Earby Springfield Primary School

Earby Springfield Primary School

Dates of inspection: 4 th – 7 th November 2002

p.1

Earby Springfield 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.

p.1

Earby Springfield 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. Earby Springfield Primary School- 3

p.2

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Infant and junior school

p.3

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Bailey Street Earby Barnoldswick Lancashire

p.3

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The Governing Body

p.3

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mr Matt Lunney

p.3

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: March 1998 Earby Springfield Primary School- 4

p.3

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

21024 Mr R Robinson Registered inspector Mathematics Information and communication technology Religious education Provision for children in the foundation stage. What sort of school is it? The school's results and pupils’ achievements How well is the school led and managed? What should the school do to improve further? 13786 Mrs Sue Walsh Lay inspector Pupils' attitudes, values and personal development How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 22380 Mrs P Parrish Team inspector English Geography History Music Special educational needs How well are the pupils taught?

p.4

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

30823 Mrs Brenda Clarke Team inspector Science Art and design Design and technology Physical education Educational inclusion How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils?

p.4

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Penta International Upperton House The Avenue Eastbourne East Sussex BN21 3YB

p.4

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

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

p.4

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

p.4

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Earby Springfield Primary School- 5

p.4

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

p.5

HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 11

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

p.5

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

This average-sized primary school for boys and girls aged 4-11 years is situated in the community of Earby between Colne and Skipton. The school has 207 full-time pupils: 94 boys and 113 girls. Almost all pupils are from a white ethnic background and no pupils are at an early stage of learning English as an additional language. Forty-eight pupils (23.2 per cent) are on the register of special educational needs which is about the average, although a high proportion of pupils (nine pupils) have a statement of special educational needs. The pupils with special educational needs have mainly dyslexia , moderate learning or emotional and behavioural difficulties, but some have specific learning and speech difficulties. Five pupils in the current Year 6 have a statement of special educational needs. Children’s attainment on entry to reception is broad and varies from year to year though overall is below average. The percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school

p.6

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

meals is about 23.2 per cent which is above the national average. There has been a significant movement of pupils to and from the school over the past few years. The headteacher and deputy headteacher and most other teachers have been appointed since the last inspection.

p.6

HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Earby Springfield Primary is a good school. Pupils achieve well relative to their prior attainment. Pupils’ behaviour and attitudes to work are good. The quality of teaching is good. Parents hold the school in high regard. The headteacher, deputy headteacher and governing body lead and manage the school well. The school provides good value for money.

p.6

HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What the school does well • Pupils achieve well because the quality of teaching is good • Pupils’ attitudes to work and their behaviour are good and they relate very well to one another and to their teachers • Standards by the end of Year 6 are above average in art and design and in music • Pupils who need additional help are provided for well • Pastoral care of pupils is very good • The leadership and management of the headteacher, deputy headteacher and the governing body are good • The staff work very well together to enhance the learning opportunities for pupils, and the school is in a very good position to improve standards further

p.6

HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What could be improved • Pupils’ speaking skills • Pupils’ performance in science in Years 3 to 6 • Standards in information and communication technology • The detailed checking and tracking of pupils’ progress and the use of the information to assist pupils’ future learning in all subjects The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

p.6

HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school has made good progress overall since the last inspection in February 1998. Pupils’ behaviour has improved and it is now good. Pupils now achieve well relative to their prior attainment in English and mathematics. The leadership and management of the school are now good. The following items represent responses to the areas for development identified at the last inspection:

p.6

HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

• The guidance to help teachers plan lessons is now good • The school has many procedures for checking pupils’ progress but the information has not yet been collated into a manageable system • Satisfactory procedures are now in place to monitor the quality of teaching • The behavioural policy has been implemented well Earby Springfield Primary School- 7 • The marking of pupils’ work is now satisfactory • The setting of homework is now consistent throughout the school

p.6

STANDARDS

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

p.7

STANDARDS

compared with Key Performance in: all schools similar schools 2000 2001 2002 2002 English B E C A Mathematics D E D B Science D E E D well above average above average average below average well below average A B C D E

p.7

STANDARDS

• Standards in science over the past few years have not improved at the rate seen nationally largely because there has been a lack of focus on improving standards in the subject, as the school has concentrated on English and mathematics. The differences between year groups’ performance in English and mathematics can be attributed mainly to variations in the composition of class groups and a significant movement of pupils to and from the school. • Inspection findings show that the performance of the current group of pupils in Year 6, which includes a high proportion of pupils with learning difficulties, is below average in reading, speaking and listening skills, writing and mathematics, and well below average in science; however, the pupils have made good progress in English and mathematics compared to their prior attainment, although unsatisfactory progress in science because the school has concentrated on raising standards in English and mathematics.

p.7

STANDARDS

• No significant differences in the performance of boys and girls were seen during the inspection except that a higher proportion of girls had a statement of special educational needs in Year 6; however, the school does not have comprehensive systems in place to monitor the progress of different groups of pupils. • Pupils exceed the expected standards by the end of Year 6 in art and design and music, and pupils meet expected standards in design and technology, geography, history, and religious education but are below average in information and communication technology. It was not possible to make a judgement on standards in physical education by the end of Year 6 as no lessons were seen in this year group. • The overall rate of improvement of pupils in English, mathematics and science by the end of Year 6 from 1998 to 2002 is below the national trend because of, mainly, well below average performance in science and poor results in 2001.

p.7

STANDARDS

• The results of the national tests for pupils at the end of Year 2 showed that pupils’ performance was above the national average in reading, in line in writing and well above in mathematics. The performance of this year’s group of pupils in Year 2 is average in reading and writing and above average in mathematics, in science and in art and design and in line with national expectations in other subjects. • Children in the reception class make good progress overall and are on course to achieve the expected levels in personal and social development, communication, language and literacy, mathematical development, knowledge and understanding of the world, physical development and creative development by the end of the reception year. • Pupils, including those with special educational needs, achieve well, on balance, in Years 1 to 6 because the teaching is good overall and their needs are provided for well.

p.7

STANDARDS

• The school’s targets for the proportion of pupils in English and mathematics likely to reach the levels expected nationally by the end of Year 6 in 2003 are demanding; however, these are on course to be achieved because of good teaching in Year 6. Earby Springfield Primary School- 8

p.7

PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attitudes to the school Good. Pupils have positive attitudes to school. They are enthusiastic about school and are usually eager to become involved in activities.

p.8

PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Good. Pupils behave well both in the classrooms and around the school.

p.8

PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Personal development and relationships Good. Relationships are very good both between pupils and between teachers and pupils. Pupils are good at taking initiative outside the classroom but, sometimes in lessons, there is insufficient opportunity for pupils to investigate for themselves.

p.8

PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attendance Good. Attendance is good but a small number of pupils are regularly late.

p.8

TEACHING AND LEARNING

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

p.8

TEACHING AND LEARNING

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.

p.8

TEACHING AND LEARNING

The quality of teaching and learning is good with a significant proportion of very good and occasionally excellent teaching. Very little unsatisfactory teaching was seen. The teaching of English and mathematics, including literacy and numeracy, is good. The teaching of art and design, information and communication technology and music are good. The science lessons seen were taught well; however, evidence of pupils’ unsatisfactory learning shows that the teaching over time has been unsatisfactory because too little time has been provided for teaching the subject and pupils have had insufficient opportunities to develop their understanding through investigative work. The teaching and learning in other subjects are satisfactory. The teaching caters well for the needs of all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and children in the reception class.

p.8

TEACHING AND LEARNING

The strengths of teaching are in the enhancement of pupils’ skills of literacy and numeracy, teachers’ lesson planning, the management of pupils’ behaviour and the use of teaching assistants. As a result of the good teaching, pupils learn well because they are interested in their work, put a good deal of effort into their learning and strive to deepen their understanding. In the very few lessons where teaching and learning were unsatisfactory, the pace of learning was slow, teaching assistants were not used sufficiently well when the whole class was taught together and pupils spent too long sitting listening without active involvement, with too little time provided for pupils to practise skills. Earby Springfield Primary School- 9

p.8

OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The quality and range of the curriculum Satisfactory. The curriculum meets statutory requirements although the insufficient time allocated for science in Years 3 to 6 affects the standards that pupils achieve. The national strategies for literacy and numeracy have been introduced well. Information and communication technology, mathematics and writing are not used sufficiently in other subjects. The contribution of personal, social and health education, together with the very good social inclusion of all pupils, enhances the curriculum.

p.9

OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. Pupils with special educational needs receive effective help which enables them to access all aspects of the curriculum. Provision for pupils’ personal development, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Good. The school provides well for the personal development of pupils. The raising of pupils’ self-esteem contributes positively to their spiritual development. Moral development is very good because of the planned provision of personal, social and health education, the effectiveness of the policy for discipline and regular whole class discussion times. Pupils are given good opportunities to develop responsibility, such as in the school council. Cultural understanding is satisfactory overall. Racial awareness is promoted soundly. Pupils learn too little about the cultural diversity of British society today. How well the school cares

p.9

OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

for its pupils Good. The school has very good procedures for ensuring pupil’s welfare. Pupils receive very good personal support. The consistent implementation of very good strategies for behaviour management has led to significant improvements in the standards of behaviour. The detailed checking and tracking of pupils’ progress and the use of that information to assist pupils’ future learning are unsatisfactory.

p.9

HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Aspect Comment Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Good. The leadership and management of the headteacher and deputy headteacher are good and they work well with effective subject co-ordinators. The aims of the school are achieved very well.

p.9

HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Well. The governing body is effective and provides very clear direction to the work of the school. It makes every effort to ensure that all statutory requirements are met; however, it has not provided guidance for staff for the management of special educational needs which incorporates the latest Code of Practice for special educational needs. The school’s evaluation of its performance Satisfactory. The priorities in the school improvement plan are generally well thought out; however, there has been limited planning to raise standards in science. The staff and governors have a strong commitment for improvement. The school is well placed for training new teachers. The strategic use of resources Good. Financial planning is good and the school is careful to use its funding to best effect for the benefit of all pupils. The governors apply the principles of

p.9

HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school deploys its staff well. Teaching assistants are used effectively to help pupils with special educational needs. The accommodation is good, although the lack of a separate outdoor area for children in the reception limits their progress in physical development. Learning resources are adequate and used satisfactorily to assist teaching. Earby Springfield Primary School- 10

p.9

PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Parents hold the school in high regard. The school has an effective partnership with parents. The school provides parents with a very good range of high quality information that informs parents about what children are doing at school and the progress they are making.

p.10

PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved • Children enjoy school, behave well and make good progress because the teaching is good • Children are expected to work hard • The school helps children to become more mature and responsible • Parents find the staff approachable, and they are kept well informed about their children’s progress • The leadership and management of the school are good • The range of activities outside lessons is insufficient

p.10

PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

The inspection confirms and agrees with the positive views of parents. The position in relation to extra-curricular activities is satisfactory, and similar to that found in most schools. Earby Springfield Primary School- 11

p.10

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. Overall standards at the school in reading, writing and mathematics are average but below average in speaking; however, because of a very large proportion of pupils with learning difficulties in the current Year 6 standards of this group of pupils are below average in English and mathematics. The differences between the results of the tests at the end of Year 6 in 2002 and the present group of pupils in Year 6 can be attributed to a much higher proportion of pupils with special educational needs in the current Year 6. Almost half of the pupils are on the register of special educational needs and five pupils have statements of special educational needs.

p.11

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. Standards in science of the current Year 6 remain well below the national average. Over time standards in the subject have dipped compared to the national trend because there has been a lack of focus on improving pupils’ performance, as the school has concentrated on English and mathematics. The overall improvement of standards in English, mathematics and science between 1998 and 2002 was below the national trend mainly because of low results in English, mathematics and science in 2001 and well below average results in science over this period of time. Pupils’ performance in English and mathematics in 2002 showed a significant improvement on the previous years’ results.

p.11

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. Standards in the national tests at the end of Year 2 in 2002 were in reading above the national average and well above the average of pupils in similar schools; in writing, in line with the national average and above the average of pupils in similar schools; in mathematics, well above the national average and very high (highest 5% nationally) compared to pupils in similar schools

p.11

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. These results show significant improvement on previous years’ performances with particularly strong improvements in mathematics. Overall, standards are higher than at the time of the last inspection. Standards of the present Year 2 are in line with the national average in reading, writing and science, and are above average in mathematics. The reasons for the differences between the inspection results and those at the end of Year 2 in 2002 reflect changes in the groups of pupils as well as slower progress since the beginning of this term in Year 2 following changes of staffing.

p.11

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. Pupils’ achievements are good overall relative to their prior attainment, particularly in English and mathematics; however, pupils’ achievement in science is unsatisfactory because of limited time given to teaching the subject and insufficient concentration on the investigative aspects of the subject in Years 3 to 6. At the last inspection, pupils achieved satisfactorily overall. Children’s attainment at the beginning of the reception year is below average in reading and mathematics. Their progress in the reception class has improved since 2000 because of good teaching, and they make good progress in communication, language and literacy, mathematical development, knowledge and understanding of the world and creative development and satisfactory progress in physical development. Children enter the reception class with well below average speaking skills and make good progress but, by the end of the reception year, their attainment is still below

p.11

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6. The school shows a strong commitment to pupils who have special educational needs, and they make good progress in relation to their previous attainment. The good number of teaching assistants in the school means that these pupils can be supported directly in most lessons; this enhances their understanding of tasks, their concentration and their progress towards the targets set within their individual education plans. Those with statements of special educational needs have a learning support assistant and make good progress. Earby Springfield Primary School- 12 7. In Years 1 and 2, pupils build on their prior attainment well and make good progress, as the teaching is, on balance, good. In Years 3 to 6, pupils’ achievements continue to be good because of the overall good quality of teaching, and often very good teaching in Years 5 and 6.

p.11

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

8. The results of the 2002 national tests for pupils at the end of Year 6 showed a significant difference in the performance of boys and girls. Boys outperformed girls in mathematics and science. The boys’ performance was above the performance of boys nationally in English and mathematics and in line with it in science. Girls fell well short of the performance of girls nationally in all three subjects. The trend over time is less marked, with boys below the national average whereas girls are below in English but well below average in mathematics and science. The results of the national tests for pupils at the end of Year 2 do not indicate significant differences between the performance of boys and girls. No significant differences in the performance of boys and girls were seen during the inspection except that a higher proportion of girls had a statement of special educational needs in Year 6. The school does not have systems in place fully to monitor

p.12

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

the progress of different groups of pupils to help identify underachievement. The school has recently identified gifted and talented pupils, and some of these pupils are taught successfully for mathematics in the year above their age group.

p.12

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

9. Pupils develop their literacy and numeracy skills well in Years 1 to 6 because of good teaching and the effective implementation of the literacy and numeracy strategies; however, speaking skills are not developed sufficiently and pupils’ attainments remain below average by the end of Years 2 and 6. Information and communication technology, numeracy skills and speaking skills are not developed sufficiently in other subjects.

p.12

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10. Pupils have good attitudes to school. In the morning, they arrive happy, smiling and ready to start work. Pupils are enthusiastic about activities such as brass tuition or art and computer clubs.

p.12

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. Pupils have good attitudes to their school work. Pupils are very biddable but they can be passive. When teaching is good and pupils are engaged actively in tasks, they can be very interested and enthusiastic; for example, in a science lesson, pupils worked well together to produce diagrams illustrating how air resistance slowed down objects. In a Year 1 personal and social education lesson, the teacher’s good sense of fun encouraged positive attitudes. However, when teaching is less exciting, pupils are willing just to sit and listen to their teachers and are not always eager to answer questions. This is especially evident in some English lessons.

p.12

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. Behaviour is good, as parents agree. Pupils behave well in the classroom. Teachers are good at managing pupils’ behaviour. In a Year 5 physical education lesson, pupils were able to organise themselves extremely well getting out large equipment and putting it away again with the minimum of fuss, demonstrating very mature attitudes. Pupils’ behaviour on the playgrounds and in the classroom has improved since the last inspection. The appointment of a play leader has improved pupils’ behaviour at lunch times and it is now good. Pupils are very polite to visitors; they hold doors open and have good manners. Pupils behave very well in formal situations, such as assemblies.

p.12

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. Personal development is satisfactory. There are some very good opportunities for pupils to develop responsibility; for example, older pupils act as play leaders encouraging younger pupils to join in with traditional playground games. Occasionally, lessons are dominated by teachers talking and pupils have limited opportunities to discover things for themselves; for example, pupils have limited opportunities to carry out their own science investigations.

p.12

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. Pupils with special educational needs are shown support and understanding, and given any necessary help sensitively. Those with behaviour difficulties generally make very good progress towards targets set. The school is a supportive and understanding community.

p.12

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

15. Relationships are very good. Pupils are able to ask questions of their teachers and know Earby Springfield Primary School- 13 that their teachers will support them if they have problems. Pupils are also very good at assisting each other and work very well together.

p.12

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

16. Attendance rates in the school year 2000-2001 were above the national average and rates of unauthorised absence were low. Regular attendance helps pupils to achieve well. There are a small number of pupils who are often late to school. This problem was identified during the last inspection and has still to be resolved.

p.13

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

17. The quality of teaching and learning is good overall, with a significant proportion of teaching of very good and, occasionally, excellent quality. Teaching is unsatisfactory overall in science for pupils in Years 3 to 6. A small number of lessons in literacy are of unsatisfactory quality. Since the last inspection, when teaching was judged to be satisfactory overall, there has been good improvement.

p.13

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

18. The national strategies for literacy and numeracy, introduced since the last inspection, account for significant improvements in the style of teaching and mean that teaching in English and mathematics is now good overall. Consequently, pupils learn well in both subjects and make good gains in learning from a below average level on admission to school. Since the last inspection, teachers have worked hard to devise methods that take the pupils’ writing skills forward more successfully and their commitment to improvement has enabled pupils to reach a higher standard this year in both Year 2 and Year 6. A small amount of unsatisfactory teaching occurs in literacy, in the classes led by teachers new to the school; in these lessons, teaching lacks rigour and does not fully meet the needs of pupils, whilst time is not used efficiently. The teaching of information and communication technology is much improved and is now good. The introduction of the computer

p.13

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

suite means that teaching and learning is more frequent and a greater depth of learning is achieved.

p.13

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

19. Teaching is good in art and design and very good, and sometimes excellent, in some lessons in music and physical education. In music, teaching is good overall and very good for singing throughout the school. In science, teaching is good for Years 1 and 2, as frequent opportunities are provided for investigation for all pupils. For pupils in Years 3 to 6, teaching in science is unsatisfactory overall because insufficient time is allocated to the subject to raise standards to appropriate levels and insufficient provision is made for pupils to investigate and experiment to ensure a sound basis for learning. In all other subjects, teaching is satisfactory.

p.13

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

20. Planning systems have improved well and are based on suitable schemes of work in all subjects, a good improvement since the last inspection. Teachers share the objectives for learning with pupils at the start of each lesson; consequently, pupils are clear about the purpose of each activity and this leads to effective learning. Where teaching is good, the marking of pupils’ work is checked against the lesson’s objectives, with helpful targets set for further improvement. Lessons are well organised and managed and, in literacy and numeracy, generally meet the differing needs of pupils well. This represents an improvement since the last inspection when the match between teaching and the needs of pupils was not always appropriate, particularly for higher attaining pupils. Recent results in national tests in Year 6 indicate that a good proportion of pupils achieves at a higher level in both English and mathematics whilst a good proportion achieve at a higher level in

p.13

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

reading and in mathematics in Year 2. Earby Springfield Primary School- 14 21. Very good relationships are established between staff and pupils and this means that learning takes place in an atmosphere of friendliness and co-operation. The school’s effective behaviour policy is used well to promote good discipline, generally through rewards rather than sanctions.

p.13

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

22. The school provides good assistance for the pupils with special educational needs and these pupils are helped to take a full part in all activities. Clear targets are set within individual education plans and these generally feed well into the overall plans for the class. Teaching assistants are skilful in providing the necessary support successfully. Occasionally, however, activities set for pupils with special educational needs are not fully suitable, sometimes because a written task is set before the necessary preparation work has been achieved.

p.14

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

23. Teaching assistants help the school to meet the needs of all pupils, supplementing and enabling the work of teachers very well and supporting pupils’ learning successfully, often through discussion. Opportunities for discussion are limited overall, although teachers in Year 4 and Year 6 provide useful chances for the pupils to develop their skills. In Year 4, for example, pupils discussed in pairs before contributing to the whole class discussion on the differences between Sparta and Athens in Ancient Greece. Lessons are less successful when pupils sit listening for too long without active involvement. This is a weakness in some literacy lessons when, for example, opportunities are not provided for pupils to share the reading of class texts or individual writing boards are not available to enable pupils to practise spellings under discussion. Teaching assistants are not always efficiently occupied during the whole class teaching element of literacy

p.14

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

and numeracy lessons; although important in maintaining the involvement of pupils with special educational needs, opportunities for them to make assessment notes, for example, are missed.

p.14

PUPILS?

24. The curricular provision is satisfactory for pupils in the reception class, and for pupils in Years 1 to 6. The time allocated to teaching the subjects of the curriculum for pupils in Years 3 to 6 is slightly below the recommended minimum. This results in insufficient teaching time for some subjects; for example, not enough time is allocated to science, and this reduces the time available for pupils to set up and carry out scientific investigations. The school also allocates slightly less time than is recommended in the locally agreed syllabus for religious education. This results in pupils having too few opportunities to consolidate their understanding through written work.

p.14

PUPILS?

25. A good amount of time is allocated to the teaching of English and mathematics, and the school has effectively implemented the national strategies for literacy and numeracy. These are key reasons for the improving picture of pupils’ standards of attainment in these subjects; however, there are limited opportunities for pupils to write for a range of purposes, or to apply skills taught in mathematics and information and communication technology in other subjects.

p.14

PUPILS?

26. The needs of pupils identified as having special educational needs is given priority throughout the school. These pupils are enabled to take part in the full curriculum through a range of strategies which result in good progress. The requirements of the latest national Code of Practice are in place although the policy document is out of date.

p.14

PUPILS?

27. Overall improvement made to the curriculum since the last inspection is good. The school has worked hard to provide comprehensive guidance material for all subjects. Work is planned on a yearly cycle with sound opportunities to revisit areas of learning for revision purposes. Medium- term plans are detailed and give good guidance to the non-specialist. This good provision now enables pupils to acquire new knowledge and skills in a consistent way, building effectively on previous learning.

p.14

PUPILS?

28. The school has policies in place for all curriculum areas. A significant minority remain in draft form, but are being systematically updated. Sex and drugs education is taught as part of the science and personal, social, health and citizenship education with separate teaching given to Earby Springfield Primary School- 15 pupils in Years 5 and 6. Good provision is made for personal and social education. The school has successfully trained all teachers in the use of ‘circle time’; this is time allocated to carefully structured whole class discussion about a range of personal issues such as ‘Stranger Danger’ or ‘What makes a good friend?’ The sessions provide good opportunities for speaking and listening, also enabling pupils to consider another’s point of view. There is comprehensive subject guidance to assist this work with good annual opportunities to revisit important issues.

p.14

PUPILS?

29. The school actively promotes the dignity of every individual. Good provision is made to help the vulnerable members of the school community through a range of effective initiatives. A recent development has been the setting up of a social inclusion group. Here, pupils with specific problems come together to increase their confidence and to gain additional help outside the classroom.

p.15

PUPILS?

30. A play leader ensures that pupils are involved in lunchtime activities, and also invests time resolving playground conflicts. The school council is an active means of communication between individual class members, their representatives and the management of the school. Most pupils show mature attitudes to this initiative. They become more responsible for their actions because they have an input into this decision making process. This actively promotes pupils’ understanding of citizenship.

p.15

PUPILS?

31. The range of extra curricular activities is satisfactory. The school uses the services of visiting coaches for rugby and football, and there is a variety of different clubs. The school has satisfactory links with its feeder schools. There are good links with the local community; for example, the local brass band supports the music tuition in school, and the school is actively involved in parish council initiatives such as Christmas displays in local shops or tree planting. A satisfactory range of visitors, such as local police and fire fighters, enrich pupils’ learning.

p.15

PUPILS?

33. The school provides very well for pupils’ moral development, and provides well for its pupils’ social and spiritual development. Provision for cultural development is satisfactory.

p.15

PUPILS?

34. The spiritual development of all pupils is good overall. The quality of displays throughout the school makes the walls and corridors visually uplifting. Pupils develop self-esteem through the receiving of certificates for good work and behaviour. In the planned class discussions, there is celebration of individuals and their unique contributions. In school assemblies, pupils are provided with satisfactory opportunities to reflect on the needs of others. Teachers seldom take account of the spiritual dimension when planning topics, but some activities do encourage a sense of wonder; for example, observing the life cycle of a frog.

p.15

PUPILS?

35. Pupils’ moral development is very good. The majority of pupils observe the well thought out behaviour policy and pupils clearly understand what is right and wrong. There is a strong moral theme to school assemblies. In classroom discussions, teachers provide very good opportunities for pupils to consider the impact of their actions on others. Pupils learn about environmental issues, such as litter and vandalism. They think of others less fortunate than themselves when fund raising for the local hospital. School staff provide very good role models for pupils and there are very good relationships between staff, and staff and pupils. Acts of caring and sharing are celebrated in the ‘Sunny Thoughts Book’, continually reinforcing the school’s values.

p.15

PUPILS?

36. Pupils’ social development is good. Older pupils have good opportunities to perform duties as playground leaders at lunchtime, or to help with classroom and assembly duties. Younger pupils are given appropriate duties within their own classrooms. The school provides a satisfactory range of visits and good opportunities for pupils to join in residential visits and outdoor pursuits activities. Such experiences enrich the curricular provision. The school council provides good opportunities for citizenship as pupils take part in termly school elections for new candidates. Earby Springfield Primary School- 16 37. Pupils develop a sound understanding of local cultural traditions through taking part in the local art festival or undertaking a village study. Older pupils visit interesting places such as Ribchester to study evidence of life in Roman Britain. The school enables pupils to appreciate their

p.15

PUPILS?

cultural heritage through visits to learn the history of the local area. Visiting theatre groups enrich cultural development. Other subjects foster cultural development satisfactorily, such as the study of world faiths in religious education, listening to music from other cultures and times, or examining the work of artists. Although respect and tolerance are actively promoted, learning about other cultures is mostly knowledge based, and the school provides insufficient opportunities for pupils to experience first hand the rich diversity of a multicultural society.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

38. The school takes very good care of its pupils. Procedures to ensure pupils’ welfare are very good. Established members of staff, teachers and classroom assistants know the pupils very well and have very good relationships with them. Members of staff try to be supportive whenever possible and pupils have great confidence and pride in their school. The warm friendly atmosphere of the school ensures that pupils enjoy coming to school and are ready to learn. Pupils know that they are well cared for and their views are respected. The school council has expressed concerns about the condition of the toilets. The toilets for younger pupils have now been renovated and pupils have been involved in the redecoration. They are very pleased with their work and it has been a great boost to their self-esteem. There are now similar plans for the junior toilets. This is a good example of the high regard the school has for its pupils and how it tries to do its best for them.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

39. The school has very good procedures for child protection and ‘looked after’ children. The school is very sensitive to pupils who may be emotionally vulnerable. It has established a ‘nurture’ group where pupils can develop their social skills while involved in play and creative activities. This has been successful and pupils have gained confidence. The school has a good awareness of health and safety. Accidents are very carefully recorded. The school teaches pupils about safety in personal, social and health education lessons. The school ensures pupils know rules for access and use of the Internet.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

40. The progress of pupils with special educational needs is reviewed regularly and their individual education plans are adjusted accordingly. Copies of the targets set are included within teachers’ planning books and this enables their use within lesson plans. The school cares well for these pupils and makes great efforts to involve them successfully in all lessons. Advice is sought when necessary from specialists in outside agencies and this supports the effective provision.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

41. The school has improved its monitoring of attendance from satisfactory to good. Most parents are conscientious about contacting the school quickly if their children are absent. If parents have not contacted the school by 9.30am on the first morning of absence, the school will contact them, and a letter follows up absences that cannot be accounted for this way. If pupils are frequently absent, the school contacts the educational welfare service. By being vigilant, the school has reduced its number of unauthorised absences and has improved its attendance rates. The school is aware of pupils who are often late but has found it more difficult to resolve this problem.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

42. There have been significant improvements to the way the school manages behaviour since the last inspection. The school has very good strategies to manage pupils’ conduct that are used consistently by all teachers. This has resulted in the good standards of behaviour. The school responded to concerns about boisterous behaviour at playtimes by employing a play leader over lunch. Parents and pupils are aware that behaviour has improved because lively pupils are now kept involved in physical games, such as volleyball, and quieter pupils have access to a good range of play equipment. The school also has good procedures to deal with bullying, harassment or racial incidents. All incidents are taken seriously; the incident and the action taken are recorded carefully. Most parents are very satisfied with the school’s approach to bullying and pupils have great confidence in their teachers. Pupils report that they will tell the head teacher if necessary and they

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

know that she will deal with their problems. Earby Springfield Primary School- 17 43. Improvements still need to be made in the way that teachers record pupils’ achievement. Although the progress pupils make in writing and mathematics is carefully monitored, there needs to be improvements in the way the development of spelling and reading skills are recorded. Assessment procedures are not satisfactory in science, information and communication technology, history, geography, design and technology and art and design. The school has lots of information about pupils’ annual achievements in English and mathematics but this information has not been gathered together and used sufficiently to monitor individual pupils’ progress carefully over time in order to assist their future learning.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

44. Pupils’ personal development is monitored well. The school is aware of pupils’ attitudes to school and whether they have improved or deteriorated. Individual teachers and senior staff have very good knowledge of individual pupils and offer very good personal support.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

45. Parents are very pleased with the standards of education offered by the school. They are comfortable about approaching the school with questions or problems and feel that the school works well with parents. This is a significant improvement since the previous inspection, when a small number of parents felt that their concerns were not taken seriously. Parents report that their children like school and are making good progress. They feel that their children are being helped to become mature and responsible. Parents are aware that the school is well led and managed and that teaching is good. They report improvements in communication between home and school since the appointment of the present head teacher. They are especially appreciative of the head teacher’s firm and able leadership and how well their children are cared for. The school has good relationships with parents and this helps to enhance pupils’ learning.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

46. Parents were concerned about the provision for activities outside of lessons. There is a satisfactory range of activities but these are sometimes limited to one year group at a time. Sporting and musical opportunities outside lessons are satisfactory overall.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

47. The majority of parents try hard to assist their children’s learning at home and at school. Many parents listen regularly to their children read. They record these activities carefully in their children’s reading record books but these books are not used consistently to enhance communication between home and school. The school is fortunate to have a very active Parents, Teachers and Friends Association which organises fund raising and social events. Parents enjoy watching their children perform in assemblies and Christmas shows.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

48. Information for parents is very good. The prospectus is of high quality and the Governors’ Report to Parents is very detailed and reflects the work of the school. Parents appreciate the regular Friday newsletter and they are kept well informed about the subjects that are being taught by class teachers. Reports were unsatisfactory at the time of the previous inspection. They have improved substantially and are now of good quality, telling parents clearly what their children know and can do. When writing about English, teachers are sometimes tempted to use educational jargon which is difficult to understand.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

49. The parents of pupils with special educational needs are fully involved and consulted on the provision the school seeks to make for their children. They are invited routinely to review meetings, and methods of extending the programme into the home are discussed.

p.17

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

50. The leadership and management of the headteacher and deputy headteacher are good and they work well together as a team with an effective governing body and staff to the benefit of all pupils at the school. Earby Springfield Primary School- 18 51. Throughout the governors and the whole teaching and non-teaching staff there is a strong commitment to the care of pupils to enable them to realise their academic and social potential. The school is very well placed to raise standards. Both headteacher and governors are committed to offering an all-round education. The school provides well for the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils; the resulting positive attitudes to learning, very good relationships and good behaviour provide a good basis for further improvements in academic standards. The aims identified in the mission statement are fulfilled very well.

p.17

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

52. Subject co-ordinators fulfil their roles well and with effective delegation have begun to monitor standards within their areas of responsibility. The management has ensured that there is a consistency of approach in subject co-ordination. The action plans are generally drawn up thoroughly and linked well to improving standards. The senior managers have worked hard to enhance pupils’ performance in English and mathematics and have put in place effective strategies to raise pupils’ achievements in these subjects by the end of Year 6; however, insufficient attention has been given to raising standards in science.

p.18

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

53. Management by the co-ordinator for special educational needs is good; regular time is allocated to her duties and this pays off in a well-managed system where the co-ordinator knows the needs of the pupils well. The policy for pupils with special educational needs requires updating to reflect and secure the good practice in the school.

p.18

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

54. The governing body is effective and endeavours to meet its statutory responsibilities. Many of the governors are longstanding members of the governing body. The governing body has been instrumental in leading the school forward very well through the appointment of high calibre senior staff; for example, it ensured that the appointed headteacher and deputy headteacher met the needs of the school. It monitors finances well and has built up a sizeable surplus to develop nursery provision and the refurbishment of toilet facilities for older pupils. The governing body has set out policies or draft policies for most aspects of the school’s work, and these provide useful guidance to staff. There is a strong commitment to provide for the needs of all children in the community.

p.18

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

55. The school has put in place good procedures to assess the performance of teachers based on the satisfactory monitoring of their teaching by the headteacher and other senior teachers and the consequent identification of areas for teachers’ personal development. Good procedures for the checking of pupils’ progress have also been established. The headteacher is aware of the need to develop further the tracking of pupils’ performance to effect improvements in standards. The school has a wealth of data relating to pupils’ attainment but has not established precise manageable procedures to monitor and record pupils’ progress referenced to subdivisions of the levels of the National Curriculum. Some work has begun recently on using a computer programme to record and analyse the information so that the school can monitor the progress of individual pupils and groups of pupils effectively, and to set targets for further improvement.

p.18

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

56. The school’s accommodation is good and it is used well to assist pupils’ learning; however, plans to develop a suitable outdoor area for children in the reception class have not yet been implemented. The established teachers are competent and set a good example to new teachers through the quality of their teaching and in the leadership and management of their areas of responsibility. The school is well placed to train new teachers. Teaching assistants work very well alongside teachers and assist the learning of pupils, particularly those with special educational needs.

p.18

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

57. The governing body has a clear understanding of ways to ensure that finances are used to best effect. It judges the implications of spending and considers carefully the merits of different options. Parents’ views are sought whenever appropriate; for example, they are consulted on changes of policies, and they are provided with information about proposed priorities for inclusion in the school improvement plan.

p.18

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

58. The leadership and management of the school have improved since the last inspection. Parents hold the school in high regard and, rightly, judge that the school is well led and managed. Earby Springfield Primary School- 19

p.18

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

59. The headteacher, staff and governors should take the following action:

p.19

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

1. Improve pupils’ speaking skills by*: • engaging pupils in discussion during English lessons • providing more opportunities for pupils to develop their speaking skills in all subjects (Paragraphs: 1, 5, 9, 11, 23, 61, 62, 63, 66, 70, 72, 75)

p.19

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

2. Raise pupils’ performance in science by the end of Year 6 and the quality of teaching in Years 3 to 6 by*: • allocating more time for the teaching of the subject • giving pupils more opportunities to carry out and record their own investigations (Paragraphs: 2 8, 13, 17, 19, 24, 52, 85, 86)

p.19

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

3. Improve standards in information and communication technology by the end of Year 6 by*: • implementing fully the school improvement plan for the subject • providing more opportunities for pupils to use information and communication technology in other subjects (Paragraphs: 89, 108, 111, 118)

p.19

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

4. Develop systems to check and track pupils’ progress precisely and use the information to assist pupils’ future learning* (Paragraphs: 8, 43, 55, 77, 83, 86, 88, 90, 97, 104, 109, 114, 118, 130)

p.19

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

The following less important areas for development should be included in the action plan:

p.19

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Ensure the policy for special educational needs provides guidance on the recent national Code of Practice for special educational needs* (Paragraphs: 26, 53)

p.19

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Plan more opportunities to develop pupils’ skills in, numeracy, speaking and writing in other subjects (Paragraphs: 9, 25, 72, 83, 100, 102)

p.19

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Develop pupils’ awareness of the cultural diversity of British Society by providing pupils with more first-hand experiences (Paragraphs: 24, 37, 87)

p.19

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

*Staff and governors have identified these already as areas for improvement. Earby Springfield Primary School- 20

p.19

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 37

p.20

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

p.20

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

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 just under two percentage points.

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 207

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 48

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 9

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

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

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 0

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

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

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 15 Earby Springfield Primary School- 21

p.20

Attendance

National comparative data 5.6 National comparative data 5.4

p.21

Attendance

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

p.21

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

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

p.21

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.21

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

Boys * * * Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls * * *

p.21

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

School 89 (72) 89 (76) 100 (97) Percentage of pupils

p.21

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

at NC level 2 or above National 84 (84) 86 (86) 90 (91)

p.21

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.21

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

Girls * * * Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above

p.21

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

School 89 (72) 83 (83) 89 (90) Percentage of pupils

p.21

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

at NC level 2 or above National 85 (85) 89 (89) 89 (89)

p.21

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

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

p.21

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

*Details of the numbers of boys and girls achieving Level 2 have not been included because fewer than 11 boys or girls were in the year group. Earby Springfield Primary School- 22

p.21

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

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

p.22

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.22

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

Girls 12 12 13 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above

p.22

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

School 77 (67) 80 (61) 83 (88) Percentage of pupils

p.22

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

at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 73 (71) 86 (87)

p.22

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.22

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

Girls 12 12 12 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above

p.22

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

School 77 (58) 80 (64) 74 (61) Percentage of pupils

p.22

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

at NC level 4 or above National 73 (72) 74 (74) 82 (82)

p.22

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

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Earby Springfield Primary School- 23

p.22

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.23

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

White – any other White background 0 0 0

p.23

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Mixed – any other mixed background 1 0 0

p.23

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – Pakistani 0 0 0

p.23

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 0 0 0

p.23

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.23

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – Caribbean 0 0 0

p.23

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.23

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. Earby Springfield Primary School- 24

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 8.5 Financial year 2001/2

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 24.4

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total expenditure 480960

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 12 Expenditure per pupil 2335

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 200 Balance brought forward from previous year 50883

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 77280

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 2

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 3.4

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 1.4

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0 FTE means full-time equivalent. Earby Springfield Primary School- 25

p.24

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

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

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 51 40 6 0 3

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 45 48 3 4 0

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 33 50 11 2 5

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 40 53 3 4 0

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 77 20 3 0 0

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 70 27 3 0 0

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 57 33 7 3 0

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 67 29 1 1 1

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 59 33 3 0 4

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 32 44 16 5 3 Earby Springfield Primary School- 26

p.25

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

60. Children’s levels of attainment in the six areas of learning are likely to be in line with those normally expected by the end of the reception year. Children make good progress overall as the quality of teaching is good.

p.26

Personal, social and emotional development

61. The quality of teaching is good and children achieve well and are on course to meet the nationally expected standards by the end of the reception class. At the start of the day, most children are happy to come into school and the few who find parting from parents difficult quickly settle because of the help and comfort that staff provide for these children. Children know the class routines, such as hanging up their coats sensibly before awaiting instructions from their teachers. Occasionally, teachers miss opportunities to develop children’s independence; for example, children were not encouraged to register their attendance themselves. Children take turns willingly and work well together, though a significant minority sit passively and await instructions from staff. They answer direct questions but are quite happy to sit and work without speaking. Members of staff have a pleasant manner with the children and organise activities well , which helps ensure

p.26

Personal, social and emotional development

children’s good behaviour and interest in their work. All staff present positive role models to the children and encourage the children to share their friends and to consider why each one of them is special. The children enjoy being given the opportunity by teachers to work alongside older pupils, including those with profound special educational needs. Most children listen attentively to instructions and respond enthusiastically; however, a significant minority do not take an active role in discussions.

p.26

Communication, language and literacy

62. Children enter school with below average attainment overall and, in particular, they generally have well below average communication skills. The children make good progress, as the teaching is good on balance, and they are on course to achieve the expected levels overall in this area of learning by the end of the reception year; however, their speaking skills are likely to be still below average.

p.26

Communication, language and literacy

63. The teaching builds skilfully on children’s answers by extracting salient points. A very supportive atmosphere assists learning; however, the teaching does not extend children’s contributions by modelling their sentences so as to extend speaking skills. Most children speak in simple sentences which are not adventurous in content; for example, in a group time, the children took turns to complete a sentence, ‘My friend is ….’ and their responses were simplistic, for instance, ‘…. because he plays with me.’ In role-play, children are enthusiastic and talk to each other using simple sentences and questions but infrequent adult involvement limits further language development.

p.26

Communication, language and literacy

64. Teachers encourage children to select their own books as well as ensuring that children have a book selected by staff which is suited to the child’s level of attainment. The children enjoy reading and are interested in books. Teachers listen to individual children read whilst others are looking intently at their own selected books. Higher attainers can read simple words, such as ‘cat’ and ‘can’, and know the sounds of letters and some groups of letters. Average attainers talk enthusiastically about the sequence of pictures in a book and, for example, made comments on the behaviour of characters. Most children, including lower attainers, by the end of the reception year, can hear and say the initial and final sounds in most words expected to be known by children of this age. Earby Springfield Primary School- 27 65. Lesson plans are detailed and provide clear direction for teachers and classroom assistants

p.26

Communication, language and literacy

of the objectives of the learning and activities to support the learning. Resources are used well; for example, the teacher used a soft toy well to encourage children to develop an understanding of initial sounds in words; the children were keen to learn and correct the deliberate mistakes the soft toy had supposedly made. Classroom assistants are deployed well when working in small groups to push on children’s learning, particularly those children with special educational needs and lower attainers; however, during whole class teaching , the classroom assistants do not take an active part and are merely observers. By the end of the reception year, most children can write simple sentences with help. Higher attainers spell simple words correctly and can rearrange a string of words to make a sentence. Lower attainers write a simple message with the help of an adult.

p.27

Mathematical Development

66. The quality of teaching is good and, as a result, children achieve well and are on course to reach the expected level by the end of the reception. Lessons are introduced well because the lesson plans are good and work is identified for children according to their level of attainment; however, the initial whole class teaching session is far too long and a significant minority of children lose concentration. Mathematical language is developed well; for example, in one lesson, children gained a better understanding of positional language, such as ‘in front’, ‘above’, ‘below’, and higher attainers were challenged to define the meaning of ‘in between’. Many of the children are placid during whole class learning and sometimes the questioning does not draw out discussion from them sufficiently. In small groups, the children are actively engaged in developing and consolidating learning; for example, lower attainers, with adult help, sorted shells according to size and shape.

p.27

Mathematical Development

Average attainers practised counting the number of beads on a string. Higher attainers found the correct number of 1p coins to pay for fruit costing 14p. The teacher had to work hard to encourage higher attainers to talk about their tasks as the children tended to answer with one word, although they could pay 7p out of their purses and state how much was left.

p.27

Knowledge and understanding of the world

67. The children are likely to meet the standards expected nationally by the end of the reception year. The quality of teaching is good and the children achieve well. The children gained an increased understanding of the world around them because teachers plan interesting activities for them to take part in; for example, a ‘greengrocer’s shop’ not only enabled children to develop their mathematical skills but helped the children to identify and name different fruits and vegetables. In the role-play wood, the children put on masks to represent different animals and gained a better understanding of the habitats of the animals and of language, such as ‘hibernation’. They found out more about farm animals by searching for information in a ‘talking book’, using the computer. By the end of the reception, higher attainers can separate small creatures and animals according to the number of their legs and record their findings graphically. Most children know the major parts of

p.27

Knowledge and understanding of the world

a body. Lower attainers show, pictorially , how to plant a seed. They enjoyed watching chicks hatch and grow, and frogspawn emerge into tadpoles and then into frogs.

p.27

Physical development

68. Children are likely to meet the national expectations by the end of the reception class. The teaching is satisfactory and children make sound progress. The children have limited opportunities to develop learning further in an outdoor environment because there is no suitable area immediately adjacent to the classroom; however, this has been recognised by the school and an area will be available in the near future. Ample resources and good internal accommodation enable teachers to plan a wide range of activities to help the children to develop their skills; for example, in a well- organised lesson , the children practised riding wheeled vehicles, such as tricycles and carts, to improve steering skills by negotiating obstacles and following tracks. They threw and caught balls, although some children were rather timid and lacked catching and throwing skills. Teachers remind children to wash their hands and to put on clean aprons before baking. In a lesson, the children

p.27

Physical development

used scales to weigh out materials for their ‘hedgehog’ buns and took turns to mix ingredients. The staff questioned the children effectively to ensure each child understood the process. Earby Springfield Primary School- 28

p.27

Creative development

69. The quality of teaching is good and children achieve well and are likely to meet the expected standards by the end of the reception year. The children join in songs with enthusiasm; for example, they swayed in time to ‘Daisy Daisy’. Through singing ‘Heads and Shoulders, Knees and Toes’ they gained a better understanding of parts of the body as well as following the music with movements when the words were not sung. Teachers create imaginative areas within the classroom to develop imagination in collaborative role-play; for example in the ‘wood’, the children crawled through ‘burrows’ and imagined they were different animals. The children used the area well to express their fears and feelings. Some creative activities are rather prescribed and sometimes children do not have opportunities to develop their own ideas.

p.28

ENGLISH

70. Attainment in reading and writing is average for pupils in Year 2, as it is in the rest of the school, except for Year 6, where a very high proportion of pupils with special educational needs means that standards are below average overall this year. Standards are higher in reading than in writing in both Year 2 and Year 6, broadly reflecting the position nationally in Year 2 but with the gap significantly narrowing by 2002 for the pupils in Year 6. In speaking, attainment is below average overall for pupils in both Year 2 and Year 6, although it is showing good improvement on the well below average standards on entry to school. Most pupils, including those with special educational needs, enjoy their work and achieve well.

p.28

ENGLISH

71. Despite the lower results expected for the current Year 6 class because of a high proportion of pupils with learning difficulties, pupils’ achievement, relative to their prior attainment is good, whereas, although standards were in line with the national average at the last inspection pupils’ achievement was satisfactory. Writing is now average for pupils in Year 2, an improvement since the last inspection. More pupils in Year 6 are now writing at a higher level than average. In reading, improvements have been most marked at the upper end of the ability range, with more pupils achieving at higher levels in both Year 2 and Year 6. Standards have been affected by the introduction of the national literacy strategy and the strong commitment of staff to moving standards forward. Teaching has improved and a review of past work indicates that it is now good overall, although during the inspection, the quality of teaching varied from very good to occasionally

p.28

ENGLISH

72. Throughout the school, pupils show a good ability to sit quietly, listening, but most are reticent in making contributions to discussions. Some speak out clearly but most use a limited vocabulary for their age and need prompting or further questions to help them to provide sufficient detail. The narrow range of vocabulary in use is evident within written work, especially for the younger pupils. For the older pupils, suitable work on vocabulary extension helps to enrich written work, particularly in Years 5 and 6. Insufficient opportunities are arranged across the curriculum for structured discussions. In many lessons, even where teaching is good overall, the class teaching section consists largely of teachers talking and pupils listening, with insufficient opportunity provided for pupils to give answers of more than one or two words. Where teaching is very good, the teacher engages in a dialogue of good quality with pupils, enabling them to extend their skills. In a

p.28

ENGLISH

very good lesson in Year 6, for example, pupils worked hard to provide lines of poetry which likened the classes in school to weather terminology. Technical vocabulary, such as ‘long and short vowels’ in Year 4 and ‘alliteration’ in Year 6, helped pupils to discuss their work.

p.28

ENGLISH

73. Reading is taught well throughout the school. Pupils display a good interest in books, both fiction and non-fiction, and enjoy finding out from them. This is largely due to the enthusiasm for books shown by teachers, the weekly library lessons and daily individual reading practice. By the end of Year 2, the great majority of pupils are reading confidently, with appropriate skill and with a good knowledge of letter sounds that helps them to tackle unknown words. However, for those who are not achieving the required standard, the lack of a system for recording pupils’ reading skills means that the way forward is not always sufficiently clear. The system of practising skills within Earby Springfield Primary School- 29 guided reading groups, advocated by the national literacy strategy, is not well established in some classes, and consequently further opportunities for teaching and learning are missed. By Year 6,

p.28

ENGLISH

most pupils have a suitable awareness of the different types and styles of books and a deepening understanding of the nuances of meaning in the text. Boys show the same interest as girls and the most recent national test results show that girls and boys achieve similar success. Reading texts linked to other subjects, such as history, are sometimes used in English and this is a useful strategy for learning in both subjects; the text work observed in Year 5, for example, was based on the Siege of Troy.

p.29

ENGLISH

74. The school’s focus since the last inspection on improving pupils’ writing skills has paid off in improved standards. On entry to Year 1, standards are improving year on year and this is having a positive knock-on effect through both Year 1 and Year 2. By the end of Year 2, the writing skills of most pupils reach a suitable level for their age, although few exceed this level. Sentences are properly punctuated and descriptions become more detailed; handwriting is clear and legible. Spelling is taught systematically and, consequently, most pupils develop a good understanding of letter sounds and blends. Resources used with the younger pupils captivate their interest and aid learning; the ‘Wizzie Wizard’ puppet checks pupils’ written work. Opportunities are sometimes missed, from Year 2 onwards, to provide pupils with extra practice in spelling during whole class teaching sessions; individual writing boards, for example, are not always used when appropriate to

p.29

ENGLISH

allow pupils to write for themselves the words being taught. This also means that teachers and teaching assistants miss opportunities to check and respond to pupils’ spelling difficulties. Too few wrong spellings are highlighted for correction when teachers mark written work and this leads to repeated errors for some pupils. By Year 6, the spelling and punctuation skills of most pupils reach a suitable level of proficiency and, although the quality of handwriting varies, most pupils can produce neat joined script. Pupils enjoy reading and composing poetry and this successfully improves their awareness of descriptive words and phrases. Few opportunities are provided, however, for pupils’ to produce extended written work within other subjects and this is an area for development.

p.29

ENGLISH

75. Although teaching is good overall, it varies between very good and, occasionally, unsatisfactory. The best teaching inspires pupils to learn very well in the time available and sets an appropriate challenge that they can achieve if they try their best. In a very good lesson in Year 6, for example, pupils worked hard to understand a metaphorical poem which described family relationships in the terminology of a weather report before they moved on to describe classes in school in a similar way. The lower attaining pupils worked well with a teaching assistant to study and produce their own poems based on the characteristics of a cat. In the small number of lessons where teaching was unsatisfactory, the teacher expected too little of the pupils, spent a very high proportion of the lesson talking whilst the class listened without active involvement and provided too little time for individual work or for teaching small groups of pupils.

p.29

ENGLISH

76. Teaching for the pupils with special educational needs is good overall and sometimes very good. Consequently, these pupils make good progress in relation to the learning targets set within individual education plans. Tasks are generally well matched to the pupils’ needs and they are supported well by both teachers and teaching assistants. This is particularly true of classes, such as Year 6, where there is a high proportion of such pupils. In classes with a small number of pupils with special educational needs, tasks are not always targeted so well and do not always closely match the specific learning needs of the pupil.

p.29

ENGLISH

77. The subject co-ordinator has succeeded well over the past year in setting up systems for improving standards but there is more work to be done. The writing and library skills checklists are proving very useful in leading teaching and learning and for assessing pupils’ work. There are no similar systems in place for reading or for speaking and listening and this means that the focus for teaching, learning and assessment is sometimes less clear; this is limiting the progress of lower attaining pupils. The co-ordinator has observed lessons in every class and this has provided encouragement to staff. However, the lesson observations do not always have a sufficiently sharp focus to be useful in picking up specific points for improvement. Resources for learning are adequate and are improving each year. Earby Springfield Primary School- 30

p.29

MATHEMATICS

78. Standards by the end of Year 2 are likely to be above the national average. Pupils’ performance by the end of Year 6 is on course to be below average because of the high proportion of pupils (five out of 36 pupils) with statements of special educational need. Pupils’ achievements, relative to their prior attainment, are good. Standards have improved since the last inspection, particularly by the end of Year 2, because the quality of teaching is good in both the infants and juniors.

p.30

MATHEMATICS

79. Throughout the school, pupils build on their previous learning well and gain increased understanding by consolidating their learning through practice and the effective teaching of new learning. In the best lessons in Years 1 and 2, pupils are involved actively in learning similar work, though at different levels, dependent on their prior attainments. Teaching assistants help lower attainers very well; for example, in a Year 1 lesson, the teaching assistant, following guidance from the teacher, ensured a brisk pace of learning for a small group of lower attainers to enable them to do similar work to other pupils on money problems. The teacher pushed on the learning of average and higher attainers whilst the teaching assistant concentrated on helping the lower attainers. At the end of the lesson, the teacher gave pupils a clear understanding of their success and ways they could improve as well as providing opportunities for pupils to discuss their work.

p.30

MATHEMATICS

80. Lesson plans are clear and provide detailed help to teachers; for example, in Year 2, the teaching was helped by identifying detailed ways to assist pupils to understand multiplication by two. By the end of the lesson, higher attainers could understand the term ‘sets of’ better and multiplied by two accurately up to 20. Lower attainers, with help, worked out and recorded the answers of up to 9 x 2 by counting groups of two plastic blocks. The pupils were keen to work with one another and the adults.

p.30

MATHEMATICS

81. Older pupils work hard and the teaching is kept at a brisk pace during the introductory parts of lessons; for example, in Year 5 , pupils were keen to make a target number of 618 combining 100, 1,4,3, 5 and 6 , using addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. The activity enabled pupils to work at their appropriate level of attainment. Teaching assistants helped lower attainers to fulfil the task. New learning is explained clearly and challenging tasks are set for each level of attainment. Pupils are proud of their achievements and their behaviour is of a high standard; for example, in Year 5, an average attainer was pleased to announce to others that he had completed his work and he was doing extension work.

p.30

MATHEMATICS

82. In the best lessons in Years 3 to 6, there is very good help for pupils with special educational needs and this enables them to work alongside other pupils as they complete similar work to others, although it is pitched at a lower level suited to their needs. In a Year 6 lesson, lower attainers identified coordinates in all four quadrants of a graph with help from teaching assistants; average attainers worked independently on similar work, with occasional help from teachers; higher attainers confidently completed the work and began additional work to plot the position of quadrilaterals using compass points. Teachers helped raise pupils’ self esteem and confidence by celebrating pupils’ successes. The teaching was well prepared and there was an expectation of pupils to use correct mathematical language, such as ‘horizontal’, ‘vertical’ and ‘axis’. Unsatisfactory features of otherwise satisfactory teaching resulted from a slow pace of learning

p.30

MATHEMATICS

with not enough challenging questioning for higher attainers during whole class mental sessions. There was insufficient discussion with lower attainers to check their understanding of new learning. Teaching assistants were not actively involved when the whole class was being taught together. Earby Springfield Primary School- 31 83. The leadership and management of the subject are good. The co-ordinator leads the subject enthusiastically. The quality of her teaching is an example for others and is acknowledged in her role as a leading mathematics’ teacher for the local education authority. The monitoring of planning is good; however, few opportunities are planned either to develop numeracy skills in other subjects or to use information and communication technology to help learning in mathematics. Teachers have a wealth of information about how well pupils are doing; however, this information has not been drawn together into a manageable system to enable the tracking of pupils’ progress to

p.30

MATHEMATICS

small steps of learning referenced to sub-divisions of levels of the National Curriculum. If this was done, the school could more easily set targets for pupil to improve standards further.

p.31

SCIENCE

84. In the 2002 National Curriculum teacher assessments, standards of attainment by the end of Year 2 were below those expected nationally. Standards for the current generation of Year 2 pupils are in line with national expectations, indicating an improving picture. The rise in standards results from the introduction of detailed subject guidelines which give good help to teachers and enable pupils to build up knowledge and understanding in small progressive steps. Additionally, teachers of Years 1 and 2 provide good opportunities for investigative tasks, enabling pupils to pose questions and predict outcomes of experiments. This consolidates pupils’ learning, enabling them to make good progress in lessons.

p.31

SCIENCE

85. Standards in science are well below those expected nationally at the end of Year 6, and below similar schools. Pupils’ achievement is unsatisfactory when compared with their results in national tests at age seven. This is because the school has focused on raising pupils’ standards in English and mathematics, allocating less teaching time to science. Whilst most of the teaching observed during the inspection was good, discussions with pupils and scrutiny of their work over time revealed inconsistencies in teaching.

p.31

SCIENCE

86. A weakness in teaching across Years 3 to 6 is the lack of opportunities provided for pupils to collect their own materials or to devise the format of their own investigations. There is insufficient promotion of these skills in science so that , in the Year 6 lesson observed , pupils tackled an experiment using trial and error, rather than first thinking about the demands of the problem and the best way to solve it. Additionally, most teachers do not plan work that meets the needs of differing groups of pupils. This results in a lack of challenge for high attaining pupils, limiting opportunities for them to work within the higher levels of the National Curriculum, and in work which is too difficult for those of below average ability. Most teachers mark pupils’ work regularly, but do not challenge pupils to spell subject-specific vocabulary correctly, even when this has been copied from a worksheet or the board. Pupils’ ability to record their results in a variety of ways is limited because

p.31

SCIENCE

teachers frequently supply pre-printed charts for this purpose. Opportunities to interpret data are also limited. The lack of careful analysis of pupils’ work over time to identify strengths and weaknesses in learning, together with the level of monitoring of quality of teaching and learning in classrooms, has resulted in weaknesses going undetected.

p.31

SCIENCE

87. A good feature of the teaching is that teachers place a good emphasis on pupils acquiring facts and knowledge. Hence, as pupils move through the school, they build a good understanding about living things and of physical processes such as electricity, or vibration and sound. This starts in Years 1 and 2 when pupils are taught to use scientific language to describe their observations and findings; for example, pupils in Year 1 could say that metals were ‘heavy’, ‘shiny’, ‘cold’ and ‘hard’, whilst in Year 5, pupils used words ‘evaporate’ and ‘condense’ to describe the flow of gases. In the best lessons, teachers recap effectively on previous learning at the start of a new lesson so that pupils build on prior learning. Interesting introductions, with clear instructions, prepare pupils well for the task, so that pupils know what to do and work independently. In most lessons, pupils listen attentively and work hard because teachers have high expectations of pupils’ work output and

p.31

SCIENCE

behaviour. Teachers use additional classroom help very well; for example, the effective help given to the significant number of pupils with special educational needs in Year 6 enabled them to complete the same activities as their peers. Earby Springfield Primary School- 32 88. Pupils enjoy science lessons. They show good levels of interest and enthusiasm and persevere with difficult tasks. Year 1 pupils were challenged to make choices in their learning because the teacher provided practical, open-ended tasks whereby pupils investigated the properties, and suitability for wrapping, of various papers. This also gave good opportunities for pupils to develop social skills, such as independence and sharing of resources. However, most teachers keep a tight control of investigations, limiting opportunities for pupils to generate their own ideas. This restricts pupils’ participation and rate of learning.

p.31

SCIENCE

89. There are satisfactory opportunities for pupils to apply skills taught in other subjects; for example, using mathematical skills of measurement. Literacy skills are developed well and result in the overall good quality of presentation in pupils’ written work in science. Weaknesses in teaching arise from the fact that teachers do not make sufficient use of information and communication technology to help pupils learn.

p.32

SCIENCE

90. The subject co-ordinator acknowledges the low status of science on the school’s overall development plan, and has begun to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of pupils’ answers to questions in national tests. This information provides a good basis for the subject’s development. Assessment procedures are unsatisfactory overall. Information gained from teachers’ assessments is insufficiently detailed, and cannot be used as a management tool to track the attainment and progress of individual, groups, and cohorts of pupils as they move through the school. Since the last inspection, improvement in the subject has been unsatisfactory. The school still does not monitor the quality of teaching and learning in classrooms, so that weaknesses in provision have gone undetected, and pupils’ standards, by the end of Year 6, have declined significantly.

p.32

ART AND DESIGN

91. Standards in art and design are above those found nationally at the end of Years 2 and 6. This indicates good improvement from the last inspection when standards were in line with those expected nationally for Year 2 pupils. Most pupils, including those with special educational needs, achieve well. Pupils develop good skills of close observation. They use pencil well to create line and tone, and show high levels of confidence when drawing. Consistently good teaching, and the beneficial influence of the art club, have developed pupils’ learning in art and design successfully. Members of staff display pupils’ artwork very effectively, successfully promoting pupils’ self-esteem and creating a very attractive working environment.

p.32

ART AND DESIGN

92. The quality of teaching is good. A strength in teaching is the effective teacher demonstrations of new techniques; for example, Year 2 pupils successfully manipulated paper into spirals, loops and zig- zags because they followed the teacher’s good demonstration and instructions well. Teachers show high levels of knowledge and understanding and use subject- specific vocabulary so that Year 3 pupils, for instance, confidently use words such as ‘tone’ and ‘primary colours’ when describing their work. Pupils are motivated and interested because teachers provide interesting activities that build carefully over a period of time; for example, Year 6 pupils have researched a chosen theme prior to developing first and second drafts of a design for a stamp. They access books and Internet, and some, independently, visit museums and a library for additional information. The work is relevant because the teacher will send the finished designs to

p.32

ART AND DESIGN

The Royal Mail, giving purpose to the learning.

p.32

ART AND DESIGN

93. Teachers ensure that pupils’ information and technology skills are developed appropriately, so that pupils become confident users of facilities such as ‘spray’ and ‘fill’ when using a graphics program; for example, Year 2 pupils examined pictures by Jackson Pollock before completing successful computer generated designs in a similar style. Good use is made of pupils’ skills to support other subjects; for example, Year 5 pupils, skilfully, illustrated their individual poems about water, sketching background detail of a high quality to complement and enhance the finished work.

p.32

ART AND DESIGN

94. A strength of the teaching is the way in which pupils’ skills are extended effectively through examining the work of artists; for example, Year 4 pupils captured the style of David Hockney’s Earby Springfield Primary School- 33 painting ‘The Splash’, skilfully using a build up of paper and crayon to represent the water’s depth and rippled effect. From an early age, pupils are taught well to use pencil in a variety of ways to develop a good range of mark-making techniques. This was illustrated well in the Year 1 work on Van Gogh, when pupils were challenged to complete the missing half of the artist’s drawing to correspond with the first. The finished work was of a high standard, showing sensitive control of pencil. A weakness in the teaching is the lack of work in sculpture. Whilst pupils have satisfactory opportunities to use clay and other modelling media, they rarely attempt larger pieces. This

p.32

ART AND DESIGN

95. Pupils enjoy art and design lessons. They use materials with respect and work collaboratively, pooling ideas. Pupils help each other well, offering advice, and assisting willingly when two pairs of hands are required. By Year 6, the good teaching has resulted in a high degree of individual thought and creativity.

p.33

ART AND DESIGN

96. There is good subject guidance for art and design which is currently being developed further to include detailed analysis of skills and examples of how to achieve them. This is a key reason why pupils achieve good standards of attainment because they develop knowledge and increase skills in a consistent way. This enables them to approach new work with good levels of confidence.

p.33

ART AND DESIGN

97. The leadership and management of the subject are good. The co-ordinator is a skilled practitioner, giving knowledgeable and enthusiastic support and advice to colleagues, and this benefits pupils’ good achievement. Systems to check pupils’ achievement are at an early stage of development and do not indicate attainment and progress over time. A number of pupils regularly attend the art club to improve their techniques further, but there is no regular programme of visiting artists or visits to art galleries.

p.33

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

98. By the end of Years 2 and 6, pupils reach nationally expected standards. Pupils, including those with special educational needs, achieve satisfactorily as they move through the school. Standards are similar to those reported at the last inspection.

p.33

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

99. A strength of the teaching is the way in which planning of lessons systematically builds up the design process, and develops effectively pupils’ skills, knowledge and understanding; for example, Year 2 pupils examined the construction of a range of puppets, prior to designing. The teacher ensured that pupils had good insight into possible problems by first making prototypes, and practising sewing skills on cardboard cut outs. Pupils were motivated to work hard because the completed puppets were used in a class puppet show. Teachers give good opportunities for pupils to evaluate their work and to say how it could be improved. This enables pupils to develop a critical appraisal of the finished item. Teachers ensure that the work is relevant, so that pupils are interested and can add their own ideas; for example, Year 5 pupils, making musical instruments, first evaluated types of instruments, the materials used and the ways of playing, before deciding on

p.33

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

their chosen projects. This gave pupils a good working knowledge and understanding of the design and finished requirements.

p.33

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

100. A weakness in the teaching is that teachers do not make sufficient use of information and communication technology at any stage of the design, make and evaluate process, nor as a method of controlling pupils’ models. Some teachers do use a digital camera to record the finished products, but this is not a consistent feature throughout the school. Earby Springfield Primary School- 34 101. Where teaching is good, pupils are given a range of materials, so that they make individual choices, sometimes learning from mistakes when the choice is too adventurous; for example, discussions with current Year 3 pupils indicated choice of decoration and flavouring when making biscuits. One pupil explained how she would use more cocoa next time, whilst another would use fewer colours in her decoration. In the one lesson observed, the teacher’s clear design brief and attention to the component parts of a slipper enabled all pupils to gain sound insight into the stages

p.33

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

of working and assembly, resulting in good progress in their understanding of the design process; however, all pupils used the same materials for making and decoration, thus reducing the scope of learning overall by limiting opportunities to contrast and compare the finished items. Pupils with special educational needs made very good progress due to the very effective support they received. Most teachers encourage pupils to take a pride in their work when they make their products; for instance, scrutiny of slippers made by the last Year 6 cohort of pupils showed very careful attention to the quality of sewing, and overall finish and function.

p.34

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

102. Teachers provide good opportunities for pupils to combine aspects of their learning; for example, as part of a history project, Year 4 pupils designed pop-up storybooks about Greek Gods, devising slide mechanisms, and attachments to allow ‘Icarus’ to sail across the sky. When producing brochures in Year 6 literacy work, pupils designed a three-fold pamphlet. Overall, teachers provide too few opportunities for pupils to apply measuring skills, taught in mathematics, to the design process.

p.34

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

103. The subject provides good opportunities for pupils’ personal development. Pupils help each other with difficult tasks, such as threading needles, or attaching materials. They handle resources with respect and share materials. They develop good levels of concentration and learn to persevere and try again. Pupils talk enthusiastically about their work and demonstrate positive attitudes to the subject.

p.34

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

104. In the past, leadership and management of the subject has been strong. Teachers’ planning files contain comprehensive guidelines and lists of key skills to be taught in each year group. This indicates good improvement since the previous inspection when there was insufficient subject guidance. There is a good range of resources which are arranged systematically for ease of access. The school’s current procedures for assessing and recording pupils’ attainment and progress in the subject are insufficiently detailed, and so cannot be used effectively to track pupils’ learning. A new co-ordinator has recently been appointed, and the school has already established the training needs required. The potential is good for the further development of the subject.

p.34

GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

105. Standards are broadly average in history and geography, as they were at the time of the last inspection. The achievement of most pupils, including girls and boys and those with special educational needs, is satisfactory overall, and sometimes good. A review of past work indicates that teaching is satisfactory, although much of the teaching observed in history was good and, occasionally, very good. Only one lesson was observed in geography and that was satisfactory.

p.34

GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

106. In history, by the end of Year 2, pupils know that changes take place over time, such as in equipment used in the home. They have a suitable knowledge and understanding of famous people from the past, such as Florence Nightingale. Teachers make lessons interesting and enhance pupils’ understanding well by arranging for artefacts to be loaned from local museums and organising, for example, washdays in the style of times past. In geography, pupils in Year 1 make imaginary maps of the route of ‘Rosie’s Walk’. In Year 2, pupils make maps of the school environment and begin to recognise flat and ‘hilly’ landscape. Maps are followed within the local area and pupils include a key to symbols on their own maps. This work is extended well through a visit to Blackpool where pupils experience a ‘bird’s eye view’ of the landscape from the top of Blackpool Tower. They can identify man-made and natural features of the environment and can

p.34

GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

identify the countries of Great Britain and some other countries of the world. Earby Springfield Primary School- 35 107. By Year 6, pupils begin to analyse historical events from different standpoints, as was evident when studying the coming of the railways in Victorian times. Pupils looked at the viewpoints of the owner of the coaching inn, the farmers with fresh food to sell, the farmers whose land was purchased by railway companies and opportunities now available to city workers. Pupils in Year 5 write a diary from the viewpoint of a Spanish sailor involved in the Armada. In Year 4, pupils analyse the differences between Athens and Sparta in Ancient Greece through the study of detailed pictures and consider likely differences in the feelings and way of living for the citizens. Pupils in Year 3 learn the significance of contemporary accounts, such as that believed to have been written by a Roman soldier, describing Queen Boudicca. Geographical skills are linked, where possible, to

p.34

GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

history through the use of maps, although, in general too few maps are available for class use. By Year 6, pupils can describe the water cycle and give examples of domestic and industrial uses for water. They know that water is not as freely available in some countries where climates tend to be dry or where supply systems for transporting water are primitive. Work on a contrasting location, such as the village of Chembakolli in India, helps pupils in Year 5 to understand the contrasts between the lifestyles of the people and their own. Visits to the local village of Ribchester and the seaside town of Scarborough provide useful comparative fieldwork. Pupils, including those with special educational needs, show evidence of suitable progress over time in their subject knowledge.

p.35

GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

108. Opportunities are provided for discussion, particularly within history lessons, such as when pupils in Year 4 discussed, in pairs, the contrasting features of Athens and Sparta. Pupils develop reading skills through finding out from books or from computer websites in both subjects. Written work, however, for the pupils in Years 5 and 6, tends to lack depth; worksheets where pupils have to fill in words or write single sentences are used too often, with few opportunities for extended writing. Relatively little written work is accumulated over the year for the older pupils. Timelines are compiled, which add to pupils’ skills in mathematics, as do the co-ordinates used on maps of the local area. Few opportunities are found to use information and communication technology for either research or for recording evidence in either subject.

p.35

GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

109. The subject leader ensures that the curriculum, laid out clearly within annual plans for each year group, is put into practice through the checking of teachers’ planning. Portfolios of work are in the early stages but provide useful opportunities to establish standards for written work. Plans are set, within the school development plan, for checking the quality of teaching and learning in lessons. Assessment systems are superficial at present and lack sufficiently close links with subject skills; this limits the teachers’ and subject leader’s awareness of where standards can be raised.

p.35

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

110. Pupils’ attainment is on course to be in line with the national average by the end of Year 2 but below average by the end of Year 6. Good improvements have been made since the last inspection with the setting up of a new computer suite and effective curricular guidance. Pupils now make good progress; however, older pupils have gaps in their learning and the school has decided, rightly, to ensure that Years 5 and 6 are working at a level appropriate to their prior attainment.

p.35

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

111. The quality of teaching and learning is good throughout the school. Pupils are enthusiastic and behave very well. Pupils at all levels of attainment work together well and are proud of their achievements. Pupils are achieving well, although the use of information and communication technology to assist learning in other subjects is limited, particularly within the classroom.

p.35

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

112. In the best lessons, the teaching is well prepared and well organised, and closely follows good planning. Explanations are clear and the use of a projector linked to the computer ensures that all pupils in the class can be taught efficiently at the same time; for example, in Year 2, the teacher was able to check pupils’ understanding through effective questioning and discussion before pupils worked in pairs on computers. Pupils were very interested and keen to answer, and quickly developed skills to enable them to use a computer to create pictures in the style of Mondrian. Higher attainers learnt to use computer tools to draw straight lines. Effective help from Earby Springfield Primary School- 36 teaching assistants aided pupils with special educational needs in creating similar pictures to other pupils which helped raise their self-esteem.

p.35

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

113. In Year 5, the teacher shared with the class the learning objectives for the lesson. Questioning was of a high standard and, through discussion, enhanced pupils’ understanding of how to search for information effectively. In the lesson, some pupils searched for information using reference books and non-fiction books, others used a CD-ROM encyclopaedia whilst others worked quickly with a partner to seek information using a ‘search engine’ on the computer. At the end of the lesson, pupils compared the merits of the different methods of obtaining information. Specific work, assisted by a teaching assistant, was planned for a statemented pupil to interest and encourage learning by selecting a site about a well-known doll; this interested the pupil, who gained an insight into the usefulness of the Internet. In Year 6, pupils developed an increased understanding of the usefulness of computer in analysing data when they used a spreadsheet to calculate the area and

p.36

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

114. The leadership and management of the subject are good. The aims of the school are reflected strongly in the way that the subject is organised and the care that is taken to provide equal opportunities for all; however, the procedures to check pupils’ progress in the subject are underdeveloped. The planned development of the subject has been very effective and there is a high commitment to improve standards further through very effective teaching by capable staff. The learning resources and accommodation are good and assist pupils’ learning well.

p.36

MUSIC

115. For pupils in Year 6, standards are above average. Insufficient evidence was available to make an overall judgement on the instrumental composition skills for pupils in Year 2 but it is evident that the quality of their singing is at least satisfactory. This indicates similar overall standards to those reported in the last inspection, although improvements have been made to the curriculum, with national guidance for teaching the subject incorporated into planning for lessons.

p.36

MUSIC

116. Teachers vary in their knowledge and confidence in the subject. Some teachers, however, are well qualified and very confident and provide teaching of excellent quality for singing throughout the school and for class music lessons in Year 6. This means that standards are high in singing throughout the school and for instrumental skills for the pupils in Year 6. Pupils at all stages in the school know a good range of songs and are heard daily in school assemblies, singing enthusiastically, showing increasingly good control of breathing, diction, phrasing and pitch control. Weekly singing lessons of excellent quality are held for all pupils in reception to Year 2 and for all pupils in Years 3 to 6. Teachers show a very clear understanding of how to improve the pupils’ skills and the pupils thoroughly enjoy practising to improve their performance. The time available is very well managed, a lot of songs are worked on and pupils make very good and sometimes

p.36

MUSIC

excellent progress. Much more is achieved in these sessions than in most schools. The older pupils sing very well in two and, sometimes, three parts; they are very familiar with this work and sing with great confidence and enjoyment to produce an expressive and sensitive performance. This work is backed up for the pupils in Year 6 by further excellent practice within class lessons. When accompanied by percussion instruments, the mood and feeling generated by the singing is enhanced to a very high level. The class prepared a performance of dance, singing and instrumental composition that significantly exceeded expected standards for the age group, despite the very high proportion of pupils with special educational needs within the class. Players and singers are able to maintain their own part with a good awareness of how the other parts fit together. In Year 3, pupils devise instrument sounds to portray different animals, showing

p.36

MUSIC

satisfactory awareness of the range of sounds available and correct playing of instruments. The pupils were able to choose from an interesting range of instruments, including some from other cultures, to represent the differing movements of each animal.

p.36

MUSIC

117. The subject makes an important contribution to the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Songs taught range across different cultures and are sometimes sung in other languages. Pupils listen to music daily as they prepare for school assembly, although the title Earby Springfield Primary School- 37 and composer of the music are not routinely displayed.

p.36

MUSIC

118. The co-ordinator organises, leads and teaches the subject well. The school’s system for assessment is not linked directly to key skills in the subject and this misses opportunities to support teachers who are less skilled and confident in teaching music. Opportunities are used to practise literacy skills, through reading the words of songs and hymns, and numeracy skills, through counting beats within the music. Limited use is made of computer technology, but the electronic keyboard is used in some lessons. Recordings are not routinely made of pupils’ performances and, consequently, opportunities are missed for pupils to appreciate and improve their music further. A suitable range of instruments of good quality is available, including instruments from different cultures.

p.37

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

119. By the age of seven, pupils attain the nationally expected standards. Judgements about pupils’ attainment at age 11 cannot be made because it was not possible to observe any Year 6 lessons during the inspection; however, in dance and gymnastics lessons observed in Years 4 and 5 respectively, standards were above those expected for pupils of this age. This picture represents a satisfactory maintenance of standards since the previous inspection.

p.37

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

120. In the Year 2 lesson observed, teaching was very good. When playing the exciting introductory game, ‘Runner Bean’, the teacher emphasised the need for an effective warm up so that pupils understood the effects of exercise on the heart and muscles. Pupils made good use of available space, taking care to give others room for movement. Through effective questioning, the teacher drew attention to good practice so other pupils knew what to do to improve. Pupils were highly motivated because the teacher identified and praised the good points in everyone’s work. Good demonstration of key skills, such as following the ball when throwing, enabled pupils to develop good hand-eye coordination. Effective planning ensured a good degree of practice and systematic development of skills, so that pupils gained confidence and made very good progress. The teacher’s very good behaviour management ensured that pupils listened attentively and worked

p.37

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

121. Two lessons were observed in Years 3 to 6; a dance lesson was judged to be very good, and a gymnastics lesson to be excellent. In both lessons, teachers made good use of technical vocabulary, which enabled pupils to describe their work in subject specific terms. Teachers’ high expectations motivated pupils to attain very good standards of presentation and creative effort; for example, when dancing, pupils moved in sensitive co-operation with their partners, using differing levels, speed, arms , legs and turning hands. The teacher encouraged pupils to develop facial expressions which captured the mood of the music, thus extending the scope of their learning. Teachers’ very good behaviour management enabled all pupils, including those with special educational needs, to take part with equal enthusiasm.

p.37

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

122. Physical education makes a strong contribution to pupils’ social development. In lessons, pupils have good opportunities to work with partners and in groups. They listen to the views of others and take corporate decisions; for example, in gymnastics, pupils co-operated well, helping each other to develop and maintain control and position. In all lessons, pupils and teachers dress suitably for physical education. In this way, teachers create good opportunities to act as role models for pupils.

p.37

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

123. The school has a limited range of extra curricular activities. Currently, there is a football club for older boys and girls, run by a football coach who gives freely of his time. Visits from local rugby and football team personnel supplement this provision. In Year 5, pupils visit an activity centre where they take part in outdoor adventurous activities, such as orienteering. Such opportunities enrich the provision for physical education. Year 3 pupils attend weekly swimming lessons. An older pupil with special educational needs also joins this group, demonstrating the school’s strong commitment to cater for the needs of individual pupils. Additionally, the school has recently employed a lunchtime play leader who encourages pupils effectively to join in a good range Earby Springfield Primary School- 38 of games and to use small apparatus such as balls and hoops.

p.37

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

124. The leadership of the subject is good because the co-ordinator is knowledgeable, enthusiastic and is a good practitioner. The co-ordinator has helped teachers to implement national and local guidelines for the subject. This supports them well when planning lessons, and enables pupils to learn in a systematic way. This is a good improvement since the last inspection. The co- ordinator regularly monitors teachers’ planning, but monitoring of teaching and learning in lessons is done on a more informal basis. This reduces the scope of the co-ordination role.

p.38

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

125. Pupils’ attainment, by the end of Year 2 and Year 6, is in line with the standards set out in the local education authority’s syllabus; pupils achieve satisfactorily, including those with special educational needs. The quality of teaching is satisfactory. Pupils’ attitudes to work and behaviour are positive. Improvements since the last inspection are satisfactory.

p.38

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

126. In Years 1 and 2, pupils gain a basic insight into the customs and religious festivals of major world faiths. Visitors to school enhance pupils’ understanding; for example, a member of the Islamic faith discussed with pupils in Year 2 customs and religious artefacts. Most pupils gained a better understanding of Islamic prayer rituals through teachers’ questioning, although much of the questioning was directed towards higher attainers and some lower attainers lost concentration. Pupils were, particularly, interested in the similarities and differences between the way Muslims wash before prayer and their own practices. Pupils were fascinated by the prayer mat and appreciated how and when it was used.

p.38

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

127. Teachers use the subject well to develop pupils’ self-esteem; for example, pupils were given opportunities to reflect on ‘Why I am a special person’ and ‘Why I am a powerful person’. They study and gain a better understanding of Christian celebrations such as harvest and Christmas festivals. Pupils describe in detail the lives of well-known followers of the Christian faith such as Mother Teresa.

p.38

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

128. In Years 3 to 6, the guidance for teachers is appropriate and pupils increase their previous learning; however, pupils have limited opportunities to reflect in writing, in order to consolidate their learning, and, often, copy work rather than write down their own thoughts.

p.38

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

129. It was only possible to see one lesson taught in the juniors. In this lesson, the teaching and learning were satisfactory overall. Pupils explored the Hindu festival of Raksha Bandhan which celebrates the bond between sister and brother. Initially, the teaching focussed too much on the custom rather than building from the relationship of sisters and brothers, as was identified in the planning. This omission missed opportunities for spiritual development and greater understanding of reasons for the celebration. Pupils worked well together in pairs to describe pictures of a rakhi bracelet. The teacher took good opportunities to deepen pupils’ language development by suggesting descriptive words, such as ‘peaceful’, ‘fragile’. ‘delicate’, ‘sentimental’. Pupils enjoyed making a bracelet, though had limited understanding of its purpose. This was because the teaching had not explained sufficiently the symbolism of the rakhi bracelet. At the end of the lesson, the

p.38

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

teaching effectively brought out pupils’ sensitive views on what they might do to show feelings for brothers and sisters.

p.38

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

130. The leadership and management of the subject are sound. The action plan for the subject is thorough, although there are no details for the monitoring of pupils’ progress. The subject makes a good contribution to the fostering of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, and supports the aims of the school well.

p.38