North Mundham Primary School

NORTH MUNDHAM PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

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NORTH MUNDHAM PRIMARY SCHOOL

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. North Mundham Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: School Lane North Mundham Chichester West Sussex

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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: January 1998 North Mundham Primary School - 4

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Aspect responsibilities

19623 Michael Cahill Registered inspector Science Information and communication technology Design and technology Physical education What sort of school is it? How high are standards? a) The school’s results and achievements How well are pupils taught? How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils? What should the school do to improve further? 14347 Joan Lindsay Lay inspector How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? How well is the school led and managed? 15447 Christine Glenis Team inspector English Art and design Music Foundation stage 31029 Peter Thrussell Team inspector Mathematics Geography History Religious education Educational inclusion Special educational needs English as an additional language How high are standards? b) Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development North Mundham Primary School - 5 The inspection contractor was:

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Aspect responsibilities

Demeter House Station Road Cambridge CB1 2RS

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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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Aspect responsibilities

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Aspect responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE North Mundham Primary School - 6

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 7

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? 11

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

North Mundham Primary School provides education for pupils aged four to eleven. Most pupils come from Mundham or Hunston, although around 30 per cent of pupils come from further afield. The school is average in size; there are 207 children on roll (115 boys and 92 girls). Pupils are taught in seven single-age classes. About nine per cent of pupils claim free school meals, which is below the national average. Almost all pupils are of white UK heritage and there are no pupils who are learning English as an additional language. The overall proportion of pupils with special educational needs, including learning, physical and behavioural difficulties, is close to the national average as is the proportion with full statements. Most children’s attainment on entry to the school is in line with what is expected for their age, although there is some variation from year to year. The school has identified a number of children whose ability is significantly above average in one or more areas of

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

North Mundham Primary School is effective in promoting good attitudes towards school and a positive view of themselves as young learners among its pupils, who enjoy coming to school. Pupils achieve average standards in most of the subjects of the National Curriculum and religious education. The results of national test results at the ends of Years 2 and 6 have been broadly in line with those of similar schools. The overall quality of teaching is sound and the school provides good learning opportunities in the subjects of the National Curriculum and religious education. Leadership and management are sound overall and the school provides satisfactory value for money.

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What the school does well

• There is good provision for pupils’ personal development, including their spiritual, social and moral development. • The school successfully promotes good attitudes to learning, good behaviour, good relationships and personal development among its pupils. • Provision for pupils’ personal, social and health education is good. • Pupils with special educational needs are supported well. • The curriculum is enriched by a good range of visits, visitors and extra-curricular activities. • The school is a caring community and pupils benefit from good support and guidance. • Parents and the school maintain a strong partnership and this supports children’s learning well.

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What could be improved

• Pupils’ levels of attainment in mathematics and science at the end of Year 6. • Aspects of the quality of teaching. • The provision of schemes of work that make clear the progressive development of skills, knowledge and understanding, where they are not already in place. • The degree to which subject co-ordinators contribute to raising standards in their subjects. 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

Since its last inspection in January 1998, the school has made satisfactory progress with respect to all the issues identified at that time and to other aspects of the school’s provision. In particular, the provision for teaching information and communication technology (ICT) has been greatly improved and there have been satisfactory improvements in the quality of teaching, the planning of the curriculum and the role of subject co- ordinators. Standards in relation to national expectations are similar to those reported at the last inspection. North Mundham Primary School - 8

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STANDARDS

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

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Key

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

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Key

Schools are described as similar when they fall into the same band for free school meals, in this case between 8 and 20 per cent. (The current figure at North Mundham is 9.2 per cent)

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Key

Children in the reception class make satisfactory progress and most in the present year group are well on the way to achieving the early learning goals in most areas of the curriculum and to exceeding them in reading and in knowledge and understanding of the world.

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Key

The National Curriculum tests in 2002 showed that at the end of Year 2 pupils’ attainment was above the national average in writing, average in reading and below average in mathematics. When compared with those of similar schools, results were above average in writing and below average in reading and mathematics. In the teacher assessments for science an average proportion of pupils achieved the national expectation of Level 2 while a well above average proportion achieved the higher Level 3. Most pupils in the current Year 2 have made satisfactory progress in the subjects of the National Curriculum and religious education. Inspection evidence indicates that their standards in listening, reading, handwriting and ICT are above national expectations and pupils have achieved well. In speaking, writing, mathematics, science and the other subjects of the National Curriculum and religious education, pupils’ achievements are in line with those expected for their age;

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Key

As the above table shows, pupils at the end of Year 6 in 2002 achieved national test results that were in line with the average nationally and for similar schools in mathematics, above it in English and below it in science. The trend in the school’s results over the last five years has not kept pace with the national trend. The school failed to meet its targets for the proportions of pupils achieving the national expectation in English and mathematics, partly due to changes in the composition of the year group between the time that the targets were set and when the tests were taken.

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Key

The evidence from the inspection is that overall standards in English, mathematics and science in Year 6 are in line with national expectations, with pupils’ skills of listening and handwriting being above average. In the other subjects of the National Curriculum and in religious education, overall standards are in line with expectations although in some areas, for example aspects of ICT, there is evidence of work that is above average.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Good. Pupils like coming to school and are keen to learn. They listen well to their teachers and show respect for others.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Behaviour is good in lessons and in and around the school. Pupils are open, friendly and polite.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Relationships among pupils and staff are good. Pupils willingly take responsibility in the classroom and around the school.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Attendance is satisfactory overall, being broadly in line with national averages. North Mundham Primary School - 9 Most parents regularly bring their children to school on time.

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Aspect Comment

Pupils contribute well to the positive working atmosphere in the school.

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

Quality of teaching Satisfactory Good Satisfactory 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 Years 3 – 6

The quality of teaching is satisfactory, overall, based on the lessons observed during the inspection and analysis of the quality of pupils’ work during the school year. The teaching in many lessons was good or better, including some that were very good or excellent. During the inspection, around one in ten of the lessons seen were of less than satisfactory quality. This represents an overall improvement since the last inspection. The teaching of English, including literacy, was good during the inspection and that of mathematics, including numeracy, was satisfactory. Science is taught well with a good emphasis on developing experimental skills and the skills of ICT are also taught well.

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

Where teaching was good and successful, this was often because of the clarity of learning intentions, careful planning and the provision of work at different levels of difficulty. Teachers used questions well to revise, check on and extend pupils’ learning. It was made clear to pupils what they were intended to learn and do and they were provided with good feedback. In these lessons, teachers conveyed high expectations of the standards of pupils’ work and behaviour and pupils responded positively to knowing what was required of them. Where lessons were of unsatisfactory quality, the reasons usually included an inadequate focus on what was supposed to be learned and not enough careful planning to make sure that work was well matched to pupils of different abilities; work when written up was not properly marked and there wasn’t a sharp enough focus on improvement.

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

Pupils generally enjoy learning and when they know what they have to do they work with a good level of concentration and commitment. From the reception class onwards they are given opportunities for working independently when that is appropriate. In lessons where teachers have clearly defined learning intentions and feed back to pupils at the end of the lesson how well they have got on, pupils develop a good knowledge of their own learning and this enhances their motivation and self-esteem.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum The quality and range of the curriculum in the Foundation Stage are satisfactory overall, with good provision for reading and a wide range of experiences that promote knowledge and understanding of the world. The school offers a generally good range of learning opportunities in Years 1 to 6. The curriculum is enhanced by a good range and quality of extra-curricular opportunities, including visits and visitors, and through good links with the local community and a very good partnership with other schools. There is an appropriate emphasis on literacy and numeracy.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. The support given enables pupils to make good progress in meeting the targets set for them.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Good. Personal, social and health education plays an important role in the work of the school. Provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development is good, while that for their cultural development is sound; the school recognises the need to do more to prepare pupils for life in multi-ethnic Britain.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils The school is a caring community where all pupils are valued and supported. Teachers and other adults who work in the school know the pupils well. There are good procedures for monitoring pupils’ personal development. The school has North Mundham Primary School - 10 good procedures for keeping track of pupils’ academic progress, particularly in reading, writing and number work, and plans to extend these to other subjects.

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Aspect Comment

The school maintains very good links with parents, the great majority of whom hold very positive views of the school. North Mundham Primary School - 11

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and manage- ment by the headteacher and other key staff Overall, leadership and management are sound. The headteacher has a clear vision for the school and ensures that it runs smoothly on a day-to-day basis. She ensures that the work of the school reflects its aims, particularly in relation to enjoyment of learning and the promotion of high moral standards. The role of the co-ordinators does not yet include the direct monitoring of teaching and learning and this limits their effectiveness in raising levels of attainment.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Governors fulfil their statutory responsibilities and play a sound role in shaping the future of the school. However, they are not sufficiently active in holding the school to account for its performance in improving pupils’ achievements.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance The headteacher monitors progress towards the targets in the school development plan, in which appropriate priorities for development have been agreed with staff and governors. The action taken to achieve improvement has not been effective in some respects, for example in improving achievement and national test results in mathematics and science.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Financial planning and control are good and the school uses specific grants, for example for staff training, well. The school actively seeks to obtain the best value for the financial resources allocated to it.

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Aspect Comment

Staffing, accommodation and learning resources are satisfactory overall; staff work together well for the benefit of the pupils and the development of the school grounds as a learning resource is a particularly good feature of the accommodation.

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What pleases most parents What some parents would like to see improved

• Teaching is good and children like school. • The school has high expectations of children and they make good progress. • Behaviour is good and the school helps children to become mature and responsible. • The school is well managed and led and parents are comfortable about approaching it with questions or problems. • The range of activities outside lessons. • Information about children’s progress. • How closely the school works with them.

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What pleases most parents What some parents would like to see improved

The inspection team is generally in agreement with parents’ positive views, although pupils’ progress over time at the school is judged to be average rather than good. The range and quality of activities outside lessons, before school, at lunchtimes and including visits are good. Information about children’s progress, including the annual written reports, is very good. Most parents appreciate the opportunity to have daily contact with their child’s teacher and the headteacher. North Mundham Primary School - 12

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. Most pupils start school in the September after their fourth birthday. Overall, the school’s assessments confirm that children’s attainment on entry is close to what is expected for their age. Children in the reception class make satisfactory progress in most areas of learning and are well on course to achieve the recommended early learning goals by the time that they enter Year 1. In reading and in their knowledge and understanding of the world, children make good progress and many are likely to exceed the early learning goals. There is no significant difference in attainment between boys and girls.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. In the National Curriculum tests for Year 2, in the summer of 2002, results showed that pupils’ attainment was in line with the national average in reading, above it in writing and below it in mathematics. In the teacher assessments for science an average proportion of pupils achieved the national expectation of Level 2. These results were broadly consistent with those in the other years since the last inspection, apart from mathematics where results had been in line with national averages in previous years. The drop in mathematics was due to fewer pupils than had been expected achieving Level 2. In respect of the proportion of pupils who achieved the higher National Curriculum Level 3, the school’s results were in line with the national average in mathematics, above it in reading, and well above it in writing and science. The school is achieving results that are below the average for similar schools in

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

reading and mathematics, and above average in writing. On average over the five years since the last inspection, there have been no significant differences in the attainment of boys and girls.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. The Year 2002 National Curriculum test results for Year 6 were below the national averages for all schools, and for similar schools, in science, in line with them in mathematics, and above them in English. The better results in English reflect the priority that the school has given to the subject, in particular reading and writing, since the last inspection. In science, too few pupils achieved the national standard of Level 4, although the expected proportion achieved the higher Level 5.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. Test results at Year 6 have fluctuated over the last five years but the overall trend has not kept pace with the national trend. In English, however, the trend has been generally upwards. In mathematics and science, results in 2001 and 2002 were not as good as in the immediately preceding year. Too high a proportion of the Year 6 pupils who were at the school for the whole of their junior years failed to make the expected two levels of progress in mathematics and science compared with their results at Year 2. The relative performance of boys and girls has fluctuated over the years.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. The school sets targets for each Year 6 class, in consultation with the local education authority. These have sometimes proved to be unrealistic, either because not enough account had been taken of individual pupils’ prior attainment or because of pupils joining or leaving the class between target setting and tests. In 2002, the school did not meet its targets in English and mathematics. Achieving the current year’s targets would require some pupils, for example in mathematics, to make progress equivalent to one National Curriculum level while in Year 6; this would be exceptional. Examples of unsatisfactory teaching and learning were noted in Years 5 and 6 in mathematics, either in the lessons observed or in the work of pupils over the current school year. Scrutiny of pupils’ earlier work in these two year groups, in both mathematics and science, indicates that work has often not been sufficiently well planned to

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

meet the needs of pupils of differing abilities. Pupils’ written work in these subjects has not been marked with sufficient rigour and requirement for completeness, accuracy and, where necessary, correction. The higher expectations observed in these subject areas in Years 3 and 4 have not been maintained in Years 5 and 6.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6. Pupils with special educational needs make satisfactory progress overall. They make good progress in meeting the targets on their individual education plans due to regular withdrawal support. In lessons, where planning does not always take sufficient account of their particular learning needs, progress is satisfactory at best. North Mundham Primary School - 13 7. A small number of pupils have been identified as more able, for example in leadership, English, music or design and technology. The school has started to make provision for such pupils, for example through opportunities to contribute articles to the local schools’ magazine and to enter competitions, for example on car design. The focus, rightly, of present developments is on improving lesson planning so that work is provided that offers an appropriate degree of challenge to more able pupils.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

8. The inspection team judged that pupils’ attainment in reading, listening, handwriting and information and communication technology in Year 2 is above national expectations. In the other subjects of the National Curriculum, overall standards are in line with what is expected of pupils of this age, although there were examples, such as observational drawing in Year 2, that were clearly above average. In some areas of the curriculum, for example science, pupils’ attainment at the end of Year 4 is above national expectations for their age. In Year 6, overall standards are in line with national expectations except for listening and handwriting where they are above average. Work was seen that is above average, for example in information and communication technology. Pupils’ attainment in religious education throughout the school is in line with the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus. The development of

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills across the curriculum is satisfactory; there is room for further planned development of this. There were some good examples of the planned use and development of pupils’ ICT skills in other subject areas and the school has rightly identified this as an area for improvement. There were no significant boy/girl differences in attainment evident in the lessons observed or the work examined. (For further details of pupils’ achievements and progress in the Foundation Stage and in the subjects of the National Curriculum and religious education, see paragraphs 59 - 161).

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

9. Pupils' attitudes to the school, their behaviour and personal development are all good. This is a similar picture to that at the time of the last inspection.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10. The vast majority of pupils have good attitudes to school and their learning. They enjoy coming to school and show interest in their work, particularly when they are engaged in group activities. When pupils with special educational needs are withdrawn for support, they appreciate the extra help they are being given, especially when they know their targets and can see the progress they are making. Overall, inspection evidence confirms the positive views expressed to the inspection team by parents.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. Pupils have a clear sense of right and wrong; they have a good understanding of the school's expectations for behaviour, know the school and class rules and mostly abide by them. This is evident from the good behaviour generally seen in lessons and around the school. Pupils are polite and courteous to each other and towards adults, for example holding doors open and exchanging an appropriate greeting. Staff treat pupils with respect and consideration, and this is reflected in the confidence and trust that pupils demonstrate in their relationships with each other. There were no exclusions in the last year.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. Relationships between all members of the school community are good. Pupils show respect for the feelings, values and beliefs of others, and have a good understanding of the impact of their actions on others. Consequently they care for each other and show tolerance. At playtimes, older and younger pupils play well together, although there are few planned opportunities for them to mix, or for older pupils to act as role models for younger ones.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. Pupils mostly respond well to the opportunities provided for them to show initiative and take responsibility. During lessons they are generally able to apply themselves sensibly to tasks when teachers are not working directly with them. In group work, pupils often help each other spontaneously. The school council has provided a good forum for discussion; pupils have responded well to the opportunities it offers; they have, for example, led the way towards the provision of new apparatus and equipment for use at play times.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. Attendance figures have remained at similar levels to those seen at the last inspection, and are satisfactory overall when compared to national statistics. A small number of parents remove their children for holidays during term time; although this clearly affects these children’s learning it is not yet having a significant impact on the attendance figures. The school is commendably rigorous in marking as unauthorised any days taken beyond the agreed amount. A very small number of pupils are consistently late to school; registers are generally marked appropriately. North Mundham Primary School - 14 North Mundham Primary School - 15

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

15. O n the evidence of pupils’ work and the lessons observed during the inspection, the overall quality of teaching throughout the school is sound, with a significant proportion that is good or very good. During the inspection it was good or better in more than 70 per cent of lessons, including around 20 per cent that were very good or excellent. One in ten of the lessons observed was less than unsatisfactory. In terms of the proportion of lessons that were good or better, this represents an improvement since the last inspection; however the proportion of unsatisfactory teaching has also increased. There was a contradiction in some year groups between the quality of teaching seen during the inspection and the evidence of teaching quality indicated by pupils’ work and progress in their books. In these cases it is clear that good progress in individual lessons is not always sustained over time because planning is not

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

sufficiently rigorous to ensure that pupils of differing abilities build securely on what they have already learned.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

16. The quality of teaching of English, including literacy, was very good in Years 1 and 2 and good overall in Years 3 to 6. The teaching of mathematics, including numeracy, was mostly good in Years 1 to 4 and unsatisfactory in Years 5 and 6. All of the science teaching observed was good or very good and that of ICT was almost invariably good. Most of the teaching of religious education was good, apart from one lesson, in Year 6, that was unsatisfactory. Teaching in other National Curriculum subjects was almost always at least satisfactory with a significant number of lessons that were good or better; there was one excellent physical education lesson.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

17. Good, well-focused learning opportunities are provided for pupils with special educational needs, allowing them to meet their targets, particularly those related to literacy and numeracy. Within class lessons, however, planned activities are not always appropriate enough for pupils with special educational needs. Teaching assistants mostly carry out their support role in lessons effectively. In some lessons, however, their role is not sufficiently defined in planning and is therefore less effective. Although the school has identified a number of more able pupils there was little evidence of work being set that presented them with extra challenge.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

18. A very good science lesson of food chains with pupils in Year 3 provides a good illustration of the characteristics of the better teaching observed during the inspection. The pupils were effectively reminded about what they had already learned through the example of a food chain that led to a pupil eating a fish finger and consolidated through a practical activity that involved pupils in placing cards with the names of animals and plants on them in order. For example, pupils confirmed that the kingfisher eats the mayfly and the mayfly eats algae. Practical activities and opportunities for discussion in pairs or groups often led to good learning. Pupils quickly recognised that plants and weeds are at the bottom of the chains and at least one higher attaining pupil realised that if something in a chain ceases to exist then the chain above will perish. Because the teacher has very good subject knowledge and had

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

prepared thoroughly, pupils of all abilities were able to carry out follow-up written work on particular food chains correctly. The teacher provided extra support for those who found the task difficult, largely because of their language skills. Reference books and computer-based information sources were available and so pupils were able to practise their skills of research and working independently. The teacher used questions very effectively to check on pupils’ understanding and to extend it, for example in the context of differences between a wetland habitat and the school field. Because the work set was interesting and because the teacher has established good working routines and has consistently high expectations of work and behaviour, pupils knew what they had to do and worked and behaved well, showing a good level of commitment to their work and pride in it.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

19. Where teaching was unsatisfactory or lessons were less successful, the main reasons were inadequate planning in that it was not clear precisely what was to be learned during the lesson and inadequate provision was made to meet the needs of pupils of differing abilities. Similar points were made in the last inspection report. Examination of the work that pupils had done throughout the year, particularly in mathematics and science in Years 5 and 6, shows little evidence of work being varied; too often the more able did more of the same. The quality of marking was unsatisfactory in these areas, there being little evidence of constructive marking focused on improvement or of follow up where corrections had been requested. There is a clear need for further development here, particularly in terms of giving pupils (and their parents) feedback on how their work measures up to National Curriculum levels or national

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

expectations. In other junior classes the quality of marking is very much more regular, fuller and well focused on improvement. In all classes there is scope for more planned use of the school’s ICT North Mundham Primary School - 16 resources for further developing and using pupils’ ICT skills to support and extend learning in other subjects.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

20. In most lessons, pupils show interest, concentrate well and work hard. From the reception class onwards they work well together or individually when required. In most of the lessons observed, learning was judged to be good or better as pupils made recognisable gains in their knowledge, skills and understanding.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

21. Homework is making a good contribution to improving pupils’ achievements and parents are supportive of this. (For further details about the quality of teaching and learning in the Foundation Stage and in the subjects of the National Curriculum and religious education, see paragraphs 59 - 161).

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The quality and range of learning opportunities

22. The school provides pupils of all ages and abilities with a broad and balanced curriculum that meets the statutory requirements for all National Curriculum subjects and religious education. The quality and range of the curriculum in the Foundation Stage are satisfactory overall, with good provision for reading and a wide range of experiences that promote knowledge and understanding of the world. The curriculum is based on the recommended early learning goals and prepares children satisfactorily for National Curriculum work in Year 1. The curriculum for Years 1 to 6 includes all the subjects of the National Curriculum and religious education and a wide range of additional learning opportunities. These include using the school grounds, which have been thoughtfully developed, for example to promote learning about habitats, a good range of visits, and activities organised collaboratively with other local primary schools.

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The quality and range of learning opportunities

The school has a strong commitment to equality of opportunity and to educational inclusion; these are reflected well in its practice; all pupils are fully included in all that the school offers in lessons and in extra-curricular activities.

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The quality and range of learning opportunities

23. Much of the curriculum is taught through a topic approach, organised on a two-yearly cycle. Pupils and their parents respond well to this approach, which is based where possible on first-hand experience. Pupils are rightly proud of their topic folders, which they keep as a record of their achievement, and talk enthusiastically about what they did. The area for further development, which the school has identified, is making sure that it is clear to teachers and pupils what is going to be learned during the course of the topic, for example the Greeks, how pupils of differing abilities will be catered for and how the learning will be assessed in relation to National Curriculum expectations.

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The quality and range of learning opportunities

24. At the time of the last inspection, in 1998, the school was told that it should improve curriculum planning by ensuring that schemes of work are completed for all subjects and more closely related to National Curriculum levels. Since that time the school has successfully implemented the national strategies for literacy and numeracy. Schemes of work in other subjects are being developed on a rolling programme; this process has taken longer than it should have, due partly to staff changes and the time taken to ensure full staff involvement. In science, ICT, physical education, geography and history there are schemes of work that provide a good basis for the progressive development of skills. In other subjects, schemes of work are incomplete, lacking either or both of reference to linkage to National Curriculum expectations and to skills development . As a result there is insufficient definition of what level of

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The quality and range of learning opportunities

knowledge, skills and understanding is to be acquired by pupils in a particular year group and built on subsequently. Because of this lack of precision, assessment is unfocused and not linked to National Curriculum levels and progression. This has an adverse affect on the levels of attainment that pupils reach.

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The quality and range of learning opportunities

25. The provision for pupils with special educational needs is good. Pupils' individual education plans relate closely to their particular needs and are reviewed regularly. All pupils receive regular withdrawal support that enables them to meet their targets and helps ensure that they develop the skills to access all areas of the curriculum. North Mundham Primary School - 17 26. There is good provision for pupils’ personal, social and health education and citizenship. There are regular timetabled sessions for this area of the curriculum and it is an element of most topics studied. The school fully meets statutory requirements for sex education and for promoting drugs awareness. North Mundham Primary School - 18 27. The school has good links with the local community, including good involvement with the local church and with local businesses. A good range of visiting speakers, museum-led days, theatre groups and the

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The quality and range of learning opportunities

contributions of local residents enrich the curriculum. There are very good links with other local schools; these links support a range of activities, including provision for more able pupils and many opportunities for engaging in sport and the arts.

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The quality and range of learning opportunities

28. The school provides a good range and quality of extra-curricular activities, involving all teaching staff. They include opportunities to take part in team sports and judo as well as to play in the orchestra. These and educational visits, for example to a mosque in Portsmouth, enrich the curriculum for all pupils. The annual residential visit to the Isle of Wight makes an important contribution to Year 6 pupils’ social and cultural development as well as providing opportunities for outdoor and adventurous activities and for further developing ICT skills.

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Provision for personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

29. Overall, the school has maintained the good provision for pupils’ personal development including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, seen at the last inspection. This makes a positive contribution to the good attitudes, behaviour and relationships seen around the school.

p.18

Provision for personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

30. The provision for pupils’ spiritual development is good. Pupils are encouraged to appreciate the wonders of nature through, for example, looking at the effect of a heavy frost and then writing poems about their experience. The school makes very good use of the woodland in the grounds with each class studying a specific feature such as how the seasons affect the trees. In addition, the whole school and class assembly themes are planned to include a period to reflect on different aspects such as listening to one’s conscience. Stories emphasise how our actions can impact on others and pupils are encouraged to consider this before acting. Pupils are also encouraged to listen to music at the end of the assembly and try to imagine, for example, Hedwig the owl flying when they listen to an excerpt from the Harry Potter soundtrack.

p.18

Provision for personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

31. Good provision is made for pupils’ moral development. Pupils learn what is right and wrong from an early age. The school’s code of conduct is given to each pupil and is clearly on show throughout the school. This emphasises the rights of every individual as well as their responsibilities. The behaviour policy is used effectively to promote moral development and pupils are praised for being kind to others. Pupils are very accepting of each other and are quick to praise those who succeed at something that is difficult for them; in this as in other matters they learn much from the good example of the adults in the school community. For example, when a pupil who finds handwriting difficult, manages to produce a very good piece of work, others are genuinely pleased and applaud spontaneously. Moral issues such as cruelty to animals are incorporated into lessons such as one based on persuasive writing for Year 4 pupils.

p.18

Provision for personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

Pupils are encouraged to care for their property and that of the school, for example pupils are responsible for keeping the ICT suite tidy and even the youngest children look after the resources and help to tidy up.

p.18

Provision for personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

32. Pupils have good opportunities to become socially aware. The school council, although still relatively new, has given pupils the opportunity to suggest improvements to the playground for the benefit of everyone. Pupils are made aware of others less fortunate than themselves through collecting for charities such as Comic Relief and they also help to distribute Harvest Festival packages to the elderly. Older pupils are given more responsible jobs such as helping in the library and at lunchtime. Pupils are given a sense of community through having the opportunity to represent their school in football and netball matches. The school is also very much a part of the local community and makes good use of the surrounding area for topic work as well as visiting the church and participating in church services. All of these aspects contribute to pupils’ social development and have a positive impact on relationships and

p.18

Provision for personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

33. The provision for pupils’ cultural development is satisfactory overall. Pupils are given good opportunities to visit museums and other places of interest to enable them to have an understanding of their own culture. They study the work of different artists such as Van Gogh and Kandinsky, and visiting artists have worked with pupils to produce impressive works such as a stone totem pole and attractive wall tiles. Emphasis is also placed on the theatre and the school makes very good use of the local facilities. For example, all Year 1 pupils were involved in a drama production at the Chichester Festival Theatre. The school does not yet make enough provision for pupils to learn about life in to-day’s multi-ethnic society. This was also mentioned in the previous inspection report. There have been one-off events such as a Caribbean Week and pupils have studied different types of music such as reggae and rap and pupils do

p.18

Provision for personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

North Mundham Primary School - 19 learn about other faiths in religious education lessons but there is not yet enough emphasis on learning about life in more ethnically diverse parts of Britain.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

34. The procedures for child protection and for ensuring pupils’ welfare have remained at the good levels reported at the last inspection.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

35. The headteacher is the designated co-ordinator for child protection and she has been appropriately trained. The school’s policy is clear and all members of staff, including support staff, are made aware of what action to take should they have any concerns about a pupil’s welfare. There is a good system whereby any new information in relation to child protection that comes into the school, is seen by all members of staff, who sign to acknowledge that they have read it. The school does not yet have a policy for the physical restraint of pupils although the headteacher has undertaken some training in this aspect.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

36. Other aspects of care and welfare are very good. For example there are several members of the support staff who have been trained in first aid and a rota is drawn up to ensure that at least one person is always on duty. The school has a small medical room and keeps very good records of any accidents, illnesses and individual pupils’ medical needs.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

37. The school has a very brief health and safety policy but has adopted local education authority guidelines. Risk assessment is undertaken but the governors only do this annually. The local education authority has not undertaken a recent, full risk assessment of the building and grounds. There are careful risk assessments carried out by the school before any off-site visit including the annual residential visit taken to the Isle of Wight.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

38. Overall, the school monitors pupils’ academic performance and personal development well. Current practice includes the use of statutory and optional tests with a view to collecting data on pupils’ attainment and progress. The school also uses other standardised tests for reading and mathematics in mid-year tests. There are also good systems for sampling work in the pupils’ records of achievement, which have been in place for several years and which illustrate progress clearly. There is evidence of good tracking taking place over several years to monitor pupils’ progress in reading, writing and number. In ICT, the introduction of the I Can Do booklet is making an important contribution to the development of supported self-assessment. The school uses its assessment information to discuss predicted targets for end of key stage test results. While the headteacher is very clear about the process, some of the

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

targets agreed with the LEA bear little relationship to earlier test results. It is the staff’s aim to make the targets challenging which is admirable but the predictions are not always realistic. The use of assessment information to inform future planning or grouping is not well-developed; for example, although test information is discussed with relevant staff, some are not fully aware of the targets and how they need to inform their planning. As a result, in some lessons the match of work to different needs among the pupils is not good enough.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

39. There are good procedures for monitoring and improving attendance. The school secretary, who will contact the parents of any absent pupil if no reason for the absence has been given, checks registers each day. Parents are required to get written permission to remove their child for family holidays and the school is rigorous in marking as unauthorised absence any time taken beyond ten days. The parents of pupils who are persistently late or who have a high number of unauthorised absences are telephoned or written to by the school. There are regular visits made to the school by the education welfare officer so that any causes for concern in relation to attendance or punctuality can be dealt with.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

40. There are also good procedures to monitor and promote good behaviour. During lessons, good behaviour is promoted through the effective use of assertive discipline and rewards such as Golden Time. Pupils are also praised during the weekly sharing assembly and by having their name entered into a special book kept in the school foyer. The class teacher or the headteacher records any incidents of unsatisfactory behaviour. In addition, there is a system in place whereby midday supervisors have their own recording system that is then passed to the headteacher. If three such slips are given in a half term, the pupil is sanctioned and their parents are contacted. A small minority of pupils show challenging behaviour and where necessary, the school enlists the support of outside agencies to help these pupils.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

41. The school monitors oppressive behaviour very well and has been successful in eliminating all forms. There was no evidence of any bullying during the inspection and parents and pupils are confident that if North Mundham Primary School - 20 any issues do arise they are dealt with swiftly and fairly. There is a system in place to record and report any racist incidents but none have occurred in the school.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

42. The procedures to monitor and support pupils’ personal development are also good. As the school is relatively small, staff know the pupils and their families well and any concerns are noted and discussed. The only formal record kept of each individual pupil’s personal development is in the annual written report to parents that includes a section on the pupils’ attitudes to school and how they have developed personally during the year. This can be used to track how well pupils are maturing as they move through the school. The great majority of parents who returned the pre-inspection questionnaire feel that the school is helping their child to become mature and responsible; inspection evidence supports this view.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

43. Since the last inspection the school has more than maintained the effectiveness of its links with parents; these are now judged to be very good.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

44. A high percentage of parents returned the pre-inspection questionnaire and the results, taken with the comments made by parents at the pre-inspection meeting, show that parents have very positive views of the school. Parents feel that behaviour is good and this is supported by inspection evidence. They also feel that the school has high expectations and again, this was seen to be the case in the Foundation Stage and for pupils aged up to seven. For older pupils expectations are judged to be satisfactory. The only areas where a small minority of parents were less than satisfied were that the school did not keep them well enough informed about progress, the school did not work closely enough with parents and that there was not a wide range of activities outside lessons. Inspection evidence does not support these views. The school works very closely with parents, provides a very good level of information about

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

progress and also has a good range of extra-curricular activities that includes a wide variety of educational visits and visitors into school.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

45. The quality of information provided for parents is very good. The monthly newsletter, The Heron, is very informative and also celebrates pupils’ work and achievements. In addition, parents receive good, useful information each half term to advise them about the subjects that will be covered and how they can help. There are specific workshops for parents on areas of the curriculum such as literacy and numeracy and for parents who volunteer to come in to school to hear pupils read.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

46. The governors’ annual report to parents and the school prospectus are both very informative documents that meet statutory requirements with only one very minor exception. Parents receive a very informative annual written report for their child that covers all areas of the curriculum and gives clear information about what has been achieved as well as specific targets to help the pupil improve further. Parents also have the opportunity to attend consultation meetings in the autumn and spring term and to view their child’s work. However, in addition to these formal opportunities, staff are very approachable on a daily basis, should any parents have concerns. Parents also have the opportunity to give their views as the school regularly sends out questionnaires on different issues such as home activities.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

47. The contribution that parents make to children’s learning at school and at home is good and they have a positive impact on the work of the school. All parents have signed the home school agreement. The school makes good use of the particular skills of parents to assist with, for example, clay modelling and some parents have attended the workshop to help them listen to pupils read. Parents help on school visits and the Parent Teacher Association works hard to organise fundraising events that have raised substantial sums. This has enabled the cost of transport to be covered for some visits as well as, for example, purchasing staging to enhance school performances. Parents also regularly assist their children with their home activities and many regularly listen to their child read at home.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

48. The headteacher provides good leadership in respect of ensuring that the school’s aims are reflected in its work, particularly in relation to promoting high moral standards, a community ethos and an enjoyment of learning. There is a strong focus on including all pupils in all that the school does. She has a clear vision for the school and manages the day-to-day running effectively, for example in relation to the North Mundham Primary School - 21 school’s finances and the monitoring of teaching. However, key staff with management responsibilities do not have enough responsibility delegated to them and so their contribution to improving the standards in the school is unsatisfactory. Although there has been improvement in enhancing the role of subject co-ordinators since the previous inspection, only the headteacher and the deputy headteacher monitor and evaluate the quality of teaching and learning in lessons. As a result, co-ordinators do not have the

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

opportunity to see fully how their subject is taught throughout the school and to share good practice. The action taken to address the school’s declining results in some of the national tests has not been effective enough. Overall, therefore, the leadership and management of the headteacher and key staff are judged to be satisfactory rather than good.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

49. There are good systems to monitor and evaluate the school’s performance such as the methods of tracking pupils’ progress. However, not enough use has been made of this information in order to reverse the falling standards seen, particularly in mathematics and science at the upper end of the junior years, although there has been an awareness of the unsatisfactory teaching in some lessons.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

50. Progress has been made in developing schemes of work since the last inspection although in some subject areas, including art and music, this process is not yet complete as the school is developing its own schemes on a rolling programme.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

51. There is a good, well embedded, strategy for appraisal and performance management. This takes into account the teacher’s own personal and professional development as well as the needs of the school. Governors undertake the headteacher’s performance management on an annual basis. There are satisfactory arrangements for inducting staff new to the school.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

52. The governing body has become more involved in the strategic running of the school and plays a satisfactory role in shaping the direction of the school. Governors are very supportive of the headteacher and many give a considerable amount of time to the school. They have a satisfactory understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development but they are not yet sufficiently proactive in questioning the reasons why, for example, national test results have been declining in mathematics and science at the end of Year 6. Governors have recently become more involved in subject areas and have a good system for reporting back after visits to share their information, for example about the development of ICT in the school. They now fulfil all their statutory duties.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

53. There is a comprehensive school development plan; this is an improvement since the last inspection. Although financial costings are not included with the plan, the financial implications related to different areas for development are taken into account. The bursar and the headteacher keep governors well informed about the school’s financial state. The school has highlighted appropriate priorities for development such as ICT, writing and mathematics. However, the action taken to meet its targets has not yet been effective enough, for example in relation to the improvement needed in teaching in some classes, especially of mathematics and science, in order to raise standards. Governors are not sufficiently involved in monitoring progress towards the targets agreed in the development plan; the fact that the financial cost implications are not published in the plan makes evaluation of the value for money

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

of particular initiatives difficult. For example, the review of the priorities for 2001/2002, contained in the current year’s improvement plan, does not mention that the target of raising standards of achievement in mathematics was not achieved; in fact national test results at Year 6 fell again. Neither the improvement plan nor its review are sufficiently focused on raising pupils’ achievements with respect to the expectations set out in the National Curriculum programmes of study.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

54. Additional grants are focused well on the areas of need so that the pupils involved make satisfactory progress overall. The school uses the principles of best value satisfactorily, for example by arranging for an adequate number of tenders for major expenses. However, there is scope to look further at whether best value is being achieved in relation to less tangible aspects such as the use of the ICT suite and the amount of resources spent on specific pupils. The school makes satisfactory use of new technology, especially in relation to monitoring the budget. Other areas such as using the available software to track pupil progress have not yet been fully developed although they are included in plans for the near future.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

55. There is a satisfactory match of teachers and support staff to enable all subjects of the National Curriculum to be taught. All the teachers are experienced and the staff has been relatively stable over the last two years. All subjects have a designated co-ordinator with some having been responsible for the co- ordination of their subject for several years. There is still scope to develop the skills of these co- ordinators to enable them to have a clearer understanding of how their subject is taught throughout the North Mundham Primary School - 22 school, for example by undertaking lesson observations. Staff work together well as a team, with teaching assistants fulfilling the important role of helping some pupils to have full access to what is being taught. The school secretary makes a valuable contribution to the pleasant and welcoming atmosphere in the school, as do the caretaking and cleaning staff.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

North Mundham Primary School - 23 56. The accommodation is adequate overall to enable the curriculum to be taught effectively. There has been a significant improvement in the facilities for ICT since the previous inspection with the addition of a purpose-built suite. In general, classrooms are spacious enough with the exception of the indoor accommodation for the reception class, which is cramped for the number of children. Pupils benefit greatly from the outdoor nature area that is used well to enhance teaching and to interest pupils. The school buildings are kept very clean and in a good state of repair. Staff go to a lot of trouble to make the school an attractive and stimulating place to learn; displays are often a good mix of commercially produced materials, materials that teachers have produced and examples of children’s work. The practice of mounting displays that relate directly to what is currently being studied, often with key

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

vocabulary highlighted, has a good affect on the quality of pupils’ learning.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

57. Resources are satisfactory overall and are now considered to be good in ICT, music, science, design and technology and physical education. There is scope to develop further the resources for the youngest children, for example to support role-play in the home corner. The range and quality of books in the library are not adequate, especially in relation to appropriate fiction and non-fiction for older pupils, many of whom bring their own books from home. Resources for all subjects are accessible and neatly stored and labelled. The school makes very good use of the wider local area as an effective resource to enhance learning, with many visits to museums and other places of interest.

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

58. In order to improve the quality of education and raise standards of attainment, the

p.23

*Improve pupils’ levels of attainment in mathematics and science at the end of Year 6 by:

• Regular monitoring to make sure that lessons are sharply focused on clear learning objectives that the pupils can understand; • Making sure that pupils of all levels of ability are suitably challenged by the tasks set; • Raising expectations that work will be completed, accurate and neatly presented; • Relating the assessments made and the targets set to National Curriculum levels and regularly monitoring pupils’ progress towards them; • Making more use of ICT resources to support and extend learning. See paragraphs 5, 19, and 91 – 110

p.23

*Improve aspects of the quality of teaching by:

• Regularly monitoring the quality of planning to make sure that: • It is clear what pupils are intended to learn in a particular lesson; • There is adequate provision for the different abilities, attainment and learning needs among the pupils; • Pupils are expected and encouraged to produce good work through marking that is clearly focused on improvement; • Pupils have short term and achievable targets, related where possible to National Curriculum levels, to enable them to track their own progress. See paragraphs 5, 15, 19, and 89

p.23

of skills, knowledge and understanding in individual subjects by:

• Completing those schemes of work that have remained incomplete since the last inspection; • Checking that all schemes make it clear what skills are to be acquired and used in each year group and built on subsequently; • Making sure that the progress that pupils make is clearly related to National Curriculum expectations. See paragraphs 23, 24 and 50

p.23

*Enable subject co-ordinators to contribute more to raising standards in their subjects through:

• More frequent and focused examination of teachers’ planning and pupils’ work; • Providing the training, and the time, necessary for them to make focused observations of the quality of teaching and learning throughout the school; See paragraphs 48, 90, 99, 110, 118, 129 and 135 North Mundham Primary School - 24 * These areas for improvement have already been identified by the school.

p.23

Improve the contribution of the governing body to raising standards by;

• Increasing the involvement of governors in identifying priorities for improvement and in regularly checking on progress towards agreed targets. See paragraphs 52 and 53

p.24

*Developing the use of ICT to support and extend learning across the curriculum;

See paragraphs 19, 110, 117, 122, 128, 141 and 160

p.24

parts of Britain;

Adopting a policy on physical restraint. See paragraph 35

p.24

parts of Britain;

* This area for improvement has already been identified by the school. North Mundham Primary School - 25

p.24

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 46

p.25

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

p.25

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

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

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 207

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 19

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 3

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 38

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 0

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 4

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 4

p.25

Attendance

National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5

p.25

Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. North Mundham Primary School - 26

p.25

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

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2002 21 9 30

p.26

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.26

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

Boys Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls

p.26

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

Percentage of pupils School 83 (87) 83 (83) 83 (87) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (84) 86 (86) 90 (91)

p.26

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.26

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

Boys Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls

p.26

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

Percentage of pupils School 83 (87) 83 (83) 90 (100) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (85) 89 (89) 89 (89)

p.26

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

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

p.26

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

Separate totals for girls and boys are not given in the above table as fewer than 11 boys or girls took the tests and therefore individuals could be identified.

p.26

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

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2002 11 20 31

p.26

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.26

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

Boys 9 10 10 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 17 14 16

p.26

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

Percentage of pupils School 84 (72) 77 (76) 84 (90)

p.26

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.26

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

Boys 11 10 11 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 18 15 17

p.26

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

Percentage of pupils School 94 (79) 81 (76) 90 (90) at NC level 4 or above National 73 (72) 74 (74) 82 (82)

p.26

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

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. North Mundham Primary School - 27

p.26

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.27

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

White – any other White background 2 0 0

p.27

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Mixed – any other mixed background 2 0 0

p.27

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British - Pakistani 0 0 0

p.27

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 0 0 0

p.27

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.27

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – Caribbean 0 0 0

p.27

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.27

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 8.73 Financial year 2001-2002

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 23.8

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 448640

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 7 Total expenditure 440132

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 114 Expenditure per pupil 2223

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. Balance brought forward from previous year 8046

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 16554 North Mundham Primary School - 28

p.27

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 2

p.28

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 2

p.28

Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

p.28

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.28

Recruitment of teachers

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0

p.28

Recruitment of teachers

FTE means full-time equivalent. North Mundham Primary School - 29

p.28

Percentage of responses in each category

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

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 43 49 6 1 1

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 46 50 4 0 0

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 39 52 8 0 1

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 40 46 11 2 1

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 58 33 6 1 2

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 56 40 3 1 0

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 34 51 12 1 2

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 52 39 6 2 1

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 50 44 3 1 3

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 31 50 10 3 6

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

Some rows do not add to 100 because of rounding.

p.29

Other issues raised by parents

Parents gave high praise for the commitment of the teachers and the quality of the annual written reports. North Mundham Primary School - 30

p.29

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

59. At the time of the inspection there were 29 children attending the reception class full time. Children’s attainment on entry to the reception class has varied in recent years. On the evidence of the school’s own assessments and records, it appears that their attainment on entry to the present class was in line with national expectations, with significant minorities both above and below that expectation. The progress of most children, including those with special educational needs, is satisfactory in personal, social and emotional development, communication, language and literacy, mathematical development, creative development and aspects of physical development. They are likely to meet the early learning goals in these areas of learning, and this broadly matches the situation at the time of the last inspection. Most children make good progress in reading and in their knowledge and understanding of the world and

p.30

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

are likely to exceed the relevant early learning goals by the end of the reception year; this represents an improvement since the last inspection. Children’s progress in co-ordination skills such as running and climbing is limited by insufficient outdoor opportunities for learning these skills.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

60. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall but good in reading, mathematical development and aspects of personal, social, emotional and creative development. The teacher and teaching assistants work together well and give good support for learning when working with individuals or groups. Staff have good relationships with children. Planning is generally securely based on the agreed early learning goals but is not always specific enough in relation to groups of children, including those with special educational needs.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

61. The curriculum is satisfactory overall. There is a developing curriculum overview that covers all the areas of learning. There is a good curriculum for reading and knowledge and understanding of the world and this leads to the provision of a wide range of experiences and high standards. The provision for the outdoor area needs further development.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

62. There are good assessment procedures that keep track of children’s progress in all areas of learning, though mainly in mathematical and language development, and the comments, notably the group observations, are helpful. Staff have begun to collect samples of children’s work to exemplify the level of learning children have reached but this needs further development. The samples include helpful notes giving the context of the work and noting what children know, understand and can do. However, some assessment records do not link in fully with the early learning goals and some assessment criteria are too advanced in comparison with national expectations for this age.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

63. The class is housed in cramped indoor accommodation with an adequate outdoor area that is easy to access. The resources are being developed and some, such as the Noah’s Ark, are of very good quality; the home corner is bare and needs much further development.

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Personal, social and emotional development

64. Children’s attitudes and behaviour were at least satisfactory in all sessions and good or very good in a minority. They were very good in mathematical development where almost all children joined in activities fully and settled very quickly to their tasks. They were supported in this by the teacher’s very good organisation and because teaching assistants had been well briefed. In another session children selected activities independently and co-operated well during indoor and outdoor activities. Most children are confident with adults and interact very well with peers on the whole. Clearing up is usually very effectively done with children responding to the very good routines established by staff, who ensure that all children take part. Staff discuss misbehaviour with children to reinforce expectations of good behaviour. Most children share resources appropriately and play together well and usually respond

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Personal, social and emotional development

satisfactorily to teaching and non-teaching staff. They are learning to distinguish right from wrong, to show respect for each other and to form constructive relationships with peers and adults. In several sessions, a few children were not attentive in whole class activities and did not play together well. The teacher uses reward stickers effectively to improve behaviour. North Mundham Primary School - 31

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Communication, language and literacy

65. Most children are on track to meet the early learning goals in listening, speaking and writing. Many are likely to exceed expectations in reading. Most are developing good listening skills through activities such hearing stories, discussion and answering questions. A minority do not listen well; for example calling out when others are speaking. Most children listen attentively to stories and enjoy these greatly. Most listen to, and follow, instructions appropriately.

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Communication, language and literacy

66. Many children are eager to talk about what they are doing and individuals speak very articulately to visitors, for example, one girl described her fifth birthday, demonstrating a good vocabulary. Many, mostly girls, are confident enough to initiate conversations with visitors. There are opportunities for children to speak in role and imaginative play but these frequently lack focus unless members of staff are actively involved. Most children can express their wants and needs, though they do not always articulate clearly when answering questions in whole class sessions. They are given regular opportunities to extend their vocabulary during storytelling sessions or when staff read books to them.

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Communication, language and literacy

67. Children’s attainment in reading is good. They enjoy hearing stories, choosing and browsing through books independently or in groups. The teacher tells, or reads expressively, stories such as ‘The Tiger Who Came to Tea’ and children generally listen quite well, following the pictures and the text and some join in. They can identify features of the pictures and how sounds are used in reading, many can identify initial sounds and letters of words and some can name words ending in ‘ing’. Those who read to an inspector read simple known texts accurately and read words out of context. Two were able to read unknown simple texts.

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Communication, language and literacy

68. Children have opportunities to practise letter formation and to write; for example at the writing table where a group were writing letters, they knew that letters begin with ‘Dear’. Children’s handwriting is usually legible and some are attempting to use a joined style. Individuals make good attempts at writing words; for example, ‘betu’ for ‘better’ and know that you write capital letters at the beginning of names. Most handle pencils and felt pens confidently and are willing to put pen to paper. In one session where children spent most of the time colouring their invitations rather than writing, staff missed the opportunity to encourage them to do the colouring later in order to focus on writing skills. There are insufficient opportunities for children to write independently in role or imaginative play.

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Mathematical development

69. Children’s attainment is in line with expectations and a significant minority exceeded expectation in one session where children were confident about counting to 30 as a class. Individuals also showed confidence in counting and ordering numbers to 20 independently. Others drew rectangles or equally spaced horizontal lines, comparing lengths very accurately and independently. There was a good focus on developing mathematical language and children used this correctly when estimating and counting. Children made good progress in recognising and making numerals, estimating and counting numbers of cubes in a bag. The provision of good resources and a very good level of adult support helped them in this. Children have some opportunities to use sand resources to reinforce their understanding of capacity. Learning is reinforced through the use of action rhymes and songs which almost all children

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Mathematical development

join in fully and through a choice of number games for free choice activities.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

70. Children make good progress in this area of learning and experience a good range of activities. Children have regular opportunities to use the computer although during the inspection the class computer was not working and only one program was observed in use. Children were able to use the mouse effectively to click and drag icons. Staff use ‘I Can’ assessment booklets that indicate that children are developing skills appropriately. Workbooks show that children have looked at growth - human growth from babyhood to school age, one group knew that plants need sun, soil and rain to grow. Earlier in the year a parent brought in some new chicks. Children have learnt about aspects of Religious Education or Personal, Social and Health Education such as the story of Noah or how people within the community help us, for example the emergency services and the ‘lollipop’ lady. They have learnt about the different

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

seasons through observation and recording. During one session a group of higher attaining children went for a ‘tiger hunt’ in the school grounds with a teaching assistant, and this culminated in the drawing of North Mundham Primary School - 32 simple line maps where, with adult support, they recorded the route, noting features such as the totem pole; this was a good activity for developing early geography skills.

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Physical development

71. Children make satisfactory progress in using equipment such as pencils, crayons, scissors, paint, and brushes. Many children handle pencils confidently. The teacher is using an effective programme to plan activities to improve ‘hand skills’. Currently children have too few opportunities to develop co-ordination skills indoors or outdoors. They have Physical Education lessons on a weekly basis but this is insufficient to provide enough opportunities to develop climbing, running and other such skills. The outdoor provision needs developing. During one outdoor Physical Education lesson children could hop and run appropriately, they were learning to pass a ball with their feet but the majority were not confident at this skill. The lesson was planned formally and there were few opportunities for them to explore how to use their feet and the ball; this lesson was more suitable for older children and did not match present

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Physical development

learning needs. The teacher is making good attempts at using the outdoor area to support the broader curriculum.

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Creative development

72. Children make satisfactory progress and have a number of opportunities to attain expected standards in drawing, cutting, colouring and painting. In one session the teacher gave very helpful guidance to a group of children about painting and mixing skills using primary colours to create the colours they needed to paint a tiger. She showed high expectations of children who were able to carry out the instructions independently. Displays and samples of work show that children have learnt to use painting skills such as bubble and finger painting. They have learnt simple printing techniques, for example using fruit, and participated in large-scale work such as the display ‘Bear in a Steam Train’ where they have used paint and print skills effectively. Children have made a tropical area outside the classroom making material plaits, a challenging activity, to support the large-scale decorated leaves.

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Creative development

73. Focused music sessions were not observed, though these took place during the inspection. Children sang a good range of number songs with actions and almost all joined in well. They participated in whole class action songs such as ‘The Farmer’s in the Den” appropriately. There are some opportunities for role-play and there is scope for developing these further. Staff teach pupils how to use materials and tools in a safe way and almost all children respond to this guidance well.

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ENGLISH

74. By the end of Year 2, pupils’ attainment in the 2002 reading tests was in line with the national average for all schools but below average for similar schools. Pupils’ performance in the 2002 writing tests was above the national average for all schools and for similar schools. Predictions for this year’s national tests indicate that pupils are likely to improve upon the previous year’s results.

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ENGLISH

75. By the end of Year 6, pupils’ attainment in English in the 2002 tests was above the national average for all schools and for similar schools. Predictions for this year’s tests indicate that results are likely to improve. At the time of the last inspection, pupils’ attainments were judged to be in line with national expectations at both key stages, and above them in speaking and listening.

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ENGLISH

76. Inspection evidence, over a broad range of work, indicates that pupils’ attainment is above average in listening and handwriting throughout the school and in reading by the end of Year 2. Attainment in speaking, writing and spelling throughout the school and in reading by the end of Year 6 is in line with the national average. The school has maintained standards in listening, handwriting, writing and spelling since the last inspection. It has maintained standards of reading in Years 3, 4 and 6 and improved standards by the end of Year 2 and in Year 5. Standards of speaking are not as high as they were. The progress of pupils with special educational needs is satisfactory in relation to the targets in their individual education plans.

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ENGLISH

77. Pupils’ listening skills are above average throughout the school. Most pupils listen attentively to staff and peers in whole class or small group sessions, for example when listening to stories or poems or in the introductory sessions of literacy hours. A small minority of pupils, some of whom have special North Mundham Primary School - 33 educational needs, do not listen as well. Occasionally, even when teaching is good, the introductory sessions are too long and pupils lose interest. Generally, teachers hold most pupils’ attention well. A very helpful scheme of work for speaking and listening has been developed by the subject co-ordinator to ensure these aspects are an integral part of the curriculum. North Mundham Primary School - 34 78. Pupils’ speaking skills throughout the school are in line with the national average. In many lessons teachers use good questioning and interactive skills to encourage pupils to speak and participate fully in

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ENGLISH

shared reading and writing sessions. For example, in Year 1, when focusing on key words in the story of ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’, pupils were expected to explain their choice of words and why they are important to the story. In Year 3, the teacher used pupils’ own work to encourage discussion and evaluation about improvement. Most pupils have enough confidence to speak to visitors although some, who read to inspectors, were not able to talk about a range of books or favourite authors confidently.

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ENGLISH

79. By the end of Year 2, pupils’ reading skills are above average. Pupils showed obvious enjoyment when choosing books to evaluate, which they discussed well. When reading to inspectors, pupils in Years 1 and 2 were generally accurate, with the majority showing fluency, expression and confidence. Pupils in Year 2 showed good knowledge of how to locate non-fiction books in the library using the ‘Codebreaker’ categorising system and they could find specific books easily. Occasionally, pupils did not correct themselves even if the reading did not make sense; for example, reading ‘being’ for ‘begin’ and carrying on irrespectively. Some pupils, particularly the higher attainers, were reading texts which were insufficiently challenging - one was reading ‘Fantastic Mr Fox' at home but a much simpler text at school: this limits progress. Some reading scheme books are old, worn and not stimulating.

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ENGLISH

80. Home school and teachers’ reading records are good in Years 1 and 2. The quality of school records is maintained in Years 3 to 6. Home/school reading records are inconsistent in quality in Years 3 to 6 with some containing only the name of the books while others, notably in Year 5, are very full, giving continued development of reading a high priority. In some records, the assessment comments show little difference between consecutive termly assessments. Parents and carers often make a significant contribution to pupils’ progress in reading.

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ENGLISH

81. By the end of Year 6, reading attainment is average, although a sample of pupils from Year 5 who read to an inspector were attaining above average standards. These pupils showed great interest and enjoyment in reading and books. They read challenging texts fluently with good attention to features such as punctuation and its effect on emphasis and expression. Pupils in Year 6 generally read accurately. Pupils in Year 4 showed good, detailed recall of earlier parts of the story, although some were quite hesitant in their reading. All the pupils in this sample were clear about the difference between fiction and non-fiction and where to find an index and contents page but did not know what a glossary was for. Many pupils visit local libraries with their families.

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ENGLISH

82. The non-fiction library is small although attractive, well furnished and organised but there are insufficient books to cover the full range of the curriculum. Pupils, particularly older and higher attaining pupils, read fiction books from home because the choice in school is insufficiently broad. Most pupils are confident in choosing books within the appropriate level or freely, because teachers encourage choice.

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ENGLISH

83. Writing standards are average throughout the school. By the end of Year 2, higher attaining pupils wrote book evaluations confidently and accurately, average attainers needed prompt questions to help them do this, while the lower attainers only attempted this after evaluating the books orally; they needed quite a lot of help from the teacher who gave them good support. Pupils in Year 1 were successfully sequencing the main points of a story using key words either through using pictures or the text to identify key vocabulary. A scrutiny of work indicates that pupils in Years 1 and 2 have good experience of extended writing and there are examples of good work; for example, Year 2 have made a class book of poems titled ‘Frost’. Work in books, overall, shows a limited range of work and very similar work for all pupils; this indicates that work is not always matched well to pupils’ prior attainment and this hinders

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ENGLISH

84. Pupils in Year 6 were learning to write limericks. Almost all showed no knowledge of limericks at the beginning of the lesson but gained an understanding of layout, line length and rhyme pattern. They were not secure in their understanding of the rhythm of this form. Pupils in Year 5 understand how to punctuate direct speech although a number are not clear about the complexities of the use of the comma in direct speech. In the whole class session, with the teacher’s support, they appeared to understand the difference between direct and indirect speech. However, when working in pairs to convert direct speech only the higher attainers could do this accurately. In Year 4, pupils attained above average standards when discussing a letter to ‘Monkey World’ about cruelty to monkeys. They noted the features and vocabulary of persuasive writing and answered questions on the text. The above average pupils were

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ENGLISH

expected to refer to the text to support their point of view. Pupils in Year 3 North Mundham Primary School - 35 were learning to write thank you letters related to a school visit, focusing on organising paragraphs, using connectives and appropriate vocabulary. Above average pupils were able to do all these correctly although others needed more help.

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ENGLISH

85. Work in books shows examples of good extended writing in Year 5 in response to some interesting writing activities and examples of very good standards in the books of some higher attaining pupils in Year 4. Pupils are given draft books from Year 1 although in several classes teachers give pupils too little responsibility for their drafting. Marking, throughout the school, is up to date and generally helpful but does not always identify how to improve the work. There is some positive marking, which outlines how pupils can improve; however, some lengthy written comments in the books of lower attaining pupils do not lead to evidence of improvement in line with the comments.

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ENGLISH

86. Standards of spelling are satisfactory throughout the school when pupils are writing independently. When lessons focused on spelling, standards were higher; for example, pupils in Year 2 could spell all words accurately in simple sentences such as ‘I like to eat pears’ during dictation. In Year 3, the teacher encouraged pupils to spot spelling errors in their work to help them improve. Teachers do not always reinforce the learning of spellings, many books show that teachers correct all spellings even for the older or highest attaining pupils and this does not encourage good learning.

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ENGLISH

87. Standards of handwriting are above average throughout the school. Pupils learn to write in a joined style from a very early age and almost all become confident in this skill. Presentation of most work in literacy is good although there is some untidy work in some books, even of higher attaining pupils.

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ENGLISH

88. During the inspection, there were examples of pupils using ICT skills in a literacy context, for example when Year 2 worked on the use of capital letters and Year 6 started to develop a word bank to support their writing of Haiku and limericks. There was also evidence of the earlier use of word processing packages. Overall, there are sound strategies for teaching literacy throughout the school and the curriculum.

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ENGLISH

89. Teaching was good in almost all lessons and very good in lessons observed in Years 1, 2 and 4; teaching in Years 3 to 6 has improved since the previous inspection. Teachers usually have effective class control and use an appropriate range of teaching strategies; they aim to involve all pupils through the use of good questioning and by focusing on the learning objectives. Teaching assistants and class teachers work together well to support learning. Teaching assistants contribute well to pupils’ learning, notably in group work. Although weekly planning is frequently detailed and staff attempt to make activities different it is not always clear how the tasks relate to pupils’ learning needs. Work in books shows that much of it is the same for all pupils with little recognition of their different needs; this limits attainment and progress.

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ENGLISH

90. The subject co-ordinator is well qualified for the role. She has carried out helpful monitoring of aspects such as pupils’ attitudes but has not been able to monitor directly the quality of teaching and learning; she recognises the need to do this in order support colleagues more effectively.

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MATHEMATICS

91. By the end of both Year 2 and Year 6, standards are average overall. The school has maintained these standards since the last inspection. The National Numeracy Strategy has been introduced and now provides the framework for the planning and teaching of mathematics. However, the monitoring of pupils' work, teachers' planning and lessons has not been sufficiently rigorous to improve the overall quality of teaching and learning and to raise pupils' achievement. Pupils, including those with special educational needs, overall, make satisfactory progress, but this progress is uneven. Better progress is made in Years 2 and 4 where teaching is stronger. In Years 5 and 6, where aspects of teaching are unsatisfactory, progress overall is less than it should be. Standards in terms of national test results have fallen in recent years.

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MATHEMATICS

92. By Year 2 pupils work in tens and units with a sound understanding of place value. Higher attaining pupils begin to understand and use numbers beyond 100; lower attaining pupils work in numbers up to 20, but are unsure about ordering numbers beyond this. Pupils understand addition and subtraction, and North Mundham Primary School - 36 that each is the inverse of the other. They recognise pattern in number, including odd and even, know simple fractions of shapes, and halve and double numbers. They use their number skills to work in money, time and measurement. Pupils recognise two and three-dimensional shapes by their basic properties. They collect data and display and compare this, using pictograms and bar charts. Pupils work out answers using taught strategies, such as partitioning, counting on and back and using near doubles, but there are insufficient opportunities to apply these skills to real life problems. Higher

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MATHEMATICS

attaining pupils, especially, are encouraged to select and use appropriate strategies by themselves. Where opportunities are provided, pupils are becoming confident in discussing their work and explaining their reasoning.

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MATHEMATICS

93. By Year 6 most pupils have a satisfactory understanding of place value to three places of decimals, using this to multiply and divide numbers by 10, 100 and 1000. They have a reasonable grasp of the four operations of number, and use different methods when working out answers to sums, such as doubling and partitioning. Higher attaining pupils, especially, use and understand efficient methods in their calculations. Pupils have a satisfactory understanding of fractions, decimals and percentages, recognising common equivalents. In work on shape, space and measures, pupils calculate the perimeter of compound shapes and the areas of rectangles, and measure angles to the nearest degree. They use and understand appropriate metric measures, with higher attaining pupils knowing commonly used imperial units and their metric equivalents. In data handling, pupils collect and record information and present their results in graphs. Higher attaining pupils calculate the mode, mean and median of given

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MATHEMATICS

data; lower attaining pupils find some difficulty in using and interpreting line graphs. Pupils' recorded work shows insufficient opportunities for pupils to use and develop their own strategies for problem solving. Although higher attaining pupils work out two-step problems with some confidence, lower attaining pupils find some difficulty in interpreting problems and deciding on the type of sum to use.

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MATHEMATICS

94. Taking account of pupils' past work and the lessons observed, the quality of teaching and learning overall is satisfactory. The picture across the school, however, is variable; teaching and learning are stronger in Years 2 and 4, but unsatisfactory in Years 5 and 6.

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MATHEMATICS

95. Better lessons are planned and prepared well, and have clear learning objectives that are displayed and shared with pupils so that they know the purpose of the lesson. However, these objectives are not always referred to sufficiently in the evaluation at the end of the lesson, in which case pupils cannot judge how well they have learned and what they need to do to improve. Introductions to these lessons are clear; activities for different ability groups are explained well, with good questioning that helps all pupils to further their understanding, and enables teachers to assess this. This was evident in a Year 2 lesson where pupils were challenged well to use number facts to add and subtract mentally. Higher attaining pupils were questioned on, and worked in, tens and units, and lower attaining pupils with numbers to 20.

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MATHEMATICS

96. Where teaching is unsatisfactory, planning and preparation are not carried out well. Poor organisation resulted in lessons that lacked a clear focus and direction for learning. This was seen in a Year 5 lesson where a poor introduction left pupils confused both about the learning objective and the activity. This resulted in very little learning taking place and deteriorating behaviour. In a Year 6 lesson the introduction was based on interpreting line graphs, although an unrelated activity was planned for the majority of pupils that itself needed a clearer explanation. Teachers have predicted end-of-year levels for pupils to work towards, but they are not always translated into appropriate learning activities, particularly for lower attaining pupils. This was very apparent from the work sample for Years 5 and 6 where common tasks were frequently set for the whole class. Although marking here generally lacks

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MATHEMATICS

constructive comments, some negative comments show that lower attaining pupils do not always complete sufficient work or understand what they are doing.

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MATHEMATICS

97. Teaching assistants often give good support to the groups they are working with, including pupils with special educational needs. In some lessons, however, this support is less effective; there is not always an opportunity for further discussion about the activity within the group, both to clarify what pupils have to do and to develop their understanding further. Classes are generally well managed, resulting in good behaviour and attitudes to learning. Pupils understand the need to work independently, allowing the teacher to focus support on a particular group or individual. They talk sensibly amongst themselves when unsure of what to do. In some lessons the pace of work slackens a little when pupils are not told how much they are expected to complete. Good provision is made for homework that supports learning in school. North Mundham Primary School - 37 98. Satisfactory use is made of mathematics in other subjects. In science pupils measure, record and

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MATHEMATICS

compare the results of their investigations, for example when growing bean plants; time lines are used in history, and pupils use co-ordinates in their map work in geography. Satisfactory use is made of ICT to support learning in mathematics. Pupils find out about direction and turning using Roamers; they

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MATHEMATICS

use data handling programs to display and compare information, for example when carrying out a traffic survey. However, during the inspection there was little evidence of ICT being used in numeracy lessons to support the development of skills.

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MATHEMATICS

99. The co-ordination of mathematics is satisfactory. Through work sampling, looking at planning and talking to pupils, the co-ordinator is building up a clear picture of the provision for mathematics throughout the school and of pupils' attitudes towards the subject. However, she has not yet observed lessons herself, to get a fuller picture of teaching and learning. The head and deputy headteacher and the local education authority have carried out some monitoring of lessons. However, this has not been sufficiently rigorous. Points for development have been identified but have not always been acted upon effectively. There are good assessment procedures that now enable pupils' progress to be monitored and end-of-year level targets set, but these are not always used to plan appropriate and challenging work for all pupils. Additional support is given to pupils through initiatives such as Springboard and Booster groups. Some

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MATHEMATICS

pupils with special educational needs have numeracy targets on their individual education plans; they are supported well when withdrawn for additional help. Test results have only recently started to be analysed for strengths and weaknesses, with a view to informing curriculum planning. The school recognises this as an area for further development.

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SCIENCE

100. Pupils’ attainment in science is in line with the national expectation at the ends of Year 2 and Year 6, as it was at the time of the last inspection. Pupils, including those with special educational needs make satisfactory progress overall; it is good in Years 3 and 4 but has been unsatisfactory in Years 5 and 6. Not enough effort has been made in the upper juniors to match tasks to pupils’ differing abilities and written work has not been marked with sufficient rigour, expectation of improvement and guidance towards achieving it. In each of the last two years, national test results at Year 6 have declined in comparison with the previous year; in 2002 the results were below the national average.

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SCIENCE

101. The teaching of science is organised on a two year cycle of topics and there is good planning for re- visiting areas of the curriculum covered earlier. The criticism made at the last inspection to the effect that the linking of science to topic work did not lead to sufficiently frequent science teaching has been effectively dealt with. More remains to be done to focus planning on progressive skill development linked to National Curriculum levels. The absence of this contributes to the relative lack of progress made in Years 5 and 6.

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SCIENCE

102. The work of the pupils in Years 1 and 2 was focused on learning about life processes in relation to plants. There was evidence of good promotion of scientific skills, for example observation, as well as development of knowledge of the parts of plants and their functions. In a well-taught lesson, Year 1 pupils benefited from the teacher’s focused questioning and development of the correct vocabulary and showed that they knew the external parts of the plant they were examining. Higher attaining pupils talked about bees and pollen and seeds growing. Most pupils also knew that plants need water and sunlight for growth. The observational skills and understanding of pupils in Year 2 in relation to pollen were significantly enhanced by their teacher’s use of a microscope connected to the class computer. The clarity and size of the image made it possible for the pupils to understand where the pollen was; many

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SCIENCE

used the vocabulary of petal, leaf, stem and stigma correctly. The teacher’s planning and teaching were very sharply focused on very clear learning intentions and key questions. As a result pupils made good progress and the quality of their learning was good. In both infant classes there was a very helpful link between the science being studied and observational drawing that very effectively reinforced what was being learned. Teachers’ planning included extension work for more able pupils and support for those who needed it.

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SCIENCE

103. Very strong features of the work of pupils in Years 3 and 4 are their continuing development of practical investigational skills and of the skills of recording and explaining their findings. They are greatly supported in this latter aspect, especially in the early stages in Year 3, by the provision of very good North Mundham Primary School - 38 guidance, in the form of templates that usually include the appropriate key vocabulary. For example, after investigating which materials were best for letting light through or developing knowledge of different types of teeth, their purpose and number, pupils filled in recording sheets that were very well designed for the purpose and helped pupils to consolidate their learning. After this very good guidance, most pupils in Year 4 move on to designing their own appropriate recording framework and write explanations in their own words in complete sentences. Pupils’ attainment by the end of Year 4 is above national

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SCIENCE

104. The marking of pupils’ work in both of these classes is corrective, where necessary, focused on improvement and providing further challenge and extension of learning. For example, in Year 4, How can you use shadows to tell the time? Tell me one more electrical conductor. Tell me one more element of a fair test. Most of the work is taught in a way that bases it securely in pupils’ own experiences. For example, a section of work on forces and friction in Year 3 was titled, We are finding out why we should wear the right shoe for the right surface so we won’t slip over.

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SCIENCE

105. In these classes the skills of literacy, numeracy and ICT are developed and used in a planned way. For example, pupils in Year 3 correctly draw their own graphs showing the changes in temperature as an ice cube melts and Year 4 pupils use a graph-drawing package for the same investigation. They also present data about pupils’ healthy food, healthy exercise and so on in the same way.

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SCIENCE

106. This high quality of planning and of pupils’ work has not been continued into Years 5 and 6. Pupils in Year 5 continue to undertake appropriate practical investigations and to take responsibility for their own recording. However, there was little evidence of regular corrective marking directed towards improvement or of extra challenge for the more able pupils. The same was true in the books of Year 6 pupils. For example, work on thermal insulation had been written up well by higher attaining pupils but not by those of average and below average ability. As a result the learning of these pupils was not consolidated in the way that it should have been and they have no useful completed and marked account to refer back to. Pupils have covered appropriate scientific content, much of it in an investigative way with good promotion of the scientific method. During the inspection, pupils from Year 6 made good progress both in terms of

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SCIENCE

their investigational skills and their knowledge of habitats through a practically based lesson comparing woodland, grassland and urban habitats.

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SCIENCE

107. In this lesson as in others, pupils showed good attitudes towards learning science, organised themselves and resources well and showed good skills of working together on the task set. In the better lessons observed the school’s aim of having pupils working as scientists was achieved. Greater focus on maintaining into Years 5 and 6 the quality of scientific recording, the planning to provide extra challenge or support where appropriate, the focus of the marking on completeness, accuracy and improvement are necessary if the downward trend in national test results is to be reversed and if more pupils are to achieve their scientific potential.

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SCIENCE

108. Science contributes well to pupils’ personal, social and health education and citizenship and children know the importance of a healthy diet, exercise and the dangers of drugs, smoking and alcohol. Sex education is taught as part of the science curriculum and the school nurse supports this work.

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SCIENCE

109. Taking into account the earlier work examined and the lessons observed during the inspection, the quality of teaching is judged to be good in the infant classes, very good in the early junior years and satisfactory overall, but with important unsatisfactory aspects, in Years 5 and 6. In most lessons and over time, pupils develop a good understanding of the scientific method and an appropriate body of knowledge. Good teaching helps them to develop their experimental and recording skills and good knowledge of their own learning.

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SCIENCE

110. The co-ordinator for science is very experienced and sets a very good example in her own practice. She has led the development, since the last inspection, of an improved scheme of work and actively promotes the very good use made of the school grounds as a resource for teaching and learning. She rightly sees the development of more frameworks for supporting pupils’ recording as important in the agenda for raising standards. Refining the existing procedures for assessing pupils’ attainment in the different units of work, relating these to National Curriculum levels and using the information to plan work that is appropriate for groups of pupils of different abilities is another key component of this agenda. The co- ordinator also recognises the value of extending the already encouraging level of use of ICT and of directly monitoring the quality of teaching and learning in classrooms. North Mundham Primary School - 39

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ART AND DESIGN

111. Only lessons in Years 1 and 2 were observed during the inspection. By the end of Year 2, pupils achieve the levels expected nationally for their age. Some work on display and in one lesson was of a higher standard. Samples of work and displays in Years 3 to 6 indicate that standards by the end of Year 6 are in line with those expected nationally. The school has maintained the standards found at the time of the previous inspection.

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ART AND DESIGN

112. Overall, pupils make satisfactory progress. This includes some pupils with special educational needs although others who receive extra support for their learning in basic skills are withdrawn from art lessons and this affects their access to the curriculum and their progress.

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ART AND DESIGN

113. Pupils’ attainment was above average in a Year 2 lesson. They chose the resources they needed and were able to refine their sketching skills through focusing on shape, line, pattern and detail of flowers and leaves. Their work showed great attention to detail, they worked boldly using the whole paper and showed good skills of smudging and outlining. The teaching in this session was very good. The teacher planned and prepared very well, she very effectively promoted observational skills, and communicated high expectations of detail and accuracy giving very good encouragement and support. Background music created an ambience that encouraged pupils to settle to the activity.

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ART AND DESIGN

114. In a Year 1 lesson, pupils were learning to respond to the style of Van Gogh in his work, ‘Sunflowers’. They were learning to mix paint and explore texture, in this case using flour to thicken the paint, which they applied with their fingers to make the shape of the flowers. Through chatting about what they are doing they developed their subject vocabulary. Teaching, by the teacher and teaching assistant, was good. They gave good support, used effective methods and had prepared the lesson well. The pupils’ behaviour and enthusiasm impacted positively on the learning. Staff could, however, have encouraged the pupils to say more about what they were doing and their observations. The teaching in these lessons was of a higher standard than found at the time of the previous inspection.

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ART AND DESIGN

115. Displays and samples of work in infant classrooms show that Year 1 pupils have worked in the style of Picasso when painting portraits and used printing skills to make repeated patterns. Year 2 pupils have used pastels, worked in the style of Kandinsky in their mathematics work, making their own version of ‘Squares with Concentric Circles’ which prompted them to invent mathematical questions.

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ART AND DESIGN

116. Displays and samples of work from Years 3 to 6 show that their attainment is in line with national expectations though over a limited range of skills and media. Year 6 have made fabric collages, printed on materials to represent river wildlife and sketched habitats, although there were very few examples available on display. They have used ICT for the topic of ‘Changing Britain’ to work in the style of Andy Warhol. Year 5 pupils have used ‘polybloc' prints to work in the style of Peruvian art, have looked at pattern and texture in architecture and experimented using different brushes, pen, ink and pastels. Pupils in Year 4 have made Tudor portraits, used pastels and batik skills making paper batik paintings. Year 3 pupils have used observational drawing skills, made dough pictures of fruit and drawn minibeasts such as a water scorpion. Some work is of a high standard. However, some work in different classes is

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ART AND DESIGN

very similar and in some cases is the same when staff plan together within the two year topic cycle; progress in developing and using skills is then not as good as it should be.

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ART AND DESIGN

117. There is very little evidence of work using information and communication technology (ICT) apart from some examples in Year 6. There are good links with other subjects because most activities relate to the topics. Collage and paint are frequent features of the work. There is little evidence of the use of artists other than European apart from the Peruvian art in Year 5. Only one sketchbook was available and this indicates missed opportunities for pupils to create, experiment and practise a range of skills across year groups.

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ART AND DESIGN

118. The co-ordinator is well qualified but has little time to manage the subject alongside her class teaching and other roles. A policy has been drafted recently but has yet to be ratified by the governing body. The scheme of work is not yet in place even though the previous inspection judged that the lack of such a scheme led to a lack of progression. Resources are of good quality and stored well but need further development to match the full curriculum when it is in place. There is no direct monitoring of teaching and learning by the co-ordinator. North Mundham Primary School - 40

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

119. Because of timetable arrangements only two lessons, one in each of Years 2 and 3, were observed during the inspection. Further evidence has been drawn from displays of work, teachers’ planning, photographic evidence, discussion with the co-ordinator and conversations with pupils. This evidence indicates that standards throughout the school are broadly in line with those expected nationally, as they were at the time of the last inspection. The planning and evaluating parts of the process are stronger than the making, and are sometimes above average, with pupils showing a good understanding of the design process. This represents improvement since the last inspection. The subject makes a satisfactory contribution to developing and using the skills of literacy and numeracy and provides good opportunities for social development as pupils work together on tasks. 120. Because only two lessons in design and technology were observed, it is not possible to comment

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

securely about the quality of teaching throughout the school. However, a scrutiny of the documentary evidence suggests that it is satisfactory, overall. Pupils, including those with special educational needs, make satisfactory progress through the school. In order for progress to become better, it will be necessary to be more precise about the progressive development of skills, especially those of making, from one year group to the next, particularly in the context of a two-year cycle of topics.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

121. There are good features in the work that has been produced. Pupils from Years 1 and 2 had made models based on the Iron Man story; those displayed were well constructed, using recycled materials and finished to a good standard. There was evidence of evaluation and refinement, for example My Iron Man stands because it has boxes on its back to balance it, at first it kept falling over. Pupils from Year 5 had designed and made model houses and flats; their two-storey constructions, involving a lot of lolly sticks, were also made well. More able pupils from Year 6 who had entered a car design competition showed a very good sense of the aesthetic and the practical in their annotated drawings; one included cameras at the back and the front to aid parking!

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

122. During the inspection, pupils in Year 2 enjoyed good opportunities for practical investigation of pneumatics using simple box balloon systems designed to move Jack up the Beanstalk. Most discovered for themselves how to use pneumatics to move an object. Pupils in Year 3 listened and watched carefully when their teacher demonstrated pop-up mechanisms in books. Most pupils then successfully worked independently in producing a box-fold and subsequently a mouth-fold. Progress in the lesson was good and pupils put their above-average drawing skills to good use at the design stage. In this lesson, some pupils used ICT resources well, selecting, copying and printing clip-art pictures to illustrate their books. Pupils in Years 3 and 4 have undertaken some computer-aided design work. Overall, however, there is scope for further development of the use of ICT in most year groups, including exploring control possibilities.

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GEOGRAPHY

123. By the end of both Year 2 and Year 6 standards in geography are average. The progress made by pupils in developing mapping skills and acquiring the knowledge and understanding in the remaining elements of the National Curriculum requirements is satisfactory. These standards have been satisfactorily maintained since the last inspection. There is now a scheme of work in draft form that sets out how skills are to be developed. This is effectively linked to the school's topic-based approach to learning. Improvement is satisfactory.

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GEOGRAPHY

124. By Year 2 pupils have a growing awareness of their own locality, recognising some of its human and physical features. They know the countries that make up the United Kingdom. By following the travels of 'Rhino', they begin to find out about other places and locations throughout the world and how they compare with their own locality. Pupils understand what maps show us, and how they are constructed and read using symbols and a key.

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GEOGRAPHY

125. By Year 6 pupils have developed a sound knowledge of their own locality. They refer to local street and Ordnance survey maps to locate different places and features. In their work on Peru pupils make a satisfactory comparison of the human and physical features with those of their own country and locality. As part of a topic on travel safety, pupils become aware of environmental issues, but there is little recorded evidence of how such issues could be tackled. North Mundham Primary School - 41 126. No lessons were seen in Years 1 and 2, so an overall judgement on teaching and learning is not given. Planning, however, shows that there are good elements in teaching. The planning for a Year 2 lesson shows an effective use of laminated cards with different map features. These enabled pupils to plan and lay out an imaginary map on the carpet. Questioning by the teacher expected pupils to give reasons for

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GEOGRAPHY

their decisions when deciding where to place these features.

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GEOGRAPHY

127. In Years 3 to 6 teaching and learning are overall good. This judgement encompasses an analysis of past work and two lesson observations. In a very good lesson in Year 4 the teacher had high expectations. In ability groups, pupils had to find specific locations on a local Ordnance survey map, using four figure grid references. The activity was very clearly introduced, enabling the more able group to work independently and make good progress. The lower attaining group, including pupils with special educational needs, worked with the teacher. Pupils used an enlarged photocopied section of the map and an easier worksheet. With the support of the teacher through questioning and discussion, this group also made good progress in their learning. Pupils' behaviour and attitudes were

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GEOGRAPHY

very positive, due to the very good relationships within the class. Although the unsatisfactory lesson in Year 5 had clear learning objectives, a lack of effective class control limited the progress made by pupils.

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GEOGRAPHY

128. Satisfactory use is made of numeracy skills, for example when using co-ordinates or comparing climate data. Subject vocabulary is shown in planning and is being developed satisfactorily. There are sufficient writing opportunities, but these don't always take enough account of pupils' particular literacy skills and what they could be expected to produce. The use of ICT, linked to the scheme of work, is being introduced. Some use is made of the Internet to research information.

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GEOGRAPHY

129. The scheme of work is based on a two-year cycle, and links in with the school's topics, planned across two age groups. This enables, for example, Years 3 and 4 to plan together and share expertise and experience and resources. Mapping and language skills are well developed in the scheme. Limited monitoring has been carried out through sampling pupils' work, but there has been no direct observation of teaching and learning, with a view to improving the consistency and quality of teaching and learning and raising standards. Assessments are now made on pupils' progress at the end of each topic, based on the work produced and the skills developed. However, these assessments are yet to fully inform future planning for the subject. There are good opportunities for fieldwork using trips to places such as Selsey, Portsmouth, the Isle of Wight and the local area.

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HISTORY

130. By the ends of Year 2 and Year 6 standards in history are average. Pupils, including those with special educational needs, make satisfactory progress across the school. These standards have been maintained since the last inspection. A scheme of work has now been introduced linked to the school's topic work, which shows how skills are to be developed. Improvement is satisfactory.

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HISTORY

131. By Year 2 most pupils are beginning to understand the concept of time, and events that happened a short while or a long time ago. They know aspects of the life of famous people from the past, for example Alexander Graham Bell and Florence Nightingale. By looking at how the telephone has developed and comparing nurses from the past with modern ones, pupils start to understand how aspects of life change over time.

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HISTORY

132. Pupils in Year 6 look at how Britain has changed since 1948 and how music and technology have moved forward decade by decade. By interviewing parents and researching from the Internet they realise how quickly society has changed, for example by considering the impact of new technology on people's lives and the changes brought about because of it.

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HISTORY

133. History was not being taught during the inspection, and therefore no overall judgement is made on the quality of teaching and learning. From an analysis of past work, however, the depth of study and teachers' expectations are variable. For example, in Years 3 and 4 pupils studied many aspects of Roman life. The detailed information in their writing provides strong evidence of research, and an understanding of how the Romans have influenced future societies. The work of Years 5 and 6 pupils, who studied 'Changing Britain', shows that little more was expected of Year 6 pupils than Year 5. Higher attaining pupils are not sufficiently challenged, which was a concern at the last inspection. North Mundham Primary School - 42 134. Sufficient use is made of literacy skills; pupils have opportunities for research and writing. However, their written work does not always take account of their particular literacy skills and the need to use them

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HISTORY

more fully. Some historically based big books are used in literacy. The use of ICT is satisfactory and developing. Pupils use the Internet for research and some of their work is word-processed. Different programs linked to history are being reviewed for use.

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HISTORY

135. There is an enthusiastic co-ordinator who has a clear vision for the subject. The scheme of work is based on a two-year cycle and links in well with the school's topic planning across two age groups. This enables, for example, Years 5 and 6 to plan together and share expertise, experience and resources. Limited monitoring has been carried out through sampling pupils' work, but there has been no direct observation of teaching and learning, with a view to improving the quality of teaching and learning and raising standards. Assessments are now made on pupils' progress at the end of each topic, based on the work produced and the skills developed. However, these assessments are yet to fully inform future planning for the subject. Good use is made of visits and visitors that provide further learning opportunities. For example, pupils visit Fishbourne Roman Palace and the Weald and

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HISTORY

Downland and Chichester museums. A visitor from the Chichester Museum visits the school for days of role-play. Year 4 pupils wrote about a Roman day that 'it was really a fun way to learn' and that 'I felt worn out because it was hard work'.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

136. At the time of the last inspection, pupils’ attainments were described as below the national standards and they made unsatisfactory progress. Since then, the co-ordinator and the headteacher have led considerable improvements in the provision for teaching ICT and in the development of a scheme of work that promotes the progressive development of skills. In addition, other members of staff have improved their personal skills and the attainment of the pupils has been improved. Attainment in the present Year 2 is in line with expectations for their age. Pupils at present in Year 6 did not have the benefit of the improved facilities and teaching skills when they were younger and so are having to catch up. Nevertheless, in many aspects of the ICT curriculum their attainment is in line with national expectations; there are gaps, for example in the control and simulation elements of the programmes of study, that are

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

due to lack of the appropriate resources in earlier years. At present, pupils, including those with special educational needs, make satisfactory progress in the development of their skills. More able pupils, especially in Year 6, have good opportunities to apply more advanced skills, for example when they prepare and edit copy for the magazine produced by the cluster of local schools.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

137. Pupils and teachers benefit from the clear definition of what skills are to be developed in each year group and built on subsequently that is provided by the scheme of work. In addition, the ‘I Can Do’ booklet enables each pupil to develop a record of increasing competence. Pupils in Year 1, for example, benefited from a well-taught lesson focused on accessing and using a graph-drawing program in order to interpret and present information. Pupils used the mouse correctly in selecting icons that they had appropriately identified and thereby opening files. This lesson was an effective example of teaching a skill using the one class computer. Year 2 pupils, in the computer room, showed good skills when they accessed interesting images that the teacher had stored for them and inserted text in a speech bubble, being careful to develop their use of the shift key in order to use capital letters. This was good, focused

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

use of the computer room and also a good example of the planned use of ICT to develop literacy skills.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

138. Pupils in Years 3 and 5 both supported their science learning by accessing computer-based information. For example, pupils in Year 3 showed that they could access the appropriate web site and find answers to the questions that they had been set relating to pond-life. Pupils in Year 5 used the same web site and extended both their ICT skills and their scientific knowledge when they found the answers to a woodland habitat quiz. Pupils were confident with the concept of a search engine and with how to use key words to narrow a search. Pupils in this lesson benefited from the good individual support provided by the teacher and the teaching assistant. The attainment of most pupils was above expectations in this aspect of the subject.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

139. Higher attaining pupils in Year 6 also demonstrated a good skill level when they confidently captured a picture of a chosen animal, printed a question and used a thesaurus to build up a word bank of possible answers. Some pupils showed good skills in designing the screen to show the picture of the animal, the North Mundham Primary School - 43 question and the word bank of possible answers. These pupils, like others throughout the school, have very positive attitudes towards ICT; some act as ‘trouble-shooters’ sorting out minor problems for teachers in other classes. This provides them with a very good opportunity to take responsibility and builds their self-esteem.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

140. ICT is being developed well in the school and the co-ordinator and other staff recognise that part of the next stage of development is to maximise the use of the computer room by promoting the use of the resources in supporting and extending learning in other subject areas. The quality of teaching is good; teachers have benefited from good training and all use computers confidently themselves. This is a good basis for further development of pupils’ skills throughout the school. North Mundham Primary School - 44

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MUSIC

141. Lessons were observed in Years 3, 4 and 6 and further evidence of attainment was gained from observations of assemblies, orchestra practice and from taped performances. There is insufficient evidence to make a judgment about overall standards by the end of Year 2. Standards by the end of Year 6 are in line with those expected nationally and were above in a lesson in Year 3 taught by the subject co-ordinator. Standards overall have been maintained since the last inspection. There was little evidence of the planned use of ICT resources to promote learning in music.

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MUSIC

142. The progress of pupils, including many with special educational needs, is satisfactory although some pupils were withdrawn from lessons for extra support in basic skills and this reduces their access to the subject and affects their learning.

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MUSIC

143. The sound quality of the taped evidence did not do full justice to the children’s work but it appears that, by the end of Year 2, pupils use tuned and untuned percussion instruments appropriately. They are learning to hold a beat while playing.

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MUSIC

144. Singing throughout the school in lessons and assemblies is in line with expectations; good examples of singing were heard in one taped song by Year 4. High standards were displayed by many pupils in Year 3 who were learning to sing a complex round, ‘My paddles clean and bright – dip, dip and swing’, in four parts which, with support from the teacher, they performed well keeping the tune and holding the parts. Some pupils were not very attentive while singing but most joined in this challenging activity fully. In this lesson most pupils also performed at a high standard when reading and playing rhythmic patterns with tuned instruments.

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MUSIC

145. Attainment in lessons in Years 4 and 6 was in line with national expectation. Year 6 pupils can say where notes are placed on a stave and are learning to recognise the notes, C B A G. Those who had tuned instruments played the notes in time and in unison. They could work out four beats of music using quavers and some pupils performed rhythm patterns that the teacher had written. Pupils played instruments with care and sensitivity. However, pupils who already play instruments and read music were not greatly challenged in this session. Pupils in Year 4 were learning to improve the quality of storm sounds they were developing for a performance. They could copy the teacher’s clap and click patterns that increased in complexity and matched changes in volume. In groups they were learning to play untuned instruments such as shakers, claves and drums in unison. They were able to practise independently in groups but needed the teacher’s support for composing even though this is not in

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MUSIC

written form. They were beginning to appraise peers’ work through making suggestions for improvement. Pupils enjoyed working with instruments but did not always remain on task when the teacher was with another group, which happened for a significant part of the lesson; this limited their progress.

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MUSIC

146. Teaching was good or better in the majority of sessions seen. It was very good in one lesson where the subject co-ordinator planned really challenging activities that were implemented even more effectively than the plan outlined. She has very good subject knowledge and her teaching of singing in parts and percussion was very effective. A minority of pupils were inattentive and restless; some boys are immature, showing little self-discipline when holding beaters and the teaching assistant’s time was taken up with managing their behaviour. When able to do so, the teaching assistant gave good support through good guidance and interaction. Teaching was good in Year 6 where the teacher had good subject knowledge, had good relationships with pupils, and all pupils were involved; because of this and his high expectations, most pupils made good progress.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

147. The attainment of pupils throughout the school is broadly in line with national expectations, with examples of above average attainment in gymnastics, dance and swimming in some year groups. This represents continuing improvement since the last inspection. Swimming is taught in Year 3 and the majority of pupils achieve the national expectation of swimming 25 metres unaided; any pupils who do not do so have a further opportunity in Year 6. This is good practice. Pupils in Year 6 benefit from an annual opportunity to enjoy outdoor and adventurous activities as part of a residential experience. Pupils in Year 5 use the school grounds to learn orienteering. North Mundham Primary School - 45 148. In the lessons observed and the video evidence that was provided, the overall quality of teaching was good and pupils, including those with special educational needs, usually make good progress. Pupils in

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Year 1, for example, moved very well in the dance sequence that they performed on the stage of the Chichester theatre.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

149. The scheme of work that the co-ordinator has compiled has a very good emphasis on progressive skill development and this was a strong feature of the gymnastics lessons observed with Year 3 and Year 4 pupils. In the Year 3 lesson, focused on balance, travelling and sequencing, both on the floor and on apparatus, the teacher continually added further challenge. For example, after pupils had demonstrated two different three-point balances they were required to make the transition from one to the other. Throughout the lesson, especially when pupils had moved on to the apparatus, the teacher assessed what individual pupils were doing and on several occasions asked them to demonstrate to the whole class. This encouraged the whole class to think about what was good and what might be further improved.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

150. Pupils in Year 4 made excellent progress in their gymnastic skills, knowledge and understanding. The lesson had been very well planned, based on the teacher’s excellent subject knowledge, and the learning intention of producing variations in level, speed and direction in out travelling and balancing sequences was made very clear to the pupils. The lesson was entirely and very effectively focused on this. Through his own demonstrations and by providing pupils with a gymnastics vocabulary, for example tension, variation, control, he was able to open their eyes to possibilities for developing their sequences. In terms of balance, co-ordination, use of apparatus, physical and, in many cases, aesthetic sensibility, pupils demonstrated well above average skills; they challenged themselves very well in response to the teacher’s insistence on quality and on improvement.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

151. Teachers incorporate good warming-up and cooling-down routines in their lessons and give adequate time to them, using all the lesson time well. Teachers change for physical education lessons, thereby conveying to pupils the different nature of the subject and the need to dress appropriately. In the lessons observed the good quality and appropriateness of the apparatus used, contributed positively to pupils’ learning. Pupils have very positive attitudes towards physical education, rightly recognising its contribution to healthy living.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

152. The co-ordinator provides enthusiastic and very well informed leadership and supports colleagues very well. His effectiveness in this should be increased even more when he observes physical education lessons throughout the school. Developing work in gymnastics has been very successful and the plans for moving on to games and dance are very well considered. Assessment is undertaken regularly, focused on one strand of the curriculum; last year it was ball skills, currently gymnastics. This focus provides good support to skills progression. Extra-curricular activities make a valuable contribution to raising standards. At different times of the year, these include football, cricket, rugby, basketball, traditional circle games and country dancing, as well as judo. Pupils raised money through mini- marathon events and bought equipment for playground games that promote hand-eye co-ordination;

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

these are clearly contributing to enjoyment of physical exercise and to raising standards.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

153. By the end of Year 2 and Year 6 pupils attain standards for their age that are in line with the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus. Pupils, including those with special educational needs, overall make satisfactory progress throughout the school. These standards have been maintained since the last inspection. A scheme of work has been written following the introduction of a new locally agreed syllabus. Improvement is satisfactory.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

154. Pupils in Year 2 find out how people are welcomed into religious communities, for example through christening in Christianity. They know that Jesus is special to Christians and that he was a teacher and a healer, and they become familiar with the local church as a place of worship for Christians. Pupils learn about important religious festivals such as Christmas, Easter and Diwali, how they are celebrated and the stories behind them. They study aspects of Hinduism including worship in temples and at home. Many pupils recall in some detail the contents and meaning of the items on the puja tray used in domestic shrines. North Mundham Primary School - 46 155. In Years 3 to 5 pupils learn more about Christianity and study the main features of Islam and Judaism. These studies are often in some detail and lay the foundation for later comparisons. In Year 6, pupils draw their studies together by comparing the features of the different religions. However, their recorded

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

work shows that only a superficial comparison is made. Some features are recalled at a factual level with little understanding of their significance. This reflects unsatisfactory aspects of teaching in Year 6 as much as pupils' ability to recall information. Pupils discuss faith and how this has affected the lives of famous people such as Martin Luther King. Overall there is very little recorded work by pupils in Year 6 that reflects their writing skills, and provides opportunities to communicate their knowledge and understanding.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

156. Taking pupils' past work and the lessons observed into account, the overall quality of teaching and learning is good. One unsatisfactory lesson was seen.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

157. Lessons are generally well planned and prepared, and show teachers' good subject knowledge. As a result learning is well focused, enabling pupils to make good progress. In the unsatisfactory lesson seen in Year 6, a lack of subject knowledge, planning and focus left pupils confused about what they had to do and when. Writing about 'Jesus absolving us from our sins' and that 'he died to set us free' was far too complex for pupils. Learning needed to be linked to their own experiences of forgiveness.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

158. Teachers use good methods that encourage pupils in their learning. Good questioning and discussion at the start of lessons check pupils' knowledge and understanding, and introduce activities clearly so that pupils know what they have to do. In a Year 4 lesson on pilgrimage pupils researched from well-prepared information sheets; in a Year 5 lesson the use of role-play, where pupils questioned Jesus, checked their understanding of miracles.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

159. Pupils generally display good attitudes and behaviour in lessons. They are keen to learn and appreciate the importance of finding out about different faiths in order to understand and respect human differences.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

160. Sufficient use is made of literacy skills; pupils have opportunities for research and writing. However, their written work does not always take account of their particular literacy skills and the need to use them more fully. In some classes work is word processed and presented with an awareness of audience. The use of ICT resources to support the scheme of work is being investigated.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

161. There has been some sampling of pupils' work by the co-ordinator, who has checked this against the scheme of work. However, there has not yet been any monitoring of lessons with a view to improving the consistency and quality of teaching and learning and raising standards. Assessments are now made on pupils' progress at the end of each topic, based on pupils' knowledge and understanding and developing skills. However, these assessments are yet to fully inform future planning for the subject. Visits to a mosque and the local church are used well to enhance pupils' learning.

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