Dore Primary School

DORE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 11 – 14 November 2002

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DORE 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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DORE 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. Dore Primary School

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Furniss Avenue Dore Sheffield

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mr Peter Lister

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: No previous inspection Dore Primary School

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Tony Painter Registered inspector Music Special educational needs What sort of school is it? The school's results and pupils' achievements What should the school do to improve further? Margaret Manning Lay inspector Pupils' attitudes, values and personal development How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? Martin Mayhew Team inspector Information and communication technology (ICT) Religious education Art and design How well are pupils taught?

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Andrew Mumford Team inspector The Foundation Stage Science How well is the school led and managed? Trevor Hulbert Team inspector English English as an additional language Geography History Equal opportunities John Kerrane Team inspector Mathematics Physical education Design and technology How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils?

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

TWA Inspections Ltd 102 Bath Road Cheltenham GL53 7JX

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

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

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Dore Primary School

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

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

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 10

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

This community primary school for pupils between 4 and 11 years is much bigger than other primary schools, with 390 pupils on roll. Pupils mostly come from the area around the school, which includes some social housing. However, most of the area has many socio-economic advantages and the proportion of pupils in receipt of free school meals, at 1.3 per cent, is well below average. Most pupils are white but nearly 8 per cent have other ethnic backgrounds. Three pupils come from families where English is an additional language but none is at an early stage of learning English. The attainment of children joining the school is above that expected of children of their age. Seventy-nine pupils have identified special educational needs and seven of these have Statements of Special Educational Need. These figures are average.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a very good school where very good leadership and management steer the school well and ensure good value for money. Good teaching, particularly of the oldest pupils, ensures that pupils reach standards of attainment that are well above average. The school gives an extensive range of exciting experiences to pupils, including excellent extra-curricular activities. These motivate and interest pupils, ensuring that they develop very positive attitudes to school and learning.

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What the school does well

• Good teaching helps pupils to make good progress and reach standards of attainment that are well above average. • Very good leadership and management have successfully amalgamated the previous schools and give a good clear direction for future developments. • A very rich range of learning opportunities with excellent extra-curricular activities motivates and interests pupils, promoting very good attitudes to learning. • The school provides very well for pupils’ personal development. • Strong links with parents support pupils’ learning well.

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What could be improved

• Subject co-ordinators do not have a clear enough view of the standards, strengths and weaknesses of their subjects throughout the school. • There is insufficient monitoring of teaching to share good practice. 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

This school was formed in September 2000 after the amalgamation of an infant and junior school on the same site and has not been inspected before. Dore Primary School

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STANDARDS

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

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Key

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

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Key

Children start school with attainment above that expected for four year olds. They make satisfactory progress in the reception class and their attainment when they begin Year 1 is above the expected levels. Pupils’ overall attainment at the age of 7, confirmed by the national assessments, is above average with some consistent strength in their achievements in mathematics. By the age of 11, pupils’ results in the tests show well above average attainment in English and mathematics. Since the school was formed, the results of the tests at the age of 11 have been high and the school was in the top 5 per cent of schools in science in 2001. However, the 2002 results were slightly weaker because the group of pupils contained a larger proportion of pupils with special educational needs. Increased analysis is helping teachers to set higher and more challenging targets that the school is likely to meet next year. The inspection confirms

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Key

these higher standards. Standards in information and communication technology (ICT) and other subjects are above those expected for pupils aged 11 and they achieve well. Lower attaining pupils and those with identified special educational needs get good support to help them achieve well. Pupils from minority ethnic groups and the very small number who are new to learning English are supported effectively to integrate into their classes and make good progress with the other pupils.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Very good. Pupils are enthusiastic about all aspects of school and enjoy extending their learning in the many extra-curricular activities.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Very good. Pupils are polite and courteous. There are no instances of unpleasant behaviour and no recent exclusions.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Very good. Pupils are thoughtful and very aware of the feelings of others. They take increasing responsibilities through the school.

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Aspect Comment

Pupils’ very good attitudes and behaviour are significant positive factors in their good learning. The many very good opportunities they have to plan and take responsibility for activities help them to gain good levels of maturity and understanding. Dore Primary School

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

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

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

Good teaching overall, with particularly strong teaching in Years 1, 5 and 6, meets the needs of all pupils and ensures that they learn well. Although some teaching in the Foundation Stage is very good, too few planned activities give children a wide range of learning experiences. Too many activities are of a formal nature, directed by the adults, and give children insufficient choices in their play. Pupils with special educational needs are effectively supported, particularly by the good assistants in classes, and they make good progress. The very few pupils who are new to learning English take a full part in all lessons and learn well with the other pupils.

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

English and mathematics teaching are good because teachers ensure that basic skills are taught well. They extend and use pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills well in a wide range of subjects. This gives pupils very good opportunities to make connections between aspects of their learning and raises standards of attainment. High expectations, generally with a good match of tasks to pupils’ prior attainment, capture pupils’ attention and promote good learning. Teachers in all parts of the school manage pupils and classrooms very well and this ensures that most lessons give a good pace to learning. This pace is further maintained as teachers use effective and probing questioning to extend pupils’ thinking.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Very good. Teachers plan a very good range of activities that make very good use of the school’s and national guidance. Visits and visitors play a strong part in extending pupils’ experiences and learning.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. Effective support for pupils with special educational needs ensures that they make good progress.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Good. The very few pupils from families where English is an additional language are given good support wherever necessary to help them learn. They play a full part in all lessons.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Very good. The school very effectively helps pupils to become mature and responsible. Pupils have very good opportunities to find out about the arts and culture and to develop social skills and moral understanding. Excellent extra-curricular activities widen experiences and help pupils to learn and play together.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Good. The school cares for pupils well in a safe and happy environment.

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Aspect Comment

Teachers ensure that very strong links are established between pupils’ learning in different subjects. These links contribute significantly to pupils’ effective learning and are further supported in the excellent range of extra-curricular activities. Very good links with parents help them to support their children’s learning. Dore Primary School

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Very good. The headteacher provides very clear leadership and promotes effective teamwork. The senior management team has played a very positive role in amalgamating the former schools.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Very good. Governors have a good understanding of the strengths and priorities for improvement. They work closely with the school to keep well informed about what is going on and what has been achieved.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Good. Increasing analysis of the school’s results gives good insight into standards and the effectiveness of teaching. This is used to steer further developments. The school has not, however, undertaken systematic monitoring of teaching to share good practice further.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Good. Good financial planning and careful analysis of spending ensure that the school uses all its resources well.

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Aspect Comment

In most subjects, the responsibilities for co-ordination are shared between an infant and a junior teacher. This has enabled some good partnerships and most have developed good policies and schemes of work to run through the whole school. However, those responsible for the infant classes rarely have a good knowledge of what is happening in the junior years and vice versa. As a result, co-ordinators do not have a sufficiently clear overview to steer developments.

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Aspect Comment

Very good resources and accommodation help teachers to promote learning well. The school makes good efforts to apply the principles of best value through detailed analysis of the impact of spending and the quality of services.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Teachers are approachable and parents are welcomed into the school. • The school is led and managed well. • Good teaching helps pupils to learn well. • Pupils are helped to behave well and gain maturity. • Information about how well their children are getting on. • Links with parents.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspection team agrees with all the positive points made by parents but cannot fully support the points for improvement. Links with parents are very strong. There are many good opportunities for parents to aid their children’s learning and these play a positive part in the very good standards that pupils achieve. Parents get good information about their children’s work and their progress although there is room for further improvements. Dore Primary School

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. Since the school was formed, its results in National Curriculum assessments of 11 year olds have been well above average. In 2001, for example, pupils’ overall attainment was in the top 5 per cent of all schools. The results in 2002 were a little lower, reflecting the relative abilities of this group of pupils. However, results in English and mathematics were still well above average and science results were above average. Although science results were average when compared with similar schools, results in English and mathematics were respectively above and well above the similar schools’ average. Increased analysis of pupils’ results and other data is helping teachers to set higher and more challenging targets that the school is likely to meet next year.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. Children in the reception class exceed the expectations for their age in all the areas of learning by the time they begin Year 1. In particular, children have good relationships, settle quickly and far exceed the expectations in their personal, social and emotional development. Their language skills are very good and they often talk excitedly about their work to adults and other children. Although many are keen to write, they have too little encouragement to incorporate writing naturally in their play, which slows their learning. Their knowledge of number is above that expected and children enjoy counting in activities such as sorting and number rhymes. Good teaching of physical activities ensures that they gain good coordination and control, for example in cutting and sticking. They are encouraged to observe carefully and this is reflected in the good quality of their creative development and their knowledge and understanding of the world.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. In 2002, the proportion of pupils meeting national standards in the tests at the end Year 2 was above the national average in both reading and writing. However, the number of pupils achieving the higher Level 3 in writing was well above that found nationally. Although boys achieved less well than girls at the end of Year 2, the position had reversed by the end of Year 6 with boys scoring better than girls. There is a very wide range of opportunities for pupils to apply their literacy skills in other subjects. This has a very positive effect on pupils’ standards of attainment as they pass through the school. By Year 6, pupils speak and listen very well and use these skills very confidently and effectively in discussions, debates and role-play. Their confident consideration and answering of questions helps teachers to extend their thinking and promotes very good learning. Pupils are excited and interested in the books that they read. They develop very good skills at

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

locating and absorbing information from books, CD-ROMs and the Internet. Pupils write in an impressive variety of forms carefully using different ways to make their writing interesting and expressive.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. In the 2002 national tests for 7-year-olds, mathematics results were well above the national average and above the average for schools in similar areas. A high percentage of pupils reached the higher Level 3, both in comparison with national percentages and with results in similar schools. In the 2002 national tests for 11-year-olds, a high percentage of pupils reached the higher Level 5 with some narrowly missing the exceptionally high Level 6 standard. In comparison with similar schools, the school’s results at Level 5 were high showing good achievement by higher attaining pupils. By the age of 11, pupils apply their well-developed number skills to interesting and demanding investigations in fields such as shape and probability. They have, for example, very good understanding of fractions, decimals and percentages, confidently converting between the different forms. They have good understanding of the properties of shapes and angles. They confidently collect,

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

display and interpret data in the forms of graphs and tables. Pupils make good use of their knowledge from other subjects, and draw on their numeracy skills effectively, for example when rounding decimals up or down. Dore Primary School 5. Although pupils in the current Year 2 are performing around the national average, standards in science by the age of 7 years have been above average. In 2002, for example, nearly all pupils achieved the nationally expected Level 2 and around a third achieved the higher Level 3. Inspection evidence indicates that the current Year 2 classes have a greater proportion of lower attaining pupils in science. Attainment in Year 1 classes is higher and indicates continuing good standards. In the 2002 National Curriculum tests, virtually all pupils aged 11 attained the expected Level 4 or higher and about half achieved the higher Level 5. Whilst this was slightly lower than the previous year, it

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

was still significantly above average. By Year 6, pupils have very good investigative skills, developed well through very good opportunities to design and plan investigations. They use a variety of scientific instruments correctly, and choose the appropriate one for the task in hand. They have very good knowledge across all aspects of their work in science.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6. Standards in all other subjects are above those expected of pupils by the time they leave the school. These standards are effectively promoted through the wide variety of activities that make connections between pupils’ learning in different subjects. In history, for example, these links and good visits and visitors bring the subject alive for pupils and help them to make comparisons with their own lives. Teachers give pupils work that particularly effectively supports the development of their literacy skills. A continuing emphasis on explanation and comparison results in pupils developing very good speaking and listening skills. Pupils undertake a very wide range of writing, which contributes to their competence in the use of English. Standards in ICT are also effectively promoted through links with other subjects. Pupils use computers and the Internet with good confidence and understanding to research aspects of, for example, history, geography and art.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

They also use them as part of their mathematics work, for control and data logging. They use computers to make good quality presentations of their learning.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. There is no significant or consistent difference in the relative attainments of boys and girls. Lower attaining pupils and those with special educational needs are supported well in their learning. This ensures that they make good progress through the school towards the targets in their individual education plans. Pupils with minority ethnic backgrounds play a full part in all lessons and other school activities, ensuring that they achieve well. The very few pupils with English as an additional language are supported whenever necessary to ensure they make good progress with the other pupils. Teachers ensure that high-attaining pupils are challenged well and achieve their full potential. For example, last year some Year 6 pupils were very close to achieving the higher Level 6 in English and mathematics.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

8. Pupils very much enjoy coming to school and taking part in lessons and other activities that it provides. Parents strongly agree that this is so. Pupils willingly bring items from home to use in lessons or show in assemblies. Many very enthusiastically attend clubs at lunchtime and at the end of the day. So much so that some, such as the table tennis club for the more experienced players, have waiting lists.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

9. Behaviour in lessons and around school is very good. It is particularly good when pupils are moving around the school or playing outside and pupils are naturally polite to visitors. The school has high expectations that they should behave well and this is borne out in reality. Occasionally pupils become distracted in lessons where the teacher does not motivate the pupils so well. In these lessons they become fidgety and do not concentrate on their work. In most lessons pupils are keen to take part and concentrate very well throughout. This was shown, for example, in a Year 1 music lesson on repeating rhythms. In some lessons, particularly with the older pupils, behaviour was excellent, the pupils responding to the enthusiasm of the teacher as in a Year 5 mathematics lesson. Pupils are very interested to ask questions and find out more. In a Year 5 art lesson based on the work of William Morris they all took great care over their work, helped each other and cleared up

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

conscientiously. The lack of unpleasant behaviour of any kind is extremely good and the school is a harmonious community. Parents are right to feel confident that behaviour in school is very good.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10. Pupils are very thoughtful about others as in a Year 4 history lesson about the Tudor warship ‘Mary Rose’. One girl said, ‘Is it fair?’, when they heard from the teacher that the ordinary sailors ate with wooden spoons whereas the officers used metal ones. In a Year 3 religious education lesson, pupils were able to think of lots of simple ways they could help other people. Their relationships with each other and with their teachers are very good and in a Year 6 English lesson pupils Dore Primary School spontaneously applauded when one was awarded a merit for work following a trip to the Mayfield Centre. Pupils enjoy the responsibilities that are offered to them and carry them out sensibly, from children in the reception class to more mature pupils in Year 6. They work very well both together and independently because of the value the school puts on this aspect of their development.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. Attendance at school is very good being higher than the national average and with no unauthorised absence. Pupils come to school promptly so that lessons can start in good time.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

12. Teaching is satisfactory overall in the Foundation Stage. The reception class teacher and her teaching assistants manage the children well and give a wide range of activities across all the areas of learning. As a result, most children make satisfactory progress and achieve above what is normally expected of them by the time they enter Year 1 in the infants. Whilst a minority of teaching is good or better, most does not pay enough attention to the national guidance for teaching children in the Foundation Stage. For example, there are insufficient planned activities that are designed to give children a wide range of learning experiences. Too many activities are of a formal nature, directed by the adults, and do not allow children enough opportunities to plan and initiate their own activities.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

13. The quality of teaching across the rest of the school is good overall and the needs of pupils of different backgrounds are met well. There was no unsatisfactory teaching in the school and a third was very good with some excellent lessons. However, the teaching in the junior classes is better overall than in the infants. Teaching in Years 5 and 6 is consistently good or better, and 60 per cent is very good or excellent. Consequently, whilst pupils make good progress across the school, their rate of progress is best in the last two years.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

14. The good quality of teaching is recognised by most parents, who substantially agree that the school provides good quality teaching and that it expects their children to try hard. In nearly all lessons teachers expect, and get, a high level of interest and a good pace of working from their pupils. In most instances, a glance or a short reminder is all that is necessary for the teachers to have total concentration from all pupils. This promotes their learning well, as do the good opportunities pupils have to work independently or collaboratively in pairs or small groups.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

15. The teaching of the basic skills of literacy and numeracy are very good. The National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies are used well to build pupils’ knowledge and skills, so that they become adept at reading, writing and the use of mathematics. Besides teachers’ capability to teach basic skills in their own right, one good facet of these lessons is the way teachers use to good advantage the familiarity pupils have with other subjects as stimuli for further learning. For example, in a good Year 4 literacy lesson about the correct use of tense, the teacher successfully linked the lesson to work about the ‘Mary Rose’ that the class was studying in its history lessons. Similarly, pupils of all abilities in a very good Year 5 numeracy lesson learned how to use data to find ‘the mean’. This work was linked to science work about forces.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

16. Teachers generally have high expectations for pupils to achieve well. This is shown by the level of care that most pupils take when they work on their tasks, and the quality of their finished products. A particularly good example of this was seen when the two Year 1 classes combined for an art lesson. Pupils concentrated for a long time on their tasks. They produced exciting and attractive works that included ‘stained glass windows’ on tracing paper, finger paintings of trees, and black and white drawings that displayed their skills in using tone to good advantage.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

17. The management of pupils is very good. This is because teachers have ready the resources they need for the lessons, and they consistently employ the school’s policy for achieving good behaviour. As a result, in most lessons there is little time wasted, the pupils listen to their teachers and are able to focus on the work that their teachers ask them to do.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

18. Teachers across the school use an effective range of teaching methods to make the work interesting and appropriate for their pupils. They can do this because they have sufficient subject knowledge to take pupils’ learning forward in manageable yet suitably challenging steps. Thus, teachers in most lessons, but not always, set tasks for their pupils that match closely the levels of attainment reached by individuals. They can do this because they know their pupils well, through the good assessments Dore Primary School of pupils’ achievements that they make regularly in many subjects, particularly English, mathematics and science. This includes those pupils who have special educational needs, who also make good progress in line with the other pupils. These pupils are supported effectively by additional teaching time and support assistants. As a result, they are given the confidence to make good progress

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

towards the targets outlined in their individual education plans. Teachers, particularly in Years 5 and 6, are good at challenging the highest attaining pupils through carefully designed tasks and effective questioning. This allows these pupils to achieve their full potential.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

19. In most lessons, teachers use questioning well to help pupils to recall skills and knowledge that they have learned in previous lessons, and to focus their attention on the work in hand. For example, the teacher in a Year 4 literacy lesson reviewed with pupils their understanding of the differences between narrative and non-narrative writing. His questions were probing, and of the nature, ‘Are you sure? Tell me more?’ Pupils generally respond enthusiastically to this approach because they become involved in the subject matter and like to test their ideas. Most pupils have above average speaking skills, so that their responses to questioning of this calibre are usually thoughtful and succinct.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

20. Where teaching is not good or better, it is because sometimes the work is too easy for some pupils or too difficult, and their learning is not enhanced as well as it might be. Additionally, some lessons move at a pace that results in pupils losing interest, for example when the teacher in a science lesson made the introduction too long. Sometimes this happens because the teacher does not ensure that all pupils listen and tries to talk over them and, as a result, they are not clear about what they have to do.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

21. Teachers mark work regularly and give praise where it is due. However, the approach to marking is not consistent across the school because some teachers do not consistently give enough guidance to pupils about how they can improve their work. On the other hand, teachers set homework regularly as an extension of work that pupils do in class, and this adds successfully to their learning. The great majority of parents are happy with the way the school uses homework to extend their children’s learning.

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HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

22. Children in the reception class receive a satisfactory introduction to the curriculum through good planning, particularly when it makes good use of national guidance for teaching children in the Foundation Stage. It provides for all areas of learning to be taught. A wide range of interesting and lively activities based on practical experiences meet the children’s needs. These include good opportunities for play, with clear learning objectives and good progression of skills. Pupils are prepared for the first stages of the National Curriculum satisfactorily.

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HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

23. The quality and range of the curriculum in all subjects for pupils through the school are very good. The curriculum is interesting and lively and effectively promotes the positive development of all pupils. Statutory requirements of the National Curriculum are met fully in both key stages. The school provides religious education in accordance with the locally agreed syllabus. The school teaches all the subjects in the National Curriculum and yearly and termly plans are comprehensive. In some lessons, teachers make very good connections between the subjects that help pupils to learn well. For example, the final of the annual football competition provides opportunities for persuasive writing, reporting and acting. Year 6 pupils appreciate the opportunities offered to them. They express preferences for mathematics and the literacy hour, the out-of-school activities, and the friendly way they are treated by all the staff.

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HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

24. The school follows the guidance of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies to deliver the teaching of English and mathematics. These are particular strengths of the provision, laying the foundation for pupils to use these skills in all aspects of learning. Opportunities to learn important basic skills are frequent and of a high quality. They contribute significantly to standards achieved in all subjects. Teachers’ daily plans for English and mathematics lessons are good. Planning emphasises clear learning objectives Dore Primary School and good opportunities to check how well pupils are doing during lessons. Teachers plan work for all abilities although, in some lessons, they do not sufficiently adjust their teaching to meet individual needs. In other subjects, teachers’ daily planning does not consistently identify what the teachers are going to appraise during, and after, lessons. However, the

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HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

needs of pupils with special educational needs are identified well in their individual education plans. Teachers ensure that these needs are met through effective choices of classroom support and some withdrawal sessions where pupils can have personal attention.

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HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

25. The school makes excellent provision to extend pupils’ learning through its extensive programme of extra-curricular activities. These include after-school clubs, competitions against other schools and residential visits. Out-of-school sporting activities are rich and varied, playing an important role in raising the quality of pupils’ physical education skills. In addition to traditional sports such as football, netball, cricket and athletics, pupils enjoy lacrosse, dancing, gymnastics, hockey and table tennis. The school takes part in inter- school football and cricket leagues and has been successful in swimming and athletics competitions. The table tennis team of last year is the current South Yorkshire table tennis champion. Past and present pupils have reached county and national standards. Swimming lessons for Key Stage 2 pupils ensure that most pupils reach a good standard and become confident swimmers. Musical opportunities provided are impressive and help

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HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

pupils to reach good standards. Pupils are given opportunities for music tuition in orchestral and band instruments, keyboard and singing. Parents are grateful for opportunities offered and the school is careful not to exclude any pupil.

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HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

26. A good programme of educational visits and visitors enriches the curriculum. Year 6 pupils, for example, extend their literacy skills on a visit to Mayfield Valley. Pupils speak enthusiastically about how the visit developed their social and literacy skills in an enjoyable way. Year 2 attend Kelham Island Museum to take part in history and science workshops. Pupils have the opportunity to visit the French Alps in Year 6. In preparation, they are taught French on one afternoon throughout the year and they can participate in out-of- school lessons on a dry skiing slope. Visitors come into school regularly. A Tudor balladeer enlivened a Year 4 history lesson during the inspection. Councillors, magistrates and the local Member of Parliament speak and answer questions about their jobs and aid pupils’ understanding of citizenship.

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HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

27. Pupils have good opportunities to use computers to increase their learning in many subjects. As a result, pupils quickly gain knowledge, skills and understanding in some important aspects of the curriculum, for example, when learning about two and three- dimensional shapes in mathematics and when using a draw program in design and technology. The ICT suite in Key Stage 2 provides very good opportunities for pupils to work individually or in pairs on a more frequent basis.

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HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

28. The school’s efforts to see that every pupil has equal opportunity by gender, ability or ethnic origin are good. There were no instances of inequality observed during the inspection. Increasingly careful checks of assessment results are helping the school know for certain whether any groups are doing less well than the majority. Class teachers and learning support assistants provide careful and diligent support for pupils with special educational needs, which enables them to follow the full curriculum. Able and talented pupils have been identified and teachers, particularly in Years 5 and 6, give appropriately challenging work to extend their learning. Some pupils are entered for the exceptionally high Level 6 national tests in English and mathematics.

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HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

29. Homework makes a satisfactory contribution to learning. Teachers know that many pupils engage in varied activities after school and so adjust the amount of homework given. Teachers set homework for the week in the junior classes giving pupils the chance to do their activities and to fit in their homework. In this way a good balance is achieved. Dore Primary School 30. Very good links have been established with the local community. Parents identify the school’s links with the local community and the use of the village in their studies as a strength of the school provision. The school has a close relationship with the local children’s hospital. Ministers from local churches visit the school and pupils visit local churches. Local businesses sponsor aspects of the school’s work.

p.14

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

31. Health education provision is very good. The school has very good programmes for sex education and drugs awareness. The headteacher aims to give as much responsibility as possible to pupils. This is achieved by asking pupils to organise events such the football cup final and charity collections. They also help with the smooth running of the school by ringing the school bell, preparing for assemblies and answering the telephone.

p.15

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

32. The school has developed strong links with the nurseries its pupils have attended. Nursery school pupils join the reception class for taster visits. There are effective transition arrangements to secondary school education. Teachers work with colleagues from local schools to see that they all agree just what aspects in pupils’ work make a particular national standard. Secondary school teachers and technicians work closely with staff to promote curricular areas such as science and physical education and to ensure the smooth running of the ICT suite.

p.15

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

33. The provision for pupils’ personal development is very good and is a strength of the school. Very good moral guidance is seen throughout and is an integral part of the education pupils receive. It is particularly strong in assemblies and the staff use these occasions to respond to any situations that have arisen in school. Pupils are helped to think about caring for others, bravery and admitting mistakes and staff take care to show that they are human too. Similar concern is shown in religious education lessons such as in Year 3 when pupils showed, through the story of the Widow’s Mite, that they are aware of the feelings of others and how they can help them. In one Year 5 class, a different girl and boy are expected to take turns each week to act as form leaders who will be the first point of contact to sort out any problems that their classmates have. Pupils are reminded through plainly worded notices in classrooms that bullying is not acceptable and what kind of

p.15

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

34. Good attention is paid to pupils’ spiritual development and the weekly celebration assembly in particular is a positive and uplifting experience that does much to raise the self-esteem of pupils and value their contributions, however small. Good acts of collective worship enrich the school’s curriculum. The school has a good policy for worship that gives clear guidance on how to encourage spirituality. Daily assemblies are held in each key stage and make a very good contribution to pupils’ personal development. For example, in some assemblies older pupils take full responsibility for the organisation and content of the assembly. Pupils also enjoy birthday assemblies, house points and ‘Star of the Week’, which encourage hard work and good behaviour.

p.15

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

35. Pupils have very good opportunities to show social responsibility at all levels in school. Reception children worked sensitively with young visitors from the nearby nursery, helping them to feel welcome by making name badges for when the young ones start in January. Year 2 pupils help organise playground equipment and some help to escort the reception children back into school after play. By the time they reach Year 6, pupils are expected to organise events, sending out invitations to guests, managing budgets and then participating in them. Some of these, such as talking to the local Member of Parliament and a magistrate help pupils to understand the responsibilities they will have as citizens as they grow up. Fun events such as the Wileman Cup give them lots of valuable experience in managing such as ‘bidding’ for soccer players and creating balanced teams.

p.15

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

36. The trips pupils go on help them to learn to live and work together but they are also very good cultural experiences as when older pupils go to France and study the work of Monet, for example. They also learn about their local environment and culture through work done in the Mayfield Centre that they use for educational trips. The school holds a very successful arts week each year with visiting artists. This year’s display of work inspired by African art in both key stages is very vibrant, in particular the highly decorative figures which were seen brightening up the link corridor. Music is also featured strongly with about 85 pupils participating in the choir. Year 4 pupils had the Dore Primary School opportunity during the inspection to find out about music in Tudor times from a visiting musician seen dressed up in period style. Although pupils live in a relatively privileged area compared with

p.15

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

those in the adjacent city, they are taught to be aware of others through raising money for charities and having visitors in school. This results in the school being a very well integrated, but not insular, community.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

37. The school cares for its pupils well. Some aspects, such as their first aid and medical care are particularly well thought out. Lunchtime supervisors are clear about their roles and look after the pupils carefully when they are with them. Staff are made well aware of the correct procedures for child protection and training is kept up-to-date. Proper attention is paid to safety in case of fire and all the necessary checks are made for trips and also on equipment used in school. In spite of all this very good care, it is not pleasant for Year 3 pupils to have to go over to the main school particularly in bad weather, for example, to use the toilets. Similarly, as all Year 1 pupils use the same narrow exit this can quite be confusing for them at the end of the day when they are waiting to meet their parents.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

38. Attendance is well monitored and supported. The registers are well maintained which helps the school to identify problems, should there be any. Parents normally let the school know why their children are away. If they do not, the school does not ring home on the first day but does send out letters routinely after a few days. Parents have to apply for holiday absence and are reminded not to let children lose too much school time.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

39. The school has very clear policies to manage behaviour and these are very effective in practice. Teachers keep careful records that are passed on up the school so that patterns of behaviour can be identified as the pupils mature. On the rare occasions where parents need to be contacted regarding unacceptable behaviour, these are carefully logged. Strategies to manage bullying are very effective so that this is not a problem in school and all that is necessary is a quiet word from staff.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

40. Pupils’ personal development has a high priority in the school and this starts with the staff knowing the pupils well. The headteacher places great importance on visiting children in their own homes before they start school so that he gets to know them by name right from the beginning. Parents appreciate this care and interest shown in their children and feel that they are happy at school. Teachers keep notes of pupils’ personal development in files and these are passed on up the school so that the next teacher has the information to hand. All pupils are encouraged to maintain their own records of achievement files and put work in these that they are particularly proud of, along with certificates gained in and out of school. These help pupils very well to assess their personal achievements and see how they have developed from year to year.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

41. The school has good, systematic procedures for recording what pupils can do. It collects data from a wide range of tests from when they enter school to the statutory tests at Year 6. In the reception class, staff collect good information of how well children are doing when they enter the school. They use this carefully to assess children's developing skills. Teachers through the school regularly check and record what pupils do in the core subjects of English, mathematics and science. These assessments go with them as they move up the school. Pupils' work in most other subjects is also assessed but this is done less consistently. This extensive information is increasingly evaluated to find out precisely what pupils need to do in order to improve. The records of pupils with special educational needs identify clearly what pupils need to do to improve. This information is used well to identify appropriate support in lessons and in withdrawal groups.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

42. Parents’ views show good support for the school although there are some areas that they would like to be improved. They feel particularly strongly that the school is well managed and led and that they would feel comfortable approaching the school with any questions or problems. They are confident that teaching is good and that their children behave well. They are less sure about the information they get about their children’s progress and some parents also feel that the school does not work closely with them. The inspection team agrees with the positive comments of parents. The overall quality of information given to parents is actually very good and parents can approach the school for Dore Primary School additional information. However, there is room for small improvement in reports of how well pupils are doing. Parents of pupils in some classes at the lower end of school have less easy informal

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

access to teachers because a whole year group uses a single doorway. However, staff are always available to speak to parents.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

43. There are some particularly strong features in the very good information that parents receive. The governors keep parents regularly informed about developments in the school through termly newsletters and school staff hold evening meetings for parents each term to let them know about the topics their children will be studying. Such information is also available on the school web site. Parents have two opportunities each year to discuss their children’s progress with the teachers and receive the official reports on them each year. These reports are clear about the areas of the National Curriculum that the pupils are following but they are less precise about the levels that individual pupils are reaching and not sufficiently specific about targets for improvement. Although parents correctly receive pupils’ standard assessment test results, they are not told precisely enough how their children are performing in relation to what is expected nationally. The school

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

holds meetings for parents before their children start school and also home visits are made. These help parents to find out what they need to know about school and to let the school know about their children.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

44. Parents support the school very strongly. The Dore Parents Association raises considerable sums of money through enjoyable events and the school uses the proceeds wisely for the benefit of pupils. They also send out their own newsletters to let parents know about events to come and what any money is being raised for. The Key Stage 2 library and the ICT suite are recent, valuable developments supported financially by parents. Although many parents have other commitments, more than are often seen give their time to help in school. They help with refurbishments, accompany pupils on school trips and help younger pupils change their library books. Parents are happy with the level of homework their children receive and feel it is appropriate for their age. They support their children very well by helping them to bring in articles, for example a ‘Victorian’ dolls’ house which had been made at home.

p.17

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

45. The school’s leadership and management are very good. The headteacher has successfully led the school through an amalgamation in 2000 and he continues to provide very good leadership and direction to the school. He is ably supported by the two deputy heads, and together they form the senior management team. This team has been very effective in managing the amalgamation of the two schools. The governors contribute well to the success of the school. Many parents value the very good leadership provided.

p.17

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

46. The headteacher and senior staff have a very clear vision for the curriculum offered by the school. This is shared by all members of staff. They have been particularly successful in meeting the aim of providing a wide range of activities to enable all pupils to achieve their potential. Other staff with management responsibilities contribute successfully to the management of the school by serving on an ‘enhanced’ senior management team. This meets half termly to discuss the implementation of initiatives, and to ensure all members of staff have the opportunity for their views to be heard.

p.17

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

47. Co-ordinators often lead their subjects well and have good knowledge of their subjects. They have updated policy statements and devised schemes of work that run throughout the school. Their roles are clearly identified, and good leadership is given in many subjects. They contribute action plans to the school improvement plan. As a strategy to aid the amalgamation of the schools, responsibilities are shared and there is a co-ordinator for the infants and one for the juniors in most subjects. This has been successful in that it has allowed some effective joint work between staff who may not have known each other well before. However, this has also led to some weaknesses, as each may know their own part of the school very well but there is a lack of knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of the other part. Although some time has been given for coordination work, very little of this has been used to monitor work in classrooms to identify the strengths in teaching and

p.17

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

learning. The school recognises that this is an aspect of its work that needs further development.

p.17

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

48. Similarly strengths and weaknesses exist in the co-ordination of special educational needs. The co- ordinator manages the arrangements for these pupils well. Records are carefully kept and concerns are followed through to ensure that pupils are effectively supported. Arrangements for reviews and Dore Primary School pupils’ individual education plans are secure. However, there is no time allocated for the co- ordinator to observe the effectiveness of provision or to share the strengths in some aspects of the school’s work. Although she is supported by another teacher in the infants, neither has a clear enough view of the work being done in the other part of the school.

p.17

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

49. The overall quality of monitoring of the work of the school is good. Senior managers review assessment data, especially that from the end of Year 6 tests, where answers are analysed to identify areas for further development. This work has been improving and developing since the schools’ amalgamation and is giving good insight into pupils’ progress and the effectiveness of teaching. Subject co-ordinators look at pupils’ work to identify what has been covered well, and what needs to be worked on further. This informal approach gives much useful information to steer the school’s further development. However, the school has yet to undertake systematic monitoring of teaching, beyond that used for performance management. As a result, senior staff and co- ordinators are limited in the extent to which they can identify the very good teaching found in some classes and share good practice. Performance management is fully in place.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

50. The governing body makes a significant contribution to the school. Governors have a good understanding of the strengths and priorities for improvement. They work closely with the school to keep well informed about what is going on and what has been achieved. Visits to the school include attending lessons. For example a governor on the curriculum committee recently tracked numeracy lessons in different classes and wrote a report about her experiences. Governors bring a very good range of personal and professional expertise that they use for the benefit of the school. This has enabled them to form a close and constructive partnership with the headteacher and the deputies. The governing body fulfils its statutory duties very well.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

51. The good school improvement plan is based on an evaluation of the current position and identifies a good range of improvements and developments. It contains the aims of the school, which are reflected in the action plans. All plans are costed and contain planned future developments as well as specific actions for the current year. The governors’ finance committee monitors the school’s spending well, and works alongside the headteacher and finance officer to set the budget. The priorities set out in the school improvement plan are effectively linked into this analysis. The apparent over spend last year was the result of late crediting of amounts due to the school and is rectified in the current year’s accounts. Governors make good use of the principles of best value to ensure they get quality services as well as value for money. For instance, a cheaper cleaning contract led to lower standards, and this was challenged to ensure the work was of an appropriate

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

quality. The governors evaluate the impact of their spending, and make good use of strategic financial planning. In this way, extra childcare assistant time has been allocated to classes which have more challenging children in them, and a ‘buggy trail’ enables parents to walk to classes without using steps.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

52. The school has sufficient suitably qualified and experienced staff to teach the full curriculum and they are well deployed throughout the school. Procedures for supporting newly-qualified teachers and any teachers joining the school are very good. The school is an effective centre for school- based training of new teachers and students get a good introduction to teaching. The good range of teaching support staff gives useful extra support where pupils need it. For example, the needs of lower attaining pupils and those with special educational needs are often effectively met through well-targeted support in lessons.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

53. The resources available to teach the pupils are very good both in quality and quantity. Book resources are particularly good in the libraries and classrooms and the younger pupils have the additional benefit of exchanging books from the local library each week. The new ICT suite is a useful facility for the older pupils but there are not enough modern computers in classrooms for them to practise their skills.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

54. The accommodation is very good and there are no deficiencies in any teaching or social areas. The buildings are mostly in good condition although externally the mobile classrooms and some windows need attention.

p.18

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Dore Primary School 55. The school has established itself securely after the amalgamation of the former schools and is helping pupils to reach very good standards of attainment. To continue the school’s development, the headteacher, staff and governors should now:

p.19

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) improve the knowledge of standards, strengths and weaknesses by: • ensuring co-ordinators have a secure overview of their subjects throughout the school in order to identify priorities; • establishing systematic monitoring of teaching in order to share the very good practice that exists within the school and raise further the quality of teaching. (paragraphs 13, 47-49, 72, 80, 87, 93, 103, 110, 121, 127, 132)

p.19

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Aspects of the above have already been recognised by the school and identified in development planning. The following less important weakness should also be considered for inclusion in the action plan:

p.19

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(A) ensure that children in the reception classes have sufficient opportunities for structured learning through play, including greater opportunities to plan and initiate their own activities. (paragraphs 12, 56-64) Dore Primary School

p.19

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 26

p.20

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very poor

p.20

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Percentage 3 31 38 28 0 0 0 The table gives the number and percentage of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about teaching. Care should be taken when interpreting these percentages as each lesson represents more than one percentage point.

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 390

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 5 FTE means full-time equivalent.

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 7

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 79

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 3

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 14

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 10

p.20

Attendance

National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Dore Primary School

p.20

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

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2002 38 22 60

p.21

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.21

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

Boys 35 35 37 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 21 21 21

p.21

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

Percentage of pupils School 93 (95) 93 (98) 97 (95) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (84) 86 (86) 90 (91)

p.21

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.21

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

Boys 35 37 38 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 21 21 21

p.21

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

Percentage of pupils School 93 (95) 97 (91) 98 (98) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (85) 89 (89) 89 (89)

p.21

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

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

p.21

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

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2002 25 38 63

p.21

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.21

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

Boys 22 24 25 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 36 35 36

p.21

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

Percentage of pupils School 92 (96) 94 (96) 97 (97) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 73 (71) 86 (87)

p.21

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.21

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

Boys 24 20 20 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 36 31 30

p.21

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

Percentage of pupils School 95 (96) 81 (96) 79 (94) at NC level 4 or above National 73 (72) 74 (74) 82 (82) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Dore Primary School

p.21

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.22

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

White – any other White background 13 0 0

p.22

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Mixed – any other mixed background 2 0 0

p.22

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British - Pakistani 3 0 0

p.22

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 1 0 0

p.22

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – any other Asian background 1 0 0

p.22

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – Caribbean 1 0 0

p.22

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.22

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. Dore Primary School

p.22

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 14.6 Financial year 2001-2002

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 26.7

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 846,255

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 13 Total expenditure 838,892

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 177 Expenditure per pupil 1,969

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. Balance brought forward from previous year 49,969

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year -6,886

p.23

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 3

p.23

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 3

p.23

Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

p.23

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.23

Recruitment of teachers

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 1 FTE means full-time equivalent. Dore Primary School

p.23

Percentage of responses in each category

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

p.24

Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 44 47 6 1 2

p.24

Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 60 38 1 0 1

p.24

Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 41 47 4 5 3

p.24

Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 24 47 17 10 2

p.24

Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 61 31 4 3 1

p.24

Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 56 39 3 2 0

p.24

Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 33 46 12 7 2

p.24

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 61 30 2 3 4

p.24

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 53 45 0 0 2

p.24

Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 51 31 10 3 5 Dore Primary School PART D: THE STANDARDS AND QUALITY OF TEACHING IN AREAS OF THE CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES

p.24

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

56. Children spend three terms in the reception class if born in the first half of the school year and two terms if born after 1 st March. They attend full-time after an initial settling-in period. Most have attended one of the local nurseries, with which the school has established close links. The school offers to visit the homes of all parents when their child is due to start school, and most take this up. This helps to build good relationships with parents, and helps all children have a smooth start to school. Local nurseries also visit with their children to prepare them for the move to school.

p.25

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

57. Attainment on entry to the reception class is above average in each of the six areas of learning. In some areas, many children are already working at or near the standards that would be expected by the time they enter Year 1. This is particularly true in personal, social and emotional development and in their speaking and listening skills. Children make satisfactory progress in the reception class, including those with special educational needs who are well supported. Most children exceed the expected levels for their age by the time they begin Year 1. Teaching is satisfactory overall, and has some very good elements. For example, children had very good opportunities to plan and prepare for a visit of younger nursery children to the class. The relatively new secure outdoor area has added an additional dimension to the curriculum, and use of this is well organised by one of the two childcare assistants who work in the class.

p.25

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

58. The organisation of the learning in the reception class is very good where it is derived from the Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage. Good examples are the Potting Shed and Percy’s Shed, and the way the children were given responsibility for the visit of the nursery children. However, teaching is weaker when too much of the time is spent in formal, whole class sessions. Planned learning is mostly divided up into subject areas and this sometimes restricts children’s opportunities to identify relationships between aspects of their learning. The balance between formal sessions and structured learning through play does not give children enough opportunities to plan and initiate their own activities. As a result, children are limited in the connections they draw between the different areas of learning.

p.25

Personal, social and emotional development

59. By the time they leave the reception class, children far exceed the standards expected for their age. They make good progress in this area of learning because teaching is good. Children are confident and happy, and settle quickly. They co-operate well, share and take turns. Effective role play areas, for example, give children good opportunities to work as members of a group or independently. They participate with total involvement and imagination. They have good relationships with each other and with adults. They communicate with each other and with visitors with equal ease. Children quickly learn the clear organisation of the class, for example, putting on aprons before painting without being told, and willingly packing up the equipment without any fuss when asked. They are aware of the needs of others. They planned the activities for the nursery children’s visit and then looked after them very well. The children are helped to appreciate their

p.25

Personal, social and emotional development

senses by going out in the drizzle and listening to the sounds around them, enabling them to talk of what they hear, developing a sense of awe and wonder. Adults act as good role models for the children. Expectations of behaviour are high. However, some children find long sessions on the carpet difficult, and lose concentration at these times. Dore Primary School

p.25

Communication, language and literacy

60. Children’s spoken language skills are mostly very good when they start school. This is developed further by the teachers’ good questioning. Higher attaining children answer in full sentences, whilst the average and lower attaining children use shorter phrases. When children are engaged in activities within the classroom and outside, their frequent discussions develop their use of language and ideas. Children enjoy listening to stories, and most want to participate in re-telling them, using the pictures to help. Most children recognise their own name, and can write it accurately. This was used to good effect when the local nursery children came to visit and the reception class children made name badges for themselves and their guests. Almost all children copy their writing from what the teacher has scribed. This enables them to see good examples of writing and to have words correctly spelt. Most children do not naturally include writing in their play and the class activities

p.26

Communication, language and literacy

give insufficient opportunities to develop this. For example, children do not have many opportunities to write freely, such as in the Potting Shed, and staff do not encourage children enough to use the chances they have. One child is able to write independently, and is able to use a word book as a simple dictionary to assist in the process. Most children are able to form at least some letters correctly and some make them a consistent size. The children have long sessions of literacy work that do not engage their interest enough, and these do not promote effective learning. Most children achieve the expected standards by the time they leave the reception class.

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Mathematical development

61. Staff give many opportunities for children to count, sort and use mathematical language and teaching is satisfactory. Most children exceed the standards expected by the end of the year. Children recognise and use numbers to 20 and beyond in their play and most children can add two numbers to make totals of up to 9. Higher attaining children can go further. The teacher effectively introduced the idea of taking away through singing ‘Five little ducks went swimming one day’, and this captured the interest of the children well. When adults work with groups of children, they successfully enable them to consolidate their learning and make further progress. However, groups working independently on tasks related to mathematical development are not always challenged sufficiently. Some tasks have only limited mathematical content and are really colouring in and cutting out work. The children do not value these as mathematical activities and consequently their

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Mathematical development

work is often untidy and carelessly completed, especially on worksheets.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

62. Most children have good general knowledge about their own environment when they enter the reception class. This is developed further by some good experiences the children have, such as the walk round the school to use the sense of hearing. They correctly name body parts, and discuss how and why people celebrate. They make structures, such as a shed for ‘Percy the Park Keeper’, out of construction kits. They build on their understanding of how things grow by using the Potting Shed, complete with soil and real seeds that they plant and water. They work with water and explore what objects will sink and float in it. All the children have well-developed computer skills for their age. They control the mouse accurately and use it to point and click, moving items on the screen. Adults give good advice and support in some activities, such as how to produce different shapes with playdough. The teaching in this area is good and children are given appropriate

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

challenges and stimulating activities. However, activities are often planned within narrow National Curriculum subjects rather than across the wider area of learning. This limits children’s opportunities to make their own connections between learning in different subjects.

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Physical development

63. Teaching of this area of learning is good. Most children are confident in their use of equipment, both large and small. They have good opportunities to explore the large apparatus in the hall, and they do this with increasing control. Outdoors they have the opportunity to use bikes, but also have a digging area where they learn to control a spade. They can use scissors to cut along lines with increasing accuracy, and are confident at joining with tape or glue. Children paint with their fingers, controlling the lines they make to repeat patterns of a letter of the alphabet. They have good co- ordination and this helps their writing and their drawing, although the girls are generally better than the boys at tracing. Dore Primary School

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Creative development

64. Teaching is satisfactory and most children produce drawings that have many recognisable features. For example, they painted portraits of their friends which required close observation and attention to detail. They are given some good activities to explore and use different colours to produce patterns. In these, they use their imagination to produce pleasing results. Children have opportunities to use malleable materials such as playdough to produce models, including animals. They are pleased with what they achieve. Children sing enthusiastically and explore sound, for example after their listening walk. Some children spontaneously sing when reminded of a song, like one of the girls who sang ‘Five Little Speckled Frogs’ when she found some toy frogs in the water tray. Some correctly name simple percussion instruments and identify them from their sounds.

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ENGLISH

65. Very good provision helps pupils reach standards by the age of 11 that are well above average in all aspects of the subject. These are reflected in the school’s results in the National Curriculum assessments at the age of 11 years. Standards at the age of 7 are above average. Teachers ensure that all pupils have very good opportunities to develop literacy skills in all subjects and throughout the school. These ensure that pupils make good progress through the school and make a substantial contribution to the high standards achieved. Pupils frequently are required to read, carry out simple research, write in a range of ways and discuss issues as part of their work in subjects such as science, history, geography and religious education. Pupils also use ICT skills for drafting, editing and presenting written work. Classroom displays illustrate the many links between language, literature, art, poetry and music that pupils make. These connections with other

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ENGLISH

subjects make many tasks in English lessons more meaningful and add significantly to the quality of pupils' learning about language and its many uses. The very few pupils with English as an additional language are given all necessary support to ensure they play a full part in all lessons and make good progress.

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ENGLISH

66. Pupils’ speaking and listening skills are well above those expected at the ages of 7 and 11 years. The style of teaching widely adopted through the school results in an emphasis on discussion and understanding. As a direct result, pupils are not afraid to make suggestions, listen carefully to each other and build on the ideas they hear. The co- operation between pupils was good in all lessons seen. Infant pupils quickly learn to listen carefully to teachers and each other. Teachers’ supportive but demanding approaches give these pupils increasing confidence to speak out in classrooms and they begin to express their ideas well. This attention is further developed in the junior classes. By Year 6, this extended to an animated lesson in which pupils, firmly in role as various members of the community, considered issues relating to a contentious local planning proposal. The highest attaining pupils in this class were able to describe particularly clearly the various

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ENGLISH

ways that language choices and structures can be used to persuade others. Their analysis showed a very high quality of understanding and expression

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ENGLISH

67. The self-confidence that pupils develop means that teachers can ask searching questions that make them think carefully. Their answers provide teachers with a clear picture of the quality of their understanding and help to increase the range of learning of the whole group. In the most effective teaching seen, each stage of the lesson was marked by the teacher drawing everything together and making sure that pupils understood and remembered important matters before moving on. In a Year 5 class this approach carried pupils from the opening two words of a story to a detailed understanding of how to seize and hold a reader’s interest. More often, such summary steps only happen at the end of lessons, where they are often too hurried or omitted altogether. More attention to this self-review aspect of pupils’ learning would help to get even better results from the good lessons and careful planning.

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ENGLISH

Dore Primary School 68. Standards and the rate of progress in reading are very good by the ages of 7 and 11 years. The school provides a variety of good information for parents and this includes advice on supporting reading. The school keeps detailed records of each pupil's progress and the individual reading logs include comments from teachers and parents. This allows teachers to track pupils' progress and provide appropriate advice. As a result, pupils read confidently from a wide range of books and other texts.

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ENGLISH

69. Interesting things to read fill classrooms and corridors and pupils respond with interest, promoting good learning. Delay in the development of the junior library provision is because the school has been working hard to totally renew the facilities. Parents have been working with the school to raise money and the shelves are now filled with a good range of modern and carefully selected fiction and non-fiction materials. Pupils are very excited about the new books and the freshly decorated room that was due to come into service later in the term. The infant ‘Silver Jubilee Library’ area is bright, well stocked and well used by pupils and teachers to excite and interest pupils. A particular feature is the use of ‘Book Sacs’ that combine reading and games on a topic basis. These are very popular with Reception and Year 1 pupils and help their reading standards to improve. A weekly visit from the local librarian encourages book borrowing by Year 2 pupils and

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ENGLISH

70. Pupils’ writing is well above average by the time they leave the school. Teachers are careful to display key words at every opportunity to help pupils in their writing. The range of writing on display and in pupils’ books is impressively wide, especially in Years 3 to 6 and more than meets the requirements of the National Curriculum. Lower attaining Year 1 pupils rely heavily on support to copy their writing. The higher attaining pupils, however, write increasingly independently with the use of word banks. They make reasonable attempts, for example, at spelling words that they do not know. Year 2 pupils write increasingly elaborated full sentences such as ‘Joseph got a colourful coat off his father’. Year 3 pupils extend their understanding of the uses of writing when identifying words from menus that are chosen to persuade. They recognise and use ways to make their writing more interesting such as alliteration. Year 4 pupils extend their vocabulary and pay good

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ENGLISH

attention to presentation. Some begin to use paragraphs to order and clarify their writing. In Years 5 and 6, pupils develop increased creativity and originality in their writing. They extend their writing and use increasingly complex and reflective language to convey their intentions. By the time pupils leave the school, they are confident in many forms of writing including narratives, poems and factual reports. They choose vocabulary and language forms very effectively to convey their thoughts and feelings. Their understanding of grammar is very good and spelling is very secure. This is clearly shown in, for example, their ordering of concerns and expression of feelings in their ‘submissions’ to a planning enquiry. However, although most pupils write clearly and writing is always of at least a satisfactory standard, the quality is variable through the school and reflects different styles of teaching.

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ENGLISH

71. The quality of teaching is good and teachers make effective use of school and national guidance. In the best lessons, careful planning allows teachers to provide differently graded work. Teachers are always friendly but firm. The pupils respond by developing a very positive attitude and look forward to their lessons. They enjoy the good humour and their self-confidence is high. Shyer pupils are gently drawn into lessons and are encouraged by classmates. Pupils are used to and obviously enjoy the challenges set by teachers. Pupils’ eyes light up when they are asked what is 'tricky' about their work. They confidently identify which parts are harder for them and are able to explain how they had successfully tackled the problems. What they cannot do, however, is describe clearly how they can do even better. This is because teachers praise good work, but do not always provide a clear description of why work was successful or otherwise. Because of this,

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ENGLISH

many pupils are not sufficiently clear about what they can do to help themselves improve. The school collects performance data and is beginning to chart the levels at which pupils Dore Primary School are working. Teachers plan work at different levels for different pupils. However, this planning is usually based on learning objectives that are the same for the whole class and does not consistently build on what individual pupils know, understand and can do. Pupils with special educational needs are supported well in their tasks, often through effective use of support assistants. This helps them to make good progress.

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ENGLISH

72. Under good leadership, English has already made great strides since the amalgamation. There is a clear sense of educational direction and teachers use the good classroom resources and the new ICT facilities well. Each of the co-ordinators has too little contact with classes in the other part of the school to gain a sufficient overview of the continuum of English learning and teaching from the reception class to Year 6. The limited opportunity to monitor teaching or to share examples of excellent lessons is reducing the capacity to achieve further improvement.

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MATHEMATICS

73. Pupils’ attainment is well above average by the ages of 7 and 11, as a result of good teaching making effective use of national guidance. These standards are reflected in the school’s National Curriculum results, which particularly show above average performance at higher levels of attainment. Some work in Year 6, for example, is of a very high standard. Lower attaining pupils through the school, including those with special educational needs, make good progress at both key stages. These pupils generally attain the national expectations and there are only small percentages that do not reach this standard. There are no significant differences in the achievements of boys and girls, or in the achievements of pupils who speak English as an additional language. Pupils have good opportunities to use their numeracy skills in other subjects such as design and technology. ICT is used effectively to support learning, particularly in Years 5 and 6, where

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MATHEMATICS

pupils are proficient in sophisticated computer programs such as presentation software.

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MATHEMATICS

74. Standards in the use of mathematics and its application to problem solving and investigations are above average. By the age of 11, pupils are able to conduct investigations using mathematical data. They carry out investigations, for example, on the outcomes of throwing dice and on the numbers of handshakes needed if all in the group are to greet each other. They complete investigations into the pattern of triangular numbers and use the information to make predictions and to draw conclusions. High attaining pupils present their results in a clear and organised form and most pupils develop their own strategies for problem solving. An excellent example of this was seen in Year 6. Pupils carried out a three-digit investigation into ways of arriving at a given number. The result generated by a high ability pupil showed mental alertness and a very good understanding of the number system

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MATHEMATICS

75. Standards in number work are above average. Infant pupils work consistently at the levels expected for their age and many work at higher levels. By the age of 7, pupils find patterns and relationships to help with additions and subtractions. All pupils know the links between addition and subtraction. Most have quick recall of number bonds to 20. Higher attaining pupils order numbers between 10 and 100 and confidently identify numbers that are one more or one less than a given number. Lower attaining pupils add numbers to 20 accurately, mentally calculating the answers. Pupils’ mental arithmetic skills are developed well in junior classes through vigorous starter activities in lessons. By the age of 11 pupils’ number skills are well developed. They understand and use place value when adding, subtracting and multiplying numbers beyond 1,000. They divide three-digit numbers by two digit numbers competently. Mental problems are calculated accurately in a given time.

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MATHEMATICS

Most pupils understand equivalent fractions and simple percentages and the more able give the percentage equivalent for more complicated fractions . Dore Primary School 76. Standards in shape, space and measures are well above average. By the age of 7, most pupils correctly name common two-dimensional and three-dimensional shapes and more able pupils know their properties. This is effectively developed in the junior classes where Year 4 pupils correctly name equilateral, isosceles and scalene triangles. Pupils use terms such as ‘congruent’ naturally, demonstrating their grasp of mathematical language. Pupils create nets of simple three-dimensional shapes using the computer. By the age of 11, pupils understand symmetry, find perimeters of similar shapes and understand the area of shapes. Many pupils know the names of regular, multi-sided, two-dimensional shapes. They calculate interior and exterior angles, using the knowledge they have gained by using

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MATHEMATICS

a sophisticated computer program. Higher attaining pupils are challenged to work out a formula for calculating the total number of degrees in a given shape. In free time more able pupils generate complex, mathematical designs, such as ‘The Cyber School’ using a screen turtle.

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MATHEMATICS

77. Pupils in the junior classes handle data confidently. Year 5 pupils, for example, found the average (mean) occurrences of letters in their names. They soon found that the mean is not always a whole number and proceeded to draw accurate frequency tables in preparation for recording the data on bar charts.

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MATHEMATICS

78. Pupils have good attitudes to their work, with excellent attitudes in Year 5 and in Year 6, where teaching is particularly strong. They show keen interest in the mental starter to each lesson. In the best lessons, this work is closely matched to pupils’ abilities. For example, high attaining pupils work out the general answer, but also have to calculate a second operation, such as ‘multiply the answer by six’, before offering their final solution. Pupils react well to the level of challenge given in the best lessons. Here teachers know pupils’ capabilities and ensure that each child has to work hard and at pace to succeed at the expected level. Concentration is sustained well throughout lessons and pupils show determination as they persevere to complete tasks. In the very few lessons observed where levels of challenge are lower, pupils lose interest and concentration wanes.

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MATHEMATICS

79. The quality of teaching is good overall with some very good teaching in Years 5 and 6. Where the very good teaching occurs: • teachers share lesson objectives with pupils and refer back to these during the lesson so pupils are aware of their learning; • teachers question well to extend pupils’ thinking; • good relations are fostered through humour and care and pupils’ confidence grows; • teachers have very good knowledge of pupils’ capabilities through their good assessment systems and use these to match tasks well; • increasing levels of challenge as the lesson progresses build on previous learning.

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MATHEMATICS

80. The management of the subject is good. The co-ordinators work together well to form whole school policy and keep staff informed on developments in teaching methods. Not enough opportunities have been provided for staff to see the good practice that exists in the school, or elsewhere. Leaders do not have enough time allocated to see lessons and so monitoring of teachers’ work is not sufficient to give a clear view of standards, teaching and learning through the school.

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SCIENCE

81. Standards by the age of 7 are above average, as reflected in the good results in the 2002 National Curriculum assessments. Inspection evidence indicates that the current Year 2 classes will perform less well in 2003 but are still in line with the national average. This is because this particular year group has a greater proportion of lower attaining pupils in science. By the age of 11, pupils attain standards that are well above the national average. There is no significant difference in the relative attainments of boys and girls.

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SCIENCE

82. By the end of Year 2, pupils have a good understanding of investigative processes. They understand the need for a fair test, and that investigations are carried out with predictions and Dore Primary School recording of the outcomes. They name many external body parts accurately. They know that different materials have their own properties and that forces, such as pushing and pulling, may change an object’s shape. Higher attaining pupils discuss the changes that take place, whilst the average and lower attaining pupils describe what they observe. Observation skills are good, and pupils accurately record what they see. Teachers teach pupils to record their findings in a systematic way and this helps them to demonstrate a clear understanding of the scientific ideas involved.

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SCIENCE

83. During Years 3 to 6, teachers build effectively on the strong base achieved by the end of Year 2. Pupils’ scientific knowledge increases very well and pupils develop particularly strong investigative skills. As a result, pupils successfully set up and record an experiment, using prediction, description and evaluation as a natural part of the process. Even when their predictions are wrong, they have very clear reasons for the suggestions they have made. They use a variety of scientific instruments correctly, and choose the appropriate one for the task in hand. In Year 5, higher attaining pupils make comparisons between the amounts of friction affecting two contrasting shoe soles on different surfaces, whilst average and lower attaining pupils measure the force needed to move a trainer on a variety of carpet pieces. Pupils make good use of their knowledge from other subjects, and draw on their numeracy skills to round decimals up or down. Pupils with special educational needs are well

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SCIENCE

84. Pupils throughout the school enjoy science, especially the practical activities. They share resources and tasks well, and listen to each other when they discuss scientific problems. Their attitudes to science are mostly very good, and behaviour is good both in whole class discussions and in group activities, although it is not as good if the task is not well matched to pupils’ abilities.

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SCIENCE

85. The quality of teaching is good overall, and is very good in Years 5 and 6. This helps to promote good learning by pupils. Good attention is given to the correct use of scientific vocabulary. All teachers emphasise scientific thinking in all aspects of the pupils’ work so this becomes second nature to them. Pupils are confident and are not afraid of making a mistake because relationships are very good. Teachers make good use of a wide range of resources to interest and motivate pupils. For example, in a very good Year 1 lesson, pupils explored the theme of light and colour using a wide range of exciting activities set up by the teacher. The enthusiasm of teachers is an important factor in the attitudes of the pupils. Teachers from the local secondary school provide stimulating experiences for the pupils. They bring specialist subject knowledge and equipment to enhance the opportunities given.

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SCIENCE

86. The pupils follow an interesting, lively and well balanced science curriculum. Their knowledge and skills are both developed in a systematic way. Effective links are made with other areas of the curriculum, especially in Years 5 and 6. Teachers have a very good understanding of where their pupils are in their learning, and use assessment information effectively to plan lessons at an appropriate level. Science events during the year add an extra dimension to the subject. For example, an annual egg challenge, called the ‘Egglympics’, provides opportunities for pupils to draw on their knowledge and understanding to solve a variety of problems involving eggs. Meanwhile, each year duck eggs are incubated, hatched and reared by the pupils. Their progress is monitored and measured by pupils until homes are found for them. The richness of the curriculum is enhanced by visits from a theatre company whose performances have a scientific theme, and from visits to

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SCIENCE

places such as Mayfield Valley. This brings the subject alive for pupils.

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SCIENCE

87. The subject is well led and managed, and the co-ordinators are working together to maintain the high standards of recent years. They have reviewed the policy and scheme of work for the subject to ensure that pupils’ skills are systematically developed through the school. They have looked at pupils’ work to identify standards and have reviewed the resources available. However, there has been no monitoring of the quality of the teaching as yet. This means that the very good teaching found in some classes is not shared with colleagues at present.

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ART AND DESIGN

88. The school provides very well for all pupils, including those with special educational needs, to learn and to make progress in art and design. Pupils by the ages of 7 and 11 achieve higher standards than those normally expected nationally. This is because the teachers effectively plan a wide range of interesting learning activities. They ensure that pupils have many opportunities to use and extend Dore Primary School their artistic skills regularly in other subjects. As a result, most pupils, by the end of the juniors, have a good range of artistic skills. These include the ability to be creative in producing high quality presentations and the intellectual skills to discuss knowledgeably the characteristics of other works. They begin to acquire these skills early in their time at the school. For example, pupils in Year 1 use their fingers to create, in thick paint, the gnarled shapes that some trees make. They do such work

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ART AND DESIGN

well because their teachers arrange learning activities that take place in a calm atmosphere, and give pupils the time to experiment and to evaluate the effects of their work.

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ART AND DESIGN

89. There were no art and design lessons seen in Year 2, but evidence from finished work shows how well pupils in this year make progress. For example, hazy paintings of water in its various forms, and fascinating pen drawings of flowers in the style of Picasso, display pupils’ skills in observation, and their ability to apply paint in attractive and sensitive ways. Teachers clearly allow pupils to investigate and compare the effects of different media. A further series of pictures by Year 2 pupils, individually worked in chalks, oil-effect paints and oil pastels, shows how well they rise to the challenge and interpret scenes from ‘the seaside’.

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ART AND DESIGN

90. The quality of teaching across the school is good with some very good lessons. Teachers enjoy teaching the subject, and take every opportunity for pupils to use art as a means of learning across the curriculum, such as when composing Tudor ‘miniatures’ as part of history work in Year 4, or when making accurate drawings of fungi in science. Teachers’ enthusiasm for the subject transfers to the pupils, whose response is always to apply themselves to their tasks with concentration and the desire to achieve high quality finished pieces. For example, pupils in a very good Year 3 lesson worked quietly and with concentration, and used their knowledge of colour to make paintings based on the work of Rousseau. The teacher prepared them very well for the work by giving them tasks designed to develop basic skills, on which they built their finished work. This is a strategy that all teachers use well; as in a Year 5 lesson when pupils used their previously learned skills in

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ART AND DESIGN

portraying tone and texture to draw in pencil, from close observation, fine pictures of shells, stones or seed pods. As a result of such strategies, the pupils learn well.

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ART AND DESIGN

91. Teachers across the school make very good use of the work of famous artists to stimulate pupils’ interest and to make them think hard about what it is they are trying to represent. This encourages pupils to emulate good quality examples and to develop their skills, knowledge and understanding through appreciation of art and exploring and developing their own ideas. For instance, teachers use to very good effect in pupils’ learning the work of Vincent van Gogh, Kandinsky and William Morris. This excites and stimulates pupils to experiment with such aspects as ‘Impressionism’, the use of abstract and natural forms, and colour. As a result, most pupils by Year 6 develop a strong body of skills and knowledge, which they use as a basis for creating pieces that display intriguing effects. These pupils enjoy the opportunity to experiment with abstract ideas. They use, for example, paintings by Kandinsky as a basis for expressing in their own three-dimensional work their

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ART AND DESIGN

ideas about movement and the moods that they wish to portray. They have a mature respect for art and express their ideas clearly, contributing strongly to their literacy skills. One pupil, on observing a painting by Kandinsky said, ‘That one reminds me of a party. I can hear the music and see the people’.

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ART AND DESIGN

92. Art and design has a high profile in the life of the school and teachers plan pupils’ experiences very well. Displays of pupils’ work are many, attractive and of high quality, thus promoting pupils’ pride in their achievements. An annual art week strongly supports the curriculum. Work done during a recent ‘African’ week was of particularly high quality. It gave pupils opportunities to learn about other cultures and to practise and develop their skills through the use of a wide range of styles, techniques and mediums. Additionally, pupils successfully use computers skilfully to develop their ideas, as when Year 4 pupils design and illustrate attractively mathematical ‘nets,’ which they print out and then form into 3-dimensional shapes.

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ART AND DESIGN

93. The co-ordinators lead the subject well, although they are responsible for the juniors only, the co- ordinator for the infants being absent. From oversight of finished work and teachers’ planning, they ensure that art and design is taught regularly throughout the school and to a high standard. They do not, however, have the opportunity to observe lessons in other classes.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

Dore Primary School 94. Pupils, including those with special educational needs, make good progress throughout the school. By the ages of 7 and 11, pupils’ standards of attainment are above those expected for their ages. Pupils have good opportunities to apply their developing literacy and numeracy skills. The subject supports many other subjects such as history, for example when pupils design and make Egyptian necklaces and Roman helmets.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

95. In Year 2, pupils design a coat for Joseph as part of their religious education work. When using computers for this task, they understand how to make a repeated pattern. Many pupils use the mouse skilfully and choose suitable tools from the menu. Their products show attention to the quality of the finish. Year 4 pupils design and build Tudor ships that move using levers. Most understand how simple levers work but have limited technical language, such as ‘pivot’ or ‘connecting rods’, to explain what is happening. Year 5 pupils designed and made Victorian samplers, linked with their studies in history. The lesson moved at a good pace so pupils learned a lot in a short time. They copied letters on to grids carefully and then proceeded to put additional designs within the letters. They finally worked the cross-stitch showing care and skill.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

96. Teaching is good overall. In the best lessons, such as in Year 2, teachers’ preparations are very good and clear explanations and demonstrations engage pupils’ attention. As a result, pupils know before they begin what they are going to do and what is expected of them and no time is lost. Pupils develop good organisational skills because teachers give them good opportunities to work independently. Teachers’ good awareness of how each pupil is progressing allows them to offer timely help. Relationships are enhanced by good humour and this ensures that pupils’ behaviour and concentration are good. In Year 5, learning was very good because the lesson increased in challenge as it progressed. In some lessons, teachers did not make enough use of searching questions to increase pupils’ understanding.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

97. Pupils enjoy lessons and work well in a busy atmosphere, acquiring new knowledge and building on the skills they have already learned. Towards the end of the junior stage, they concentrate intensely on their work and are aware of the need for care. Work shows that older pupils have a very good range of opportunities to design and make items. Extra-curricular competitions make a very good impact on pupils’ learning. Pupils’ evaluations show that they enjoyed the ‘Egglympic Challenge’. Imagination and ingenuity shine through as eggs are used to design and make characters. In a bridge design challenge, older pupils used technical terms accurately such as ‘suspension’, ‘ramp,’ ‘pillar’ and ‘support’.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

98. Subject management is good and the leaders work well together. They bring fun to the subject by organising design challenges and encouraging pupils to take part in national competitions. A good policy has been produced and there are clear guidelines on what is to be covered in each class to ensure coverage of the whole curriculum. These support teachers well in their planning. Leaders check samples of pupils’ work in each class to see how pupils are progressing. There are not enough opportunities, however, for them to observe lessons. Therefore they cannot say clearly enough what teachers can do next to improve teaching and learning.

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GEOGRAPHY

99. Standards in geography are better than national expectations by the ages of 7 and 11 years. Pupils learn about their own community as well as contrasting localities and gradually acquire a good geographical vocabulary. Links with other subjects, especially with literacy and history, mean that geography is fully integrated into learning across the curriculum.

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GEOGRAPHY

100. By the age of 7, pupils know about localities beyond their own. For example, they identify clear similarities and differences between places they identify. They confidently locate on a world map places they have visited for their annual holiday. Year 1 pupils complete well- observed 'picture maps' of their journey from home to school and complete a study of buildings in Dore village. Pupils in Year 2 extend this and conduct local fieldwork that deals with traffic and land use. They know how maps of Dore tell us about changes that have taken place and explain these clearly. In Year 2, pupils drew plans of rooms using symbols and colour keys. Higher attaining pupils explained clearly what the difficulties were, while Dore Primary School lower attaining pupils were given good support to understand that plans can depend on viewpoints.

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GEOGRAPHY

101. Junior pupils develop their mapping and skills of geographical enquiry well and this helps them to extend their understanding. Year 3 pupils begin to find countries using an atlas and start to use suitable symbols to represent features on their own maps. By Year 4, pupils show that they understand how localities change, what causes pollution and how conservation can help improve matters. This makes a good contribution to their moral and social understanding. They use four-figure grid references to locate features on maps. By the end of Year 6, pupils complete detailed independent studies and use and interpret world maps with a good degree of accuracy. They know about the effects of tourism, how to protect the environment and understand how the water cycle works. They apply their skills effectively when they analyse the conflicting aspects of a proposed local development and make good use of the internet to research topics.

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GEOGRAPHY

102. It was only possible to see geography lessons in Years 1 and 2 during the inspection. However, pupils’ past work and teachers’ planning shows that the overall quality of teaching is good throughout the school. Teachers place sound emphasis on developing important basic geographical skills and the subject is well represented in all years. Many educational visits, such as into Dore village, Crick and Eyam in Years 1 and 2 and Mayfield Environmental Centre in Years 5 and 6, help bring the subject to life for pupils and promote effective learning. Pupils are confident and happy in their work. They clearly enjoy geography because most take pride in their work. They complete tasks thoughtfully and present them neatly and carefully. Teachers make good use of a detailed scheme of work to ensure that work builds carefully on previous learning. They generally identify clearly what they want pupils to learn in the lesson. However, some tasks given to pupils, such as

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GEOGRAPHY

colouring, are overused in some work from Years 3 to 6 and do not help develop important skills. In lessons seen, teachers had secure subject knowledge and posed good questions that extended pupils' understanding. There were different tasks for pupils of different attainment levels to provide appropriate challenge. A pupil with a Statement of Special Educational Needs, for example, was very well supported and was given extension work that specifically matched his individual education plan.

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GEOGRAPHY

103. The leadership of the subject is sound, although the two co-ordinators work separately in the infant and junior sections of the school. They have limited knowledge of the quality of work in the other classes. They have no opportunity to monitor teaching and learning so they have few opportunities to share the good teaching and standards that are in the school.

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HISTORY

104. It was only possible to see lessons in the juniors but from work seen, standards are above national expectations by the age of 7 years. Standards are well above national expectations by the age of 11 years.

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HISTORY

105. By the end of Year 2, pupils have a satisfactory understanding of people and events from the past. They compare features of people's lives in the past with their own experiences and identify similarities and differences between now and then. They are already developing good fieldwork skills, for example, making well observed sketches of buildings from different eras completed on trips to Dore.

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HISTORY

106. The range of work seen in the juniors was very wide and standards of achievement are often high. A particular strength is the work linked with other subjects such as art, music and geography. For example, portrait galleries of important Tudors and a visit from a Tudor minstrel widened pupils’ understanding of the period. Pupils' work in history also particularly effectively supports their development of literacy skills. Teachers’ continuing Dore Primary School focus on explanation and comparison and challenging tasks result in pupils developing their speaking and listening skills well. Pupils undertake an impressive range of writing, including factual and biographical accounts, letters, lists, imaginative accounts and research presentations, all of which add to their competence in the use of English. A strong emphasis on independent and group project work, which is mostly of a very high standard by Year 6, gives pupils greater responsibility for their own learning.

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HISTORY

107. Pupils' understanding of the passage of time is emphasised as they move through the school. For example, timelines of various types are widely used in display, such as the ‘event washing line’ in Year 5 to which were pegged key event cards for Queen Victoria’s reign. Teachers give good emphasis to historical enquiry to aid learning and pupils develop well above average skills of analysis and explanation. Links with ICT are evident in their work, such as historical research using Internet sources, undertaken by pupils in Year 6.

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HISTORY

108. Teaching and learning are good. Most teaching seen in Years 3 to 6 during the inspection was good. Teachers present history in many different ways to increase motivation among pupils. Good features of lessons include detailed subject knowledge, good questioning to aid learning, an enthusiastic approach and good use of well deserved praise, all of which help to generate interest and involvement among pupils. Well planned lessons and effective resources bring the subject alive. The use of Victorian household items in a Year 5 lesson really helped pupils to understand how domestic chores had changed. Vibrant displays in classrooms and corridors indicate the wide range of topics covered. Year 6 pupils were working co-operatively in two classes to prepare exhibits relating to the differences between the 1950s and the present day. Particularly good use is made of visits, such as to the local church and King Egbert’s Stone in Year 1 and 2, and to many

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HISTORY

industrial and museum locations in and around Sheffield and West Yorkshire in Years 3 to 6. These enrich the curriculum and are used well to develop important skills. Pupils recall with pleasure their most recent experiences of dressing in character or interviewing visitors.

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HISTORY

109. Because of these many good features, pupils' attitudes to learning were good in all lessons seen, with pupils taking pride in their work. Group tasks made a good contribution to pupils' social development. Pupils were very confident in their work and the systematic use of learning objectives, both at the beginning of lessons and in pupils’ books supports good learning.

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HISTORY

110. There are, however, some weaknesses in the school's arrangements, which prevent pupils from making even better progress. There are two co-ordinators and both have worked hard to produce exciting schemes of work and build up a good range of teaching resources. These support teachers’ planning well. However, there is very little opportunity for either of them to gain a complete grasp of the subject's strengths and weaknesses or to monitor teaching and learning regularly. Teachers do not have enough opportunities to share the examples of extremely good teaching that occur. As a result, some non-specialist teachers do not fully understand how tasks, such as drawing artefacts, need to become progressively more challenging to extend older pupils' historical understanding. There are insufficiently detailed procedures for assessing pupils' progress or recording their developing skills. Whilst there is a growing portfolio of pupils’ work, this does not

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HISTORY

yet indicate what National Curriculum levels pupils have achieved or should achieve. This reduces the effectiveness of teachers’ planning for pupils of differing abilities, especially when new topics begin or at the start of a new school year. Dore Primary School

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

111. Pupils in the infants make satisfactory progress and achieve standards by the end of Year 2 that are at the level normally expected. Pupils in the juniors make good progress and achieve above the standards expected for pupils at the end of Year 6.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

112. Pupils in the infants use computers well to help them with their writing, mathematics and art. For example, they enter the data they collect about types of holiday and mode of transport, and then produce bar graphs, which they print out and discuss with their teachers. They show their skills in controlling a mouse when they ‘draw’ owls in trees, and add features to their pictures, such as a moon and stars. Teachers give pupils good opportunities to experiment with a word processing program, for example to write their names in a range of font styles, sizes and colours. All this work gives pupils the basic skills upon which older pupils in the juniors build. At the time of the inspection, there were few computers in the infant classrooms. There is soon to be a computer suite for these pupils, with the prospect for them to achieve greater progress before they transfer to the juniors, where there has been a computer suite for the past three years. Partly because of this

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

facility, pupils in the juniors are able to explore more extensively the possibilities of using computers both as a means for developing their skills in the subject, and for enhancing their progress in other subjects.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

113. Teaching is good overall, and is very good in the upper juniors. All aspects of the subject are taught in the school. Whilst pupils use computers and the Internet to research aspects of, for example, history, geography and art, they also use them as part of their mathematics work, for control and data logging. They make good progress because the teachers are knowledgeable of the subject and use their assessment information well to plan lessons that take into account pupils’ needs. Teachers in the juniors apply consistently the scheme of work, and present challenging tasks to the pupils. These factors, and the teachers’ expectations for quality work, ensure that pupils learn progressively at a rate appropriate to their individual levels of capability. Thus, pupils in a Year 4 lesson used their knowledge of angles to begin work on using a screen ‘turtle’ to draw increasingly complicated shapes. Subsequently, in a very good Year 5 lesson, pupils rose to the challenge and

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

developed these skills to instruct the ‘turtle’ to draw circular symmetrical shapes. By the time they are in Year 6, most pupils are capable of producing highly complicated building plans from instructions they have given computers. In another Year 4 lesson, pupils showed particularly advanced skills when they drew ‘nets’ of triangular prisms, which they decorated artistically. A small group in the same class used a program called ‘alligator clips’ to make up electrical circuits, which lit up ‘bulbs’ on the screen.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

114. By the time they are in Year 6, most pupils quickly learn to produce good quality presentations. To do this successfully, the teachers prepare pupils well and give them valuable time to develop on paper the ideas and techniques that will guarantee success when they come to use the computers. Pupils also learn about the technical nature of ICT, for example when they assemble the equipment necessary to use computers to measure and compare the lowering temperature of water in a set of test tubes. In all cases, pupils respond well to the tasks they are set and concentrate hard on their work, often working collaboratively with partners to achieve success.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

115. Teachers use the computer suite well to advance pupils’ learning in the subject. However, the lack of computers in classrooms means that pupils do not have the ease of access to them that is desirable. So, for instance, they are not easily to hand when pupils need to research information or to word process as necessary. Much is dependent upon the availability of the computer suite and the accessibility of adults to supervise. The school is aware of this, and hopes to improve the facilities in classrooms when finances permit.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

116. The two subject co-ordinators are enthusiastic and competent, and one of them has worked with the local education authority in an advisory capacity. They are in a good position to advise their colleagues and to raise to further heights the standards that pupils achieve.

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MUSIC

117. Pupils exceed the standards expected for their age by the ages of 7 and 11 years. A good range of extra-curricular activities, including instrumental tuition, orchestra and choir, contributes substantially to pupils’ attainment. The school encourages all pupils to gain confidence in performance through Dore Primary School frequent opportunities to sing and play in assemblies and outside the school. For example, pupils take part in music festivals and perform for local churches, luncheon clubs and in the carol concert on the village green. Pupils have good opportunities to listen to music, such as in assemblies, and make their own comments on it. They have widened experiences of different styles of music through many good chances to hear performances in school, including African drumming and a jazz group.

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MUSIC

118. Throughout the school, pupils enjoy singing in assemblies and during lessons. This is often tuneful, with good control of pitch and volume. Even the youngest pupils quickly learn the words of hymns and sing well. Singing is often seamlessly introduced into lessons in the infant classes and links well with pupils’ other learning. Pupils develop an impressive musical vocabulary to describe their work. Year 1 pupils, for example, correctly use terms such as ‘pulse’, ‘crescendo’ and ‘diminuendo’. They identify a wide range of instruments and describe aspects of their sounds. Good teaching introduces pupils to aspects of notating music and pupils learn quickly how to respond correctly to directions when performing. Year 2 pupils build on this work and work hard to improve their performances when interpreting the ‘score’ of a sound picture of a storm. They show good levels of enjoyment and excitement when joining in with a wide range of songs and rhymes.

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MUSIC

119. Pupils in the junior classes extend their understanding and performance of music through the school. Teachers make good use of visiting performers to widen pupils’ understanding of other subjects. For example, a visiting ‘Tudor minstrel’ gave pupils very good examples of music of the period made on authentic instruments. This was linked well to explanations and descriptions of life in Tudor times that extended pupils’ historical understanding. Links with pupils’ literacy development are pursued in many lessons. Year 6 pupils, for example, joined in enthusiastically with American army call and response marching songs. They then used the form to compose their own verses to celebrate aspects of the school.

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MUSIC

120. Teaching is good throughout the school and this enables pupils of all attainments to learn well. Teachers’ relationships with pupils are consistently good and this helps pupils to perform with increasing confidence. Teachers’ management of classrooms and pupils is good. They are quickly able to get quiet on the very few occasions that pupils become over-excited, for example when trying a Tudor dance. Preparation for lessons is effective and teachers make good use of the school’s good resources for the subject. Teachers give clear instructions and this gives a good pace to most lessons. In the choir practice, about 85 pupils from Years 4, 5 and 6 improved their performances of songs from ‘The Sound of Music’ through well-judged support from the teacher. This particularly improved their articulation and their precision in holding long notes although singing in assemblies was sometimes more animated.

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MUSIC

121. The school has not had a co-ordinator for the subject since the amalgamation in September 2000 although the headteacher has a particular interest. There are good plans to revise and improve the curriculum plans and to link a programme of training for staff to this.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

122. Pupils’ attainment is above that expected for their age by the ages of 7 and 11 years. Some performances in Year 6 are of a high standard. A wide range of activities and opportunities allows all pupils, including those with special educational needs, to make good progress throughout the school. Most pupils exceed the expected standards in swimming by the time they leave the school. An impressive range of sports is introduced into the curriculum and excellent extra-curricular activities are offered that improve pupils’ standards of attainment. These also provide good opportunities for older pupils to tackle well-organised adventurous activities.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

123. Year 1 pupils create a good range of body shapes showing developing control and co-ordination. They work together co-operatively whilst putting out apparatus, mindful of safety checks. Their previous work is extended well through challenging tasks set by the teacher. Pupils are aware of good techniques and actions of other pupils and comment on them perceptively. Some pupils begin to incorporate these into their own performances. By the age of 7, pupils control their movements well as they move to music. They put simple sequences together effectively. When a new element is introduced to their work, most improve on their previous learning. As a third element is introduced, few pupils give sufficient attention to the teacher’s guidance and pupils’ demonstrations. They then repeat their own actions without considering how these could be made better. Dore Primary School 124. In the junior classes, work in games has many good aspects. Teachers’ good planning,

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

organisation and high expectations enable pupils to extend simple skills and to move with control and co-ordination. They know the correct way to hold a racket and how to strike a ball using forehand and backhand strokes. Skills in travelling with a ball improve over the years. By the age of 11, dance and gymnastics have a very high profile and pupils reach good standards. Pupils are very aware of safety and health matters and they ensure they warm up in preparation for exercise and cool down after it. Teachers ensure that they are challenged intellectually, physically and creatively. Pupils choose and put out apparatus quickly, carefully and with a high degree of co- operation. They perform well-controlled sequences incorporating turns, jumps, and balances. They exercise vigorously, gaining good skills in planning, performing and evaluating their performance.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

125. Teaching is good, with some excellent teaching seen in Year 6. Here high expectations and excellent relationships motivated, challenged and extended pupils’ learning. An overall strength of the teaching is the careful development of pupils’ skills through the school. For example, pupils are consistently required to evaluate each other’s performance and this is carried out very skilfully by the time pupils are 11 years. Teachers require pupils to put out apparatus from an early age. The best teaching demonstrates a high level of subject knowledge.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

126. Pupils’ attitudes to learning are very positive. They are interested and respond enthusiastically to the challenges offered. Pupils make sensitive criticisms of others’ performances and are willing to accept and act upon suggestions on how to improve.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

127. The subject leader makes every effort to fulfil the school’s aim of providing sporting opportunities for every interest. There are not enough opportunities for the subject leader to see lessons or for teachers to observe the very good practice that is present in the school. Resources are plentiful and well maintained, contributing to the pupils’ attainment. Dore Primary School

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

128. Pupils at the ages of 7 and 11 make good progress and achieve standards that exceed those normally expected of pupils of their age. Pupils with special educational needs make the same rate of progress as their peers.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

129. Only four lessons were seen during the inspection, three of them in the juniors. However, from talking to some pupils in Years 1 and 2, and from looking at a large sample of their work, it is clear that they make a good start in learning about religious education. For example, they can relate a number of stories from the Bible, such as when Moses was hidden in the bulrushes. Some pupils understand that there are two parts to the Bible, and say that the New Testament tells of the time when Jesus was on earth. They gain some understanding of how religious beliefs are related to everyday life when they express their ideas about what makes them happy or sad, and understand that Jesus gave direction about how we should behave to each other. Teachers reinforce pupils’ learning when they take pupils on a visit to the local village church, where they find out about such artefacts as the altar, a font, a pulpit, and a lectern. When asked about the purpose of the lectern,

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

one pupil remembered, ‘It’s where the vicar reads about the life of Jesus to the people’. Whilst there is a strong emphasis in Years 1 and 2 on Christianity, pupils do learn about other religions. For example, they know that all religions have special festivals, such as the Jewish Sukkoth. Higher attaining pupils write interestingly about how this festival celebrates the time when the Israelites wandered in the desert. Teachers in the infants spend much time discussing with pupils in lessons and getting them to record independently what they have found out. This approach develops well pupils’ speaking, listening and literacy skills.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

130. By the time they are in Year 6, pupils are knowledgeable about a wide range of religious facts and concepts. Higher attaining pupils can converse on a number of sophisticated issues because teachers in the juniors give them many opportunities to explore, through research and discussion, matters that affect people of different cultures and beliefs. A very good lesson in Year 5, for example, inspired pupils to think about Christians’ sense of community, each member gaining strength from the others. The teacher led pupils to think of such features as friendship, love and care as the ‘cement’ that holds the ‘bricks’ of communities together. One pupil remarked, in conclusion, ‘Don’t be the bad brick’. It is in insightful lessons such as this that the pupils make most progress. This lesson is typical of the quality of teaching, which is at least good, and often very good across the school. Indeed, lessons in the juniors characteristically include opportunities for all

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

pupils to take an active part. Pupils relate the principles of different religions to day-to-day life because the teachers successfully promote in them, through their good subject knowledge, enthusiasm for learning. Thus, pupils begin to understand what it means to be a Muslim or a Jew, and the importance of pilgrimage to places such as Mecca or Jerusalem. Teachers give pupils good opportunities to make their own judgements, as in a good lesson in Year 3, when pupils discussed the importance of giving and sharing, and related this principle to the religions they have studied.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

131. Pupils throughout the school take a keen interest in the subject. This is shown in the way infants listen carefully to religious stories, the relevant comments and ideas that juniors contribute to discussion, and the quality of writing and art work that pupils complete.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

132. There has been no subject co-ordinator for the infants since the amalgamation two years ago of the previous infant and junior schools. However, the co-ordinator for the juniors carries out her role very well, and has some oversight of the subject in the infants. She is aware that there is a need for the school to develop a specific scheme of work although, in effect, the school carries out very well the requirements of the locally agreed syllabus. The school makes good use of visits to places of educational interest, such as a synagogue and a Salvation Army citadel, to enhance pupils’ learning and to give them first-hand experience. The co-ordinator has assembled a very useful collection of pupils’ work in the juniors, which she has moderated according to levels of attainment. The school has a good collection of religious artefacts, which are used regularly, for example in a Year 4 lesson

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

when pupils experienced a ‘Passover’ meal.

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