Cavendish Church of England Primary School

CAVENDISH PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 16 -18 September 2002

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CAVENDISH PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

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CAVENDISH PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: The Green Cavendish Suffolk Postcode: CO10 8BA

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mr David Stevens

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 1 st June 1998 Cavendish Primary School - 4

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responsibilities

15477 John Messer Registered inspector Foundation Stage English Art and design Design and technology Geography History The school’s results and pupils’ achievements. How well are pupils taught? How well is the school led and managed?

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responsibilities

13395 Joanna Illingworth Lay inspector Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development. How well does the school work in partnership with parents? How well does the school care for its pupils? 28320 Bob Willey Team inspector Science Special educational needs Educational Inclusion Mathematics Information and communication technology Music Religious Education Physical education How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils? Cavendish Primary School - 5 The inspection contractor was:

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responsibilities

Herringston Barn Herringston Dorchester Dorset DT2 9PU

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responsibilities

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

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responsibilities

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Cavendish Primary School - 6

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 3

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? 12

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

This village school has 65 pupils on roll and is much smaller than most primary schools. Most pupils come from within the village but a third come from further afield as a result of parental choice. Most children have pre-school experience before starting in the reception class. There are significantly more boys than girls. A very small number of pupils are from ethnic minority groups, and none speak English as an additional language. Assessments of children’s attainment on entry to the school indicate significant variations from year to year but overall it is above average. Fewer than two per cent of pupils are entitled to free school meals, which is well below the national average. Around 14 per cent of pupils are entered on the school’s register of special needs because they need extra support in their learning. This proportion is below average and no pupils have statements of special educational need. Recently

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

there have been major changes in teaching staff and in this region it is difficult to recruit teachers.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This school provides a sound standard of education. The headteacher provides committed leadership and ensures high levels of pastoral care. There are deficiencies in the management of the school because the school lacks systematic procedures for assessment and record keeping and a methodical approach to curricular development. Teaching is satisfactory. The school provides satisfactory value for money.

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What the school does well

• Most pupils attain standards in reading, writing and mathematics that are above average. • Pupils with special educational needs are well supported and they achieve well. • Relationships throughout the school are good and the small size of the school contributes to a family atmosphere that encourages confidence and security in learning. • The school welcomes parents’ support in their children’s learning and this makes a major contribution to the standards attained. • Pupils’ attitudes to school and their behaviour are good and have a positive impact on their learning. • Pupils sing tunefully and many learn to play recorders well.

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What could be improved

• The standards pupils attain in information and communication technology. • The organisation and management of the curriculum in the reception class. • Systems to assess pupils’ achievement and the use of assessment data to plan lessons . • Lesson planning as it does not always indicate precisely what pupils are supposed to be learning and timetables are not organised to make the best use of time. • Systems that enable the governing body to monitor the school’s progress towards meeting the targets described in its post-inspection action plan. • The amount of time spent teaching the National Curriculum in Years 3 and 4 is inadequate and needs to be increased. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan. Cavendish Primary School - 8

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

Since the last inspection in June 1998, the standards pupils attain in reading, writing and mathematics have improved, largely due to the successful implementation of the National Literacy and Numeracy initiatives. In the national tests for pupils in Year 2, there has been a steadily improving trend in mathematics over the past four years. In reading results have been more erratic but in writing they have remained consistently above national averages. There has, however, been insufficient progress in resolving the issues identified in the last report. Many of the weaknesses identified in 1998 remain and progress towards resolving them has been unsatisfactory. The standards that pupils attain in information and communication technology are still below average. The assessment and recording of pupils’ attainment and progress is still not organised methodically. The curriculum for pupils in the reception

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

class has not been developed to promote the systematic teaching of skills, knowledge and understanding. Teaching is now satisfactory; the predominantly good quality of teaching identified in 1998 has not been sustained in reception and Years 1 and 2 due largely to teachers who had received specialist training leaving the school and being replaced with teachers who lack such training in, for example, the National Literacy Strategy and information and communication technology. As a result the good achievement noted at the time of the last inspection has not been maintained. The standards that pupils in Years 3 and 4 attain in design and technology have improved. Pupils’ positive attitudes to school have been maintained and they have an enthusiasm for learning. The accommodation, particularly for the youngest children, has improved significantly.

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by pupils at the end of Year 2 based on National Curriculum test results.

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Key

1999 2000 2001 2001 reading B D B C well above average above average A B writing A B A C average below average C D mathematics C C B C well below average E There are as yet no comparative grades for the school’s performance in 2002.

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Key

The groups of pupils that take the National Curriculum tests are very small and each group has different characteristics and differing proportions of higher and lower attaining pupils. This creates variations in test results from year to year. Most children are on course to attain the early learning goals specified in national guidance by the end of the reception year and a significant number are likely to surpass this standard. In the 2002 national tests for pupils in Year 2, all pupils attained the national target of Level 2 in reading and nearly all in writing and mathematics; a large proportion attained the higher Level 3 standard in mathematics. Last year the proportion of pupils who attained the higher Level 3 standard in reading and writing was well above average. Teacher assessments in science indicated that the school’s performance in 2001 was very high. The achievement of most pupils is satisfactory across the school.

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Key

Pupils with special educational needs are supported well and their achievement is good. Most pupils in Year 2 and Year 4 are on course to attain standards that are above average in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of the school year. The standards that most pupils attain in most subjects are as high as might reasonably be expected although in science pupils’ depth of understanding is limited. Across the school, standards in information and communication technology are below average. By the end of Year 2 standards in music are above average and by the end of Year 4 they are above average in design and technology. Standards that pupils attain by the end of Year 2 and again by the end of Year 4 are broadly average in all other subjects except music in Years 3 and 4 where there was insufficient evidence available to form a judgement. The standards pupils attain in religious education meet the

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Key

expectations described in the locally agreed syllabus. Cavendish Primary School - 9

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Good. Pupils have positive attitudes to school and are keen to learn.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Good. Pupils are polite and mostly well behaved in lessons and around the school.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Good. The good relationships have a positive effect on learning. Pupils’ personal development is fostered and most are confident learners. Pupils work and play happily together.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Very good. Pupils enjoy coming to school. Behaviour is mostly good but a significant number of pupils become restless and irritable in the afternoon sessions, often due to tiredness. Pupils are confident and get on well with each other.

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Teaching of pupils in: Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 4

Quality of teaching satisfactory satisfactory good Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that the teaching is adequate and strengths outweigh weaknesses. Overall the quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. In nearly all the lessons seen teaching was at least satisfactory. In a third of lessons it was good and occasionally very good. The teaching of most subjects is at least satisfactory. The teaching of English and mathematics is satisfactory in Years 1 and 2 and good in Years 3 and 4. The teaching of information and communication technology is unsatisfactory because skills are not taught systematically. Music is taught well in Years 1 and 2 as is design and technology in Years 3 and 4. The inspection took place early in the school year and most of the teachers were new to the school. Most had not yet received training in implementing national

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Teaching of pupils in: Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 4

initiatives, such as the National Literacy Strategy. Several temporary teachers are teaching in the school. A large proportion of the teaching force have left the school over the past two years and suitable replacements have been difficult to find. This lack of a substantive teaching force has adversely affected the continuity of pupils’ learning. Nevertheless the skills of literacy are taught soundly and pupils’ good grounding in reading helps them to achieve satisfactorily in other areas of the curriculum. Numeracy skills are taught satisfactorily but there are too few opportunities for pupils to apply their skills in other subjects. The teaching for pupils with special educational needs is mostly good. The needs of higher attaining pupils are provided for by appropriate grouping of pupils in lessons but expectations of their performance are not always high enough and they are not always sufficiently extended.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Satisfactory. A good range of visits and other activities outside lessons enhance pupils’ learning opportunities. The curriculum for children in the Foundation Stage, whilst satisfactory, is not clearly defined.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Pupils’ needs are identified early and good provision is made. The co- ordinator regularly checks on pupils’ progress. Cavendish Primary School - 10 Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Good. Provision for moral, social and cultural development is good and it is satisfactory for spiritual development. Visitors to the school support pupils’ understanding of the multi-cultural nature of society well.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Good. The school provides a secure learning environment within which pupils’ personal development flourishes. The school is well supported by parents who are pleased with the education provided. Parents make a good contribution to pupils’ learning. Good levels of care are maintained and pupils’ welfare is safeguarded effectively. All pupils are fully included in all school activities.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and manage- ment by the headteacher and other key staff Leadership is satisfactory but there are unsatisfactory elements of management. The headteacher provides energetic leadership but management procedures are unsystematic and there is a lack of a methodical approach to making improvements. Other key staff have not been in post for long enough to make an impact on standards.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Governors are closely associated with the school and fulfil most of their responsibilities effectively but the issues raised at the time of the last inspection have not been fully resolved and this is unsatisfactory.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Unsatisfactory. The school’s analysis of its performance is satisfactory but it does not use the data provided to inform lesson planning systematically.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Satisfactory although computers are not used enough to support teaching and learning. Staffing the school has been difficult. A sufficient number of teachers have been recruited to maintain a reasonable standard of education but several are still undertaking training in how to teach aspects of the curriculum. The school’s plans to improve the situation are well advanced. The degree of improvement in the management of the curriculum since the last inspection is unsatisfactory. Accommodation and learning resources are adequate but the school hall is very small and limits the range of activities in physical education that can be attempted. The heated outdoor swimming pool is used well in the summer months. As at the time of the last inspection, the governing body does not publish all the information for parents that it should. The governing body applies the principles of best value well to all

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Children like school, behaviour is good and they make good progress • Teaching is good. • Parents feel comfortable about approaching the school with a question or a problem • The school expects children to work hard and achieve their best • The school helps children to become mature and responsible • The amount of homework • Leadership and management • The range of activities outside lessons Cavendish Primary School - 11 Most parents are pleased with the education provided by the school. The inspection team agree with most of the parents’ positive comments but inspection findings show that there is scope for improving the quality of teaching. There are areas of management that require improvement. Inspectors found that homework was appropriate and that a reasonable range of activities outside lessons is organised. Cavendish Primary School - 12

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

‘Standards’, the judgement of how well pupils are doing compared to others of the same age nationally, may be judged from national test results, or against the levels defined in the National Curriculum or the Early Learning Goals as ‘expected’ at certain ages. The other judgement, ‘achievement’, is a judgement made against pupils’ starting points. The achievement judgement shows whether, in the longer term, enough progress is being made.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. When children start school in the reception class they demonstrate that they have attained standards that exceed those normally expected of four-year-olds, especially in communication, language and literacy skills. The children in the reception year had only been attending school for a few days prior to the inspection. Most are already well on course to attain the early learning goals, detailed in national guidance, by the end of the reception year and many are likely to surpass this standard. They are good at following instructions and they listen to stories with rapt attention. They understand the link between letter shapes and the sounds letters make. Most hold pencils correctly and form recognisable letters and many write their names neatly although several tend to mix upper and lower case letters. They have a good sense of number and count to ten and beyond with ease. The drawings of models made with different shaped bricks showed good attention to

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

detail and several children demonstrated exceptional pencil control and accurate use of colour. They have a good understanding of how to use computers and control the mouse dexterously. The nursery nurse and classroom assistant give good support to children who need extra help in their learning. Although children’s achievement in the reception year is satisfactory there is room for considerable improvement. Activities are not always organised with a clear focus on what children are supposed to be learning. The curriculum is not organised coherently so that learning activities are designed to build systematically on what children already know, can do and understand. This impedes children’s achievement.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. Through Years 1 and 2 pupils continue to achieve satisfactorily. Pupils with special educational needs are well supported and their achievement is good. By the end of Year 2, most pupils attain standards that are above average in speaking and listening, reading, writing and mathematics. These findings are borne out by the school’s performance in the national tests for pupils at the end of Year 2. In 2001 the school’s performance in the tests was well above the national average in writing and above average in reading and mathematics. This year, 2002, the school’s results were even better in mathematics but declined slightly in reading and writing. The proportion of pupils who exceeded the national target of Level 2 in the tests and attained the higher Level 3 standard was well above the national average in reading and writing although average in mathematics. The teacher assessments in science showed that in 2001 all pupils attained Level 2 and that the

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

proportion who attained Level 3 was above average. Results in 2002 were similar but inspection findings show that currently the standards pupils in Year 2 attain in science are broadly average. A scrutiny of the work pupils produce and discussions with pupils indicated that the limited amount of time spent studying the subject restricts achievement and limits the depth of pupils’ understanding.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. By the end of Year 2, pupils speak with confidence and express themselves well. This is reflected in their writing, which is lucid and follows a logical sequence. Most have moved beyond the school’s reading schemes and are enjoying a wide range of fiction as well as a limited amount of non-fiction. Most spell with reasonable accuracy and their work is neatly presented. They have a good command of number and can recall number facts rapidly. In science they develop a sound knowledge of living processes and know for example, the conditions needed for plants to grow successfully. They also have a satisfactory understanding of materials and their properties, such as the sort of materials that might be attracted to magnets. They find it difficult to explain why friction slows the speed of a moving object and several were unsure about how to set up an appropriate experiment to test their ideas. Pupils sing well and use percussion instruments

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

skilfully to accompany tunes. The standards they attain are above average in music but below Cavendish Primary School - 13 average in information and communication technology. In all the other subjects pupils attain standards that are broadly average and in religious education they attain standards that are in line with the expectations described in the locally agreed syllabus.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. Pupils’ achievement through Years 3 and 4 is satisfactory. By the end of Year 4 most attain standards that are above average in English and mathematics. Several write particularly well and attain the standard normally expected by the end of Year 6. They write persuasive letters, as, for example, those written to the headteacher arguing that the school day should start at 10 a.m. rather than 9.00 a.m. Most read widely and have a good knowledge of children’s literature. The series of books written by Lemony Snicket and the Harry Potter series by J K Rowling are particularly popular. They enjoy mathematics and rise enthusiastically to the challenges presented in problem solving exercises. The amount of time that the school spends teaching English and mathematics is considerably greater than in most schools. As a result the time left to teach all the other subjects is below that required to ensure full, in-depth coverage of all the National Curriculum

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

programmes of study. Nevertheless, pupils attain at least average standards in almost all subjects except information and communication technology, where standards are below average, and design and technology, where standards are above average. Computer skills are not taught systematically or applied to work in other areas of the curriculum. There was insufficient evidence available to form a judgement about standards in music although it was noted that many pupils play the descant recorder well. Pupils attain standards in religious education that match the requirements described in the locally agreed syllabus.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. Although there is a significantly greater proportion of boys than girls in the school, no difference in attainment between boys and girls was noted during the inspection but the proportion of boys who play the recorder is less than the proportion of girls. It was noted that higher attaining pupils in particular are not always provided with work that presents sufficient challenge and that matches their learning needs. This is because assessment procedures are not well developed so teachers are not fully aware of what pupils have already covered and what they know and understand. The work planned for pupils generally does not take sufficient account of what has been learned previously because records of pupils’ attainment and progress are insufficiently clear and detailed.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6. Most pupils on the special needs register often attain results in national tests that are below average at the end of Years 2 and 4 but their progress is good as a result of the caring, high-quality support they receive from teachers and support assistants. The quality of the independent educational programmes, the majority of which are language orientated, is satisfactory. However, targets are not always specific and success criteria are not identified clearly. As a result planning for these pupils does not always match their needs precisely. Independent educational programmes are reviewed regularly. When targets are not met, they are amended in an attempt to make them more attainable.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. The standards that pupils attain in reading, writing and mathematics have gone up since the time of the last inspection, representing a good level of improvement. The standards attained in all the other subjects are much the same as they were in 1998, although standards in music by the end of Year 2 have improved, as have those in design and technology by the end of Year 4. Standards in information and communication technology were below average in 1998 and remain so. This represents an unsatisfactory degree of improvement. The underlying cause for little improvement in other subjects revolves around the school’s lack of success in addressing the key issues raised at the time of the last inspection. Assessment and record keeping systems are still unsatisfactory and the amount of time spent teaching the National Curriculum is below average in Years 3 and 4. This leads to a degree of under-achievement.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

8. Pupils have good attitudes to school and their behaviour is good. Their personal development and their relationships with one another and with members of staff are also good. Inspectors’ judgements on these aspects agree with those of parents. In the inspection’s survey of their opinions, more than nine out of ten parents say that behaviour is good and that the school helps their child to become more mature and responsible. All say that their child likes school. The Cavendish Primary School - 14 school has succeeded in maintaining the high standards of behaviour that were evident during previous inspection. As at that time, pupils’ positive attitudes, values and personal development significantly enhance their academic attainment and progress.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

9. Pupils of all ages have good attitudes to learning. It is clear from parents’ comments, and from pupils’ very good punctuality and attendance, that they enjoy coming to school. They like lessons and are keen to take part in activities. This was evident in a physical education lesson in which the youngest pupils explored different ways of moving around the hall to music. They participated in the exercises with enthusiasm and imagination, and enjoyed showing their teacher what they could do. Pupils are eager to answer questions and are confident and articulate when speaking in front of the class. They express their views plainly. One five-year-old complained bitterly about the size of the letters in a computer program, ‘The letters are very small and I wish they were a bit bigger because it confuses me.’ In general they sustain their concentration well and work hard in lessons. For example, the oldest pupils settled down quickly to the ‘Morning Challenge’ in the

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

registration period at the start of the school day. Their application was good and they worked well independently. A minority of pupils was inattentive in whole class sessions. They did not listen to members of staff and did not follow instructions as carefully as they should. Sometimes this arose from their eagerness to get started on individual and group activities.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10. The quality of behaviour around the school is good. Pupils are orderly and show respect for the rules. They are self-disciplined and well mannered when eating lunch in the hall. A pupil says grace at the start of the meal, and this helps to create a civilised atmosphere and a sense of a shared occasion. Behaviour in lessons is generally good, but on occasions members of staff had to work hard to control a minority of restless and noisy pupils. As at the time of the previous inspection, the school has a small number of children who present a continuing challenge. Most of these pupils are boys. There was some poor behaviour in an assembly held during the inspection. Despite the best efforts of the teacher, a significant minority of pupils fidgeted and chatted throughout the session, and their actions significantly impaired the quality of the collective act of worship. This is partly because pupils had not fully readjusted to school routines after the long

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

summer holiday. In was noted that several pupils seemed particularly tired and irritable during the afternoon sessions. The small minority of pupils who behave inappropriately are inattentive and distracting, but not aggressive. Seriously disruptive or oppressive behaviour is not a feature of the school. No instances of bullying or aggression were observed during the inspection, and there have been no exclusions in recent years. Parents are happy with standards of behaviour, and also appreciate the prompt and effective way in which the school handles any breaches of discipline. However, they are rightly concerned about the potentially unsettling effects of the high turnover of teachers.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. Relationships are good and this helps all pupils to feel valued. In one recorder playing session before school, for example, a boy who was new to the group was warmly welcomed and encouraged to blow his recorder alongside the more skilled playing of the older, more advanced pupils. Pupils are open and friendly. They get on well with one another, and respect and trust members of staff. They play together happily in they playground; individuals are not ignored or picked on by their peers. The school is a community that engages all its members and fosters inclusiveness. For example, pupils with special needs are encouraged to take on responsibilities as class monitors. This helps to maintain confidence and a feeling of self worth.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. Pupils’ personal development is good. They are polite and considerate, and have due regard for the feelings of others. Older pupils show a good awareness of the needs of younger children and volunteer to look after them in the playground. There are good opportunities for pupils of all ages to exercise responsibility and to play a part in the running of the school, as when classes draw up their own ‘classroom rules’ in co-operation with their teachers. They also have the ability to use their initiative and to learn independently. Older pupils demonstrated these qualities recently when they carried out a risk assessment of the school and created warning notices for potential hazards. Two pupils agreed the wording and produced a sign placed on the railings, for example, that stated, ‘Do not climb on these’. Cavendish Primary School - 15 13. Pupils’ positive attitudes, behaviour and values show that their spiritual, moral, social and cultural

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

development is good overall. They know right from wrong and are trustworthy. They understand the concept of citizenship and responsibility. They know that they belong to a community and are keen to serve it. They are loyal to the school and supportive of one another.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. Pupils’ attendance is very good and contributes positively to their attainment and progress. The school’s attendance rate in the year 2001/02 was well above the national average, and there was very little unauthorised absence. Attendance was very good in all classes during the week of the inspection.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

15. The inspection took place very soon after the beginning of the autumn term at a time when the school was endeavouring to resolve major difficulties in staffing. Apart from the headteacher, all the teaching staff were relatively new to the school, two were short-term temporary teachers and lacked training and experience in teaching literacy and numeracy according to national guidance. Furthermore, several teachers had not received training in the use of computers to support teaching and learning. Inevitably this had an adverse effect on the quality of teaching. Overall it is satisfactory whilst at the time of the last inspection it was predominantly good. The scrutiny of work indicated that it had been more consistent in the previous school year. The school is currently endeavouring to recruit teaching staff and plans for meeting the training needs of new teachers are in hand.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

16. Literacy skills are taught satisfactorily in Years 1 and 2 and well in Years 3 and 4. Across the school an enthusiasm for reading is generated. The teaching of numeracy skills is satisfactory but there is little evidence of skills being used in other subjects, such as to record weather data or distances in geography. Teaching in most subjects is satisfactory. The teaching of English and mathematics is satisfactory in Years 1 and 2 and good in Years 3 and 4. Teaching is good in music for pupils in Years 1 and 2 and in design and technology for pupils in Years 3 and 4. In both cases the teachers have a good command of these subjects. Teaching is unsatisfactory in information and communication technology because skills are not taught systematically in a sequential step-by-step approach and planning does not take sufficient account of what pupils have already learned. Across the curriculum there is insufficient attention paid in teachers’ planning to

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

assessments of what stages in learning pupils have reached. Assessment systems do not clearly identify where there are gaps in pupils’ learning. There was insufficient evidence available in the school to make judgements about the quality of teaching in art and design or geography in Years 1 and 2.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

17. Across the school relationships between teachers and pupils are good and this helps pupils to feel secure and confident. Behaviour is managed well and in a positive way so as not to undermine relationships. Teachers know the pupils well and conscientiously seek to understand their individual characteristics and particular learning needs. There are examples of events that promote very good learning. The organisation of a re-enactment of the Queen’s coronation was an instance where pupils’ learning was especially good. Here the whole school took part in a memorable event to mark the Queen’s golden jubilee. The occasion provided a powerful learning force where skills in speaking, listening, reading, writing, performing drama and music combined well with personal skills such as co-operating and working together.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

18. Across the school time is not always used to best effect. In the class for pupils in Years 3 and 4, for example, the pupils are set morning challenges to complete during the registration period. In another class the pupils sat waiting for the register to be completed rather that performing some short activity, such as practising spellings or tables. In several lessons a general lack of urgency was apparent and the pace of learning was slow. This was partly because the teacher’s expectations of what pupils were capable of completing in a given time were too low, especially for the higher attaining pupils, and partly because there was insufficient challenge. New teachers find it difficult to know exactly what stages pupils have reached in their learning as no clear records are kept of what skills pupils have mastered and what they know and understand in each subject. In Years 3 and 4 the timetable is not organised to make the best use of time. Across the school

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

Cavendish Primary School - 16 there are occasions when too much time is allocated to literacy and numeracy lessons, leaving not enough time to teach the other subjects in sufficient depth.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

19. A large number of parents help in the school on a voluntary basis and make a major contribution to the quality of provision and to the effectiveness of pupils’ learning. Parents also support pupils’ learning well at home and take them to places of interest, such as museums and art galleries.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

20. As at the time of the last inspection, the teaching of pupils with special educational needs is good. Support is very well organised. There are good working relationship between teachers and learning support assistants. They work closely together and, when appropriate, with the special educational needs co-ordinator. Learning support assistants are well briefed and form a very strong, knowledgeable and caring team. One runs an additional literacy scheme and the other an early literacy support programme in collaboration with class teachers. These programmes are well documented and pupils’ progress recorded. Learning assistants feel very well supported by class teachers and by the special needs co-ordinator. They have daily briefings with teachers and give teachers regular verbal feedback on how successful pupils have been in their learning. The support and encouragement that pupils with special educational needs receive, both from class teachers

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

and learning support assistants, help them to make such good progress.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

21. In several lessons activities and tasks were specially modified for pupils with special educational needs. Teachers know their pupils well, set clear targets and give good support to ensure that targets are met. This was evidenced in a mathematics lesson for pupils in Years 3 and 4 where the support assistant had a clear brief and questioned and encouraged pupils very effectively to ensure a sound grasp of two-digit addition. Such good practice is not consistent across the school. In several lessons for pupils in the classes for the younger pupils, work was not sufficiently modified to meet the needs of all. The work was too easy for some and not sufficiently structured to enable the lower attaining pupils to achieve success. This led to a measure of underachievement.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

22. Teaching for the reception children is mostly satisfactory although there are weaknesses that impede pupils’ achievement. The nursery nurse, the classroom assistant and the teachers for this age group work well together but there is a lack of clarity in planning about what pupils should be learning. In one session for this age group, for example, the planning indicated that the children would play outside but there was no indication of they would be expected to learn as a result. Assessment and record keeping are not well developed so it is difficult for teachers to know what the next steps in learning should be. Relationships are warm and new children settle comfortably into class routines and are helped to feel that they are full members of the school community.

p.16

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

23. The quality of teaching in Years 1 and 2 is mostly satisfactory. There are examples of good and occasionally very good teaching. Where teaching was particularly effective, the planning clearly described what the teacher expected pupils to learn during the course of the lesson, the ideas and vocabulary to be introduced and details of how the effectiveness of the lesson was to be assessed. From the outset the pupils were told precisely what they were expected to learn and the skills they were expected to develop during the course of the lesson. One such lesson in design and technology concerned the creation of a model of a playground swing that had to be stable and would not topple over. The lesson was exceptionally well prepared with different structures of varying stability provided to enable pupils to investigate and consider the principles that resulted in stability. After a short theoretical discussion the pupils moved quickly to test their ideas by using a

p.16

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

good range of appropriate construction kits. The task set was very challenging but most pupils were able to achieve a good degree of success. A good review session towards the end of the lesson was used effectively to review what had been learned and to reflect on the structures that had been created. Behaviour during this lesson was excellent because the pupils’ imagination had been captured and they quickly became totally engrossed in the activity.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

24. The quality of teaching in Years 3 and 4 is predominantly good; occasionally it is very good. Teaching is effective because the teacher has a good knowledge and understanding of the National Curriculum, plans lessons thoughtfully, sets high standards, is constantly assessing pupils’ learning and adjusting her teaching accordingly. In this class most lessons proceed at a brisk Cavendish Primary School - 17 pace. The classroom assistant knows precisely what is expected of her and she is deployed efficiently. In these circumstances pupils’ learning is effective.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

25. Teachers set a reasonable amount of homework that supports learning well but there is evidence that it is not always set consistently and regularly in all classes.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

26. There is no teaching and learning policy that clearly describes exactly what is expected of teachers in terms of classroom organisation and planning. There are no clear guidelines that set out the school’s agreed view of what constitutes high quality teaching and learning. This lack of specific guidance contributes to the lack of continuity in the quality of teaching across the school. Teachers have adequate resources but they do not use computers sufficiently to support teaching and learning.

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STUDENTS?

27. The previous report stated that the school’s curriculum met the requirements of the National Curriculum and the locally agreed syllabus for Religious Education. This provision has been maintained and the school’s curriculum now follows the latest national guidance on planning the sequence of teaching in each subject. All pupils have full access to all areas of the curriculum. The school has implemented the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies and each has a named governor to oversee work in that area. However, several teachers have not been trained in using these strategies.

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STUDENTS?

28. Although the requirements for teaching the National Curriculum are met, the timetable for pupils in Years 3 and 4 indicates that the amount of time spent teaching the National Curriculum to these year groups falls well short of the minimum amount of time recommended to promote full coverage. Across the school, time is not always used to maximum effect. Registration takes too long. Literacy and numeracy sessions are often overlong and hence insufficient time is allocated to other subjects. Few links have been created between subjects to help to make efficient use of time. A start has been made to create links, such as using a history book when studying text to appreciate different forms of writing during the literacy hour, but such links are not planned in a systematic way. The inefficient use of time results in a measure of underachievement and means that standards are not always as high as they should be.

p.17

STUDENTS?

29. The school has adopted the national guidance on planning the curriculum for children in the foundation stage. Lesson planning does not take sufficient account of such guidance. It is not always clear what parts of the national guidance are being tackled. Furthermore, systems are not yet in place to assess children’s varying stages of development so that lesson planning can be geared towards meeting individual learning needs. Record keeping systems have not been developed methodically so that all involved with teaching know what stage each pupil has reached. It is also not clear what part of the curriculum is being addressed through specific activities, or what pupils are intended to learn as a result.

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STUDENTS?

30. Provision for pupils with special educational needs was good at the time of the last inspection. This is still the case and they achieve well throughout the school. The special needs co-ordinator gives good leadership and is well supported by the governor with oversight of this aspect of the curriculum. She has established clear procedures for registering concern about individual pupils, conducting assessments and setting up individual learning programmes. The latter are prepared in conjunction with class teachers, learning assistants and parents. Individual education programmes, currently five in number, are satisfactory but lack precise, focused targets which can be measured in order to assess what has been achieved. Teaching assistants support pupils in class well. The school has begun to implement the new nationally agreed ‘Code of Practice’ for pupils with special educational needs.

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STUDENTS?

31. The school has adopted a good planning framework for promoting personal, health and social education. Work in this area of the curriculum is timetabled and is often developed during ‘circle time’; this is a special time when pupils gather together and sit in a circle to discuss social and Cavendish Primary School - 18 personal issues. The police come into school to lead sessions on such topics as road safety. The school treats sex education as part of the policy for personal development but encourages parents to see it as a joint school/parent responsibility. Drug use and abuse is part of the science programme delivered to older pupils. The ethos of the school is that of a kind, caring community. New pupils are welcomed and other children act as their mentors. Bullying is not an issue but when it does occur it is taken seriously and dealt with firmly.

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STUDENTS?

32. Parents work with the school to provide a good range of extra-curricular activities. This is a very good way of providing more after-school activities than could usually be managed by such a small number of teachers and is a very good example of co-operation between the school and parents that enhances the links between the school and the community. The programme of activities runs on a two-year rolling programme to maximise the experiences offered to pupils during their time in the school. The curriculum is enriched by many visits to places of interest. These have included Ickworth Park as part of the study of the environment and to the port of Felixstowe. Pupils take part in the Thurston Music Festival. They are taken with pupils from another local school on a short residential visit. This experience makes a very good contribution to pupils’ personal and social development in addition to providing an opportunity for pupils to meet others who will be transferring

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STUDENTS?

to the Middle School with them. The school has good links with the community. Pupils have visited a local firm that makes babies’ bottles and staff from the firm are to come to school to give input to the science programme. The school works with the local Community Council and takes part in village events such as those to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee. The local rector, who is a governor, is actively involved in school life. A Jewish mother came to describe how the festival of Hanukkah would be celebrated. In addition to regular contact with the local church, there are links with local people who come into school to share their experience with the pupils. There are many visitors to the school during the year, contributing to all aspects of the curriculum. A local shopkeeper describes how her family celebrates Diwali. This makes a good contribution to pupils’ cultural development. Charities such as the Children’s Society and Christian Aid visit the school to tell

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STUDENTS?

33. The school has established good links with other local schools and the Middle School to which the majority of pupils transfer. Not only does the school join with another local primary school for its residential experience, but the local primary schools join together for staff training and visits to places of interest.

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STUDENTS?

34. The school works very hard to present a diverse, stimulating and relevant curriculum within the resources available. This enables pupils to enjoy a wide range of learning experiences.

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STUDENTS?

35. The school makes good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development overall. This aspect was seen as a strength of the school at the time of the last inspection. Social, moral and cultural elements are still strong, though there is little evidence of planned opportunities to encourage spiritual development. Opportunities to talk about beauty in nature, such as the structure of a hornet’s nest, are grasped and pupils are encouraged to marvel at the wonderful cherry blossom on the tree outside the school. Teachers are not always explicit, however, about the wonders of patterns in mathematics, for example, or the beauty of the music they listen to in assembly.

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STUDENTS?

36. There is a daily assembly, sometimes led by the local rector. Once a month this is held in the local church. The restlessness of pupils in the assemblies observed during the inspection was not conducive to the creation of an atmosphere in which private reflection could take place. Although pupils entered the hall quietly, there was no visual focus to help to maintain their attention. As a voluntary controlled Church of England school, the commitment to Christianity is clear whilst other faiths are recognised and respected. This is supported by classroom work in general but particularly in those religious education lessons dedicated to personal development. The development of spirituality is satisfactory but there are few planned opportunities for pupils to appreciate beauty in the world around them and to contemplate the ideas presented to them.

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STUDENTS?

37. Provision for moral development is good. Pupils clearly know the difference between right and wrong. Older pupils set a very good example. Classes have ‘circle time’ where self-esteem is often Cavendish Primary School - 19 promoted and moral issues are discussed. Such lessons enhance relationships and foster pupils’ understanding of justice, honesty and trust very well as well as providing opportunities for pupils to develop respect, tolerance and awareness of the needs of others. The school is a community that fosters Christian morals effectively.

p.18

STUDENTS?

38. Provision for the pupils’ social development is very good. The school is a microcosm of the village. Everyone knows each other. Older pupils are instinctively caring towards younger ones. Pupils in Year 4 were not instructed to look after new children in the playground on the first day of term; they did so because that is the expected behaviour within both the community and the school. The pupils with special educational needs are well integrated and take a full and active role in the life of the school. During the summer term, one such pupil in Year 3 was extremely nervous about entering the swimming pool. When he overcame his fears, the rest of the group gave him a spontaneous round of applause which pleased rather than embarrassed him. This is a caring school.

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STUDENTS?

39. Provision for cultural development is good. Music plays a large part in school life. More that one third of the pupils are learning a musical instrument. Visits and visitors make a good and well- informed contribution to pupils’ cultural development. The school takes every opportunity presented to offer pupils direct experience from other cultures and faiths. Local people, such as the Indian shopkeeper and Jewish mother, have been invited into school to present their first-hand experiences to the pupils. Overall, the school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well and good provision is made.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

40. As at the time of the previous inspection, the school provides a safe and secure environment for its pupils. The quality of care and guidance is satisfactory overall, and measures to promote good attendance and behaviour effectively support the school’s efforts to attain high academic standards.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

41. The school makes sound provision for pupils’ welfare. There are good procedures for introducing the youngest children to full time education so that they settle down quickly and are happy at school. Procedures for child protection are satisfactory. The school has its own written policy, which closely follows the local education authority’s guidelines. There is satisfactory provision for training in child protection, and members of staff are aware of the school’s procedures.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

42. The school has satisfactory arrangements for ensuring the health and safety of pupils, members of staff, and visitors to the site. It carries out regular checks of equipment, as required by law, and has proper procedures for emergency evacuation of the buildings. Provision for first aid is adequate, and measures for preventing accidents are satisfactory. Pupils’ own risk assessment of the site makes a valuable contribution to this aspect of health and safety. It successfully raises awareness of potential hazards and reminds everyone in the school to treat them with due care.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

43. Procedures for monitoring and encouraging attendance are good. They are effective in maintaining very good of attendance in all classes, and therefore successfully promote pupils’ academic progress. Registrations meet legal requirements, and any unexplained absences are followed up. Members of staff make first day contact with the families of pupils who miss school without explanation. This promotes pupils’ safety and welfare as well as encouraging good attendance.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

44. The school has established satisfactory procedures to encourage pupils to behave well and to eliminate oppressive behaviour. At the time of the previous inspection, the school’s policies set appropriate standards and required children to respect a few fundamental rules. However, the main behaviour policy does not spell out clearly how the school will monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of its arrangements. Formal procedures have been strengthened in the last four years by the addition of a policy on bullying. ‘Classroom rules’ are another positive feature. Pupils have been fully involved in drawing up the rules for their class and therefore have a sense of ownership of them. Nevertheless, the rules are not always respected and there are occasions when teachers have to work hard to control behaviour in lessons and assemblies. The high turnover of teachers Cavendish Primary School - 20 has had an impact in this area. Frequent staff changes make it difficult for the school to ensure

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

that all its pupils experience a consistent approach to behaviour and discipline.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

45. There are satisfactory practical arrangements to prevent oppressive behaviour such as bullying. Members of staff, including the headteacher, supervise the hall and playground effectively and there are sufficient activities to keep pupils constructively occupied during the lunch hour. These measures reduce the scope for boisterous play and aggression. They also promote inclusion by creating a secure and supportive environment for all pupils. Parents are happy with the school’s system of discipline. They say that there are few problems with behaviour, and when they do occur they are dealt with promptly and well.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

46. The school monitors and supports pupils’ personal development well. The headteacher knows every child very well as an individual. She is therefore able to monitor pupils’ progress closely on an informal basis. She is also aware of pupils’ concerns. Opportunities are grasped to encourage pupils to articulate their opinions about school rules and about how to resolve school issues. The headteacher encouraged pupils, for example, to come up with a solution to a dispute about playing football on the small playground. The pupils themselves decided on a rota system for playing football and arranged the rota themselves. She regularly joins them during the lunch hour, talks to them, and listens to their concerns. Pupils are happy with the support and guidance that they receive. They say that members of staff are approachable and helpful. The school keeps satisfactory records on pupils children who are having problems and where necessary calls in

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

outside agencies to provide extra support for them. The system of rewards promotes personal development well. Pupils’ achievements are celebrated in assemblies and teachers praise good work and behaviour in lessons. This makes children feel valued and raises their self-esteem.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

47. At the time of the last inspection the assessment of pupils’ attainment and progress was identified as an area of major concern. This remains the case. Teachers keep informal records of pupils’ achievements and use them to determine the next work to be addressed. In a Year 1 and Year 2 mathematics lesson, for example, the class teacher had evaluated the success or failure achieved by pupils in the previous day’s lesson. Although this day-to-day assessment is taking place it is not followed through by a system of ongoing record-keeping in order to establish pupils’ achievement in the longer-term. The lack of systematic recording means that the school is unable to track how pupils’ perform over time and, as a result, it is not possible to set targets for individuals or groups of pupils to achieve. Test results are also not used to influence whole-school planning. No coherent whole school approaches and systems have been put in place since the

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

time of the last inspection. As a result, assessment and record-keeping throughout the school remain areas of particular weakness.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

48. The school supports pupils with special educational needs well. There are well-established, effective procedures for early identification, monitoring and targeting of teaching and support that meet the new nationally agreed ‘Code of Practice’ for these pupils.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

49. The school has a good partnership with parents and has maintained the strong links that existed at the time of the previous inspection. There is effective co-operation between home and school, and this makes a positive contribution to pupils’ attainment and personal development.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

50. There was a good response to the pre-inspection survey of parental views and attendance at the meeting with the registered inspector was relatively high, demonstrating parents’ keen interest in their children’s education. The answers to the questionnaire show that the majority of parents have favourable views of the school and confidence in its staff and governing body. However, significant minorities are unhappy with the amount of homework that children receive and the quality of leadership and management. Several parents also express concern about the effects of staffing difficulties on pupils’ education. On the positive side, all parents say the school expects pupils to work hard and that their children are happy there. More than nine out of ten think that the quality of teaching is good and that pupils make good progress. Almost all parents are also happy with standards of behaviour in the school, and the findings of the inspection support their opinion.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

Cavendish Primary School - 21 51. A minority of parents who returned the pre-inspection questionnaires considered that problems concerning the recent high staff turnover were a reflection on the leadership and management of the school. It is understandable that parents have concerns with regard to staffing, but inspection findings indicate that this is a problem that is outside the control of the headteacher and governing body. An appropriate amount of homework is provided and parents assist with such projects as identifying the uses of electricity in the home as part of a science project. There are inconsistencies in setting homework, however, and the amount does vary from week to week.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

52. Information for parents is satisfactory overall and encourages them to support their children’s learning. The school sends out newsletters on a regular basis. These contain details of forthcoming events, such as educational visits and reminders of school routines. The newsletters provide parents with information on the curriculum, but do so a little at a time rather than providing a clear overview. The school does not publish a calendar listing the topics that each class will cover during the course of the school year. Consequently some parents complain that they do not get adequate notice of what their children are studying. The school prospectus is well presented and readable. It includes all the information required by law, but as at the time of the previous inspection, does not report pupils’ absence rates in the correct format. Annual written reports on progress are satisfactory. They give parents brief accounts of their child’s strengths and weaknesses in each

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

subject, but do not include National Curriculum levels or specific targets for improvement.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

53. The school has no formal way of sounding out parental opinions. There are good opportunities for informal exchanges of views and discussion of concerns, such as when parents meet teachers at the end of the school day. Those who regularly collect their children from school are very happy with these informal contacts. However, parents who are not in a position to do this feel that the lines of communication are unsatisfactory. They would greatly appreciate a regular forum where school issues could be discussed over a cup of coffee.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

54. Parents actively support their children’s learning, and their involvement has a positive impact on the life of the school and pupils’ attainment. They willingly sign the home/school agreement and attend parents’ evenings and school performances in large numbers. They are supportive of their children’s work at home; their concerns over the amount of homework and their wish to have advance notice of topics are evidence of their interest and involvement. A good number of parents act as helpers in school, hearing readers, helping in the library and assisting teachers in lessons. They make a valuable contribution to pupils’ learning and progress. There is also a very good level of parental involvement in educational trips and extra-curricular activities, and this significantly extends pupils’ opportunities for learning. One parent organises the after school French Club, for example, and the parent teacher association runs an after school and holiday swimming club. The

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

parent teacher association is an active and successful organisation. Its social and fund raising events are well supported. It raises substantial sums of money each year and provides the school with valuable additional resources. Members of the parent teacher also carry out major practical tasks that enhance the environment for learning. For example, they decorated the school’s activity room during the summer half term this year.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

55. The headteacher provides energetic and committed leadership. She helps to ensure that the school is a friendly place where pupils feel secure and valued. She has developed good relationships with the teaching force and with support staff, as well as with parents, governors and the local community. Together the teaching and support staff spend a considerable amount of time discussing how best to maintain and improve provision. The headteacher is given much helpful support by the members of the governing body. The headteacher and governors have been obliged to spend a great deal of time in recent years on recruiting staff. Their approach to filling teacher vacancies is satisfactory but the very small number of applicants means that posts cannot always be filled. Not only has there been a lack of continuity in the teaching staff of the school in recent years, but also all but one member of the governing body have joined the board since the time of

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

the last inspection. The headteacher teaches the children in the foundation stage as well as those in Year 1 who are embarking on their National Curriculum studies. She spends the greater part of Cavendish Primary School - 22 each week planning teaching programmes and teaching. There is no deputy headteacher. A limited amount of time is available for managing the curriculum across the school and for monitoring and evaluating the quality of provision in each subject. These factors have contributed to deficiencies in the management of the school. The teachers share the co-ordination of the subjects but each carries responsibility for a large proportion of the curriculum. Other than the headteacher, all are relatively new to the school and very new to their roles as subject co-ordinators. The co- ordinator for science and personal, social and health education, a temporary teacher, has left the school since the beginning of term. These factors have resulted in a lack of continuity in managing

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

curricular development and too little focused attention on raising standards. As a result standards are not always as high as they could be. One of the teachers acts as the co-ordinator for pupils with special educational needs and this aspect of the school’s provision is managed well. 56. The roles of subject co-ordinators have not yet been developed sufficiently and they do not as yet have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities. There are deficiencies in management systems. In such a small school it is particularly important to ensure a methodical approach to curricular developments and to introduce systematic procedures that enable all associated with the school to understand their particular function. It is particularly important that teachers and classroom assistants have a clear idea of curricular requirements and a detailed knowledge and understanding of expectations regarding teaching and learning. There is no clear

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

teaching and learning policy or staff handbook that offers guidance to teachers and support staff. There are no agreed criteria against which to evaluate teaching and learning. It is, therefore, difficult for the school to determine where improvements are needed. Not all teachers are confident in how to implement the procedures associated with the National Literacy and National Numeracy Strategies. 57. The governing body have addressed the issues raised at the time of the last inspection but the degree of success in resolving the issues has been patchy. New information and communication technology equipment has been installed and a planning framework is in place that offers good guidance to teachers and details how the subject should be taught in a sequential step-by-step way. However, as at the time of the last inspection, the standards that pupils attain in information and communication technology are not high enough and computers are not used effectively to

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

support teaching and learning across the curriculum. Despite reference in the school’s post- inspection action plan to establishing systems to monitor the use of equipment and standards attained, no complete whole-school system is in place. Improving standards in information and communication technology and monitoring the use of computers still appears as a priority for development in this year’s school improvement plan. 58. Another issue from the last report concerned establishing consistent systems of planning, assessment and record-keeping throughout the school. Again progress on this front has been patchy. Good systems that define what is to be taught to each year group are now in place. However, there is no clear system of record-keeping that indicates, as a result of assessments of learning, what skills pupils have mastered, the extent of their knowledge and how much they understand. In the absence of such records it is difficult for teachers to know what stage each pupil

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

has reached in their learning so that they can plan the next steps in their education. Teachers know the broad areas that have been covered but this is not precise enough to inform lesson planning thoroughly. Partly as a result, the scrutiny of work showed that there was some repetition of work that had been fully mastered in previous years. The lack of such systems also results in teachers pitching lessons at a level below that which would challenge pupils sufficiently. 59. A third key issue concerned defining the curriculum for pupils in the reception year as well as increasing the resources and accommodation for these children. The governors have been successful in improving resources and accommodation but the Foundation Stage curriculum still lacks clarity and planning is not explicit about what children are supposed to be learning. This impedes pupils’ achievement and as a result standards are not as high as they could be. Two

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

years after the school adopted national guidance on teaching the reception year group this year’s school improvement plan still highlights, as a matter of priority, the introduction of a programme of work for these children. Clearly progress on this issue has been slow. 60. The school still has to grapple with the key issue concerning extending the roles of these with subject responsibilities and systems for monitoring planning and teaching. The high rates of staff Cavendish Primary School - 23 turnover in recent years has adversely affected the continuity that the school has been able to maintain in terms of subject management. The school has not been successful, however, in developing systems to monitor the quality of teaching. There are as yet no agreed criteria against which to evaluate teaching. 61. Other aspects referred to in the previous inspection report, such as omissions in the information

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

provided for parents and the observation in the last inspection report that the format of the governors’ annual report to parents ‘does not stimulate readership’, remain to be resolved. Clearly the governing body have not been as successful as they should have been in implementing and sustaining improvements. Their monitoring of the progress of their action plan has not been as thorough as it should have been. There have, however, been significant improvements since the last inspection in the standards that pupils attain in the key areas of reading, writing and mathematics. 62. The school improvement plan is a concise document that identifies appropriate priorities for improvement. The details of precisely what needs to be done to effect improvements are not clear, however. The initiative to improve standards in information and communication technology, for example, refers to the tasks required to make the improvements in very general terms. There is no

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

clear indication of how the improved standards will be assessed or what work will be produced by pupils. The ‘success criteria’ are described as, ‘To continue to improve standards in ICT throughout the school’ but this is a statement of aspiration rather than a set of criteria against which any improvement in standards can be assessed. The lack of clear success criteria means that the school is unable to evaluate its performance successfully. The plan does not, therefore, contribute sufficiently to providing clear educational direction for all associated with the school. 63. The governing body has adopted a good range of policies to guide the work of the school. Many are new and have not as yet been monitored to assess how effectively they are being implemented. Performance management system are in place but the large turnover of staff mean that the impact of the procedures is difficult to evaluate. The governing body assists with monitoring the standards

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

that pupils attain and is well aware of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Differences in attainment as a consequence of gender are monitored by the school. The school promotes racial harmony well. All pupils are afforded full and equal access to the curriculum. Pupils are rarely withdrawn from class and support for pupils with special educational needs is almost exclusively classroom based. Most pupils on the school register of special educational needs have satisfactory individual educational programmes. The school is welcoming and promotes an ethos which is rooted in ensuring that all pupils are included fully in all activities. Everybody took part in the re-enacted of the Queen’s coronation ceremony in the church, for example, and the service was well attended by parents and members of the community. 64. The governing body applies the principles of best value well to all major spending decisions. It

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

considers contracts carefully and, for example, determined that the grass cutting and grounds maintenance contract that it had negotiated with the local authority was preferable to that offered by private contractors. It ensures that the income derived from maintaining the heated outdoor swimming pool covers the costs. It compares its performance with that of similar schools to determine how well, comparatively it is doing. There is little evidence, however, that it consults stakeholders, such as parents and pupils, about their views on the quality of service it provides. 65. The governing body manages the school’s finances well. The budget is set after careful consideration of the school’s priorities. Expenditure is monitored and all grants, such as allocations to support pupils with special educational needs, are spent according to their intended purposes. All school accounts are maintained meticulously and audited annually. The governing

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

body ensures that resources are adequate to support teaching and learning and that accommodation is maintained and improved. A substantial surplus has been accrued due to an unexpected grant arriving towards the end of the financial year and the governing body’s intention to reserve funds for further extensions to the building. This indicates a prudent approach to managing finances and good long-term strategic planning. The school secretary has reorganised administrative procedures and ensures that the office is run very efficiently. The day-to-day administration of the school works well and the secretary helps to keep paperwork under control. There are no excessive bureaucratic demands made upon the school. In view of the improvements Cavendish Primary School - 24 in standards in key areas of the curriculum, offset by the unsatisfactory improvement in information and communication technology, overall the school provides satisfactory value for money.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

In order to improve standards further the headteacher, staff and governing body should:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

a. Improve the standards that pupils attain in information and communication technology by: • preparing a clear programme designed to teach skills, knowledge and understanding systematically; • preparing a record-keeping system that details the skills to be learned in a step-by-step sequential order; • teaching the skills systematically whilst assessing and recording pupils’ progress through the stages detailed in the teaching programme. * (paragraphs 3,4,7,16,57,77,83,109,110,115)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

b. Improve the quality of the curriculum for children in the reception year by: • preparing a teaching programme that is linked to national guidance and which specifies the skills, knowledge and understanding to be developed in each area of learning; • using the teaching programme to provide activities that have been designed specifically to develop children’s skills according to the stages of development that they have already reached. * (paragraphs 1,22,29,59,67,71,73)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

c. Develop procedures to assess and record systematically what pupils have learned and that also indicate what the next steps in learning should be. (paragraphs 5,16,29,47,58,69,89,125,131)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

d. Improve the quality of teaching by: • ensuring that the plans for each lesson include clear learning intentions that are shared with pupils so that everybody involved understands fully what each group within the class is expected to learn. • re-organising timetables so that time is used efficiently and an appropriate amount of time is allocated to each subject. (paragraphs 18,21,22,28,29,56,80,81,91)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

e. Develop procedures that enable the governing body to evaluate regularly the progress the school is making towards meeting the targets outlined in their post-inspection action plan. (paragraphs 57,61)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

f. Increase the amount of time that is spent teaching the National Curriculum in Years 3 and 4. (paragraphs 18,91,104)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

* The school improvement plan already features these as priorities for development.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Other less significant areas for development

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Develop the role of curriculum co-ordinators and ensure that each has a clear understanding of their role in taking a lead to develop each subject area and their accountability for monitoring, evaluating and improving standards. (paragraphs 55,56,60,96) • Introduce procedures to check that the school prospectus and annual report to parents contains all the information that it should. (paragraph 52,61) Cavendish Primary School - 26

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 14

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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 nearly four percentage points.

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 62

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 1

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 9

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

English as an additional language No of pupils

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 5

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

% % Cavendish Primary School - 27 School data 4.5 School data 0.1

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

National comparative data 5.6 National comparative data 0.5

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2001 7 6 13

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Percentage of pupils School 85 (93) 92 (93) 92 (100) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (83) 86 (84) 91 (90)

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Percentage of pupils School 92 (93) 92 (93) 100 (100) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (84) 89 (88) 89 (88)

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

The results of boys and girls are not recorded separately as there were less than ten in each group. .Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

White – any other White background 0 0 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Mixed – any other mixed background 0 0 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Asian or Asian British - Pakistani 0 0 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 0 0 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Black or Black British – Caribbean 0 0 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

The table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. It gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the Cavendish Primary School - 28 number of pupils excluded. Cavendish Primary School - 29 Teachers and classes Financial information

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 3.5 Financial year 2001-2002

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 18.6

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Education support staff: YR – Y4 Total income 199435

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total number of education support staff 4 Total expenditure 198607

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total aggregate hours worked per week 50.5 Expenditure per pupil 2878

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

FTE means full-time equivalent. Balance brought forward from previous year 20439

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Balance carried forward to next year 21276

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 2.5

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 2.5

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 1

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 2

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

FTE means full-time equivalent. Cavendish Primary School - 30

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Percentage of responses in each category

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

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 45 53 3 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 32 63 5 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 18 53 26 3 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 21 66 11 3 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 39 50 11 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 53 47 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 34 50 16 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 26 37 26 0 11

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 45 50 5 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 32 50 16 3 0

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Other issues raised by parents

Parents expressed concern over the high rate of turnover among teaching staff. Parents feel that the regular changes in the teaching staff lead to inconsistencies of approach and inconsistencies in their children’s patterns of learning. They also felt that there could be more effective long-term planning so that they could prepare for school events, which are sometimes announced at very short notice. Cavendish Primary School - 31

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Since the previous inspection a revised curriculum that follows national guidance has been introduced for children in the nursery and reception classes. National guidance recommends six areas of learning and these are:

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

• personal, social and emotional development; • communication, language and literacy; • mathematical development; • knowledge and understanding of the world; • physical development; and • creative development.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

The curriculum details ‘stepping stones’ in each area of learning that lead to ‘early learning goals’ for each area.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

66. The inspection took place very early in the autumn term and most of the reception year children were only attending school on a part-time basis. Most had only spent two or three mornings in school. Although the school adopted the national guidance for children in the Foundation Stage when it was introduced two years ago, activities are not planned with sufficient reference to the stages of learning outlined in the guidance. There are no unifying themes planned to link the various areas of learning. There is insufficient clarity about what is expected of teachers. Although the teaching overall is satisfactory there is much room for improvement. Children’s achievement is mostly satisfactory but there is scope to improve learning opportunities. Children do not always learn as effectively as they should. The standards that children attain are similar to those found at the time of the last inspection.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

67. Children settle well and quickly adjust to school routines. Teaching is satisfactory and good relationships are developed that support learning well. Children are keen to participate in activities and to answer questions. Children show confidence, engage in a friendly way with others and enjoy playing together. They chat sensibly about their work and their families. They form good relationships with adults and are prepared to ask for assistance when facing difficulties. They understand the need to take turns and to share fairly. They show kindness to others and were very sympathetic when one boy fell in the playground and hurt himself. They study the natural environment and enjoy nature walks in the school grounds. Care and concern for living things is promoted well. There was little evidence of opportunities to develop an understanding of different cultures and beliefs through the study of different religions and children have limited understanding

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

of different religious festivals. Children understand the need for rules and are generally well behaved. They become restless when they are not actively involved in completing tasks or when activities present insufficient challenge. Many soon lost interest during a discussion session where each child in turn was required to offer a contribution about, for example, what they had done over the weekend. During question and answer sessions several found it extremely difficult not to call out the answers to questions rather than putting up their hands and waiting to be asked to offer an answer. This was largely because they were so enthusiastic and eager to contribute. They have a good sense of belonging to their reception group, to their class, to their school and to their families. They are well on course to attain the early learning goals by the end of the school year.

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Communication, language and literacy

68. Teaching is mostly satisfactory and children learn at a reasonable pace in most lessons. There is, however, a lack of clarity about what is being taught. One plan, for example, stated ‘letter shapes’ without any detail about what letter shapes and there was little evidence of any ongoing assessment of what children were capable of doing and where there were gaps in their Cavendish Primary School - 32 understanding. There is little planning that refers specifically to the children’s learning needs and insufficient attention is paid to national guidance for this area of learning. Activities are generally appropriate but there is no specific focus on what the teacher expects the children to learn from the activities. Learning objectives are not written down or made explicit. As a result those involved with the children’s learning are unclear about what vocabulary they are supposed to be developing

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Communication, language and literacy

or what skills are to be promoted. There is an appropriate emphasis on developing speaking skills and a knowledge of phonics. A multi-sensory approach is used whereby children slide their feet across the playground as they say the ‘s; sound and tiptoe, counting to ten steps in their heads, as they practise the ‘t’ sound. They form letter shapes with play dough, draw the shapes in the sand tray and paint the shapes with their fingers. Children enjoy playing with a program on the computer that enhances their understanding of letter shapes and letter sounds. Most of the children are articulate and when describing events, such as what happened at home over the weekend, show that they have a wide vocabulary. They enjoy poetry and are good at identifying words that rhyme. They sing the alphabet and have a good understanding of phonics and the purposes of writing. They write their own signs in paint for display in the classroom, ‘Dolls House -

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Communication, language and literacy

Two can play,’ and write titles on cards to stand beside their sculptures. They enjoy listening to stories and are clear about their favourite books. They listen attentively and reflect on the characters and events in the stories they hear. Their early reading skills are developing well and several can already read simple texts. They are less sure about how information can be found in non-fiction books. The children are well on course to attain the early learning goals by the time they are due to transfer to Year 1.

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Mathematical development

69. Children have a good understanding of number, pattern and shapes. They are well on course to attain the early learning goals in this area of learning before they reach the end of the reception year. Children learn songs such as ‘Five Currant Buns in a Baker’s Shop’ and ‘Five Fat Elephants on a Spider’s Web’ that are highly effective in helping them to develop an understanding of addition and subtraction. They count to ten and beyond with ease and know that Tuesday 17 th September is followed by the Wednesday 18 th . Several have a little difficulty in writing numbers so ten is sometimes written as 01, for example, because the idea of digits representing different values according to their place in a number is still to be developed. They are interested in number and describe their thought processes well; one boy explained that he knew immediately that a number was five because he recognised the pattern of two lots of two and one more. Teaching is generally

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Mathematical development

satisfactory but explanations are not always clear. One task was to look at a circle in which there were three spots and to replicate the pattern but add one more. Most children just repeated the drawing of the circle with three dots inside. Good work was seen where a nursery nurse helped children to search in a ‘magic box’ to see what they could find. They found a collection of watches. A good discussion followed. They counted the watches, considered the different shaped faces, round, oval and square, noted the different sizes of the hands, using language such as ‘longer’ and ‘shorter’, and talked about the different styles of the numbers around the edges. This encouraged a valuable period of reflection about numbers and the measurement of time. They use their fingers to paint numbers; one boy painted a circle, and said, ‘Look, I’ve done a zero’. Children create good symmetrical models with bricks and draw good pictures of their constructions and this makes a

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Mathematical development

good contribution to their understanding of shape.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

70. Children are intensely curious and demonstrate a wide knowledge and understanding of the world. They are well on course to meet the early learning goals in this area of learning before the end of the reception year. Whilst drinking their milk a group of boys discussed dinosaurs. They knew that dinosaurs lived a long time ago, ‘Even before cave men,’ and that they all became extinct rather suddenly. One suggested that a large meteorite had crashed into the earth and had killed all the dinosaurs at once. Another said that he thought that everything had got too cold for the dinosaurs. They knew that tyrannosaurus was a meat eater and used the term carnivore accurately. They also knew that diplodocus was a herbivore. Discussions with children showed that a great deal of input from parents supports this area of learning well. Children visit many places of interest and discuss with their parents how things work and why things are as they are. Children are becoming skilled

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

Cavendish Primary School - 33 at using CD ROMs to find information. In one lesson, for example, they were taught how to select a letter of the alphabet, such as ‘l’, to select a picture beginning with ‘l’, such as a ‘lung’, to click on an icon that provided written information about lungs and to listen to the commentary, turning up the volume if required. They understood the instructions and several worked on the program and discovered a section on the differences between moths and butterflies although they could not read the information provided. Good work was seen where pupils were examining toys from different eras. Here they were encouraged to give their reasons for suggesting that some toys were older than others. This activity was successful in helping them to develop an increasing understanding of the differences that occur in everyday items over time. Overall the teaching is satisfactory but

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

insufficient attention is paid to why certain activities are promoted. For example, all the children appeared to be able to name basic colours with confidence yet emphasis is placed on setting up a regularly changing display of different coloured objects; ‘blue’, for example, was the focus during the inspection. This was not labelled with words, such as ‘aquamarine’ or ‘turquoise’ to extend vocabulary or used to grade tones of blue, for example. Plans to extend children’s learning are not always founded upon what they already know and expectations of their ability to assimilate information and accumulate knowledge are not always high enough.

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Physical development

71. Teaching is mostly satisfactory and most children are on course to meet the early learning goals by the end of the reception year. They push themselves around the playground on a variety of vehicles that require different skills. However, there are occasions when children are not presented with enough challenge. There is often a lack of structure to the activities provided. They play outside with wheeled vehicles but often nothing in particular is required of them, such as requiring them to reverse into a side road or use the vehicles to deliver different shaped parcels to different locations, for example. As a result learning opportunities are missed. The outside play area is spacious but has not been developed fully as a learning resource. There is little evidence that it is used purposefully as part of the teaching and learning themes. Children used scissors, paintbrushes, spatulas and pencils skilfully. Those whose skills are less advanced and who

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Physical development

experience difficulties are taught to use tools through repeated clear demonstrations. They are adept at using the computer’s mouse with precision as they select the icons they require. They moulded malleable material to make sculptures in play dough. Children visit the hall for music and movement lessons and for physical education. They have a good awareness of space and run around in the playground without bumping into each other. Several children were tired and wanted to sleep on the bean bag, particularly during the afternoon sessions. A scrutiny of work completed last year shows that there is a good emphasis on promoting the eating of healthy food and taking regular exercise.

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Creative development

72. Songs and rhymes feature strongly in provision for this area of learning. The teacher sings each child’s name tunefully at registration time and each child responds by singing a morning greeting. Children learn a wide range of songs such as one based on the ‘Hokey Cokey’ that helps them to understand the difference between right and left as well as the names of body parts as they put their right feet in and shake them all about. Children enjoy dressing up and role-play but there is no theme to encourage purposeful play. James Bond trundled his push chair across the playground and was overtaken by a doctor in a police car whilst a wizard on a tricycle chased a robber on a motor cycle before being frightened by a skeleton. Two girls washed plastic dishes in soapy water. This mode of learning is enjoyable but there was no evidence in planning that it is developed in a sustained, meaningful way. There is a small circus tent set up in the classroom that contains

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Creative development

animal puppets but this is not used in any directed way. Because there is insufficient guidance for teachers about what is expected one brought in some wooden templates for children to draw around. This restricted opportunities for children to use their creative flair. There was no painting easel set up during the period of the inspection so opportunities to experiment creatively with paint were limited. Good work was seen where pupils were encouraged to use play dough and be sculptors. The teacher used appropriate vocabulary such as ‘three-dimensional’ and ‘mould’ and presented challenges, such as ‘Can you make your mould stand up?’ The children were proud of Cavendish Primary School - 34 their achievements. The work that children produce indicates that most are on course to attain the early learning goals by the end of the school year.

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ENGLISH

73. Pupils are on course to attain standards that are above average by the end of Year 2 and at the end of Year 4. This is an improvement since the last inspection when standards were average. Inspection findings are broadly reflected in the National Curriculum test results for pupils in Year 2 in 2001. In the tests, the school’s performance was above average in reading and well above average in writing. This year the school’s performance declined a little but this was expected as the group of pupils taking the tests had fewer higher attaining pupils than usual. Because of the small numbers in each year group it is not appropriate to make year-on-year comparisons of the school’s performance based on annual averages. An analysis of national test results from 1999- 2001, however, shows that on average pupils in Year 2 perform better in reading and writing than the national average.

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ENGLISH

74. Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory and pupils are learning as much as might reasonably be expected. There is no discernable difference between the achievement of boys and girls. Pupils with special educational needs are well supported and their achievement is good. The special educational needs co-ordinator organises good support in helping pupils to develop literacy skills. The early literacy support initiative and the additional literacy scheme have been successfully introduced to help those pupils who require additional support.

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ENGLISH

75. Most pupils enter school with well developed speaking and listening skills. Many have extensive vocabularies and are able to explain their thoughts and feelings well. These skills are encouraged and pupils gain good levels of confidence. This was clearly evident at the leavers’ service in church where each of the Year 4 pupils described the most memorable aspects of their time in the school. They spoke well and with great confidence. In general conversation pupils in Year 2 and Year 4 are articulate and explain aspects of their learning sensibly. Across the school standards in speaking and listening are above average.

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ENGLISH

76. Standards in reading at the end of Year 2 and by the end of Year 4 are above average. Good emphasis is placed on developing pupils’ knowledge and understanding of phonics. The younger pupils enjoy a new system that has been introduced which links sounds to actions to help pupils to remember the link between letters and sounds. As part of this system puppets are used well to enliven teaching sessions. Whilst pupils in Year 1 are developing a good understanding of the sounds associated with single letters, many are less secure in their knowledge and understanding of double letter sounds. One pupil, for example, was stuck on the word ‘third’ and his repetition of the ‘t’ sound did not help him to progress. Pupils’ reading diaries show that they read regularly both in school and at home. Teachers keep careful records of when they have heard pupils read but opportunities are missed to record common errors and use them as short-term targets for

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improvement. Pupils have positive attitudes towards reading and many pupils in Year 2 read well. By Year 4 most read fluently. Many have favourite books such as J K Rowling’s ‘Harry Potter’ series and books by Roald Dahl, Jacqueline Wilson, Phillippa Pearce and Enid Blyton. One pupil was reading ‘The Ersatz Elevator’ by Lemony Snicket; he knew the meaning of ‘ersatz’ and was able to explain precisely why he found the series so interesting. Several pupils are avid readers and one girl in Year 3 reported that she read four or five books each week. Discussions with pupils indicate that parents are very supportive and help to develop an enthusiasm for literature through talking with their children about fiction and by supplementing the school’s resources and providing a good supply of books. Pupils understand how to use the colour coded classification system in the library and use index pages well when looking for information in non-fiction books. Research

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ENGLISH

skills are well developed. Many pupils in Year 4 understand how to search for information on the Internet but discussions indicate that this happens more regularly at home than in school. Word processing is used to support learning but this has not been developed systematically across the school.

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ENGLISH

77. Standards in writing in Year 2 are above average. Higher attaining pupils write stories that follow a clear sequence and are correctly punctuated with full stops, capital letters and speech marks. Cavendish Primary School - 35 Most pupils also understand how to plan their work so that the story has a clear introduction at the beginning, a middle where the main action takes place and an appropriate ending. Lower attaining pupils find it more difficult to use full stops in the right places. Pupils’ spelling is usually phonetically accurate as in ‘cuming’ and ‘gowing’, for example. However, pupils make good progress towards spelling most common words correctly. The standard of handwriting is good because it is practised regularly. Most pupils join their letters correctly and are developing a clear style.

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ENGLISH

78. Standards of writing in Year 4 are above average. The higher attaining pupils use a range of punctuation correctly, such as apostrophes and exclamation marks. Vocabulary is exciting and laced with descriptive expressions and similes such as, ‘All who betrayed him were plunged savagely in the chest so that their blood streamed out of them like scarlet waterfalls.’ Most pupils understand how to use powerful adjectives and adverbs to add interest. Paragraphs are not widely used, however. Good links are made with other subjects as, for example, when pupils in Years 3 and 4 wrote carefully crafted ‘acrostic’ poems about killing the Minotaur. Lower attaining pupils have greater difficulty with punctuation and spelling, though stories are usually properly structured and follow a logical sequence. A considerable quantity of work is produced and most of the older pupils fill three or four exercise books during the course of a year. Pupils write neatly and develop a

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ENGLISH

flowing cursive style. Pupils who develop good writing skills in pencil earn their ‘pen licence’ and this acts as a good incentive to produce neatly presented work.

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ENGLISH

79. In the lessons seen, teaching was satisfactory overall and there were good features. Teaching in Years 1 and 2 is satisfactory and it is good for pupils in Years 3 and 4. Where teaching was good, the teacher demonstrated a good knowledge and understanding of the National Literacy Strategy and this was implemented well. In one good lesson for pupils in Years 3 and 4, for example, an interesting passage from, ‘Dinner Ladies Don’t Count’, by Bernard Ashley, had been selected for the class to study. The lesson had been well planned and prepared and an assessment of the previous day’s work had been used to adjust the lesson so that the content more accurately matched the learning needs of all groups. The learning intentions had been described explicitly in the planning and were written on the board and shared with the pupils. As a result, all pupils understood clearly what was expected of them and what aspects of literacy they were trying to

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develop during the course of the lesson. Tasks were well matched to pupils’ varying stages of development. The higher attaining pupils were required to deduce the mood of the main character in the extract and explain how the author used language to describe the characters feelings. There was appropriate challenge in a task that required pupils to change the text from past to present tense. The lower attaining pupils were well supported and used the computer with the able assistance of a classroom assistant. Expectations of behaviour and performance were high and promoted a serious, business-like working atmosphere. The pace of the lesson was brisk and enough time was reserved to review what had been learned in a reflective session towards the end of the lesson. However, the time allocated for this lesson, one and a quarter hours, was overlong. This contributes to a lack of balance in the curriculum and means that there is insufficient time

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available to teach other areas of the curriculum in sufficient depth.

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ENGLISH

80. Teaching is less successful where the teacher’s expectations of pupils’ performance are too low and are not rooted in a clear understanding of what has already been learned. In a lesson on forming and spelling correctly the present participle of verbs, for example, no reference was made in the lesson to the term ‘verb’ nor to the range of spelling rules that can be learned such as cutting off the ‘e’ if it is preceded by a consonant, as in ‘moving’, or doubling the consonant when it is preceded by a single vowel, as in ‘stopping’. As a result lower attaining pupils were spelling words incorrectly, such as ‘rideing’ and ‘stoping’. The opportunity to teach these rules was missed. Pupils in this lesson were eager to learn and the teacher was confronted with a forest of hands when she asked pupils to find words ending in ‘ing’, but this activity was too simple for many. In discussions with the pupils it was clear that higher attaining pupils already had a good

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understanding of terms such as, ‘vowel,’ ‘consonant’ and ‘verb’ and could remember the spelling rules from last term’s lessons. This lesson was pitched at too low a level for these pupils and they were not learning anything new. The reason for this is mainly because records do not show clearly the points that pupils have reached in their learning and what the next steps in learning should be. Similarly, when studying work produced by pupils in Years 3 and 4 it was clear that elements of Cavendish Primary School - 36 grammar had been repeated unnecessarily. Although a higher attaining pupil had fully grasped the concept of past tense in Year 3, for example, a very similar exercise was completed in Year 4.

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ENGLISH

81. Throughout the school the good relationships between pupils and their teachers help them feel secure and able to join in discussions freely. The pupils themselves drive learning forward because of their positive attitudes to work. In Years 1 and 2, for example, pupils were engrossed in a writing activity and were disappointed when time ran out and they had to stop. Teachers maintain high expectations of the neat presentation of work and pupils’ progress in developing handwriting skills is good. Pupils with special educational needs achieve well because they are provided with extra adult support, often within the structure provided by the nationally promoted early literacy support programme for pupils in Year 1 and the additional literacy scheme for pupils in Years 3 and 4. They are also withdrawn for extra help with the co-ordinator for special educational needs and this too promotes good achievement.

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ENGLISH

82. The management of the subject has just been passed to a member of staff who has only just been appointed to the role of co-ordinator. She has clearly not had time to monitor and evaluate provision in order to identify areas for improvement. Few of the teaching staff have had recent training or experience in managing the National Literacy Strategy, although training has been booked for later in the school year. There is little evidence of systematic monitoring of teaching and learning in the recent past. Computers are used to support teaching and learning but there is no coherent, long-term plan for developing skills, such as those associated with word processing, systematically. Pupils use word-processing programs to present work neatly and recognise the spelling errors that the program highlights so that they can correct them. No records have been developed to show what stages pupils have reached in developing word processing skills so

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teachers are not sure what the next steps in learning should be. Literacy skills are often used well in other areas of the curriculum. In history, for example, pupils assumed the roles of refugees and wrote lengthy, well written letters home to their parents. Resources are adequate. There is a good range of fiction available and this is supplemented by a good number of books that pupils purchase to read at home. The library has an adequate supply of reference books. The new co-ordinator is keen to make further improvements.

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MATHEMATICS

83. Examination of pupils’ work indicates that, by the end of Year 2 and again by the end of Year 4, they attain standards that are above average. This is reflected in national test results and indicates an improvement since the last inspection when attainment was judged to be average.

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MATHEMATICS

84. The school has successfully introduced the National Numeracy Strategy and has focused on improving this area of the curriculum. Several new teachers lack confidence in implementing the strategy as they have had little training or experience in managing it. All aspects of the subject have been fully covered and over the last four years and the school’s performance has improved at a faster rate than in the majority of schools. A contributory factor to this is the school maths club. Pupils make good progress in relation to prior attainment and there are no discernable differences in the achievement of boys and girls. Pupils with special educational needs make particularly good progress as a result of the in-class support they receive, as do higher attaining Year 1 pupils who benefit from the mixed Year 1 and 2 class being grouped by ability for mathematics.

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MATHEMATICS

85. The work given to pupils is generally well suited to their ability so whilst the same concepts may be taught to both average and higher attaining pupils, the numbers involved in tasks ensure that the former are able to achieve success whilst the latter are sufficiently challenged to maintain their interest and develop their numeracy skills. By the end of Year 2, higher attaining pupils can compare estimated with actual answers, multiply and divide by 2, 3, 4 and 5, recognise two- dimensional shapes and draw and interpret block graphs and pictograms. Lower attaining pupils can count back from 20, understand the terms less and more and odd and even, and recognise two-dimensional shapes. By the end of Year 4, higher attaining pupils enjoy number puzzles and investigations, understand the use of brackets in multiplication, know all their tables, can use co- ordinates, can manipulate money up to £20.00, and can use tally charts to produce block graphs.

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MATHEMATICS

Cavendish Primary School - 37 Lower ability pupils can measure in centimetres, round numbers to the nearest ten, can add money up to a pound and work out change from a pound and use tallies and bar charts.

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MATHEMATICS

86. In the lessons seen the quality of teaching ranged from good to unsatisfactory. It was satisfactory in Years 1 and 2 and good in Years 3 and 4. Overall it is satisfactory. This is poorer in Years 1 and 2 than at the last inspection when teaching observed in the subject was predominantly good and hence teaching was good overall. The decline in standards of teaching in Years 1 and 2 is largely because new teachers have not completed training in new approaches, such as those associated with the National Numeracy Strategy. Nevertheless pupils’ achievement from Year 1 to Year 4 is satisfactory. Lesson planning is consistently good with learning objectives clearly stated. Teachers’ knowledge and understanding of the subject is satisfactory or better. They are effective in drawing all pupils into oral work by asking a range of open-ended questions often directed at specific pupils. These were particularly so in lessons with pupils in Years 3 and 4 and are

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MATHEMATICS

frequently sufficiently well focused to ensure a correct response and thus enhance the pupils’ self esteem. Weaknesses in teaching focused on lack of pace and unchallenging tasks. In the only unsatisfactory lesson, poor management of time minimised learning opportunities for pupils. Teachers often use the discussion at the end of the lesson well to reinforce or extend learning.

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MATHEMATICS

87. As at the time of the last inspection, pupils have good attitudes to the subject and participate fully in lessons. They answer questions without fear of being wrong or ridiculed by others for giving wrong answers. Teachers make good use of restricted resources. The introductory oral session of one lesson would have been more effective if individual marker boards had been provided for the pupils. Moreover, the teacher would have had an effective overview and been able to see which pupils had not yet understood the concept being taught. Classroom assistants make a particularly effective contribution to teaching and learning when they are deployed in mathematics lessons. Teachers brief them well and check on the effectiveness of their input during lessons. Marking, however, is variable. Much work is simply ticked and left devoid of comment. The few comments that are made are good as they both affirm what pupils have achieved and extend their thinking.

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MATHEMATICS

Not all work was marked. Pupils generally present their work well, taking a pride in what they do. Other than learning multiplication facts over the weekend, there was little evidence of any meaningful homework or of links being made with other subjects.

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MATHEMATICS

88. The co-ordinator has been in post since the beginning of term. She has no written job description. There is an up to date subject policy, produced by the headteacher, that was introduced to coincide with the appointment of the co-ordinator. There is no subject action plan and the co- ordinator has had no opportunity to carry out an audit of resources, some of which are stored centrally but many of which are kept in classrooms. She feels that they are adequate but has no means to corroborate her view. Currently she is given no time to observe others teaching so her monitoring role is confined to her own class. There are plans to enable her to have half a day a week to monitor and evaluate provision across the school. Optional standardised tests are used to test pupils in Year 4 and the school is considering introducing them also into Year 3. The co- ordinator analyses these results to determine Year 4’s strengths and weaknesses but although

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MATHEMATICS

she has introduced target setting in response to her findings in her own class, this is not a policy that is carried out across the school. Generally, teachers assess pupils’ progress by observing them at work in class but there are no formal procedures in place. Nor is there a school policy for record keeping, although individual staff do keep their own records and use them to help planning. There is, therefore, no consistent effective tracking of pupils’ progress through the school. A target setting programme designed to improve the attainment of pupils is in hand.

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MATHEMATICS

89. Overall, there has been a good level of improvement since the last inspection in the standards that pupils attain although teaching is currently not as well developed as it was. Overall, the degree of improvement has thus been satisfactory. The school’s arrangements to ensure that all teachers have the required training are well advanced. The issues raised at the last inspection concerning record keeping and assessment have been inadequately addressed. The staff have worked hard and improved pupils’ mathematical attainment throughout the school despite the lack of coherent whole-school approaches. The need to formalise recording and assessment procedures and to improve planning and target setting, in order to maintain higher standards, are still to be addressed. Cavendish Primary School - 38

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SCIENCE

90. Standards of attainment have been maintained since the time of the last inspection. By the end of Year 2 these match those in most schools. These findings are at variance with the statutory teacher assessments, which showed that the school’s performance in 2001 was very high. However, the examination of pupils’ work confirms that standards are now broadly average. There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, the amount of time allocated to teaching the subject is lower than in most schools. Secondly, the scrutiny of pupils’ work shows that the quality and quantity of work produced and the depth of coverage are not as well developed as in most schools. The lack of time devoted to the subject leads to a degree of under-achievement, especially where insufficient time is devoted to developing investigative skills. At present, although all National Curriculum requirements are being met, discussions with pupils show that their depth of understanding of

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SCIENCE

certain topics, such as forces and friction, is limited. Most pupils, including those with special educational needs, achieve satisfactorily and, by the end of Year 4, their knowledge and understanding match the levels expected nationally.

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SCIENCE

91. Pupils cover the same work in Years 1 and 2 as part of a two-year science cycle due to mixed-age classes. They know that living things change as they grow. For example, they compare adults and babies and identify changes in size and shape. Pupils learn about the value of diet and the impact this has upon growth. They learn about properties of materials and conduct experiments to determine the suitability of various papers for wrapping a parcel and test the elasticity of various materials. Pupils study the habitats of creatures in their ‘Mini Beasts’ topic, making good use of the school’s pond in this work. The pattern of teaching in two-year cycles is also followed, for the same reason, in Years 3 and 4. These pupils understand that electricity flows through a circuit and are aware of the dangers that electricity can present. They conduct toothpaste trials in connection with their work on teeth and the causes of decay. They use shadow tests to demonstrate the

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SCIENCE

changes in size and shape of shadows throughout a sunny day. By the end of Year 3, pupils demonstrate a good understanding of what constitutes a fair test and why fair testing is important.

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SCIENCE

92. Many activities involve interesting investigations and experimentation but work is hampered by a lack of resources, which are barely adequate for teaching the subject. The lack of equipment means that experiments are conducted by the whole class together rather than experiments made by small groups or pairs of pupils. The impact of time restriction and resources means than in a Year 1 and 2 lesson on sound, only one group of pupils had the opportunity to record sounds around the school for a guessing game before the end of the lesson. Pupils are sometimes encouraged to predict outcomes as, for instance, when pupils in Year 3 and 4, were encouraged to predict what would have happened to the shadows created by objects blocking the sunlight when they looked in half an hour’s time. This is effective because of the way it challenges pupils’ thinking and develops good scientific methods.

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SCIENCE

93. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall. This is similar to the findings of the last inspection. In one good lesson seen, pupils collected data about breakfast food eaten by pupils in the class. They were able to collate similar information from the last lesson and interpret this in a block graph and then determine consistencies in eating patterns from week to week. The focused questioning and brisk pace consolidated previous learning well and fostered an understanding of the value of food effectively. Teachers know their pupils well but do not always use this knowledge to guide different groups of pupils’ learning from lesson to lesson. The sample of pupils’ work reveals that often all the pupils undertake the same task. This impedes achievement, particularly that of higher attaining pupils. Also teachers often focus on supporting the development of lower attaining pupils’ literacy skills rather than extending their understanding of science.

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SCIENCE

94. Pupils enjoy science, respond enthusiastically to investigations and co-operate well in pairs or groups. They value each other's opinion and work with confidence. Pupils' attitudes to learning are good. Pupils are confident in class discussions and question and answer sessions. They make predictions and discuss conclusions articulately. Pupils with special educational needs have full access to the curriculum, and their learning is enhanced by the high quality of the work of the classroom assistants, who support them in small groups within the classroom. The subject makes Cavendish Primary School - 39 a good contribution to pupils’ speaking and listening skills and gives opportunities for them to use their skills in reading, writing and mathematics.

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SCIENCE

95. Resources are adequate. Computers are not used to support teaching and learning in any planned, systematic way. The science policy has been recently up-dated and the latest national guidance for teaching science adopted. Teachers’ planning is on the basis of two-year cycles of work and short-term planning is confined to a weekly plan. However, there is no effective subject co- ordination. The co-ordinator was a supply teacher, who has now left the school. The subject has no established monitoring procedures to ensure the quality of subject teaching, no school recording or assessment procedures and no monitoring of pupils’ work beyond that of the class teacher on an informal basis with her own class. There are weaknesses in the organisation of the curriculum. The issues of concern about the subject at the time of the last inspection have not been resolved. Class teachers are working hard to teach the curriculum within an amount of time that falls short of

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SCIENCE

the national average, and resources are barely adequate. There is no clear pattern of monitoring and evaluating teaching and learning. Although the level of pupils’ attainment has been maintained between inspections, the degree of improvement in the management of the subject has been unsatisfactory.

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ART AND DESIGN

96. By the end of Year 2 and again by the end of Year 4 pupils attain standards that are broadly average. The standards found at the time of the last inspection have been maintained. Across the school the achievement of pupils is satisfactory and in Years 3 and 4 they have produced a wide range of work. In Years 1 and 2 pupils have produced delicately painted water colours of scenes in the village based on carefully observed sketches made on the village green. In Years 3 and 4, good links have been made with work on India in geography where pupils created printing blocks from clay that they incised to replicate the Indian printing blocks they had studied. They used these skilfully to create colourful designs. They studied the Indian teardrop designs and learned how these formed the basis of Paisley patterns. Good links were made with the history topic when pupils painted large portraits of members of the Royal family that bore a good resemblance to each

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ART AND DESIGN

member. They also used marbling techniques to cover their project books about the Second World War. Their work shows that they have developed a good range of skills.

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ART AND DESIGN

97. There was insufficient evidence to make judgements about the quality of teaching in Years 1 and 2. Teaching in Years 3 and 4 is satisfactory with several good features. A good lesson was seen for pupils in Years 3 and 4 that involved drawing from observation. The learning intention was precise: ‘Pupils will learn to use chalk and charcoal to create dark and light shades.’ The lesson was well prepared and the teacher demonstrated good knowledge and skills. The introduction was clear and featured studying a ‘tonal scale’ prepared by the teacher. The pupils found grading tones very challenging but they were engrossed in their work to such an extent that time ran out before they could move on to the next stage, which involved using their skills to create portraits. It was notable that the efforts of the teacher in an earlier lesson to stimulate critical awareness through encouraging responses to a range of paintings were not rewarded. Pupils appeared not to be used

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ART AND DESIGN

to appreciating paintings and did not have the vocabulary to express their views. Several remembered studying the work of Leonardo da Vinci and had visited the Louvre with their parents to see the Mona Lisa. In this class computers had been used to create symmetrical patterns but they are not used much across the school to support teaching and learning.

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ART AND DESIGN

98. The co-ordinator has a good knowledge and understanding of the curriculum. Planning indicates that the requirements of the National Curriculum are taught but discussions with pupils show that they have little knowledge of the work of artists and craftspeople. There are no procedures for monitoring provision and no records are kept to indicate what skills, knowledge and understanding pupils have developed.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

99. By the end of Year 2, pupils attain standards that are broadly average and by the end of Year 4 standards that are above average. This indicates an improvement since the last inspection. Pupils’ Cavendish Primary School - 40 achievement is satisfactory in Years 1 and 2 and good in Years 3 and 4. Examples of good work were seen in all classes. In Years 1 and 2 one piece of work was especially purposeful. Here pupils designed cases to hold their recorders. They dyed fabric in patterns that closely followed their designs and sewed good cases with neat fastenings. The cases are now being used regularly. Good links have been made with work in history as when pupils produced good candle holders based on pictures of the Victorian candle holders they had studied. In Years 3 and 4 good links were made with electric circuits pupils had studied in science when they designed and made good torches, with switches covered in foam rubber, that were to be used by old people with sore

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

100. Teaching is satisfactory in Years 1 and 2 and good in Years 3 and 4. Examples of particularly good teaching were seen in both classes. In Years 1 and 2 a good lesson featured designing and making playground equipment. Here the teacher had prepared the lesson exceptionally well and used the apparatus she had made to investigate the building principles that were needed to create a stable structure that would not topple over. The explanation of requirements was clear and pupils were left in no doubt about what was required of them. The lesson proceeded at a brisk pace and concluded with a good series of evaluations of the structures that had been made. A very good lesson for pupils in Years 3 and 4 featured the techniques that could be used to strengthen structures. The teacher demonstrated that she herself is particularly skilled in this area of the curriculum and used technical vocabulary accurately. The lesson moved at a brisk pace and pupils

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

were disappointed when it was time to finish. In both lessons the teachers encouraged a serious approach to learning and the pupils all became totally absorbed in their work. A scrutiny of work that pupils have produced in the past showed that they have been introduced to a wide range of techniques, such as using syringes to open the jaws of monsters pneumatically, designing sandwiches and incorporating cogs and gears into their models. The principles of designing, making, evaluating and improving have been established well.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

101. The co-ordinator has a good knowledge and understanding of the curriculum. Resources are maintained at satisfactory levels. There is little evidence of computers being used to support teaching and learning. There are no procedures for monitoring provision and no records are kept to indicate what skills, knowledge and understanding pupils have developed.

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GEOGRAPHY

102. By the end of Year 2 and again by the end of Year 4 pupils attain standards that are broadly average. The standards found at the time of the last inspection have been maintained. Pupils’ achieve satisfactorily but little work of quality is produced in Years 1 and 2. Pupils are able to talk about what they have learned and this indicates that they have learned more than is indicated by the very small amount of work produced. Discussions with pupils show that they remember studying the village and making their own maps of the local area. There was no evidence, other than in the school’s planning framework, that pupils have to any great extent used maps, globes and plans with a range of scales. Opportunities to practise and extend numeracy skills by collecting and interpreting data are limited. In Years 3 and 4 pupils have completed a good study of India and have compared the life of people in an Indian Village with their own patterns of village life.

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GEOGRAPHY

Good links were made with other areas of the curriculum such as religious education as pupils studied different aspects of Hinduism. They studied Indian food and how life in Bombay would be different from village life. They drew pictures of Ganesh, the elephant god, and gained an good appreciation of Indian culture and religion.

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GEOGRAPHY

103. Insufficient evidence was available to make judgements about teaching in Years 1 and 2 but there was sufficient evidence to indicate that teaching in Years 3 and 4 is satisfactory, although the work produced in exercise books is not very well presented. There is, however, a colourful and interesting display about the Indian project in the school hall. Discussions with pupils, about the display showed that they had gained a great deal of knowledge and understanding about India. The small amount of work in last year’s exercise books indicates that little time is spent teaching the subject. Computers are rarely used to support teaching and learning. The co-ordinator has only just been appointed to the role and has not as yet had an opportunity to monitor and evaluate provision. Cavendish Primary School - 41

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HISTORY

104. By the end of Year 2 and again by the end of Year 4 pupils attain standards that are broadly average. The standards found at the time of the last inspection have been maintained. Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory. One highlight of the school’s work last year was the splendid re- enactment of the Queen’s coronation to celebrate the Golden Jubilee. The events of that day will probably live in the memories of the participants for many years to come. The whole school chose to become a member of the Royal family. They dressed appropriately in ermine trimmed robes, elaborate coronets or sparkling tiaras. The Royal entourage proceeded to the church where the coronation ceremony took place. The ‘Archbishop of Canterbury’ spoke his lines with great solemnity and there was a good sense of occasion during the proceedings. An ingenious jazzy ‘rap’ composition was sung by the whole school to conclude the ceremony. A ‘Street Party’ in the

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HISTORY

school hall provided a good opportunity for pupils to discuss events with many members of the community who had joined the school for this event. The pupils had conducted a great deal of valuable research prior to presenting the performance and clearly learned a great deal.

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HISTORY

105. This subject is well established in the school’s curriculum. Pupils remember studying the Great Fire of London in Year 2 and recalled a great deal of information. They remembered learning that the Lord Mayor woke up, looked at the fire, commented that it would soon be out and went back to sleep. Good work was seen in Years 3 and 4 on World War Two. This project captured pupils’ imaginations and they wrote sensitive pieces about being evacuated and how the Blitz affected everyday life. A visit to ‘The War Experience’ exhibition in London enriched pupils’ learning and helped them to gain a greater appreciation of life in wartime Britain. Pupils have also studied the Ancient Greeks and remember a great deal about the gods and goddesses they worshipped.

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HISTORY

106. Although no lessons were seen, evidence form the work pupils produce indicates that teaching is at least satisfactory with many good features. Teachers’ expectations of the quality of written work that can be produced are not always high enough and several pieces of work were left unfinished.

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HISTORY

107. The co-ordinator maintains a good overview of provision. Samples of pupils’ work are retained that provide a record of what has been covered but these are not always dated. Resources are adequate to support teaching and learning and parents provide good help by sending in artefacts from the Victorian era, for example. There is little evidence of computers being used to support teaching and learning.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

108. At the time of the last inspection, standards were judged to be an area of concern as attainment was below national expectations. Pupils did not cover the breadth of the National Curriculum and the requirements of the statutory programme of study were not being met. Attainment in this subject is still unsatisfactory as there is no focus on the systematic development of pupils’ skills. Computers are not used methodically to support teaching and learning across the curriculum. Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory although it is often largely dependent on whether they have access to a computer at home. Most pupils are able to gain regular access to computers at home. The school’s long-term planning framework indicates that the requirements of the National Curriculum are now being covered. There is no significant difference between the attainment and progress of boys and girls.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

109. Although each class has at least one computer, they are currently under-used to develop pupils’ computing skills. This is particularly true for younger pupils. During the time of the inspection, around fifty per cent were not in use at any given time. Three computers are linked to the Internet but no use was being made of this facility during the inspection. There was no evidence of any aspect of control technology being used other than through the use of a programable robot called a ‘Roamer’.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

110. Discussions with pupils in Year 2 showed that they knew little about using computers. They knew the function of a mouse but did not know how to save material and could not explain such terms Cavendish Primary School - 42 as ‘font’, ‘delete’ or ‘load’. Pupils in Year 4 were, by contrast, much more enthusiastic about using computers. It was the computers in the classrooms of older pupils that were most often in operation during the time of the inspection. These pupils are beginning to use research programs to support other areas of their learning. During the inspection, groups of pupils in this year group were finding information about teeth, for example. They could load, save and change fonts and some could highlight, cut and paste and change the size of the text.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

111. Pupils’ attitudes to the subject are good. Most listen attentively to instructions and act upon them enthusiastically. Pupils throughout the school are mostly well behaved whilst working and show great interest in their work, sustaining concentration well. They help each other very well and those with special educational needs benefit from the support of their peers as well as that from the teacher or helper. Pupils treat equipment with respect.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

112. In the lesson seen in the reception and Year 1 class, the teacher demonstrated sound knowledge but the school accepts that the general level of teachers’ knowledge of the subject varies greatly and several teachers lack recent training and up-to-date knowledge. The limited volume of pupils’ work indicates that teaching overall is inadequate and unsatisfactory. Unfortunately, two of the teachers who received training through the government funding programme last year have since left the school.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

113. The co-ordinator has shared responsibility for the management of this subject with the headteacher. She has taken on sole responsibility since the beginning of term. She has no written job description. She has not yet had the opportunity to monitor teaching, carry out a resource analysis develop an action plan or give support to other staff. She recognises that resources are limited as there are no teaching screens and software is poor. She would like the opportunity to develop the subject by establishing a programme to ensure the progressive development of skills with assessment of pupils after each skill is taught. A timetable designed to enable her to evaluate provision across the school has been organised. She recognises the need for individual record keeping and a collective portfolio of pupils’ work to show exemplars of good practice.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

114. The teaching of this subject is still an area of weakness that the school needs to address in order to raise pupils’ attainment.

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MUSIC

115. Since the time of the last inspection, when standards in music were average across the school, there has been an improvement. By the end of Year 2, pupils attain standards that are above average. There was insufficient evidence available to judge the standards attained by pupils in Years 3 and 4 although the video of the re-enactment of the Queen’s coronation showed that they composed and performed a modern ‘rap’ song well. Music in early morning practice sessions, assemblies and in a very good lesson for pupils in Years 1 and 2 indicate that the younger pupils achieve well. No class lessons were seen in Years 3 and 4 but recorder practice showed that many have learned to play recorders well.

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MUSIC

116. During the week of the inspection, the lesson for children in the reception class, together with pupils in Years 1 and Year 2, was very good. All the adults present were as fully involved as the pupils throughout the session. Pupils listen carefully, both to commercial recordings and to each other, and handle instruments with respect. By the end of Year 2 they can clap simple rhythms, are aware of changes in tempo and perform for other pupils in the class. Lessons are a good balance of listening and performing and develop both skills effectively.

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MUSIC

117. More music was seen when it was incorporated into other lessons with the younger children. In a maths lesson, for example, pupils in reception and Year 1 were learning to count and songs were used well to reinforce understanding. Pupils sang tunefully in a whole school assembly and accompanied the singing well on a range of percussion instruments.

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MUSIC

118. Music is valued within the school. There is a range of tuned and untuned percussion instruments including some instruments from other cultures and traditions. More than one third of the pupils Cavendish Primary School - 43 from Year 1 to Year 4 learn the recorder in groups that meet before school. There is also a music club where other instruments, including keyboards, are taught. Pupils enjoy these opportunities for extra-curricular music and they enhance the musical provision of the school.

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MUSIC

119. The headteacher, who is a talented teacher in this area, co-ordinates the subject well. At the time of the last inspection, the school had no plan of the work to be covered by pupils. The school has now adopted the latest national guidelines for teaching this subject. All aspects of the National Curriculum are covered but there are no records of precisely what skills individual pupils have developed. As it is not clear what stages pupils have reached in their development of skills, knowledge and understanding, it is not possible for teachers to plan for the next steps in learning. It is assumed that the plans of what has been taught in the past provide an adequate record of what pupils have learned. As lesson plans do not include provision for any assessment of learning, however, the effectiveness of the teaching cannot be assured and teachers cannot be certain what aspects of the National Curriculum programmes of study have been mastered and where there are

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MUSIC

gaps in pupils skills, knowledge and understanding. There is no evidence of computers being used to support teaching and learning.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

120. The standards that pupils, including those with special educational needs, attain are in line with national expectations as they were at the time of the last inspection. Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory. During this inspection, it was only possible to see lessons in Years 1 and 2 but a meeting with the co-ordinator helped to confirm that all aspects of the National Curriculum are comprehensively covered. A summer term swimming programme is in place as the school has its own shallow pool. All staff take a course in resuscitation. A qualified instructor is employed to teach pupils and run swimming sessions after school. All classes visit the pool three times each week during this period. By the end of Year 4, most pupils have already reached the national target for pupils at the end of Year 6 of being able to swim at least 25 metres.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

121. As at the time of the last inspection, space for activities indoors is still very limited. There are plans for an extension to the school that include provision for a more suitable space for indoor physical education.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

122. There is an extra-curricular club for football run by parents and qualified coaches. This is a good example of home/school co-operation that enhances provision for all pupils. It is popular and well supported. Pupils’ attitudes to physical education are generally very positive throughout the school. This was particularly evident in discussion with pupils in Year 4, who expressed enthusiasm and good levels of knowledge.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

123. The teaching observed during the inspection was satisfactory. All classes have one and a half hours of physical education each week, which is more than that allocated in most schools nationally. This reduces the amount of time available for teaching other subjects. Teachers included appropriate warm-up exercises. They made good use of praise to encourage pupils to try hard. Teachers often demonstrated techniques themselves but also made good use of pupils to demonstrate skills. Lessons are planned to provide a variety of activities and this promotes sound achievement. Teachers provide good opportunities for pupils to work co-operatively in pairs and in small and large groups.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

124. The subject is currently led by the headteacher. The school has adopted a good policy that provides clear guidance. Planning follows the sequence outlined in a nationally promoted planning framework. There is no evidence of computer linked technology, such as digital cameras, being used to support teaching and learning. There are no systems in place to assess and record pupils’ attainment. It is not clear what stages of development each pupil has reached or what the next steps in learning should be.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Cavendish Primary School - 44 125. All pupils follow the locally agreed syllabus for teaching this area of the curriculum. The school also uses the latest national guidance that provides good guidance for teachers. Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory and most attain standards that are in line with the standards described in the local syllabus. These findings are similar to those noted at the time of the last inspection. Pupils show that they are acquiring and developing a good knowledge and understanding of Christianity and an awareness of the other principal world faiths. Their achievement is satisfactory and each year they extend their knowledge and understanding of the subject. There is no discernible difference in pupils’ achievement as a result of ability, ethnicity or gender.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

126. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 develop a good understanding of what it means to belong to different groups, and especially what it means to belong to the Christian Church. They look at themselves and are encouraged to reflect on their lives as members of a family, members of their school and members of the community in which they live. They consider the responsibilities associated with being a member of a group. They visit the local church and study the Christian symbols found there. They have a good understanding of symbolism and remember that the ceremonial sword that the Queen held at the coronation was a symbol representing her oath to defend the realm. They understand the meaning of celebrations such as Easter and remember the symbolism associated with Easter eggs. They contemplate the reasons for celebrating Christmas, and their feelings about receiving presents. Several remembered learning about Divali. Others remembered

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

looking at Jewish celebrations and could name different places of worship.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

127. In Years 3 and 4, pupils learn more about the beliefs and lifestyles of the followers of the major world faiths. However, the emphasis is placed very heavily on Christianity and it was teaching about this aspect of the syllabus that pupils recalled most readily when talking about the subject. When prompted they did recall the stories of Rama and Sita, some facts about Judaism and several had very vague memories of learning about Islam.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

128. Due to timetabling it was not possible to see any lessons being taught during the inspection. Also there is no substantial quantity of work available that gives any strong indication about the quality of teaching in the school. No judgements about teaching can be made. Pupils with special educational needs are well supported so are able to cover the subject fully.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

129. Good use is made of both visits and visitors to enhance the classroom teaching. The work on Diwali was bought to life by a visit by a Hindu lady who described how the festival would be celebrated in her home and Gudwara. A Jewish parent came into school to describe how her family celebrates Hanukkah. Once a month the school holds its assembly in the parish church, to which parents and villagers are invited.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

130. The co-ordinator has only been in post for two weeks so no monitoring of teaching or analysis of planning or scrutinising of work has taken place. There is no sample portfolio of pupils’ work that might provide a record of what pupils produce. The focus on Christianity reflects the school’s close links with the church and its status as a church school. Resources are adequate but there is no evidence of computers being used to support teaching and learning.

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