Micklehurst All Saints CofE Primary School

SCHOOL

Inspection number: 253936 Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated.

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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. Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 3 - March 2003

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: The Rowans Mossley Ashton-under-Lyne

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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: Mrs J Bottomley

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: November 1997 Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 4 - March 2003

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responsibilities

21285 Mr F Carruthers Registered inspector English Music English as an additional language What sort of school is it? How high are standards? How well are pupils taught? What should the school do to improve further? 9214 Mrs J Garland 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? 23221 Mrs L Parkinson Team inspector The Foundation Stage Geography History Physical education How good are the curricular and other opportunities?

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responsibilities

30559 Mrs J Taylor Team inspector Science Art and design Design and technology Special educational Needs Educational inclusion Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 5 - March 2003 27426 Mr T Aldridge Team inspector Mathematics Information and communication technology Religious education How well is the school led and managed? Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 6 - March 2003 The inspection contractor was:

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responsibilities

Nord Anglia Inspection Services Strathblane House Ashfield Road Cheadle Stockport SK8 1BB

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responsibilities

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

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responsibilities

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 7 - March 2003

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 8

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

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 12

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

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AREAS OF THE CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES 33

Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 8 - March 2003

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

This voluntary controlled, Church of England primary school has 156 pupils on roll, including 32 children who attend part-time in the Nursery. This is smaller than the average of primary schools nationally and fewer than at the time of the last inspection. Levels of social deprivation among the families of pupils are above average. There are very few pupils from minority ethnic groups or who are learning English as an additional language. Home languages include Punjabi and Welsh. About 20 per cent of pupils have special educational needs and this is above the average of primary schools nationally. Five pupils have Statements of Special Educational Need. Most of these pupils have moderate or specific learning difficulties and some have emotional and behavioural difficulties. Seventeen pupils joined and 18 left the school last year at times other than the usual times in September or July. This level of pupil mobility is

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

above average for primary schools nationally. The attainment of the children on entry to the Nursery is well below the average expected for three-year-olds, and low in personal and social development and language skills. At the time of the inspection, the headteacher had been in post for one year and the school had been without a deputy headteacher for three months.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

The education that the school is providing for its pupils is unsatisfactory. Despite good leadership by the recently appointed headteacher, standards are too low and pupils are not achieving well enough. Overall, the quality of teaching is unsatisfactory, because there is not enough good teaching and too many unsatisfactory lessons. Given the cost of educating a pupil at the school, the school’s value for money is unsatisfactory.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What the school does well • The recently appointed headteacher has good skills of leadership and a clear understanding of what needs to be done to improve. • Very good links have been established with parents and these partnerships are developing strongly. • There are good links with the local community, especially the church. • There is a good range of activities outside lessons. • Homework makes a good contribution to pupils’ learning.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What could be improved • Standards in English, mathematics and science are not high enough and pupils are not achieving well enough. • Teaching and learning are not good enough to raise standards. • Standards of behaviour by a large minority of pupils are poor. • The quality and range of what is taught in some subjects are unsatisfactory. • Provision for pupils’ personal development is unsatisfactory. • Provision for pupils with special educational needs has significant weaknesses. • Some aspects of securing the pupils’ welfare have shortcomings. • Teamwork among staff is unsatisfactory and the monitoring of the quality of education by staff and governors is not effective enough to raise standards. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

In accordance with section 13 (7) of the School Inspections Act 1996, I am of the opinion, and HMCI agrees, that special measures are required in relation to this school, because: • standards are too low and pupils are not achieving well enough; • disruptive behaviour by a large minority of pupils is impeding the progress of all pupils; • the quality of teaching and provision for pupils’ personal development are unsatisfactory. Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 9 - March 2003

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school has made insufficient improvement since the time it was last inspected in 1997. Key issues have been successfully addressed relating to improvements to the security of pupils while on the premises, and to provision for sex education and information and communication technology (ICT). However, the first key issue, to improve the quality of teaching and to raise the standards that pupils attain, has not been met and serious weaknesses remain in these areas. There have been significant improvements to the buildings and external areas of the school, and to partnerships with parents.

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STANDARDS

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

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STANDARDS

Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

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STANDARDS

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

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STANDARDS

Standards are not high enough and pupils’ achievement over time is unsatisfactory. Standards have risen since the time of the last inspection but fell in mathematics and science last year. The school sets challenging targets for results in National Curriculum tests but has not met them in recent years. In the current Year 6, standards of speaking, listening and reading are below average. They are well below average in writing, and a large number of pupils have unsatisfactory skills of handwriting, spelling and punctuation. In mathematics, the pupils’ ability to investigate aspects such as shape and measures, and to handle numerical data, is well below average. In science, pupils’ ability to investigate problems is under-developed. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and the highest attaining, are not doing well enough, mainly because of weaknesses in the quality of teaching. Attainment in most

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STANDARDS

other subjects is below average and many pupils have the potential to achieve more. Attainment in physical education is average. Standards at the end of Year 2 in reading are below average and in speaking, listening and writing they are well below average. Standards in mathematics, science, art and design, geography, history and physical education are below average. In ICT, music and religious education, attainment is average.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Aspect Comment Attitudes to the school Satisfactory, but a minority of older pupils are not enthusiastic about school and try to influence others to think likewise. Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Poor. The learning in lessons in junior-aged classes is too often disrupted by unsatisfactory behaviour. Behaviour around school is satisfactory overall but there are flashpoints between individual pupils, which staff deal with promptly. Personal development and relationships Unsatisfactory. A minority of pupils are not developing good habits of learning and working together. Relationships with staff are satisfactory but vary among pupils themselves and are sometimes unsatisfactory. Attendance At 94 per cent, attendance rates are just below the national average for primary schools and are satisfactory overall. Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 10 - March 2003

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

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

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Quality of teaching Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Unsatisfactory

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Ins pectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that the teaching is adequate and strengths outweigh weaknesses.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Teaching is not of sufficient quality to raise standards. This is because several lessons are unsatisfactory, affecting the overall quality of teaching in Years 3 and 5 and to a lesser extent Year 2. In addition, there are too few good lessons. Although slightly over half of lessons are satisfactory, pupils are not achieving well enough. Most of the good teaching is to be found in Years 4 and 6. The quality of teaching of English and mathematics is unsatisfactory, because, as in a number of subjects, learning is frequently disrupted by a minority of pupils who misbehave, are distracted from their lessons and have negative attitudes to school. This slows the pace of learning for all pupils. Teachers are not consistent enough in their expectations for good standards of behaviour and work, because there is currently no whole-school approach to dealing with disruptive behaviour. The learning of all pupils, including those

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

with special educational needs and the few learning English as an additional language, is adversely affected, and pupils should be achieving better than they are. Teaching in the Nursery and Reception classes, however, is satisfactory and a number of new developments in staffing and how the children’s learning is organised are helping the children to make progress.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The quality and range of the curriculum All subjects of the curriculum meet statutory requirements, including the Foundation Stage curriculum for children in the Nursery and Reception classes, but the range and quality of what is taught are unsatisfactory in infant and junior classes. Many subjects are not planned well enough to provide learning opportunities of good quality. There are, however, a good range of activities outside lessons and good links with the local community.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Unsatisfactory. Teachers’ planning does not take the needs of pupils fully into account. Despite the assistance of support staff, pupils do not make enough progress and sometimes miss lessons because they are withdrawn from class for individual or group tuition.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Satisfactory. The very few pupils at the very early stages of learning English make rapid progress as a result of working with other pupils and improving their grasp of the language. There is no specialist support available to the school on a regular basis, however.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Unsatisfactory. There are insufficient opportunities for pupils to develop their spiritual, moral and social awareness and limited opportunities for them to develop an understanding of the cultural diversity of society.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

How well the school cares for its pupils Unsatisfactory. There are weaknesses in systems to promote the pupils’ welfare, good behaviour and their personal development. Procedures to assess pupils’ progress are not used well enough to plan challenging work for them. Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 11 - March 2003 Links with parents are a key priority in the school improvement plan and are developing very well. A number of new initiatives are helping parents to become better informed about school and to feel part of its future. Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 12 - March 2003

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Leadership provided by the recently appointed headteacher is good. In the absence of the deputy headteacher, there is a temporary senior management team, which is working satisfactorily. However, teamwork amongst staff as a whole has significant weaknesses, subject co- ordinators are not leading their subjects sufficiently well and some are unclear of their roles.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Unsatisfactory overall. Some responsibilities are not fulfilled adequately, for instance the assessment of risk.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school’s evaluation of its performance Unsatisfactory, but the work of the headteacher and the commitment of the governing body indicate that there is an increasing awareness of how the school needs to improve and what action should be taken.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The strategic use of resources Satisfactory overall. However, the school is only beginning to develop principles of best value and to compare the effectiveness of services and resources.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Levels of staffing and learning resources are satisfactory. The accommodation has a number of good features, including some new buildings, a spacious Nursery and rooms for use by the community, and is satisfactory overall.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

• Parents are very appreciative of the work of the incoming headteacher. • They feel confidence in the work of the school and how much progress their children make. • They feel comfortable approaching the school with suggestions or concerns and consider they are kept well informed about how well their children are doing. • Some parents feel that the work set for their children in class and for homework is not challenging enough.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Inspectors fully agree with the views of parents about the work of the incoming headteacher, but nevertheless consider the school has significant weaknesses. Inspectors agree that some class work is not challenging enough but find that homework is set consistently in most classes and makes a good contribution to the pupils’ learning. Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 13 - March 2003

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. Overall, pupils’ achievement is unsatisfactory and standards in National Curriculum test results should be higher. This is mainly because the quality of teaching is not consistently good enough to enthuse pupils and lead to better standards. There is little evidence to suggest that other factors, such as the above average level of pupil mobility, has a significant impact on standards in the school. A large proportion of pupils who are at the school the longest under achieve.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. Only in English have standards in test results at the end of Year 6 continued to rise since the last inspection. As a result, standards have been average when compared to similar schools for the past two years. Nevertheless, if teaching were better and pupils’ learning not so frequently disrupted by the unsatisfactory behaviour of a minority, standards would be better, and this has been acknowledged by senior staff in the focus they have put on pupils’ behaviour, as well as speaking, listening and writing in the current school improvement plan. The achievement of boys lags well behind that of the girls throughout the school and this is a matter of significant concern. A scrutiny of pupils’ work in the current Year 6 indicates standards that are similar to those achieved by the school last year. The best standards are found in pupils’ reading; standards of speaking and writing are below average. Unsatisfactory skills of handwriting,

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

punctuation and spelling are noticeable features of a large minority of pupils’ work.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. In mathematics, test results in 2002 show that standards at the end of Year 6 were well below the national average and a similar proportion of pupils achieved the expected Level 4 or better (44 per cent) as did at the time of the last inspection in 1997. Standards fell between 2001 and 2002 and are too low. Boys did less well than girls and when compared to the results from similar schools, standards were well below average. Shortcomings are the result of teachers’ expectations being too low, inconsistencies in teachers’ planning and too few opportunities for investigative work, for example, in shape, space, measures and handling data. There is too much reliance on a commercial scheme of work, and work is planned for the whole class and not enough of it caters for the different levels of attainment in classes.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. The school’s targets for pupils’ attainment are challenging but have not been met in recent years. Those for this year, namely for 77 per cent of pupils in English and 68 per cent in mathematics to achieve Level 4 or better, are unlikely to be met.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. Standards in science have been well below the national average and that of similar schools in recent years and fell between 2001 and 2002. Boys’ achievement is below that of the girls. A scrutiny of work in the current Year 6 indicates that pupils are not given practice in predicting outcomes of investigations, and there are too few opportunities for pupils to design their own investigations and to use more advanced skills of scientific enquiry. Recording of work is mainly using commercially produced worksheets.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6. Attainment is below the average expected by the end of Year 6 in art and design, design and technology, geography, history, information and communication technology (ICT) and religious education. Standards in these subjects should be higher, because there are weaknesses in how they are taught. Attainment in physical education is average. It was not possible to judge attainment in music. Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 14 - March 2003 7. Standards at the end of Year 2 in reading and writing were well below the national average in the 2002 National Curriculum tests and very few pupils reached the higher Level 3. Standards have risen since the last inspection but fell back between 2001 and 2002. This was partly because of the high proportion of pupils with special educational needs in that year group. Standards in the current Year 2 are better but still well below average in speaking and writing. Standards are better than this in reading, being below

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

average overall. This is because the teaching of reading through the National Literacy Strategy and additional programmes, such as Early Literacy Support, has been better than that of writing, which has become a focus for improvement in school this year. In mathematics and science, standards were below the national average and, when they were compared to similar schools, broadly average. Teaching of mathematics in infant classes caters better for the different levels of attainment and this is helping to lift standards. Boys have been significantly under achieving, however, in English and mathematics in recent years.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

8. Pupils with special educational needs make unsatisfactory progress. Progress is measured against the targets set in their individual education plans, which are not usually linked to progress in achieving National Curriculum levels. They make slow progress because they are not fully included in all subjects of the curriculum. They are withdrawn for some tuition by learning support assistants and those with Statements of Special Educational Need receive tuition from the local authority inclusion and advisory service. The provision within the classroom does not always provide appropriate challenge. Work is not adequately planned and sufficiently pitched so that the pupils understand the task and are able to achieve success. Teachers’ planning does not regularly include particular provision for lower attainers and is not closely linked to the targets stated on individual education plans.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

9. Attainment at the end of Year 2 in art and design, design and technology, geography, history and physical education is below average. In ICT, music and religious education it is average.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

10. Children in the Foundation Stage, that is the Nursery and Reception classes, make satisfactory progress from low levels of attainment in most areas of learning on entry. Their attainment by the end of the Reception year is below the average expected of children at this stage of their education. In physical development, their attainment is average.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. Pupils generally have satisfactory attitudes to school. Attendance is just below the national average and most pupils have satisfactory records of attendance. Several, however, come to school late in the mornings. A vociferous number of older pupils have unsatisfactory attitudes, however, which affect the attitudes of others and hinder the development of the school ethos. For example, in assemblies a group of older boys exert peer pressure on others to stop joining in by answering questions, singing or saying prayers. The level of exclusions has been reduced since the arrival of the new headteacher, as she seeks to include pupils who have difficulties in the life of the school whenever possible. Pupils with special educational needs have a similar attitude to work as other pupils. In some situations they are disheartened by the fact that they are unable to read the worksheets given to them and the difficulty they

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

experience trying to understand the task required of them. In such instances they lose interest and make little effort.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. Poor behaviour adversely affects standards in school. Although the behaviour of many pupils is satisfactory or good, particularly in the Nursery and younger-aged classes, the Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 15 - March 2003 poor behaviour of a large group of pupils disrupts the learning of others, takes teachers time to deal with and has a negative effect on the quality of learning. Where teaching is good, however, the pupils show greater interest and behave better. This was evident, for instance, in games lessons conducted by physical education coaches, and in an English lesson in Year 4, when the class teacher inspired the pupils by her enthusiasm for Ted Hughes’s children’s story, The Iron Man. However, some pupils are reluctant to join in with activities, even those that are exciting and pleasurable, such as a visit by pupils in Year 6 to the ICT facilities at the local library on World Book Day . They often

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

find it hard to follow instructions and do what their teacher asks of them. Most pupils move around school sensibly. Behaviour in the playground is lively and relationships are usually satisfactory, but sometimes result in flashpoints between particular pupils, which the headteacher and teachers on duty deal with promptly.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. Personal development is unsatisfactory. The usual courtesies, opening doors for visitors, taking pride in the school and realising the value of concentrating on lessons and being part of a team are not observed by a significant minority of pupils. There are times when these take place, however, for example, in games lessons and when individual pupils talk about current events with visitors at lunchtime or volunteer to assist with clearing the plates after lunch. Many pupils are reluctant to engage in conversation and Circle time , introduced throughout the school to give pupils the opportunity to talk about social and moral issues, is beginning to tackle this problem. The recently formed Eco Club, which gives pupils the opportunity to develop a quality environment for learning in the school, is a good example of new initiatives starting to take effect. These pupils take a responsible view of their place in the school, joining in

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

enthusiastically and feeling that they can influence events. It has resulted in groups of pupils forming plans for the future and taking part in litter patrols under the guidance of the caretaker in order to improve the environment.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

14. The quality of teaching is unsatisfactory overall. There are too few lessons of good quality and too many unsatisfactory lessons. Although three quarters of lessons are satisfactory or good, half of all lessons are only satisfactory and this is not a high enough proportion of good teaching to raise standards. As a result, pupils are not making sufficient progress and standards are too low. The incoming headteacher has identified the pressing need to improve the quality of teaching in the school improvement plan. It is a key factor for staff to develop, but despite monitoring by senior staff and local education authority advisers, the impact of advice and guidance has been unsatisfactory. There are examples of good practice, however, most noticeably in Years 4 and 6, but too many lessons in most other year groups have significant shortcomings.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

15. Teaching in the Foundation Stage is satisfactory and occasionally good. The staff work well as a team, teachers manage children well and relationships are good. The nursery nurse in the Nursery class is well deployed and makes a good contribution to children’s learning. Her planning shows clear objectives and evaluations, which are very useful. The best teaching is in whole-class groups such as in lessons of literacy or music. Group and individual activities, however, sometimes lack interest and stimulation, and the range of learning opportunities is not as wide and rich as it could be. Teachers’ planning lacks rigour. For instance, children are given good opportunities to make choices of activities, but these activities are not always well structured or sufficiently focused to give a strong purpose and direction to the children’s learning. There are new systems of assessment in place, which are not yet fully

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

embedded. There is no evidence of day-to-day tracking of what children experience of Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 16 - March 2003 the activities available. Ongoing assessment and comments in children’s workbooks in the Reception class are useful for parents and for planning the next steps in learning.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

16. Teachers’ expertise to teach the subjects of the curriculum in infant and junior classes is variable. Whereas teachers’ knowledge and understanding in English are satisfactory, in science, art and design, design and technology and ICT, they vary between teachers from good to unsatisfactory. Staff are not all confident enough to enthuse pupils and the result is that pupils lose interest in their work.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

17. One outcome of this is that the quality of teachers’ planning is inconsistent. The plans do not usually include specific provision for higher attaining pupils or those who experience learning difficulties, and teachers do not use ongoing assessment to help with their future planning. Most plans do not include a brief assessment procedure to ensure a good match of work and to help in the revision of short-term lesson plans. Teachers do not take sufficient note of differences in knowledge and experience amongst their pupils. Because the tasks are not matched carefully enough to the ability and age of the pupils, the pupils cannot work independently and concentrate on their tasks. Too often tasks do not provide the correct level of challenge and pupils lose interest and do not use their time effectively. This is especially evident in mathematics in junior-aged classes, where work is set for the class as a whole. A system of group

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

and individual target setting has been introduced but it is not used consistently throughout the school.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

18. The teaching of basic skills has weaknesses. For instance in English, where teachers do not manage the distracting behaviour of some pupils, the opportunities for pupils to benefit from discussions, which will improve important skills of speaking and listening, are missed. In addition, subjects such as history and religious education are not used well enough to promote writing for specific purposes, such as recounts, diaries or persuasive pieces. In mathematics, there are significant shortcomings in how well the numeracy strategy is taught. There are weaknesses in oral sessions, where classes are taught as a whole, in group activities, which do not cater for the needs of all pupils, and final sessions, when opportunities for pupils to explain their work are missed. These issues have been identified for action in the current school improvement plan.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

19. The most significant weakness in teaching is the inconsistent approach among staff to dealing with unsatisfactory behaviour. Linked with this are the low expectations of some staff about standards of behaviour, presentation and effort expected from pupils. As a result, in too many lessons, pupils’ learning is unsatisfactory. Distracting and disruptive behaviour leads to pupils not concentrating, putting insufficient effort into their work and producing work of poor quality. There are examples of good practice, however, in which pupils respond well to the good relationship with teachers and understand the bounds of acceptable behaviour and what standards are expected of them. These were evident in good lessons in English in Year 4, when the teacher’s enthusiasm led pupils to take a full part in the lesson, and mathematics in Year 6, where the pace of the lesson was brisk and pupils were encouraged to work well

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

20. The teaching of pupils with special educational needs is unsatisfactory because pupils’ needs and personal targets are not well known to teachers and any potential difficulties posed by lesson content or materials are not foreseen. Teachers do not refer sufficiently well in their lesson planning to targets that individual pupils have. The plans do not take into account the learning difficulties of pupils with special educational needs so that they can understand the tasks presented to them and achieve success. Liaison between teaching and support staff is often inadequate as they do not formally plan together or check the progress pupils have made so that this assessment can Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 17 - March 2003 help with planning. The role of the support assistant in a lesson is left to the discretion of the individual class teacher, and as a result, there is no clear picture of the extent or

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

impact of support throughout the school. The very few pupils learning English as an additional language receive no specific support and make good progress by being immersed in the language in school. However, once past the early stages, their learning is only similar to other pupils and subject to the same shortcomings in teaching described in this section.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

21. Informal assessment, including marking, is unsatisfactory in several subjects, such as mathematics and science. In English, practice is inconsistent. Overall, marking does not include sufficient levels of analysis necessary for staff to have a full picture of pupils’ progress and often does not indicate what pupils must do to improve. A good element of teaching is the consistent approach to setting homework in almost all classes, though some parents felt homework in Year 3 was inconsistent, and inspectors endorse this opinion. Pupils, especially in upper junior classes, complete a good quantity of relevant assignments that help the pupils to make progress.

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PUPILS?

22. The basic, statutory curriculum is satisfactorily in place throughout the school and meets requirements. The school follows the locally agreed syllabus for the teaching of religious education. The quality and range of learning opportunities, however, vary and are unsatisfactory overall. The key issues in the previous inspection, which related to the development of the curriculum, have not all been fully addressed. However, ICT now meets statutory requirements.

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PUPILS?

23. There has been satisfactory progress overall since the last inspection. For example, the implementation of the Foundation Stage curriculum is steadily moving in the right direction. All six areas of learning are planned for and so the balance of the curriculum is satisfactory. The quality and range of learning opportunities, however, are underdeveloped in all six areas of learning. The Nursery area is spacious and reasonably well resourced. Both the Nursery and the Reception classrooms are set out so that the areas of learning are basically well defined and organised to give children a choice of activities. Staffing difficulties and recent staff changes have hindered the development of an environment of quality, which is sparse at present, and is not fully appropriate for the needs of young children. Provision for the outdoor area is not arranged so as to be an integral feature and is not well planned enough to cover the

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PUPILS?

different areas of learning. The use and application of resources in the role-play areas in both classrooms are limited. These areas lack flair and imagination. For example, the role-play area in the Reception class, linked to the story, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, had only one item in it. In the Nursery, it was a home corner without writing facilities for shopping lists. There is space for adjoining role-play areas such as a garden centre or a garage. At present, these areas do not give enough scope to stimulate children’s interest and imagination. Consequently, there is less stimulation for their spoken language to develop. This shortcoming is also reflected in other aspects such as the sand and water play.

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PUPILS?

24. The curriculum in Years 1 to 6 is generally broad. There are, however, gaps in some subjects, for example, in art and design, and the curriculum overall is not well balanced. The amount of time allocated to the school day for Years 3 to 6 is low compared to national figures and the governing body is currently addressing this issue. The time for subjects other than literacy, mathematics, ICT and physical education is on the low side compared to national statistics. Schemes of work were partially put in place following the previous inspection. They are based upon national guidelines but are not firmly Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 18 - March 2003 embedded. There is some confusion as to the extent to which the national guidance has been adopted and adapted. In art and design, for example, although staff believe the national guidance has been adopted, they are encouraged to consult it whilst

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PUPILS?

maintaining their freedom to plan their own units of work. In Years 1 and 2, a different approach is favoured. In physical education, in Years 3 to 6, staff follow the national guidelines more strictly but in Years 1 and 2 it is used more as a resource. This degree of flexibility affects adversely how well pupils make progress.

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PUPILS?

25. The reason that the balance and relevance of the curriculum are unsatisfactory is because co-ordinators do not have a whole-school vision of the provision. Planning does not identify the progression of individual skills in subjects and of common skills between subjects, and so the curriculum is fragmented. It is not sufficiently relevant to the pupils’ needs, their experience and understanding of the world, and their interests. It therefore does not encourage good behaviour in class nor a strong work ethic. Procedures for reviewing the curriculum in its entirety are not effective enough.

p.18

PUPILS?

26. The national strategies for literacy and numeracy are in place but are unsatisfactory in some aspects of their implementation. The literacy strategy is not strong enough in relation to the teaching of writing and this has an adverse impact on standards. It is a current whole-school focus for development in the school improvement plan. Subjects such as history, geography, religious education and design and technology do not support the development of literacy skills, particularly writing and speaking skills. There is very little provision for the teaching of investigative skills in the implementation of the numeracy strategy as well as in science. Information and communication technology is not used well enough to encourage independent learning.

p.18

PUPILS?

27. Provision for personal, social and health education is satisfactory. There is a firm policy for personal, social and health education and provision is linked to the good number of extra-curricular activities. A policy for citizenship is in draft form ready to be discussed and ratified by the governing body. The school is an ECO school through the local authority network and support, promoting a quality learning environment for pupils, a healthy life style and good citizenship. There is an ECO committee whose members include pupils from Years 1 to 6 and which has a formal agenda. This is a positive initiative that encourages pupils’ interest and involvement in citizenship and the environment. It also provides a very good opportunity for developing speaking skills and for teaching pupils how committees are organised and run. The school is participating in the Healthy School Award, which involves looking in detail at a range of policies.

p.18

PUPILS?

Healthy options for eating are already in place and a high standard of tasty meals is provided for pupils. There is a policy for sex education and this is an improvement since the previous inspection when it was a key issue for action. Provision for sex education, teaching about a healthy lifestyle and about the misuse of drugs, is carried out through the teaching of science and the regular, weekly lessons of personal, health and social education.

p.18

PUPILS?

28. Provision for pupils with special educational needs is unsatisfactory because the pupils do not participate fully in the same curriculum offered to other pupils. They are withdrawn from some elements of some lessons for specialist tuition and support from learning support staff. The school is aware of this situation and has taken some measures to try to overcome this problem. All pupils with special educational needs have equal access to extra-curricular activities, however. There is no specific provision for the very few pupils learning English as an additional language. As a result, once they have been immersed in the language, there is no specific support to help them with technical vocabulary or skills of writing. Their progress then is only the same as all pupils. Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 19 - March 2003 29. The curriculum is enriched by a good programme of extra-curricular activities. This is

p.18

PUPILS?

a good improvement since the last inspection and a strong feature of the school. There are a good number of activities for both young and older pupils to join in, which include music and sport. There is good provision for young pupils at lunchtime. There is a strong emphasis on sporting activities and the school has won a number of local team games and competitions. Some of these activities are linked to the good contribution of the community to pupils’ learning. A local business has supported the football team, thus raising the self-esteem of those pupils. There are good links with the local football team. The school makes valuable use of external visitors and specialists within the local community. The local education authority has helped to improve provision for physical education through specialist teachers and other supportive measures. The school has strong links with the local church and as a result, pupils take part in a

p.19

PUPILS?

number of sporting and other activities, which contribute well to their personal and social development.

p.19

PUPILS?

30. The school makes good use of amenities in the local area and nearby cities for visits out of school. It also enriches pupils’ experience by its links with schools in the United States and France. A local private provider enables pupils to take part in a Before School Club, which reinforces families’ and pupils’ links with the school. Links with the local secondary school are satisfactory.

p.19

PUPILS?

31. Provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is unsatisfactory and all aspects require improvement. This represents a significant deterioration since the last inspection. Opportunities are not planned in a systematic way or monitored for their impact.

p.19

PUPILS?

32. The provision for spiritual development is unsatisfactory. Although daily acts of worship meet legal requirements, not all of those seen during the inspection contributed significantly to pupils’ spiritual development. They usually follow a theme and often concentrate on moral ideas rather than developing pupils’ spiritual awareness too. There are good opportunities to celebrate pupils’ achievements and special events. Some acts of worship enable pupils to gain insights into the values and beliefs of other religions. In lessons, there are missed occasions to develop spiritual awareness and reflection in subjects such as English, science, art and design, and music, through lack of awareness and planning. Displays do not provide effective opportunities to promote reflection. There are few displays, photographs and objects from other faiths in classrooms and corridors to provide further opportunities for pupils to reflect on and

p.19

PUPILS?

develop respect for different beliefs. Religious education lessons provide limited opportunities for spiritual development. Links with the church are developing and the vicar visits on a regular weekly basis to lead good quality assemblies. Services are also held from time to time in the church building adjacent to the school.

p.19

PUPILS?

33. Provision for moral development is unsatisfactory and there is no effective whole- school policy. Staff do not consistently promote a clear moral code as a basis for behaviour. Pupils are not encouraged to take enough responsibility for their actions and some teachers’ expectations are not high enough. Whole-school procedures to promote and reward good behaviour and to raise pupils’ self-esteem are inconsistently administered. Sanctions used in some classrooms are ineffectual. Although good behaviour and work are rewarded by team points, there is no whole school approach to how they are rewarded or celebrated. Rules are displayed in classrooms but staff do not make reference to them, so pupils receive inconsistent messages and this does not promote good behaviour. Most pupils have few opportunities to reflect on the part they play in making the classroom and school a friendly and supportive community.

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PUPILS?

Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 20 - March 2003 34. Provision for social development is unsatisfactory overall. The majority of older pupils have few chances to take responsibilities and develop leadership, initiative and independence. In classrooms, there is an inconsistent approach to involving pupils in the day-to-day routines and providing opportunities to help and show initiative. Often teachers undertake tasks, such as giving out books and materials, which, if pupils did them, would raise their self-esteem. Teachers provide some opportunities for social interaction when pupils work together in lessons but they are not always as productive as they could be. The recently introduced range of extra-curricular activities for both older and younger pupils now provides some good opportunities to work co-operatively together. This is a positive move but is at an early stage of development. Activities

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PUPILS?

such as basketball, volleyball and football provide occasions for social development with pupils from other schools. The introduction of the Eco Committee has created the opportunity for pupils to take a more active role in the school.

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PUPILS?

35. Provision for cultural development is unsatisfactory overall. Some good opportunities are provided for pupils to learn about British heritage and culture through lessons and through visits to museums and other places of interest, where they gain valuable first hand experiences. For example, in history they learn about some of the important cultures and events in the past through studies of the Second World War. In geography pupils learn about a village in India. A range of visitors to school including musicians from the Liverpool Philharmonic and Royal Northern College of Music, theatre groups, artists, writers, the emergency and the health service, satisfactorily extend pupils’ cultural development. Pupils have taken part in musical performances at various venues in the North West. However, there are very limited opportunities for pupils to appreciate the richness and diversity of cultures found in the wider community.

p.20

PUPILS?

Displays, stories, religious education, art and design, and music do not make a significant contribution to pupils’ wider understanding of non-western cultures.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

36. Overall, procedures to support the welfare of pupils are unsatisfactory. All aspects of the pastoral care of pupils have some weaknesses. Procedures for child protection are secure, following the guidelines of the local area child protection committee. However, some staff have not received up-to-date training and the results of training have not been communicated to all staff, including the lunchtime personnel. Currently there is no staff handbook for new and temporary teachers to aid the sharing of procedures.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

37. Relating to these matters is a concern that there is not a good enough system in place to know which pupils are on the premises at any one time. There are too many informal systems which rely on teachers knowing where pupils are, for instance if they have left school for a medical or dental appointment. There is no coherent system of signing out and signing back in again. Although there is a ‘late book’, pupils drift into school a few minutes late or worse, and registers are sometimes taken too late in the morning, for instance in the Nursery. Registers in the afternoon are sometimes kept in the classrooms, sometimes in the office. There is no consistent practice in this respect. These points all have implications for the school’s safety procedures and highlight the need for an audit of risk to be carried out. There are identified first aiders and well-known procedures. The provision of an external fence represents an

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

improvement since the last inspection, when security was a key issue for action, because now members of the public can no longer walk through the school grounds.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

38. Procedures for monitoring and promoting good behaviour are poor because there is no agreed whole-school approach to dealing with unsatisfactory behaviour. There are too many occasions when disruptive behaviour occurs and inhibits the learning of others. Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 21 - March 2003 The policy on promoting good behaviour does not take a sufficiently positive approach to the management of difficulties and to the encouragement of positive conduct. The practice among teachers is often variable. Pupils are not sufficiently involved in the discussion of rules and expectations and some pupils complain that their teachers reward behaviour in an inconsistent way. The headteacher recognises that the policy needs to be redrawn, and to this end, the school is making productive links with support services, including behaviour support. A recently commissioned report from an educational psychologist identifies key areas for the school to work on and is meant to

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

form the basis of a new policy. Pupils who exhibit unacceptable or very disruptive behaviour are often dealt with well specifically by the headteacher. She works with individuals to try and defuse abrasive situations and eliminate bullying.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

39. Procedures for ensuring good attendance are satisfactory overall but there are shortcomings. There are unauthorised absences on registers dating back some weeks and there are sporadic absences, some of which have not been followed up. The Education Welfare Service works with poor attenders and here there has been some success.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

40. Procedures for monitoring and supporting the pupils’ personal development and guidance are unsatisfactory. There are not enough opportunities given to pupils as they progress through the school to take on positions of responsibility or trust, and harness the energy of those pupils who are at present causing problems. There are few formal ways for older pupils to become involved with younger ones and so get used to setting an example for them and to be tolerant and respect others’ points of view. However, the Eco Club, which is a recent successful innovation, is seen as a blueprint for the planned School Council to involve pupils to a greater extent in school life.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

41. Procedures to assess the pupils’ academic progress are unsatisfactory. Information from results of statutory tests is not yet used effectively. The database is not sufficiently analysed so that teaching can be adapted to meet the needs of pupils and so raise standards. Staff have prepared assessment procedures for most subjects but their implementation is inconsistent and often unused, for example in science. There is no systematic record for subjects and therefore a full picture of a pupil’s progress is not available. Assessment in the Reception year, using local authority guidance, is satisfactory but has not been adapted for the school’s own purposes, including linking it to the nationally accepted Stepping Stones that chart the children’s development in the six areas of learning. Most subjects require further development of assessment procedures particularly English, where teachers are not consistent enough in how they

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

use information from optional tests and the grading of work, as well as in mathematics and science. The school has identified assessment as an area for development.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

42. A number of pupils enter school at different times of the year and across the age ranges. The school has not created a profile of pupils on entry so that teachers can become quickly aware of the attainment levels and achievements of pupils new to the school. As a result, there is not a clear picture of pupils’ capabilities, so that the teachers can plan for them appropriately and efficiently.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

43. The assessment and monitoring of attainment and progress of pupils with special educational needs are unsatisfactory. Pupils’ needs are identified through observation and through teachers’ concern at a pupil’s lack of academic or social progress. Specialist outside help is sought when appropriate. A specialist teacher from the Tameside inclusion and advisory support team visits school each week and teaches specific pupils in a withdrawal situation. The educational psychological service also provides support and advice for pupils experiencing learning and behavioural difficulties. The behavioural support team also provides a nursery nurse to fulfil the requirements of Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 22 - March 2003 Statements of those pupils who experience behavioural difficulties. Targets are set and work is planned to match the pupils’ individual needs. The school has been successful

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

in securing money from the Children’s Fund to appoint a learning mentor from April for a year, which is intended to provide extra support for pupils experiencing difficulties. Individual education plans are created and regularly reviewed, as is provision for pupils with Statements of Special Educational Need, in order to plan future learning. However, teachers and learning support assistants do not regularly review together the learning of pupils in order to plan for the next stage of learning. The school is not yet using sufficiently well the data from the pupil ‘tracking’ system or from the school’s list of pupils with special educational needs to assess and monitor how well they are responding to their provision. They are reliant on targets set in individual educational plan and to what extent those targets have been achieved. Although records are kept of pupils’ progress and their movement between the stages of the code of practice,

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

they were not easy to locate during the week of the inspection and are difficult to interpret. There is no specific assessment of pupils who are at the early stages of learning English as an additional language.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

44. The use of assessment to guide teachers’ planning is unsatisfactory overall. The results are not analysed and used to make a contribution to efficient and effective planning of the curriculum. Insufficient use is made of information from both non- statutory and statutory assessment to guide teachers’ planning to raise standards. However, the school has renewed its focus on rewarding achievement and pupils are rewarded for outstanding efforts, including good behaviour, good work and or progress. The pupils enjoy receiving stickers and being mentioned in celebration assemblies as a reward.

p.22

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

45. This is a strength of the school and an area where the strategic thinking of the new headteacher can be seen making an impact. In an area where traditionally parents have been reluctant to engage with school to any great extent, approximately two thirds of parents replied to the questionnaire before the inspection, and the overwhelming majority of the opinions expressed were positive. This rate of return is high compared with national levels. The positive views were echoed by those expressed in the parents’ meeting. Parents are particularly appreciative of the work of the incoming headteacher and the effective links she is creating with them. Those who engaged in conversation with inspectors during the inspection said that their children had settled well in the Nursery and that they welcomed the new Nursery teacher’s decision to invite them into the classroom every morning to start the day, do a puzzle or look at a book with them.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

The headteacher makes sure that she is in the playground at the beginning and the end of the day to cement informal links and glean opinions from parents and carers collecting their children. Some parents feel the level of challenge in some of the work that pupils are asked to do is not good enough, and inspectors agree with this concern and consider teachers’ expectations are not high enough.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

46. A large number of parents, carers, babies and grandparents attended a celebration assembly in the week of the inspection, even though some of their children were not directly being honoured in the event. This regular occasion is being promoted to emphasise positive news about pupils, which the headteacher is trying to communicate. In the same way she talks at an early stage with parents of pupils who are having difficulty in school, to try and form a way forward. Parents have regular consultation evenings where participation is gradually growing, but reports to parents are being redrawn, since at the moment they are somewhat impersonal and do not contain enough useful information about progress and what needs to be done to improve pupils’ work. Links to the local health service are good, and dovetail with Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 23 - March 2003 initiatives to involve parents more in their children’s schooling. For example, a

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

parenting class is running at the school, where nurses and parents discuss ways of managing behaviour in a positive manner. The school believes this is already making a difference with some individual pupils and there are firm plans to emulate this early success by starting other schemes whereby parents can help their children with their schooling and learn more about what is taught in the classroom. Not all parents come to the reviews for pupils who have special educational needs, but this number too is growing. Parents of other pupils experiencing learning or behavioural difficulties are consulted at the regular meetings for parents. The governors’ annual report to parents and the prospectus contain most necessary statutory information, but certain facts about the school’s results, both on attendance and examination results need to have the correct comparisons with national data.

p.23

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

47. The school is working in close partnership with the community, including parents and governors, especially the local church and youth base. All Saints’ basketball club and the THREADS project have galvanised provision for extra-curricular sports and are seeking to support young people in the area. Of particular note is the basketball club led by the enthusiastic vicar attached to the school, which sees more than forty pupils from the school participating regularly. A number of pupils have close links with the local church, where they take part in services every month, some of them bringing their parents along. A Friends of the School group is in the process of being set up to give parents and other members of the community a chance to become involved, following the example of the two former headteachers of the school and some present governors, who came into classrooms to share reading on World Book Day .

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

48. Despite the good leadership provided by the headteacher since her appointment a year ago, the overall quality of the leadership and management of the school is unsatisfactory. The governing body does not satisfactorily fulfil its responsibilities. The monitoring and evaluation of the school’s performance and taking action are not effective enough. Satisfactory use is made of resources allocated to the school but the application of principles of best value is unsatisfactory.

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

49. Since the time of the last inspection, there has been a period of considerable change in the school with a falling roll, changes in the senior management team, staff absences and changes in membership of the governing body. The headteacher has a clear vision for the school and a very good understanding of its strengths and weaknesses, including low standards, poor behaviour, a resistance to change from some staff and some key issues from the last inspection not fully addressed. She has coped very well with the many challenges and has operated over the past few months without a deputy headteacher. This has meant she took over teaching responsibilities for Year 6, which left little time to undertake monitoring. She has already put in place some improvements but is fully aware that there is still much to be done. The high proportion of unsatisfactory teaching in the school indicates that many pupils are underachieving

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

and that standards are not rising fast enough.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

50. Two senior members of staff currently support the headteacher in the absence of the deputy headteacher. These form the senior management team and their role is developing satisfactorily. There is no formal agenda or minutes of senior management team meetings recording what has been discussed, what decisions have been made and who is to implement them. The team does not yet have a sufficiently active role in the monitoring, development and review of policies and procedures to ensure all staff know and follow the same practice. Although there are regular staff meetings, the Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 24 - March 2003 minutes do not clearly indicate decisions made and who is to take responsibility for their action and monitoring.

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

51. The monitoring of teaching and learning is currently unsatisfactory, as it is not rigorous enough in identifying weaknesses. The subject co-ordinators are not leading developments and many are unclear of their role. Responsibilities are mainly limited to managing resources. There has been monitoring by co-ordinators of English and mathematics but other co-ordinators are not involved in observing teaching or checking the work in pupils’ books to identify strengths and weaknesses in standards. There are currently no annual subject reviews. There is no effective checking of what happens in lessons or if those planned are actually taught. Inconsistencies in how pupils are managed mean the pupils receive mixed messages and this is not helping to improve behaviour. The headteacher’s vision and commitment to improvement are currently not shared by all staff and there is no whole-school ethos of teamwork. Over the past few

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

years, staff have had access to many training opportunities. The school has received considerable support from the local education authority and outside consultants, but this has had insufficient impact on improving the quality of teaching and learning and raising standards. The main focus has been on English and mathematics and there is still more to achieve to improve consistency in these and other subjects.

p.24

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

52. The management of provision for pupils with special educational needs is unsatisfactory overall. There is a policy, which outlines all procedures in accordance with the recommendations of the Code of Practice. The guidelines are followed and the recommendations of the new Code of Practice are being implemented. However, comprehensive information related to special educational needs is not easily accessible and pupils with special educational need are not fully included in all lessons. The school benefits from the management of a dedicated team of classroom assistants who provide support but there is inadequate liaison between learning support staff and teachers to plan and review their contribution to pupils’ learning. However, support staff have access to any training which is relevant to their professional development. The governor with responsibility for special educational needs has recently been appointed and there has been insufficient time for her to make

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

53. Although governors are supportive of the school, the governing body does not currently fulfil its statutory duties in ensuring that all legal practices and procedures are fully in place. For example, there are weaknesses in risk assessments and performance management. The headteacher keeps governors well informed and is encouraging them to become more involved in decision-making. During the past year governors have become increasingly involved in the work of the school and shaping its direction but more needs to be done. There are regular termly meetings of the full governing body and committees meet more often. A few governors regularly visit the school but there is no regular pattern or purpose to visits. Overall, there is insufficient involvement in monitoring standards, the curriculum, procedures and practices and this is an area for development. The recently elected chair of governors and vice-chair have a similar

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

vision to that of the headteacher and have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. They meet regularly and are working well as a team but have had insufficient time to bring about significant changes. Essential committees are now established with clear terms of reference. There are good opportunities for training, which more recently appointed governors have attended. There is a developing awareness for training amongst governors and a recent session held in school on the role of governors was well attended. The chair of governors has produced a useful induction pack to support new governors. The school’s aims and values are relevant but are currently not reflected in the work of the school. Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 25 - March 2003 54. The school improvement plan, which forms part of the headteacher’s vision for the school, clearly identifies areas for raising standards. A weakness is that headings are

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

not clearly funded and so there is no awareness of the financial implications. Staff and governors were involved in its development but it was not based on a thorough school evaluation. The process of devising the draft budget depended too much on the expertise of the headteacher and insufficient support from the governing body.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

55. There is a good number of teaching and support staff to meet the needs of the pupils and to teach the curriculum. Overall, the number, experience and match of teaching staff to their roles are satisfactory. Training is planned to meet the needs of individual teachers and the needs of the school. Teachers have attended many training sessions but this has not significantly raised the quality of teaching and learning. There is a brief guide for temporary or supply teachers starting in school. The school’s strategy for appraisal and promoting the performance of teachers is unsatisfactory because it is not having a sufficient impact on improving the overall quality of teaching in school. Teachers have objectives but they are not reviewed on a regular basis. Performance management procedures for the headteacher, however, are soundly established.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

56. Support staff provide satisfactory support for pupils’ education but are not always as effective as they could be. They are not sufficiently involved in lesson planning. They do not always know what is expected of them before the lesson starts, so they are not as effective as they could be. They are not always used efficiently during the introduction and ending of lessons in monitoring and helping pupils. The efficient administrative staff, meals supervisors, caretaker and cleaners make their own significant contributions to the smooth running of the school.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

57. The accommodation is adequate to meet the needs of the National Curriculum and pupils. Good improvements have been made to the premises and buildings since the last inspection and more are planned. The erection of a high steel fence has eradicated many of the problems of security - a key issue at the last inspection - vandalism and graffiti. The accommodation provides satisfactory teaching areas overall. There are sufficient classrooms to carry out practical lessons such as science experiments. Displays in classrooms and corridors help to provide a stimulating environment, although there are few examples of pupils’ work in some classes to celebrate their achievements. The ICT suite provides a satisfactory teaching space and is equipped with fifteen networked workstations. However, the timetable shows that it is underused especially during morning sessions. It gets overly warm during afternoon sessions if

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

there is not sufficient ventilation. There is a good-sized Nursery and a library area, although the library is used to withdraw groups of pupils for tuition during the morning and this restricts its use. There are exciting plans to develop this further, in the near future, into a research area equipped with computers and improved resources. The number and range of reference and fiction books are adequate but some are old and require replacement. Surplus rooms are being developed as a community drop-in centre.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

58. The school has sufficient hard-play areas, although a steep slope makes outdoor games difficult. Included is a fenced basketball area, which is shared with the local youth club. There is a grassed area which has recently been drained. The outdoor play area for the Foundation Stage needs further development. The premises manager and cleaning staff work hard to provide the pupils with a clean learning environment, in spite of the school’s awkward layout. The school has no ramps or toilet facilities for disabled people, which makes it unsuitable for pupils needing wheelchair access.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

59. Resources in all subjects are satisfactory and satisfactorily used to support teaching and learning. They are readily accessible in classrooms and a central resource area. Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 26 - March 2003 Resources for ICT are good in the ICT suite and satisfactory overall, although computers in classrooms are rarely used.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

60. The school’s overall efficient use of resources is satisfactory. Procedures for financial control and administration on a day-to-day basis are sound and run smoothly, as at the time of the last report. Satisfactory use is made of new technology especially in office administration. The school uses specific funding effectively, for example in relation to improvements in the buildings. The headteacher makes clear financial information available for governing body meetings. The chair of finance provides a good level of expertise and monitoring. The headteacher and finance governors oversee the school finances and the budget carefully because of the falling roll. The above average carry- forward is planned to help offset the problem. The school is beginning to develop the principles of best value for money but procedures for consulting and involving those concerned in decision-making about spending are at an early stage of development.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

Some consideration has been given to alternative providers for services and resources in order to acquire cost effectiveness, for instance in the building programme. Overall, money is now spent prudently. The school’s day-to-day financial controls and procedures are good, enabling the headteacher and governors to monitor and evaluate closely all spending decisions. Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 27 - March 2003

p.26

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) Raise standards in English, mathematics and science * by

p.27

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Making more effective use of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies (Paragraph 26, 79, 86) • Providing more opportunities for pupils to write in subjects such as history and religious education (Paragraph 27, 79) • Improving assessment procedures and making better use of them in planning further work (Paragraphs 41 – 44) • Providing more opportunities for investigative work and problem solving in mathematics and science (Paragraphs 4, 5, 82, 87, 91, 92, 94).

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) Improve the quality of teaching and learning * by

p.27

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Better monitoring by senior managers and subject co-ordinators (Paragraphs 14, 50, 51) • Improving teachers’ ability to teach basic skills (Paragraph 18) • Improving teachers’ expertise to plan and teach subjects (Paragraphs 16, 17) • Improving the marking of pupils’ work (Paragraph 21).

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(3) Develop a whole-school approach to tackling the poor behaviour of a large minority of pupils * (Paragraphs 12, 19, 38).

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(4) Improve the quality and range of what is taught in the curriculum, especially foundation subjects, by

p.27

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Reviewing the time allocated to subjects (Paragraph 24) • Developing a whole-school approach to long-term planning, which helps pupils to learn skills and acquire knowledge progressively (Paragraphs 24, 25).

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(5) Improve provision for pupils’ personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development (Paragraphs 13, 31 – 35, 40).

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(6) Improve provision for pupils with special educational needs (Paragraph 52) by

p.27

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Making better use of pupils’ individual targets in the teachers’ lesson plans (Paragraph 20) • Improving the liaison between teachers and support staff so that all staff are better involved in planning for these pupils (Paragraphs 20, 56) • Reviewing the impact of withdrawing pupils for tuition from lessons on the opportunities they have to join in all subjects of the curriculum (Paragraph 28) • Making better use of assessments to check on how well pupils are doing and the match of work to pupils’ attainment (Paragraph 43).

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(7) Take steps to secure the welfare of pupils by

p.27

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Better training for all staff in child protection procedures (Paragraph 36) Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 28 - March 2003 • Carrying out a comprehensive risk assessment of pupils’ health and safety (Paragraph 37).

p.27

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(8) Put in place regular procedures to assess the school’s performance, the curriculum and the effectiveness of teachers (Paragraphs 53, 55, 60).

p.28

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

* These issues feature in the current school improvement plan.

p.28

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

In addition, governors should address omissions to the School Prospectus and Governors’ Annual Report to Parents (Paragraph 46) . Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 29 - March 2003

p.28

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

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

p.29

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

p.29

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

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

p.29

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6

p.29

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 16 140

p.29

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 0 52

p.29

Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6

p.29

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 4

p.29

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 0 29

p.29

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.29

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 5

p.29

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.29

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 17

p.29

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 18

p.29

Attendance

School data 6.0 School data 0.0 Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 30 - March 2003 National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5

p.29

Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 31 - March 2003

p.30

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

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2002 10 5 15

p.31

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.31

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

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

p.31

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

Percentage of pupils School 73 (85) 67 (85) 87 (95) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (84) 86 (86) 90 (91)

p.31

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.31

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

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

p.31

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

Percentage of pupils School 80 (70) 93 (90) 87 (75) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (85) 89 (89) 89 (89)

p.31

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

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

p.31

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

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2002 8 17 25

p.31

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.31

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

Boys * * * Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls * * *

p.31

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

Percentage of pupils School 64 (67) 44 (73) 68 (80) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 73 (71) 86 (87)

p.31

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.31

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

Boys * * * Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls * * *

p.31

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

Percentage of pupils School 48 (80) 36 (90) 60 (83) at NC level 4 or above National 73 (72) 74 (74) 82 (82)

p.31

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

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

p.31

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

*In both tables the number of boys and girls has been omitted because some totals are less than eleven Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 32 - March 2003

p.31

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.32

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

White – any other White background 0 0 0

p.32

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Mixed – any other mixed background 1 1 0

p.32

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British - Pakistani 2 0 0

p.32

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 1 0 0

p.32

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.32

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – Caribbean 0 0 0

p.32

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.32

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.

p.32

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 8 Financial year 2001 - 02

p.32

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 18

p.32

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 541,987

p.32

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 6 Total expenditure 550,952

p.32

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 106 Expenditure per pupil 3,095

p.32

Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Balance brought forward from previous year 70,464

p.32

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 1 Balance carried forward to next year 61,499

p.32

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 17

p.32

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 1

p.32

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 35

p.32

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per FTE adult 13 Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 33 - March 2003 FTE means full-time equivalent. Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 34 - March 2003

p.32

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.34

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 1

p.34

Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

p.34

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.34

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.34

Recruitment of teachers

FTE means full-time equivalent. Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 35 - March 2003

p.34

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

p.35

Results of the survey of parents and carers

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

p.35

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 54 43 3 0 0

p.35

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 25 64 7 3 1

p.35

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 40 44 13 3 1

p.35

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 33 53 8 3 2

p.35

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 64 30 2 3 1

p.35

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 55 41 3 0 1

p.35

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 41 43 11 1 4

p.35

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 54 34 6 1 4

p.35

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 50 40 6 1 3

p.35

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 54 35 5 1 4

p.35

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentages are rounded to the nearest integer and may not total 100.

p.35

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Other issues raised by parents Some parents feel that the work set for their children in class and for homework is not challenging enough. Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 36 - March 2003

p.35

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

62. There are two part-time sessions for children in the Nursery. The Reception class has only a small number of children, who work in the Reception classroom in the mornings and join the Nursery children in the afternoon. This is a good strategy because both classes are able to socialise with a greater number of children. The Reception children are able to take part in a greater number of activities, which are suitable for their needs; the Nursery children are able to emulate the Reception children, thus promoting their learning and progress.

p.36

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

63. Children come into the Foundation Stage with a low level of attainment. This is particularly so in spoken and expressive language. Their progress is satisfactory and by the time the children are ready to move into Year 1, their attainment is still below what is expected for their age in all areas of learning other than physical development where it is just in line with that expected.

p.36

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

64. The basic curriculum and environment for learning are firmly in place and all six areas of learning are planned for. The staff of the Foundation Stage work well as a team, planning together with the nursery nurse included. Within this framework the quality of teaching overall is satisfactory and occasionally good. The environment in both the Nursery and the Reception classroom, however, does not fully meet the needs of young children, particularly in relation to speaking skills. Planning is not rigorous enough and the environment has a limited range of good learning opportunities. Planning is not structured and purposeful enough to ensure the integration of all six areas of learning in a focused way. For example, the sand and water activities are set out with too many resources in them to be productive of purposeful learning. The outdoor area is not arranged to be an integral part of all six areas of learning and role-play areas are sparse

p.36

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

and do not contribute enough to areas of learning.

p.36

Personal, social and emotional development

65. Staff usually manage children well. By the time children are ready for moving into Year 1, they have progressed well in this area of learning but they have not completely reached the standards expected of them. They listen and concentrate well, sometimes for considerable lengths of time. This is especially so when they are very interested, such as when learning about music or cooking. The sense of wonder on the faces of the Nursery and Reception children was very evident in music, when they heard the varying sounds that the rain stick made. The atmosphere became magical. Reception children work well in pairs in physical education. They co-operate with their partners and with the teacher because they thoroughly enjoy the lesson. Nursery and Reception children move around confidently and show independence in choosing activities in the Nursery room. Children do not, however, have any choice as to whether they join in

p.36

Personal, social and emotional development

outdoor play. They all politely wait their turns at snack time. There is no element of the children contributing to their registration and they do not find their own names independently. Reception children are very good at taking turns when playing mathematical games. Children in both classes, however, do not discuss their activities sufficiently. Nursery children talk to adults but do not talk to each other very much. Reception children do not express a wide range of feelings or show a growing awareness of others’ needs and views. The range of activities provided for the children tends to be rather narrow and at times unfocused. Nursery children tend to flit from Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 37 - March 2003 one activity to another and dip into them rather than maintaining a high level of involvement.

p.36

Communication, language and literacy

66. Teaching in this area of learning is satisfactory and occasionally good. Children make satisfactory progress overall. Their progress in using spoken language is very slow. Apart from a few of them, the children have a poor level of language by which to express themselves. For example, one child said ‘him go in car’; another when he had finished his drink of milk said ‘my milk, my drink, my burp’; others say ‘him is’. A number of children have poor articulation which interferes with their progress. The Reception children are growing in confidence to speak to others about their wants and interests. They sometimes initiate conversations with each other but the level at which they do this is not high. When playing mathematics games, a few children in pairs decided who would go first. However, they do not negotiate plans and activities on a regular basis. They do not have sufficient opportunities and guidance in other areas of

p.37

Communication, language and literacy

learning to develop and extend their spoken and written language. Where adults interact and intervene in children’s activities, they make more progress in speaking. For example, the nursery nurse creates good opportunities for children to talk when they make models. The children made good progress during their work on a project involving large construction apparatus. There was a clear purpose to it and the Nursery teacher interacted very well. They do not explore the meanings and sounds of new words because there are not enough opportunities to talk and write for a wide range of purposes. For example, in the role-play area there is no facility for writing shopping lists, and there is no guidance or facility for children in construction play to label their models.

p.37

Communication, language and literacy

67. By the time the children are five, they make good progress in learning the letters of the alphabet and their associated sounds. Teaching of reading skills in the Reception class is good. There is a good emphasis on teaching about the sounds that letters have and building them up. The higher attaining children can use this skill to write their own very simple sentences with correct spelling. They sometimes use positional words such as ‘over’ and ‘under’. The average and lower attaining children can spell words with help. The higher attaining children are building up the number of words they can recognise on sight. Most children understand that print carries meaning and know how books work. They can sequence stories by ordering pictures correctly. Children’s correct formation of letters is progressing slowly. They do not find it easy to form them. Although teachers make writing tables available for children to use, there is little

p.37

Communication, language and literacy

motivation for them to do so, for example, to go to write birthday cards or stories.

p.37

Mathematical Development

68. Children’s attainment in mathematical development is below what is expected for children at the end of the Reception year. Teaching is satisfactory, as is their progress. Teaching is at its best in this area of learning when the children are being taught as a whole class. The children do not find the individual or group activities very interesting and therefore are not motivated to get highly involved with them.

p.37

Mathematical Development

69. In the Nursery, children learn the differences between simple shapes and both Nursery and Reception children learned more about mathematical language and measuring when they ‘helped to make pancakes’. There is no regular shopping activity to promote children’s learning of relevant mathematical activities. Children sort colours but on the whole the environment is not enriched enough to promote this area of learning.

p.37

Mathematical Development

70. Children in the Reception class can count to ten. A small proportion of them are still learning to match the names of the numbers to the numerals. The higher attaining Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 38 - March 2003 children use mathematical language accurately such as ‘longer’ and ‘shorter’ and do addition sums involving money. Most children’s understanding of what numbers above five represent, however, is not secure.

p.37

Knowledge and Understanding of the World

71. Attainment is below what is expected for children at the end of the Reception year. Teaching and learning are satisfactory. In the Foundation Stage, all children join in cooking and planting some bulbs in containers. They use their senses when ‘making pancakes’. The children gained a lot from this activity and were successfully helped with new language and vocabulary in order that they could explain the changes to the cooking ingredients. One Nursery child was able to name all the differing animals on display from the Arctic continent. Reception children showed their progress in learning by being able to place the body parts in the right places when they painted self-portraits. Children know how to use the mouse on the computer. They can build and construct very simply with a variety of construction and play equipment and recycled materials. The most effective work was when the children enjoyed making a helipad with large

p.38

Knowledge and Understanding of the World

construction equipment. This developed their vocabulary and thinking. There are some missed opportunities, however, to enlarge children’s experience.

p.38

Physical Development

72. Children’s attainment is just in line with what is expected at the end of the Reception year. The quality of teaching is satisfactory and occasionally good. Children make satisfactory progress. In games lessons with the specialist teacher, the Reception children used space well. They ran and moved with confidence. They were learning why physical education is important for their bodies and well being. In these lessons, which they thoroughly enjoyed, they worked quietly following instructions carefully and safely. In the outdoor area, all Nursery and Reception children move in an unstructured space with confidence but with less care and awareness of others, because the area is small and not very purposefully arranged to support all areas of learning.

p.38

Physical Development

73. In the Nursery, children learn to manipulate small pieces of construction apparatus and small tools such as glue spreaders. Reception children make good attempts to roll clay to make letters for their names. By the time children are ready to go into Year 1 they can use pencils and brushes with care. They do not find it easy, however, to manipulate pencils to form letters and numbers correctly or to follow writing patterns under the teacher’s supervision.

p.38

Creative Development

74. Children’s attainment in this area of learning is below that expected by the time the children are ready to leave the Reception class. Teaching is satisfactory and occasionally good, and progress is satisfactory. When making models or painting, the children choose colours for particular purposes. Both Nursery and Reception children worked very imaginatively when they created an aeroplane with large construction apparatus. They were highly involved. The pilot ‘announced the height at which they were flying’ after being prompted by the class teacher, and ‘used the telephone’ to speak to the passengers. This activity was very productive in stimulating children’s imagination and the relevant vocabulary. In a well-prepared music lesson, all the children explored gentle sounds, created repetitive sounds and introduced rhythm. There are insufficient opportunities to explore a wide variety of textures or collages and

p.38

Creative Development

the children do not work well when working independently. The range of activities does not build on children’s learning well enough.

p.38

ENGLISH

Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 39 - March 2003 75. Standards of attainment by the end of Year 6 are below average, and this finding is reflected in the standards achieved by the school in National Curriculum tests in the last two years as well as those in the current Year 6. Test results have been average when compared to those of similar schools. However, the achievement of pupils from Years 1 to 6 is unsatisfactory overall, mainly because pupils’ learning is too frequently disrupted by the unsatisfactory behaviour of a minority of pupils, mostly boys. This poor behaviour is not consistently and successfully managed by teachers. As a result, all pupils, especially boys, should be achieving better, especially in speaking, listening and writing. There is insufficient good teaching to raise standards further, too many lessons lead to only satisfactory progress and two lessons in junior classes were

p.39

ENGLISH

unsatisfactory. Consequently, despite a rise in standards since 1998, there has been insufficient improvement to keep pace with the national trend upwards. Progress on one element of the key issue in the last inspection report, which was to improve the achievement of pupils in English in junior classes, has not been good enough, and the school is unlikely to reach the challenging target it has set for 77 per cent pupils in the current Year 6 to achieve the expected Level 4 or better. Although there is a good action plan this year to address pupils’ under-achievement, the systems designed to check the quality of teaching, through lesson observations and sampling of teachers’ planning and pupils’ work, are not highlighting shortcomings, eliminating unsatisfactory teaching and producing improvements in standards and provision quickly enough.

p.39

Speaking and listening

76. Standards are well below average throughout most of the school and by the end of Year 6 are below average. Most pupils in infant classes have a very limited range of vocabulary and some do not use more than a single word in replying to teachers’ questions in class. There are, however, higher attaining pupils who can make up good sentences, and a recent whole-school focus on improving skills of speaking is beginning to have an impact. One pupil in Year 2, for instance, suggested the Big Bad Wolf, looking at Grandma, might be thinking, ‘Mmm… she does look a bit tasty!’ Where unsatisfactory behaviour by pupils is not eliminated, however, as in some lessons in Years 3 and 5, the potential for improving skills of speaking and listening is lost and pupils make insufficient progress. This was evident when pupils in Year 5 practised a choral performance of the poem, Bishop Hatto by Robert Southey. The planned

p.39

Speaking and listening

opportunity for pupils to talk about their own and others’ work was limited by the distracting behaviour of a minority. Attainment of pupils in Year 6 is below average overall and most, for example, found difficulty in suggesting sentences for a piece of persuasive writing that they were composing.

p.39

Reading

77. Standards are below average in most year groups. Given the pupils’ prior attainment, their achievement is satisfactory in infant classes but not good enough in junior classes to raise standards further. During Years 1 and 2, the pupils develop satisfactory skills for reading new words and most recognise the most common words in English. Pupils read regularly at home and at school. Some pupils receive help through lessons of the Early Literacy Support programme and make good progress recognising letter sounds and combinations. This rate of progress is not maintained consistently as the pupils move through Year 3 and was highlighted as a cause for concern by parents in their responses to inspectors. Some pupils described reading in school as boring, though some pupils with special educational needs felt reading with learning support assistants was better. In other year groups, many boys display indifferent attitudes

p.39

Reading

and, despite Book Clubs and Fairs and the school’s activities to celebrate World Book Day during the inspection, they do not read for pleasure often. In general, girls show Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 40 - March 2003 interest and enjoy reading at home. Some describe favourite books and authors. The few above average readers in Year 6 have read a good range of children’s fiction and can find information from non-fiction readily. Some pupils with special educational needs, however, have made insufficient progress and find great difficulty in reading unfamiliar words.

p.39

Writing

78. Standards are well below average in most year groups. Pupils at the start of Year 1 lack the confidence to try writing for themselves and the recent focus on improving writing is a measure of how the school is aware that standards need to improve. In infant classes, pupils frequently form letters poorly, they find it hard to write sentences of any length and only the higher attaining pupils in Year 2 are able to write a story with a clear beginning, middle and end. Pupils’ progress in writing their own pieces of work is hindered because they are given too many worksheets to complete. Standards in Year 3 are poor and few pupils have made much progress since the start of the school year. Progress accelerates in Years 4, 5 and 6 and this is the result of the concerted effort by the teachers of these classes to improve the teaching of writing. Higher attaining pupils write narratives and play scripts, using interesting language. For

p.40

Writing

example, one pupil in Year 6 wrote in a poem on autumn: ‘The trees faces are long and sad / Their branches are breaking / They stare at the ground all day long.’ However, there is a large proportion of lower attaining boys in these year groups and so standards are not yet average overall. Unsatisfactory handwriting, punctuation and spelling are still dominant features of their work, and many individual pupils with special educational needs are making unsatisfactory progress. They find writing a chore and in samples of work seen, there are only rare opportunities for pupils to use word processing to draft their work and enliven its appearance by using interesting fonts, borders and artwork.

p.40

Writing

79. The quality of teaching is unsatisfactory overall because there is too little teaching of good quality to lift standards and too much unsatisfactory teaching. Disruptive behaviour by a number of pupils is impeding the progress that pupils make in lessons and there is no whole-school approach to dealing with it. As a result, many parts of lessons are spoilt because the pupils are paying insufficient attention or, when working unsupervised, they distract one another or demand the attention of the teacher who is trying to assist other pupils. There is little consistency about what staff should expect of standards of presentation, work rate or behaviour and as a result, the teaching of basic skills is not effective enough if standards are to rise. Lessons are often too long, as are introductory sessions when pupils are taught altogether. There is inconsistent practice among teachers in the marking of work, the style of teachers’ handwriting on

p.40

Writing

whiteboards and the use of individual and group targets for pupils. As a result, the quality of learning for all pupils is adversely affected and in too many lessons, not enough is achieved. Pupils with special educational needs make insufficient progress. This is because teachers’ lesson plans do not always take notice of the targets in pupils’ individual education plans. The very few pupils at the early stages of learning English as an additional language make satisfactory progress, mainly as a result of their immersion in the language in the classroom and the playground, but their later progress is only similar to that made by all pupils. Overall, other subjects, such as geography, history, religious education and ICT, are not used well to promote skills of reading and writing. Where teaching is good, for instance in Year 4, the teacher’s enthusiasm for the subject means pupils’ attention is gripped, the pupils answer

p.40

Writing

questions well and make good progress. Homework is consistently set across classes and makes a good contribution to the pupils’ learning. Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 41 - March 2003 80. Subject management is satisfactory and this judgement reflects a balance of strengths and shortcomings. Strengths are the review of subject provision last year and the clear action plan to make improvements that arose from the review. However, systems to monitor the provision are not effective enough if the action plan is to have an impact. There are many inconsistencies in practice, including how well assessments of pupils’ progress are used to help teachers’ planning and to set targets for pupils to achieve. Resources for learning are generally good but much non-fiction in the library requires replacement. There are good plans to develop the library into a fully resourced information centre.

p.40

MATHEMATICS

81. Standards are below average at the end of Year 2 and well below average at the end of Year 6. Most pupils, including those identified as having special educational needs or English as an additional language, do not achieve as well as they could because of inconsistencies in the quality of teaching. During the inspection half the lessons observed were unsatisfactory.

p.41

MATHEMATICS

82. Progress since the last inspection has been unsatisfactory and most of the issues for action have not been addressed sufficiently well. Standards have fallen and teaching is now unsatisfactory overall. Teachers’ expectations are often too low. Assessment procedures, which were identified as a weakness at the time of the last inspection, are still not consistently in place across the school. In Years 3 to 6, all groups of pupils undertake the same work, which means activities are too easy for some and too difficult for others, so that there is under achievement. Opportunities for pupils to use mathematics in practical situations have not improved because there is far too much reliance on the use of a commercial scheme and work sheets. The National Numeracy Strategy is not firmly embedded and there is an inconsistent approach to planning between classes.

p.41

MATHEMATICS

83. Pupil’ attainment in Year 2 has fluctuated during recent years and, although standards are still not high enough, there is an improving trend. Staffing problems with the current Year 2 pupils have led to a lack of continuity and a variation in the quality of teaching so that pupils are not achieving as well as they could. Challenging targets have been set for this class but it is unlikely that they will be achieved because there are insufficient pupils working at above the expected level for the age group. Most pupils understand simple addition and subtraction with lower attaining pupils working with numbers up to 10 and higher attainers up to 100. They recognise coins up to £1 and undertake simple addition and subtraction activities correctly. Most pupils recognise odd and even numbers and count satisfactorily up to 100 in steps of 2, 5 and 10. Higher attaining pupils halve and double numbers within 20, with other pupils doing so to 10. Most

p.41

MATHEMATICS

recognise and know the names of regular two and three-dimensional shapes but their knowledge and understanding of non-standard and standard measures are underdeveloped because of limited opportunities. Most pupils settle soundly to tasks showing satisfactory levels of concentration and interest in their work.

p.41

MATHEMATICS

84. Standards of work seen in Year 6 are well below what is expected nationally in all aspects of the subject. Pupils have very few opportunities to develop knowledge and understanding in shape, space, measures and handling data, because of the heavy reliance and time spent on number activities. Staffing problems, which have meant a lack of continuity and consistency in teaching, have not helped with pupils’ progress. A scrutiny of pupils’ workbooks shows all pupils usually undertake the same activities with very little consideration given to pupils’ levels of attainment. This means that lower attaining pupils and those with special educational needs often do not understand what to do. As a result, they make insufficient progress in lessons. Most pupils have a Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 42 - March 2003 satisfactory grasp of place value to 1000 and the four number operations. Higher

p.41

MATHEMATICS

attaining pupils satisfactorily complete written calculations involving multiplication and division by 10 and 100. The majority of pupils correctly order fractions but show limited understanding of the link between equivalent fractions, percentages and decimals. Higher attaining pupils use this understanding to solve problems involving fractional parts of numbers. Most pupils find perimeters and areas of regular shapes and a few understand how to use a formula to calculate these. They recognise different types of triangles and have a developing understanding of positive and negative numbers.

p.42

MATHEMATICS

85. The quality of teaching and learning is unsatisfactory. In six lesson observations, the quality of teaching ranged from unsatisfactory to good and three lessons were unsatisfactory, two satisfactory and one good. A scrutiny of pupils’ workbooks substantiates this judgement because teachers do not take enough notice of what pupils can and cannot do, provide appropriate activities or build upon what pupils can do. This is particularly noticeable in Years 3 to 6. The quality of teachers’ planning is inconsistent across the school. It does not always clearly show what pupils are expected to learn and do. Teachers do not always clearly share the purpose of the lesson with pupils and so they are unaware of what they will be learning and what is expected. This means that they are unable to settle confidently to activities. Mental introductions are not used effectively to challenge pupils and make them think, and the

p.42

MATHEMATICS

pace is often too slow so that pupils lose interest. Questioning is not brisk enough and is restricted to those who put up their hands, so that not all are involved.

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MATHEMATICS

86. Teachers’ knowledge and understanding vary and the numeracy strategy is not firmly embedded in the school’s practice. The three-part lesson structure is not well established and the initial mental activity does not always provide sufficient challenge. Some lessons, for example in a Year 2 class, are too long, lasting an hour or more, so that pupils find it difficult to maintain interest and concentration. In the main part of the lesson, activities are often not well matched to pupils’ needs. In Years 3 to 6, pupils in the year group undertake the same work from the commercial textbook associated with that age group. This means that higher attaining pupils are not sufficiently challenged and lower attaining pupils often find activities too difficult and work remains unfinished. This leads to pupils losing concentration and behaving inappropriately, especially in Years 3 and 5. Teachers find the behaviour difficult to manage because there are no

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MATHEMATICS

consistent procedures across the school. In many lessons pupils therefore do not make sufficient progress in their learning. Few pupils have a positive attitude to the subject because they find it difficult to succeed, and interest and behaviour overall are unsatisfactory. Learning resources are not used enough to support pupils in their learning. Lessons usually end with a review of what has been learnt. However, the reviews are often too short and ineffective as teachers tend to tell pupils what they have been doing and learning rather than let the pupils explain, and this inhibits the development of skills of speaking and listening, initiative and independence.

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MATHEMATICS

87. Throughout the school, teachers provide insufficient opportunities for pupils to use mathematics involving real life problems, relying too heavily on textbooks and worksheets. Teachers usually acknowledge pupils’ work but marking does not provide helpful suggestions that let pupils know how they can improve. However, regular homework activities support and extend pupils’ learning well and pupils receive sound support at home. Classroom assistants are used satisfactorily to support groups of pupils during the main part of the lesson. However, they are not used effectively during the beginning and ending of lessons and are not always sure of what they are expected to do.

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MATHEMATICS

88. Links between mathematics and other subjects, such as science and geography, are not sufficiently developed to help learning and give pupils the opportunities to use their Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 43 - March 2003 knowledge and understanding. Information and communication technology is not used sufficiently well to aid and extend pupils’ learning and this is an area recognised by the school for development. Not all teachers know the range of programs available or how to use them effectively. As a result, computers in classrooms are rarely used.

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MATHEMATICS

89. Leadership and management of the subject are satisfactory, reflecting a balance of strengths and weaknesses. The co-ordinator is currently absent and the headteacher is providing support for staff. She has identified weaknesses and all teachers now have an objective to achieve in relation to mathematics. There has been recent analysis of test results to identify areas of weakness in pupils’ learning but actions have not yet been implemented. Procedures to check pupils’ performance and set targets are soundly established but the information is not used effectively to provide activities appropriate to pupils’ needs. This leads to a lack of progression in their learning. Targets for groups of pupils to achieve are not always relevant to pupils’ needs and very few pupils know what they are, so their value is lost. There has been some monitoring of teaching and learning but this has not been sufficiently evaluative or

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MATHEMATICS

effective in identifying strengths and weaknesses. Whole-school assessment and recording systems are not fully established. There is a satisfactory range of basic learning resources in each classroom and others in a central store but these are often not used sufficiently well to help pupils’ learning.

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SCIENCE

90. Inspection evidence confirms that standards of attainment are below the national average at the end of Year 2 and well below the national average by the end of Year 6. Pupils have made similar progress, including those with learning difficulties and those with English as an additional language. Boys achieve less well than girls. Pupils are achieving less well because teaching does not provide pupils with the necessary knowledge and understanding to attain the expected standards for their age. Work in pupils’ books and in the lessons seen indicates that there are insufficient opportunities for pupils to work at levels of challenge appropriate for their age and ability. There has been insufficient improvement since the time of the previous report.

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SCIENCE

91. Standards in Year 2 are below average. Pupils do not reach the expected level in all aspects of the subject. They have a better understanding of life processes and living things, materials and properties than the area of experimental and investigative science. They understand key words such as ‘push and pull’ and how to slow down and speed up a bicycle. Pupils have a good understanding that no single food can ‘be healthy on its own’ and that ‘mashed potatoes are a healthy alternative to chips.’ In Year 1, pupils understand that the best conditions for the growth of seeds are warmth, light, rain and soil but they do not yet write enough about the new discoveries they have made. There is an over-reliance on recording using published worksheets and these inhibit independent learning. Pupils are able to record using pictures and to produce labels on diagrams. They are not yet writing sentences in sequence to record what they

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SCIENCE

have discovered and to predict outcomes of experiments. There are too few opportunities for pupils to experience first-hand investigation through practical experiments.

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SCIENCE

92. Standards in Year 6 are well below average. Pupils use everyday knowledge about electricity including safety in the home and which materials will conduct electricity. There is little evidence in the written work of independent, investigative work, however. Recording is mainly using commercially published worksheets, which constrain the pupils’ learning, particularly of higher attaining pupils. The pupils record observations in a variety of ways, through pictures and diagrams. The use of ICT, however, is underdeveloped. It is principally used as a means of research. For example, a pupil Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 44 - March 2003 observed that batteries may be of the same voltage but different shapes and sizes and be classified as AA/AAA/C/D. As part of his homework, he researched the Internet to discover that the letter code indicates the length of time batteries will last. He was able

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SCIENCE

to communicate this information to the class. Pupils are not given the opportunity to make the best use of the practical work they do. There are few examples of predicting possible outcomes before experimenting, except on how to change the brightness of a light bulb. This weakness is preventing higher standards being attained. Given the opportunity, pupils show interest and enthusiasm for scientific enquiry. They respond well to lessons that are well planned and which involve practical investigation. When teachers use questioning techniques well, pupils respond positively and show a lively interest in the subject. However, pupils have difficulty in responding to oral questions as they have limited language skills, particularly the necessary scientific vocabulary to express themselves clearly. The majority of pupils work sensibly and show respect for each other and for the equipment they use, but the disruptive behaviour of some spoils

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SCIENCE

93. The quality of teaching is unsatisfactory overall but there are some examples of good teaching. The relationship between teachers and pupils is good. However, teachers’ subject knowledge and confidence are sometimes insufficient to enable them to inspire and motivate pupils. There is over-direction by teachers and pupils have few opportunities to talk things through. Because teaching is often not challenging enough, pupils’ behaviour deteriorates and they become inattentive. Planning does not always reflect what is being taught in lessons and does not include reference to the needs of higher and lower attaining pupils, including those with special educational needs. It is not revised in response to levels of achievement in lessons. There are occasions, however, when teachers pose searching questions. For example, pupils were challenged to find how they could make a light bulb produce a brighter light. The pace of

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SCIENCE

lessons is often slow and time is not well managed, so that opportunities at the end of lessons for pupils to discuss their findings and assess their own learning are missed. Occasionally when they have completed a given task, pupils do not know what to do next to improve if the teacher is busy. Teachers’ expectations of pupils’ achievement in both standards of attainment and presentation are not high enough. There are few opportunities to apply scientific ideas to other subjects of the curriculum and problem solving is underdeveloped.

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SCIENCE

94. The area previously identified for improvement, that is the experimental and investigative approach which gives pupils a real understanding of what they are learning, continues to be a concern. Much of the work taking place in lessons is too directed by the teacher. There is limited use of mathematical knowledge or ICT to enhance pupils’ learning, for example recording data in the form of block graphs to represent pupils’ favourite meals.

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SCIENCE

95. Teachers assess what pupils know at the end of each topic but they do not use this information to change their teaching to take account of the strengths and weaknesses in pupils’ knowledge and understanding. Marking of pupils’ work is irregular and inconsistent. Much work is undated and teachers do not expect high standards of presentation. Consequently there is inadequate information for teachers to help with future planning and to enable teachers to pitch their teaching correctly. As a result tasks are not matched closely enough to pupils’ capabilities. Pupils’ records and overall assessment procedures are not in place to enable teachers to check the standards achieved and the progress of pupils over time.

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SCIENCE

96. The co-ordination of the subject is weak, as it does not encompass the whole school. The policy is due for revision. Monitoring and evaluating of teaching and learning are not sufficiently effective. As a result, for example, the pupils are not learning concepts in Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 45 - March 2003 a progressive manner and there are no clear guidelines for teachers about how much time should be spent on science. There is no clear direction of how the school intends to raise standards. The curriculum conforms to the National Curriculum programmes of study but it is not sufficiently developed so that teachers can cater for the different levels of learning of pupils in their classes. Resources are adequate to support all aspects of the subject.

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ART AND DESIGN and DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

97. Attainment in both subjects for all pupils, including those with special educational needs, is below the average expected in most primary schools by the end of Years 2 and 6. Pupils’ achievement is not good enough. Judgements are based on a limited number of lessons seen, work previously produced by pupils, displays and evidence seen as part of other subjects. There is insufficient variety in either subject for pupils to experience two or three-dimensional work. Displays in classrooms and around the school do not reflect a wide range of imaginative, creative, artistic activities or the development of skills. There have been occasions, however, when the curriculum is enriched by contributions from visiting artists or school visits. The standards seen at the time of the last inspection are similar in art and design and are now not as high as they were in design and technology. There has been insufficient improvement since

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ART AND DESIGN and DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

98. The quality of teaching in art and design overall is unsatisfactory. Lessons are planned with sufficient care but objectives are not clearly stated and teachers’ expectations are not sufficiently high. The pace in lessons seen was often too slow. The teachers’ initial instructions took a disproportionate amount of time and allowed little time for pupils to complete the task satisfactorily. Teachers did not communicate their knowledge with any degree of confidence and enthusiasm to motivate and interest their pupils. The challenge of the work was not always appropriate to the age and ability of pupils. If involved in practical, creative tasks, pupils showed an interest in their work but if tasks were too demanding or repetitive, pupils quickly lost interest. Pupils are usually given the resources to work with and there are limited opportunities for them to choose which medium or technique to use. This inhibits their creativity and imagination.

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ART AND DESIGN and DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

99. Only one lesson in design and technology was observed, which was satisfactory. Pupils were introduced to the need for shelters and the constraints that the properties of materials place on the design. In this lesson, the teacher demonstrated the task confidently and with good knowledge and understanding. The task was presented to the pupils as a challenge. The good relationship between the teacher and pupils enabled her to ask searching questions but the opportunity for pupils to discuss their findings and progress towards achieving their learning objectives was missed. In Year 6, there is a display of work on designing and making slippers. The resulting products show a similarity in construction and decoration, reflecting limited opportunity to experiment. The pupils have explored alternative means of joining the sections, for example, by sewing and stapling.

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ART AND DESIGN and DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

100. Learning in both infant and junior classes is unsatisfactory overall. Pupils in Year 1 have made clay sculptures of toys as part of their topic on toys. There was no evidence that there was any element of designing in the production of the sculptures. Pupils in Year 2 were focusing in one lesson on a particular viewpoint within a picture. There was insufficient discussion about the content of the frame before pupils were required to place this view within a context drawn by themselves. This was too demanding a task for young pupils. In Year 4, pupils were asked to sketch, using oil pastel crayons, cross-sections of various fruits and vegetables. This exercise introduced the technique Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 46 - March 2003 of sketching through observational drawings. A group of pupils benefited from the good support of a nursery nurse.

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ART AND DESIGN and DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

101. Sketchbooks in school contain drawings which may form part of later studies, for example in sketching a canal bridge in preparation for a painting using watercolour technique. They do not indicate, however, that there is a design element for a range of design and technology projects. There is little opportunity at the end of lessons to allow pupils to discuss their work, the problems they encountered and how they could improve their efforts. A scrutiny of work shows that there is no clear evidence of design and product testing.

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ART AND DESIGN and DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

102. There is very limited use of ICT to enrich the subjects. Pupils do not use computers as a creative tool as well as a means for research. Pupils have very limited experience of famous artists. Pupils in Year 6 could name artists including Lowry, Leonardo da Vinci and Goya but did not have knowledge or appreciation of their particular styles, except in the case of Lowry. There are very few examples of the work of famous artists displayed around the school or examples from other countries and cultures.

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ART AND DESIGN and DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

103. Pupils clearly enjoy their work, however. Art supports other subjects particularly topics such as Toys . In the library there is a display illustrating characters and events from popular children’s literature, for example, Elmer, the elephant, and Harry Potter. Pupils with special educational needs are generally given the opportunity to participate in all art activities and in some classes they receive additional support from a classroom assistant.

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ART AND DESIGN and DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

104. There are no policies in place and while some classes follow the national guidance on the development of the subjects, this is inconsistent. The national guidelines, when used, have not been adapted to match the needs of the school. Development of the subjects has been delayed as the co-ordinator has only been recently given responsibility for these subjects. The profile of both subjects is too low in school. Procedures for assessing pupils’ attainment and progress are not used well enough to guide planning. There is an imbalance between the development of skills and opportunities for creative and imaginative work, including two and three-dimensional work. Resources are limited and storage of additional equipment is not conveniently stored at one end of a long building. The use of tools other than brushes, scissors and glue sticks is not sufficiently encouraged.

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GEOGRAPHY and HISTORY

105. Standards in both subjects are below the average expected for pupils by the end of Years 2 and 6. The quality of teaching in history in Years 1 and 2 is satisfactory. It was not possible to make a judgement about teaching in Years 3 to 6 because only one lesson was seen and there was no evidence of work in Year 6 to analyse. In the one lesson seen teaching was good. In geography, it was not possible to make a judgement about the quality of teaching in Years 1 to 6 because only one small group of pupils was observed being taught. In this lesson the quality of teaching was satisfactory. There has been insufficient improvement since the time of the last inspection.

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GEOGRAPHY and HISTORY

106. An analysis of pupils’ written work and discussions with pupils show that the range of work and pupils’ knowledge are limited. By Year 2, pupils are learning to make comparisons between the present and the past. They compare holidays and leisure facilities such as parks. They know some facts about the Great Fire of London and can compare present day houses and road conditions to those of that time. Their sense of time is developing. Their knowledge of famous people from the past, however, is Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 47 - March 2003 unsatisfactory. It is restricted to recent national figures, such as the late Queen Mother. In geography, their knowledge concerning the environment is developing steadily and pupils have some basic knowledge about the locality. They record the buildings they see on their way to school and those where they live. In history, the pupils talk about ‘a

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GEOGRAPHY and HISTORY

long time ago’ but their use of vocabulary that is specific to both subjects is very limited.

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GEOGRAPHY and HISTORY

107. In geography, pupils in Year 6 have learnt the capitals of five countries and have some knowledge of the environment. Their knowledge of how rivers move and develop and the resulting effects is firm. Whilst their use of relevant language and their construction of geographical questions are increasing, they are doing so only slowly. In Years 3, 4 and 5, pupils are developing their understanding of time and chronology in history. They have some knowledge of World War II and of Victorian times. They have also learnt the use of different kinds of maps and how to use grid references. Progress in learning the necessary skills, however, for all pupils is slow, and progress for pupils with special educational needs is unsatisfactory.

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GEOGRAPHY and HISTORY

108. Pupils exhibit little interest in either subject and recall little learning and information in discussions. There was little evidence that pupils are familiar with working independently. An analysis of work shows that pupils’ written work is almost exclusively based upon photocopied sheets. This means the pupils do not learn to think about how to organise their work and do not learn to put sufficient intellectual effort into it. Marking is very simple, with few assessment comments to help pupils to improve their work. In a history lesson, the pupils listened very well, offered good suggestions and asked sensible questions because the teacher’s style of giving the information as a story kept them interested. In lessons observed, however, there were times when pupils either talked at the same time as the teacher or were very noisy and called out. This was because teachers do not have a good range of strategies to manage pupils.

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GEOGRAPHY and HISTORY

109. In geography, pupils use a few mathematical skills such as tallying in surveys and graphs. In both subjects, pupils sometimes write out lists and occasionally labels. Teaching in history and geography, however, does not sufficiently identify and support opportunities for the use and development of literacy and numeracy. When opportunities do arise, they are not used well. For example, in a history lesson for lower junior pupils, the pupils did not know how to go about subtraction sums necessary to work out which of King Henry VIII’s wives he had been married to the longest. The pupils use computers to research some information about the Ancient Greeks. The staff, but not pupils, use the digital camera for photographs in geography.

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GEOGRAPHY and HISTORY

110. There have been some partial improvements since the previous inspection because the school now has schemes of work based upon national ones in both subjects. It is not absolutely clear to what extent the units of work are used, either as schemes or as a resource . Teachers’ termly and weekly plans have not identified how skills progress. The planning is not always relevant to the needs of the pupils and the schemes of work are not fully secure and so standards have not improved. Assessment has not improved since the previous inspection. It is informal through the academic year and does not help teachers with their planning sufficiently.

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GEOGRAPHY and HISTORY

111. The co-ordination of both subjects is satisfactory overall, reflecting a balance of strengths and weaknesses. Co-ordination of geography has recently changed because of staff reductions. In geography, there is a draft policy and a policy linked to citizenship. There is also a limited action plan. Occasional visits take place in history and fieldwork takes place in geography. There are good opportunities to develop geographical skills in associated extra-curricular activities. Resources have partially improved but there are still gaps in both subjects. There is little monitoring and Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 48 - March 2003 evaluation of the progress of many aspects of history and geography across the school. This reduces the impact of the leadership of the subjects and on standards.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

112. Standards by the end of Year 2 are the average expected of pupils at this age. This is an improvement since the last inspection when they were below average. By the end of Year 6, standards are below average overall, although in word processing skills they are broadly average. The school has, quite rightly, identified ICT as a subject for continued improvement in the school improvement plan.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

113. Progress since the last inspection has been satisfactory, although not all of the identified issues have been addressed. The curriculum is now soundly established using national guidance and is taught regularly to all pupils using the computer room. However, there is no regular monitoring of teaching and learning or standards of pupils’ work, and assessment procedures have not yet been developed to ensure pupils are making progress.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

114. Standards are improving in infant-aged classes and this is because of sound teaching in Years 1 and 2 which gives pupils, including those identified as having special educational needs and English as an additional language, the opportunity to develop an understanding of the keyboard and use of keys. Most are at an early stage of learning how to control the mouse, dragging and dropping words and pictures, moving text around the screen, and saving and printing their work. Most understand how to use the space bar, the shift key to make capital letters and the delete key. They use an art package and simple tools such as spray and fill to produce colourful pictures of their houses linked to materials in science. Most have a satisfactory understanding of using a programmable toy. Pupils enjoy computer activities and most show good concentration and perseverance as they log on and type out simple text. They usually

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

work in pairs, taking turns and supporting each other satisfactorily. However, a weakness in their knowledge and understanding is the knowledge of the benefits of using ICT inside and outside school.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

115. By the end of Year 6, pupils have varying levels of attainment, with those having regular access to a computer at home displaying more confidence and knowledge. Most confidently load up computers, retrieve, amend, and save their work. They know how to use a wide variety of fonts, sizes and colours, position text and pictures and use the spellchecker satisfactorily when exchanging and sharing information. They use an art package when designing and printing pictures, or retrieving them from clip art collections. These are satisfactorily combined with writing and borders to produce attractive pieces of work linked to their literacy lessons. Using a publishing program, they have made some good quality posters. They design a simple spreadsheet and work out totals and averages. Most understand how to use the Internet and CD-ROMs to find information in literacy, history and geography researching for World Book Day,

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

the Greeks and rivers. However, they have little understanding of how to use technology for control and monitoring. Their understanding of the use of ICT and the benefits in the world beyond school is also below expectations and another area for development. Most pupils enjoy their lessons although there is some unacceptable behaviour, especially when their concentration fades and activities are not sufficiently challenging.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

116. In lessons seen, three out of the four were satisfactory and one was unsatisfactory, owing to the teacher’s lack of expectations and unsatisfactory pupil management. Teachers’ subject knowledge varies and this has an effect on the quality of teaching. Lesson planning is very brief and does not clearly indicate what pupils are expected to learn and do. Teachers usually introduce new work through focused whole-class Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 49 - March 2003 sessions, sharing with pupils what they will be learning. However, the pace of this is often slow and questioning lacks challenge, so that pupils lose interest. Expectations of what pupils should achieve are not high enough and there is often insufficient challenge. Extension activities are rarely planned for those that complete the initial task, which means that these pupils become distracted and this sometimes leads to inappropriate behaviour. Except for some limited use in literacy and history, ICT is not

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

used sufficiently to aid learning in other subjects. Computers in classrooms are rarely used to develop and extend skills.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

117. Management and co-ordination of the subject are unsatisfactory. The co-ordinator has little understanding of standards across the school or if the subject is taught in sufficient depth. The subject policy, written in 1998, is in urgent need of review to provide clearer guidance to staff on how to teach the subject. Teachers plan their work from a satisfactory long-term plan closely linked to national guidance. However, there is no monitoring in place to ensure the subject is being taught in sufficient depth in accordance with National Curriculum requirements. There is some informal monitoring of planning but no evaluation of the quality of teaching and learning or pupils’ work, and these are areas for development. Whole-school assessment procedures are not yet in place to monitor pupils’ progress. Except for Year 2 where there are folders, there are very limited samples of pupils’ work celebrating their achievements and progress. The

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

computer room is a good size and is well equipped but is currently underused. A part- time technology assistant provides good support with maintenance and teaching in the computer room. There is a satisfactory range of resources, cassette recorders, CD player, keyboards, televisions and video recorders, most of which are not used enough to support teaching in other subjects. The digital camera is underused for recording pupils’ work. There is currently no computer in the library although good plans are in place to develop this and provide more workstations in classrooms.

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MUSIC

118. Attainment is average by the end of Year 2. There was insufficient evidence to judge attainment in Year 6. Standards of singing are good in most classes but a significant number of pupils in Year 6 do not join in the singing in assemblies. Improvement since the last inspection has been satisfactory, with notable improvements in resourcing and opportunities for pupils to learn how to play recorders, sing in the choir and make music in after-school clubs.

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MUSIC

119. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 can follow a rhythmic pattern by clapping and they use percussion instruments well to keep the beat. They generally sing tunefully and have learned the words quickly to a song about seasonal change. Only one lesson was seen in junior classes and in it pupils in Year 5 were learning to play the recorder and to read traditional musical notation. This initiative, introduced during the current year by one of the two subject co-ordinators to her class, provides the pupils with a good opportunity to learn an instrument and begin to understand traditional notation. The pace of learning was impeded by the unsatisfactory behaviour of a minority of pupils, however, making progress only satisfactory rather than good.

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MUSIC

120. Teaching in infant classes is good because of the innovative way that the school makes use of one of the subject leaders to teach all aspects of the subject to pupils in Years 1 and 2 altogether every other half term. This allows her specialist knowledge to be available to all pupils and for her to give guidance to the class teachers when they undertake specific units of work during the alternate half term. It also helps her to keep a check on provision in infant classes as a whole. It was not possible to judge the overall quality of teaching in junior classes. Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 50 - March 2003 121. To help those teachers without specialist knowledge, the two subject co-ordinators are making use of a published scheme of work to help teach the elements of the National Curriculum. There is some good practice in school whereby other subjects, such as history and design and technology, are used to take the learning in music further, for

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MUSIC

example, in making instruments, but this varies according to the confidence of staff. After-school musical activities and visiting groups make a good contribution to the pupils’ cultural development and a number of pupils go on to high school and join various musical groups.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

122. Standards by the end of Year 2 are below the average expected. They are average by the time pupils are in Year 6. It was not possible to judge the quality of teaching because only two lessons were seen.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

123. By the time pupils are in Year 2, they can alter the speed and range of movements in dance in accordance with music and rhythm. They can change the level at which they work, either near to the floor or reaching high up in the air. They have sufficient control to maintain their balance when they stretch slowly, but when they change direction or speed they are not aware of others and do not have the basic control or co-ordination to avoid bumping and colliding. In games lessons, the pupils explore simple skills but lack control and co-ordination. They work in pairs and enjoy competing in teams. They find difficulty catching small balls because they hold their hands apart, and they cannot throw them accurately. Pupils have more control when bouncing balls.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

124. By the time pupils are in Year 6, their skills in games have made good progress and are at a level expected for their age. They apply skills and techniques accurately because their control and co-ordination are improving all the time. They learn and remember the rules for games, such as always passing backwards in rugby. In gymnastics, their lack of precision and control means that their attainment is below that expected for their age. Pupils in Years 3 to 6 are given the good opportunity to have swimming lessons twice during this period. By the time they leave the school, two thirds of pupils can swim a minimum of 25 metres. All pupils make satisfactory progress overall. Pupils with special educational needs make the same progress as their peers. One pupil is deemed talented in the subject and is provided with links to outside coaches and facilities.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

125. The good teaching by specialist coaches has been a strong feature of the school’s provision in Years 3 to 6 for a number of years. This feature has been extended to the Reception class and Years 1 and 2 recently and it contributes very well to the final attainment of the pupils, particularly in games. The quality of teaching by class teachers in a Year 2 lesson was satisfactory and in a Year 6 lesson was good. The good lesson was conducted at a good speed so that there was a sense of purpose and urgency. In these lessons teachers showed that they have a number of strategies to manage pupils. These strategies include challenging pupils to vary their activities, by giving them ideas and then leaving the choice to them. This, combined with interesting and exciting activities, motivates pupils to work hard and therefore to behave well. Pupils enjoy the competition in games lessons. All pupils understand the need to

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

collaborate in teams when they have targets to achieve. 126. The games aspect of the subject is a strength of the school. The school is well supported in this aspect by its strong links with the local church, the vicar and the local community. There are a good number of extra-curricular sports to enrich the curriculum, which is a good improvement since the time of the previous inspection. The school is a leading light amongst the local cluster of schools regarding games and this raises pupils’ self-esteem. Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 51 - March 2003 127. The co-ordinator manages aspects of the subject satisfactorily. She arranges outside matches and fixtures and organises learning resources. She introduced the present scheme of work based upon national guidelines and has tried to link it to the differing year groups. However, she does not monitor and evaluate the progress of any aspect

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

of the subject. This is unsatisfactory because it is not assisting the development of provision, particularly how skills are taught progressively. Specialist teachers and coaches give a half-termly evaluation and record of pupils’ progress in games lessons to the co-ordinator, who passes this information on to the class teachers. Apart from this, assessment through the year is by informal observation by class teachers, but little use is made of this in teachers’ planning. At the end of each school year the class teachers tell the next teacher the level the pupils have attained. Resources for learning are satisfactory.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

128. Standards are average at the end of Year 2 and this is a similar finding to that at the time of the last inspection. However, standards are below expectations at the end of Year 6, which is not as good as at the time of the last inspection and shows a drop in standards. All groups of pupils, including those with the special educational needs and those who are learning English as an additional language, make steady gains in their knowledge and understanding in Years 1 and 2. However, progress in Years 3 to 6 is unsatisfactory and there is under achievement as insufficient time is spent on the subject. Evidence from pupils’ books in these year groups clearly shows that the subject is not taught on a regular basis and teachers’ expectations are too low.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

129. Progress since the last inspection has been unsatisfactory. Standards have fallen by the end of Year 6 and assessment procedures, a weakness at the time of the last inspection, have not improved. Regular monitoring of teaching and learning has not been implemented and the scheme of work is not comprehensive enough to support teachers in their lesson planning. The quality of teaching is now unsatisfactory overall in Years 3 to 6 and insufficient time is devoted to the subject.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

130. In Year 2, most pupils are aware of some stories that Jesus told such as ‘The Good Samaritan’, ‘The Parable of the Sower’ and ‘The Lost Sheep’. They have an understanding of different festivals, such as Christmas and Easter, but their awareness of festivals of other religions is below expectations. They are aware of characters and stories from the Old Testament such as ‘Joseph and his coat of many colours’, Moses and ‘Noah and his ark’. They have visited the church and explored what the building is used for. They write their own prayers and are aware of the Lord’s Prayer and some of its meaning. Pupils say they enjoy their lessons and they show a satisfactory interest in their work. Although many pupils have limited literacy skills, which hinder their capability to make written records, from discussions, it is clear they know more then they can record.

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131. In Year 6, pupils’ knowledge is below expectations and there is insufficient work in books. Pupils are aware that religious writings are common to the major religions but are unsure of the names of key texts and to which religion they belong. Their awareness of the symbols, artefacts and festivals associated with these faiths and some of the different ways that groups express their beliefs, such as the ‘Fives Pillars of Wisdom’ from the Muslim faith, is unsatisfactory. Although they have visited a local church, few can describe the inside and the significance of the furniture, such as the altar, pulpit and font. They are unsure of the names of religious buildings of other faiths. Most have some awareness of Christian ceremonies, such as baptism, marriage and Mickelhurst All Saints CE Primary School - 52 - March 2003 funerals, and that people have personal, moral and cultural values and commitments,

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many of which are grounded in religious belief.

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132. The quality of teaching is unsatisfactory overall. In the three lessons observed, two were satisfactory and one was unsatisfactory. However, a scrutiny of pupils’ workbooks clearly indicates teaching in Years 3 to 6 to be unsatisfactory and expectations far too low. Although planned, evidence from pupils’ workbooks indicates that lessons do not take place on a regular basis and the quality and presentation of pupils’ work are unsatisfactory. Lesson planning is too brief and does not clearly indicate what pupils are expected to learn and do. Teachers’ knowledge and understanding are variable and this has an adverse effect on the quality of teaching and learning. Teachers do not always share the purpose of the lesson with pupils, so the pupils are unsure of what they are to do. There are missed opportunities for pupils to undertake focused conversations, develop speaking and listening skills and promote their personal and

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social development. Questioning is directed to those who put their hands up, so not all are involved. Where teaching was unsatisfactory, the activity that pupils were expected to undertake lacked challenge and was not clearly explained. The lower attaining pupils received little support with writing and all pupils made insufficient progress during the lesson. Pupils usually undertake the same activities, which are not always matched to their ability. There is often a lack of expectation and challenge so that the higher attaining pupils are not challenged enough. There is a lack of imaginative use of literacy, for example writing as a reporter, or translating a story into a modern day example, so that pupils can improve skills of writing from religion. Marking provides little guidance for pupils on how they can improve, with at times over-generous comments, which give pupils a false impression of their performance.

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133. Leadership and management are unsatisfactory. Although the co-ordinator provides sound support for colleagues, she has little understanding of standards across the school, the quality of teaching and learning or if lessons take place. There is a yearly overview showing which topics should be taught that makes use of the locally agreed syllabus and national guidance. However, medium and short-term planning provides insufficient guidance and detail for teachers to plan lessons linked to the locally agreed syllabus. There is no monitoring of teaching and learning to ensure lessons are taught with sufficient rigour and depth. The policy was written in 1997 and is in urgent need of review so that clear guidance is given to all staff. Assessment procedures, a weakness at the time of the last inspection, are still inadequate. Links with the local church and vicar are well established and pupils visit the church nearby. Visits are also made to

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other local places of worship, such as a mosque and temple, and to a museum of Jewish studies. There is a satisfactory range of resources including video recordings. These are well organised and catalogued, and readily available in a central storeroom. The subject co-ordinator has also put together learning support packs to help teachers with units but these are not always used effectively. The use of ICT for research and drafting work is under developed. The subject does not make enough contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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