Anglesey Primary School

ANGLESEY PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 13 th – 16 th January 2003

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ANGLESEY 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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ANGLESEY 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. Anglesey Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Anglesey Street Lozells Birmingham

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Councillor Afzal

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: Not applicable Anglesey Primary School - 4

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities 21074 Mr K Williams Registered inspector Design and technology Physical education What sort of school is it? The school’s results and achievements. How well are the pupils taught? How well is the school led and managed? What should the school do to improve further? 19692 Mr R Folks Lay inspector Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development. Attendance. How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? Accommodation. 32073 Mrs J Barnes Team inspector Science Art and design Music 11472 Mr M Beale Team inspector Finance Staffing 29989 Mrs P Goodsell Team inspector Foundation Stage Geography Special educational needs 32021 Mr A McClean Team inspector Information and communication technology Religious education Assessment

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

17686 Mr G Simpson Team inspector Mathematics Educational inclusion How good are the curriculum and other opportunities offered to the pupils? Anglesey Primary School - 5 32207 Mrs J Thomas Team inspector English History English as an additional language

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

16 Wychwood Drive Trowell Park Nottingham NG9 3RB

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Anglesey 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

Anglesey is a community primary school situated in the Lozells area of Birmingham, which is recognised as having high levels of social and economic disadvantage. The school was formed in September 2000, following the amalgamation of Anglesey Infant and Junior Schools. There are 708 pupils on roll, which is much bigger than other primary schools. The pupils are admitted to the Foundation Stage, which consists of a three-class nursery with a capacity for 90 children and three reception classes. The attainment of pupils on entry to the school is below average and about 70 per cent of the pupils are new to English. Many ethnic groups are represented in the school, the largest groups of which are from Bangladeshi and Pakistani backgrounds but there are also pupils from Caribbean, African, Asian and Indian backgrounds. The percentage of pupils who speak English as an additional language, at over 90 per cent, is very high

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

and 12 per cent of the pupils are at the early stages of learning English. Fifty per cent of pupils are entitled to free school meals, which is well above average. The percentage of pupils identified as having special educational needs, at 23 per cent, is about average. The majority of these pupils have learning difficulties. Thirteen pupils have a Statement of Special Educational Need.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a popular school that provides a sound quality of education. The pupils’ attainment, by the time they leave the school, is below average in English and mathematics, and average in science. Most pupils make satisfactory progress, although the rate of progress varies through the school. The teaching, leadership and management are satisfactory overall and the school provides satisfactory value for money.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What the school does well • The pupils have positive attitudes to the school; they behave very well and get on well with each other. • The pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well. • The pupils with special educational needs are well supported and they make good progress. • The pupils are well cared for by the school and their behaviour is managed well. • The support staff make a positive contribution, particularly for the pupils with special educational needs and those who are at the early stages of learning English. • There are very good links with parents and the local community. • The provision for information and communication technology is good.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What could be improved • Standards in English, mathematics and science could be higher. • The way that the curriculum is taught does not always cover the necessary knowledge, skills and understanding and build upon the pupils’ previous learning. • The information from the assessment of the pupils’ attainment and progress is not used sufficiently to match the work to the needs of all pupils, whatever their ability, and plan the next step in their learning. • The monitoring of the pupils’ learning across the school and the links between what is taught in the infants and the juniors could be better. • There are inconsistencies in the way that the pupils’ work is marked and in the methods used by teachers, particularly in relation to developing the pupils’ independence. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was formed in September 2000 and has not been inspected previously Anglesey 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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STANDARDS

Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

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STANDARDS

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

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STANDARDS

In last year’s national tests for Year 2 pupils the school’s results were in the lowest five per cent nationally in reading and mathematics and well below average in writing. When compared to similar schools, the test results were well below average in reading and mathematics and below average in writing. The evidence of the work seen during the inspection indicates that standards in Year 2 are well below average in English and below average in mathematics and science. In line with last year’s results, standards in Year 6 in English and mathematics are below average and in science they are average.

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STANDARDS

The progress made by most pupils is generally satisfactory, although the rate of progress is not consistent across the school. Children in the Foundation Stage make good progress, particularly in learning to speak English and most have reached an early bilingual stage by the time they are five. By the end of the reception year, the majority of children do not reach the early learning goals in communication, language and literacy and in knowledge and understanding of the world. The proportion of the children reaching the early learning goals in mathematics, and in their physical and creative, personal and social development, is close to the national average. Pupils with special educational needs are well supported and they make good progress. Similarly, the pupils who enter the school with little or no English make good progress although, once they are assessed as fluent speakers of English, the level of support reduces and their rate of

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STANDARDS

progress slows. There is no significant difference in the progress made by pupils of different ethnic backgrounds but the school is alert to data provided by the local educational authority. Girls progress slightly faster than boys. The rate of progress of more able pupils slows in lessons where there is insufficient challenge to meet their needs. The school just failed to meets its targets for English and mathematics in 2002 and is in line to meet the targets set for 2003.

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STANDARDS

At the end of the infants and juniors, the standards achieved by the pupils are in line with expectations in art and design, design and technology, geography, music, physical education and religious education. Standards are in line with expectations in information and control technology (ICT) at the end of the infants and in history at the end of the juniors. The pupils’ attainment is above those expectations in ICT at the end of the juniors.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attitudes to the school Good. Most of the pupils are interested in their work, concentrate well and work hard.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Very good. The pupils are polite and respectful in lessons and they are considerate of others at playtimes.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Personal development and relationships Good. The pupils relate well to each other and the adults in school, although there are limited opportunities for them to show initiative.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

The pupils have positive attitudes to school. Pupils of all backgrounds mix and work well together. Anglesey Primary School - 9

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

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

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Quality of teaching Good Satisfactory 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 AND LEARNING

Overall the quality of teaching is satisfactory. The quality of the teaching in the nursery and reception classes is good means that the children make a good start to school, enabling them to make good progress and achieve well. Occasionally the same work is prepared for all of the children regardless of their ability or attainment and this restricts their progress. The best teaching encourages children to focus on very clear learning objectives and uses a variety of approaches to promote these.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

In the infants and juniors, the teachers generally have a sound understanding of the subjects they teach. The teaching of English and mathematics is satisfactory. The teachers plan work using the national strategies for literacy and numeracy. Across the school, the lessons are well prepared and the teachers ensure that all of the necessary resources are readily available so that lessons run smoothly. In the best lessons, the teachers have high expectations of the pupils’ capabilities and provide challenging work that is well-matched to the needs of pupils of all abilities. In these lessons, the pupils learn well and make brisk progress. In some lessons, however, there is too little emphasis on the learning that is expected to take place and it is unclear how well the pupils are doing and how their learning might be moved on. The marking of pupils’ work is inconsistent across the school and there is little evidence of marking and the

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

day-to-day assessment of the pupils’ attainment being used to inform the pupils about how well they are doing and how they can improve their work. Too much of the work seen across the school is directed by the teachers and there are few opportunities for the pupils to develop their independence by making choices and decisions about their work.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Pupils with special educational needs are well supported and make good progress. The teaching assistants consistently and effectively use a good range of teaching methods. The pupils who are in the early stages of learning English make good progress in their learning, as they are given good support from the support staff and are set tasks that are matched appropriately to their needs. When the pupils have been learning English for some time, there is little recognition by teachers that the pupils may still need support in different aspects of English and this slows their progress.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The quality and range of the curriculum The planning in the Foundation Stage is satisfactory. Whilst the curriculum in the infants and juniors is appropriately broad and meets statutory requirements, there is a lack of consistency between and within the two key stages and, overall, it is unsatisfactory. The range of out-of-school activities is good.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. The pupils are well supported and make good progress towards the targets in their individual educational plans.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Satisfactory. Those who are in the early stages of learning English are well supported and make good progress. When they become more confident, the support is reduced and this slows their progress.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Good. The provision for the pupils’ moral, social and cultural development is good and is a strength of the school. The school makes satisfactory provision for spiritual development.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

How well the school cares for its pupils Procedures for child protection and the welfare of pupils are good. There are satisfactory arrangements for assessing the pupils’ attainment and tracking their progress but there is too little use of assessment information to plan the next step of the pupils’ learning. Health and safety procedures are thorough. The school has established very good links with parents and the local community. Anglesey Primary School - 10

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Satisfactory. The headteacher and the senior staff have successfully created a positive and attractive learning environment with a strong commitment to including all pupils and developing good relationships.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Satisfactory. The governing body has established committees to oversee the main areas of its work.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school’s evaluation of its performance Appropriate performance management procedures are in place although the results of this work have not yet been used sufficiently to maintain an overview of the pupils’ learning and ensure that all pupils make brisk progress

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The strategic use of resources Financial planning is good and the school makes effective use of the resources at its disposal.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school has a good number of staff to deliver the National Curriculum. The school’s accommodation is satisfactory overall. The two ICT suites are well used. Resources for learning are satisfactory. Governors are aware of best value principles and analyse fully the purchases made.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

• Their children like school • The teaching is good and their children make good progress • Behaviour is good • Their children are expected to work hard and achieve their best • The school is helping their children to become mature and responsible. • The amount of homework. • The range of activities outside of lessons.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

The inspectors generally agree with the parents’ positive views of the school. Although the quality of teaching is satisfactory, the teaching in the Foundation Stage is regularly good and there is a good proportion of good teaching across the school. The rate of progress made by the pupils is variable. The pupils with special educational needs and those at the early stages of learning English make good progress. The use and effectiveness of homework across the school is inconsistent. The pupils are offered a good range of extra-curricular activities. Anglesey Primary School - 11

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. The attainment of the children on entry to the school, although varied, is below average. The assessment of the children on their entry to the nursery is carried out in their mother tongue. Seventy per cent of the children are new to English and most of the others have very little access to the curriculum through English. When they enter the reception classes the majority of the children’s attainment is below average; however, good teaching ensures that the children make good progress throughout the Foundation Stage (nursery and reception classes). In particular, the children make good progress in learning to speak in English and most have reached an early bilingual stage by the time they are five. Overall attainment is below national expectations by the time they join Year 1 because the majority of children do not reach the early learning goals in communication, language and literacy and in knowledge and understanding of the world. However,

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

the proportion of the children reaching the early learning goals in mathematics, and in their physical and creative, personal, social and emotional development is close to the national average.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. The results of the Year 2 2002 national tests were in the lowest five per cent of schools nationally in reading and mathematics and well below average in writing. Year 6 results were below average in English and mathematics and average in science. Girls performed slightly better than boys, but there was no significant difference in the performance of pupils of different ethnic backgrounds. When compared to similar schools, the Year 2 test results were well below average in reading and mathematics and below average in writing. The Year 6 results were well above the average of similar schools in English and science and above average in mathematics. As the school was newly formed in 2000, it is not possible to analyse trends in the school’s performance, although the Year 2 results for 2001 were slightly better, being in the lowest five per cent in reading, well below average in writing and below average in mathematics. The 2001 test results for Year 6 pupils were

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

above average in English, well below average in mathematics and average in science.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. The progress made by most pupils is generally satisfactory, although the rate of progress is not consistent across the school. For example, the pupils with special educational needs are well supported and make good progress. Similarly, the pupils who enter the school with little or no English make good progress although, once they are assessed as fluent speakers of English, the level of support reduces and their rate of progress slows. There is no significant difference in the progress made by pupils of different ethnic backgrounds, but the school is alert to data provided by the local educational authority. The rate of progress of more able pupils slows in lessons where there is insufficient challenge to meet their needs.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. In speaking and listening, standards are well below average by the end of Year 2 and below average by the end of Year 6. The pupils who enter school with little or no knowledge of English receive good support from the co-ordinator and support staff, and consequently they make good progress. Standards in reading are well below average by the end of Year 2. As the pupils become increasingly fluent in speaking English, so their reading improves and, by the end of Year 6, standards in reading are satisfactory. By the end of Year 2, the pupils’ knowledge of letter sounds, blends and of basic spelling patterns is under-developed and the pupils rely heavily on whole words, picture and context clues to tackle unknown words. The pupils know where to find the index and contents pages in information books. By the end of Year 6, standards in reading are in line with national expectations. The pupils discuss texts and authors in detail, compare words in old and

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

modern English, give opinions about characters and select relevant information to support their views. They talk about how authors use devices such as similes and metaphors to create pictures in the mind of the reader. Anglesey Primary School - 12 5. By the end of Year 2, standards in writing are well below national standards. The pupils learn to write in a variety of formats including stories, instructions, reports, letters, descriptions of characters and poetry. They develop their ideas in sentences, sometimes using capital letters and full stops. By the end of Year 6, standards in writing have improved but are still below the national average. The pupils write for a wider range of purposes and regularly use computers to display their work. However, there is too little emphasis on teaching the basic skills of spelling, grammar, punctuation and handwriting, with the result that the pupils do not have all of the tools they need to write

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

independently. Standards of handwriting vary considerably across the school and work is often presented untidily.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6. Standards in mathematics are below the national average in Years 2 and 6. Most pupils make satisfactory progress, although this is inconsistent, because of variations in planning and assessment throughout the school. The pupils in Year 2 convert word problems into number sentences although the understanding of the value of individual digits within a number is not secure. The more able pupils have a secure knowledge of the addition and subtraction of simple tens and units and they understand that addition and subtraction are opposite procedures. Some of the pupils who are learning English become confused by mathematical terminology, which slows their progress. The pupils learn to measure using standard and non-standard units and they construct block graphs. By the age of eleven, the pupils learn a range of methods to carry out multiplication and division calculations. Pupils of all abilities follow a similar programme, often with additional support for

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

below average pupils, but the activities do not always challenge the more able pupils.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. Standards of attainment in science are below average in Year 2 and average in Year 6. The pupils’ work in lessons shows a similar pattern to the results of the national assessments. Standards are too low in Year 2 and, whilst they improve to a satisfactory, and sometimes good, level in Year 6, the progress made by the pupils through the school is not consistent and many pupils are capable of higher standards. The rate of progress slows where the teachers’ planning does not focus sufficiently on extending the pupils’ scientific learning and the skills of scientific enquiry are under-developed.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

8. Standards in information and communication technology (ICT) are in line with the expectations for pupils at the end of Year 2 and above those expectations at the end of Year 6. The school makes good use of its two computer suites and, in those lessons, the teachers’ good subject knowledge and expertise are used to set challenging tasks for all abilities of pupils. Amongst other subjects, the pupils attain standards that are in line with national expectations in Year 2 in art and design, design and technology, geography, music, physical education and religious education. Standards are below those expectations in history. In Year 6 standards are in line with national expectations in art and design, design and technology, geography, history, music, physical education and religious education.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

9. The pupils with special educational needs make good progress in literacy and numeracy, and overall they achieve well against their prior attainment. The pupils who enter school with little or no experience of English make good progress in their learning as they are well supported by the co- ordinator for English as an additional language and by multi-lingual support staff. Once the pupils are assessed as fluent speakers of English, their progress slows. Specialist support is withdrawn and teachers take little account that the pupils may still be experiencing difficulties in different aspects of the language.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10. Pupils have positive attitudes to the school and relate well to each other. Their behaviour is very good and exclusions are rare. This contributes to the strong family atmosphere and positive Anglesey Primary School - 13 learning environment. Parents indicate that they are happy with the relationships and behaviour in the school.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. The pupils enjoy going to school and take advantage of the wide range of activities available. They move around the school in a very orderly manner and are very well behaved in the dining room at lunchtimes. The pupils play very well together at playtimes and at lunchtimes and show respect to their supervisors. Many friendship groups are seen playing together during these times. The pupils are very polite and friendly and spoke readily to inspectors during the inspection. The pupils with special educational needs are encouraged and enabled to take a full part in school activities. They have good relationships with the adults who support them individually and in group and class situations. Their classmates include them well when working and playing and are often supportive of their efforts. The pupils for whom English is not their first language generally enjoy their tasks and work hard during lessons. They, too, have good relationships with teachers and support staff

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. In lessons, behaviour is good overall. The pupils concentrate for long periods of time and make good contributions to the lessons. They very often work in pairs and in groups and this successfully enhances their collaborative skills. There have been no permanent exclusions in the last two years. The pupils show good respect for other’s people’s views and feelings and this is reinforced in assemblies and lessons. The pupils are proud of their school and show respect for the school property and to all of the staff.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. The children behave very well in the nursery and reception classes and they quickly get used to the routines of the classrooms. In the nursery the children learn to hang up their coats and take their name cards and place them appropriately to show that they are in school. In the reception classes they store work to take home efficiently and know the routines of changing their library books. The children are encouraged to take care of their own and the school’s belongings and to put away equipment and tidy up after activities. In all of the classes, there are good arrangements for the children to be introduced to the school day and this means that they come into school happily and confidently. Good relationships are built with the adults who work in the classes and this helps the children to make the good progress seen. The children enjoy learning, generally concentrate well and many persevere to complete a task before they move to a new activity. Overall they play and

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

learn well, both alongside one another and, increasingly in the reception classes, together.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. As the pupils move through the school there are limited opportunities for the pupils to show initiative and take responsibility. A school council has been formed and reception pupils benefit from the support of those in Year 2 in the ‘buddy’ system. Similarly, the pupils in Year 3 assist those in Year 2 on residential trips. There are too few opportunities for the pupils to take responsibility for their own learning in lessons. The pupils with special educational needs are consistently provided with good opportunities to develop their self-confidence and self-esteem and this helps them to make the good progress seen.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

15. The school has worked very hard to improve attendance and punctuality. Last year attendance was well below the national average and is improving this year. Unauthorised absences are above the national average. All procedures comply with statutory requirements. The main reason for the poor attendance is the large numbers of pupils involved in extended absences, which affects the standards attained by some pupils.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

16. Overall the quality of teaching is satisfactory. During the inspection, the teaching was satisfactory or better in almost all of the lessons seen. The teaching was good in just over a third of lessons and very good in one twelfth. In a very small proportion of lessons - one lesson in fourteen - teaching Anglesey Primary School - 14 was unsatisfactory or poor. The quality of teaching makes a positive impact on the pupils’ positive attitudes to school and to the satisfactory progress made by most pupils.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

17. The quality of the teaching in the nursery and reception classes (Foundation Stage) is good, helping the children to make a good start to school, and enabling them to make good progress and achieve well. The teaching in all of the classes has a number of strengths, including the effective use of questions and very good planned opportunities to use talk to promote and develop the pupils’ language and communication skills. The classes are well organised and the children well managed. The teachers plan the learning activities to ensure that there are opportunities for the children to have access to all six areas of learning, and as the children move through the reception classes, to the literacy and numeracy strategies. In all of the classes, very good use is made of the teaching assistants who provide highly effective support for individual children and group activities. The teachers, and their assistants, work hard to provide a productive, interesting and wide range of

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

activities and this enables the children to make good progress overall. However, occasionally the teachers do not have high enough expectations of the children, or opportunities are missed to extend the children’s learning. For example, the same work is prepared for all of the children regardless of their ability or attainment and this restricts their progress. When the best teaching is seen, the children are encouraged to focus on very clear learning objectives and a variety of approaches are used to promote these.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

18. In the infants and juniors, the teachers generally have a sound understanding of the subjects they teach. The teaching of English and mathematics is satisfactory. The teachers plan work using the national strategies for literacy and numeracy. The teachers provide appropriate opportunities for the pupils to develop their literacy and numeracy skills in other subjects, for example when writing reports in design and technology. The time spent developing specific writing skills varies from class to class, which affects the rate of progress made by many pupils. The teachers’ confidence in science varies from class to class. Where they are able to ask searching questions and provide stimulating activities there is good pace to the teaching and learning. Across the school, the teachers make good use of information and communication technology (ICT), particularly in the two ICT suites.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

19. Across the school, and in all subjects, relationships are good, the lessons are well prepared and the teachers ensure that all of the necessary resources are readily available so that lessons run smoothly. In the best lessons, the teachers have high expectations of the pupils’ capabilities and provide challenging work that is well-matched to the needs of pupils of all abilities. They ask searching questions and maintain the pupils’ interest. In these lessons, the pupils learn well and make brisk progress. In some lessons, however, the planning emphasises the organisation and management of the activities, rather than the learning that is expected to take place. The teachers carry out these plans conscientiously, but it is unclear how well the pupils are doing and how their learning might be moved on. The pupils’ progress slows in these lessons, particularly where a teaching assistant is not available to support those pupils in greatest need. Where objectives for

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

what the pupils are expected to learn are identified, they are sometimes too general or do not take account sufficiently of the needs of the wide range of capabilities found in each class. Consequently, it is difficult for the teacher to focus precisely on assessing the attainment and progress of individuals and groups of pupils. The marking of pupils’ work is inconsistent across the school and there is little evidence of these day-to-day assessments being used to inform the pupils about how well they are doing and how they can improve their work. Much of the work seen across the school is directed by the teachers and there are few opportunities for the pupils to develop their independence by making choices and decisions about their work. This is particularly true in science where there is often a focus on the pupils gaining factual knowledge to the detriment of them acquiring the skills of scientific enquiry.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

Anglesey Primary School - 15 20. There are significant strengths in the school's provision for pupils with special educational needs that contribute to the good progress that they make. They are well supported by the arrangements made for teaching them in class and in withdrawal groups. The teachers and teaching assistants manage the pupils well and maintain high standards of behaviour. They plan the pupils’ individual education plans together with the special educational needs co-ordinators, and these plans are reviewed twice a year. There is good liaison between the class teachers and the teaching assistants, and the latter are always aware of the contents of the individual education plans and use them to plan the work of the pupils. The teaching assistants, when working within the classes or when the pupils are withdrawn in small groups consistently and effectively use a good range of teaching methods. For example, teaching assistants often use a whiteboard to explain the details of

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

what the teacher saying to the whole class, so enabling them to follow the work being done. Generally, the individual education plans identify the steps needed for the pupils to make the good progress seen, but on a few occasions the targets they contain are too numerous or over complex. In addition, the plans could be used even more effectively to support the learning on a daily basis if they more closely identified who is to carry out the work with the pupils and when.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

21. The pupils who are in the early stages of learning English make good progress in their learning, as they are given good support from the support staff, and are set tasks that are matched appropriately to their needs. The support staff plan with teachers and prepare their own resources to support the learning. Working with both individuals and small groups, they provide pupils with an appropriate balance of support and challenge, and ensure that pupils are well included in lessons and have good access to the learning. Good use is made of the pupils’ home language to help their understanding. In a Year 4 lesson, for example, two Somali pupils were given instructions in the pupils’ home language and, as a result, the pupils completed the task successfully and learnt well. When the pupils have been learning English for some time, there is little recognition by teachers that the pupils may still need support in different aspects of English and this slows their progress.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

22. The curriculum includes all subjects of the National Curriculum and religious education and meets statutory requirements. In the nursery and reception classes the children have access to a broad curriculum that overall is well planned. It takes into account the early learning goals and the literacy and numeracy strategy planning for children under five. However, there are some areas for development in the way resources are used and organised in order to provide a full Foundation Stage curriculum. The teachers plan for the children to have regular access to the outdoor play areas but these are not always used to full advantage and opportunities for the children to explore, use their imagination and experience play situations outdoors are limited. This is especially the case when the grassy areas are wet and the children have access only to the hard play area. In addition during the afternoon, particularly in the nursery, the teachers could usefully consider planning short

p.15

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

sessions with increased opportunities for the children to engage independently in creative activities interspersed with adult lead activities.

p.15

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

23. In the infants and juniors, there are weaknesses in the planning and delivery of the curriculum. The school has not yet achieved a consistent approach throughout the school, so that continuity and progress are not secure, either between or within, the infants and juniors. The preferred method is to deliver many subjects through cross-curricular themes. Whilst an overview of the whole curriculum has been developed, this has not been analysed into separate subjects, so that there is no clear view of what is to be covered in each subject and when it is to be taught. This results in gaps in the provision of some subjects, for example in the development of scientific enquiry. All subjects have policies and schemes of work, which are a combination of national and the school’s own guidelines. Although plans refer to appropriate programmes of study, too little reference is made to the development of specific knowledge, skills and understanding and levels of attainment. This

p.15

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

Anglesey Primary School - 16 makes it difficult for the teachers to judge the extent of the pupils’ learning and move it forward. Consequently, in some lessons, the teacher’s planning does not build accurately on their earlier learning and the taught curriculum does not always match the needs of pupils of all levels of ability.

p.16

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

24. The national strategies in literacy and numeracy are used to inform planning and the school has successfully adapted its programme to take account of the need for pupils’ acquisition of spoken and written English. However, the lessons are often very long, which has an adverse effect on the standards being attained, particularly when the pitch of the lesson does not match accurately the different levels of ability in each class. Literacy and numeracy skills are being developed through other subjects although this is inconsistent throughout the school. Nevertheless, to its credit, the oldest pupils are performing well in literacy and numeracy in comparison to pupils in similar schools nationwide. Booster groups are planned for specific pupils. All subjects are timetabled frequently, but not necessarily regularly. For instance, there are long periods of time between some geography, history and music topics, so that skills are not regularly revisited. All pupils have access

p.16

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

to the curriculum and the school is very well integrated socially. However, weaknesses in provision to meet the needs of all levels of ability in lessons mean that what is taught is not always accessible to all pupils. This has an adverse impact on the progress made by those pupils. There is no specific policy for homework and the provision is inconsistent. At its best, the homework ensures that pupils engage in meaningful and relevant activities, which are well integrated into their lessons and support their learning.

p.16

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

25. The provision for those pupils with special educational needs is good. This is a strength of the school and enables them to make the good progress seen. The register of the pupils is up-to-date and the Code of Practice is securely in place. The class teachers, co-ordinators for special educational needs and teaching assistants work closely together to ensure that pupils’ individual needs are fully met. The pupils are usually taught within the classes for English and mathematics but on appropriate occasions are withdrawn to work in groups or individually with an adult. The teaching assistants’ work is of a high standard. They are very well trained and informed and have clearly developed strategies for working with the pupils who have wide ranging needs.

p.16

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

26. There is no planned programme for personal social and health education (PSHE). Aspects of this part of the curriculum are dealt with in assemblies and subjects of the curriculum. The school has been active in examining its performance and has taken steps to alter its approach when necessary, for instance, ensuring that healthy food is available for snacks, when promoting a healthy life style. The governors have taken the decision to include a sex education component with the assistance of the school nurse. This will commence specifically at the beginning of Year 6, although aspects of growth and development are taught throughout the school. Drugs education will also be taught mainly in Year 6. There is a good range of extra-curricular activities throughout the school. These include computer clubs, music, drama and sporting activities. Teachers, support staff and parents make a valuable contribution to this important aspect of the school’s provision. The curriculum is

p.16

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

further enhanced by a good range of visits in the locality and further afield, experienced by pupils of all ages, including residential visits. Visitors also make a valuable contribution to the school. These include theatre companies, music groups and drama workshops, as well as representatives of community, such as the police, fire and medical services. Combined with the involvement of parents, the contribution of the community to pupils’ learning is good. Relationships with partner institutions are also good. Transition arrangements are well organised and the school makes good use of the ‘children’s university’ for its gifted and talented pupils.

p.16

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

27. The provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good overall. Spiritual awareness is satisfactorily developed. The atmosphere created in school assemblies when pupils enter and leave to the sound of recorded music is conducive to good learning. During an assembly for younger pupils, the teacher greeted the pupils in English and in Urdu. This made them all pupils welcome and valued. The story was then read in English with the pictures from the book displayed Anglesey Primary School - 17 on a large screen. The pupils who are at an early stage of learning English were well supported by these visual prompts and were able to follow the story. The pupils learn about major festivals in their own and other faiths and develop a very good level of respect for one another. Further opportunities for spiritual development are provided in the taught curriculum, when it is clear that

p.16

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

pupils love to listen to poetry and stories. They respond to the experiences provided by their teachers, for example in their sensitive discussion of the meaning of ‘persecution’ in religious education and in science their delighted reaction to a computer presentation of their visit to a nature reserve. However, because lessons often do not challenge higher attaining pupils sufficiently, opportunities for their spiritual development through intellectual enlightenment are limited.

p.17

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

28. The provision for moral development is good. The pupils demonstrate an understanding of what is involved in belonging to a community in terms of beliefs, practices and values. They understand that religious faith is important to many people and that these beliefs have an impact on their lives and their communities. The pupils develop a clear sense of right and wrong, and they fully understand the consequences of breaking school rules. They take part in fund raising for charities and develop an awareness of children less fortunate than themselves, as well as an understanding of social duty. Relationships in the school are good and adults set good role models. The pupils relate very well with each other and a real sense of harmony exists. The school has established an appropriate policy for collective worship. Assemblies often provide an effective forum for discussing moral issues, such as the impact of bullying.

p.17

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

29. There are good opportunities to promote the pupils’ social development. They are polite and well- mannered and are extremely courteous to visitors to the school. They co-operate well with each other, when working in groups, and listen with respect to one another’s contributions. Reactions to mistakes made by their peers are sensitive and considerate. Behaviour in lessons is very good, which is the result of good behaviour management by the teachers, as well as effective support from parents. When given the opportunity, they carry out helpful responsibilities without fuss, such as when acting as classroom monitors. However, there are too few opportunities in lessons for them to develop the characteristics of independent learning. Tasks are usually closely controlled by teachers and allow little leeway for pupils to use their initiative. The pupils are enthusiastic about the role of the school council, and appreciate the impact of its work.

p.17

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

30. The provision for the pupils’ cultural development is good. They enjoy a curriculum that promotes knowledge and understanding of a diversity of cultures and faiths. For example, the pupils learn about aspects of Christianity and Judaism and make comparisons with their own faiths. They learn about the cultural heritage of the United Kingdom, through visits to, for instance, Stratford upon Avon and Twycross. Major festivals are celebrated and, through literature, art and music, the pupils acquire a deeper understanding of a range of cultures. They write, paint and sing with increasing sensitivity as they progress through the school. The history curriculum gives pupils an insight into the cultural past of this country, such as the Victorians, which they learn about in tandem with information about their own cultural heritage.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

31. The school has good procedures for child protection and for the welfare of its pupils and this is a strength. Parents are pleased with the way that the school looks after their children.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

32. The school very sensitively applies comprehensive procedures for child protection. Staff awareness is good and there is close liaison with social services. Health and safety procedures are thorough and regular checks are made. The school has a responsible and caring approach to health and safety. There are a number of qualified first aiders and the procedures work well. The school has good procedures for monitoring and promoting attendance. First day monitoring of absence and Anglesey Primary School - 18 lateness and reasons for absence are pursued. The school uses a computerised system and makes good use of the analysis available.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

33. In the nursery and reception classes the children enter school happily and confidently; the start to each day is calm, positive and productive. There are good arrangements in place for the day-to- day exchange of information between parents, carers and the school staff and for the children to leave school safely in the care of a known adult. The teachers and other adults quickly get to know the children well, and establish good relationships with them. These features encourage the children to follow class routines, try hard with the tasks provided and to behave well.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

34. Across the school, the staff know the pupils very well and provide good support and care for them during the school day. The pupils who need particular attention are well supported during lessons and throughout the day. The school takes full advantage of a wide range of outside support, which includes the school nurse and doctor, the behaviour support service, and support for the pupils’ speech and language development.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

35. There are very well established procedures for monitoring and promoting good behaviour. All of the staff are involved in these procedures, which work extremely well. The resultant very good behaviour and almost complete absence of aggression and bullying are the outcomes. The pupils’ annual reports are satisfactory and suitable records are kept of their personal development. The procedures for monitoring and supporting the pupils’ personal development are used particularly effectively for the pupils with special educational needs. As part of the annual reviews and individual education plan reviews, the pupils have good opportunities to express their own feelings about their progress and the areas in which they feel they need to improve. This is making a significant contribution to the personal development of the pupils enabling them to take a more positive part in their own learning and to make good progress.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

36. The school has good procedures for assessing the pupils in the nursery and reception classes and satisfactory procedures in the infants and juniors. Soon after entry to the nursery classes the teachers make a range of checks to establish the things the children can already do, these assessments are made in the pupils' home languages. The information is used to see how the children compare with national results and to make sure that the tasks that they are given help them to progress appropriately. The checks are carried out at several points during the Foundation Stage and give a good indication of the good overall progress seen. In each class, the teachers employ sound arrangements to check how well all the children are learning on a daily basis and whether they are making enough progress and they generally make good use of the information to plan further work for the children. The children with special educational needs are identified at an early

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

stage in the nursery and good support is given to them. This enables them to participate well in all of the activities planned for the classes and for them to make good progress.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

37. In the infants and juniors, the statutory and optional National Curriculum tests in English and mathematics are carried out and the results of these tests are analysed by assessment and subject co-ordinators to identify particular strengths and weaknesses. However, there are inconsistencies in the way that the information from these assessments is used to increase the pace of pupils’ learning. The teachers make conscientious efforts to record the pupils’ progress in English and mathematics, but there is no consistent system throughout the school for the staff to be able to use this information to identify, for pupils of all ages and abilities, the next step in their learning and how they might improve their work, particularly in literacy and numeracy. The gathering of assessment information during lessons, to help teachers plan what needs to be taught next, is underdeveloped. As a result, the planning in some lessons does not take sufficient account of the specific learning

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

needs of individual and groups of pupils, including those learning English and the more able pupils. The school is beginning to use the information provided by the local educational authority on the performance of groups of pupils in the Year 6 national tests. The transfer of information between Anglesey Primary School - 19 Year 2 and Year 3 is assisted by the passing on of individual pupil records supported by meetings held between the respective teachers to share that information.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

38. The pupils with special educational needs receive consistently good support from staff within the school and from a range of outside agencies, including the local education authority's support service. The school has clear and useful assessment procedures for checking on the progress made by these pupils and it uses the information gained to plan further work for the pupils which is well matched to their needs. The teachers, the special educational needs co-ordinators and teaching assistants are highly committed to helping the pupils to make good progress. All statutory requirements with regard to special educational needs are well carried out. In particular the pupils with statements receive systematic help and support that is carefully targeted to their individual needs, for example, there is a range of good quality additional support provided for pupils with health or hearing problems both in school and by external agencies.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

39. Good procedures are used to assess the pupils who enter school with little or no experience of speaking English and these accurately inform the level of support which they receive. These pupils have detailed records which are maintained well by staff. There are no specific assessments for pupils who are at an advanced stage of learning English. This means that pupils who are experiencing difficulties in any aspects of language work are not diagnosed, and their needs are not sufficiently identified when teachers plan lessons. The school has established an appropriate and effective race equality policy.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

40. The parents have a satisfactory view of the school and the work that it does. The school has worked hard to establish its very good links with parents and this is a strength. Many parents are involved with the work of the school. The school provides parents with satisfactory information about its work and their children’s progress. Overall, the parents make a satisfactory contribution to the pupils’ learning and this has a positive impact on their learning.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

41. The co-ordinator and non-teaching staff have good links with the parents of pupils for whom English is not their home language. Parents are welcomed and shown round when their children first start school, and bi-lingual staff continue to translate in the home language if this is necessary. Parents are kept well informed of their children’s progress when they are in the early stages of learning English. The good support of the teaching assistants helps strengthen the links between the school and pupils’ homes and the local community.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

42. The school has very good arrangements for introducing children to both the nursery and reception classes including good liaison with the playgroup, home visits with interpreters, opportunities for the children to visit the classes and meetings for parents. When the children start school in the nursery classes the parents are encouraged to stay with their children until they are happy for them to leave. Information booklets are provided for the parents and open evenings are held to explain what and how the children are learning. The teachers are readily available to the parents and carers to discuss any problems and regular evenings are arranged to cover the overall progress made by the children. A few parents expressed concerns about the arrangements for the nursery children to eat school dinners at lunchtime. Inspection findings indicate that this is generally a positive and enjoyable experience for the children and that individual needs are treated with

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

43. The school works very well in partnership with the parents of pupils with special educational needs, and the parents contribute to and attend the annual reviews of the progress their children are making. On occasions, staff from the school will accompany parents and their children to health appointments, if extra support is needed, to explain problems to other professionals. Suggestions Anglesey Primary School - 20 are given to parents about support that can be given at home to extend the work being done in school; many parents carry these out and this makes a good contribution to the progress of the pupils.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

44. The parents who responded to the inspection questionnaire are mainly supportive of the school and are generally happy with its work. Some parents have expressed concerns in two main areas: the amount and regularity of homework the children are given and the range of activities provided outside of lessons. At their pre-inspection meeting, those parents who attended were generally happy with the school. A few felt that they would like an earlier notification of any problems experienced by their children and that their views were not always taken into account.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

45. Inspection evidence indicates that homework is inconsistent throughout the school. The school provides a good range of activities outside of lessons. The school makes a big effort to involve parents and to communicate with them and the efforts of the Home/School Link Worker are effective. Annual written reports on the pupils’ progress are satisfactory and identify areas for improvement but do not always identify areas for improvement relating to specific subjects. The school arranges regular workshops in literacy and numeracy and will soon be starting them in science, and there are courses for parents in English and child care. Some parents would like more information about the work to be covered each term.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

46. A number of parents help in the school. Many start as lunchtime supervisors and then take courses to become teaching assistants and some go on to begin degree courses with a view to becoming teachers. Parents are becoming more and more supportive at school assemblies and other events. The school provides parents with an informative prospectus and a very good governors’ annual report to parents. There are also regular newsletters.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

47. The headteacher, senior colleagues and governors have worked conscientiously to establish the school since its formation following the amalgamation of two schools in September 2000 and they provide sound leadership. They have successfully created a positive and attractive learning environment with a strong commitment to including all pupils and developing good relationships. Consequently, the pupils’ behaviour is very good, the staff and pupils feel valued and the school’s results in the Year 6 national tests compare favourably to those of schools working in similar circumstances. The headteacher has a good awareness of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and has a clear vision for its future development. The school has only recently had two substantive deputy headteachers in post. Their key roles, largely focused on managing the separate infant and junior departments, have been identified and, as a result, the day-to-day organisation of each

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

building runs smoothly. Procedures to monitor teaching have been introduced, including the statutory performance management arrangements, although the results of this work have not yet been used with sufficient rigour to maintain an overview of the pupils’ learning and ensure that all pupils make brisk progress.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

48. The governing body has established committees to oversee the main areas of its work and they fulfil their statutory responsibilities. The role of the governors is developing well and there are suitable plans for governors to be more involved in identifying and reviewing the progress of initiatives in the school’s development plan. Some governors visit the school regularly and individual governors are linked to specific responsibilities, although there is no formal programme of visits to gain information about the school’s progress. The governing body is supportive, and has an overview, of the work with the pupils with special educational needs. Extra resources, including teacher and support time provided by the government, the local education authority and from the school’s budget, have contributed effectively to the good overall progress made by these pupils. Anglesey Primary School - 21 49. Financial planning is good, with special grants such as allocations for professional development used

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

carefully. The governors are prudent in their budgeting and successfully link spending plans to the School Improvement Plan in providing financial support for the school’s key priorities. Short-term financial planning of the school is also good. The school budget is managed well and financial control and administration are good. The full governing body agrees the budget allocation annually, and governors monitor expenditure regularly in order to check that actual expenditure is in line with the budget. The local education authority finance officer currently provides very detailed financial information for the headteacher and governors. Good use is made of information technology and efficient systems effectively support the smooth running of the school. Governors make effective use of the overall resources available to them but the school is only just beginning to judge how its standards and costs compare with those of similar schools. Governors are aware of best value

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

principles and make good use of regional purchasing organisations. They analyse fully the contracts and service level agreements available to them.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

50. The teachers with responsibility for leading the nursery and reception classes (the Foundation Stage) are well informed, enthusiastic and hard working. They contribute a clear direction to, and vision for, the provision and development of the curriculum for these youngest children. The co- ordinators meet regularly, together with the other teachers and teaching assistants to plan the work for all the classes. They have some opportunities to check what happens in all classes and to decide what needs improving. The classrooms provide a good variety of activities to support learning in most areas of the Foundation Stage curriculum. There is an awareness of the need to improve the standards of teaching to the best by raising the teachers' expectations of what more of the children are capable of, and further extending some of the learning opportunities.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

51. In the infants and juniors, each subject is led by two co-ordinators, each taking responsibility for a key stage. The co-ordinators work hard to organise resources, support colleagues and keep abreast of developments in their subjects. In most cases, the co-ordinators have had too little time to establish an overview of developments across the whole school and monitor the teaching and learning in classes. As a result, there are inconsistencies in practice, for example in the marking of pupils’ work. In some subjects, there is a lack of coherence between the work in the infants and that in the juniors. There is too little emphasis on checking that the assessment of pupils’ work is consistent across the school or that attainment and progress are suitable for the range of pupils’ ability throughout the school. Occasionally, when monitoring does take place, the same problems are identified on a regular basis.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

52. Where time has been devoted to enabling the co-ordinators to develop their role, for example in information and communication technology, the subject is well led and standards are above expectations at the end of Year 6. Similarly, the co-ordinators for special educational needs (SENCOs) do not have class responsibilities and this means that they have appropriate time in which to carry out their roles. Their overall approach to review procedures and documentation for the pupils with special educational needs is well organised and carried out. They advise and support teaching colleagues and teaching assistants as to how they can best provide for the pupils with special educational needs. In addition they provide good quality teaching support to individual pupils and small groups by working within the classes as well as working together with the teachers to write the individual education plans for the pupils.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

53. The co-ordinator for pupils for whom English is an additional language (EAL) has good specialist knowledge of teaching these pupils and provides good support for colleagues. The staff are well deployed to meet the needs of those pupils who have little or no experience of English and regular meetings are held to monitor progress. For the pupils in the advanced stages of learning English, there is no specific monitoring of provision or of assessments to ensure that individual needs are met, and this is an area for development. Anglesey Primary School - 22 54. There is a very high number of teaching and support staff who are appropriately qualified and experienced to meet the demands of the curriculum. The present system of allocating extra teaching support to classes is very effective. Members of staff work closely together in classrooms and share their expertise accordingly but links across year groups and key stages are

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

not as effective. There is a wide range of experience amongst the staff including satisfactory provision for children in the Foundation Stage, pupils with English as an additional language and pupils with special educational needs. Very good support is provided by non-teaching staff and this has a positive impact on pupil’s learning. Support staff complement the work of class teachers very effectively. There is a good number of welfare staff who support pupils well at lunchtimes. The site supervisor and secretarial staff perform their duties very effectively and contribute well to the smooth running of the school.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

55. There is a good programme for the professional development of all staff that is linked to priorities identified in the School Improvement Plan and also to individual training needs. At the current time eleven members of the support staff are participating in award-bearing courses with a view to entering the teaching profession. Teaching and support staff attend many courses and staff evaluations are carried out in a thorough and detailed way. There is a comprehensive induction programme for new staff to the school and very good systems support newly qualified teachers.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

56. The school’s accommodation is satisfactory. It is based on two sites with the nursery and infants on one side of a main road and the juniors on the other. The infant department is a Victorian building, which has been extended and adapted satisfactorily for its current use. The building has a very good computer suite but only has a small library at the end of a corridor, which is not really suitable. The outside play area is mainly hard surfaced and is on the small side for the number of pupils. Similarly, the dining room is small, but the school solves this problem by having staggered lunchtimes.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

57. The nursery is based in temporary style buildings, which are being improved year by year. Although not as good as the rest of the school’s accommodation, it is suitable for its purpose. The furnishing, decoration and displays in the classes are lively and colourful. The school has improved the outdoor play facilities for pupils in the foundation stage but recognises their use could be broadened and expanded. One of the access points is down some steps. These have been gated off, as the school is unable to use them at the moment. They have become badly eroded and are not safe for young children to use and should be made safe as soon as possible.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

58. The junior department is situated in a newer building on the opposite side of the road to the nursery. It is an attractive, spacious modern purpose-built building with large playgrounds and grassed areas. Once again, there is a very good ICT Suite but poor library provision. There is a separate music classroom, housed in a temporary building, which is in reasonable condition. All buildings are well maintained and are kept very clean and the caretakers look after them well. The site and accommodation enables the school to deliver the full range of the national curriculum. Resources for learning, including those for pupils with special educational needs and the pupils for whom English is an additional language, are generally satisfactory. The provision for mathematics and design and technology is good, although there are weaknesses in the resources for religious education. Anglesey Primary School - 23

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

59. In order to raise standards and improve the quality of education further, the governing body, headteacher and staff should:

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) raise standards across all ability groups in English, mathematics and science by: • continuing to provide appropriate support for the pupils who successfully learn English; • ensuring that the basic skills of writing are taught systematically; • improving the quality of the pupils’ presentation of their work; • ensuring that lessons in mathematics are of an appropriate length to provide a brisk pace and rigour; • ensuring that the activities provided challenge pupils of all abilities, including the more able; • improving the pupils’ skills of scientific enquiry. (paragraphs 5, 6, 9, 21, 24, 39, 76, 82, 84, 90,

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) Improve the quality of the curriculum by: • ensuring that the necessary knowledge, skills and understanding for each subject are identified and taught progressively through the school; • improving the continuity of the learning opportunities between the infant and junior departments; (paragraphs 4-7, 9, 19, 23 78, 84, 89, 90, 95-97, 99,102,112)

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(3) Raise standards by: • using the information from the assessment of the pupils’ attainment and progress to set targets for improvement and to ensure that the work planned matches the needs of all pupils; Anglesey Primary School - 24 • sharing assessment information with the pupils so that they know how well they are doing and how they can improve their work; (paragraphs 19, 37, 39, 51, 80, 84, 88, 89, 93, 97, 120, 129, 131, 140)

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(4) improve the effectiveness of management structures by: • ensuring that the arrangements for monitoring the pupils’ attainment and progress result in the pupils, whatever their ability, making brisk progress through the school; • improving the quality and coherence of subject co-ordination across the school; (paragraphs 47, 51, 83, 84, 98, 99, 103,108, 112, 122, 136)

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(5) improve the amount of good teaching by: • identifying and sharing current good practice; • identifying and developing areas of weakness, • broadening the range of teaching strategies used, particularly those that encourage the development of independent work; • ensuring that the marking of pupils’ work makes a direct contribution to developing the pupils’ learning within specific subjects; • improving the teachers’ knowledge and confidence in science. (paragraphs 3, 17, 18, 19, 21-23, 50, 71, 77, 78, 85, 88, 91, 92, 94)

p.24

the governors’ action plan:

• ensure that homework makes an effective contribution to the pupils’ learning. (paragraphs 24, 80) Anglesey Primary School - 25

p.24

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 44

p.25

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory 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.

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 90 618

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 328

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 13

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 11 144

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 580

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 82

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 65

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. Anglesey 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 54 34 88

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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 25 35 33 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 21 25 27

p.26

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

Percentage of pupils School 52 (64) 68 (78) 68 (88) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (84) 86 (86) 90 (91)

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.26

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

Boys 31 31 33 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 24 20 21

p.26

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

Percentage of pupils School 63 (77) 58 (88) 61 (79) 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.

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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 42 37 79

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 28 29 33 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 28 24 33

p.26

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

Percentage of pupils School 71 (87) 68 (62) 84 (87) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 73 (71) 86 (87)

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 29 28 32 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 29 28 33

p.26

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

Percentage of pupils School 72 (83) 69 (62) 80 (86) 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. Anglesey 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 4 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 237 1 0

p.27

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 307 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 16 0 0

p.27

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – any other Black background 12 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) 29 Financial year 2001/02

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 21.3

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 1959269

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 10 Total expenditure 1938693

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 275 Expenditure per pupil 3210

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Balance brought forward from previous year 86440

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 3 Balance carried forward to next year 107016

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 30

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 7

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 209

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per FTE adult 9 Anglesey Primary School - 28 FTE means full-time equivalent.

p.27

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 5

p.28

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 8

p.28

Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 1

p.28

Recruitment of teachers

Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 1

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. Anglesey Primary School - 29

p.28

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

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

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 48 47 2 0 4

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 63 30 3 1 3

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 41 39 9 9 3

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 47 37 9 4 3

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 57 28 4 4 8

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 64 31 4 1 1

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 44 41 7 6 2

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 47 42 3 0 8

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 50 43 4 2 1

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 48 32 8 8 4 Anglesey Primary School - 30

p.29

Personal, social and emotional development

60. The children enter the school with a range of personal, social and emotional skills but, overall, they are below the average level. They make good progress in the nursery and reception classes and most achieve the expected standard by the beginning of Year 1. The quality of teaching in this area of learning is good. A good range of strategies is used to help the children move forward and, as a result, they develop positive attitudes to learning. For example, good use is made of the bilingual teaching assistants to explain, in the children's home languages as well as in English, what needs to be done. There are pictures that give information and the teachers use these well to give the children extra support in gaining understanding. When they come into school the children settle quickly and happily. They know the routines on entering the classrooms and become involved with the good range of activities provided such as painting, reading, building with construction sets and

p.30

Personal, social and emotional development

61. The teachers and other adults have high expectations of the children's behaviour and ability to take care of themselves. The children take care of their personal hygiene and, by the time they are five, they have become more confident and capable when dressing and undressing for physical education sessions. In all of the classes there is an appropriate balance of teacher-directed tasks and of activities chosen by the children. This provides opportunities for the children to develop independence and self-reliance, especially when they move between the activities during the free- choice sessions in the classrooms. However, an area for development is the use made of the outdoor areas where, especially when the grass is too wet to use, there are fewer opportunities to explore and experience play situations independently. Overall the children are provided with many occasions to work and play together and to reflect on the effect of their actions on others, and as a

p.30

Personal, social and emotional development

result their personal and social skills are developed well. They persevere with tasks and behave well, although sometimes in the nursery classes, the planned activities in the afternoon have too long a time span and some children find it hard to concentrate when working independently. There are good relationships between all the adults who work in the nursery and reception classes and the children. The children soon gain confidence in speaking to adults and to each other in English. They try hard to respond to questions from their teachers and other adults, to think things through for themselves and to give explanations for their answers.

p.30

Communication, language and literacy

62. When the children enter the nursery they have a range of attainment but overall their language skills are below those found nationally. The majority of children do not reach the early learning goals in communication, language and literacy by the time they enter Year 1. At entry to the nursery, 70 per cent of the children are new to English and most of the others have very little access to the curriculum through English. The good teaching in the nursery and reception classes ensures that the children make good progress throughout the Foundation Stage (nursery and reception classes). In particular, the children make good progress in learning to speak in English and most have reached an early bilingual stage by the time they enter Year 1 and a few are becoming developing bilingual speakers.

p.30

Communication, language and literacy

63. The children greatly enjoy listening to stories and looking at story and information books and they concentrate well in literacy sessions. They respond well to events in stories such as ‘The Three Bears’. The teachers recognise that many of the children have a limited vocabulary in their mother tongues and that they also have to acquire vocabulary in English. In addition many of the languages Anglesey Primary School - 31 spoken by the children have patterns and grammatical construction that are different to those found in English. The teachers, teaching assistants and bilingual teaching assistants provide very good opportunities to build and extend the children's vocabulary and language development by using practical examples and encouraging the children to experience activities for themselves. For example, a teacher in the nursery, working with a small group of children to dress three bears of

p.30

Communication, language and literacy

different sizes, models the activity using clear vocabulary and explaining new words. The children who are more advanced in English acquisition have their language skills fostered through adept questioning which provides opportunities for them to express their own ideas. The teachers give the children good opportunities to talk about characters and events in stories.

p.31

Communication, language and literacy

64. The teachers develop and build the children’s early reading skills through the sharing of books and stories and the teaching of phonic skills. Many of the children in the reception classes know the individual letters of the alphabet, by sight and sound, by the end of the year. They recognise a range of words from the Oxford Reading Tree books by sight. They gradually develop their knowledge of letter sounds to help them write unfamiliar words. They recognise, read, and by the end of the year most can write their names. The teachers skilfully use rhymes and poems to extend and expand the children’s language development. All of the children take reading books home regularly to share with parents and carers. In one of the reception classes the teacher has initiated an opportunity for the parents to stay and watch with their children an educational television programme. This is helping the parents to understand how phonics is taught in school and

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Communication, language and literacy

how they can help their children at home.

p.31

Communication, language and literacy

65. As soon as they enter the nursery, the children begin to acquire an understanding of the writing process. The teachers build the children’s confidence by modelling writing, so that they learn print carries meaning, and that it can be used to express events and ideas. Throughout the nursery and reception classes the children are taught the way to hold pencils, to form letters correctly and are encouraged to try and write for themselves. The classrooms have alphabet charts and labels to encourage the children to link letters and sounds and write words themselves. There are opportunities provided for the children to encourage them to write for a variety of purposes and using a range of implements. For example, the children write shopping lists and their names on their work and practise making the shapes of letters. The teachers value the efforts that the children make and, as a consequence, they try to write for themselves. However, because the

p.31

Communication, language and literacy

children’s vocabulary and ability to express themselves clearly in sentences in English is limited, the process of learning to write is slowed and the majority of the children do not reach the expected level by the end of the reception year.

p.31

Mathematical development

66. The children enter the nursery with below average skills in mathematical development. Throughout the nursery and reception classes, the teaching in mathematics is consistently good, and this enables the children to make good progress in gaining understanding and skills. By the end of the reception year, the proportion of the children who have achieved the early learning goals is close to average. The children make good progress because the teachers take many opportunities to demonstrate counting and show how it can be used in practical situations. They emphasise the language skills needed to support the development of number skills and make the learning fun through games. The teachers check carefully the mathematical understanding of the children and plan the next stage of work carefully to build on their knowledge of, and skills of working with, numbers.

p.31

Mathematical development

67. The teachers frequently provide good opportunities for the children to count and use numbers, enabling them to develop their understanding of the number system. For example, in one of the reception classes, when the register is taken, children take it in turns to work out who is absent and, by counting back from the total, how many children are present. By the end of the reception year many of the children recognise numbers up to ten. Most of the children can count to at least 20 Anglesey Primary School - 32 and a few confidently beyond. The more able children fully understand the concept of simple addition, and are beginning to add and subtract using numbers to ten.

p.31

Knowledge and understanding of the world

68. The majority of the children enter the nursery with below average experience in this area of learning and many of the children are new to English. This means that by the time they are five, most children are unlikely to achieve the level expected in knowledge and understanding of the world. However, the quality of teaching overall is good in this area and the children make good progress. There are some minor shortcomings in the use of resources needed to provide a full Foundation Stage curriculum. The teachers plan for the children to have regular access to both outdoor areas but the areas are not always used to full advantage and this limits opportunities for the children to explore and experience play situations outdoors.

p.32

Knowledge and understanding of the world

69. The children gain knowledge of the concepts of time and seasons. They learn to observe the changes in the weather and to relate that to the clothes they need to wear. There is good provision of opportunities for the children to explore and investigate scientific areas. The children know that eating fruit is good for you and gives you energy. They show great interest in the uniform of the school cook and the way in which she works to produce suitable meals for everyone. In the nursery the children learn to blow bubbles and watch them float and burst. They put different substances on to old shirts and experiment to see if the stains will come out with washing in soapy water. When making toast they notice the changes that happen to the bread and try the tastes of different toppings. In the reception classes the children learn how the inside of an egg changes when it is boiled. There are opportunities for the children to learn about the faith and customs of a

p.32

Knowledge and understanding of the world

range of religions, for example through the story of Noah from the Old Testament. Throughout the nursery and reception classes the children are given good opportunities to use computers together with other equipment such as tape recorders. Often the programs that are in use complement the work being done in other areas, for example exploring straight and curved lines in mathematics or dressing the teddies and part of the topic based on the story of 'The Three Bears'. Water, sand and play dough are readily available for the children to explore the properties of different materials. Keeping a hamster in the classroom helps them to understand the needs of living creatures to keep them healthy.

p.32

Physical development

70. In the nursery and reception classes, the physical skills of the children are well developed through the indoor and outdoor sessions. The teaching in this area is good and this enables the children to make the good progress seen; many of the children reach the national expectations in this area of learning. By the time they enter Year 1 they confidently dress and undress themselves. The children show a good awareness of space by not bumping into each other as they move by running, jumping and when finding different ways to move across the floor. They enjoy using the wheeled outdoor equipment and steer and stop efficiently. They take care when they are playing not to act in ways that may harm other children. They have regular opportunities to develop their skills in throwing and catching hoops and balls. There is good provision for the children climb and balance using the adventure playground and the physical education equipment in the hall. There are many

p.32

Physical development

and varied opportunities for the children to develop fine motor skills using paintbrushes, pencils and scissors, as well as through joining together pieces when completing jigsaws, train tracks and models.

p.32

Creative development

Anglesey Primary School - 33 71. The children enjoy a good range of experiences in art, music, story and imaginative play. The quality of teaching and learning is good and the children make good progress in their creative development. The majority of the children enter the school with below average attainment in this area of learning and many attain the early learning goals before they enter Year 1. For example, few of the children know the basic range of colours when they enter the nursery and they are taught carefully to recognise and name them in different situations. They are soon painting with great enjoyment and concentration as when the children paint stripes and spots in patterns. They develop an understanding of how paint, crayons and pencils can be used to depict people and scenes, and as their language acquisition develops to talk about and explain their pictures in English as well as in their mother tongues. Materials such as sand, water and play-dough are available for

p.33

Creative development

children to explore on a regular basis. Throughout the nursery and reception classes the children have good opportunities to explore the sounds that different instruments make and to sing and move to music. These free choice sessions and the structured music lessons contribute the development of the children’s understanding of sound, rhythm and pattern. Resources for a variety of role-play situations, although mainly found indoors, are provided in all of the classes, and the children enter imaginatively and enthusiastically into running a school kitchen, or travelling by bus or plane. The opportunities for the children to use their imagination and creativity in outdoor play could usefully be extended throughout the year. An additional area for development in the nursery classes, especially during the afternoon sessions, is to increase occasions for the children to work independently, by choosing their own creative materials and subjects.

p.33

ENGLISH

72. When compared to national standards, attainment in English is well below average by the end of Year 2, and below average by the end of Year 6. This reflects the results of the most recent tests. For the majority of the pupils, English is not the language spoken at home and many pupils have little or no experience of English at all when they first start school. As the pupils enter the infants with standards which are below average, they make satisfactory progress overall.

p.33

ENGLISH

73. In speaking and listening, standards are well below average by the end of Year 2 and below average by the end of Year 6. The pupils who enter school with little or no knowledge of English receive good support from the co-ordinator and support staff, and consequently they make good progress. Friends and support staff will frequently speak to them in their home language to help their understanding. Most teachers model vocabulary and sentence structures well so that the pupils have good role models to follow in their speaking.

p.33

ENGLISH

74. Standards in reading are well below average by the end of Year 2. As the pupils become increasingly fluent in speaking English, so their reading improves and, by the end of Year 6, standards in reading are satisfactory. Most pupils in the school enjoy reading and are happy to talk about books they have read. For example, Year 2 pupils confidently predict what might happen next in the story and talk about books they enjoy. By the end of Year 2, the pupils’ knowledge of letter sounds, blends and of basic spelling patterns (phonics) is under-developed and the pupils rely heavily on whole words, picture and context clues to tackle unknown words. The pupils know where to find the index and contents pages in information books.

p.33

ENGLISH

75. By the end of Year 6, standards in reading are in line with national expectations. The pupils discuss texts and authors in detail, compare words in old and modern English, give opinions about characters and select relevant information to support their views. They talk about how authors use devices such as similes and metaphors to create pictures in the mind of the reader. Teachers carry out an analysis of test papers to identify strengths and areas for development in the pupils’ understanding, and they use this information well in planning work. All pupils have a reading card or book to record what they have read. This record is used irregularly by teachers and, as a result, does not provide a constructive dialogue with parents or serve as a useful tool for monitoring the Anglesey Primary School - 34 pupils’ progress in reading. Due to a shortage of space, most books are stored in classrooms. The

p.33

ENGLISH

libraries are underused and consequently the majority of pupils, including those in Year 6, do not know how to find fiction and non-fiction books and this is unsatisfactory.

p.34

ENGLISH

76. In Years 1 and 2, standards in writing are well below national standards. The scrutiny of their work shows that the pupils learn to write in a variety of formats including stories, instructions, reports, letters, descriptions of characters and poetry. They develop their ideas in sentences, sometimes using capital letters and full stops. By the end of Year 6, standards in writing have improved but are still below the national average. The pupils write for a wider range of purposes and regularly use computers to display their work. However, the teachers do not give sufficient emphasis to teaching the basic skills of spelling, grammar, punctuation and handwriting, with the result that the pupils do not have all of the tools they need to write independently. There is no school policy for developing handwriting. As a result, standards of handwriting vary considerably and work is often presented untidily.

p.34

ENGLISH

77. The over-use of worksheets prepared by the teachers means that there are too few opportunities for the pupils to develop their ability to record their work in a variety of ways. As a result, the pupils are not challenged sufficiently to think for themselves, to organise their thoughts, to make decisions about layout and to practise writing independently. Moreover, the pupils are frequently asked to rewrite the same piece of work several times which is a waste of valuable time. This slows the rate of progress the pupils make in writing. In Year 6, the pupils make good progress in their writing because, overall, teaching is consistently better than in other year groups. These pupils analyse different texts to understand the techniques that good writers use. They then try to copy these techniques in their own writing. For example, the pupils know that repetition is used, ‘ to emphasise something ’ and that it is important to ‘ keep the reader waiting ’ and to ‘ make the

p.34

ENGLISH

reader wonder what will happen next .’ Through the analysis of descriptive language including similes and metaphors, one pupil was inspired to write, ‘ Horror sent a shiver up my spine like an army of frozen ants’ . Another pupil wrote, ‘ Phantom footsteps slowly approached, getting louder and louder with every step .’ The pupils write for a range of purposes and often use humour to entertain the reader. For example, when writing a letter on behalf of Grumpy in the tale of Snow White, a Year 6 pupil begins: ‘I am writing to complain about the fact that we poor dwarfs and Snow White are dying of starvation in this little cramped cottage. There is no room to swing a cat.’

p.34

ENGLISH

78. The quality of teaching in English ranges from very good to unsatisfactory, and is satisfactory overall. All teachers plan lessons using the framework of the national literacy strategy. They prepare well for lessons but sometimes give greater focus to the organisation of activities rather than to the expected learning. The teachers often set the same tasks for all pupils without taking account of their differing abilities or their understanding of the English language, which results in the pupils not always being challenged appropriately.

p.34

ENGLISH

79. In a very good lesson in Year 6, the teacher made good use of “Charlotte’s Web” by E. B. White and of the teacher’s own writing, to analyse a range of writing techniques. The lesson was rich in language, for example: ‘The warm sand playfully tickled my toes.’ The teacher had high expectations of what the pupils should achieve, used effective questioning to promote the pupils’ thinking and demonstrated good modelling of the writing process. Resources and support staff were well used and work was matched to the differing abilities of the pupils. As a result, all of the pupils were challenged well and made very good progress.

p.34

ENGLISH

80. Teaching is less effective when teachers spend too long talking at the start of lessons. Since a high proportion of pupils have difficulty understanding what is being said and the concentration of other pupils who do understand the language begins to wander, learning is slow. Time is not always used effectively and some lessons are over-long and move at a slow pace. When marking work, the Anglesey Primary School - 35 teachers do not always tell pupils what they need to do next to improve, and this slows their progress. Much of the pupils’ work is unmarked by the teachers and this is unsatisfactory. Some teachers have low expectations of what the pupils can achieve independently and others do not organise their classrooms so that the pupils can work independently. For example, adults frequently correct mis-spellings rather than asking the pupils to use dictionaries or word banks to correct their

p.34

ENGLISH

own mistakes. There are not enough examples on display of exciting vocabulary, interesting story openings or complex sentences which the pupils can draw upon when they write independently. There is no agreed policy for setting homework which means that the type and amount of work that the pupils are expected to do at home varies from class to class.

p.35

ENGLISH

81. The pupils have good opportunities to develop literacy skills through other subjects. For example in design and technology, Year 2 pupils who were learning about different foods, wrote reports about their visit to Pizza Express, labelled diagrams of pizzas, listed cookery instructions and evaluated their own pizza designs. Visits to the theatre, and theatre groups and storytellers who come into school, also enhance the pupils’ experience of language. The use of information and communication technology makes a positive contribution to the development of the pupils’ literacy skills.

p.35

ENGLISH

82. The pupils behave well in lessons. They listen politely, work hard and collaborate well with each other. The pupils with special educational needs and those who are in the early stages of learning English, are well supported by support staff, and as a result, make good progress. However, once the pupils have acquired a basic fluency in English they are often treated as fully integrated by the teachers and receive similar support to other pupils. As a result, their progress slows.

p.35

ENGLISH

83. There are two co-ordinators for English, who represent different age groups within the school. There is too little formal liaison between them, which results in a lack of consistency in practice throughout the school, for example in the amount of time allocated to the teaching of English. Not enough emphasis has been given to monitoring standards in the subject. Issues identified through the school’s tracking systems are not always followed up with appropriate action. Decisions are made collaboratively by staff and as there is an insufficiently clear view of strengths and areas for development, the teachers are not supported and challenged sufficiently to improve their practice. Although the school has rightly identified raising standards in English as a priority, action plans do not include measurable targets, which makes it difficult for the staff to know how well they are doing. A new reading scheme has recently been purchased and resources are now satisfactory

p.35

ENGLISH

overall. The school has rightly identified the improvement of library facilities as an area for development.

p.35

MATHEMATICS

84. Standards in mathematics are below the national average in Years 2 and 6. Most pupils make satisfactory progress, although this is inconsistent, because of variations in planning and assessment throughout the school. The infants and juniors are each led by a subject co-ordinator, who focus largely on their own key stages, which leads to inconsistencies in approach across the school. The school has decided to use the National Numeracy Strategy as a guide to planning, but not to adopt its recommended style of delivery. This has resulted in lessons that are often too long and lack sufficient rigour and pace. Standards in the juniors have begun to improve, as a result of recent staff training, which has injected a greater sense of purpose. The assessment and tracking of the progress of younger pupils has resulted in teachers having a better understanding of their pupils’ ability. The assessment of the attainment and progress of the older pupils is also giving teachers

p.35

MATHEMATICS

more information. However, assessment data is not yet being used effectively to plan lessons that meet the needs of all pupils. Too often, the more able pupils throughout the school are not sufficiently challenged, so they are not achieving the standards of which they are capable. This is especially apparent in those lessons of considerable length, where more able pupils mark time for Anglesey Primary School - 36 long periods. The co-ordinator of the juniors collects a great deal of assessment data as pupils move through the school, although this is not yet used to set achievable targets for individual pupils to try to improve their work. Those pupils with special educational needs are given good support in lessons and they make good progress. The progress of pupils who have English as an additional language is satisfactory. All pupils have access to the curriculum, but more could be done to

p.35

MATHEMATICS

engage the more able pupils at a more challenging level.

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MATHEMATICS

85. The oldest infant pupils are able to convert word problems into number sentences, although this is less accurate when three numbers are involved. This is particularly evident for those pupils who need support for their reading. The addition and subtraction of simple tens and units, is secure for the above average pupils, but those less able make errors in this process. The understanding of the value of individual digits within a number is not secure. Above average pupils understand that addition and subtraction are opposite procedures. These pupils also recognise some two and three- dimensional shapes and can describe their properties. Some of the pupils who are learning English become confused by the terminology, which slows their progress, for example describing spheres as having corners. The pupils learn to measure using standard and non-standard units, but below average pupils are sometimes inaccurate in both estimating and measuring. The pupils are able to

p.36

MATHEMATICS

construct block graphs after collecting data about liquorice allsorts. More competent pupils demonstrate a sound knowledge of how shapes fit together in art lessons. A weakness in provision is the over-reliance on photocopied worksheets. This prevents pupils from developing their own methods of recording.

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MATHEMATICS

86. By Year 6 the pupils have followed aspects of the national strategy and a scrutiny of their work confirms that they are operating at a below average level. They learn a range of methods in completing multiplication and division calculations, for example the cost of items. This development of a range of strategies is to be commended, for example, in investigating multiples. However, activities do not always challenge more able pupils, who are required to complete laborious processes, often after they have demonstrated an understanding of the concept. Pupils of all abilities follow a similar programme, often with additional support for below average pupils. In Year 6, the areas of mathematics associated with shape, space, measures and data handling are covered within a cross-curricular context. Some interesting work is completed in measuring the rate of a candle burning in science and producing associated graphs. This process is repeated in

p.36

MATHEMATICS

the measurement of the rate of water cooling and graphs produced on the computer are good. In this aspect of the work, pupils of all abilities complete the same tasks, which is a weakness in provision.

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MATHEMATICS

87. The quality of teaching and learning during the inspection was mainly sound, sometimes good and occasionally unsatisfactory. The lesson plans are linked to the requirements of the national strategy. Teachers prepare their lessons well and make sure appropriate resources are available. Consequently, the pupils apply themselves to their task in the full knowledge that they have the resources necessary to complete their work. The teachers’ expositions are clear, so that pupils know what is expected of them. The teaching assistants are well deployed and make a positive contribution to raising the standards of attainment of pupils with special educational needs. Relationships are good and behaviour management is very good, so that pupils are very well behaved during lessons. They are so willing to please, that there is a tendency for them to be compliant, even when lessons do not stimulate them. This occurs when lessons are too long and

p.36

MATHEMATICS

the planned activities do not match all levels of ability. The teachers make appropriate use of information and communications technology to support the pupils’ mathematical development.

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MATHEMATICS

88. In good lessons, a systematic development of skills enables pupils to progress at an appropriate level. In a Year 3 lesson, for instance, the pupils are made aware of the learning objectives in vocabulary that they understand, and the level of challenge is gradually increased as the lesson progresses. This results in pupils of all abilities applying themselves enthusiastically to the task. Anglesey Primary School - 37 Similarly, in a Year 2 lesson, pupils are given time to explain their strategies, so that all pupils feel involved and concentrate in a sustained manner. When teaching and learning are unsatisfactory, planned activities do not challenge all of the pupils, including the more able. In some lessons, there is too little focus on ensuring that the pupils build on their previous learning. There are inconsistencies in the way that their worked is marked and few opportunities are taken to set

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MATHEMATICS

targets for improvement. Some of the pupils’ work in mathematics is poorly presented.

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MATHEMATICS

89. The mathematics curriculum lacks a consistency of approach across the whole school, which results in the pupils making inconsistent progress. For example, the planning takes too little account of the appropriate levels of attainment pupils are expected to achieve. Teachers, therefore, do not have accurate benchmarks against which to assess understanding, measure progress and plan work which meets and challenges all ability levels. Resources in the subject are good.

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SCIENCE

90. Attainment is below average in Year 2 and average in Year 6. The pupils’ work in lessons shows a similar pattern to the results of the national assessments, with standards being too low in Year 2 and improving for almost all pupils to a satisfactory, and sometimes good, level in Year 6. However, the progress made by pupils through the school is not consistent and many pupils are capable of higher standards. Where standards and progress are unsatisfactory, this is mainly because the teaching and curriculum are not sufficiently focused on developing the pupils’ scientific learning.

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SCIENCE

91. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall, with the occasional good lesson. There are too few good lessons to ensure that all pupils make suitable progress in science from year to year. The teachers prepare the resources for lessons carefully and complete conscientiously the planning that is required of them. Nonetheless, even when planning is shared, there is significant variability in the quality and effectiveness of the teaching. This is often related to the teacher’s expertise in the subject and confidence to encourage a rigorous scientific approach. Where teachers are able to ask searching questions and provide stimulating activities which maintain the pupils’ interest, there is a good pace to both the teaching and learning.

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SCIENCE

92. For example, in a good lesson in the juniors, the teacher’s intention was to ensure pupils had the knowledge and understanding to group and classify animals, using specific classifications such as reptile, amphibian, bird, fish, insect or mammal, and discussing criteria such as the number of legs and the means of locomotion. There was a brisk pace to the whole lesson with good use of rigorous questioning which gave pupils of differing abilities the chance to respond in more than one word, and enabled the teacher to check their understanding and their use of the correct terminology. The work was built on a recent visit to the nature centre so the pupils already had a basic knowledge from which to make their suggestions. They were expected to be accurate and precise in their comments. The teacher had good scientific knowledge of this topic, made good use of visual resources and, when the pupils were working independently, managed her time well

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SCIENCE

enough to sustain contact with a group or individuals long enough to extend their learning. Pupils’ attention and behaviour were maintained throughout the lesson and the standard of the resources prepared by the teacher provided a good model of presentation that the pupils made efforts to match in their own work. Although the lesson did not have the benefit of a teaching assistant, almost all pupils significantly improved their skills and knowledge in classification of animals and most were working at least at the expected level for their age.

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SCIENCE

93. In a parallel class, although the planning for the lesson was very similar, the pupils gained less. Most learned some useful basic facts about how to classify animals from the activity although the most able pupils were not sufficiently challenged by the teaching or their work. The tasks set were completed by most pupils, but the level of success and the reasons for any mistakes were not Anglesey Primary School - 38 systematically checked. This left some uncertainty about the extent of pupils’ understanding especially as the class as a whole became a little restless when the pace of the lesson was too slow, and some lost concentration.

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SCIENCE

94. In the older year groups, science is often taught by the subject co-ordinator. This helps to ensure that most of the teaching is based on good knowledge of the subject, as well as increasing the number of teachers available to support pupils across the ability range. The arrangement is successful in accelerating the process made by the pupils, many of whom are knowledgeable about the subject by Year 6. Most are working at the level expected for their age group, and some beyond this. For example, pupils plotting the rate of change in the temperature of hot water after the heat source was removed, were clear about the key factors to be considered when setting up a fair test. They also had experience of a range of techniques for recording their observations. Nonetheless, some weaknesses in the quality of teaching, that were also common to other year groups, remain evident. These include too few opportunities for pupils to undertake independent

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SCIENCE

scientific enquiry as most of the practical work has already been set up by the teacher; a variability in the quality of some teaching across a year group, and limited planning and checking of pupils’ learning across the range of ability. Appropriate use is made of information and control technology in the subject.

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SCIENCE

95. The uneven progress that pupils make is partly due to the limitations of the school’s scheme of work for science. Although some national guidance has been taken into account, the scheme is not detailed enough to support class teachers in planning the small steps of progression in pupils’ learning. The scheme is based on themes that include most of the scientific topics required by the National Curriculum. For example, the pupils study topics such as “The Body” and “Ourselves” in Year 2, which provide the necessary opportunities to consider life processes and living things. Within the topics, the pupils are taught useful facts, such as the names of body parts and plants, and are introduced to new ideas such as how different materials can be classified with the help of the sense of touch. However, too often these topics are planned without sufficient consideration of what specific scientific skills, knowledge and understanding should be gained by pupils in each

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SCIENCE

96. Teachers’ planning of lessons tends to focus on the activities and resources without sufficient recognition of the differing needs of pupils. The work provided in lessons is often the same for all pupils, whatever their stage of learning or ability, and is mainly recorded on pre-prepared worksheets. As a result there are regular examples of unfinished work despite the efforts of the support assistants; too few opportunities for pupils to make decisions, and a disproportionate emphasis on factual knowledge to the detriment of the essential skills, especially the skills of scientific enquiry.

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SCIENCE

97. Without clear statements about the pupils’ expected learning, the assessment of their progress and attainment is also reduced in effectiveness. For example, in a Year 1 lesson, the objective for learning was ‘to make the children aware of the senses of sight and touch’. Such objectives are too general to help teachers to direct rigorous questioning or to enable them to assess accurately what a pupil has learned. A common format for recording assessment at the end of each topic is in place, gives a general view of the National Curriculum level achieved by each pupil, but no precise indicators of gains in their knowledge, skills or understanding. With a little adaptation, this method of recording assessments could usefully identify what pupils across the ability range are expected to learn by the end of each topic or unit of work, and help teachers in the same year group to develop a shared understanding of the standards to be attained. The marking of pupils’ work throughout the

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SCIENCE

school is very basic and often misses opportunities to provide additional guidance for pupils on what they need to do next in order to improve their work. Anglesey Primary School - 39 98. The management of the subject is adequate but few significant initiatives in training, curriculum or assessment, have been taken over recent years. The resources are kept in good order and the action plans indicate reasonable use of the limited time available to the co-ordinators. However, the school has correctly recognised the need for improvement in science and this is one of the priorities for development in the most recent school improvement plan. To improve the teaching and learning in the subject, and to make the best use of the pupils’ positive attitudes and good behaviour, a clearer view is needed of how pupils’ learning can be consistently developed through the school. Consideration needs to be given to the providing a curriculum that is well-balanced across the full

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SCIENCE

range of scientific enquiry and knowledge, together with the means of providing work in each lesson that is well matched to the pupils’ differing stages and abilities.

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ART AND DESIGN

99. Standards in art and design in Year 2 broadly match what is expected for pupils of their age. In Year 6, standards are satisfactory overall, with examples of high quality work from some pupils. The progress pupils make through the school is generally satisfactory, although some pauses in its pace are mainly due to the limited support provided by the scheme of work, the variable subject expertise of teachers and the limited monitoring of pupils’ attainment through the school.

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ART AND DESIGN

100. The school’s approach to art and design is based on themes to which the subject contributes. Within this approach, some teachers have a clear view about how to balance the curriculum so that the pupils can explore ideas and materials, develop and modify two and three-dimensional work over time and extend their knowledge and understanding of other artists and various media and techniques, such as paints, pencils, clay, printing and portraiture. When taught by these teachers, many pupils produce work of good quality, for example in a Year 6 class where plants had been observed closely, paints mixed to reflect the various greens of plant foliage and pencil and paint used to produce various interpretations, some accurate, others imaginative, of the living plants. In another Year 6 class, beautiful costumes had been designed and made, using printing and painting techniques and fabrics of various textures and colours. In Year 2, some pupils were

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ART AND DESIGN

knowledgeable about the techniques used by Mondrian.

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ART AND DESIGN

101. In a few classes, much of the work in art and design is focused on practising a specific technique, such as pencil drawing or designing mosaics using coloured paper, usually to illustrate work in another subject such as history. Within this basic work, the flair and imagination of a few talented pupils can clearly be identified. Some good work is also produced when learning a technique, such as the use of tissue paper and glue to create three-dimensional Egyptian death masks in a Year 5 class. However, progress in art for pupils in some classes is often slow with little individuality, especially when work is mainly driven by the theme.

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ART AND DESIGN

102. The quality of teaching in lessons varies from unsatisfactory to good, with most being at least satisfactory. The teachers’ expertise is also variable, but almost all manage their classes well and provide regular opportunities for art. Many need a more supportive scheme of work which helps them to set expectations for the progress the pupils should make in specific year groups and across the ability range. The use of visiting artists has helped to stimulate ideas and present examples of what pupils are capable of achieving.

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ART AND DESIGN

103. The management of the subject is basic. There are two co-ordinators, one infant and one junior, who do not have specific time allocated for their duties but meet informally to discuss the subject. One result of this is that resources are at least adequate and often good, and they are well organised. The school has aesthetically pleasing displays of art and other work, and the subject is taught regularly. However, there is not a shared view, through the school, of what pupils should achieve in art and design as they move through the year groups, and no regular monitoring to check their standards and progress. The infant co-ordinator collects samples of work which give a useful Anglesey Primary School - 40 view of the range of pupils’ competence, but the systems to use this information in planning to develop pupils’ work, are not robust. There is some use of information and communications technology in art, and this promises well for the future as programs become more integrated into

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ART AND DESIGN

104. The pupils’ attitudes, behaviour and enjoyment of art and design are usually good or very good. Even when using messy materials or sharp tools almost all of the pupils behaved responsibly. The school could be more ambitious about the level of challenge provided for the majority of pupils.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

105. It was only possible to observe two lessons, both in the juniors, during the inspection. The evidence from these lessons, from the work previously carried out by the pupils and from discussions with the pupils and teachers indicates that standards are in line with what is expected of pupils in Year 2 and Year 6. Most pupils, including those with special educational needs and those who are learning English, are making satisfactory progress.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

106. The two co-ordinators are knowledgeable about the subject and have gathered together a range of design and make opportunities that are linked to the national planning guidelines. There are many examples of the pupils’ efforts on display around the school, some of which are of a good standard. The pupils in Year 1 design and make puppets with moveable joints and pop-up puppets, showing satisfactory skills of cutting and fastening. They record their designs appropriately using planning sheets. The pupils develop their understanding further by making wheeled buses. The pupils in Year 2 have taken part in an interesting project on ‘pizzas’ during which they designed and evaluated pizzas, visited a local pizza restaurant and had many opportunities to extend their English skills by writing descriptions and accounts of the work they have carried out.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

107. In the lessons seen, pupils in Year 3 explored the stability of objects such as tables and chairs. In one lesson, they used the knowledge gained to find ways of increasing the stability of a sheet of paper. The more able pupils, in particular, are beginning to evaluate the effectiveness of the support stand of a photographic frame and are able to apply their knowledge to create simple stands using card. The pupils in Year 4 have planned, designed and evaluated quiz games using simple electrical circuits. In Year 5, the pupils have followed a complex set of instructions to create a ‘top hat’ using a cam mechanism to rotate part of the model. Whilst the outward signs indicate that many of the top hats look the same, the internal mechanisms show a variety of different solutions. Computers were well used to support this work. The oldest juniors have designed and made intricate and attractive carousels, using their more sophisticated understanding

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

108. The quality of teaching in the two lessons observed was satisfactory. The teachers showed a sound knowledge of the subject, the materials needed for the lessons were well organised and the teachers explained the activities clearly. Each class contained pupils of a wide range of abilities and a variety of levels of understanding of English. Although the activities were broadly similar for all pupils, the support staff ensured that the pupils who have difficulty with their work and those learning English were able to play a full part in the lessons. This good support, together with the positive relationships amongst the pupils and between the pupils and adults, led to most pupils making satisfactory progress. The co-ordinators offer advice to colleagues, meet regularly to improve the continuity between the infants and juniors and organise resources. As yet there have been few opportunities for them to monitor learning in the subject and ensure that the skills are

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

taught progressively as the pupils move through the school.

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GEOGRAPHY

Anglesey Primary School - 41 109. The standards of attainment in Years 2 and 6 are in line with those expected nationally and all of the pupils make satisfactory progress. The subject makes a significant contribution to the spiritual, moral, social and cultural education of the pupils.

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GEOGRAPHY

110. A particular strength of the curriculum is the very good use made of field trips to study geographical topics. This work supports the development of the pupils' knowledge and understanding of geographical issues and skills through practical experience. It assists the pupils in the acquisition of subject specific vocabulary and supports their developing competency in understanding, speaking and writing English. Good use is made of information and communication technology (ICT) skills in the subject. For example, Year 6 pupils produce computer presentations to reflect the conclusions they have come to about the changes in land use in an area where mining has finished. Information from traffic surveys close to the school and in a contrasting rural village is entered into a data-handling program and graphs are printed out to show similarities and differences in traffic patterns. The school's digital cameras are in regular use to record and display

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GEOGRAPHY

111. All of the pupils have good access to the planned activities; the pupils are interested in geography and enjoy learning about geographical topics. By the time the pupils reach Year 6, they talk confidently and enthusiastically about the topics they have studied. They show knowledge and understanding of map reading, countries and continents, and of issues such as land use and how people live in contrasting environments.

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GEOGRAPHY

112. However, there are areas for development in the organisation of the geography curriculum and the way it is taught. For example, the co-ordination of what is taught is in its early stages and as a result some topics which cover several areas do not have the specific geographical skills identified and year groups often have long gaps between units of geography work. The subject managers, one each from the infants and juniors, are working together to review the guidelines for what is taught in the school and aim to draw up an action plan to address these issues. In addition, although some topics have assessment opportunities attached, it is not clear how the outcomes are used in planning the next steps to help pupils progress at a faster rate. The school has not clearly identified which skills will be taught in each topic in order to make sure that pupils build on what they have learned before.

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GEOGRAPHY

113. In Year 1, the pupils learn to interpret a plan of the school and to find their own classroom and other rooms such as the office and the hall. They identify the different roles that adults play in the school and where they are most often to be found, for example the cook in the kitchen and the secretary in the office. They look at the buildings that are found in the streets around the school and experience, at first hand, the City transport systems of trains, buses and canal barges. In Year 2, the pupils can identify some of the differences between the City of Birmingham and a contrasting area, such as the countryside at the Lickey Hills. The Year 2 and 3 pupils can take part in a residential visit to Bell Heath, where there are opportunities to study environmental and geographical topics.

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GEOGRAPHY

114. Year 3 pupils investigate the contrast between life in Lozells and that in the rural Leicestershire village of Twycross. They think about the different needs of the two places and compare features such as the street furniture and traffic-calming methods. On the way to Twycross, they follow their route on a map and, in the village, they make their own sketch maps of the village centre and mark on special features using a key. In Year 4, the pupils find out about farming and land use in a village in India. As the pupils move through the juniors they complete river studies, visiting the Rivers Severn and Cole. They use photographs, maps and globes to extend their knowledge and understanding of different parts of the country and the world. The older pupils learn about a different locality when they investigate Baxterley and discover the reasons for the closure of the coal-mines and the issues surrounding the changes in land use.

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GEOGRAPHY

Anglesey Primary School - 42 115. One geography lesson was observed during the inspection and it reached a satisfactory standard. A good feature of the lesson was the opportunity given to the pupils in the class to each use a map of the school and mark places on it. The work covered by the pupils in the infants and juniors is well displayed and shows that the pupils are given good opportunities to consider issues surrounding land use in different countries, climatic variations and local geographical features.

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HISTORY

116. By observing lessons, talking to the pupils and analysing their work, standards in history are judged to be below the national expectations at the end of Year 2 and in line with those expectations at the end of Year 6. As the pupils enter school with standards which are below average, they make satisfactory progress in the infants and good progress in the juniors. The pupils who have special educational needs and those who speak English as an additional language make satisfactory progress overall.

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HISTORY

117. By the end of Year 2, the pupils understand some of the differences between their own lives and those in the past, such as in Victorian times. They sort toys into those from the past and those from the present day and comment on the different materials from which they are made. For a significant number of pupils, whose first language is not English, their language skills hinder their understanding and attainment in history as they cannot discuss, read or write about aspects in sufficient depth, and are not given enough support to do so. As a result, their attainment is below national standards. The pupils need more experience of placing objects in chronological order to develop their understanding of time, and of using specialist vocabulary such as ‘a long time ago’ and ‘past’, as many pupils think that history is about drawing and about pictures.

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HISTORY

118. By the end of Year 6, the pupils have a satisfactory knowledge of different periods of British history and how people lived in ancient cultures. They know that we can learn about history from a variety of sources including books, museums, people, the Internet, videos, CDs and the Census. They recall appropriate information about life in different periods such as in Tudor times, and can place these periods into a correct time sequence. Their knowledge of key dates and specialist vocabulary is less secure. For example, the pupils could not name any key dates and confused words such as ‘artefact’ with ‘extract.’ They describe the impact of some events, such as how life in Britain changed as a result of World War 2.

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HISTORY

119. From the lessons observed, the quality of teaching in history is satisfactory and is sometimes good. In a good lesson in Year 2, the teacher effectively planned a range of practical activities for the pupils, which maintained their interest. The focus of the lesson was to compare how every-day tasks such as washing, ironing, cooking and cleaning are carried out today, with how they were done in the past when electricity was not available. The pupils were shown artefacts from Victorian times and asked to suggest what these might be used for. They were fascinated by all of the artefacts but particularly by the ‘dolly’ which none of them recognised. When asked what it might be used for, the pupils responded with a variety of possibilities and they were delighted when the teacher demonstrated how it was used for washing clothes. The pupils then handled the artefacts, made observational drawings and recorded their ideas. By using these teaching methods,

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HISTORY

all of the pupils were fully involved in the lesson and, as a result, they made good progress. Appropriate use is made of information and control technology to support the pupils’ learning.

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HISTORY

120. Teaching is less effective when lesson introductions are too long, so reducing the opportunities for the pupils to find out information for themselves. In preparing resources, teachers do not generally take account of the needs of different groups of pupils, such as those with special educational needs or the pupils in the early stages of learning English. As a result, these pupils often rely on the support of their classmates to tackle tasks and make only satisfactory progress. All pupils are Anglesey Primary School - 43 given numerous worksheets on which to record their work. Many of these are unfinished, undated and unmarked. This makes it difficult for teachers to track the pupils’ progress and assess what they have fully understood and what they need to do next to improve their work.

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HISTORY

121. Good links are made in history to other subjects, particularly English. The pupils learn new words such as ‘artefact’ and ‘chronology’. They conduct research and write for a range of purposes. For example, Year 6 pupils produce a leaflet informing the population about precautions to take during an air raid. Visits to places of interest such as Cannock Toy Museum, Solo House and the Black Country Museum make a useful contribution to the pupils’ learning. The pupils have very good attitudes towards history. They are enthusiastic, work hard in lessons, are keen to answer questions and collaborate well with each other. They are stimulated by the many good displays in classrooms and around school to promote learning. They enjoy finding out information for themselves. For example, Year 5 pupils were challenged to find out more about life in Ancient Egypt for their homework.

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HISTORY

122. History is led and managed by two co-ordinators who represent different age groups within the school. They have adopted an appropriate scheme of work using national guidelines, and have purchased a satisfactory range of resources to support the teaching and learning. However, there are insufficient opportunities for liaison between the co-ordinators which results in inconsistency in practice throughout the school, such as in the amount of time allocated to the teaching of history and in procedures for assessment. Time has not yet been allocated for co-ordinators to monitor standards. Teachers assess pupils’ attainment but there is no evidence that this information is used to review planning or to meet the needs of different groups of pupils.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

123. Standards in ICT are in line with the expectations for pupils at the end of Year 2 and above those expectations at the end of Year 6. The school makes good use of the two computer suites, which are well maintained by a part-time technician.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

124. In discrete ICT lessons, good teacher subject knowledge and expertise is used to set challenging tasks for all abilities of pupils. In Year 3, the pupils develop the use of the PowerPoint program to create a story about Thomas Tull, with accompanying pictures, sound, animation and text. Some of the pupils are able to add a variety of speech bubbles to their illustrations. In Year 4, the pupils use a programme to search a branching database to identify and classify animals. Pupils of all abilities in Year 5 are challenged to use simple control devices to create a sequence of instructions that demonstrate changing traffic lights.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

125. All pupils receive regular ICT lessons and the pupils with special educational needs and those for whom English is an additional language are particularly well supported. The pupils enjoy their lessons and are fascinated to see the capabilities of the technology that they use. Displays of ICT work, and its use to support other subjects, are seen throughout the school and show a wide range of activities. Year 1 pupils change the font, colour and size of word-processed pictures of their names. Year 2 pupils paint pictures in the style of Picasso and present poetry that is re-drafted using word-processing skills. All classes use digital cameras, linked to computers to produce displays including residential trips in Year 2 and 3, a local geography study in Year 3 using ICT to produce block graphs of traffic types in the surrounding area and, in Year 6, using programs to help with a design and technology project to make top hats. All pupils regularly use the Internet and

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

pupils from Years 5 and 6 produce PowerPoint and video displays of visits out of school to such places as Ludlow Castle.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

126. The quality of teaching is good overall and ranges from satisfactory to very good. The majority of lessons seen were good or better. The teachers have good subject knowledge, plan well and Anglesey Primary School - 44 reinforce learning with good modelling, demonstration and correction of misconceptions. Lessons are typified by clear instructions, teacher-led demonstrations with interaction from all pupils, followed by sustained periods of hands-on experience. Support staff are used to particular effect to ensure that the pupils with special education needs and those who are at the early stages of learning English are able to play a full part in the lessons. Whilst the teaching of ICT is good, there were few examples during the inspection of the pupils using computers to aid their learning in other lessons.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

127. The co-ordination of the subject is good. The two co-ordinators liaise regularly and have formulated a challenging action plan to further improve the teaching and learning of ICT and its use in all subject areas. The good practice seen in some classes and year groups should be shared with all staff. There is little time designated for the co-ordinators to organise such initiatives and to plan further training for the teaching and support staff.

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MUSIC

128. The standards pupils reach in music are close to the expectations for the age group in Year 2, with frequent examples of higher than expected standards in the juniors, where the subject is taught by a specialist teacher. The pupils enjoy music lessons and work with energy and enthusiasm, which contributes to the satisfactory progress made by the majority of pupils. Some pupils make good progress in the juniors and a small number of older pupils have performed successfully in external examinations for flute, and descant and treble recorders.

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MUSIC

129. In the infants, the pupils are better at listening and performing than composing or discussing music. They have a reasonable range of opportunities to listen to music and to perform, including singing in assembly and moving to different types of music. This range contributes effectively to their musical development and, by Year 2, most pupils listen well. They recognise changes in sound, and know how to alter the sounds made by untuned musical instruments. Many pupils sing reasonably tunefully and know a number of simple songs. Music is taught by class teachers in Years 1 and 2, with the occasional involvement of the school’s music specialist, mainly for special performances. At present there are few resources to assist non-specialist staff with the planning of teaching and learning in music and, although assessments are made at the end of each unit of work, these have little influence on the planning of subsequent activities. Too few lessons were seen in the infants to

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MUSIC

make an overall judgement about teaching but, in one Year 2 lesson, the good quality of the class management successfully enabled the pupils to sustain their active interest and make good gains in their understanding of how instruments could be played. The school has identified the need to further develop the music curriculum in the infants and this intention is already included in the school development plan.

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MUSIC

130. In the juniors, the pace of pupils’ progress increases due mainly to the skills of the specialist teacher. The teaching is good, with high expectations, good use of a range of resources, good management of pupils’ learning behaviour and social skills, and challenging tasks. The planned work covers the National Curriculum requirements, with the exception of choral work which is only lightly represented, and provides well for those pupils who have particular talents. The pupils are systematically introduced to the vocabulary of the subject as they work on building their understanding of aspects such as chords, dynamics, rhythm, texture and tempo through composing simple of more complex pieces. ICT is used very effectively to visually represent and reproduce compositions. The pupils can hear, appraise and modify their own work using this medium. They enjoy the lessons and take great pride in their achievements.

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MUSIC

131. Although these lessons are of good and sometimes very good quality, the gains made by many pupils do not always reflect this. The class teacher is not present during the lesson and there are almost no regular opportunities for the pupils to apply and consolidate, in other contexts, what they Anglesey Primary School - 45 have learned in the lesson. Despite the specialist teacher’s imaginative strategies to jog pupils’ memories of earlier learning, sometimes from a previous year, the pupils occasionally struggle to remember. The scheme of work for music in the juniors is detailed and has a clear developmental sequence to the teaching. However, it is less clear about the development of pupils’ learning, and how this is assessed, recorded and monitored. This results in a lack of clarity about the overall attainment of some pupils. For example, although pupils with special educational needs are well

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MUSIC

integrated into lessons, with opportunities to perform, how much progress they make is not entirely clear. There are also some weaknesses within classes, for example in one Year 3 class, about half of the pupils were still hesitant about clapping the rhythm of their own name. There is need for further consideration by both the school and subject managers about how these differences in attainment and progress can be dealt with, beyond or within the current provision for music.

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MUSIC

132. For example, the respect for and status of music in the school is not as high as it could be, especially in the juniors, given the quality of the pupils’ experiences in lessons. Displays rarely support music; the pupils and adults sometimes talk when music is being played in assembly, and the pupils rarely perform in situations other than those that are formally planned. The integration of music into other subjects of the curriculum, and into the daily life of the school, could be improved significantly. Nonetheless, the programme of clubs, visitors and visits, together with specialist provision from the local education authority staff and other providers, introduces many pupils to a good variety of experiences of music. These include playing the Indian tabla with the help of a visiting teacher, and attending concerts by the CBSO. For those pupils involved, this provides a very good basis for developing further their love of music.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

133. The standards achieved by the end of Year 2 and Year 6 are in line with national expectations and most pupils, including those with special educational needs and those for whom English is an additional language, make satisfactory progress. During the inspection, lessons in games were observed in the infants and gymnastics in the juniors. The teachers’ planning indicates that swimming is taught in Year 3 and a satisfactory proportion of the pupils swim 25 metres by the end of that year.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

134. Pupils in Year 2 follow the teachers’ instructions to warm up effectively. With prompting from the teacher, most pupils recognise some of the changes that occur during exercise and they are beginning to understand why warming up is important. They are developing an awareness of space and the position of other pupils and can follow the rules of a simple game. The skills of throwing, catching and dribbling a large ball are satisfactory and they are given many opportunities to consolidate these skills. The pupils in these lessons approached their work enthusiastically and sustained good concentration, particularly when the lesson moved at a brisk pace and the resources were well organised. The pupils continue to make satisfactory progress as they move through the juniors. The pupils in Year 3 move and balance in a variety ways and with satisfactory control and they are beginning to link movements together to create a simple sequence. This work is refined in

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Year 5, where most pupils create sequences that are fluent and interesting. When they work with a partner, they collaborate well and show good awareness as they move in unison. When they are encouraged to do so, these older pupils evaluate each other’s work sensitively, suggest how the sequences might be improved and refine and improve their own efforts.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

135. Overall, the quality of teaching is satisfactory. The teachers generally have a sound knowledge of the subject and their expectations of the pupils’ capabilities are appropriately high. All of the teachers observed had high expectations of the pupils’ behaviour and the pupils responded well. In a good lesson in Year 5, the teacher had a clear focus on improving the pupils’ performance and encouraged the pupils to analyse and evaluate their work. As a result, the more able pupils were challenged to achieve higher levels. Occasionally, however, the teacher focuses exclusively on the Anglesey Primary School - 46 organisation of the activities with too little emphasis on the improvement of the pupils’ skills. Across the school, the teachers have a good awareness of the needs of the pupils with special educational needs and those who are at the early stages of learning English. They ensure that their

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

instructions and explanations are clear and are understood by all. Accordingly, all of the pupils take part in the lessons and make satisfactory progress.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

136. The infants and juniors each have a co-ordinator for physical education, although one of them is very new to the role. It is important that, as their partnership develops, the co-ordinators acquire a whole school view of the subject and how it can be developed. At present, the role includes liaising with year group leaders to monitor teachers’ planning, organising resources and supporting colleagues. The junior co-ordinator has organised training for staff and has carried out an audit of their skills, but there have been no opportunities to work alongside colleagues and monitor the teaching and learning. The planning indicates that the requirements of the National Curriculum are met. The school has recently purchased a scheme of work that will help teachers to ensure that the skills are taught progressively as the pupils move through the school. Many pupils benefit from the good range of activities that take place outside of lessons, many of which are provided through

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

the good links that exist with the local designated sports college.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

137. The pupils’ attainment in religious education is broadly in line with the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus at the end of Year 2 and Year 6. Recent developments to improve the quality of provision are satisfactory and are beginning to improve the pupils’ attainment and there are appropriate plans for developments. The pupils are happy to share their religious beliefs with each other, which has a positive impact on the caring and welcoming ethos of the school. All pupils, including those with special educational needs and those who are at the early stages of learning English are fully involved in the lessons and make satisfactory progress.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

138. In Year 1, the pupils learn about Hindu, Christian and Islamic celebrations. They compare such festivals as Eid, Christmas and Diwali and discuss the reasons why all religions celebrate such festivals. In Year 3, when examining why societies have rules, the pupils are encouraged to compare the rules of different religions, for example how Christians are encouraged not to steal. When discussing this aspect, the pupils produced very good examples of how it might feel to be an old lady near their school who has been attacked and robbed. Similarly, they explore the Islamic rule of giving to the poor through charity and they are asked to consider how they would follow such a rule.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

139. In Year 4, through a dramatic re-enactment of the story of Harriet Tubman and the underground railway in the United States of the mid-nineteenth century, the pupils draw out the sense of injustice that slavery brought to the world at that time. From this pupils deduce that all religions have rules which assist us to care for others. In Year 5, the pupils use the story of the persecution of the Israelites and the plagues that were inflicted upon the Egyptians to consider how the followers of many religions have suffered persecution throughout history. The pupils in Year 6, using comparisons of Buddhism, Christianity and Islam, learn how these religions show that their followers have learned to suffer for their beliefs. The pupils discuss and comment with some perception how they would feel if they followed the example of Buddha to leave behind a royal life for that of the normal world to see what true suffering and pain is like.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

140. The quality of teaching and learning in the four lessons seen was satisfactory. The teachers generally have a satisfactory knowledge of the work they cover, which enables all pupils to make satisfactory gains in their knowledge and understanding. However, this progress is slower where the teacher’s subject knowledge is less secure, as the opportunities to discuss the religious beliefs of others are less effective. The teachers use the locally agreed syllabus, linked to other subjects, Anglesey Primary School - 47 to ensure a reasonably broad coverage of the topics, although there is a lack of consistency in the approach across the school. The work carried out previously by the pupils indicates that the focus in some classes is on developing the pupils’ moral awareness and understanding, with too little emphasis on teaching the pupils about their own and other religions. The school recognises the

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

need to improve the assessment of the pupils’ attainment and the tracking of their progress. There are few resources and artefacts on display within the school.

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