Elizabeth Woodville Primary School

ELIZABETH WOODVILLE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 6 th -7 th May 2003

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ELIZABETH WOODVILLE PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

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ELIZABETH WOODVILLE 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. Elizabeth Woodville Primary School

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Glebe Road Groby Leicester Postcode: LE6 0GT

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mr M. J. W. Randle

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 9-11 February 1998 Elizabeth Woodville Primary School

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Team members

14842 Stephanie Cook Registered inspector 9974 Dalgit Singh Lay inspector 23221 Lynda Parkinson Team inspector

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Team members

TWA Inspections Ltd 102 Bath Road Cheltenham GL53 7JX

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Team members

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

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Team members

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Elizabeth Woodville Primary School

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Elizabeth Woodville School is an average sized primary school catering for 265 pupils aged from 4-11 years. The school is very popular in the local community and is heavily oversubscribed. Nearly half the pupils come from outside the local area. The school does not have a nursery but a good proportion of pupils have had some pre-school experience. Pupils come to school with above average abilities, except in reading and writing where they are slightly below average. Fifteen pupils are on the school’s register for special educational needs and three pupils have statements of special educational need identifying the additional help they need from external agencies. These pupils have a range of needs with several having learning or behavioural difficulties. A further 22 pupils are identified as requiring additional monitoring and support. Most pupils are white, and 16 pupils speak English as an additional language. This is higher than

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

in most schools nationally. None of the pupils are at the early stages of learning English. The main home languages other than English are Punjabi, Gujarati, Bengali and Urdu. The number of pupils eligible for free school meals is low.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Elizabeth Woodville Primary is a very successful school, deservedly popular within the locality. The school has maintained high standards by Year 6 in English, mathematics and science for the past four years. It is a friendly, well-behaved and harmonious school community that is valued by parents. The headteacher, working closely with an effective staff team and supportive governing body, gives a very good, positive lead to the work of the school. The attitudes, behaviour and personal development of pupils are a significant strength of the school. The pupils’ achievement is good because there is good quality teaching. The school is not complacent and is constantly seeking ways to ensure all pupils achieve as well as they can and to maintain its high standards. The school provides good value for money.

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What the school does well

• The standards achieved by pupils by the end of Year 6 are consistently well above average, and they are also now well above average for Year 2 pupils in writing and mathematics. • Pupils’ attitudes, behaviour and personal development are very good and contribute successfully to their learning. • Key staff, together with the headteacher, provide very good leadership. All are committed to raising standards further. • The teaching is good overall. • The school’s provision for pupils’ moral and social development is very good. • Partnership with parents is very good.

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What could be improved

• Standards and staff training in information and communication technology. • The consistency of teachers’ marking. • The presentation of work in pupils’ books. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

When it was inspected in February 1998 Elizabeth Woodville Primary School was judged to be a good school. Since then it has continued to improve at a good rate. The school has successfully addressed all the key issues arising from the previous report. A few but important key issues for improvement were identified at that time. Since then, the school has raised standards in English, mathematics and science at the end of Year 2 and Year 6. Standards are now well above average in these subjects in the juniors, and in writing and mathematics in the infants. Average standards are now attained in geography. The school has improved the planning for the different subjects and has good procedures for assessing what pupils know, understand and can do. Teachers now use this information to plan for the next stage in pupils’ learning. The school has effective schemes of work for all subjects so that what is learnt in one class is

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

progressively built on in the next. The quality of teaching has improved and higher attaining pupils are suitably challenged. Staff appraisal procedures now meet statutory requirements and the results are used effectively to inform future staff training needs. Elizabeth Woodville Primary School

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STANDARDS

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

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Key

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

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Key

In the mathematics tests, a minority of pupils gained Level 6, which greatly exceeds expectations for pupils at 11 years. Pupils in Year 2 attained well above average standards in the national tests last year in reading, writing and mathematics. This was an improvement on previous years. The trend of the school’s results is in line with increases nationally for both Year 2 and Year 6. The school exceeded its realistic but challenging targets in 2002. Inspection evidence shows that in English, mathematics and science, pupils’ attainment is well above average at the end of Year 6 and in writing and mathematics in Year 2. The attainment of the seven-year-olds is above average in reading and science. Children enter and leave the reception class with above average attainment in all the areas of learning, except in reading and writing. They come to school with slightly below average attainment in reading and writing and by the end of the

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Key

year their attainment is what is expected for children of their age. The standards achieved by Year 6 represent good and, for many pupils very good, progress from when they joined the school. Pupils achieve well in lessons because they are very keen to learn and their teachers provide challenging work for them.

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Key

In relation to schools nationally, pupils’ skills in the use of information and communication technology are not as good as they were at the time of the last inspection and are below what would be expected for pupils at the age of 11 years. Although they are competent keyboard users, can word-process and use the ‘Internet’, they have little real knowledge of spreadsheets or the modelling aspects of the subject.

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Key

The work of the choir and the orchestra is outstanding.

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Key

Pupils with special educational needs receive good support from staff, which enables them to make good and often very good progress. Pupils for whom English is an additional language usually make similar progress to their classmates. They often attain high standards.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Very good. The older pupils have a very mature attitude to learning and are confident, highly motivated learners. In all classes, pupils are eager to enter into discussions and express their opinions confidently. They have a thirst for knowledge and want to do their best.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Very good. Pupils behave extremely well in lessons, when moving around the school and at breaks and lunchtimes.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Very good. Pupils are polite, friendly and very welcoming. They relate well to each other and to all adults with whom they come into contact.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance The attendance rate is very good and positively affects pupils’ learning. Elizabeth Woodville Primary School

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

Quality of teaching Good Good Very good Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that the teaching is adequate and strengths outweigh weaknesses. The quality of teaching is good overall and it has improved since the last inspection. It has a significant impact on the standards achieved and on pupils’ very positive attitudes to learning. The best teaching, often in Years 4 to 6, included some inspired teaching of mathematics, science and design and technology. The skills of literacy and numeracy are taught very effectively. Teachers have utilised the best elements of the national guidance for teaching literacy and numeracy, and combined them with their own good levels of expertise and methods to ensure that these basic skills are taught well. The good quality teaching overall ensures that all pupils make good progress in many subjects.

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

Strengths of the good, very good and excellent teaching include strong subject knowledge, a very good match of work to pupils’ different abilities and needs and high expectations of pupils to understand difficult ideas and demanding work. Planning is good and securely based on the National Curriculum and teachers are usually very skilled in managing pupils. In lessons, pupils are made very aware of exactly what they are required to learn, with the result that concentration, application and pace of working are very good and sometimes exemplary. This is true of pupils with special educational needs and those who are bilingual or from minority ethnic groups. All teachers use resources to make lessons interesting, although not all the equipment available for information and communication technology is yet being used. Support staff are used very effectively to support the teaching of small groups of pupils, including those with special

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

educational needs and those who need extra help. Teachers and teaching assistants in the reception class plan an interesting range of activities with a good balance of those which are teacher-led and those which the children choose for themselves. Teachers’ questioning and the tasks they are given challenge higher attaining pupils and those who are gifted and talented. High expectations by parents reinforce those of the teachers and play an important part in pupils’ very good attitudes to learning.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum The curriculum is good overall and provides a broad range of work that is interesting and relevant to pupils. The very strong emphasis put on music enables many pupils to participate and achieve very well. The curriculum is enriched by visits to places of interest, visitors into school and the very good extra-curricular activities for the junior pupils. Elements of the information and technology curriculum, although now planned for, have been missing for pupils in Year 6.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Very good overall. Pupils’ targets are specific and they have good support to achieve them. Targets are regularly reviewed and pupils’ progress towards them is carefully tracked. The work planned for these pupils meets their needs and they make good progress. Pupils’ special needs are identified early and effective action is taken to help them.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Very good overall. Pupils are well integrated into all aspect of school life. They are fluent in English by the end of Year 6 and make the same good and often very progress as their peers because they are given the help and support they need.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Very good overall. Spiritual and cultural development is good. Music makes a significant contribution to pupils’ cultural development. Moral and social development is very good. Pupils are taught to behave responsibly, have clear ideas about right and wrong and respect each other. They learn to socialise very well through the many opportunities provided.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Very good overall, with particular strengths in the assessment of pupils’ learning and the tracking of their progress. Procedures for pupils’ day-to- day welfare are very good and child protection procedures are in place. Elizabeth Woodville Primary School

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Very good. The headteacher has a very clear vision for the school. The headteacher, deputy headteacher and senior staff work well as a team. They share a common purpose to maintain high standards and to make their work more effective. Staff are clear about their roles in the school and fulfil these responsibilities well.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Good. The governors are well informed and fully involved in decision making. They keep their collective finger firmly on the school’s pulse and meet all statutory requirements.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Very good. The school has a very clear understanding of its strengths and weaknesses from its regular checks on the quality of teaching, of pupils’ work and close analysis of data from tests.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Good. The school makes sensible use of its resources. The budget is carefully focused on costed needs and specific grants are carefully used. The large carry-forward figure from last year is to be appropriately used for enhancing the interior of the building and the purchasing of equipment. The school applies the principles of best value to its purchases and makes comparisons with other schools within the local authority boundary.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Their children like school. • Children make good progress. • The school expects children to work hard. • The teaching is good. • The school has high expectations of pupils. • The school is well led and managed. • The school helps children become mature and responsible. • Some parents are concerned about the amount of homework pupils receive. A few parents are concerned about the pressure put on children to achieve in the national tests. • A few parents would like more information about the curriculum.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Inspectors agree with the positive views expressed and judge that the school works very well in a successful partnership with parents and provides them with a good range of information. They judge that the amount and timing of homework is satisfactory and, from discussions with pupils, they do not feel that undue pressure is put on pupils to achieve well in the national tests. Elizabeth Woodville Primary School

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average, and they are also now well above average for Year 2 in writing and mathematics

1. The school has maintained the well above average results in the National Curriculum tests in English, mathematics and science at the end of Year 6 for the past four years. A significant strength is that the percentage of pupils achieving the higher Level 5 is high in comparison with the national figure in all three subjects. A major factor was the very good results achieved by boys. These good results for boys are because teachers are very aware of the need to interest and motivate boys and provide them with activities that will appeal to them. Compared with those in schools with a comparable intake nationally, standards are also well above average in mathematics and science. They are above average in English. Last year’s Year 6 pupils made significantly more progress than their Year 2 test results in 1998 suggested. In mathematics pupils’ progress when measured against their prior attainment in Year 2 was in the top 5 per cent nationally. The present

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average, and they are also now well above average for Year 2 in writing and mathematics

Year 6 is on track to make a similarly very good amount of progress since Year 2. The school’s targets set for these subjects were realistic and suitably challenging last year and it has exceeded those targets. Inspection evidence confirms that the high standards are being maintained.

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average, and they are also now well above average for Year 2 in writing and mathematics

2. The results achieved in the national tests for Year 2 pupils in reading, writing and mathematics in 2002 were well above the national average. They were also well above average when compared with similar schools in reading and writing. They were above average in mathematics when compared with similar schools. The percentage of pupils achieving the higher Level 3 was also above the national average. The teachers’ assessments in science showed pupils’ attainment to be above average for the proportion of pupils gaining the expected level and the higher Level 3. The school reports these are the best results ever. Inspection evidence confirms that the high standards are being maintained in writing and mathematics and that standards in reading and science are above average. The current Year 2 has a small number of lower attaining pupils and pupils with special educational needs who will not achieve the expected Level 2 in reading.

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average, and they are also now well above average for Year 2 in writing and mathematics

These same pupils are unlikely to reach the expected level in writing. However, there is likely to be a significant increase in the proportion of pupils gaining the higher Level 3 in writing because of the strong emphasis the school places on writing and the extra intensive teaching of the higher attaining pupils.

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average, and they are also now well above average for Year 2 in writing and mathematics

3. Standards in speaking and listening are high by the end of Year 2 and Year 6 because pupils receive a high level of interaction with adults and each other, which extends their skills very successfully. Every opportunity is taken across the school day for pupils to talk. By Year 6 pupils are articulate speakers and can explain their ideas at length and express their opinions. They confidently answer questions, as do pupils with special educational needs. Those who speak English as an additional language are fluent and have the same very good vocabulary as their classmates by the time they reach Year 6. Pupils benefit from the very good opportunities to join in discussions and the encouragement they receive from teachers to explain ideas and to ask their own questions. Teachers’ expectations of pupils to listen are high and consequently pupils nearly always listen attentively and with interest, from the reception class upwards.

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average, and they are also now well above average for Year 2 in writing and mathematics

4. Pupils thoroughly enjoy reading because they are taught basic skills well. By the end of Year 2, pupils read reasonably fluently and with some expression. Their knowledge of letter sounds is very good and pupils with average attainment confidently and with no hesitation read words such as ‘sparkle’, ‘concert’ and ‘appointment’, and explain what the words mean in the context in which they read them. Occasionally, pupils with special Elizabeth Woodville Primary School educational needs guess what the word is rather than trying to sound it out. Pupils in the reception class understand and explain the terms ‘title’, ‘author’ and ‘illustrator’. By the time they are in Year 2 they organise their research on the life cycle of a frog into a booklet with a contents page, index and sub-headings to chapters. They have a very good understanding of the difference between fiction and non-fiction texts. Teachers make

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average, and they are also now well above average for Year 2 in writing and mathematics

learning relevant by teaching the skills when pupils can see a real reason for using them. For example, the teacher planned to follow up the work on organising non-fiction texts by including a reference to a glossary, which pupils might need to include in their booklet on frogs. The extra help they receive in the infants from adults, who hear them read individually, helps their progress in reading. By the time pupils are in Year 6, they read fluently and with expression. They have a range of strategies to work out unknown words. A lower attaining boy successfully worked out ‘multitudinous’ and ‘prophecy’. Both younger and older pupils have very good levels of confidence in explaining why they prefer particular books and authors. Pupils enjoy reading challenging books. One average attaining Year 6 boy said, ‘I liked Lord of the Rings – I like a bit of a challenge, I’m not scared off,’ and others reading Macbeth told the teacher how much they were enjoying it.

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average, and they are also now well above average for Year 2 in writing and mathematics

Older boys report they were helped to improve their reading by the school’s scheme whereby pupils answer questions in the form of a computer quiz after reading a book. They found this motivating. Teachers give pupils plenty of opportunities to practise their reading in lessons where they are invited to read aloud and in the quiet reading sessions at the beginning of the day or sometimes after lunch. Lower attaining pupils show the same enthusiasm for reading as do the higher attainers and are keen to improve by reading at home. Throughout the school there is a focus on reading at home and parents make a very positive contribution in helping their children improve.

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average, and they are also now well above average for Year 2 in writing and mathematics

5. Standards in writing are well above average by the end of Year 2 and Year 6. Pupils use punctuation and spelling accurately in their work in Years 1 and 2; they are prepared from the reception class to ‘have a go’ at ‘sounding out’ how to spell words of which they are unsure. Pupils use capital letters and full stops correctly, with many in Year 2 able to use speech marks, exclamation marks and question marks. Pupils clearly benefit from the many opportunities given to them for writing and they respond well to the high expectations of their teachers to write at length. Pupils in Years 3 to 6 write for a variety of audiences and reasons. In one Year 4 and 5 lesson, they were reminded when writing a leaflet to write for an adult audience instead of writing for children, which had been a previous focus. Pupils took notice of their teacher and tried hard to write in a grown-up style and included a reasoned argument why a road by-pass should or should not be built.

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average, and they are also now well above average for Year 2 in writing and mathematics

By the end of Year 6, pupils write long, well-structured, extended pieces of writing, lively poetry, descriptions of characters from Lord of the Rings and long letters of complaint to the council about local issues that are important to them. They have a very good vocabulary, which they use to good effect in their story and descriptive writing. Pupils use word-processing skills efficiently in their writing, where they show imaginative use of fonts and layout to present their work. Pupils know how to use the spellchecker and cut and paste information to edit and improve their work. Pupils can write neatly and present their work very well but teachers do not pay enough attention to this aspect, with the result that pupils’ work is not always as well presented as it could be.

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average, and they are also now well above average for Year 2 in writing and mathematics

6. Standards in mathematics are very good. By the end of Year 2, pupils are confident in reading, writing and ordering numbers to 100, with many confident well beyond this. Pupils show a good understanding of the four rules of number: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. They use and apply their knowledge of times tables to problems. Pupils enjoy mathematical investigations, for example finding out how many spiders, frogs or bats are needed in a witch’s spell. They knew that 24 legs were involved and had to work out the various combinations of animals that would make this total. Mental arithmetic skills in Years 1 to 6 are good and pupils respond well to the challenge of having to explain how they find their answers to mental problems. Pupils in Years 3 to 6 build upon their skills learnt in the infants and pupils in Year 4, in one very good lesson, Elizabeth Woodville Primary School

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average, and they are also now well above average for Year 2 in writing and mathematics

showed a very secure understanding of the properties of shapes. Pupils recognise and name the differences between such shapes as trapezium, rhombus and isosceles triangle, and know that some shapes like a parallelogram have no lines of symmetry. Pupils in this lesson mentally worked out subtractions, such as the difference between 306 and 294 is 12, very quickly after they had been taught a simple technique. By Year 6, pupils have a very good understanding of mathematical language, including those who speak English as an additional language, and can apply their very good knowledge of numbers to different situations. In one excellent lesson, pupils were inspired to work as hard as they could because of the rigour of the teacher’s questioning and the rapid pace of the lesson. Questions such as ‘Why is that answer correct/incorrect?’, ‘Can you give me an example of …?’, ‘How would you explain?’ and ’Convince me!’. No stone was left unturned in this

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average, and they are also now well above average for Year 2 in writing and mathematics

lesson to ensure pupils fully understood, and gained fluency in their mental agility and ability to work out real-life problems. Particular features of the lesson were high expectations of pupils’ calculations and explanations and the way the end of the lesson was used to focus on what and how much pupils had learnt. Pupils evaluated what they had gained from the lesson and this enabled the teacher to check on pupils’ competence and understanding so it could be used to inform the planning of the next lesson. Lower attaining pupils benefit from extra help weekly based on a special scheme for mathematics.

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average, and they are also now well above average for Year 2 in writing and mathematics

7. Standards of attainment in science are good by Year 2 and very good by the end of Year 6. The principal reasons for the pupils doing so well in science lie in the strong emphasis placed on pupils’ investigating things for themselves, the amount of work covered and the quality of the teaching in the juniors, particularly by the specialist teacher. Pupils’ work shows countless examples of the opportunity to form hypotheses, to experiment and investigate a variety of materials and to record their findings in different ways. In Year 2 pupils investigate the effect that exercise has on the body after sitting and after exercise in order to find out why exercise is good for you. In a Year 5 and 6 lesson pupils devised their own experiments after posing their own questions. In this excellent lesson pupils’ motivation and enthusiasm were very high because they were keen to find the answers to their questions. They had a very thorough understanding of a fair test and how to carry it

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average, and they are also now well above average for Year 2 in writing and mathematics

out, with all members of the group taking an equal part. They made sensible predictions, carried the test out scrupulously to ensure its ‘fairness’ and carefully considered their findings before recording them in a table. Work in this lesson was very carefully matched to pupils’ abilities. The Year 5 pupils were given very good guidance through questioning and working through with the teacher what steps were needed when setting up experiments. This enabled them, and lower attaining pupils, to be clear how to proceed when designing their own investigations. By the end of the lesson pupils had learnt a great deal about the materials they were testing. The well attended after-school science club helps pupils understand complex concepts and greatly enhances their scientific understanding. Pupils relish the chance to work with staff from a local engineering firm, a local academic and a former parent on a national project. The work involves using the

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average, and they are also now well above average for Year 2 in writing and mathematics

computer to ‘design and manufacture’ precision machinery. The project involves a high level of understanding of very complex concepts and pupils make great gains in their understanding. Science club projects during the year have covered a range of scientific principles and experiments which has strengthened pupils’ knowledge and understanding.

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average, and they are also now well above average for Year 2 in writing and mathematics

8. Pupils with special educational needs make good and often very good progress towards their targets set for them and often attain as well as their classmates because of the good teaching they receive. Pupils who speak English as an additional language attain the same very good standards as their classmates by the time they leave the school.

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average, and they are also now well above average for Year 2 in writing and mathematics

9. The quality of the singing in the school is high, particularly of the choir, and the orchestra’s playing is also of high quality. Elizabeth Woodville Primary School

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successfully to their learning

10. This is a happy school where everyone gets on well together. Teachers have very high expectations of how all pupils should behave and their management of pupils in lessons is almost always very good. This ensures that pupils’ behaviour is consistently very good, and sometimes excellent, in almost all lessons. Similarly, pupils are expected to move around the school sensibly and quietly and to play constructively at break times, and they respond very well to this. The school is very calm and playtimes are characterised by pupils playing co-operative games enthusiastically, making good use of the playground, field and outdoor adventurous activities. Lunchtime is a pleasant occasion where pupils chat quietly with each other whilst eating their lunches.

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successfully to their learning

11. Pupils in almost all lessons very quickly settle down, listen attentively, concentrate and work hard. They eagerly answer questions, confidently ask their own questions and co- operate well when asked to work together. In a science lesson, Year 6 pupils co-operated exceedingly well in groups, amicably allocating particular tasks fairly and discussing the tasks and how they should proceed in a mature way. All pupils in the science groups played their part and made equal contributions to devising and carrying out their experiments. In another Year 5 and 6 lesson, pupils’ level of collaboration was outstanding when constructing models of three-dimensional space stations. Teachers encourage pupils to have good attitudes from the reception class to Year 6 and by the time pupils reach Year 6 they are showing maturity and responsibility. Pupils clearly like their teachers and want to please them. There are very good quality relationships across the

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successfully to their learning

school because adults set very good role models for pupils. The ‘buddy’ system, where older pupils pair with younger pupils to help and support them, works very successfully. Parental support and involvement are very important in these positive attitudes and good behaviour. Personal development is very good. Good opportunities for personal development are incorporated into school assemblies, where pupils are encouraged to think about the decisions they make and their implications. Pupils often use their initiative in and around the school. For example, one pupil saw a coat fall from a peg and immediately picked it up and put it back on its peg and another spotted a piece of litter outside and disposed of it swiftly. The pupils on the School Council, the ‘Eco’ committee and the ‘road safety officers’ take their responsibilities very seriously. Pupils expect their suggestions to be discussed and then implemented where appropriate. They confidently

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to raising stands further

12. The leadership and management of the school, which was judged to be good at the last inspection, has improved further. The quality of leadership and management in this school is very good. The headteacher’s strong leadership is pivotal to the school’s success. He has a very clear view as to the direction the school should take and is highly successful in motivating those around him. The deputy head, key co-ordinators and senior management team have clearly defined and important roles in leading the school forward. They carry out these responsibilities very effectively. The headteacher is a firm believer in involving all staff in the work of the school and delegates responsibility well and wisely. This results in a highly motivated and committed workforce who work very well as a team and strive for higher standards and continued improvement. An atmosphere of high expectations for all has been established and pupils’ standards are often very good as a

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to raising stands further

result. The future direction of the school is well mapped out by the headteacher and staff in a good plan for school improvement.

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to raising stands further

13. The school is keen to evaluate what it does based on staff commitment to raising standards and to further improvement. The headteacher has been instrumental in Elizabeth Woodville Primary School establishing good systematic monitoring of standards of pupils’ work, teaching quality and tracking pupils’ progress. The school has a very good system for analysing pupils’ test results, using the outcomes to set targets and plan for continued improvement, and this is a contributory factor to the good and very good progress that pupils make.

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to raising stands further

14. The governors meet their statutory responsibilities well and have a very good idea of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. They perform the role of critical friend to the school by being ready to ask questions or put forward alternative views. The considerable specialist expertise which governors bring to their role is used to very good effect, especially in financial matters. This enables the governors to be sure that the school does get the best return on its expenditure and it remains focused on pupils sustaining high standards of work, behaviour and personal value.

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to raising stands further

15. The school runs smoothly with a precision firmly rooted in established and efficient routines. Good use is made of information and communication technology for administration and for financial management.

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The teaching is good overall

16. The quality of teaching is good overall; it has a significant impact on the standards achieved and on pupils’ very positive attitudes to learning. The quality of teaching is a strength of the school. It has improved since the last inspection. Teaching is very good in Years 4 to 6. Inspection findings confirm parents’ views that teaching is good.

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The teaching is good overall

17. In lessons, teachers show very good subject knowledge, which they pass on to pupils with enthusiasm and confidence. Teachers are very successful in teaching the key skills of reading, writing and mathematics, with the result that pupils mostly achieve highly in these subjects. Teachers have a very good knowledge and understanding of how to teach literacy and numeracy, and have implemented the national strategies successfully whilst adapting them to the needs of the school. For example, the decision to teach guided reading 1 outside of the literacy hour means that pupils have far more opportunities to write, and the results speak for themselves. The guided reading sessions in the infants are taught effectively, with the result that standards of reading in the school are good. Pupils show a very good level of concentration and keenness to answer questions and read aloud because of this good teaching. The decision to employ additional teacher hours to

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The teaching is good overall

teach writing to more able pupils in Year 2 is having a positive impact in ensuring that these pupils are suitably challenged and extended in their learning. Such effective teaching is a major cause of the school achieving a high percentage of pupils at the higher Level 3 in the national assessments at the end of Year 2. Additional support by classroom assistants is also positively affecting progress. In one very good lesson in the infants, lower attaining pupils made great strides in their learning of letter names and sounds because of the quick fire activities provided. These tasks were relevant to the needs of the pupils and motivated them to try hard. In a mathematics lesson in Year 4, lower attaining pupils and those with special educational needs were helped to achieve as well as their classmates because of the way the classroom assistant gave support and the very good quality of questioning.

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The teaching is good overall

18. In the introductory parts of lessons, pupils are challenged to listen and think from the reception class to Year 6. They are expected to answer questions and teachers make sure that they involve all pupils in this, not just those with their hands up. The expectation, for example, in mental arithmetic that pupils should explain how they find the answers to problems contributes to developing their mathematical understanding through the use of their speaking and listening skills.

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The teaching is good overall

1 Lessons where the teacher reads with small groups of pupils all reading the same text and teaches pupils how to improve their reading skills and through questioning helps pupils to improve their comprehension. Elizabeth Woodville Primary School 19. Teachers use the final or plenary part of the lesson well to assess pupils’ learning in the lesson and to check and consolidate understanding of key skills and knowledge. Teachers regularly evaluate their lessons and assess what pupils know and can do and use this information in their planning for the next stage of the pupils’ learning.

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The teaching is good overall

20. Teachers’ planning has considerably improved since the last inspection when it had shortcomings. Long, medium and short term planning are good and ensure that what is learnt in one year is built on in the next. Lesson planning shows clearly what is to be learnt and work is closely matched to pupils’ abilities. Tasks are challenging and teachers’ expectations are high, both for pupils’ behaviour and for the rate and content of the work they produce. There is a no-nonsense, businesslike approach to teaching and learning and little time is wasted. However, teachers’ expectations of the quality of presentation are not always as high as they could be, nor do some teachers mark pupils’ work well enough.

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The teaching is good overall

21. One of the significant features of the teaching is the skilful questioning by teachers of pupils to encourage them to think deeply, the quality of their explanations and the usually demanding work they expect pupils to achieve.

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The teaching is good overall

22. The teaching of pupils with special educational needs is good and often very good. These pupils get good quality support and help from teachers and classroom assistants that often allow them to attain as well as their classmates and to make good progress towards their individual targets. Pupils for whom English is an additional language are well integrated in their classes and mostly perform as well as their peers because of the good teaching they receive.

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The school’s provision for pupils’ moral and social development is very good

23. The school’s climate for learning is based upon a moral structure, which involves caring for others, being responsible and trustworthy. The school places high value on these aspects of pupils’ learning and these are reflected in the relevant school aims which underpin the teaching for moral and social development. From entry to the reception class, pupils are valued as individuals and teaching plans take into consideration as far as possible their individual needs. This results in a tolerant community where individual views matter. Teachers and support staff are very good role-models. The quality of their relationships is such that pupils see at first hand how to treat others with respect and courtesy. Staff are consistent in their implementation of school rewards and sanctions. They enable pupils to develop a clear understanding of right and wrong, and of how to work and play in harmony. Much of what happens day by day shows how well teachers cater for pupils’

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The school’s provision for pupils’ moral and social development is very good

personal development. In many of the lessons pupils worked very well together in a variety of different groupings. Teachers plan co-operative and collaborative tasks carefully so that all pupils, including those with special educational needs, take as full a part as possible. The wide range of extra-curricular activities for the juniors is also very successful in the way it fosters social relationships, self-esteem and the development of a range of skills. Pupils are very appreciative of the opportunities provided for them and comment upon an improvement in their skills and knowledge. The residential trips provide good opportunities for pupils to socialise in a different setting.

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The school’s provision for pupils’ moral and social development is very good

24. Teachers plan carefully for the development of moral understanding. This is particularly good in personal and social education lessons when pupils consider the equal rights of all people and the changing of people’s attitudes. In one lesson pupils were given good opportunities to ask questions and challenge their own stereotypes about how people from different cultures, faiths and background are treated. Pupils are given the opportunity to complete a detailed questionnaire each year on their views of the school and these are taken seriously by the headteacher. It is clear from the results of these questionnaires and from talking to pupils that pupils feel the rules and sanctions employed by the school are Elizabeth Woodville Primary School fair. Pupils are very aware of the importance of protecting and looking after the environment through the work they do in lessons and by the formation of an ‘Eco’

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The school’s provision for pupils’ moral and social development is very good

committee. The school is hoping to gain a ‘Silver Award’ for its work in this area and the ‘Eco’ group reports on the progress being made to the school council. Pupils are given increasing responsibility, starting with small classroom tasks and responsibility for the school’s equipment. This extends, as pupils gets older, to include tasks which support the school, for example acting as door monitors and serving refreshments at the concerts held for local senior citizens.

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The school’s provision for pupils’ moral and social development is very good

25. Each class visits places of interest, such as Castleton village, and these occasions provide good opportunities for pupils to socialise.

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The school’s provision for pupils’ moral and social development is very good

26. Self-esteem and self-confidence are high and this, combined with very good behaviour and attendance, enhances academic progress. In all these ways, in addition to the opportunities found in lessons, pupils grow in confidence and learn to express their views and to understand those of others.

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Partnership with parents is very good

27. Parents at the pre-inspection meeting and in their questionnaire replies and comments were overwhelmingly supportive of the school. A minority feel there is too much homework for some year groups and not enough for others. Parents hear their younger children read, help them to learn their tables and spellings and see that homework is completed. They support the school visits and trips and school teams, attend special assemblies and 12 parents work in school hearing readers and taking small groups for various activities. There is a very vibrant school association, which raises large amounts of money for the school. For example, the association raised about £10,000 to build the school medical room and helped fund the building of the new library, the reception class playground and the information and technology suite. Parents have high expectations of the school’s success and the progress their children should make, and say that the

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Partnership with parents is very good

school’s expectations match their own. Parents receive good information about their children’s progress, are kept well informed through the monthly newsletters and are confident about approaching the school with questions or problems. Parents take advantage of the school’s ‘open door’ policy and often chat to the teachers at the beginning of the school day. Parents of pupils with special educational needs are fully involved in making decisions about the support provided for their children. The school holds regular consultation meetings that are almost 100 per cent attended. The quality of written information that goes home is high and keeps parents well informed. Parental support for the school and its impact on pupils’ learning is very important for the success of the school. Elizabeth Woodville Primary School

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Standards and staff training in information and communication technology

28. In relation to schools nationally, standards in information and communication technology have declined from the previous inspection when they were above the national average for Year 6. They are as expected for pupils in Year 2. Standards are now below those expected nationally by the end of Year 6 mainly because pupils have not had sufficient regular access to computers since the last inspection until a short time ago. Additionally, although staff have received training, they have not kept abreast of new technology and how to teach complex programs. A modern computer suite has been built recently and standards are improving because of the regular access to computers for all pupils and more informed teaching. Pupils’ word-processing skills are average and a good amount of work is in evidence around the school. An appropriate scheme of work is in place with clearly defined expectations and plans of how pupils’ skills are to be developed over time.

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Standards and staff training in information and communication technology

It is now being well implemented by the co-ordinator and the school is beginning to monitor pupils’ progress. However, although all teachers have received training in the use of most of the new equipment and in how to teach the more complex work, there are those who are unsure how to teach some programs and use new equipment. For example, the school has taken delivery of a new interactive ‘whiteboard’, the use of which will greatly aid teachers in their teaching, but no-one knows how to use it yet and it is not being used. The school has quite rightly identified standards and teaching in the subject as an issue to pursue through its school improvement plan. Inspection findings show that, at present, sound progress is being made. The use of control technology in the after-school science club and revision quiz sessions at lunchtimes provided for Year 6 pupils are having a positive effect on standards. Pupils have good keyboard skills and are adept at accessing

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Standards and staff training in information and communication technology

programs and using the ‘Internet’ because most of them have computers at home. Pupils are competent in word-processing but have limited skills in control technology and the use of spreadsheets.

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The consistency of teachers’ marking

29. There is no policy for marking and the quality of teachers’ marking is not monitored. Teachers’ marking is inconsistent. All teachers mark work regularly but there are inconsistencies in quality, ranging from very good to satisfactory. Where the marking is very good, for example in Year 4, it is informative and evaluative, clearly identifying pupils’ strengths and weaknesses. It is based firmly on the teachers’ knowledge of pupils’ prior learning and indicates a clear way forward to improvement. In some English work, teachers set targets for pupils to achieve which help them to improve their writing but this is not a consistent practice in all classes. Too much of the pupils’ work is merely ticked or a sticker awarded and does not comment enough on how the pupil could improve or identify what it is that the pupil needs to do in order to learn from his or her mistakes. Spellings and mathematical calculations are corrected but rarely do pupils redo a

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The consistency of teachers’ marking

calculation or practise their spelling corrections.

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Standards of presentation in pupils’ exercise books are not consistent

30. Standards of presentation and neatness are high in work displayed around the school. They are satisfactory in pupils’ exercise books. Most pupils can produce very neat writing and present their work well when they see the need or are urged to do so. For example, much of the work done at home on pupils’ own project during the holidays is of a good standard and many pupils, particularly girls, produce neat work for most of their lessons. Pupils’ exercise books in some year groups are neater than others. For example, work in Year 4 is consistently well presented because the teacher has high expectations of pupils’ handwriting and the layout of work, particularly in mathematics where pupils automatically use a ruler for underlining. However, in most classes there is a lack of emphasis by Elizabeth Woodville Primary School teachers on neatness, good letter formation and the layout of work. In many lessons

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Standards of presentation in pupils’ exercise books are not consistent

teachers exhort pupils to do their best work but rarely refer to presentation. The practice, in some classes, of allowing pupils to work too frequently in ‘drafting’ books does not give them the incentive to present their work neatly or do their ‘best’ writing.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) raise standards in information and communication technology by:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

a) providing additional training for staff to raise their confidence and level of expertise; b) training staff to use the interactive whiteboard; c) implementing the scheme of work and good action plans; d) providing additional resources for teaching control technology; e) monitoring and evaluating the standards and teaching in the subject;

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) ensure that teachers’ marking is consistently good by:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

a) developing a common policy for all staff to follow; b) ensuring marking is informative and evaluative and includes targets for pupils to improve; c) monitoring teachers’ marking regularly;

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(3) ensure that pupils’ work in books is well presented. Elizabeth Woodville Primary School

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 22

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very poor

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Percentage 13 27 43 17 0 0 0 The table gives the number and percentage of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about teaching. Care should be taken when interpreting these percentages as each lesson represents more than four percentage points.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 265

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 3

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 3

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 15

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 16

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

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

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Information about the school’s pupils

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

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Attendance

National comparative data 5.6 National comparative data 0.5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Elizabeth Woodville Primary School

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

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2002 18 19 37

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

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

Boys 17 17 17 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 19 19 19

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

Percentage of pupils School 97 (93) 97 (95) 97 (95) (95) National 84 (84) 86 (86) 90 (91)

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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

Boys 17 17 17 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 19 19 19

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

Percentage of pupils School 97 (95) 97 (90) 97 (93) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (85) 89 (89) 89 (89)

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

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

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

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2002 16 18 34

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

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

Boys 16 16 16 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 15 17 17

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

Percentage of pupils School 91 (96) 97 (98) 97 (98) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 73 (71) 86 (87) (71) English Mathematics Science

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

Boys 15 16 16 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 16 16 18

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

Percentage of pupils School 91 (93) 94 (96) 100 (98) at NC level 4 or above National 73 (72) 74 (74) 82 (82) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Elizabeth Woodville Primary School

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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

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

White – any other White background 5 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Mixed – any other mixed background 0 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British - Pakistani 0 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 0 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – any other Asian background 2 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – Caribbean 0 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

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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. Elizabeth Woodville Primary School

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 11.17 Financial year 2002

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 24

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 501,536

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 12 Total expenditure 459,559

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 200.25 Expenditure per pupil 1,892 FTE means full-time equivalent.

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 2.6

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Recruitment of teachers

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

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Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 2

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Recruitment of teachers

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

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Percentage of responses in each category

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

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 57 37 5 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 50 49 0 0 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 36 50 11 1 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 47 44 8 1 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 67 29 2 1 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 72 28 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 40 51 6 0 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 68 30 0 1 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 55 42 3 0 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 38 42 10 2 5

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