St John's CofE Primary School, Dukinfield

ST. JOHN’S C OF E PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 25th – 28th November 2002

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ST. JOHN’S C OF E 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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ST. JOHN’S C OF E 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. St. John’s C of E Primary - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Westmorland Avenue Dukinfield Cheshire

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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. P. Nuttall

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 8th – 12th June 1998 St. John’s C of E Primary - 4

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

1390 Mr. A. H. Markham Registered inspector Science Physical education Educational inclusion, including race equality What sort of school is it? How high are standards? The school’s results and pupils’ achievements. How well are pupils taught? What should the school do to improve further? 31758 Mr. E. Tipper Lay inspector How high are standards? Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development. How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with its parents? 4275 Mrs. J. Taylor Team inspector Foundation Stage Art and Design Design Technology Information and communication technology 1742 Mr. R. King Team inspector Mathematics History Geography English as an additional language How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils?

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

27720 Mr. P. C. Way Team inspector English Music Religious education Special educational needs How well is the school led and managed?

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Wessex Education 3 Greenacres Puddletown Dorchester DT2 8GF

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway St. John’s C of E Primary - 5 London WC2B 6SE St. John’s C of E Primary - 6

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

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

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 10

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

St John’s C of E Primary School is a larger than average sized voluntary controlled school for boys and girls aged four to eleven years. It has 319 full time pupils on roll. There are twelve classes and the average class size is 27. Three classes have mixed ages. Children’s attainment on entry to the school is average. Forty-eight pupils (15 per cent) are on the register of special educational needs, which is close to the national average, their main difficulties are specific learning, moderate learning, speech impairment, hearing impairment, physical and autism. Three pupils have a statement of special educational needs. The number of pupils from minority ethnic groups having English as an additional language (six per cent) is above the national average. Home languages other than English are Punjabi, Cantonese and Russian. There are no refugee or traveller children. The percentage of pupils known to be

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

eligible for free school meals (17.5 per cent) is broadly average. The number of pupils at the school has risen slightly since the last inspection.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is an improving school, which provides a good level of care for its pupils. The standards eleven year olds reach in mathematics and science have been rising in recent years and are at the national average. Whilst standards in English in 2002 were below average, there are clear signs that they too are improving. The quality of teaching is good and develops positive attitudes and very good behaviour in pupils. There have been a number of staffing changes since the previous inspection and the caring leadership of the headteacher is creating an effective and hard working team with a clear commitment to raising standards. Relationships are good. The governors are supportive and involved in the life of the school, fulfilling their duties satisfactorily. The school works hard to ensure equality of opportunity. Provision for pupils with special educational needs is very good but the rate of progress by some higher

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

attaining pupils could be improved. The school provides satisfactory value for money.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What the school does well • Provides a good level of care for its pupils. • Makes very good provision for pupils’ with special educational needs. • Makes very good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. • Makes good provision for pupils’ personal, social and health education. • The quality of teaching is good and develops positive attitudes to learning in pupils. • Relationships are good and successfully promote very good behaviour in pupils.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What could be improved • The standards attained by higher attaining pupils. • The marking of pupils’ work. • The role of subject co-ordinators in monitoring teaching and learning in order to raise standards. • The attendance of pupils. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in June 1998 and since then has made satisfactory progress. Although standards in English have recently dipped there has been an overall improvement in standards in English, mathematics and science. Standards in history, geography and design and technology (DT) have also risen. Teaching has improved. Provision for pupils with special educational needs has improved. Provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development has improved and is now very good. The recommendations from the last inspection have been addressed. For example, there has been good improvement in provision for information and communication technology (ICT); the curriculum is now broad and balanced and provision for reception children is now good; management procedures have improved; staff now have a clearer view of their role and the school development plan is now an effective tool in supporting school improvement. However, although an effective testing programme has

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

been developed, the use of assessment information to inform curriculum planning and ensure that work St. John’s C of E Primary - 8 is suitably challenging for pupils continues to require attention. The school is well placed to improve further.

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STANDARDS

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

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STANDARDS

Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

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STANDARDS

English C C D D well above average above average A B mathematics E D C B average below average C D science E D C B well below average E

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STANDARDS

Performance in tests varies from year to year because of the differing numbers of pupils with special educational needs in the year group, but overall results show steady improvement at a rate broadly in line with the national trend. On the evidence of the inspection, attainment by the end of Year 6 in English, mathematics and science is at the national average.

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STANDARDS

The school’s results in the 2002 national tests taken at the end of Year 2 were average in writing and above average in reading and mathematics. When compared to similar schools results were average in writing, above average in mathematics and well above average in reading.

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STANDARDS

Pupils make good progress in the reception year and the great majority achieve the standards expected for the age group. By the end of Year 2, inspection evidence shows standards to be average in all subjects except DT and ICT where they are above average. Most pupils make steady progress during their time in Year 1 and 2. By the end of Year 6, standards are average in all subjects. The majority of pupils make steady progress and their achievement is satisfactory. However, standards could be higher if higher attaining pupils were challenged more to reach their full potential. The school has devised a system to monitor and track pupils’ progress and this is starting to be used to support the raising of achievement.

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STANDARDS

Pupils with special educational needs make good progress and achieve well as a result of the effective support they are given. The achievements of pupils who speak English as an additional language are much the same as others due to the support they receive.

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STANDARDS

The school sets realistic targets for pupils’ performance in the National Curriculum tests at the end of Year 6.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Pupils have good attitudes to their learning and school life. The majority are enthusiastic, enjoy coming to school and keen to do well.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Behaviour in lessons and around the school is very good.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Very good. Relationships within the school are very good. Pupils work and play sociably together, supporting each other well. St. John’s C of E Primary - 9 Attendance Below average and has declined in the last four years. Not enough is being done to encourage regular attendance.

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

Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that the teaching is adequate and strengths outweigh weaknesses. The quality of teaching is good overall and has improved since the last inspection. There is now very little unsatisfactory teaching and a higher proportion of good and very good and some excellent teaching. This good quality teaching is founded upon positive relationships and very good classroom management skills. Teachers have good subject knowledge and teach the basic skills well. They have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and as a result lessons proceed briskly. Activities are carefully planned and organised, but work is not always sufficiently challenging for all pupils. On the occasions where teaching is less successful, the reason is usually because the work provided is not accurately matched

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

to pupils’ needs and this reduces the progress made. Those pupils with special educational needs are well supported and make good progress.

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

The teaching of English and mathematics is good overall and the skills of literacy and numeracy are taught well. Teachers use support staff very well and they work closely with the teachers to raise standards and ensure that most pupils gain benefit from their lessons. They make an important contribution to pupils’ learning. Pupils respond well, they are keen to learn, work hard, concentrate on their tasks and develop their knowledge, skills and understanding satisfactorily.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Satisfactorily broad and balanced and meets statutory requirements. The curriculum for reception children is good. The curriculum is enriched by the use of visits and visitors to the school. However, the way the curriculum is planned results in some activities lacking challenge and this restrict some pupils’ achievement.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Very good. Pupils are given a high level of support and make good progress in their learning. Individual education plans clearly indicate their needs and are used effectively to inform curriculum planning.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language The school makes satisfactory provision for the few pupils who have English as an additional language.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Very good overall. Provision for spiritual and cultural development is good and for moral and social development it is very good. Pupils know what is right and wrong, they reflect on their own and others’ faiths and respect similarities and differences in home life and cultures.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Good in terms of supporting pupils’ personal development but is less effective at supporting some pupils’ learning. Arrangements for ensuring the school is a caring environment are well developed. While there is St. John’s C of E Primary - 10 much assessment information, this is not being used effectively to influence planning and address fully the needs of higher attaining pupils.

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Aspect Comment

Partnership with parents is satisfactory. The majority of parents are positive about the school and its headteacher. Good provision is made for pupils’ personal, social and health education (PSHE). Links with the community are used effectively to enrich the curriculum.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Satisfactory. The headteacher and senior staff give a sense of direction and purpose to the school. This develops a caring ethos in which pupils feel safe and secure and can learn and develop.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Satisfactory. The governing body is supportive, well informed and carries out its duties well.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Satisfactory. Some monitoring of teaching takes place but there is not yet a consistent approach across all subjects

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Good. The school makes effective use of its resources to maximise the benefits for pupils. Spending is closely allied to the school’s stated priorities.

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Aspect Comment

Staffing is good and well deployed. Whilst accommodation is adequate overall, there are some deficiencies, notably the size of the outside playground, the location and size of the library and the facilities provided by the mobile classrooms. The school has satisfactory procedures for ensuring it gets the best value possible from its spending decisions.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Their children like coming to school. • Their children make good progress. • Standards of behaviour are good. • The quality of teaching is good and all teachers, including the headteacher, are very approachable. • The school expects children to work hard. • The good quality leadership of the school. • The way the school helps children to mature and take responsibility. • Information about how their child is getting on. • The way the school works closely with parents. • The range of activities outside lessons.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspection team agree that the information given to parents about how their child is getting on is limited. Whilst parents have an opportunity to discuss their child’s progress in March, they receive little information prior to that date. Informing parents of the topics to be studied in the coming term would enable them to be more involved in their child’s learning.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspection team agree that the range of activities outside lessons provided by the school is limited. St. John’s C of E Primary - 11

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The school’ s results and pupils’ achievements

1. The reception children make good progress and by the time they start in Year 1 the great majority achieve the early learning goals 1 established for the age group. Many move beyond this to the National Curriculum programmes of study. This is an improvement since the last inspection. Overall, children are currently achieving well in the reception year.

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The school’ s results and pupils’ achievements

2. Pupils’ performance in the 2002 Year 2 National Curriculum assessments was above the national average in reading and mathematics and close to the national average in writing. Teachers’ assessments of their attainment in science were also above the national average. The results were above average compared to similar schools. In the 2002 National Curriculum tests for Year 6 pupils, performance in mathematics and science was at the national average but below average in English. However, the proportion of pupils achieving higher than expected levels was above average in mathematics and science and average in English. Compared to performance in similar schools these results are average overall. When results from the 2002 tests are compared with the same group’s performance in the 1998 Year 2 tests, pupils made higher than expected progress in English and well above average progress in mathematics and science. Results vary from year to year but overall have improved

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The school’ s results and pupils’ achievements

steadily at a rate broadly in line with the national trend. Overall, pupils have been prepared well to take the tests and the effective use of sessions aimed at boosting the performance of groups of pupils has helped to increase the numbers getting national levels. Realistic but challenging targets are set for the National Curriculum tests in Year 6. The results in 2002 met the target set for English and exceeded the target in mathematics.

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The school’ s results and pupils’ achievements

3. Inspection findings reflect the tests in reading and writing and show that pupils’ overall attainment in English is average compared to standards expected nationally. By the age of seven, most pupils have good skills of speaking and listening. They are competent in the early skills of reading and are developing a range of strategies for attempting unknown words. By the end of Year 2, pupils read a range of texts with fluency and understanding. Their writing shows the use of an increasing vocabulary, with simple punctuation being used accurately. They use capital letters and full stops appropriately and spell simple words correctly. The majority of pupils develop their ideas logically in a sequence of sentences. By the age of eleven, standards of literacy are average. Pupils listen carefully to one another and their teachers. They give articulate, complete answers to questions, demonstrating good speaking skills. The

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The school’ s results and pupils’ achievements

majority of pupils are confident when asked to address the rest of the class and speak clearly to the best of their ability. Most pupils are competent readers. They read aloud clearly and with understanding and discuss the characters and plot of stories confidently. Higher attaining pupils are fluent and expressive. Pupils’ writing is generally well organised and neatly presented. Most pupils make satisfactory use of punctuation and are secure with spelling.

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The school’ s results and pupils’ achievements

1 Early Learning Goals – these are goals for learning for children by the end of the Foundation Stage (nursery and reception classes.) They refer to personal, social and emotional development, communication, language and literacy skills, mathematical development, knowledge and understanding of the world and physical and creative development. St. John’s C of E Primary - 12 4. In mathematics, pupils are currently attaining at the expected level nationally and are making good progress in lessons. By the age of seven, most pupils have a secure understanding of the number system, are able to carry out written calculations accurately and have a satisfactory knowledge and understanding of shapes, measures and mathematical vocabulary. By the end of Year 6, pupils of all abilities have a good knowledge of the number system and can use the four basic operations competently. The lower attaining pupils can apply the four rules of number satisfactorily and use a

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The school’ s results and pupils’ achievements

wide range of units of measure competently. Pupils have a sound knowledge of shapes and their properties and different measures. They make satisfactory progress in developing their mental strategies and are able to use their mathematical knowledge to solve problems and to support their work in other subjects such as science and design and technology (DT).

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The school’ s results and pupils’ achievements

5. In science, pupils’ overall attainment is broadly average. They gain a good factual knowledge of the subject but investigative and experimental skills are not as well developed for older pupils, especially those who are higher attaining. Standards in information and communication technology (ICT) have improved since the last inspection and are good in Years 1 and 2 and average in Years 3 to 6. By the end of Year 2, most pupils have good keyboard skills and control the mouse well. They successfully move a floor robot by giving a program of instructions and use CD-ROMs to obtain information. By the end of Year 6, pupils use computers regularly to look for information in the course of their work. In order to do this, they confidently gain access to the Internet to operate search engines and look for information, which will help them with their work. In religious education (RE), art, history, geography, music and physical

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The school’ s results and pupils’ achievements

education (PE) pupils’ attainment is average compared with that expected nationally. In DT, pupils’ attainment is above average at age seven but average by age eleven.

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The school’ s results and pupils’ achievements

6. Test results over the past few years show girls are performing a little better than boys by the end of Year 6. The school’s own analysis highlights this difference, however, in the inspection, no significant variations in performance were noted in lessons nor in the work seen for different subjects.

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The school’ s results and pupils’ achievements

7. The school has a small number of pupils with English as an additional language. However, almost all these pupils are proficient in English and no extra support is given them. They make good progress and are achieving appropriately. Pupils with no English who join the school receive some support from a visiting support teacher and make steady progress.

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The school’ s results and pupils’ achievements

8. Pupils with special educational needs achieve well in meeting the targets identified in their individual education plans (IEPs). This is because of the effective support they receive from teaching and non-teaching staff. The school identifies a number of pupils as more able but has yet to identify any with particular talents. Whilst these pupils make steady progress, the work presented them is not always suitably challenging and they are capable of achieving higher standards.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

9. The pupils’ attitudes to school are good . They take a clear pride in their school; it is kept clean and tidy and there is a noticeable absence of litter and graffiti. Most pupils are keen to come to school, arrive promptly at the beginning of the school day and approach their lessons with enthusiasm. However, attendance has declined gradually each year since the last inspection and last year was below the national average in comparison with other schools. St. John’s C of E Primary - 13 10. Behaviour throughout the school is very good. Pupils behave themselves very well in lessons. They move about the school in a calm and orderly manner and behave well in the dining hall and during assemblies. They also play well together in the outside areas, although they can be rather boisterous in the second half of the lunch break when all pupils are in the playground at the same time.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. Most pupils are very confident and friendly in the way they approach visitors and they relate to adults working in the school well. The majority work very well together in pairs and group situations. They are taught to appreciate the impact of their words and actions on others through the personal, social and health education (PSHE) programme and by the constant reinforcement of teaching and other staff. The resulting harmonious atmosphere within the school has led to an almost total lack of oppressive behaviour such as sexism and racism. No serious instances of inappropriate behaviour were witnessed during the inspection. There is a clear anti- bullying policy and the parents, staff and pupils do not see bullying as a problem within the school.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. Pupils demonstrate a high respect for the feelings, values and beliefs of others. A good example of this was in a lesson where a child was asked to share aspects of her Islamic faith with the rest of the class. The class were attentive and interested in the child’s explanations and showed a developing awareness of the main features of the Islamic faith in their comments and questions. Similarly, pupils with special educational needs are constantly encouraged and supported by their classmates.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. There are good opportunities to demonstrate initiative and responsibility. The Eco Schools environmental awareness project is developing pupils’ understanding of environmental issues well and is having a powerful impact on the appearance of the school site. Teams of pupils regularly ensure that the grounds are kept litter free. Pupils of all ages take responsibility for carrying out a variety of tasks without being told to. Pupils run the school library and carry out a range of tasks such as returning registers to the office.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

14. The quality of teaching is good overall and has improved since the last inspection. Whilst there has been a big turnover of staff, the regular monitoring and feedback by the headteacher and senior staff has enabled the teachers to improve their effectiveness in many subjects. During the inspection 57 lessons were seen; six out of ten were good or very good and about four out of ten were satisfactory, two lessons were excellent and there was one unsatisfactory lesson. The very good teaching was marked by teachers’ lively instruction based on good subject knowledge, high expectations and challenging tasks with lessons progressing at a very lively pace. The unsatisfactory teaching was caused by not providing work at the right level. The excellent teaching was seen in Years 3 and 6 where the lessons were lively and developed an excited enthusiasm for learning in the pupils.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

15. Classrooms are productive and purposeful places of learning in which most pupils work hard and show good levels of enthusiasm and interest. The majority of pupils are learning satisfactorily in lessons because of the high expectations teachers have of behaviour. However, work is not always well matched to the differing abilities of some pupils and this limits their achievement. Group work is generally well organised to enable the teacher to give more intensive support to particular pupils, but overall there are too few opportunities for pupils to work on individual tasks to develop their independent learning skills. Teachers know their pupils well and provide good verbal St. John’s C of E Primary - 14 feedback during lessons to help them to improve their work but the use of written marking is weaker. They assess work giving a clear emphasis to reinforcing pupils’ self-esteem but there is little use of developmental comment to raise their awareness

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

of areas that need to be improved. As a result there are three aspects of teaching that are relative areas for improvement: the precision with which learning objectives are set for different pupils; the use of assessment to target improved performance and consistent levels of challenge; and the marking of pupils’ work to identify the next steps in learning. Additionally, a sharper focus on weighing up the quality of teaching and its impact on learning would enable the school to identify weaknesses early on and take remedial action.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

16. Teachers throughout the school plan their lessons carefully. They have a good understanding of National Curriculum requirements and use national guidance effectively to plan their lessons. However, the two-year cycle of topics results in similar work being presented to different age groups with a resulting lack of challenge for some pupils. Teachers use whole-class discussion sessions well to review and assess pupils’ understanding of previous work. In the more successful lessons, good use is made of resources to provide interesting tasks to motivate pupils. For example, in a Year 5 science lesson, the teacher made very effective use of a tortoise in a discussion on animal habitats. The pupils handled the tortoise with care and showed a good awareness of animal habitats and knew that some animals hibernate in the winter. Teachers ensure that learning support assistants understand what is expected

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

of them and use them well to support particular pupils and to work with different groups.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

17. Good teaching ensures pupils settle down and learn effectively. The pupils like their teachers and respond confidently in lessons. In almost all lessons the teachers’ good relationships with pupils and effective class management skills ensure that behaviour is very good and that lessons proceed briskly. The teachers explain new learning clearly, encourage everyone to contribute in discussions and use questions effectively to ensure that pupils understand what they have to do when set to work in their groups. In a literacy lesson in Year 3, for example, the teacher’s good subject knowledge and lively teaching of the use of speech bubbles resulted in very good learning. Pupils responded to questions in an enthusiastic manner and rapidly learnt the correct way of showing speech and the difference between direct and reported speech. The effective review of learning at the end of the lesson confirmed the pupils’ understanding. In less

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

successful lessons, the pace slows, because the teacher has inappropriate expectations of the capability of pupils or, in the case of some PE lessons, because the use of taped music and instruction results in lengthy periods of inactivity.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

18. Teaching of English and mathematics is good overall. Lessons usually proceed at a lively pace and pupils work hard, showing good levels of concentration. This good quality teaching is having a positive impact on maintaining and raising the standards of attainment. The majority of pupils develop their knowledge, skills and understanding well and make good progress. However, whilst teachers generally have satisfactory expectations and provide work that is matched to most pupils’ needs and capabilities, higher attaining pupils are insufficiently challenged.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

19. Teaching in other subjects is at least satisfactory and sometimes good. Good progress has been made in the teaching of ICT. Teachers have benefited from in- service training and the support of an effective subject co-ordinator. The new computer suite is enabling them to teach the basic skills effectively and their improved subject knowledge is enabling them to do this with confidence. St. John’s C of E Primary - 15 20. In the reception classes, teaching is good and is a major reason for the children’s good start. The teachers create a stimulating and secure environment and develop the children’s basic skills effectively. Children are managed effectively and they respond to the teacher’s high expectations. Support staff work closely with the teachers in the reception classes and make a positive contribution to children's learning.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

21. Pupils identified with special educational needs receive very good support during lessons. Teachers and support staff are aware of the pupils’ needs. Learning support assistants are used very effectively and work closely with pupils who require additional support. As a result pupils make good progress.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

22. Homework is used satisfactorily to support learning. The amount of homework given to pupils is increased as they progress through the school. This takes a variety of forms, including reading activities, learning multiplication tables and spellings, and work that reinforces or extends learning in class.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

23. The school provides a satisfactory range of curriculum opportunities for its pupils and it is meeting the requirements of the National Curriculum. The curriculum for children in the reception year covers all the expected areas of learning. Good use is made of national guidance and this is having a positive impact on planning in most subjects. In particular, the school has responded well to the national strategies for improving literacy and numeracy and this has improved learning and achievements not only in English and mathematics, but is having a positive effect in many other subjects. In addition, the school has taken advantage of extra funding provided through national initiatives in order to improve achievements in literacy, numeracy and ICT; pupils are benefiting from this involvement.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

24. There have been many improvements in curriculum provision since the last inspection, including the quality of whole-school planning and clarifying what children in the reception year will learn. Curriculum guidance is in place for all subjects, including a scheme for religious education that meets the requirements of the locally agreed syllabus. However, school planning for subjects such as science and history is based on a two-year cycle and does not clarify the levels at which pupils should be taught in each year. This has resulted in, for instance, Year 5 and Year 6 covering Victorian Schooling with no clarification of the different levels of knowledge, understanding or research skills that pupils in different year groups are expected to acquire. This leads to insufficient progress for pupils in these subjects, because too much is left to the discretion of individual teachers. In particular, the needs of higher attaining pupils are

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

not always being met because they are not challenged enough by the work they are expected to do.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

25. Pupils with special educational needs have full access to all areas of the curriculum. The school identifies pupils’ special needs as soon as possible so that lessons can be modified to provide well for their learning. Whilst curriculum planning does not always show how pupils with special needs will be supported in their learning, the support which they receive in class is good.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

26. The school makes satisfactory provision for the few pupils who have English as their additional language. They have the same opportunities as other pupils within the school and make satisfactory progress. St. John’s C of E Primary - 16 27. The school has developed good community links which make an active contribution to pupils’ learning. These links extend from local playgroups to associated secondary schools to which pupils will transfer. During the inspection, members of the local community talked with pupils who were studying the Second World War about their own memories of Dukinfield and surrounding areas during this period. Links with the church are particularly strong, with the vicar making regular visits to contribute to assemblies and to take active part in other aspects of school life. Pupils make visits to the church for worship and also to use the building for historical research purposes.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

These experiences, and many others, broaden the curriculum.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

28. The range of extra-curricular activities is limited. There are some opportunities for pupils to take part in activities that are provided free of charge, for example a school choir, recorder groups and an Eco club, and a number of activities are also offered at a small charge. The school is aware of the situation and there are plans to extend the range of activities.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

29. Provision for pupils PSHE is good. A good policy guides the school’s work in this area and provision is well co-ordinated. Pupils learn about themselves and how they change over time. They learn how to look after their bodies and are taught how to avoid abusing them. Pupils are encouraged to reflect on their personal feelings on many occasions in lessons, class circle times and assemblies. Planned annual programmes cover themes such as ‘friends and families’, ‘giving and receiving’ and ‘valuing others’.

p.16

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

30. The school promotes the personal development and growth of its pupils very well. Spiritual development is good. Pupils are developing a set of values which inform their understanding of themselves and their outlook on life. An emphasis on personal worth and self-esteem is reinforced in lessons and in assemblies. Their good work is celebrated through displays of writing and artwork. Whole-school and class prayer times give prominence to personal development and enable pupils the opportunity to understand feelings and emotions and talk about them.

p.16

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

31. Provision for moral development is very good. Pupils are given many opportunities to consider what is right and what is wrong. In discussions, they are very aware of the need to have codes of behaviour when they use the Internet and the reasons for this. In history lessons, they discuss moral issues in Victorian times and compare these with their own values and behaviour. Assemblies have moral themes for the week and stimulate reflection on such matters as rights and responsibilities, right and wrong and personal responsibility. The school’s code of conduct is reflected in class codes of behaviour and these are reinforced consistently and regularly by rewards and, when necessary, sanctions. These underline the importance of developing a personal set of values to inform how decisions are made.

p.16

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

32. The school promotes pupils’ social development very well. Pupils are developing very sophisticated levels of social awareness because they are provided with a range of opportunities to work together in pairs or groups within a community that fosters positive corporate experiences. Care within the community and for the environment features very highly in the school’s provision. Many Year 6 pupils have additional voluntary responsibilities including helping in the dining hall and the school library. Teachers and adults show real care for their pupils as individuals. When asked what they enjoyed about coming to school pupils said that their teachers really knew them, cared about them and always gave them time when they needed it. The school’s superstars programme recognises and celebrates pupils’ personal achievements in a real and public way; this is reinforced in assemblies when individuals are praised for

p.16

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

St. John’s C of E Primary - 17 their special efforts during the week. In classrooms, photographs of those who have done particularly well are displayed prominently. Pupils work hard to gain the recognition which this affords.

p.17

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

33. Provision for cultural education is good. Pupils are developing a growing awareness of the richness and variety of the languages, faiths and cultures of other communities and are prepared well for life in a culturally diverse society. They have a good understanding of their own heritage as well as the cultures of others. Work in history enables pupils to find out about past cultures and beliefs. For example, pupils were enthralled by the evidence from the logbooks of their own school and captivated by the retelling of personal experiences of local senior citizens about their earlier lives. Displays around the school make reference to celebrations from other faiths, such as Hanukkah, Diwali and Ramadan. Assemblies are introduced and concluded with excerpts from famous composers; good use is also made of Christian symbols of the cross, candle and the dove of peace as the centrepiece during periods of collective

p.17

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

worship. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural provision was identified by the previous inspection as strong; these continue to be strengths of the school.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

34. This is a caring school where the teachers get to know their pupils well and are generally aware of the needs of individual pupils who require special attention.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

35. A very detailed health and safety policy covers every aspect of this important area of the school’s life. While the school has not yet carried out a risk assessment of all activities, procedures are thorough, relevant and current. The importance given to health and safety is demonstrated by the fact that it is the responsibility of three governors and a teacher, who serves as the appointed officer. There are also four qualified first-aiders in the school. The deputy headteacher is the designated person responsible for child protection and is operating a system in line with local procedures. She has been fully trained, is experienced in carrying out the appropriate procedures and ensures that all members of staff are fully aware of their responsibilities in this area.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

36. The school treats the health of its pupils seriously and there is a strong focus on healthy eating in the school. The importance of healthy eating is promoted through science lessons and by visiting health and dental advisers.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

37. The school has a clear behaviour policy. It is based on a code of conduct that lists actions which are unacceptable and includes structured procedures for dealing with them. The system has proved so effective that the school has not had to exclude a pupil in the last eleven years.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

38. The school uses a computerised system for recording attendance and registers are completed promptly at the beginning of the morning and afternoon sessions. However, little use is made of analysis to identify patterns of poor attendance by individuals and groups of pupils. Pupils with very low attendance are identified by the headteacher who then works with them and their families but there are no specific strategies, such as contacting parents on the first day of absence, to address the situation. Attendance is not given a high profile within the school. For example, there are no short-term incentives to encourage regular attendance. The school does seek to discourage parents from taking holidays during term-time but does not give sufficient attention to highlighting the positive benefits of attendance. Overall, procedures for monitoring and improving attendance are ineffective and require further development.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

St. John’s C of E Primary - 18 39. The school uses a range of techniques for identifying pupils’ special educational needs. The special educational needs co-ordinator ensures that records of pupils are kept up to date and that their progress is regularly reviewed.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

40. While the foundations of a good assessment system are in place, its operation needs improvement. Satisfactory procedures are in place to assess pupils’ personal development with a particular focus on behaviour. However, whilst procedures for assessing pupils’ attainment and progress are improving they are not yet satisfactory in all subjects. The consistency with which assessment is carried out varies from teacher to teacher and, while subject co-ordinators analyse information in English and mathematics to clarify pupils’ strengths and weaknesses, this is less well developed in other subjects. The same applies to the analysis and application of data to compare the relative performance of boys and girls and pupils from ethnic minorities. The school has invested in a computerised assessment management system, which will allow it to track individual pupils’ progress, but this has yet to be implemented

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

effectively. The school recognises its shortcomings in this area and includes the improvement of the use of assessment and tracking procedures to raise standards’ in this year’s school improvement plan.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

41. The information provided for parents has some limitations. The prospectus and annual report of the governors provide all the required information and meet statutory requirements. Regular newsletters inform parents of future events and information on issues such as attendance and health and safety. Notices are posted on a parents’ notice board in the entrance hall but the location of the board means that the information is not easily accessible. Some notices are also placed on windows at the entrance to classrooms but this is not a consistent approach or particularly informative. The notice board outside the reception classrooms is accessible to parents and provides details of topics to be covered during the current term. However, in other year groups only a limited amount of information is provided about what the pupils will be studying. Leaflets identifying aspects of English and mathematics a child

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

is expected to learn during the year are sent home at the beginning of the year but these are not updated to provide further feedback for parents.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

42. An open afternoon in November allows parents to look around the school and hold informal discussions with teachers, but the first opportunity to discuss their children’s progress formally is in March. Parents receive little information about progress prior to that date although they are able to request meetings at other times. Annual reports are fairly detailed in English, mathematics and science, but provide little useful information on other subjects. They identify three targets for each pupil, which is valuable, but, reports as a whole could be improved to provide parents and pupils with greater understanding of progress made and areas for development in all subjects.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

43. Parents and grandparents are welcomed to help in school. Events such as religious festivals and school productions are consistently well supported. There is an active Parents and Friends Association which produces its own newsletter and organises many fund-raising activities such as an auction night, Christmas shopping event and summer fair. The money raised is used to provide resources for the school and activities for pupils such as discos and the special ‘lunch with Santa’ held annually for the infants.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

St. John’s C of E Primary - 19 44. The leadership of the headteacher and senior staff ensures that there is clear direction given for school improvement. The many changes in staffing and curriculum organisation during the last two years have been well managed. Standards are rising steadily as a result. The aims and values of the school community are clearly stated in all school documentation and reflected in its work. Procedures for monitoring the quality of teaching have improved since the last inspection. These are fully documented and are well established. Although work has been done to improve the effectiveness of the subject co-ordinators there is not yet a consistent approach to monitoring the quality of learning and developing the curriculum in their subjects to meet the needs of all pupils. Greater use could be made of the statistical information which is available to ensure that the steady rise in standards is maintained.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

45. Strategic planning has improved significantly since the last inspection. The school improvement plan is a clear and useful working document which focuses on the right priorities. For example, the school has recognised the need to improve the tracking of pupil performance in order to raise standards. The plan now includes assessment and other data closely linked with financial planning and matched to the clearly stated criteria for success. Links are shown with the local education authority’s (LEA) development plan, helping to ensure that the school can benefit from the local initiatives and any additional funding. A strategic planning team of senior staff has been formed to regularly review progress in the priorities contained in the plan and give the governing body frequent reports on progress towards the objectives.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

46. Finances are well managed, carefully monitored and used to good effect in raising pupil attainment. This is particularly evident for example in the money which has been allocated to building a strong team of learning support assistants. The work of this team in its support of pupils with special needs is a strength of the school. The progress made by pupils with special educational needs is carefully tracked to show effective use of resources and the governing body is kept well informed about the improvements the pupils are making. The special educational needs link governor, who is also on the school staff, is well informed and closely involved in the work of the school providing good information to the governing body. Specific training has been provided for some of the learning support team and all have taken part in school-based training activities, such as the use of the new software for writing individual education

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

plans. Additional funds are well used and have contributed to improvements in educational provision and staff training. For example, money has been spent on reducing the general noise levels in class bases to improve the teaching of literacy and numeracy. This has contributed to the steadily improving attainment in these subjects.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

47. The governing body fulfils its statutory functions and is well informed about the school’s strengths and weaknesses. It plays an important part in monitoring the performance of the school and the headteacher, and has a good relationship with senior staff. The work of the governing body is efficiently carried out through committees and the chair of governors provides good leadership. Links between governors and curriculum co-ordinators ensure that they are fulfilling their role in holding the school to account for its performance and the standard of education that it provides.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

48. The school is well staffed with a good range of subject expertise amongst the teachers. The school has taken on several newly qualified teachers and there is a good induction programme for them. Their mentor provides them with very good support. The school handbook has recently been rewritten by the deputy headteacher St. John’s C of E Primary - 20 and provides clear information of a very practical nature to help all staff new to the school.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

49. The accommodation is adequate but the school has difficulty finding space for small groups. This limits opportunities for pupils’ independent learning. The new computer suite has made a significant contribution to the improvement in standards in ICT. The re-housed library in the school’s busy entrance is too cramped and noisy for pupils to use as a research space but investment has been made in a computerised library system to monitor pupils’ usage of books. The playground space is barely adequate at lunchtime but staggered morning breaks ensure that children have sufficient space to run around. There is a good-sized field for games and summer use. The teachers work hard to make the outside classrooms attractive learning environments but there are no nearby toilet facilities. All subjects have adequate learning resources and those for ICT are good.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

50. The school’s management is beginning to make use of new technology. There is a computerised attendance system and most of the teachers’ planning is produced electronically, providing an easy to read and monitor system. Pupil performance data is recorded using computer software. The management team is beginning to use these systems to identify strengths and weaknesses.

p.20

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

51. In order to raise standards and improve the progress made by pupils in all subjects, the governors, headteacher and staff should:

p.20

(1) Raise the standards achieved by higher attaining pupils, by:

• Ensuring that planning of the two year cycle of work gives due attention to the differing levels of attainment of pupils and that work is suitably challenging for them. • Improving the use of assessment information in order to inform short-term curriculum planning. • Developing the target setting process by setting precise, short-term targets for individual pupils and ensuring these are clear to the pupils. • Closely monitoring the progress pupils make towards their targets and identifying areas of weakness in order to plan remedial action. (Paragraphs: 5, 8,15, 18, 24,40, 60-61, 68, 75, 77, 81, 87, 91, 96, 99, 101)

p.20

(2) Improve the marking of pupils’ work, by:

• Ensuring there is a consistent approach throughout the school. • Ensuring that marking develops pupils’ understanding and relates to the targets set them. (Paragraphs: 15, 65, 81.)

p.20

(3) Develop the role of subject co-ordinators, by:

• Ensuring that a co-ordinated programme of lesson observation is created to cover all subjects. • Ensuring that lesson observation concentrates on supporting the development of effective teaching and learning. (Paragraphs: 44, 67, 84, 96, 119)

p.20

(4) Take action to improve levels of attendance, by:

St. John’s C of E Primary - 21 • Improving procedures to monitor attendance in order to analyse patterns of non-attendance. • Developing procedures for checking on the non-attendance of pupils. • Developing the use of short-term incentives to improve attendance. (Paragraphs: 9, 38) St. John’s C of E Primary - 22 PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

p.21

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 24

p.22

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

p.22

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

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

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 319

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 56

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 3

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 48

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 18

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 11

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 12

p.22

Attendance

National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5 St. John’s C of E Primary - 23 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. St. John’s C of E Primary - 24

p.22

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

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2002 18 26 44

p.24

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

National curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.24

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

Boys 18 18 18 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 24 23 23

p.24

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

Percentage of pupils School 95 (87) 93 (85) 93 (85) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (84) 86 (86) 90 (91)

p.24

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.24

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

Boys 18 18 18 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 24 23 23

p.24

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

Percentage of pupils School 95 (85) 93 (92) 93 (89) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (85) 89 (89) 89 (89)

p.24

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

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

p.24

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

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2002 19 26 45

p.24

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

National curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.24

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

Boys 12 16 15 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 20 22 23

p.24

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

Percentage of pupils School 71 (79) 84 (67) 84 (83) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 73 (71) 86 (87)

p.24

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.24

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

Boys 11 14 15 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 19 20 21

p.24

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

Percentage of pupils School 67 (63) 76 (71) 80 (77) at NC level 4 or above National 73 (72) 74 (74) 82 (82)

p.24

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

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. St. John’s C of E Primary - 25

p.24

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

White – any other White background 0 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Mixed – any other mixed background 0 0 0

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British - Pakistani 14 0 0

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 0 0 0

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – Caribbean 0 0 0

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

The table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. It gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded. St. John’s C of E Primary - 26

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 15.2 Financial year 2001/02

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 21

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 641192

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 8 Total expenditure 640645

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 238 Expenditure per pupil 1965

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. Balance brought forward from previous year 36352

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 36899

p.26

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 4

p.26

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 7

p.26

Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

p.26

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.26

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.26

Recruitment of teachers

FTE means full-time equivalent. St. John’s C of E Primary - 27

p.26

Questionnaire return rate

Percentage of responses in each category

p.27

Questionnaire return rate

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

p.27

Questionnaire return rate

My child is making good progress in school. 47 50 0 0 3

p.27

Questionnaire return rate

Behaviour in the school is good. 42 50 4 0 4

p.27

Questionnaire return rate

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 28 57 9 4 1

p.27

Questionnaire return rate

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 27 45 23 3 3

p.27

Questionnaire return rate

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 54 45 1 0 0

p.27

Questionnaire return rate

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

p.27

Questionnaire return rate

The school works closely with parents. 32 41 22 3 3

p.27

Questionnaire return rate

The school is well led and managed. 43 47 4 1 4

p.27

Questionnaire return rate

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 42 55 3 0 0

p.27

Questionnaire return rate

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 19 42 30 7 3 St. John’s C of E Primary - 28

p.27

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

52. There are two reception classes and in one of them the children are mixed with Year 1 pupils. The last inspection reported that the children in the mixed class received an inappropriate curriculum because there were too few opportunities to learn through exploration and discovery. This has been remedied and the learning opportunities in both classes are now good. The children feel secure and happy in the pleasant environment, and, because of the effective induction procedures and their pre-school experiences, most settle very quickly into the daily routines. The provision for learning outdoors is satisfactory. The outdoor area is beside the classrooms and the children have frequent access to it. There are sufficient resources and the children work outside with an attendant adult.

p.28

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

53. The children’s achievement is good. The majority are on course to achieve better than expected levels in all areas of learning by the start of Year 1. This is an improvement since last year, and the last inspection, when the children left reception with average standards overall. The teachers have worked very successfully to reorganise the curriculum and improve the children’s learning opportunities.

p.28

Personal development

54. Teaching in this area is good. As a result, the children achieve well, and already, standards are above the expectations for their age. The children show a good level of maturity. For example, when one child could not attach the lead to a story tape player the others told her what to do but did not take over. The teachers and the classroom assistants are sympathetic to the needs of the children. They adopt a friendly, but firm, approach to establishing the ground rules that are the foundation for a secure and happy learning environment. Their calm approach means that the children learn to trust the adults and settle down happily to learn. This was seen when the children worked with the classroom assistant filling a range of containers with sand or water to compare quantities. They all contributed effectively and listened fairly attentively to each other. The staff have high expectations of, and a consistent approach to,

p.28

Personal development

behaviour and as a result the children behave well.

p.28

Communication, language and literacy

55. The teaching in this area is good. The staff provide an appropriate range of play opportunities where the children can talk with each other and with adults in a relaxed situation. Often, the staff engage the children in conversation. They ask open questions and encourage answers longer than one or two words. For example, the older children were asked to describe the position of a programmable toy. They were encouraged to answer in complete sentences and could say ‘It’s gone under the chair and is in front’. This develops children’s communication skills well so that when they talk with one another they use good sentence structure and a wide range of nouns and verbs. The children know how to handle books and are familiar with their layout. They are introduced to books through story times and group reading sessions and have good opportunities to explore books for themselves, sometimes with an adult

p.28

Communication, language and literacy

alongside. These useful and effective experiences mean that they know that books are interesting and fun. Most of the children recognise simple words and are beginning to read these words in text. Early writing skills are not promoted as effectively, although the children reach average standards. The children are encouraged to try and write. St. John’s C of E Primary - 29 They are taught systematically how to form their letters and some can already write their names. Staff teach the sounds that letters make and effectively demonstrate how to write the letters and use them in sentences, but insufficient attention is given to the transferring of spoken sentences into written text.

p.28

Mathematical development

56. Teaching in this area is good and staff have a good understanding of how to build on what the children know. The children recite numbers to at least 20 and count up to ten objects accurately and recognise mistakes. They recognise and use comparisons of size. As a result, they use these skills to organise and make sense of their play. For example, they mix porridge for the ‘Three Bears’ and talk about the correct quantity each bear needs. The staff use a range of number songs and rhymes to reinforce learning and take appropriate opportunities to extend children’s learning in free play activities. For example, activities like blocks and puzzles are provided to develop mathematical ideas and vocabulary.

p.29

Knowledge and understanding of the world

57. The quality of teaching in this area is good and the children achieve well. Their standards are now above those expected for children of their age, in for example their wide general knowledge, vocabulary and their knowledge of computers. The teachers plan appropriately to interest the children in finding out how and why things happen. For example, when working outside the children had fun experimenting with reversing and manoeuvring their bikes through confined areas. The children chatted about the puppets they were making and remembered the names of different puppet types, such as glove and finger puppets. They are experienced with computers and use them to good effect to support their learning, especially in art and aspects of mathematics. The children use the mouse very effectively to control events on the screen.

p.29

Physical development

58. Through good provision and teaching children achieve well in, for example, co- ordinating their movements when carrying large objects and when cutting and drawing. When the children needed to use split pins to fasten pieces of card, most managed, with some difficulty, to complete the task. They show better than expected precision, for example, when using the computer. They refine their skills through work and play in the classroom and through physical education lessons in the hall and the outside area.

p.29

Creative development

59. The overall good teaching leads to good achievement and standards are average overall and higher in imagining situations and making up events. The teachers plan for the children to develop their imagination by providing role-play situations - for example, in the shop and ‘Granny’s house’. The children improve their vocabulary and organise themselves well as they create imaginary situations. The provision for art is satisfactory rather than good, because much work is over-prepared for the children. Where they are free to draw and paint, or use the computer to make pictures, the standards are higher.

p.29

ENGLISH

St. John’s C of E Primary - 30 60. Most pupils are attaining the standards expected at ages seven and eleven. However, the school does not do well enough with attainment at the higher levels. Teachers promote good listening and speaking skills and the pupils are articulate in discussions and in conversation. There are strengths in pupils’ achievements in reading throughout the school but there are weaknesses in writing, especially for the higher attaining pupils. This is because the curriculum does not sufficiently challenge their thinking and learning skills.

p.30

ENGLISH

61. Use is made of standardised tests to measure pupils’ aptitudes and progress in English. This information is used to determine the grouping of pupils for teaching English in most classes. Whilst teachers are generally aware of pupils’ different abilities and rates of progress, there is insufficient difference in the work given to them. The teachers’ planning fails to show how the lessons are to meet the needs of all pupils. Work for higher attaining pupils needs to be more thought provoking, requiring them to demonstrate and develop higher order skills like analysis, synthesis and critical review.

p.30

ENGLISH

62. In their books pupils show a good attitude towards the subject and the presentation of their work. In all year groups there is a good range of written material with plenty of opportunities for pupils to produce work in both short and longer written pieces. Poetry and play-scripts are well represented and there are opportunities for writing from different points of view, such as a piece on Cinderella from the stepmother’s point of view seen in Year 6. This kind of work allows the pupils to explore the use of language and to develop their understanding of the way in which words can be used to explain and influence other people’s ideas. Satisfactory use is made of ICT. For example, pupils in Year 3 explore the impact of different font styles, emboldening words and the visual impact of text for persuasive purposes. Pupils in Year 1 add pictures to text when making their own storybook and understand the relationship between words and

p.30

ENGLISH

pictures in sequencing and retelling a familiar story.

p.30

ENGLISH

63. There is plenty of variety in the work presented to pupils and sufficient opportunity for them to practise different forms of writing both in English and other subjects, including science, geography, history and religious education. There is, however, little evidence of pupils’ critically reviewing their writing and reworking the text. Developing these skills would improve pupil performance at the higher levels.

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ENGLISH

64. Teaching in the majority of lessons is at least good and sometimes very good. The national literacy strategy has been successfully implemented throughout the school and teachers are now looking more closely at how the strategy can be adapted to meet the particular needs of the pupils. The teachers have good subject knowledge and are able to teach phonics, spelling and linguistic skills so that, by the end of Year 2, pupils are able to use these skills to read well and write short and longer pieces of descriptive and factual text. Pupils are given the opportunity to read a wide variety of different materials and are well supported in their development of reading skills from an early age. For example, reception children were observed being taught to read sentences out loud with expression, giving different styles of voice to the different characters in the story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff.

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ENGLISH

65. Pupils are taught to write neatly and to present their work tidily. The teachers mostly demonstrate good, joined-up handwriting when using the whiteboards. Their expectations of the amount of effort pupils should make are high. Work is marked regularly with a strong emphasis on handwriting and spelling but there is usually very little guidance given on what it is that pupils need to do in order to improve. Comments St. John’s C of E Primary - 31 usually praise children for their effort but omit to draw their attention to the strengths and weaknesses in their work. For example, ‘Some of these answers are good’ does not indicate which answers were good, why they were good and how they could be further improved. This misses an important opportunity to help pupils to know more about their own achievements.

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ENGLISH

66. Pupils with special educational needs are well supported in lessons both by the teachers and the learning support assistants. The quality of the help and guidance, which these pupils are given, enables them to make good progress.

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ENGLISH

67. The subject co-ordinator has begun to monitor standards across the school but not yet in a systematic manner to provide a better understanding of the areas of strength and weakness. Monitoring does not focus sufficiently on the quality of pupils’ learning or look closely at the nature and demands of the tasks which children are set.

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ENGLISH

68. Targets are set for pupils and data is now being recorded about pupil progress. There are also formal, regular assessments of written work. However, this range of information is not being used to determine what the school needs to do in order to improve pupil attainment in the subject. Pupil responses to questions in the end of Year 2 and Year 6 national tests are analysed but information is not used sufficiently to inform curriculum planning.

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ENGLISH

69. A literacy action plan is included in the school improvement plan. This recognises that developments are needed in the teaching of literacy and outlines a range of actions to make improvements, but the focus is not sufficiently strong on the higher attaining pupils.

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MATHEMATICS

70. Most pupils are making good progress throughout the school. Many improvements have been made in the teaching of mathematics and in the curriculum. These have had a direct and beneficial effect in raising the quality of pupils’ learning and on their achievements. Improvements include: better analysis of National Curriculum test results followed by focused action for development; establishment of the national numeracy strategy throughout the school; and a programme of classroom observations which has led to improvements in teaching.

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MATHEMATICS

71. By the end of Year 2, most pupils are attaining well in number, algebra and shape and their ability to use and apply their mathematical skills is secure. They make good progress in number work and add and subtract using two-digit and three-digit numbers. They know that subtraction is the inverse of addition and some are able to use this principle to check the accuracy of their work. They can also double numbers to 24, and, in one Year 2 lesson, they used this facility to play a bingo game to reinforce their recall of the two times table. They use the vocabulary of addition and subtraction correctly. They recognise and name common two-dimensional shapes. They measure accurately using the metric scale and handle measurements of capacity, time and mass with confidence, using a variety of standard and non-standard units of measurement. They are less proficient at applying their mathematical skills and knowledge to some problems.

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MATHEMATICS

72. By the time pupils reach Year 6, their achievements are average in most areas of the subject. The majority of pupils are confident in the use of fractions, relating them to decimal equivalents and they understand how to calculate and use percentages. They are proficient in the use of the four number operations and can use their knowledge of St. John’s C of E Primary - 32 multiplication tables to solve problems without using calculators or other reference resources. They understand the value of estimation and use this increasingly as they progress through the school to check the accuracy of their calculations. Well- presented work enables them to calculate accurately. They have secure geometrical knowledge and calculate angles, perimeters and areas of regular and some irregular shapes. They are very good in explaining what they are doing and use correct mathematical language in doing so. They reflect on their learning well when asked to

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MATHEMATICS

do so in reviews at the ends of lessons.

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MATHEMATICS

73. Pupils show great enjoyment in their lessons and look forward to mathematics. They respond well to the clear structure of their lessons and benefit from being told clearly what they will be learning at the outset. They put a great deal of effort into discussions and in their written work. Work is presented well and great care is taken to ensure accuracy of content. If pupils work as individuals, they show good degrees of personal responsibility. Similarly, when they are asked to work in groups or pairs, they co- operate well and often the quality of what they produce is enhanced by the support they give each other.

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MATHEMATICS

74. Learning is good because the teaching is good. Teachers’ lesson plans are generally good and they explain clearly to pupils what they will learn as a result of the lesson or by the end of the week. Sometimes, plans show objectives which are not so clear and these are not so useful in pointing out to pupils what progress they should make and how. Plans rarely make reference to the use of ICT to support pupils’ mathematical development and this means that they do not make as much headway as they should in data and information handling; recent developments in ICT are designed to rectify this. The good quality and range of pupils’ work, is due to the secure subject knowledge of teachers and their commitment to raising achievement. They know how well their pupils have done and are often clear about what they can achieve further through well-defined individual targets.

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MATHEMATICS

75. Teachers’ good explanations and the ways in which they demonstrate procedures help pupils to understand better what is to be learnt. Teachers’ expectations are high for most pupils, but they do not always challenge the most able mathematicians sufficiently so that they improve their knowledge and understanding further. Similarly, tasks set by teachers as whole-class activities are not always well matched to the needs of all learners. Teachers are developing their use of their own day-to-day assessments so that they plan work to match the learning needs of their pupils in the light of what progress has, or has not, been made. They work hard to ensure that activities enable pupils with special educational needs to learn as well as they can. Very good use is made of well-briefed and capable learning support assistants, who are very skilled at supporting the needs of the lowest attainers to ensure that these

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MATHEMATICS

pupils make the best possible progress. Teachers develop pupils’ understanding of procedures well by asking them to explain how they worked out an answer. Good use is made of incorrect answers to improve understanding. For example, in a Year 6 lesson, pupils’ explanations of how they had arrived at their answers were used effectively to show at which point they were making their mistakes and their work improved as a consequence.

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MATHEMATICS

76. Leadership is good; teachers benefit from the direction offered by the subject co- ordinator, together with practical help and advice as to what works and why. She has a clear view of what needs to be done to secure and maintain high achievements, which have resulted in overall improvements in national test results. Learning and teaching have been monitored and clear guidance and advice offered as a result of this work. The principle of having a shadow co-ordinator from the infant department ensures that St. John’s C of E Primary - 33 all teachers benefit from this support. There have been many improvements in the subject since the last inspection, including pupils’ attainments in national tests, their progress in lessons, the quality of teaching and the curriculum and the impact of the work of the subject co-ordinator.

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SCIENCE

77. Standards by the end of Year 2 and Year 6 are broadly average. This is a similar position to the previous inspection. The majority of pupils make steady progress and, considering their average skills on entry, achieve at a satisfactory level. However, some pupils are capable of higher achievement. The progress of higher attaining pupils is limited by a lack of challenge in the work presented. Although investigative skills are being developed further attention is required to give pupils more opportunities for independent study in order to raise standards. The school is aware of this and there are indications that the issue is being addressed in some classes, but a more consistent approach is required.

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SCIENCE

78. Year 1 pupils learn about their own development from being a baby. They know what foods make a healthy diet and how this is important in order for humans to stay alive. They investigate which fruits pupils like the most and compile graphs to show their results. Year 2 pupils have a sound understanding of electricity and understand that a circuit has to be complete in order for a bulb to light. They know that electrical equipment has to be plugged in and switched on for it to work and that some items work from the mains and others work from batteries. They know the names of parts of a plant and the conditions necessary for plants to grow.

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SCIENCE

79. This building of a body of scientific knowledge continues in Years 3 to 6. Younger pupils distinguish between solids and liquids and know that, whilst a liquid can change shape, the volume does not change. Year 3 and 4 pupils have a basic understanding of the properties of a range of solids and liquids and know that some materials will dissolve in water. Years 5 and 6 pupils have a good understanding of the habitat of a range of animals. Their understanding of healthy diets is extended and they know the risks associated with drugs and medicines. They have a deeper understanding of electricity, being able to create circuits incorporating switches, buzzers and resistors. They understand the importance of light for a plant to grow and the importance of photosynthesis. Pupils’ scientific knowledge continues to grow, but their ability to carry out scientific enquiries is not as well developed. In some of the Year 5 and 6 classes

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SCIENCE

opportunities are missed for pupils to carry out their own practical investigations and so their ability to discover things and seek information through first-hand experience is limited. By the end of Year 6 pupils can set up an investigation when shown how to by their teachers, but they are less sure about doing this for themselves.

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SCIENCE

80. Throughout the school, pupils with special educational needs are fully involved in science activities. They receive very good support from teachers and support staff. There is generally a good match between the work they are asked to do and their previous learning, so that they are able to make good progress in most lessons.

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SCIENCE

81. The quality of teaching and learning is good overall. Teachers manage their classes well. The majority of pupils are clear about what they have to do because teachers give good, detailed explanations. Many lessons are conducted at a good pace through the use of questioning by teachers, which helps pupils to stay focused on what they are doing and the majority work hard. Teachers’ expectations of behaviour are high and the pupils respond well. However, the degree of challenge presented to pupils in some work is not as high and, when marking pupils’ work, teachers’ comments fail to St. John’s C of E Primary - 34 develop learning by saying how pupils can improve. Long-term assessment, such as that carried out at the ends of topics, is carefully done. The more day-to-day aspect of knowing what each pupil needs to do next requires further refinement to be fully effective. Improving the use of assessment would support the planning of different

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SCIENCE

tasks for different groups of pupils, especially the higher attaining groups. Opportunities for co-operation and collaboration through group working are used well to develop pupils’ social skills

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SCIENCE

82. The school is developing environmental science and is participating in the ‘Eco-School’ initiative. A variety of activities encourage pupils to conserve resources and learn to take care of the environment by making informed decisions about environmental issues. As a result, older pupils in particular are very environmentally aware.

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SCIENCE

83. ICT is rarely used to support scientific work. In many classes opportunities are missed to use computers as tools for learning, such as through recording data and presenting results, or by using CD-ROMs or the Internet as sources of information for scientific investigation.

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SCIENCE

84. The subject co-ordinators have only recently taken responsibility. They have a clear view of the way they wish to develop the subject, but at the moment monitoring is not well developed. Nevertheless they have rightly identified scientific enquiry as an area for development. No time has been allocated specifically to monitor teaching and learning throughout the school and this is an area in need of attention.

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ART AND DESIGN

85. Standards are average across the school and the pupils’ achievement is satisfactory. In Years 1 and 2 standards are good in drawing and using paint. This is the same as at the time of the last inspection. The school has incorporated ideas from national guidance to develop the curriculum and ensure that all areas are covered. The two co- ordinators have a good knowledge of the subject and provide satisfactory leadership. They provide helpful advice to the teachers and look at the planning to ensure the curriculum is covered.

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ART AND DESIGN

86. Throughout the school pupils cover a broad curriculum that includes work with paint, textiles and clay. In Year 1, for example, work based on landscapes has been used to help pupils learn to vary the shade of colours by mixing them with black and white. The pupils have painted good quality, imaginative scenes that are beginning to indicate distance in the landscape. In Year 2, work on patterns based on squares and rectangles show an increased control of the resources. Colours are positioned alongside each other in attractive and individual designs. Most pieces of work are carefully and thoughtfully completed. However, by making the choice of colour for pupils, teachers limit the opportunity to extend their creativity.

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ART AND DESIGN

87. The older pupils build appropriately on this start. In Years 3 and 4, pupils have used boxes to make miniature scenes that include their own small sculptures. This work is thoughtful, but the work of Year 4 pupils is not of a much higher standard than that of the Year 3 pupils. While progress is satisfactory overall, it is faster for the younger pupils. In Year 5 the pupils have combined their artwork with geography and made interesting paper and fabric collages of mountains, trees and snow. In Year 6 the work is linked to perspective and pupils have successfully sketched and then completed scenes showing how distance can be recorded. The work, while technically fairly accurate, is rather contrived and all pupils have followed very similar designs. Consequently they have not used what they learned about perspective in any original St. John’s C of E Primary - 35 work of their own. Only one lesson was seen and this was taught very well. The

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ART AND DESIGN

teacher linked art and religious education very effectively. She expected pupils to consider the styles and images they saw and try to find common aspects of the pictures. The pupils showed a good level of understanding of how art is used to portray images of God and Jesus.

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ART AND DESIGN

88. Across the school, pupils’ work is displayed well. A selection of prints and posters show a range of styles and media to help the pupils understand how art is used by different cultures. Computers are used to support art well. The pupils show confidence and skill when using painting programs and their pieces of work are attractive and interesting.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY (DT)

89. Standards are above average in Years 1 and 2 and the pupils achieve well. Standards are average by Year 6. The progress for the older pupils is slower because they have fewer opportunities for independent decisions about making their designs and which resources to select. Overall, however, standards are higher across the school than at the time of the last inspection.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY (DT)

90. The teaching is good in Years 1 and 2. Teachers have made clear links between literacy and numeracy and the designing and making of artefacts by developing pupils’ understanding of the use of sequenced instructions. In Year 1, the pupils join fabrics by sewing. They find this difficult, but are taught well and struggle cheerfully and effectively to keep their needles threaded. Year 2 pupils have designed and made glove puppets and written instructions on how to make puppets from socks. Their good understanding of the need for clear advice shows effective learning during the term.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY (DT)

91. By Year 4, pupils can respond to a design brief. They plan their work using annotated drawings and make an artefact using measuring equipment and tools with increased precision. Their skills of selecting appropriate materials and evaluating their work are less developed. Many pupils are too easily satisfied with their first attempts. Year 3 and 4 pupils have examined a range of pop-up books and worked with levers and mechanisms before making illustrations for a book for younger children about nursery rhymes or fairy stories. In one illustration, pulling a lever hastens a mouse up a clock; in another the lever lifts the troll to confront the Three Billy Goats Gruff. The pupils show and explain their work with great pride and a sense of fun. By Year 6, pupils have experienced a satisfactory range of technology. Currently the Year 6 pupils are making vehicles that combine the construction of axles and the use of motors to turn wheels.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY (DT)

They are good at using earlier scientific learning to make drive belts and complete electrical circuits. They talk with enthusiasm about how their experimental engines, held together with pieces of wire and elastic bands, will propel their vehicles. However, insufficient opportunities are presented to pupils to independently explore and select resources. This restricts the level of challenge and the potential to reach higher standards.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY (DT)

92. The subject is led well. The subject co-ordinator is enthusiastic and knowledgeable. The curriculum is now based on nationally recommended guidance and as a result teachers’ planning has improved. The co-ordinator checks her colleagues’ planning and responds well to teachers’ requests for help. She has led the staff through recent training that has improved the quality of teaching and learning.

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GEOGRAPHY

St. John’s C of E Primary - 36 93. No lessons were observed during the inspection; judgements are based on pupils’ work, looking at teachers’ planning and records, talking to pupils and their teachers and reviewing school documentation. These show that pupils’ attainments are in line with those expected nationally at ages seven and eleven.

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GEOGRAPHY

94. In Years 1 and 2, pupils’ work covers the curriculum requirements and shows that they can make comparisons and contrast their own environment with another. They have a sound understanding of the use of maps, recognise symbols and use these to represent natural features, buildings and other items that are a consequence of human habitation. Pupils use simple geographical terminology and show that they understand the vocabulary they use. Year 2 pupils show good understanding of how geographical environments shape and affect the lives of people through comparing life in Dukinfield with that on the Isle of Struay. They can identify some of the effects that humans have on these environments. Pupils make satisfactory progress throughout Years 1 and 2

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GEOGRAPHY

95. By the end of Year 6, pupils have acquired a good understanding of how climates can affect the landscape and their effect on plant and animal life. Their achievements are enhanced by good use of ICT; they download information and photographs about contrasting environments, such as deserts and mountains. They use good geographical terminology in their written descriptions. They use primary sources of evidence well and are able to describe how human habitation can change environmental features and how these changes affect the lives of people who live in them. The progress they make is satisfactory.

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GEOGRAPHY

96. Co-ordination is satisfactory. The school has rectified the concerns expressed in the previous inspection report so that more time is now spent on geography in Years 1 and 2 and planning is supported by the use of national guidance. However, the teaching programmes do not show in sufficient detail what should be taught in each year. Similar work is covered by different year groups which limits the achievement of older pupils. Further development is required to provide clearer guidance to teachers, both on what they should be teaching and at what level, when they plan their work for each year group.

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HISTORY

97. Seven and eleven year olds achieve standards in line with those expected nationally. Years I and 2 pupils acquire an understanding of events and people in the past and can compare and contrast experiences between ‘then’ and ‘now’. Pupils in Year 2 have a very secure understanding of the passage of time, comparing homes in Victorian times with those of today. They use factual knowledge to explain clearly the differences between how homes were lit then and the lighting to be found in modern homes in England. They are beginning to understand the importance of evidence in finding out about the past. They record this evidence in a variety of ways, including time lines, drawing and writing. Pupils are making satisfactory progress in understanding and explaining why Victorian people lived and behaved in the ways that they did.

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HISTORY

98. Pupils continue to make satisfactory progress through to Year 6. They develop their understanding of British history and how events in Victorian Britain affect their lives today. In a very good Year 5 lesson, pupils achieved very well because they were challenged to reflect and explain how the work of Shaftesbury and Barnardo changed the lives of the working classes and made children’s lives better. They used evidence sources well, and in their writing, referred to “eye witness accounts” and “original manuscripts”. Their work was authentic and convincing. History makes a useful contribution to pupils’ cultural development, increasing their understanding of their own St. John’s C of E Primary - 37 local heritage and how their neighbourhood and school have been affected by historical events in general and the life and times of the Victorians in particular.

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HISTORY

99. Teaching and learning are satisfactory throughout the school. Teachers have secure subject knowledge and use a variety of methods to capture the interest of their pupils so that they make progress in their learning. Teachers give clear explanations to help pupils understand historical events and how they have affected our own lives. They make good use of visits, visiting speakers, primary evidence sources, artefacts, role- play and videos to help pupils acquire and consolidate their knowledge and understanding of historical events. Teaching also engages pupils through developing their use of enquiry skills so that they find evidence for themselves. Planning is not always well-matched to the learning needs of all pupils; as a consequence, higher attaining pupils undertake similar work to others and as a result do not achieve as well as they might.

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HISTORY

100. The subject is promoting positive attitudes and personal values. Pupils show interest in the subject and behave well so that they get the most out of their lessons. Teachers value pupils’ views and ideas and this results in them taking an active part in their own learning. For example, in a Year 5 lesson, during a role-play re-enacting life in a Victorian schoolroom, pupils showed high degrees of empathy and sensitivity with children from that era. They are able to do this because they are provided with opportunities to explore the feelings and emotions of others as well as their own. They work productively because they are interested in what they are doing and show that they can do this independently or working collaboratively as the task requires.

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HISTORY

101. There have been improvements since the last inspection. There is now a school wide teaching programme that helps teachers to plan work for their classes. However, plans are set out in a two-year cycle with insufficient clarification of what should be taught at what level. This means that Year 3 and Year 4 teachers work to the same plan with the responsibility of matching the work to each year group being left to the discretion of the teacher. This is also the case in Year 5 and 6 and results in work failing to challenge pupils at the appropriate level and limiting their achievement.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

102. Standards in ICT are above average in Years 1 and 2 and average by Year 6. This is a good improvement since the last inspection when standards throughout the school were well below average. The pupils make good progress. They are learning all the expected skills and understanding although, for the older pupils, some skills are less developed than others. These include presenting their work to others and controlling other resources, such as video links, robots or music, through the computers.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

103. There has been a considerable effort by the school to improve provision for ICT. New resources, including an interactive whiteboard, are housed in a light and airy computer suite. This is being used very effectively to support the development of pupils’ basic skills. Teachers give clear instructions using the whiteboard and this enables pupils to quickly understand new techniques. The more expert pupils are used to demonstrate to others. For example, in a lesson with Years 1 and 2, a small group of pupils were keen to show others how to navigate around obstacles by pressing direction and distance buttons on the whiteboard. As a result, all of the class were well prepared to work at their own computers to tackle the task independently. The older pupils quickly understood and followed the teacher’s instructions to change their track-way colour, and repeat the movements, as a means of checking the accuracy of their instructions

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

to move around the screen. Their good control of the mouse enabled them to complete St. John’s C of E Primary - 38 the task successfully. Pupils’ knowledge and understanding of how to find information is developing well through the use of CD-ROMs. They find their own store of work by opening a program under their own name. Some aspects of extending ideas and making things happen are also developed well, for instance, by pupils learning to give instructions to a floor robot.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

104. Pupils in Years 3 to 6 make good progress. The teachers’ good knowledge of how to use the computers ensures that pupils use web sites effectively. The exploration of web sites is supported well by the use of a ‘favourites list’ to help pupils make quicker and more appropriate web page selections. The pupils are taught to ask narrowly focused questions in order to gain the correct information quickly. For example, to type in ‘Victorian’, rather than ‘Victorians’ as a means of gaining reference to life styles instead of people. Teachers give good attention to those pupils who need support and ensure that all can complete the tasks. The higher attaining children in Year 6 quickly move pieces of information to their own stores of work and edit the content. They add headings, using carefully selected print styles, sizes and colours. These older pupils demonstrate very good keyboard skills. Good, and sometimes very good, teaching

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

ensures the skills the children learn are related to their work in several curriculum areas including English, mathematics, art, geography and history.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

105. The pupils enjoy ICT. They are keen to talk about what they do and to show their skills. Basic skills are being learned securely and pupils access programs, save their work and print out their products. Those pupils who use computers at home are even more skilful and confident.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

106. Leadership is good. The two subject co-ordinators are knowledgeable and provide rapid support for other colleagues when necessary. One regularly teaches staff how to prepare for the older children’s further learning in complex areas, such as using spreadsheets to arrange and extract information. Procedures for assessing pupils’ progress have been developed. These include a skills checklist, which has recently been adopted for the older children and its use is helping monitor their progress and supporting the raising of standards.

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MUSIC

107. Only two lessons were seen. Other evidence was taken from assemblies, teachers lesson plans and the co-ordinator’s file. This indicates that the requirements of the National Curriculum are being met and pupils are attaining standards that are in line with those expected nationally. Pupils sing well in lessons and in assembly with good control of louder and softer passages. In a singing lesson in Year 4 pupils made good progress with their ability to follow and repeat rhythmic and musical patterns, working especially hard at maintaining tempo and duration. There is a strong tradition at the school for good singing; twenty pupils, both boys and girls, form the school choir, which is a well-attended extra-curricular activity.

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MUSIC

108. No lessons were seen involving pupils composing their own music but their books show that standards are average. In addition to composing, they are learning some of the rudiments of formal notation and the use of musical symbols. A recorder group played in assembly and a woodwind lesson was seen after school. A number of pupils take advantage of the peripatetic music tuition in clarinet, violin and piano. The curriculum includes appraising music of other cultural traditions and historical periods. Pupils listen well and respond sensibly to recorded music. Pupils in Year 1, were learning to distinguish differences in duration, dynamics and pitch, building up a repertoire of vocabulary to describe and discuss their responses to music. St. John’s C of E Primary - 39 109. Opportunities for the pupils to experience live music in school are limited, although last year pupils in Year 5 and Year 6 were able to listen to and explore some African

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MUSIC

drumming. At the end of the summer term a very successful musical production involved about one hundred pupils in dancing, singing and acting. The subject leader is aware that this area needs developing and it is a priority in the school’s development plan.

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MUSIC

110. Some teachers are musically qualified and able to focus on aspects of performance that pupils could improve. It is not an easy subject for non-specialists to teach but the staff are all very willing and good guidance is available from the experienced and well- qualified curriculum co-ordinator who is a music specialist. Advice has been sought from the local education authority on suitable resources and the co-ordinator has made a number of changes to the curriculum since joining the school last year. The use of national guidance has supported planning for the subject and this has enabled non-specialists to feel more confident in their teaching. A recording system is used to monitor pupils’ progress and this shows that improvement is satisfactory.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION (PE)

111. Pupils achieve standards that are average by the age of seven and eleven. This is similar to the standards achieved at the time of the last inspection. The school provides a well-balanced programme of physical activities throughout the year, which meets the requirements of the National Curriculum. Pupils learn to play games, participate in gymnastic activities and respond to music through dance. Throughout the school pupils make satisfactory progress.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION (PE)

112. In Year 2, pupils respond well to the stimulus of poetry and musical instruments in dance. They show satisfactory levels of control, co-ordination and balance and put a high level of effort into their movements. Teachers emphasise the importance of using all the space and as a consequence pupils use it well when creating their sequence of movements. There was no opportunity to observe younger pupils in a games or gymnastics session but these activities are included in the school’s planning, which follows the national guidelines for the subject

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION (PE)

113. In Years 3 to 6, skills in dance are further developed and pupils perform with increasing competence. Their twisting, leaping movements are well controlled and they put great effort into the creation of sequences of movement when responding to music. For example, Year 3 pupils responded well to taped music on the theme of a funfair, creating imaginative ‘splash’ shapes by stretching and curling their bodies. Pupils discuss their movements in groups and evaluate the performance of others well, giving analytical but supportive comments. This makes a good contribution towards their social development. Year 6 pupils are coached in a range of sports by staff provided by the local authority. During the inspection they were developing the basic skills in rugby of catching and passing the ball whilst stationary and on the move. Pupils have a clear understanding of the benefits of vigorous exercise and the effects of exercise on the

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION (PE)

body. The opportunities provided for teamwork and a sense of fair play further support the development of pupils’ social skills. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 have swimming lessons and, by the time they leave school, most pupils are competent swimmers.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION (PE)

114. The quality of teaching is good overall throughout the school. Teachers plan their lessons well, set appropriate challenges, explain activities clearly and encourage pupils to develop skills. Relationships and class management are good. This results in safe, controlled lessons where pupils listen carefully and follow their teachers’ St. John’s C of E Primary - 40 instructions. All lessons begin and end in an orderly manner and contain appropriate warm-up activities. Questioning is used effectively and pupils are encouraged to evaluate their own and others’ performances to help them to improve. As a result, pupils enjoy lessons and work well individually, in pairs and in larger groups. They behave very well during lessons and are very supportive of one another. In the most effective lessons, teachers ensure that pupils maintain a high level of physical effort in their activities. Less successful teaching is marked by the low level of effort as a result

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION (PE)

of lengthy periods of time being taken up listening to taped music and instructions. This results in disjointed lessons, with pupils spending much of the time inactive.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION (PE)

115. A range of extra-curricular, physical and sporting activities is planned throughout the year and supports the physical education curriculum. Effective use is made of outside coaches to develop pupils’ interest and skills in sports such as athletics, football, netball, hockey, cross country and rugby. The school takes part in inter-school activities in a range of sports.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION (RE)

116. Standards at age seven and eleven are in line with the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus. Religious education makes a good contribution to pupils’ understanding of Christianity and other major world faiths. They learn how to discuss issues of belief and to have respect for points of view, values and customs different from their own. In the wide range of topics studied there is much opportunity for personal growth in spiritual, moral, social and cultural education. Pupils respond well to this and a positive effect can be seen in their attitudes, values and the maturity with which they approach these studies. There are strengths in the curriculum in the study of Christianity and Judaism. Most pupils understand and can describe some of the customs and beliefs in these religions and have a good understanding of traditional stories about Jesus and other Biblical texts.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION (RE)

117. Teaching is satisfactory overall and some is good. Teachers use good questioning skills to review learning in previous lessons to enable further progress to be made. Good use is made of resources. For example, in a lesson with Year 5, pupils responded to expressions of faith through art and pictorial design discussing different pictures and aspects of faith including the lack of human representation in Islamic pictures. The resources made a significant contribution to the pupils’ understanding and helped guide their discussion. Review sessions at the end of lessons are used well to reinforce the learning objectives.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION (RE)

118. Teachers give pupils opportunities to record their work in many different ways such as factual writing, worksheets, diagrams and imaginative writing. Links are made with other areas of the curriculum, such as with literacy in the work on Rama and Sita in Year 3, enabling pupils to use their writing skills in RE.

p.40

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION (RE)

119. The co-ordinator is well qualified but has a limited amount of time available to develop the curriculum and ensure that all topics are well resourced. There is little scrutiny of standards in the subject or monitoring of the quality of teaching and learning. The vicar provides a strong and vibrant link with the local Christian community and the church is well used both for seasonal celebrations and as a resource for some of the work. However, there are very few links with local faith communities other than Christian and this is an area for development.

p.40