headteacher, staff and governing body should:

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) In conjunction with the local education authority, improve the indoor accommodation in the Foundation Stage to allow for greater ease of movement between activities and more attractive, appropriate furniture which encourages greater independence in children. (Paragraph No. 54)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) Continue to develop the roles of co-ordinators, particularly those new to their responsibilities, in order to raise standards further in all subjects and to ensure that the overall good support from teaching assistants is consistently uniform. (Paragraph No. 53, 56, 89, 99, 105, 111, 125, 129) Dunchurch Infant School - 23

p.22

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of lessons observed 35 Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 40

p.23

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor Number 0 10 22 3 0 0 0 Percentage - 29 63 8 - - - 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 two percentage points.

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll YR – Y2 Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 175 Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 4 FTE means full-time equivalent.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs YR – Y2 Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 4 Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 30

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils Number of pupils with English as an additional language 3

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 15 Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 3

p.23

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence

% % School data 5.34 School data 0 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. Dunchurch Infant School - 24

p.23

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 30 28 58

p.24

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

Numbers of pupils at NC Boys 25 29 30 level 2 and above Girls 24 27 26 Total 49 56 56 Percentage of pupils School 84 (100) 97 (100) 97 (96) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (84) 86 (86) 90 (91)

p.24

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

Numbers of pupils at NC Boys 27 30 29 level 2 and above Girls 27 28 27 Total 54 58 56 Percentage of pupils School 93 (100) 100 (96) 97 (100) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (85) 89 (89) 89 (89) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.

p.24

exclusions

White – British 102 1 0 White – Irish 0 0 0 White – any other White background 0 0 0 Mixed – White and Black Caribbean 1 0 0 Mixed – White and Black African 0 0 0 Mixed – White and Asian 3 0 0 Mixed – any other mixed background 1 0 0 Asian or Asian British – Indian 2 0 0 Asian or Asian British – Pakistani 0 0 0 Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 0 0 0 Asian or Asian British – any other Asian background 0 0 0 Black or Black British – Caribbean 0 0 0 Black or Black British – African 1 0 0 Black or Black British – any other Black background 0 0 0 Chinese 1 0 0 Any other ethnic group 0 0 0 No ethnic group recorded 8 0 0 Dunchurch Infant School - 25 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. Dunchurch Infant School - 26

p.24

Qualified teachers and classes: YR – Y2

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 7.28 Financial year 2002/03 Number of pupils per qualified teacher 25 Average class size 29 £ Education support staff: YR – Y2 Total income 466,437 Total number of education support staff 10 Total expenditure 457,944 Total aggregate hours worked per week 237 Expenditure per pupil 2,602 FTE means full-time equivalent. Balance brought forward from previous year 55,698

p.26

Qualified teachers and classes: YR – Y2

Balance carried forward to next year 64,191

p.26

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 3.44 Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 3.44

p.26

Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0 Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 1 Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) FTE means full-time equivalent. Dunchurch Infant School - 27

p.26

Percentage of responses in each category

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

p.27

Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 61 37 1 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 46 53 0 0 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 31 58 7 2 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 41 49 10 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 76 22 2 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 70 27 4 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 51 43 5 1 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 67 30 1 0 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 60 40 0 0 0

p.27

Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 37 47 5 2 8 Dunchurch Infant School - 28

p.27

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

63. The provision for children in the Foundation Stage is good, which is similar to that found in the previous inspection. Provision for outdoor activities is good and has improved since the previous inspection. Assessments of children’s attainment when they first start in the nursery show that the great majority of children have standards expected for pupils of that age. There are very good links with a private nursery which is housed in the same building as the school. Most children move from the nursery to reception, although a number of new children join from other settings. The transition from nursery to reception is smooth because staff get to know the children before they start school through useful ‘taster’ visits, so that children know what to expect.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

64. Staff work hard to provide a stimulating learning environment and, as a result, children quickly settle into school routines and are happy and confident. The rich programme of activities provided enables children to learn well. The quality of teaching is good overall, and sometimes very good. There is good quality planning and very good assessment in language and literacy, mathematical and personal and social development. All children, including those with special educational needs, make good progress. By the end of their reception year, the majority will have exceeded the standards expected for their age. Pupils who are gifted and talented are well supported and make good gains in their learning. Throughout, children with special educational needs are identified early and there is good use of special needs assistants who support these children well; as a result, they make appropriate progress.

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Personal, social and emotional development

65. Teaching in this aspect is very good and this enables all children to make good gains in all areas of learning. Teachers and support staff have a warm, friendly approach and very good relationships are established. This ensures that children are very enthusiastic and have very good attitudes to school, learning to concentrate well. Boys and girls attain equally and their behaviour is generally good. Children are encouraged to become independent learners, for example, first thing in a morning, they are expected to settle down quickly and copy letters and write simple words on their whiteboards. Their sense of responsibility is further developed when they are selected as ‘helper’ for the day and choose their activities from the ‘choices board’. Good manners are modelled very effectively in the reception classes, with boys and girls being encouraged to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ at snack-time. Children develop a good understanding of how to share and show

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Personal, social and emotional development

consideration for others, for example when they take turns to be ‘Captain’ of the ‘pirate ship’. Self-confidence and self-esteem are consistently nurtured by the positive approach of all adults, who always praise children when they have done something well. Good, focused support by the special needs assistants ensures that children with special educational needs are engaged and contribute fully in all activities. The significant majority of children will have exceeded the early learning goals in this area of learning by the end of the reception year.

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Communication, language and literacy

66. A very high emphasis is placed upon the development of communication, language and literacy, and teaching is good. Children’s skills in speaking and listening are very good, as was seen when higher attaining children organised a tour around the ‘outside classroom’, describing in detail all the activities available. Teachers are very successful in enriching children’s vocabulary through appropriate intervention in the role play area, for example, when carefully questioned, one boy explained that a ‘figurehead’ is a ‘statue on the front of a ship’. Early reading skills are taught well, with elements of the literacy framework being used most effectively by the staff. Teachers provide regular opportunities for children to read in small groups and this greatly enhances their reading skills. Children’s progress is good, with the higher attaining children reading storybooks Dunchurch Infant School - 29

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Communication, language and literacy

fluently and with appropriate expression. Children are given many opportunities to write, with many enjoying creating lists in the ‘post office’. Children enjoy making class books such as the ‘mini-beast’ book, with the majority writing simple sentences, while the higher attainers are beginning to use capital letters and full stops correctly. Imaginative teaching using name cards ensures that children with special educational needs are learning to link sounds to letters to good effect. Appropriate emphasis is placed on handwriting skills, with most children beginning to form their letters correctly when writing the days of the week and their names. Most children will exceed the expected levels in this area by the end of their reception year.

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Mathematical development

67. Teaching of mathematical development is good, resulting in a significant majority of children in line to reach above the Early Learning Goals in this area of learning. Teachers create a stimulating mathematical environment, and children are encouraged to recognise, match, write and use numbers in their work and play. This area of learning is well taught and achievement is good. Children make good progress in counting and recognising numbers because of the practical activities in which they take part. Boys and girls enjoy singing nursery rhymes with numbers and learn well from these. All children enjoy counting out loud to 100, with the lower-attaining pupils reliably counting toys up to 10. Teachers put good emphasis on developing mathematical vocabulary, so that the children gain a good understanding of what sums mean, with higher- attaining pupils understanding how to add and subtract different numbers. Children are beginning

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Mathematical development

to understand and use the vocabulary of money when playing in the ‘post office’ or when finding ‘treasure’ in the sand. All children learn about ordinal numbers with a number of children able to say that their birthday is on the 1 st or 23 rd for example. Well-planned practical activities and discussions help the children to create repeated patterns and symmetrical shapes in their paintings. Through carefully planned activities with sand and water, they develop the ideas of weight and capacity effectively.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

68. Teaching is good and most children achieve standards beyond those normally expected at this age. A broadening of children’s knowledge and understanding is achieved very effectively through well-planned topics and the use of the ‘outside classroom’. The present topic ensures that children have good learning opportunities about the world around them, can discuss the various means of transport they have experienced, and know that islands are surrounded by water. Well-planned meaningful activities encourage children to use all their senses. The topic on mini-beasts provides very good opportunities for the children to think, question and understand about insects and their habitats. By digging, planting and exploring in the school garden, most children develop a greater understanding of plant life. Appropriate emphasis is placed on developing children’s scientific understanding. In a particularly well-organised cooking session, children were encouraged to

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

observe and discuss the changes when different ingredients were mixed together. Children also learn to join materials and there are frequent opportunities to build with a wide range of construction toys. Regular use of the class computers improves children’s skills in controlling the mouse, for example, when importing and carefully matching pictures of vehicles. In a very good session observed, children were thrilled to be taught how to use the digital camera. With screams of delight, they learnt how to zoom in and see their friends close up. Work is planned successfully to nurture pupils’ spiritual and social development, as, for example, when children discuss what makes them happy, or to reflect on how they could make someone happy. Their learning is well supported when they successfully celebrate faith festivals relevant to them and occasionally those of other people.

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Physical development

69. The quality of teaching is good and children make good progress. By the end of their reception year, most children move with confidence, imagination and safety, with a majority exceeding Dunchurch Infant School - 30 expectations in this area of development. Children’s dexterity develops considerably, so that most children in the reception classes use pencils and crayons competently in order to draw and write quite neatly. They cut with suitable scissors and paste and join materials efficiently, as was seen when they made little three-dimensional vehicles from recycled material. Teachers are improving children’s co-ordination through the newly introduced ‘fit for learning’ sessions, which happen every morning. Physical education lessons in the hall are planned and taught correctly, resulting in children’s good progress. Boys and girls accurately recognise the changes that happen to their bodies when warming up and cooling down. They receive plenty of encouragement from staff, so

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Physical development

they are keen to take part. Instructions are clear and children follow them enthusiastically. They move confidently backwards and forwards with good use of space, whilst higher attaining children move sideways. There is good development of language as children are encouraged to move ‘lightly’ on tiptoe or ‘heavily’ when recreating the movement of an angry elephant. Children have regular opportunities for improving climbing skills on the pirate ship outdoors, showing much enjoyment.

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Creative development

70. Teaching for creative development is good, so that a significant proportion of children reach standards above the expected level by the end of the Foundation Stage. Children are given a good range of activities to develop their own ideas, to discover and explore. They use paint successfully to create pictures of islands and there is evidence of experiments of printing using a variety of objects. Their decorating skills are good, as, for example, when using felt-tip pens and crayons to create detailed drawings of butterflies. The large models in three dimensions related to the class theme of mini-beasts are of a good standard, as are the little insects made out of clay. Children enjoy role play, such as when in the ‘cave’, and develop their language imaginatively. Music makes a good contribution to the children’s creative experiences. They listen to a range of musical instruments with great enthusiasm. All children have a very good knowledge of the names of

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Creative development

instruments. Most children understand the term ‘pitch’ and recognise correctly the high and low notes. Above all, they enjoy their music lessons and co-operate well in playing percussion instruments properly and obeying the appropriate signals. Children frequently sing nursery rhymes and hymns with boundless enjoyment.

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ENGLISH

71. Standards of pupils’ attainment in English are well above the national averages by the end of the current Year 2, and are higher than the previous 2002 year’s results. Results are much improved from the time of the previous inspection in 1998.

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ENGLISH

72. Reading standards are above the national average, but speaking, listening and writing skills are well above average. Pupils’ progress in learning throughout the key stage is good, with about one- fifth of pupils making very good progress in reading, and slightly over a half achieving very good progress in writing. All make very good progress in speaking and listening. Higher attaining pupils consistently make better progress than normal. Pupils with special educational needs often reach national average levels, whilst all pupils with English as an additional language at home are now fluent in English and have quick responses when questioned about phonics, in particular.

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ENGLISH

73. There has been good improvement in English standards since the National Curriculum assessments of 2002, when a higher than normal percentage of pupils at the school had special educational needs. From 2000 to 2002, pupils’ performances in National Curriculum tests in Year 2 exceeded the national average over three years, but in 2002, reading results were at the national average, and writing attainment was above. Currently, reading attainment is above and writing is well above. These improvements are due to the teachers’ expert knowledge of the National Literacy Strategy, the very good phonic strategies of pupils maintained throughout, the strong focus on teaching good techniques for handwriting, the emphasis on writing as a clear mode of Dunchurch Infant School - 31 expression, and the very good organisation of guided reading sessions, closely monitored. The extra resources of excellent new books purchased has helped raise standards, as has the grading

p.30

ENGLISH

for difficulty of non-fiction books, especially aimed at the needs of boy readers. In addition, the grouping of pupils into higher and lower sets for spelling, reading and writing in English has helped raise standards significantly.

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ENGLISH

74. Throughout Years 1 and 2, listening skills are very good. When reading aloud from books and during class discussion, pupils show very good comprehension. By the age of seven, pupils have learnt to take turns in joining in with discussions, and can successfully adapt the suggestions and ideas of others when asked and prompted. A large majority of pupils enunciate their words clearly with correct pronunciation, and give authentic explanations or answers in full and fluent sentences.

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ENGLISH

75. Reading standards are good and above the national average by the end of Year 2. Most pupils read with interest and full understanding of the printed word. In both year groups, the majority of pupils describe a plot accurately, comment on characters and features of punctuation in stories. They predict events correctly and have secure research skills, using the contents and index pages of non-fiction books successfully. A main strength in pupils’ learning is their knowledge of phonic strategies which they use very confidently when they face unfamiliar words. The teaching, monitoring and recording of pupils’ phonic strategies and carefully graded reading books are very thorough in approach, which also ensures that pupils’ spelling overall, is very good.

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ENGLISH

76. Pupils’ writing skills are even stronger, and well above the national average by the end of Year 2. The school has given a clear prominence for improving writing during the past two years. By the age of seven, a significant majority of pupils form their letters correctly and join them in a mature style. They have much practice in writing full and interesting sentences of their own to reflect the correct use of appropriate connectives as well as enriched vocabulary. This is illustrated in a portfolio of Year 1 pupils’ writing about non-fiction books on the theme of animals, and when Year 2 pupils write questions and statements as if they were interviewing the author, Shirley Hughes. Pupils are encouraged to write their own ideas in a wide range of other subjects, such as science, history and geography. Their writing repertoire is broad and they are asked to do interesting writing tasks, which results in their purposeful organisation and fluent management of

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ENGLISH

77. Teaching in English is very good. There is very good expertise to implement fully the National Literacy Strategy, particularly for writing and improving the standards of boys. Other aspects of high quality teaching include very good planning for lessons to ensure that individual targets help pupils to succeed. Teachers expect high standards of listening and behaviour and there is very good use of well-qualified teaching assistants and resources in order to support all pupils. Assessment and tracking of pupils’ progress in learning are very good. All these very good aspects have a strong impact on pupils’ good achievement by the end of Year 2.

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ENGLISH

78. Another result of very good teaching is that a significant majority of pupils show very good attitudes to English and reading. Pupils listen carefully to teachers, wait to offer their statements and to answer questions. Consequently, most pupils try very hard to produce sufficient and acceptable work, and are helped by the teachers’ regular marking and monitoring, which highlight whether pupils have reached or exceeded their personal targets. Behaviour is predominantly good, due to the consistent application of the school’s behaviour policy, the small-group support, and the successful way in which teachers handle a very small number of pupils with challenging behaviour. Most pupils enjoy handling books; they like reading, and have a positive attitude to literature, due largely to the teachers’ enthusiasm.

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ENGLISH

79. The management of English is very good, and has ensured, together with the strong leadership of the headteacher, that standards have risen. The co-ordinator has introduced some worthwhile changes for guided reading and the initiatives for writing have already had a positive influence. The school has made a close analysis of its assessment results so that there is a clear Dunchurch Infant School - 32 understanding of what is needed to improve standards even further. An area for development is the greater use of dictionaries and picture dictionaries. Visits to the school by different people have raised the awareness of writing for different purposes. Interesting stories, where conflicts in relationships are resolved successfully, do much to enhance pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The high profile given to beautiful books further increases pupils’ awareness of the resonance of the English language in all its glory.

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MATHEMATICS

80. Standards in mathematics are well above those expected for pupils of this age. This indicates a significant improvement since the previous inspection when standards were judged to be satisfactory. The school’s strategy for numeracy is particularly effective and this, including high quality teaching, has succeeded in raising standards over the last few years. Higher attaining pupils make very good progress when working in sets. As a result, a large percentage, over 40 per cent, achieve Level 3 in the end of Year 2 national tests in 2003, a high level of achievement for pupils of this age. Pupils with special educational needs are closely supported in lessons and this helps them learn a range of strategies for solving problems and finding their own ways to work out the answers to sums, which involve addition and subtraction. Pupils who speak English as an additional language benefit from the small group support through which important language is

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MATHEMATICS

reinforced and explained again. This successfully reinforces their understanding of what they need to do in lessons. The use of practical resources enables them to ‘see’ what happens when two numbers are added together. As a result, there is good achievement by all pupils.

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MATHEMATICS

81. In the 2002 Standard Assessment Tests, standards fell below average when compared to similar schools. This is due to the number of pupils with special educational needs in the whole Year 2 group. Preliminary results from 2003 and inspection findings clearly indicate that a significant upward trend has been achieved. This is due to the strong focus in mathematics in 2003 resulting in a high number of Level 3s. In comparison to schools nationally standards of Year 2 pupils are now well above. During the inspection there was no evidence to suggest an unequal balance between boys and girls’ achievements.

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MATHEMATICS

82. Standards of numeracy are very good. Pupils build on previous learning very competently and use known facts to help them add and subtract numbers with two digits mentally. They successfully apply these skills to solve addition problems. Higher attaining pupils use good mental skills of addition and subtraction facts to solve problems involving larger numbers. In Year 2, pupils’ mental strategies were strongly promoted by playing a game of bingo involving multiplication tables. This promoted mental recall of the two, five and ten times tables, which enabled pupils to quickly answer questions. In the same lesson, pupils were halving large numbers, for example, 400, using practical apparatus, which reinforced pupils’ understanding and confirmed the school’s very effective ‘hands on’ approach. In all lessons, pupils are encouraged to check their work prior to displaying their answers on their white boards for the teacher or classroom assistant to check,

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MATHEMATICS

and to use key mathematical vocabulary. Standards in a range of opportunities which includes symmetry, multiples, negative numbers, identifying shapes according to their properties, fractions and co-ordinates are very good.

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MATHEMATICS

83. As a result of very good teaching, pupils have very positive attitudes towards the subject and are enthusiastic about their mathematical studies. Pupils invariably behave well in lessons and treat equipment carefully. They listen attentively to teachers, follow their instructions carefully and answer questions politely. Relationships between pupils and teachers and pupils themselves are very good and this has a positive effect on the quality of learning seen in most lessons. Pupils work successfully in small groups, in pairs and independently on individual projects and this promotes their moral and social development. All pupils make at least good progress in respect of their prior attainment, including pupils with English as an additional language. Pupils with special educational needs receive good support from teaching assistants, who provide these pupils with effective strategies for learning.

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MATHEMATICS

Dunchurch Infant School - 33 84. Teaching is very good throughout all year groups and sets. Lessons are characterised by high levels of concentration, rapid pace and the very effective use of questioning to extend pupils’ skills, knowledge and understanding. All teachers have good subject knowledge to ensure the very good teaching of basic skills. Planning is effective and ensures that tasks are well matched to the needs of individual pupils. Teachers have high expectations and this leads to a high level of productivity by pupils. Good use is made of ongoing assessment to adjust future planning and to ensure that accurate targets are set for further improvement. Appropriate use is also made of homework to extend pupils’ learning and to prepare them effectively for the next phase of their education. Learning is fun so pupils are keen and interested in their work. Relationships between pupils and teachers and pupils themselves are very good and this has a positive effect on the

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MATHEMATICS

85. Management of the subject is very good. The co-ordinator has ensured that effective monitoring and evaluation of the subject’s performance has led to a significant improvement in standards. Accurate analysis of national tests, pupils’ work and other assessments have led to well-targeted support for the lower attaining pupils and for those with special educational needs and English as an additional language. Higher attaining pupils, and those particularly gifted in mathematics have been identified early and extension work provided to raise their standards in mathematics. Assessment information is used carefully to provide appropriate tasks for pupils of differing abilities. Good use is sometimes made of information and communication technology to support learning, but more could be done.

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SCIENCE

86. Standards of pupils’ attainment are above the national average by the end of Year 2. The previous report indicated that there were weaknesses in assessment, but this issue has now been rectified. Pupils’ scientific enquiry skills are well developed to improve knowledge and understanding but there is insufficient use of information technology to support learning in science. Standards in 2002 were above the national average for pupils aged seven. This is an improvement since the previous inspection, when they were judged to be in line.

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SCIENCE

87. Most pupils, including those with special educational needs, have appropriate knowledge and understanding of the science curriculum and there is no significant difference in the performance of boys and girls. Pupils in Year 1 understand the investigative process and adopt the ‘fair test’ principle with only one changed ingredient, as, for example, in the amount of light available in order to confirm or otherwise, that green plants need light to grow. Pupils in Year 2 investigate the possibility that there could be a pattern in the quantitative information they collect. Using a ‘hands on’ approach, again ensuring that the requirements of a ‘fair test’ are made, pupils are able to confirm or otherwise whether or not the predictions they had made were accurate. For example, they work out that taller people would have a wider arm span than shorter people. Pupils use appropriate vocabulary and display an understanding of why plants need light to grow. Pupils use

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SCIENCE

numeracy and literacy skills appropriately in their investigations, and often use diagrams well to record their findings.

p.33

SCIENCE

88. The quality of teaching is good overall and, as a result, pupils throughout the school show a good level of interest in their scientific activities and are making good progress in their investigative and experimental work. Pupils enjoy very well established routines and work comfortably and purposefully in their groups. Teachers have a good knowledge of how to teach scientific enquiry, which most use to good effect in providing appropriately challenging investigations. Pupils try hard to carry out their investigations carefully and accurately. Teachers manage this efficiently by ensuring that resources are readily available and pupils address their tasks without fuss or time wasting. In all lessons seen, pupils demonstrated positive attitudes to their work. They are enthusiastic, eager to answer questions and work amicably in groups. Their behaviour is very good Dunchurch Infant School - 34 and they support each other to good effect. Effective questioning is a strength of teaching and this

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SCIENCE

encourages pupils to describe and explain what they observe carefully. Teachers encourage the use of scientific vocabulary and all pupils, including those with special educational needs and those with English as an additional language make good progress in this aspect. The use made of support staff is good.

p.34

SCIENCE

89. Management is good overall and the co-ordinator offers beneficial support and encouragement to colleagues. Assessment is developing appropriately in this area and the monitoring of planning is good. However, the co-ordinator acknowledges that the monitoring and evaluating of teaching and learning in science require a more systematic and rigorous approach. Resources are satisfactory overall, but the cramped accommodation creates difficulties during the sessions for practical scientific investigations.

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ART AND DESIGN

90. Pupils’ attainment in art and design by the end of Year 2 is above the nationally expected levels. The aims and values of the school are promoted advantageously through this area of the curriculum. The high-quality displays of pupils’ work reflect the value placed upon them by the school, contributing positively to pupils’ cultural and spiritual development. All pupils make at least good and sometimes very good progress in this subject. Boys and girls reach standards that are always above and, in the use of tone, colour and line, well above those expected for their age. Since the previous inspection, art and design standards have risen and there has been good improvement in broadening the school’s programmes of study for the subject through the introduction of a new scheme of work.

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ART AND DESIGN

91. By the end of Year 2, pupils show good progress in using a broad range of media. Pupils demonstrate very good learning in the use of shade and tone in the representational fine-line drawings of flowers and birds. Pupils have experienced a wide variety of techniques and the higher-attaining pupils were very excited when describing how they had used a scraperboard to re-create their drawings of well-observed mini beasts, linked to their work in science. Inspired by the work of Picasso, pupils in Year 1 have created portraits that show very good learning, enhanced by expert shading and the use of various materials. Pupils with special educational needs have equal opportunities in art and design and make good progress in their learning. Samples of pupils’ work reflect the high achievement of higher-attaining pupils, including those from different ethnic backgrounds, who receive appropriate challenges in their learning.

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ART AND DESIGN

92. All pupils have very good attitudes to learning. They are given a wide range of experiences, with their work being purposefully linked to other areas of learning. Pupils explore and use their imagination creatively when they use crayons and felt-tip pens to design charity envelopes linked to their work in religious education. They also used paint on fabric carefully to create Challah covers linked to their work on Judaism. This makes a good contribution to pupils’ spiritual and social development. Throughout all year groups, pupils use paint, soft pastels, extracts cut out of magazines, felt-tips and roller paints most effectively. Good standards can be seen in a clay mural of the school, which shows that pupils have good skills in using a range of materials, tools and techniques. Pupils use the computer appropriately to support their work in art and design, competently controlling the mouse to draw patterns in the style of Mondrian, for example.

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ART AND DESIGN

93. The quality of teaching and learning is at least good, with a specialist art teacher making a very good contribution to the high standards achieved. Pattern work that was designed and created in the style of William Morris indicates high standards and a very good understanding of colour, shape and form. A strength of the teaching, as was seen in Year 2, is the opportunity given to pupils to evaluate and develop their work. For example, boys and girls were keen to discuss and suggest ways to improve the paper collages they had created. Their good suggestions included developing the background in the style of Morris, by including leaves and vines in their drawings. Good use is made of teaching assistants to assist pupils when stencilling flowers onto a wall hanging for the classroom. Dunchurch Infant School - 35 94. The co-ordinator for art and design gives good leadership and has worked hard to raise standards.

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ART AND DESIGN

Planning of themes and the progression of pupils’ skills is good. Good use is made of visiting artists and the work on Islamic patterns by an Asian artist makes a good contribution to pupils’ cultural development. However, opportunities to experience the art of Eastern cultures are more limited. Planning indicates that appropriate three-dimensional work is undertaken throughout the year in all year groups.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

95. Standards in design and technology are above standards expected at the end of Year 2. Boys and girls make good progress in designing and making throughout the school. This indicates that standards in this area of the curriculum have improved since the previous inspection. Pupils evaluate their own work, usually verbally, particularly at the lower end of the school and do it in a very constructive way. This reinforces their learning and provides good opportunities for their personal and social development. Their skills are used successfully in other subjects, for example, when pupils made their puppets and used them successfully to promote their speaking skills.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

96. Attainment and progress by the end of Year 2 are good and throughout the infant stage their skills of cutting and joining are being continually developed. The range of models provided is varied and they often promote good links with other subjects, as, for example, when designing a wind-up mechanism to tell the story of ‘Incy Wincy Spider’. Pupils are given well-planned opportunities to study different parts of a car before designing and making a moving model, which include axles, wheels and a platform. These opportunities develop good skills for selecting and joining materials and mastering the tools required. Food technology is another aspect which is well planned. Pupils work in small groups of six with a teaching assistant to prepare, successfully, a fruit salad for their mothers. The pupils wisely decide that they could not conduct an evaluation of this exercise until their mothers had actually eaten the product!

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

97. The quality of teaching is good. Lessons are well planned and well supported with good resources. Care is taken to ensure that planning and delivery is parallel in both year group classes to secure equality of opportunity. Skills of numeracy are well promoted through the collecting and recording of data. Teachers question probingly and expect pupils to respond with full answers. This has a good impact on the development of pupils’ speaking and listening skills. Teachers use appropriate vocabulary and encourage and expect pupils to do likewise. Tools are neatly stored, allowing easy access. Pupils with special educational needs are strongly supported by teachers and assistants, so that they often attain the nationally expected level for design and technology.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

98. Pupils listen attentively to instructions and follow them carefully. Behaviour is good and pupils share equipment sensibly. The response to the subject is good, the challenge high and the work well matched to the ability of pupils with differing levels of ability.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

99. The leadership and management of the subject are satisfactory. The co-ordinator is enthusiastic and gives good support to her colleagues. However, assessment and monitoring need further development, but she has identified this need and is already considering how these might be improved. Resources are good and stored centrally to allow ease of access. The accommodation for food technology is purpose-built and good. However, the accommodation overall, creates difficulties during indoor practical activities.

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GEOGRAPHY

100. By the end of Year 2, pupils attain the standards expected nationally in geography. Pupils, including those with special educational needs, English as an additional language and gifted and Dunchurch Infant School - 36 talented pupils, all make satisfactory progress. Pupils’ mapping skills and knowledge of the local immediate area are good. Standards have been maintained since the previous inspection.

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GEOGRAPHY

101. The curriculum follows a two-year programme which ensures that pupils have equal opportunity to develop and systematically build on their skills and knowledge as they progress through the school. Pupils are informally assessed against the planned learning outcomes for each unit of work, and this enables teachers to modify their plans successfully for the next unit.

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GEOGRAPHY

102. By the end of Year 2, pupils have an accurate knowledge and understanding of places, correctly comparing Dunchurch with an imaginary Scottish island through the use of the ‘Katie Morag’ stories. They use a very good vocabulary to explain the differences in the features of both places. Pupils express their own views clearly when they write letters to Katie Morag. Their knowledge of symbols on maps to explain physical features of areas is confident. Their map-making skills are good and they identify the United Kingdom (UK) accurately on a map of the world with a clear idea about the countries of the UK.

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GEOGRAPHY

103. By the end of Year 1, pupils have a good understanding of the immediate area of the school, showing satisfactory knowledge about different ways of travelling to places. Through their traffic survey, they have a secure knowledge about different types of transport and the amount of vehicles evident at different times of the day. They correctly identify weather symbols. A significant majority of pupils in both year groups have very good skills in using contents and index pages of non-fiction books to research for geographical information. Their very good writing skills help them significantly when answering questions and when explaining their views.

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GEOGRAPHY

104. Although no teaching was observed during the inspection, due to the timetabling of geography as a block of humanities’ study, at other times in the school year, evidence from teachers’ plans and pupils’ work indicates that teaching is satisfactory overall, with good features in the teaching of maps and proficient enquiry skills. Good links are made in the curriculum with other subjects such as English, art and design and history. Pupils talk enthusiastically about their work in geography. They particularly enjoy the work they do outside the classroom and working with a range of information sources.

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GEOGRAPHY

105. The recent co-ordinator provides effective, satisfactory leadership and management, although she has a heavy commitment of leadership in whole-school aspects and other subjects. She has managed to maintain standards in geography despite a high turnover of previous co-ordinators and teachers. It is planned that a new co-ordinator will take on the subject in the Autumn term 2003, with sufficient time to develop the subject even further. Resources are adequate. Overall, the picture is one of a subject developing efficiently.

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HISTORY

106. Standards in history have been maintained since the previous inspection, and, by the end of Year 2, pupils attain the standards expected nationally. Satisfactory progress is made by all pupils, including those with special educational needs, with English as an additional language and those who are gifted and talented. Improvement since the previous inspection has been good. A whole- school approach to the teaching of history is now firmly embedded. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 are given full coverage of learning opportunities in history to ensure a secure progression of skills. Pupils are assessed informally at the end of each unit of work in order for teachers to plan for future work within the two-year programme.

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HISTORY

107. Pupils have very good vocabulary and speaking skills to explain their understanding. For example, they know and use words such as ‘modern’, ‘old’, ‘worn’, ‘threadbare’, and phrases such as ‘a long time ago’, or ‘are now extinct’. Their research skills are very good in locating books and in using the contents/index to find out more information about history. Dunchurch Infant School - 37 108. By the end of Year 2, pupils have a satisfactory sense of chronology and can accurately place pictures from different eras in order of the oldest, as, for example, when distinguishing between pictures of Victorians and Tudors. In their good recall of learning about the Great Fire of London, they begin to recognise why people in the past acted as they did. They show that they have observed and handled different sources of information to answer questions about the past, as, for example, when reading from Samuel Pepys’ diary, or examining old toys. Through their studies of

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HISTORY

Queen Elizabeth the First, and of Florence Nightingale, pupils have developed further their sense of chronology and skills of historical enquiry.

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HISTORY

109. In Year 1, pupils have drawn what people look like at over 50 years old, six years and at one month, resulting in a clear awareness of changes and growth over time. They have visited a toy museum and know about the key features of ageing in old toys compared to new. They are sharply aware that new toys are technologically more advanced and often powered by electricity.

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HISTORY

110. Very little teaching of history was observed in the inspection due to other demands of the timetable and the ‘blocking’ of historical units of work at other times in the school’s year. Evidence of teaching reflected by the pupils’ work shows overall satisfactory teaching and learning, with good features. The characteristics of good teaching include very good management of behaviour and planned opportunities for promoting pupils’ very good speaking and listening skills. Pupils’ very good writing skills enable them to express their views about history clearly and logically. Teachers have made good links to art and design and information technology in order to enrich pupils’ experiences as, for example, when pupils make good use of a CD Rom to learn how seaside customs in the United Kingdom have changed in the past century. As a result, pupils have a realistic understanding of the subject and are enthusiastically positive about their studies.

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HISTORY

111. Leadership and management of the subject are both satisfactory. The co-ordinator has had the responsibility for only a short time. Although she has a heavy commitment of leadership in whole- school aspects and other subjects, she has managed to maintain standards in history despite a high turnover of previous co-ordinators and teachers. There has been very good use of the local Tudor houses in the village to explain changes in the key features of buildings over time. In addition, there have been visits to a local house, where it is said, the Gunpowder Plot was planned. As a result, pupils have a clear recall of Guy Fawkes and aspects of Stuart life. It is planned that a new co-ordinator will take on the subject in the Autumn term 2003, with sufficient time to develop the subject even further. Artefacts are adequate, with good use of the local area as a learning resource. Overall, the picture is one of a subject developing efficiently.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

112. All pupils make satisfactory progress and reach the standards expected nationally by the end of Year 2. Since the previous inspection, when standards were judged as unsatisfactory, improvement has been good. Much of this improvement has come in the past few years when developing provision for ICT has been a priority for the school. The co-ordinator has provided good levels of support and guidance in the improvement of ICT resources at the school and this has had a marked effect on raising standards throughout the school. To keep in line with government expectations, there are plans to increase further the number of computers and to house them in a new computer suite. A substantial amount of in-service training has been provided for all staff; this has increased staff confidence in using computers and has been a significant factor in increasing pupils’ attainment.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

113. By the end of Year 2, most pupils, including those with special educational needs, confidently use the mouse and keyboard accurately, quickly acquiring a new range of skills at a good pace. Pupils sensibly work in pairs and are very keen to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding. Most pupils use computers competently for word processing, with the higher- attaining pupils refining Dunchurch Infant School - 38 their work by adding words, making corrections and changing the size of the print. All pupils can save and print their work. Boys and girls have a good understanding of how ICT is used in everyday life. They regularly use tape recorders to listen to stories and their appreciation of ICT is further developed through their use of digital cameras. Pupils in Year 1 are developing a good understanding of the use of instructions. This is further developed in Year 2, with pupils showing great delight when they effectively programmed a robot to follow a pre-determined path, involving

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

114. The quality of teaching is satisfactory. Teachers have had good training and they are much more confident than they were at the time of the previous inspection. They are very clear about what they are teaching and keep very good records of how well individual pupils are learning. They begin to make appropriate links with other subjects of the curriculum. In history, for example, they make good use of the CD Rom to demonstrate how the seaside has changed over the decades. In art, teachers encourage pupils to design patterns and add colours from a palette in the style of Mondrian. Pupils are well behaved and keen to learn. In mathematics, they use the mouse effectively to find the exact money needed to purchase a selection of toys. In science they enter data and produce charts and graphs. However, not every opportunity was taken to use computers throughout the day during the inspection.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

115. The subject has good management by a highly enthusiastic co-ordinator. She provides consistently good support for colleagues and has overseen major improvements in developing the equipment and resources. However, until recently, an insufficient number of computers in school has hindered the full development of pupils’ skills. There are now very good assessment procedures and good planning implemented to ensure the continued development of pupils’ skills. The subject co-ordinator is very aware of the strengths and weaknesses within the subject and, with her enthusiasm and expertise, the school’s capacity for continued improvement is good.

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MUSIC

116. Standards of pupils’ attainment reach the nationally expected level by the end of Year 2. Provision for music is balanced and appropriate, an improvement from the previous inspection when there were insufficient opportunities to listen to music from different times and places, and for pupils to create their own compositions. These inadequacies have now been rectified. Pupils make satisfactory progress in learning and all experience full access and a range of enrichment through a variety of activities. Pupils with special educational needs are well supported and make good progress in learning. Higher attaining pupils receive extra challenges through recorder playing, violin lessons, and performing solo in lessons, and they reach good standards.

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MUSIC

117. Pupils sing sweetly and confidently in an expanding repertoire with good rhythm, clear entry to each phrase and accurate duration of notes. All pupils make appropriate use of dynamics in order to add interest to their singing. Singing during observed collective worship was correctly pitched and reflected good memory of melodies and words. From year to year, rhythm work is successfully developed. During a lesson observed, pupils maintained a regular pattern of clapping. They have alert awareness of the dynamic effects of high and low notes when listening to a glockenspiel being played. A significant majority have an appropriate understanding of the sound effects of a variety of percussion instruments. They make relevant comments when responding to the mood of different music. Their recognition and memory of the names of a variety of percussion instruments is good, overall.

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MUSIC

118. Very little teaching of music was observed during the inspection. However, evidence from videos and collective worship shows that staff’s expertise is effective for ensuring pupils’ steady progress and that teaching and learning are satisfactory overall. Teachers ensure that pupils have a wide experience of all the elements of the national Programme of Study for music. Evidence shows that pupils understand how their own notation helps them to keep to a rhythm or to illustrate Dunchurch Infant School - 39 the dynamics of their compositions. Teachers give pupils sufficient opportunities on how to use a variety of percussion instruments to create mood, differing rhythms and pleasing harmonies.

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MUSIC

119. Pupils’ efforts are praised well with patient encouragement. As a result, pupils’ attitudes to music are good and most respond in an alert manner. Pupils show good self-control when handling instruments carefully, and in returning them to their places. They are co-operative, respectful of adults and of the performances of other pupils. These positive aspects are largely due to the very good management of behaviour by the teachers.

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MUSIC

120. The current management of the subject is satisfactory. A teacher from the local education authority’s music department teaches part-time at the school each week and acts as role model for other teachers during alternate weeks. She does the planning for all six classes, so that there are secure gains and progression in pupils’ skills. Music for festivals is an integral part of the school, and there is good piano accompaniment during collective worship. In addition, a visiting teacher of the violin ensures that all pupils’ needs are catered for. There are three recorder groups which meet during the lunch times through the good support of a teaching assistant. Musical resources are satisfactory and a good range of CDs ensures that pupils hear the music of other ethnic groups and cultures. Music plays a full part in the links between the school and community so that pupils’ spiritual, moral and cultural development is enhanced.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

121. Pupils’ standards and their progress have improved since the previous inspection when they were judged to be in line with national expectations. Standards of attainment are now above the expected level in gymnastics, games and dance. All pupils, including those with special educational needs and those with English as an additional language are well supported and make good progress. Achievement is good.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

122. In all lessons, pupils make good use of space when moving around the hall independently or with a partner, and are very conscious of their own and other’s safety. Pupils work hard to find ways of travelling high and low, and demonstrate well balanced movements in their sequence work. They are conscious when building simple sequences to have a polished start interesting middle and controlled finish. In dance, pupils work in pairs, creating mirrored shapes of good quality, which are both imaginative and creative. In games, pupils acquire good skills of passing and receiving, using both hands and feet.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

123. The quality of teaching and learning is consistently good, or sometimes better. Effective teaching is characterised by good subject knowledge, enabling the pupils to develop their skills creatively and to respond independently. Pupils evaluate their own work and that of others, identifying where they have been successful, and offering ideas for improvement. All lessons proceed at a brisk pace and pupils concentrate well as a result of good management of behaviour. Pupils are encouraged to take responsibility for getting out apparatus and putting it away at the end of the lesson. This practice makes a good contribution to promoting pupils’ social and moral development.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

124. Pupils clearly love and enjoy their physical education, are eager to learn and determined to improve their skills. They listen quietly and attentively to instructions, work hard and with concentration, respect each other in their movements and work hard, both individually and with partners. They are always perfectly natural and amicable when working in mixed-gender pairs and their behaviour is very good.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

125. The leadership and management of physical education are good. The experienced co-ordinator has introduced a good scheme of work, which ensures good progression of pupils’ skills and improved standards. The organisation of the hall is good. Equipment is well spaced out and ensures that the hall is clear with no cluttered areas. The spacious playground and surrounding grassed area are used for extra-curricular activities to good effect. Visiting specialists in football, tennis and skipping are popular and have ensured that pupils’ standards have risen. Very good use is made of the Junior school’s field for Sports Day in the Summer term. There is a good range and quality of resources to support effective learning and, consequently, pupils have good skills in all aspects of physical education. Assessment is currently informal, but the co-ordinator has already identified strategies to formalise this process so that the data will inform future planning and

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

126. Attainment in Year 2 is in line with that expected by Warwickshire’s Agreed Syllabus and pupils make satisfactory progress as they move through the school. Boys and girls have a secure understanding of Christianity and its impact. Their understanding is strongly reflected in the very charitable and caring attitudes which pupils show towards each other. Pupils have a satisfactory knowledge of other world faiths in accordance with the agreed syllabus and this is an improvement since the previous inspection. All pupils, including those with special educational needs, are fully involved in learning, and this makes a good contribution to their spiritual and social development. Pupils are interested and keen to share what they have learnt. Dunchurch Infant School - 41 127. In Year 1, pupils know a range of stories from the Old Testament and clearly understand that they can pray to God at any time. They have learnt a few facts relating to Judaism and know that the

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Jewish holy book is the Torah; they can explain why Jews treat it with respect. Pupils in Year 2 know about the major Christian festivals of Easter and Christmas and, in discussion, they explain simply about their religious significance. They also share the belief that God is the Father of Jesus. They have studied the life of Jesus, knowing that he told stories to teach people about God and how they should behave. They have developed a secure understanding of Christian symbolism, such as the cross. They are keen to remember a visit to the local church and begin to understand the importance of baptism to Christians. Pupils in Year 1 and 2 enthusiastically talk about the visit of the Buddhist Monks, remembering what they were wearing and their way of life. This has made a good contribution to their knowledge of minority groups in the United Kingdom. However, pupils still have a limited knowledge of the Islamic religion and of how and where Muslims

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

128. Overall, the quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory throughout the school. A good lesson was seen, however, in Year 1 when a member of the Sikh community shared with pupils information about worship at the Gudwara. Pupils listened attentively to the ritual of sharing food on these religious occasions. They were particularly well behaved and polite when they all had the opportunity to taste food that is served at these ceremonies. The lesson ended well, in a very calm atmosphere, when the teacher lit a candle and sensitively encouraged children to show respect for all Sikhs, wherever they worship in the world. In total absorption and peaceful reflection, pupils drew individual interpretations of the beauty in the world and responded positively by suggesting ways to care for their own environment. This made a good contribution to their spiritual and social development.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

129. The co-ordinator leads the subject satisfactorily and has made good improvement in working with the whole staff to develop their subject knowledge of major world faiths and traditions. However, their acquired new knowledge has not yet been fully applied to advance all pupils’ knowledge and understanding of aspects of the Islamic faith. In addition, multi-cultural resources are insufficient in order to extend pupils’ learning opportunities. The co-ordinator is keen for religious education to be meaningful for the pupils by making purposeful links to the whole curriculum. Staff plan appropriate visits to local churches for pupils to experience first-hand the key features, and the importance of these buildings to Christians.

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