Harnham Church of England Controlled Junior School

(CONTROLLED) JUNIOR SCHOOL

Inspection number: 250198 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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(CONTROLLED) JUNIOR 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. Harnham C.E. (Controlled) Junior School - 4

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Saxon Road Harnham Salisbury Wiltshire

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

E-mail address: office@harnham-jun.wilts.sch.uk

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Miss M. Tomlinson

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 23 March 1998 Harnham C.E. (Controlled) Junior School - 5

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

18645 C.D. Loizou Registered inspector Special educational needs Equal opportunities English Information and communication technology Physical education How high are standards? How well are pupils taught? How well is the school led and managed?

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

9837 R. Walsh 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? 29989 P. Goodsell Team inspector Mathematics Art and design Geography Music 22884 S. Sutcliffe Team inspector Science Design and technology History Religious education How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils?

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Sandfield Educational Consultants, 16, Wychwood Drive, Trowell Park, Nottingham, NG9 3RB.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway, London WC2B 6SE Harnham C.E. (Controlled) Junior School - 6

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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? 11

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

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AREAS OF THE CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES 28

Harnham C.E. (Controlled) Junior School - 7

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

This is a Church of England (Voluntary Controlled) junior school near to the centre of Salisbury in Wiltshire. It was last inspected in 1998 and most of the staff currently in the school were appointed after this, including the acting headteacher who will take up the post of headteacher in September 2002. The school is average in size with 248 pupils on roll consisting of 139 boys and 109 girls. This includes four pupils who are admitted to the school’s Centre for pupils with Specific Learning Difficulties (SPLD). Fifteen per cent of the pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is below the national average. Twenty-seven per cent of the pupils are on the school’s special educational needs register, which is average and less than two per cent have statements of special educational need, which is in line with most schools. Most of the pupils with special educational needs have moderate learning difficulties and those in the SPLD Centre all have a Statement of Special

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Educational Need and are identified with varying degrees dyslexia. Less than one per cent of the pupils are learning English as an additional language. The school currently admits up to 64 seven-year- olds into Year 3 and most have attended the neighbouring infant school. Results of the National Curriculum tests and initial assessments of the pupils when entering the school vary from year to year but show that their attainment is above average for pupils starting Year 3. The attainment on entry of the current Year 6 pupils was average.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

The school provides a satisfactory education for its pupils but standards could be higher. The pupils achieve satisfactorily in relation to their prior attainment on entry to the school. The teaching is satisfactory overall and varies across the school, ranging from a small amount of poor teaching to some excellent teaching. The inspection evidence shows that by the age of 11, standards are in line with those expected in English and mathematics and below average in science. Standards in the national tests have been falling since the last inspection and this is most evident in science. The acting headteacher, senior staff and governors provide satisfactory leadership. The acting headteacher and the staff have maintained the positive and supportive ethos of the school during a difficult period of instability caused by high staff turnover. The pupils achieve well in design and technology, music and

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

physical education, but they make unsatisfactory progress in geography where standards are below those expected. The school is effective in ensuring that all the pupils have equal access to the curriculum, including those pupils in the SPLD Centre who make good progress. Relationships are good across the school and the staff are effective in promoting the pupils’ personal development which is having a positive impact on the pupils’ attitudes to learning and the high levels of attendance. There are good links with parents who make a valuable contribution to their children’s learning at school and at home. The school provides satisfactory value for money.

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What the school does well

• The pupils achieve well in design and technology, music and physical education. • The provision for the pupils’ personal development is good. Consequently, they have good attitudes to school. The pupils’ positive attitudes towards school are also reflected in the high levels of attendance. • The support, provision and teaching of the pupils in the Centre for Specific Learning Difficulties are good. • Parents support the school well and there are good links with the school. Parents make a very good contribution to their children’s learning in school and at home.

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What could be improved

Harnham C.E. (Controlled) Junior School - 8 • Standards and teachers’ expectations of pupils in English and mathematics. • Standards and the quality of teaching in science. • The quality of the teaching so that more lessons match that of the best seen in the school. • The curriculum and the way it is monitored by subject managers and planned by teachers. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in March 1998 and has made satisfactory progress since in addressing the issues related to the governance of the school; the reading development of the pupils and the opportunities for the pupils to plan their own investigations in practical work. However, the school has not made sufficient progress in the management and monitoring of the curriculum and, in particular, the role of subject co-ordinators. The school has maintained its good provision in music and has also been successful in improving some of the assessment procedures. However, the lack of challenging attainment targets and weaknesses in the curriculum, including that in science and geography, have resulted in standards being lower than they should be. The school’s monitoring procedures are unsatisfactory and do not help the pupils achieve as well as they could in all the subjects of the curriculum. Given the recent changes in the leadership and management of the school, the school’s

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

capacity to address these issues is good.

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STANDARDS

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

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STANDARDS

Performance in: All schools similar schools Key

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STANDARDS

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

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STANDARDS

The pupils start Year 3 with a wide range of ability but standards overall are above those expected for their age when they join the school. More able pupils make satisfactory progress, including those identified as gifted and talented who achieve the higher levels (Level 5) in the national tests each year. Those identified with special educational needs make satisfactory progress but the pupils in the SPLD Centre make good progress because they are well taught. In the National Curriculum tests last year, standards were above average in mathematics and average in English and science. Compared with similar schools, standards were average in mathematics and below average in English and science. The proportion of more able pupils who exceed the standards expected for their age was above the national average, but too many pupils of average ability failed to reach the expected level of attainment. In this respect, standards ought to have been higher. Target setting procedures are weak

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STANDARDS

and inconsistencies in the teaching account for the underachievement. Inspection findings show that standards in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6 are currently in line with those expected but are below average in science. There is a higher than usual proportion of pupils identified with special educational needs (40 per cent) in Year 6 and this partly accounts for this. In other year groups, standards are above those expected in English and mathematics. Standards in geography are below those expected because the geography curriculum and the teaching are unsatisfactory. Standards in design and technology, music and physical education are above those expected. In all of the other subjects, the pupils achieve the standards expected for their age. Standards in writing have Harnham C.E. (Controlled) Junior School - 9 improved and the pupils present their work neatly and clearly and produce a good range of writing in

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school The pupils’ attitudes to learning, to school and to each other are good. They try hard and enjoy learning, applying themselves well, often co- operating and learning from each other. Behaviour, in and out of classrooms The standard of behaviour is satisfactory. In the very little unsatisfactory behaviour seen this was largely related to low expectations from the teacher. There were no exclusions last year. Personal development and relationships This is good. The pupils are able to work independently and show maturity. Relationships are good across the school. Older pupils support younger ones. The school operates an effective School Council which involves the pupils in the management of the school. Attendance Very good. Attendance levels are well above average. There is very little unauthorised absence. The pupils enjoy coming to school.

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Teaching of pupils in: Years 3 – 6

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: Years 3 – 6

The teaching is satisfactory overall and ranges from poor to excellent. This is a satisfactory improvement since the last inspection because there are more lessons of high quality and fewer unsatisfactory lessons. However, there is still inconsistency across the school, with half of the lessons seen being satisfactory and under half that were good or better. Two per cent of the teaching seen was poor and this was mainly related to unsatisfactory class management and low expectations of the pupils which resulted in some poor behaviour. Overall, however, teachers manage the pupils satisfactorily and, where there are high expectations with clear routines and discipline, the pupils behave well and show good attitudes to their work and learning. English and mathematics lessons are well organised and planned and the teachers use the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies well to guide the work. Reading and writing skills are well taught from an early age and the teaching builds

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Teaching of pupils in: Years 3 – 6

on the pupils’ good knowledge of letter sounds and spelling when they first join the school in Year 3. They provide satisfactory homework and prepare tasks that are usually well matched to the needs and abilities of the pupils. However, in some lessons, expectations are not high enough for all the pupils, so that tasks are not demanding enough and this particularly affects the progress and achievement of some average attaining pupils. Nearly one in seven lessons observed were of high quality because the pace and challenge of these lessons was very good. Teachers make satisfactory use of their assessments of the pupils’ progress to inform their planning but the targets that are set for the pupils of average ability are not monitored regularly enough and do not always challenge those pupils to achieve the expected standards for their age. Design and technology, music and physical education are well

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Teaching of pupils in: Years 3 – 6

taught, resulting in standards that are above those expected in these subjects. There are weaknesses in the teaching in science and geography resulting in standards that are below those expected. Harnham C.E. (Controlled) Junior School - 10

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum The curriculum is unsatisfactory because there are weaknesses in the science and geography curriculum. Consequently, it is not a balanced curriculum and it is not being monitored well enough for the pupils to make sustained progress in all subjects. Some aspects of the curriculum are good, for example, music is well taught and there is a very good range of competitive and non-competitive sports, games and music tuition during and outside school hours. Provision for pupils with special educational needs The pupils receive satisfactory support. Those admitted to the Centre for pupils with Specific Learning Difficulties are well supported and taught and make good progress. Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Provision is good overall. The pupils benefit from a broad range of educational visits and activities outside school times. Good provision is

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Aspect Comment

made for the pupils’ personal development, particularly their moral and social development. However, the school is not sufficiently developing a broad understanding of life in a multi-cultural society. The pupils develop a good respect for themselves and for others. How well the school cares for its pupils There is a satisfactory level of care provided for all of the pupils. Child protection procedures are satisfactory. The school has satisfactory procedures to assess how well the pupils are learning but the information is not being used to set challenging learning targets for the pupils to achieve. The school has a direct policy and positive attitude towards race equality.

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Aspect Comment

The school has good links with parents. The parents are provided with satisfactory information about the topics being covered in lessons and the very good range of extra-curricular activities.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and manage- ment by the headteacher and other key staff This is satisfactory. The acting headteacher has begun to re-organise how the curriculum is going to be managed, recognising that more could be done to monitor the teachers’ planning and set appropriate attainment targets. The management of the school is well focused on improving standards and supporting all pupils, but in some subjects the monitoring is not as focused on improving teaching and learning and there are some gaps in pupils’ learning as a result. How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The governing body provides satisfactory support. The governors work closely with the acting headteacher and staff and have a clear understanding of their role in managing and supporting the school. Harnham C.E. (Controlled) Junior School - 11 The school’s evaluation of its performance This is satisfactory. The governors and staff have established clear

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Aspect Comment

priorities in the school development plan. There has been a process involving audits and checks of the school’s performance and the pupils’ attainment in national tests. However, more could be done to improve the consistency of teaching and learning across the school so that all of the pupils achieve well. The strategic use of resources This is satisfactory. There are targets which are matched to spending priorities. The governors have a satisfactory understanding of how to ensure that the school is getting value for money when committing resources and the school’s funds.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s limited accommodation is well maintained and improvements are planned. Additional support staff are deployed effectively and make a valuable contribution to the pupils’ learning. The administrative staff are efficient and always make themselves available to parents and visitors as well as managing the smooth running of the school and its finances. The school’s accommodation and resources are satisfactory and there is an adequate number of well qualified staff.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Behaviour in the school is good. • The teaching is good. • They feel comfortable approaching the school. • The school is well led and managed. • The school is helping their children to become mature and responsible. • The consistency and amount of homework provided by the school. • To be better informed about their children’s progress.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Parents are particularly pleased with the way the acting headteacher and staff are approachable and supportive. Inspectors agree with most of the positive views expressed by parents. Behaviour is satisfactory and is usually better in the most effective lessons where teachers’ expectations are high and classroom management is good. Some parents would like to see improvements to the way homework is provided and would like to be better informed about the academic progress of their children. The inspection team judge that the arrangements for setting homework are satisfactory. Harnham C.E. (Controlled) Junior School - 12

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. When the pupils join the school their level of attainment varies from year to year but is generally above that expected of pupils starting Year 3. The attainment of the current Year 6 pupils was average on entry to Year 3. The current Year 3 pupils left the neighbouring infant school with test results that were well above average in reading, writing and mathematics. Given that attainment on entry is generally above average, the inspection judges that standards by the end of Year 6 should be higher.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. The inspection evidence confirms that standards at the end of Year 6 in English and mathematics are broadly average, but below average in science. In all three subjects standards could be higher. Science standards are below those expected because there is a general lack of science subject knowledge amongst the teaching staff and, based on previous work covered in the pupils’ workbooks, the teaching is satisfactory in science but has some significant weaknesses because the curriculum has many shortcomings. Standards in the national tests have been rising over the last three years at a rate slower than the most schools and, overall, they have not been rising fast enough. Inspection evidence, as well as the results of the most recent national tests (2002) for Year 6 show that a good proportion of the more able pupils achieve the higher levels in the tests, but too few of the average pupils achieve

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

their potential. This is largely due to unsatisfactory target setting by teachers and senior staff.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. The school has now begun to focus its teaching so that the pupils are grouped by ability and this is starting to have a positive impact on the pupils’ progress in English and mathematics. Reading and writing standards are improving as a result of this focus, and standards in English and mathematics at the end of Years 3, 4 and 5 are now above those expected for pupils aged 8, 9 and 10 respectively. This targeted teaching has helped to raise standards for the more able pupils but there is still some way to go before the underachievement of the average pupils is overcome. Inspection evidence indicates that too many average pupils are making unsatisfactory progress in English and mathematics and most of the pupils are making unsatisfactory progress in science. The pupils with special educational needs make similar progress to that of other pupils except that the pupils who are admitted to the Centre for

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

Specific Learning Difficulties (SPLD) make good progress because they are well taught in basic literacy and numeracy skills and make good gains in their learning towards their individual learning targets.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. The pupils express themselves clearly when speaking and their writing is well formed and mature with a good range of vocabulary. As a result, they use good sentence structure when answering questions, writing stories and poems or explaining facts when answering questions based on non-fiction texts. When reading, the pupils use a good range of strategies when attempting to read unfamiliar words. Standards in reading and writing show significant improvement because there has been a focus on the more advanced skills of inference, deduction and prediction in English lessons. The pupils are writing with increasing confidence, using correct spelling, punctuation and sentence structure and can write extended sentences accurately. In mathematics, the pupils develop a good understanding of number facts, measures and shapes and when solving number problems presented in words, puzzles or investigations. However, there is a lack of consistency of expectations set by teachers in

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

mathematics which affects how well the pupils achieve over time so that in some years they make good progress and in others it is barely satisfactory. Average attaining pupils could achieve a lot more if all teachers had high expectations. In science, the pupils are provided with opportunities to plan and evaluate their own investigations, resulting in them finding out for Harnham C.E. (Controlled) Junior School - 13 themselves using the skills they have acquired, but the science curriculum lacks progression so that the pupils are not able to build on previous learning effectively.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. Standards in information and communication technology are in line with those expected by the end of Year 6. Standards are similar to those found at the time of the last inspection and the pupils make satisfactory progress in all strands of information and communication technology, for example, word processing, graphics and data handling. In control technology, they make satisfactory progress but this is largely dependent on each teacher’s expertise. The use of new information and communication technology resources has improved the effectiveness of the teaching but staff development and training is still required to improve the use of the school’s new computer room.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6. The pupils make satisfactory progress in religious education and achieve standards that are in line with those expected by the end of Year 6. Standards have not improved since the last inspection and there are some weaknesses in the way the pupils are taught about other world religions. The school covers the Locally Agreed Syllabus, but there are some inconsistencies in the teaching of religious education. Some of the pupils’ workbooks show gaps in their learning, often as a result of lessons that have insufficient depth of coverage of topics.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. Although the majority of pupils identified with special educational needs achieve levels below or well below the national average for their age, they make satisfactory progress towards their individual learning targets. Assessments of the pupils’ needs ensure that they work with appropriate ability groups for English and mathematics and the support they receive is good. There has been satisfactory progress in the provision for special educational needs since the last inspection.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

8. In other subjects, the pupils achieve standards that are in line with those expected for their age by the end of Year 6, except in design and technology, music and physical education, where standards are above those expected and geography, where standards are below those expected. The geography curriculum is weak, resulting in the pupils not achieving the standards expected for their age. There has been good improvement since the last inspection in design and technology, music and physical education but unsatisfactory progress in geography. The inconsistencies in standards are because the school does not sufficiently monitor its curriculum nor do teachers set accurate and challenging targets for the pupils. Although the pupils do well in physical education, the school does not provide swimming lessons because of the lack of local facilities. The acting headteacher has put in place investigations to utilise the facilities in another local school.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

9. The pupils’ attitudes to learning are good and the majority are eager to learn. They settle to work quickly and respond well to the challenges presented to them. The pupils are keen and enthusiastic. They share ideas and co-operate well with others, taking pride in their work and try hard to improve their skills. The pupils work independently and complete their homework conscientiously.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10. Behaviour is satisfactory and there have been no exclusions. The pupils understand what is expected of them and the great majority follow the school rules. However, some inappropriate behaviour was observed in some classes and this was due to inconsistent behaviour management by teachers. At lunchtimes around the school, and outside in the playground, behaviour was observed to be good. In lessons where the work is undemanding or does not set high enough expectations, the behaviour of some pupils is unsatisfactory. The pupils are confident to approach staff with any concerns they have, which are listened to and acted upon. Although some incidents of bullying have occurred, it was noted from Harnham C.E. (Controlled) Junior School - 14 discussions with parents that these are dealt with quickly and effectively. The school is very successful at integrating the pupils from the Centre for pupils with Specific Learning

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

Difficulties. Teachers and support staff work hard to ensure that these pupils are fully included in all activities.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. The pupils’ personal development is good and has improved well since the last inspection. The pupils like their teachers and teaching assistants, and feel well cared for. They show interest and respect for each other’s ideas and work, and were observed helping one another in class activities. Many opportunities are available for the pupils to develop confidence and self esteem. These include becoming members of the School Council and reading aloud or performing in school assemblies. The school emphasises personal responsibility, and class discussion groups (circle time) are used to ensure the pupils understand the effects of their actions on others. Older pupils take on increasing responsibility, such as helping run the school library, office duties at lunchtimes and many are assigned to care for younger pupils at break-times. A large number of pupils participate in the high quality after-school activities

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

provided by staff and parents, which add significantly to the pupils’ learning and personal development.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. Attendance rates are very good and at present are well above the national average. The school creates a happy and welcoming environment, which encourages good attendance. Pupils are happy to come to school. Timekeeping during the school day is generally good and lessons start and end promptly.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

13. The teaching is satisfactory. Most of the teaching seen was satisfactory and a significant amount was found to be good or better. Very little unsatisfactory or poor teaching was seen, amounting to two per cent of all the lessons observed. This was mainly related to poor classroom management and low expectations of the pupils, resulting in some poor behaviour.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

14. Teachers plan work so that in most lessons the work is well matched to the abilities of the pupils. In nearly one third of the lessons seen there was a clear match of work to the pupils’ needs and abilities. However, in the less successful lessons, including those that were satisfactory overall, the teachers did not engage the pupils in the lessons so there was more evidence in these lessons of teachers talking to the pupils for far too long before practical activities began. In the Year 3 and Year 4 science lessons for example, the pupils became restless as the teacher talked for too long about ‘making shadows’. There was also a lack of clarity in the objectives for the science lessons and the pupils did not fully understand straightforward facts about, for example, how light travels and how shadows are created. In contrast, good, very good and excellent lessons involved the pupils entirely. In a very good

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

Year 3 mathematics lesson, the teacher allowed time for the pupils to devise their own questions and opinions about fractions, using interesting and varied tasks and games such as ‘fraction snap’ and counter games. The pupils respond well to this type of teaching. They listened carefully to instructions and offered thoughtful answers and responses. In an excellent English lesson in a Year 3 and, similarly in a Year 5 class, the teachers were able to bring language alive. The pupils enjoyed playing with words as they wrote their own limericks in Year 3 and Year 5 pupils explored the richness of language in the opening words of Shakespeare’s Macbeth.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

15. The pupils persevere with tasks when they are sufficiently challenging and interesting. For example, in the SPLD Centre a group of dyslexic pupils enjoyed building on the challenges presented by the teacher as they learned to recognise new words and letter sounds. In the rest of the school the teaching usually has a positive impact on the pupils’ attitudes to learning and their behaviour because most teachers have clear rules and classroom routines. But this Harnham C.E. (Controlled) Junior School - 15 is not always the case and in a poor Year 3 English lesson, much of the teacher’s planning was wasted because the pupils did not respond because she could not control them. The lesson was not being supported because the learning support assistants were deployed elsewhere as they were undergoing professional development. The most effective teaching ensures that classroom rules are adhered to and that the pupils always put up their hands and

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

respond appropriately during class discussions.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

16. In the unsatisfactory teaching seen, and in some lessons where the teaching was nevertheless judged to be satisfactory, there was less control and discipline, largely because the work was less demanding and varied. The lessons did not set high enough expectations, resulting in some disorganised work with some groups of pupils wasting time and losing interest. Science and geography teaching have weaknesses, largely as a result of gaps in the curriculum and a lack of consistency in the teaching which affects how much progress the pupils make. Although the lessons are practical and seemingly motivating for the pupils, it is clear from their responses and the quality and range of work covered in their books, that teachers are not monitoring how well the pupils are doing and there are gaps in the pupils’ learning. In geography, the teaching is unsatisfactory because there is a lack of coverage of the geography

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

curriculum and it is patchy across the school.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

17. Design and technology, music and physical education lessons are well planned and provide good opportunities for the pupils to explore ideas and evaluate their own work to improve it further. Consequently, standards are above those expected. Other subjects are satisfactorily taught and the pupils make satisfactory progress. Design and technology teaching has improved significantly since the last inspection and this is reflected in the standards achieved. Religious education is taught satisfactorily but this varies across the school and it is evident in the pupils’ workbooks that some teachers have covered topics in greater depth than others. Music is taught well, especially when the pupils are taught singing and when learning to play instruments. Swimming is not taught and this is a weakness.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

18. The teachers use a range of assessments to help them monitor their pupils’ progress in most subjects but there is a lack of challenge, particularly for the average pupils. The pupils’ work is usually marked up to date and teachers ensure that the pupils know what they have to do to improve further. However, some teachers’ marking is not as rigorous as it could be, with high praise given for some of the pupils’ work when it is clear that this is not the best work done. Regular assessments, including optional national tests in all year groups from Year 3, help to inform teachers’ planning, but this information is not being used by teachers to set appropriate targets for the attainment of groups and individual pupils.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

19. The pupils with special educational needs are taught satisfactorily and those in the SPLD Centre are taught well. Every adult concerned with the education or care of special educational needs pupils knows each pupil’s targets so that the work and support is carefully planned to enable them to achieve. Continuous monitoring of the pupils’ progress, including their personal development, ensures that they have relevant support and appropriate work. Relationships between adults and pupils with special educational needs are good and the pupils’ achievements are valued and celebrated.

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OFFERED TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

20. The school provides a broadly based curriculum which includes all subjects of the National Curriculum and religious education. Appropriate emphasis is given to the teaching of literacy and numeracy. The structure of the timetable and the organisation of the school day, however, limit the range of work covered in other subjects. The use of curriculum time is not used well in other subjects, particularly geography. This results in an unsatisfactory range, Harnham C.E. (Controlled) Junior School - 16 depth and richness within the curriculum especially in history, geography and religious education.

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OFFERED TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

21. At the time of the last inspection the school did not have policies and schemes of work for all subjects. This has improved and the statutory requirements for all subjects are met through the adoption of the nationally recognised schemes of work. These have not been adapted, however, to include the school’s particular needs and strengths and there are many missed opportunities to extend pupils’ learning. For example, information and communication technology is rarely used in other subjects and history is not enhanced by quality work in art and design or design and technology. The school provides plenty of opportunities for pupils to develop skills to learn independently, problem solve and investigate. This is an improvement since the last inspection.

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OFFERED TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

22. The teachers’ long term planning is very brief and medium term planning within year groups does not provide an overview of coverage, breadth and balance throughout the school or ensure that there is proper progression. There is no rigorous monitoring of the curriculum to evaluate continuity between year groups, levels of attainment, and the progressive acquisition of skills and coverage of curriculum areas in order to raise standards. Curriculum co- ordinators do not sufficiently monitor planning or the delivery of their subject. Attainment targets are not accurate for specific groups of pupils, especially the lower and average ability pupils. The teachers plan to a common format and this is satisfactory in literacy and numeracy. Some teachers evaluate their own lessons and use the information to inform future planning but this is not consistent across the school.

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OFFERED TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

23. The provision and support for the pupils in the Centre for Specific Learning Difficulties (Dyslexia) is good. The provision for the pupils with special educational needs in the rest of the school is satisfactory. The teaching assistants offer effective support to these pupils in lessons and are involved with writing and implementing the pupils’ individual education plans.

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OFFERED TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

24. The provision for the pupils’ personal, social and health education is good and is catered for in specific lessons and across the curriculum as a whole. There is a scheme of work and the enthusiastic co-ordinator is able to share knowledge through staff meetings and uses some non-contact time to support colleagues and monitor planning. Health education is incorporated appropriately within the science scheme of work with an emphasis on developing a healthy lifestyle. The school is currently working towards the ‘Healthy Schools Award’. Parents are consulted to approve and support the school’s sex education programme and the co-ordinator has received drugs awareness training. The School Council chooses charities for the pupils to support as a means of giving back to the community. There is a homework policy, but the quantity and range of homework varies between year groups or classes.

p.16

OFFERED TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

25. There is a very good range of extra curricular activities and all staff are involved. There are a variety of sports and music activities, a dance group, a gardening club, art and craft group and pupils produce a school newspaper using computers. The school offers a good range of visits to enhance the curriculum. These include a residential visit to New Barn for Year 6 pupils, which incorporates work in history, science, geography, literacy and art and design (ceramics). They attend a workshop in Salisbury Cathedral and visits include the Southsea D-Day Museum and Steam Museum in Swindon. Visits are made to the local church. Visitors into school include local ministers and members of the local community who offer their expertise on a variety of topics including life in World War Two and faith systems such as Islam.

p.16

OFFERED TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

26. Overall, the opportunities for the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are good. In particular the arrangements for the moral and social development of the pupils are strengths of the school and make a good contribution to their personal development. There is a comparative weakness in the extension of the pupils’ experiences of traditions and cultures Harnham C.E. (Controlled) Junior School - 17 other than their own. This has an impact on their appreciation of cultural diversity and limits the opportunities for them to develop a regard for human achievement in a range of societies.

p.16

OFFERED TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

27. The school promotes the pupils’ spiritual development satisfactorily through assemblies, lessons and other activities. The pupils have regular opportunities to pray, sing hymns, reflect and to feel positive about themselves and consider how they can face problems in life. A sense of stillness and calm is fostered in most assemblies. The school provides the pupils with some insights into the values and beliefs of others through religious education lessons but these are not effectively developed, nor extensive enough. The teachers consistently encourage pupils to recognise and value their own individuality and worth. They promote pupils’ awareness of a sense of wonder at the natural world, for example, the pupils in Year 4 looked with interest and delight at photographs of a range of creatures in a science lesson. The pupils in assembly considered how the disciples had doubted the power of Jesus and were frightened

p.17

OFFERED TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

by the storm, they were enthralled by a video showing the fishing boat combating the wind and waves. A strength is the opportunities the pupils have to appreciate the various moods and beauty of music both when listening to music and when participating themselves in creating it.

p.17

OFFERED TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

28. The school fosters the pupils’ moral and social development well. The teachers recognise and encourage the pupils’ personal efforts both in class and in assemblies, where moral themes are given considerable emphasis. In particular there are consistent approaches by all adults in rewarding effort and good behaviour. There are clearly established rules and equally clear information about the positive consequences of good behaviour and the negative ones if pupils choose to behave otherwise. The pupils clearly know the difference between right and wrong and are given the opportunity to develop their own strategies for improving their behaviour if it is unacceptable. This contributes to the personal development of the pupils, encouraging them to take responsibility for their actions, for example, respecting property and care of the environment. The Year 6 pupils, following a recent residential visit to a field centre, extended

p.17

OFFERED TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

the work back in school by considering how they could apply the principles of environmental sustainability to their daily lives.

p.17

OFFERED TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

29. The school has five key words that form the basis of their moral and social code: Fair, Trustworthy, Calm, Considerate and Enthusiastic. The head teacher and staff provide good role models and supportive and constructive relationships between teachers and pupils successfully promote pupils’ self esteem and their relationships with other pupils and staff. All members of the school community treat each other with courtesy and respect. The school provides good opportunities in lessons for pupils to co-operate and collaborate effectively in pairs and small groups, such as when carrying out practical tasks in science and design technology, and almost all do so sensibly. Many pupils develop a sense of responsibility by acting as monitors for a range of tasks to help in the smooth running of the school. The “Mini Olympics” event is designed and organised by the pupils and is used as a fundraising activity

p.17

OFFERED TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

for the school’s chosen charities. These are decided upon by the School Council. This year the decision was taken to support Riding for the Disabled and the National Children’s Homes. A particularly strong feature of the school is the way in which at the end of Year 5, pupils are paired with pupils about to enter Year 3. The ‘Harnham Helpers’ show the younger children round the school, sit with them in assemblies, take care of them at lunchtimes and generally help them to make friends and settle into the school. These and other initiatives, such as a consideration of the qualities that make a special friend, have helped to develop the pupils’ social skills and contribute well to their good personal development.

p.17

OFFERED TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

30. Overall, the promotion of the pupils’ cultural development and understanding is satisfactory. That of their own culture is good. However, there are weaknesses in the range of opportunities for pupils to develop an understanding of the richness and diversity of other cultures and to consider issues of racism and the valuing of race equality. The school has a policy in place aimed at promoting race equality. They learn about their own cultural heritage Harnham C.E. (Controlled) Junior School - 18 through involvement with local groups and events. There have been recent celebrations of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee. Many pupils benefit from the lessons offered in a good range of musical instruments for which parents pay. There are good musical opportunities provided for all the pupils such as recorder lessons and participation in the choir and whole school performances. They develop awareness mainly of western cultures through the ‘Arts Week’

p.17

OFFERED TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

and through some topic work in history, geography and religious education. The pupils benefit from visitors to the school and a programme of educational visits, such as to the Art Gallery at Southampton, which help to bring the cultural aspects of learning to life for them.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

31. The school is a caring organisation and the overall provision for the welfare of its pupils is good. Teachers and support staff know the pupils and their families well and deal sensitively with any problems that arise. Teaching assistants are enthusiastic and very committed to improving how well the pupils achieve and they provide invaluable support to individual pupils and particularly those with special educational needs. The pastoral care provided by the staff is good. Discussion groups (circle time) are used effectively by class teachers throughout the school to encourage the pupils to take responsibility for their own actions. They also provide opportunities for the pupils to share with others any concerns or worries in a supportive and understanding climate. There is a strong feeling of mutual respect between adults and pupils and this adds significantly to the atmosphere within the school.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

32. The school’s procedures for monitoring the personal development of the pupils are good. The pupils’ annual progress reports are informative and contain statements on progress in each subject as well as information on their personal development and future targets for improvement, which are agreed on by staff and pupils. The school has a comprehensive behaviour policy, and its application across the school by teachers and support staff is generally effective. The policy contains strategies to deal with poor behaviour, including time given to those pupils who behave unsatisfactorily to consider the implications of their actions. A system of rewards and sanctions results in the pupils’ adhering to the school’s clear code of conduct. The School Council, which meets every week, allows the pupils to communicate their ideas and opinions to senior staff. It has recently managed to obtain new play equipment

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

for break times, by persuading the headteacher and governors of its value to the pupils. The school rigorously monitors attendance and absence patterns on a weekly basis and in this is well supported by the Educational Welfare Service. Parents are aware of their responsibility to notify the school in the cases of absences and usually comply with this requirement.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

33. The school has an adequate health and safety policy and has recently established an action plan which needs to be implemented urgently in order to improve the school’s performance in this area. The newly appointed governor with special responsibility for health and safety has specific expertise in this area. He has presented a new action plan on all aspects of school safety, the implementation of which is expected very soon. The school successfully promotes health and safety issues during lessons, observed in both physical education and design and technology lessons. The recent Junior Good Citizen programme for Year 6 was particularly effective in highlighting safety aspects of daily life and encouraging personal responsibility in the pupils.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

34. There is an effective child protection policy in place and the designated person is fully trained. Awareness training now needs to be conducted with recently appointed staff so that they become fully aware of their responsibilities in this area. First aid procedures are in place and work well, with records of accidents and incidents detailed by the competent office staff. Harnham C.E. (Controlled) Junior School - 19 Regular fire drills are conducted and fire-fighting equipment is regularly checked by outside contractors.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

35. At the time of the last inspection a key issue was to ensure that the assessment of pupils’ progress was further developed. Overall, this has not been addressed because target setting is inaccurate, especially for average pupils. There are procedures in place for assessing pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics and this information is used to group the pupils by ability in mathematics in Years 5 and 6. Inspection judgements find that this is beginning to have a positive impact on the pupils’ progress in mathematics. In English and mathematics in Years 3 and 4 the pupils are grouped according to ability using the information from tests and teachers’ assessments and this has helped to provide learning targets for every pupil. However, throughout the school, the targets set for pupils of average ability have been inaccurate or too low so that too many of them fail to reach their potential.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

36. There is still a mixed picture in the use the school makes of assessment outcomes to inform long-term curriculum planning and teachers’ planning. For example, tracking of the progress of individual pupils is in its early stages and, as a result, the overall targets set for the school in English and mathematics are not challenging enough. The school is aware of these areas for development and has plans to improve them by the use of an information and communication technology package, which assists in the analysis of the data collected by the school. In science, procedures for assessing the progress of the pupils are unsatisfactory and this contributes to the slower progress in science seen throughout the school. The school has begun to assess the pupils’ progress in other subjects by the use of the suggestions in the national guidelines for each area of the curriculum. However, this work is at a very early

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

stage of development and teachers are not always aware of what the pupils already know and understand. This has contributed, in particular, to the lack of progress seen in geography as pupils move through the school.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

37. The school has good links with parents. The quality and scope of information provided to parents on curriculum topics and other school activities is satisfactory. The school prospectus and handbook for parents are informative and well constructed, and the Governor’s Annual Report to parents contains all the required statutory information. The pupils’ progress reports provide a clear picture of performance and contain targets for future improvements agreed by both pupils and teachers. These are supplemented by formal and informal discussions with teachers on the pupils’ progress. The pre-inspection questionnaire indicated that the majority of parents feel they could easily approach the staff to discuss their children, and the inspection agrees with this view. Some parents had expressed concerns over the frequency and timing of homework, and although the inspection team found some inconsistencies in the application

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

of the guidelines across the school, they nevertheless judge that the relevance, amount, and type of homework set were satisfactory.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

38. The effectiveness of the school’s links with parents is good. The pre-inspection questionnaire suggested that parents had some concerns in this area, however the new headteacher is working hard to improve this aspect. The school presents a welcoming environment, and even though the reception area at first appears to be a rather poor introduction to the school, the imminent new building programme will dramatically improve this. Many parents give up considerable amounts of time to help in lessons and provide regular inputs into, for example, design and technology and history lessons. Others manage after school clubs and provide extra supervision on educational visits. These extra inputs are warmly welcomed by the school and enhance the learning available to the pupils. The school positively encourages parents to become involved in their children’s learning both in school and at home and this is

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

considered by the inspection team to be a strength of the school. Harnham C.E. (Controlled) Junior School - 20 39. The Harnham Schools’ Association is a very active parent teacher group which raises considerable funds to boost the resources of the school and the neighbouring infant school. It has recently raised funds to provide extra computers and games equipment. It also organises social events like the recently successful barn dance, which allows parents and teachers from both schools to meet informally. At present the Association is organising a quiz night to raise funds for multimedia display equipment. The school warmly appreciates this help and support.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

40. The pre-inspection questionnaire and parents’ meeting, indicate that parents view the school in a very positive light. They report that their children enjoy the experience of attending the school, that they find the staff easy to approach and discuss concerns with and that the school is perceived to be well led and managed. Inspection findings agree with these positive views. They also perceived teaching to be good, and whilst the inspection findings indicated this to be true in some classes, there is still room for improvement. The pupils’ behaviour is also perceived by parents to be good and again inspection findings agree that outside lessons and around the school this is true. However, some inappropriate behaviour is allowed to occur in some classes and this needs to be addressed by the school.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

41. The leadership and management of the school are satisfactory overall. The acting headteacher has made a good start and looks forward to putting in place a new senior management team when he takes up the substantive post in September. The acting headteacher and acting deputy headteacher work closely with the pupils, staff, parents and governors and have successfully managed to maintain stability during this difficulty period for the school community. Parents have commented very positively about the current leadership of the school and believe that the acting headteacher has done well to maintain good contact with them.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

42. Raising standards has been the main focus for development and there are satisfactory procedures in place which are beginning to help the staff and governors evaluate how well the school is doing in relation to similar schools. There has been satisfactory improvement since the last inspection, but more needs to be done to improve the management of the curriculum and to allow subject co-ordinators to monitor standards, teaching and learning in their respective subjects. There are currently too many inconsistencies in the teaching which are not being sufficiently addressed and closer monitoring and checking will have to be put in place to resolve these. The acting headteacher has begun re-focus the work of the school towards a self-evaluative management model but this has not had enough time for it to have had an immediate impact on gaps that exist in the curriculum and the inconsistencies of the teaching.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

43. The school development plan includes a comprehensive training and professional development programme, which aims to improve the way teachers assess the pupils’ progress. In a very short time the acting headteacher has undertaken a thorough needs analysis and assessed the effectiveness of the school. This has helped him to work with the acting deputy headteacher and together they have used this evaluation to take the school forward.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

44. A significant improvement since the last inspection is the governance of the school because the governors now provide satisfactory support and management. They are committed to the needs of the school and its pupils and they fulfil their statutory responsibilities well. Formal and effective monitoring procedures are established and the governors are kept well informed about standards and the work of the school. The governors visit the school regularly and receive reports from the acting headteacher and senior staff. The school development plan is used to steer the work of the school but until now governors and staff have not been expected to contribute to the process. The acting headteacher has not had enough time to establish Harnham C.E. (Controlled) Junior School - 21 effective procedures that will enable all the staff and governors to prepare parts of the development plan. Subject co-ordinators prepare audits and action plans to determine what

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

priorities need to be established before committing resources.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

45. There has been a large turn over of teaching staff in the past two years due to a variety of reasons such as promotions, retirements and sabbatical leave granted to one teacher. Out of the ten full-time and three part-time posts, eight teachers have been replaced. The acting headteacher and acting deputy headteacher have both been appointed to the permanent posts for the beginning of the school year in September. There are two newly qualified teachers who joined the staff at the beginning of the school year. Although the teaching staff are generally well qualified to meet the demands of the curriculum, there is a range of teaching and management experience. The new senior management team, together with all the teachers, has worked hard to ensure that all the curriculum areas have at least caretaker subject managers and to identify priority areas for development. The newly qualified teachers

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

and other recently appointed teachers have been well inducted into the school. The staff work well together as a team, teachers are supportive of one another and good arrangements are in place for individual expertise to be used in the teaching of some subjects. The senior management team recognise the need to strengthen the role of the curriculum co-ordinators in monitoring teaching and learning in order to improve the consistency of teaching and raise standards across the school. The decision to group pupils by attainment levels in mathematics in Years 5 and 6 and the provision of additional teaching staff to teach a ‘Springboard’ group of middle attaining Year 5 pupils is proving largely effective and is having a positive impact on pupils’ progress in mathematics. The well-trained and qualified teaching assistants are well deployed to support pupils with special educational needs and their presence and expertise

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

46. The school’s finances are managed satisfactorily and the governors carefully consider spending priorities and how best to allocate the school’s funds. The school is using specific grants to build additional rooms, including a library and ICT room. The administration and finances that are managed on a day to day basis by the school administrative and financial staff are efficiently managed and records are well maintained.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

47. The school’s accommodation is adequate for curriculum needs and the main block classrooms are spacious, light and airy, providing a comfortable environment for learning. The four temporary classrooms are much less spacious but remain adequate. The whole school is enlivened by interesting displays of work by the pupils, including work done in art and design and design technology lessons.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

48. Outdoor facilities are good, with a sizeable sports field, a reasonable hard play area and a wooded area, all of which provide an attractive and stimulating learning environment, particularly benefiting pupils’ activities in science and physical education. There is also a quadrangle used as a quiet area, however, this has an open aspect and is very insecure. The perimeter fencing also needs minor repairs. The imminent new building programme will provide the school with an attractive reception area, a new library, new classrooms and an information technology suite, which will overcome some of the current recognised problems the school faces related to the health and safety of pupils. Harnham C.E. (Controlled) Junior School - 22

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

49. In order to raise standards further and improve the work of the school, the governing body, headteacher and staff should:

p.22

English and mathematics by:

- testing the pupils systematically and using this information consistently to inform teachers’ planning and target setting;

p.22

English and mathematics by:

- applying more challenging targets for all the pupils which aim to raise teachers’ expectations of what the pupils are able to achieve. (Paragraphs: 2; 18; 35; 54 – 55; 60; 62 – 63; 65)

p.22

* Raise standards in science and improve the science curriculum by:

- improving teachers’ subject knowledge through a comprehensive and effective programme of training;

p.22

* Raise standards in science and improve the science curriculum by:

- ensuring that science planning is monitored more rigorously to enable the pupils to build on previous learning;

p.22

* Raise standards in science and improve the science curriculum by:

- improving assessment procedures so that teachers use this information to set challenging and accurate attainment targets for every year group. (Paragraphs: 2; 4; 14; 16; 70 - 74)

p.22

school by:

- ensuring that lessons provide more opportunities for the pupils to extend their thinking with more demanding tasks for all the pupils;

p.22

school by:

- using the assessments of the pupils’ progress, including teachers’ marking, more consistently to inform teachers’ planning, and to ensure that pupils of all abilities make good progress;

p.22

school by:

- monitoring teaching and learning more systematically to improve the consistency of practice across the school. (Paragraphs: 4; 10; 13 – 19; 36; 59; 62 – 63; 68; 86)

p.22

* Improve the curriculum and the way it is monitored and planned by:

- ensuring that long term plans are implemented by teachers, particularly in geography, to ensure progression and continuity for the pupils;

p.22

* Improve the curriculum and the way it is monitored and planned by:

- ensuring that teachers’ plans are checked regularly to ensure that all aspects of the curriculum are covered. (Paragraphs: 6; 8; 20 –22; 36; 42; 45; 62; 75; 83 – 87; 112) Harnham C.E. (Controlled) Junior School - 23

p.22

CONSIDERED BY THE SCHOOL

- Provide more opportunities in the school’s curriculum for the pupils to learn about cultures, beliefs and traditions that represent mutli-cultural society today in Britain.

p.23

CONSIDERED BY THE SCHOOL

- Address some health and safety issues made known to the school at the time of the inspection. Harnham C.E. (Controlled) Junior School - 24

p.23

THE CENTRE FOR PUPILS WITH SPECIFIC LEARNING DIFFICULTIES

50. The Centre for pupils with Specific Learning Difficulties (SPLD) admits up to eight pupils with Statements of Special Educational Need. The pupils all have some form of dyslexia. At the time of the inspection, there were only four pupils in the SPLD Centre. Three are in Year 6 and one is a Year 5 pupil. The staffing for the class is two part-time specialist teachers, and a teaching assistant. The philosophy behind the provision is that the staff work together in a team approach. Both teachers target reading and writing development as well as speech and language and numeracy skills which aims to help the pupils communicate more effectively and participate fully in the curriculum provided in the rest of the school. The pupils are taught individually and as a group. The pupils’ attainment is usually below what would be expected for their age, especially in reading and writing, but one of the pupils achieved the standards

p.24

THE CENTRE FOR PUPILS WITH SPECIFIC LEARNING DIFFICULTIES

expected in mathematics in the most recent National Curriculum tests for Year 6 pupils. The pupils, who benefit from the individual help provided, make good progress in relation to the targets set for them in their individual education plans.

p.24

THE CENTRE FOR PUPILS WITH SPECIFIC LEARNING DIFFICULTIES

51. The pupils’ past work confirms that most of the teaching time is suitably allocated to a programme of literacy and numeracy. Each week the teachers prepare work to match individual needs. Although teaching input is usually to a group at the beginning of lessons, the pupils follow up with activities specifically matched to their learning needs and the targets identified on their individual plans. A scrutiny of pupils’ past work confirms that they make good progress in reading, writing and in their knowledge and understanding of number. For example, the pupils’ workbooks show that, although they lacked confidence when writing at the beginning of the school year, by the following term, they began to write longer sentences making increased use of punctuation. In mathematics, the pupils progressed from addition and subtraction of numbers up to 20 in the autumn term, to working with numbers beyond 100 by

p.24

THE CENTRE FOR PUPILS WITH SPECIFIC LEARNING DIFFICULTIES

52. The quality of teaching is good and effective. Teachers manage the pupils very well, they give priority to the teaching of basic skills within literacy and numeracy and they make good use of the teaching assistant who makes a valuable contribution to the learning process. In a lesson observed, the teacher in charge of the Centre made very effective use of her knowledge of reading development for dyslexic pupils to help the group build up an understanding of letter sounds which helped them to increase their knowledge of high frequency words in texts. She praised the pupils as they responded during each reading test and led the pupils forward to new understanding. Speaking and listening skills were promoted throughout the session and the pupils were eager to participate. The pupils behave very well with very little inattention or deviation from the tasks they are set.

p.24

THE CENTRE FOR PUPILS WITH SPECIFIC LEARNING DIFFICULTIES

53. The personal development of the pupils is good. There are many opportunities for the pupils to socialise with each other and to take responsibility. This includes the taking of verbal messages to the school office or around the school. The documentation covering the assessment and recording of pupils’ progress is very well organised, up to date and helpful to other professionals with whom the pupils have contact. Records are detailed, the pupils’ individual education plans are reviewed each term and targets are set for literacy and educational development. When the pupils are taught in their mainstream classes, the class teacher responsible provides a detailed and coherent report covering how well the pupils are doing, the achievements made and the difficulties encountered. This process is an effective and appropriate sharing of professional knowledge. Annual reviews are chaired by the teacher in

p.24

THE CENTRE FOR PUPILS WITH SPECIFIC LEARNING DIFFICULTIES

charge with clear reports provided by her about the pupils’ progress. Parents also meet the SPLD teachers each term to receive a progress report and their child’s Record of Achievement. Parents are very pleased with the work being done in the SPLD Centre. The SPLD Centre is funded well with good teaching and resources. There are sufficient materials Harnham C.E. (Controlled) Junior School - 25 to meet the individual needs of pupils, particularly for work within the literacy and numeracy programme. The classroom is well resourced to support learning in other subjects. Harnham C.E. (Controlled) Junior School - 26

p.24

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

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

p.26

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

p.26

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

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

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 248

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 15

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 4

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 68

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 4

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 7

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

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

p.26

Attendance

National comparative data 5.6 National comparative data 0.5

p.26

Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Harnham C.E. (Controlled) Junior School - 27

p.26

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

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2001 29 46 75

p.27

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.27

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

Boys 20 23 26 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 35 32 38

p.27

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

Percentage of pupils School 73 (72) 73 (71) 85 (90) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 71 (72) 87 (85)

p.27

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.27

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

Boys 19 25 26 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 36 35 39

p.27

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

Percentage of pupils School 73 (74) 80 (77) 87 (83) at NC level 4 or above National 72 (70) 74 (72) 82 (79)

p.27

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

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Harnham C.E. (Controlled) Junior School - 28

p.27

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

p.28

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

p.28

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 41 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0

p.28

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 11.1 Financial year 2001/2002

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 22.3

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: Y3 – Y6 Total income 576,369

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 8 Total expenditure 576,009

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 90 Expenditure per pupil 2,157

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. Balance brought forward from previous year 26,600

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 26,960

p.28

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 7.4

p.28

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 7.4

p.28

Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

p.28

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.28

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.28

Recruitment of teachers

FTE means full-time equivalent. Harnham C.E. (Controlled) Junior School - 29

p.28

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

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

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 39 53 5 0 3

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 33 60 1 0 7

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 27 54 15 3 1

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 23 56 17 2 1

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 56 38 2 2 2

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 55 42 2 0 1

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 29 52 12 3 4

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 37 57 2 0 4

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 45 53 1 0 1

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 43 51 5 1 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The parents of children in the centre for pupils with specific learning difficulties commented on the very good quality of education and care provided by the staff in the centre. They are particularly pleased with the way the school accepts the pupils and includes them in all of the activities it provides. Other parents also commented on the good start that the headteacher has made in managing the school. They find the staff are very approachable and supportive and particularly like the commitment shown by all the staff. Harnham C.E. (Controlled) Junior School - 30

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ENGLISH

54. Standards by the end of Year 6 are average. National test results for English have not kept pace with the national trend. Inspection findings in the current Year 3, 4 and 5 suggest that the trend is beginning to improve as standards are above those expected for pupils’ ages in those year groups. Previous national test results show that there have been an above average proportion of more able pupils achieving the higher levels. However, too many pupils of average ability have failed to reach the standards expected for their age. In this respect, standards in English could be higher.

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ENGLISH

55. The pupils entering the school have confidence in speaking and listening. By the end of Year 6, the pupils are listening well and are speaking in class and assemblies with confidence and clarity. Standards in speaking and listening are above those expected. The pupils can speak clearly and structure their sentences well. They participate in class discussions with confidence and offer thoughtful ideas. They listen to other pupils and respect what they have to say when opinions are expressed. For example, in Year 3, when the pupils listened to other pupils’ limericks and offered suggestions. In Year 5, the pupils listened to suggestions about words and phrases that can be used to complete a poem and then offered more ideas which were welcomed by other pupils who agreed that these were useful additions. In less effective lessons the teaching does not provide enough opportunities for the pupils to explain their ideas.

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This has a negative effect on their achievement.

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56. The pupils read widely and standards in reading by the end of Year 6 are in line with those expected for their age. The pupils have made satisfactory progress in reading and most pupils are reading with fluency and confidence. In other year groups, that is, Years 3, 4 and 5, standards in reading are above those expected. The pupils can find their way around non- fiction texts and know how to use a library. Lower attaining pupils still find it difficult to read aloud with fluency but have little difficulty in finding information on the printed page. Average attaining pupils are not being targeted sufficiently to ensure that those who have the potential to achieve Level 4 (the expected level for the end of Year 6), do so. The pupils respond well to their reading of poems, limericks and humorous prose and in some very effective English lessons observed, the pupils investigated rhythms and patterns of language. In an excellent

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Year 3 lesson, the teacher took advantage of the pupils’ natural curiosity and very good reading skills to help them experiment with limericks and humorous language. In Years 5 and 6, the pupils read aloud with confidence and offered suggestions as to how onomatopoeia and alliteration are used to enrich poetry. However, in less effective lessons where the teaching is poor or just satisfactory, the pupils make less progress in reading because they have fewer opportunities to reinforce their reading skills or explain characterisation in stories or share ideas about the different effects that poetry can create.

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ENGLISH

57. There is a good range of writing across the school. Handwriting is improving well and higher attaining pupils use correct letter shape and size in most of their work. The pupils effectively develop sound patterns and rhythms of phrases and sentences in their writing and construction of limericks in Year 3. Year 6 pupils had developed insights into the patterns of language when studying ‘The Jabberwocky” then they looked into investigating ‘special places’ in cinquain poetry. Throughout the school, pupils learn to respond to extended vocabulary. In an excellent Year 5 lesson, the pupils understood how to use onomatopoeia, rhyming couplets and syllable patterns after studying an extract from the opening scene in ‘Macbeth’. The pupils enjoyed using the action words in “Hubble, bubble, toil and trouble…” and could create their own poems with a very clear understanding of how to use imperative verbs and alliteration in

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ENGLISH

Harnham C.E. (Controlled) Junior School - 31 their own poems. The high quality of the teaching produced high standards from the pupils. By the time they reach Year 6, most pupils have developed a controlled handwriting style with consistent and mainly cursive writing. Writing skills are developed well and most pupils are able to hold and control pencils sufficiently well to allow them to write clearly. Writing ranges from the telling of stories to the creation of sensitive poetry. The pupils experiment with word order, rhyme and rhythm. They write letters for various purposes, describing events, people and places and in one display, combined these styles in a mock newspaper based on the school and its news. Children’s literature is well represented and is often linked with other areas of the curriculum. There are good examples of the pupils using stories, such as Roald Dahl’s ‘James and the Giant Peach’, to read and write about mini-beasts and to produce models of

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ENGLISH

weird creatures in design and technology lessons. There is good use made of computers. The pupils confidently draft work using a word-processor and many pupils are able to import artwork to combine text and graphics. In lessons, the pupils have used information and communication technology programs that developed their awareness of grammatical structures, for example, when creating Mother’s Day and Father’s Day cards. However, some less effective teaching leads to slower progress in writing because the pupils are not provided with enough opportunities to draft and improve their work.

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ENGLISH

58. A particular strength is the attainment of those pupils who are supported by specialist staff in the Centre for pupils with Specific Learning Difficulties. The school goes to great lengths to integrate these pupils, even when they leave part of a lesson for additional literacy work they are welcomed back in time to report their successes with the rest of the class. There is an air of encouragement and this extends to the pupils themselves. When one lower attaining pupil shared his success in writing in rhyme in Year 5, the other pupils were delighted and broke into spontaneous applause.

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ENGLISH

59. The teaching is satisfactory overall. Most of the English teaching seen in the school was good but it ranged from poor to excellent and is therefore inconsistent. Most of the teaching resulted in interested pupils working hard and enjoying their lessons. Much of the teaching followed the pattern recommended in the National Literacy Strategy. Such lessons start with clear aims so that the pupils know what they are going to do and learn. However, some of the teaching fell short of this standard. In a poor lesson, Year 3 pupils were not being managed very well so that behaviour deteriorated and this affected the progress made. In some satisfactory lessons, teachers do not provide specific tasks that will challenge lower and average ability pupils. Shared or groups reading tasks often lead to work that supports spelling or helps the pupils to learn new words and these help the pupils to improve their vocabulary

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ENGLISH

and spelling. The pupils then work on their own or in small groups leaving the teacher and classroom assistants to concentrate on targeted individuals who have been identified with special educational needs or have specific learning needs that will help them reach their attainment targets. This approach encourages independent learning but in some lessons average attaining pupils are left for too long unsupported and in some cases this leads to them not completing the tasks set. Towards the end of lessons, pupils collect and share with each other the different tasks they have been undertaking. One Year 4 pupil, for example, used this time to extend his understanding of indexes, contents pages and glossaries in non-fiction books. One average attaining group successfully placed a range of books into a rank order according to how easy it was for a reader to find information. This work was then confidently and

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ENGLISH

clearly shared with the whole class. The most effective lessons manage to plan activities that are well matched to all abilities. Less effective or unsatisfactory lessons tend to serve the needs of more able pupils and leave pupils of average ability with less opportunity to make progress. This is most evident in lessons where the teacher labours a point or manages over- long class discussions leaving less time for the pupils to engage in reading and writing activities. Harnham C.E. (Controlled) Junior School - 32 60. Teachers record in some detail the progress that pupils make in reading and writing but predicted targets for the pupils of average ability in English are sometimes inaccurate. The targets are either too low so that teachers expect less from these pupils or some pupils who have the potential to reach the standards expected for their age are put on the school’s special educational needs register for additional support. This has the effect of hindering the progress

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ENGLISH

these pupils make because they are provided with work that is undemanding. For most pupils their work is carefully marked and they are given progress targets that are reviewed each half-term but these targets are not clearly linked to teachers’ assessments so that making predictions about how well the pupils will do in tests at the end of each year can be inaccurate. Consequently, some average pupils make unsatisfactory progress as they move up the school. Although teachers set targets for writing these are not always specific enough to help the pupils of average ability. Teachers are strongly committed to improving standards, and especially the attainment of those pupils who just fall short of the standards expected for their age. However, there is still room for further improvement to build on the work being done. The staff know that there are aspects of English which are satisfactory features of the work

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ENGLISH

that pupils do, for example, the use of poetry in writing, play scripts, narrative writing as well as the performing arts such as drama. All of the teaching needs to match that of the best seen so that all the pupils reach their learning targets. The development of reading is well monitored. As well as each class having its own set of books, pupils are encouraged to read regularly and borrow books to take home. The books are colour coded and pupils understand which selections they should be choosing from. They are encouraged to read widely and there is a good selection of plays, poetry and information books. Pupils record their reading and this is checked by their teachers and good use is made of information and communication technology to check books in and out. Parents are encouraged to become involved. There are opportunities for concentrated reading in classes and this time is used well by teachers to

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ENGLISH

61. In all the teaching seen the teachers and the support staff were enthusiastic, knowledgeable and had a good relationship with the pupils. Excellently prepared lessons were always interesting and often great fun, as when work on rhythm and alliteration developed into a short piece of tongue-twisting rhymes read out aloud and in unison in a Year 3 class. But the inconsistent and inaccurate assessments of average pupils’ progress in the past has led to some of them failing to reach the standards expected by the end of Year 6. Satisfactory progress is made by the majority of pupils and this is especially strong when pupils receive individual support in school and when they are further encouraged at home. In formally timetabled English, a carefully designed scheme of work results in satisfactory progression. The school itself is covered in displays that use and extend language in many forms. Every

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ENGLISH

classroom and corridor uses explanatory labels to extend vocabulary and explain the work. Assemblies are used to give pupils performance opportunities and to reward and encourage speaking, listening and writing skills.

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ENGLISH

62. Teachers’ planning is monitored by the English co-ordinator who is a Leading Literacy Teacher for Wiltshire and, since her appointment, has begun to have a positive impact on English teaching across the school. This is clearly evident in that a large number of English lessons seen were of good quality. However, there is still room for improvement because the quality of teaching and target setting is inconsistent so that some pupils who ought to achieve the standards expected by the end of Year 6 have not done so. The subject co-ordinator has good relationships with the receiving secondary school and, together with the acting headteacher, is improving relations with the neighbouring infant school. Performance evidence is collected from many sources. These include the Standard Assessment Tests (SATs,) optional SATs and a range of reading tests. This information was not being sufficiently analysed in the past so that any information it may hold about targets for individual pupils is

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ENGLISH

sometimes inaccurate. However, there is a shared sense of common purpose amongst the Harnham C.E. (Controlled) Junior School - 33 staff which is beginning to recognise that assessment data and monitoring the pupils’ work as well as the curriculum more closely is the key to raising standards.

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MATHEMATICS

63. Standards in mathematics are in line with national expectations by the end of Year 6. The present Year 6 pupils have made satisfactory progress but the overall standards could be higher if the average ability pupils were provided with more challenging work. There have been a large number of staff changes over the past two years and there has been some inconsistency in the quality of teaching of the curriculum for mathematics as a result. The school recognises that standards could be higher especially for the middle and lower attaining pupils.

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MATHEMATICS

64. However, there are some significant strengths in the teaching of the mathematics curriculum. Whilst the teaching overall is satisfactory, the basic skills of numeracy are well taught. There has been a satisfactory improvement in addressing the key issue from the last inspection, which was to increase opportunities for pupils use their number skills in investigative work. The National Numeracy Strategy is being used to plan the work and most planning is thorough, focused and followed, enabling teachers to build carefully on prior learning. The relationships between the adults in the school and the pupils are good. All pupils’ contributions are valued, which helps to improve their levels of confidence and motivation. The pupils are well managed, and are expected to work hard, concentrate well and try hard. The skills of the teaching assistants are well used to support pupils with special educational needs in making

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MATHEMATICS

progress against their learning targets. There are good interactive wall displays to support the pupils’ learning of mathematical vocabulary and knowledge of number patterns.

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MATHEMATICS

65. Occasionally pupils’ learning is not as good as it could be because the pace of the lessons is mundane and the introduction to the numeracy session does not help the pupils to develop their mental agility. The work is not always matched carefully to all the pupils’ needs and, in some lessons, it is less challenging for the more able and too hard for the lower attainers and this limits their overall progress. Although each pupil has an individual target set, information about the levels that they have achieved is not used regularly to help them know what they have to do to improve or how they will reach the next level of the mathematics curriculum. Targets for many average ability pupils are too low and this has a negative effect on their progress. The school has not yet used the assessment information it has gathered to track pupils and set sufficiently challenging and accurate targets for them.

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MATHEMATICS

66. Throughout the school the pupils enjoy their mathematics lessons. They like to answer questions and they work successfully both independently and in small groups. This contributes well to their personal development. The pupils are given good opportunities to use skills of estimation and to solve problems. They count and calculate accurately and many can explain how and why they have reached an answer and are able to suggest alternative ways of working out. On some occasions the presentation of the pupils’ work is erratic, for example, they do not always use the squares on the paper to keep the figures in line which hinders the accuracy of their calculations. The pupils confidently use calculators to solve problems and check their answers.

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MATHEMATICS

67. In Year 3, the pupils learn to add and subtract hundreds, tens and units and to work with decimals in contexts such as length and money. They have good understanding of place value and work confidently to compare and order numbers using thousands. They are able to work out simple problems using all four operations. The Year 4 pupils can multiply by nine and eleven and divide numbers that leave a remainder. They learn to identify and draw equilateral and isosceles triangles and to find the lines of symmetry in two-dimensional shapes. They measure using centimetres and metres accurately and can calculate the area of regular Harnham C.E. (Controlled) Junior School - 34 shapes. In Year 5, the pupils order decimal numbers to two places and can find equivalent fractions. They work with the twenty-four hour clock to solve time problems. The most able can plot two-dimensional shapes using co-ordinates in all four quadrants. By the time they

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MATHEMATICS

leave the school the pupils can calculate equivalent fractions, decimals and percentages and the majority are secure in their knowledge of multiplication tables. The more able pupils understand and use ratios and calculate the mean, mode and median of groups of numbers. The pupils can find and justify probabilities in simple situations. They understand how to calculate using brackets and negative numbers. The pupils complete frequency tables, use tally charts and complete graphs to show the results.

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MATHEMATICS

68. The teaching overall is satisfactory. However, during the inspection the teaching ranged from satisfactory to very good and no unsatisfactory teaching was seen. In the two very good lessons seen, high levels of enthusiasm from the teachers, very good relationships and a brisk pace helped to keep the pupils motivated and involved. In the best lessons the introductory parts, when the pupils practise mental calculation, are well paced and so the pupils are always alert and eager to answer. The teachers use good strategies to check the pupils’ understanding and give clear explanations. Where the teaching is less successful the pace of the lessons is much the same throughout and the work does not sufficiently challenge all the pupils. While most marking celebrates pupils’ efforts and achievements, it does not always help them to further develop understanding. A good choice and use of resources ensures that

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MATHEMATICS

learning especially in the main part of the lesson is generally effective and that all pupils are involved. However, on occasions the plenary sessions are rushed or do not effectively reinforce the teaching and learning points.

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MATHEMATICS

69. A temporary teacher is presently leading the subject, mathematics having previously been the responsibility of the acting headteacher. There has been a programme of monitoring teaching and learning in place but there has been less done recently to help gain an overview of the subject, and to put improvements in place. The school’s assessment arrangements in mathematics are developing, for example data from national tests is being analysed to help identify weaknesses, and these are then targeted for development. But more use needs to be made of assessments to raise standards further. The school is aware of the need to improve standards and progress in mathematics and has included the subject in the school improvement plan.

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SCIENCE

70. The standards achieved by the pupils at the end of Year 6 are below the national average and have not improved in the national tests over the last three years. Standards were judged to be well above national expectations at the last inspection. The more able pupils and the large group with special educational needs make satisfactory progress but there is unsatisfactory progress for the pupils in the lower than average ability range. Some teachers lack subject knowledge and lesson objectives are sometimes confused so that it is not clear what scientific skills the pupils are to learn. The pupils have many opportunities to carry out their own enquiries but the conclusions are not always clearly drawn out and linked to a scientific principle. There are inconsistencies in expectations between year groups and learning is not based on previous knowledge. There is no structured assessment or tracking and attainment

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SCIENCE

targets are set too low, especially for pupils in the average range of ability. The subject is not monitored effectively. There are some aspects of science which have improved. The pupils are provided with more opportunities to plan investigations, design their own experiments and experience a wide range of resources.

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SCIENCE

71. The pupils in Year 3 are studying light. They understand the meaning of transparent, translucent and opaque and know how to set up a fair test. They are able to predict how effective different fabrics may be in blocking out light but are not able to apply any scientific Harnham C.E. (Controlled) Junior School - 35 reasoning in their answers. The pupils know how to care for teeth and the essential ingredients of a healthy diet. In Year 4, the pupils enjoy the investigations on friction. They conduct an interesting investigation to find the relationship between the length of a person’s femur and the person’s height. The pupils in Year 5 are studying sound. Some pupils have very good knowledge. They understand that sound travels best through solids because of the density of particles and knows that high sound waves travel better through air and low sound waves through water. In Year 6, science is being linked effectively with geography, English

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SCIENCE

and mathematics. Following the residential visit to New Barn, the pupils know about permaculture and are using their knowledge of aspects such as recycling and pollution to write persuasive text to protect the environment. They are able to measure the forces of gravity and up thrust in liquids using a Newton meter.

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SCIENCE

72. The teaching is satisfactory overall but there are some weaknesses. In better lessons teachers are well informed, the pupils are busy and involved and clear about what they are to do. They are encouraged to measure and record in a variety of ways using charts and graphs as well as written text. One teacher makes good use of the computer microscope. Teachers place an increasing emphasis on the pupils conducting their own experiments and investigating for themselves. This is improving the pupils’ enquiry skills but too often an investigation is not brought to a proper conclusion and the scientific teaching point is not drawn out. The pupils are sometimes given poor resources and conditions in which to work. For example, during an investigation to find the best material to insulate sound, there was too much noise in the classroom and resources provided made it very difficult to conduct a fair test. The teachers’

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SCIENCE

subject knowledge varies and this often results in missed opportunities to prompt challenging questions or to answer the pupils’ questions confidently. There are times when the pupils complete simple tasks only to be given more of the same. The recording of science work, especially for the lower attaining pupils and those with special educational needs is weak.

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SCIENCE

73. There is a scheme of work but it offers insufficient guidance as to what should be taught and how the pupils’ knowledge and understanding can be developed progressively. Some work, such as the work on air resistance, is repeated several times at a similar level. Expectations set by teachers when preparing scientific tasks vary with some too high and others too low. For example, some Year 3 pupils learn that water is also notated as H O and vocabulary such as plumule and hypogeal is displayed for information on germination. In Year 4, however, when the pupils are grouping organisms according observable features, the teaching content is not challenging enough.

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SCIENCE

74. The subject has lacked strong leadership in recent years but plans are now in place to monitor and evaluate the teaching of science and analyse the strengths and weaknesses of the scheme of work. At present there is a little teacher assessment but no standardised test material to verify curriculum levels or to assist teachers to track pupils’ progress. Targets are not ambitious especially for the lower attaining pupils. There is no in-service training for staff. There is a good allocation of money to science each year and resources are adequate.

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ART AND DESIGN

75. The pupils make satisfactory progress and standards are in line with those expected by the end of Year 6. This is a similar situation to that found at the time of the last inspection. All the pupils become involved in and enjoy art and design activities. They are proud of their work and talk enthusiastically about it. They have opportunities to explore different media, refining their ideas as they work. However, although some good work is celebrated in well-presented displays that enhance the school, art and design does not always have a high profile throughout the school. The way in which the curriculum is organised means that in some classes more time is available for art and design activities than in others. Some classes are taught art and design in a block for half a term whilst in others there are fortnightly lessons alternating with Harnham C.E. (Controlled) Junior School - 36 design and technology. This inconsistency restricts the creative development of the pupils and,

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ART AND DESIGN

because most work reflects only the cultural traditions of Western Europe, it limits the contribution of the subject to the ongoing spiritual and cultural education of the pupils.

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ART AND DESIGN

76. Year 3 pupils draw portraits of one another and then use paint to produce a finished picture. They consider ways of improving the school environment by designing sculptures and these are often original and interesting and the pupils can explain the reasons for their designs. In Year 4, the pupils have designed chairs for specific people or purposes and have begun to construct them. In small groups they have produced colourful and imaginative collages to depict a special journey. As they move through the school the pupils’ skills in drawing improve as they learn to use lines to create shading and tone. Under the guidance of a visiting artist they produce good quality drawings of a still life arrangement and their work is extended by the use of pastel crayons and watercolour paints. Year 6 pupils learn to use the rules of perspective and carefully paint scenes using this knowledge. During a recent residential visit

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ART AND DESIGN

they have produced good quality clay models of which they are justly proud. They can make careful and interesting drawings of leaves and flowers.

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ART AND DESIGN

77. Striking and good quality work was produced during the ‘Creative Arts Week’ during the autumn term and is very well displayed as a frieze which runs all around the school hall. Each year group chose an artist from a different era and created work in their style. The work has been placed in chronological order and provides a vivid illustration of the development of art and design in Europe since Bruegal in the sixteenth century. It gave the pupils good opportunities to investigate the techniques of a range of artists and use them in their own work. Pictures were produced showing the way in which Monet combined colours and reflections in his efforts to show the effect of light. The pupils used a range of techniques to make good quality paintings of sunflowers some in the style of Van Gogh. They considered the ways in which Kandinsky used lines and colours for his compositions and how his pictures

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ART AND DESIGN

78. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall. The teachers encourage the development of the pupils’ ideas by praising and valuing their efforts. The scheme of work is based on the national guidelines and ensures that the pupils are taught a range of skills and given the opportunity to use these with different media. The teachers’ plans demonstrate that the work enables the pupils to have satisfactory opportunities to use a variety of media and to develop knowledge and skills which build on those previously learned. The co-ordinator is newly appointed but has started to give good support to her colleagues, ensuring that suitable resources are available for the work that is planned. The school provides further opportunities for the pupils to experience art and design activities outside of lessons, for example, Year 6 pupils visited the Art Gallery in Southampton to take part in an art appreciation day. There are

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ART AND DESIGN

two weekly art clubs which are enthusiastically attended and at which the pupils have opportunities to further develop their skills and techniques under the guidance of two of the teachers.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

79. By the end of Year 6, standards in design and technology are above those expected nationally. This is a good improvement since the last inspection. All the pupils, including the very able and those with special educational needs are making good progress. The opportunities to plan and develop design ideas and for the pupils to evaluate their own products are strengths of the subject.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

80. The pupils in Year 3 design pneumatic monsters using boxes, bottles and balloons. They are able to choose tools and decide on appropriate assembly techniques. Also in Year 3, the pupils evaluate bread in terms of its taste, ‘chewiness’, sweetness, colour and appearance with the Harnham C.E. (Controlled) Junior School - 37 help of a parent with domestic science training. The data is very effectively recorded on cross grids. All the pupils are given good opportunities to work with textiles. In Year 4, the pupils design and make purses. They are able to use running stitch, back stitch, over stitch and blanket stitch. They select from a wide range of fabrics, beads and sequins. The pupils order the working procedures and the final product is critically evaluated. They develop their knowledge of control mechanisms through making story books with pop up pages as well as moving, sliding and rotating parts. The pupils in Year 5 are drawing on previous learning to

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

design musical instruments to accompany a ‘Tom and Jerry’ cartoon. They are able to produce detailed designs, list suitable materials and sequence their making and assembly. They make biscuits, modifying the recipe to their own palette. Food safety training is built into this module. The entrance hall display, produced by the pupils in Year 5, causes much discussion and amusement. They made three-dimensional models of the heads of all staff from ladies tights stuffed with cotton wool and finished with wool and pieces of metal for glasses. The pupils in Year 6 designed and made slippers from a wide range of fabrics. The assembly techniques used are good and the evaluation, in terms of comfort, size, durability, safety and appearance, is very good. They make moving fairground models and learn to join, roll, coil and glaze clay during the residential visit to New Barn.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

81. The quality of teaching is satisfactory and sometimes good. Teachers have a secure subject knowledge and plan well over a sequence of lessons. They offer the pupils many opportunities to choose appropriate materials, tools and equipment and formulate step-by-step procedures to identify the main stages in making. They teach the pupils to check their products against the original intention and identify ways to improve particular features. Occasionally in some lessons, after the initial brainstorming, the pupils continue to be noisy and restless whilst working on their own designs, resulting in a small quantity of work being completed in the time limit.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

82. The co-ordinator provides strong leadership and has good subject knowledge. There is a subject policy and a scheme of work that gives appropriate guidance to teachers. Further work is planned to refine the scheme incorporating opportunities to use the computer for design and control. Resources are satisfactory and the curriculum offers the pupils chances to work with a suitable range of materials. Information and communication technology is beginning to be used well to support the curriculum area. The co-ordinator works hard to develop the subject and has the opportunity to monitor the quality of teaching and learning throughout the school.

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GEOGRAPHY

83. Standards in geography are below those expected and the pupils’ progress is unsatisfactory. Some good quality work is seen but it is insufficient in quantity across all year groups. The work done does not build on prior learning and is too often of a low level. The topics are taught in insufficient depth resulting in the pupils not gaining appropriate geographical skills, knowledge and understanding.

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GEOGRAPHY

84. Where the better work is seen, this is a result of the teachers planning interesting activities that motivate the pupils and make good use of the local area to support their learning. This was seen in the work on rivers carried out by some of the Year 6 pupils. In this work, the pupils used numeracy and information, communication and technology skills and made good links to science work. They measured the depth and flow of the river at different points and conducted a habitat survey. Following their residential field trip, other Year 6 pupils were encouraged to think about how sustainability could be achieved in the environment.

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GEOGRAPHY

85. Year 3 pupils study a contrasting locality when they discover features of life in the Indian village of Chembakolli. Some pupils carried out detailed research as homework to find out the Harnham C.E. (Controlled) Junior School - 38 methods and costs of travelling from Salisbury to Chembakolli and how long the journey would take. In Year 4, the pupils collect data about how people spend their time and how weather affects activities in different seasons. Year 5 pupils learn how ‘Water Aid’ benefits a country such as Uganda. The pupils consider the question of whether it would be a good idea to close ‘Saxon Road’ and how this would affect the local residents. In all year groups some map work is done but map reading skills are not taught methodically or in sufficient depth.

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GEOGRAPHY

86. Overall, the teaching in geography is unsatisfactory because the evidence from the pupils’ work shows that guidance for what is to be taught is not systematically followed and lessons are not well planned to build upon what pupils already know. Much of the pupils’ work is poorly presented and there is an inconsistency across the school in the teachers’ expectations of the standard of the pupils’ work. Too much reliance is placed on the pupils finding things out for homework and working on topics in groups with too little guidance and assessment by the teachers. Assessment of pupils’ work in geography is underdeveloped. One lesson was observed which reached a satisfactory standard. The teacher encouraged the pupils to think about how aspects of sustaining the environment might affect people’s lives. However, too long was spent on initial discussions about ground already covered and too little time on

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GEOGRAPHY

recording the pupils’ ideas or challenging them to extend their knowledge of other ways in which the stock of environmental resources could be protected.

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GEOGRAPHY

87. There is a subject manager for geography but monitoring teaching and learning has not been a priority in the school, nor does the subject have a high enough profile in the school’s curriculum. The pupils do not count it among their favourite subjects. However, good use is made of the local area and of educational visits as a resource for learning about geography. For example, in a Year 3 physical education lesson, the pupils had the opportunity to practise their map reading skills as they learned about orienteering.

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HISTORY

88. Only two lessons were observed during the inspection period. Other evidence was gained from scrutinising pupils’ work, talking to the pupils and teachers and analysing teachers’ planning. The pupils make satisfactory progress in history and enjoy learning about the past. This is not as good as the previous inspection largely due to the fact that insufficient time is allocated to the subject. There are few links with other subjects, such as art and design and English, to extend the pupils’ learning. Some modules cannot be completed. For example, while studying the Tudors, there is no time to cover any of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. A strength of the subject, however, is the good range of visits to museums and centres of interest.

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HISTORY

89. Pupils in Year 3 study the Invaders. They know about the different weapons used by the Romans and the Vikings. They can discuss what food Romans would have eaten and compare the clothing of Romans and Celts. They enjoy the Roman Day when they have the opportunity to dress up in Roman costume. The pupils in Year 4 are studying Britain since 1930. They do individual research for homework, researching famous figures such as Stalin, Roosevelt, Churchill and Hitler and aspects of World War II such as why the war broke out, Pearl Harbour, the Battle of Britain and the Spitfire. There is little use of artefacts, however, to motivate and excite the pupils. Aspects of life at that time such as music, films and dress are not being incorporated. The pupils did enjoy their visit to the D-Day museum, however, and are able to talk with enthusiasm about bombing raids and different types of air raid shelters. Elderly people visit the school to answer questions pupils have devised about life

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HISTORY

during the war. The pupils in Year 5 study the Victorians. They individually research famous people such as Isambard Kingdom Brunel or Charles Darwin. There are comparisons drawn between a Victorian street and one of today or the lives of men and women in Victorian Britain. There is also study of Life in Britain since 1960. The range of work covered, Harnham C.E. (Controlled) Junior School - 39 however, is limited and there is a lack of depth. In Year 6, the pupils missed opportunities to extend their experiences in art and design and design and technology. They are able to learn about many aspects of Iron Age Britain during the residential visit to New Barn.

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HISTORY

90. The quality of teaching ranges from satisfactory to good. The pupils in Year 3 act out the story of King Alfred in small groups. There is much excitement and enthusiasm leading to good acquisition of knowledge and understanding about the impact of Alfred’s actions on the success of the Viking Invasion. The limited range of artefacts however, restricts the range of source work. Good use is made of time lines to enable the pupils to develop a sense of chronology.

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HISTORY

91. Teachers have good subject knowledge but find the new scheme of work restrictive. The teaching is satisfactory. There have been a number of different co-ordinators during recent years and the subject lacks coherent development and long term vision. There are no opportunities to monitor the delivery of the subject and information and communication technology is not used to enhance the pupils’ knowledge. Assessment is still in the early stages of development.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

92. Standards in information and communications technology (ICT) are in line with those expected by the end of Year 6. There has been satisfactory improvement since the last inspection. The new computer suite came into full use after the last inspection. This, together with staff training, has had a positive impact on standards and the pupils’ work in ICT. The pupils are making satisfactory progress. The pupils usually work in pairs in the ICT room and this is helpful to pupils with special educational needs, who also make satisfactory progress.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

93. By the end of Year 6, the pupils can use computers with confidence to operate drawing programs and access games, simulations, stories and information. Year 5 pupils were observed using a control technology program with confidence to program a sequence of light switches to turn off or on. Some of the results were very pleasing and the pupils showed particular delight when making traffic light turn off and on in the correct sequence or when groups of pupils edited their programs to produce a sequence of digital numbers or letters that spelt out their names. In the rest of the school, the pupils have acquired the necessary skills to draw pictures and older pupils can combine text and graphics to produce a school newspaper. Word processing work shows that the pupils can correct their own mistakes and are increasingly becoming confident with computers as they load and save their files. By Year 6,

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

the pupils can search the Internet for relevant information on a specific topic and also retrieve information from CD-ROMs. Year 4 pupils were observed using a graphics program to draw pictures of ‘mini-beasts’ as part of their science work. Although this was linked to the pupils’ science topic the teacher did not extend the pupils’ thinking by requiring them to edit and refine their presentations so that it fully utilised the pupils’ ICT skills. In most lessons, the pupils responded well to the challenges of ICT and enjoy designing pictures, editing text or searching for information, for example, when Year 6 pupils searched a CD-ROM to find out about river sources. Previous work done in Year 3 demonstrates good competences designing ‘Mother’s Day Cards’ using a graphics program. The pupils can combine text and graphics to produce colourful and very professional looking cards using images imported from a file and are then

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

able to copy, repeat and rotate these to produce different effects.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

94. The pupils have good attitudes to ICT. They enjoy working in the computer suite and also using the machines in their classrooms. The youngest pupils in Year 3 are making a good start and also have access to the ICT suite. The pupils behave well and they respect the equipment and all take pride in the work they complete and print out. Harnham C.E. (Controlled) Junior School - 40 95. The teaching is satisfactory. The school lacks some resources but will shortly be acquiring an interactive whiteboard on which to demonstrate to the class. Currently, teachers find it difficult to bring a whole class together to focus on particular skills in the ICT room because of the lack of an interactive board. Since the appointment of the current co-ordinator, there has been a systematic training programme for all the staff and their confidence is increasing as they use the facilities. Consequently, there is now some good expertise within the school.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Satisfactory links are made with some other subjects such as English, mathematics and science but it is less evident in other subject such as geography, history and design technology.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

96. The co-ordinator provides satisfactory leadership. He has a thorough knowledge of the ICT curriculum and has the necessary expertise to lead and co-ordinate staff training. The co- ordinator and staff have improved standards satisfactorily but ICT is not being used systematically in all subjects because there are some urgent resource needs. There is a satisfactory scheme of work in place to help teachers’ planning. The recording of pupils’ work on computer files is becoming established and this forms the intention is that this will form the basis for assessing skills and progress. Resources are satisfactory but are not fully utilised to support all of the other subjects of the curriculum.

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MUSIC

97. Music and especially singing are positive features of the school and are enjoyed by all of the pupils. The standards of attainment by the time the pupils leave the school are above those expected nationally and the pupils make good progress. This is a similar picture to that found at the last inspection. The subject makes a good contribution to the pupils’ spiritual, social and cultural development.

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MUSIC

98. The good standards in the pupils’ learning in music are supported by a number of features. All the pupils have access to a range of musical activities that are relevant to their ages and interest. The pupils are eager to become involved in the singing and instrumental activities, and the good teaching ensures that they remain attentive throughout the lessons. The school is using the national guidelines to effectively plan what should be taught in each year group and to make sure that the pupils build on what they have learned before. In addition to the school’s own curriculum there are a wide range of instrumental lessons for which the parents pay. Nearly half the pupils take advantage of these lessons and occasional orchestral sessions are organised for the pupils to perform to the school and parents. There are also two recorder groups and a thriving and enthusiastic choir, these groups are led by teachers out of school

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MUSIC

time and are open to all pupils. The co-ordinator is a competent musician and together with other members of staff wholeheartedly promotes the pupils’ musical learning throughout the school.

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MUSIC

99. The pupils often sing together in assemblies and in lessons and the good singing is a feature of the school. The pupils sing enthusiastically, tunefully and with expression. The co-ordinator ensures that the learning opportunities for pupils are very well extended in the ‘hymn practice assembly’. A good standard of singing was heard especially when the whole school sang ‘Shalom’ in four parts with pupils conducting each group. The school is preparing to perform the musical ‘The First Children in Space’ and the choir members sing the range of songs and narration of the story with skill and flair.

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MUSIC

100. Throughout school, the pupils have opportunities to play a range of untuned percussion instruments. They listen to a variety of pieces of music and some pupils can identify different instruments. The pupils’ response to music is good. They handle instruments well and treat them with care and respect. The pupils know, understand and correctly use a good range of musical vocabulary, for example, the older pupils understand terms such as pitch, dynamics, timbre and tempo. Harnham C.E. (Controlled) Junior School - 41 101. Two lessons were seen during the inspection and both of them were of very good quality. The teachers have good subject knowledge, they are well supported by the clear guidelines of what they are to teach and a good range of resources. They explain the objectives of the lessons clearly and expect the pupils to participate fully in the learning opportunities, this enables the pupils to make very good progress in the lessons seen. In the Year 3 lesson, the pupils worked

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MUSIC

very well in four groups to provide and maintain rhythm, pulse and melody, with an ostinato being added as the pupils gained confidence in performing. In the Year 5 lesson, the teacher included very good opportunities for the pupils to produce and develop musical ideas for themselves. They were challenged to devise compositions and record them with symbols to create short pieces of music on contrasting themes using the same instruments. An imaginative range of themes enabled the pupils to compose music to illustrate for example ‘Joy’, ‘Floating’, and ‘Butterflies in your stomach’.

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MUSIC

102. The subject is well led, the co-ordinator is supportive of colleagues with less expertise in teaching music and she ensures that music maintains a high profile in the school. Music and musical activities make a good contribution to the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education and support their personal development very well. The number and quality of tuned and untuned percussion instruments available is adequate but there are a limited range of instruments that reflect multicultural and multiethnic aspects of music.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

103. Pupils make good progress in their skills in physical education and achieve standards above those expected for their age by the end of Year 6. The pupils with special educational needs and those in the Centre for pupils with Specific Learning Difficulties make good progress in relation to their prior learning and achieve well over time. Standards in the subject have improved since the last inspection when they were deemed to be satisfactory. This is due to staff expertise and training, with the result that teachers are now more confident and able in the delivery of the subject. The school has also benefited from an increased number of visitors who come into school to coach various elements of the physical education (PE) curriculum. A weakness of the PE curriculum is swimming. The school does not currently teach swimming but intends to use the budget it receives for swimming to find a local school

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

104. Whilst it was not possible to observe all elements of the PE curriculum within the period of inspection, teachers’ good planning for the subject indicates that pupils are given the opportunity to make good progress, and to work towards developing all the skills and knowledge required in the subject. In Year 4, the pupils were seen to be making good progress in athletics as they focussed on relay racing and passing and receiving a relay baton. The lesson was well planned, with the teacher using the pupils to demonstrate best practice. In another good athletics lesson, Year 6 pupils were asked to evaluate their own performance and to suggest ways in which they could improve their sprinting. The pupils timed each other and over the course of the lessons they were able to give good suggestions as to how a relay team can improve overall times and how best to improve efficiency when analysing the

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

105. The pupils in Year 6 displayed good dancing skills as they adapted their body shapes and movements to improvise a sequence of movements that represent ‘growing’. They were given the opportunity to extend their skills as they added more movements in time to recorded music and then began to adapt their sequences as they moved across the hall in turn keeping good time to the music. As in all other lessons, the pupils displayed a good understanding of the importance of physical activity in a healthy life-style. As with other dance activities, the pupils are prepared to listen to other peoples’ suggestions, explore and alter their ideas, and Harnham C.E. (Controlled) Junior School - 42 finally arrive at a well structured piece of work. Good collaborative learning takes place in these lessons.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

106. The quality of teaching is good. Lessons are well planned, organised and resourced, with teachers sharing lesson objectives with the pupils. Teachers focus on health and safety issues and provide appropriate warm-up and warm-down activities at the beginning and end of lessons. Teachers give good individual demonstrations of the skills to be learned, and provide opportunities for the pupils to demonstrate good practice. Praise is well used to promote the pupils’ self-esteem and confidence in their abilities. The final part of each lesson is used in an effective manner to review, to share and to celebrate what has been learned. There are no formal or systematic arrangements in place to assess and record how well the pupils are doing and this is left largely to individual teachers.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

107. The subject is managed well and the co-ordinator ensures that teachers’ plans are monitored for consistency and progression. There is a policy for the subject and a useful scheme of work which guides teachers in their planning. Resources for the subject are good. The school has access to a good sized hall and a very large playing field. Care needs to be taken to ensure that the pupils can get to the field and return safely as there is a steep grass slope up to the field. There is potential for the school to construct safe steps or a ramp with a less sever slope up to the field.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

108. There is a very good range of extra-curricular sporting activities including football, hockey, netball, cricket, tag rugby, orienteering and athletics. Pupils are also given the opportunity to take part in inter-school competitions. The school benefits from additional coaching activities planned by a local Sports Coach who is funded by a national scheme which aims to support local schools. The schools’ commitment to promoting physical activities and school sport is reflected in its extensive range of activities planned in school and outside school hours. With its emphasis on inter-active work and team building skills the subject makes a valuable contribution to pupils’ personal and social development.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

109. The pupils make satisfactory progress in religious education and by the time they leave the school their attainment is in line with the expectations of the locally Agreed Syllabus. The pupils have time to reflect on their Christian beliefs but the scheme of work has heavy emphasis on pupil’s moral development and allows little time to further pupils’ knowledge about world faiths and prepare them for the multi-cultural society in which they live. In some year groups there is insufficient time given for coverage of the subject.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

110. In Year 3, the pupils study prayer. They describe how and why Christians might pray and study prayer in the Bible including the Lord’s Prayer. They become aware of personal values and compare their own to the respect a Jewish boy gives to the Torah and how he values the Tallith. The pupils write their own rules for belonging to the ‘Beavers’ and list their most valued people, places and possessions. In Year 4, most of the work covered is within group discussion. They learn about the laws of Moses and consider which laws are relevant today. They also consider how to be a good neighbour and what are God’s greatest gifts. They know the meaning of the Passover and make a Passover plate of food. In Year 5, Islam is introduced. The pupils know about the five Pillars of Faith and use them to analyse their own five most important values. They consider the advantages of being in a community faith. They

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

are able to compare the similarities and differences of Muslims and Christians praying and have some knowledge of the Muslim commitment to Allah, the Qur’an and the Mosque. In Year 6, the pupils study pilgrimages and life’s journey. They study the Harjj, the Muslim route to Mecca, and the Wall of Prayer in Jerusalem. The pupils are able analyse their own journey Harnham C.E. (Controlled) Junior School - 43 through life so far and what the happy events and difficult problems may be in the future such as problems when they start to have relationships.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

111. The teaching is satisfactory. Lessons are usually calm and peaceful and teachers give pupils plenty of time to collaborate and discuss. In one lesson the teacher interested the pupils by describing her own problems in life and how she had coped and ultimately learnt from them. In all the lessons seen, however, there were occasions when pupils became restless when they covered ground already studies and considered similar issues about what they value and is important in their life.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

112. The co-ordinator has good subject knowledge but she and the staff feel that the scheme of work is very restrictive and plans are in hand to restructure it and separate some aspects of citizenship which can be covered in other lessons. At present the pupils do not learn about many of the religious practices which are part of Britain today, such as the meaning of Diwali and other religious celebrations. There is little opportunity to appreciate the dress, dance and music of other faiths and cultures. The school invites experts to come in and talk about Islam and Judaism but the only visits are to the local church and Salisbury Cathedral. More resources are needed to excite the pupils’ interest about religious practice. There is some assessment but it is in the early stage of development. There is insufficient monitoring of the subject.

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