Bentley New Village Primary School

BENTLEY NEW VILLAGE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 3 rd – 6 th June 2003

p.1

BENTLEY NEW VILLAGE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 Bentley New Village School - 2

p.1

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Asquith Road Bentley Doncaster

p.2

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

p.2

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Cllr Mrs D Williams

p.2

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 15 th – 18 th June 1998 Bentley New Village School - 3 This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated.

p.2

INFORMATION ABOUT THE 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. Bentley New Village School - 4

p.3

Aspect responsibilities

16173 Mrs L Murphy Registered inspector Foundation Stage Art and design What sort of school is it? The school's results and achievements How well is the school led and managed? What should the school do to improve further? 1234 Mrs T Bradley 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? 4074 Mr R Gill Team inspector English Physical Education How well are the pupils taught?

p.4

Aspect responsibilities

21397 Mrs I Bradbury Team inspector Mathematics History Special Educational Needs Educational Inclusion 32385 Mrs L Hastings Science Design and technology Information and communication technology How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils?

p.4

Aspect responsibilities

30128 Mrs S Stanley Geography Music Religious education The inspection contractor was:

p.4

Aspect responsibilities

Penta International Upperton House The Avenue Eastbourne BN21 3YB Bentley New Village School - 5 Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be raised with the inspection contractor. Complaints that are not satisfactorily resolved by the contractor should be raised with OFSTED by writing to:

p.4

Aspect responsibilities

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

p.5

Aspect responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Bentley New Village School - 6

p.5

PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 7

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

p.6

HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 12

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

p.6

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Bentley New Village Primary School is a larger than average primary school in the village of Bentley near to the town of Doncaster. It serves a socially and economically disadvantaged community; 33 per cent of the 338 pupils are known to be eligible for free school meals which is above the national average. When children start school in the nursery their attainment is well below what is typical for their age and in language it is low. The majority of pupils are of white UK heritage with a small proportion of mixed – White and Black Caribbean, Black African and Indian heritage. An extremely small proportion of the pupils speak English as an additional language though none are at an early stage. The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs is about average; these pupils’ needs range from emotional and behavioural difficulties to visual impairment and autism. Three of the pupils have statements

p.7

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

of special educational need. Since the last inspection there has been a decline in roll and the nursery has spare capacity. There have also been changes in staff. The school has had difficulties recruiting staff to cover for absence; very recently a new headteacher has been appointed; and two senior managers are acting as deputy headteachers until the newly appointed deputy headteacher can take up post. The school has received funding from the single regeneration budget over a number of years.

p.7

HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

The school is providing a sound education for its pupils. Though standards are below average overall the pupils achieve well because the quality of teaching and learning is good. Leadership and management are satisfactory with strengths in the headteacher’s leadership. The value for money provided by the school is satisfactory.

p.7

HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What the school does well • The effective leadership style of the newly appointed headteacher and strong professional relationships among staff and others have already set a clear way forward for development. • Children in the nursery and reception classes get a good start to their education. • Pupils’ attainment in information and communication technology (ICT) by the end of Year 2 and in physical development by the end of Year 6 are higher than typically expected for their ages because of the good teaching and other provision. • The quality of teaching is good overall. • Very good provision for pupils’ social and moral development means that pupils form very strong relationships and have very good attitudes to school.

p.7

HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What could be improved • Standards across the school in English and by the end of Year 2 in mathematics. • Assessment to enable teachers to better match work to the pupils’ needs. • The monitoring of the curriculum and teaching to raise standards overall and, in particular, in religious education, art and design and music by the end of Year 6 • The rate of pupils’ attendance. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

p.7

HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in 1998 since when it has improved satisfactorily. The rate of improvement has not been even and much progress has been made since the recent appointment of the headteacher. Standards in English, mathematics, science and ICT have Bentley New Village School - 8 improved since the national tests in 1998 though standards have declined in music. Pupils’ attitudes, the rate of attendance, the quality of teaching, the range of extra-curricular clubs and provision for pupils spiritual, moral and social development have improved recently though the multi-cultural aspect of this has not. The key issue from the last inspection to improve assessment has not been thoroughly addressed. Given recent changes the school has a good capacity to succeed.

p.7

STANDARDS

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

p.8

STANDARDS

compared with Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

p.8

STANDARDS

2000 2001 2002 2002 English E E E B well above average above average A B mathematics E* E* E D average below average C D science E E E D well below average in the bottom 5% of the country E E*

p.8

STANDARDS

• Standards reached by the present pupils in Year 6 are broadly average in mathematics and science though below average in English. This is a very good improvement overall from the standards obtained in the national tests for 11-year-olds in 2002 as shown in the table above. The school’s targets are likely to be met. Trends in results over time are broadly in line with the national trend though at a lower level overall. By the end of Year 6 in physical education pupils attain above that typically expected for their age. Standards in music and religious education are below those typically expected; • standards at the end of Year 2 are well below average in mathematics, below average in English, average in science and are higher than usually expected in ICT. In music standards are below those typically expected; • pupils’ achieve well between Year 3 and Year 6. Pupils in Year 6 have achieved very

p.8

STANDARDS

well this year because of often very good quality teaching including specialist teaching. In Year 1 and Year 2 pupils’ achievement is satisfactory; • children achieve very well overall in the nursery and reception classes. By the end of the reception year children are on target to attain the early learning goals for pupils of this age in all areas of learning other than in language. In language they are on course to reach a level below that typically expected for children of their age though nonetheless this represents very good progress; • pupils who have special educational needs make good progress; and • no judgement was made on standards in design and technology by the end of Year 2 and Year 6 or religious education at the end of Year2. Bentley New Village School - 9

p.8

PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attitudes to the school Very good; pupils put a lot of effort into their work and respond to the high expectations of their teachers.

p.9

PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Good: pupils are very sensible and courteous and show much respect for others.

p.9

PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Personal development and relationships Very good: pupils respond very well to the opportunities the school provides and are exceedingly responsible and trustworthy.

p.9

PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attendance Unsatisfactory: below that found nationally.

p.9

TEACHING AND LEARNING

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

p.9

TEACHING AND LEARNING

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

p.9

TEACHING AND LEARNING

The school meets the needs of all pupils well.

p.9

TEACHING AND LEARNING

Strengths are in: • the quality of teaching and learning in English, including literacy; mathematics, including numeracy; the teaching of basic skills; the teaching of science and physical education for pupils in Year 3 to Year 6; the teaching in the nursery and reception classes and the teaching of ICT across the school; • the high expectations which teachers have of their pupils’ capacity to succeed means that pupils’ interest and concentration are very good; • pupils are managed well across the school and in the nursery through to Year 2 they are managed very well indeed; and • the use of homework is good for pupils in Year 3 to Year 6.

p.9

TEACHING AND LEARNING

Weaknesses are in: • the use of day-to-day assessment to ensure that work is matched to pupils’ needs. As a result pupils’ knowledge of their own learning and how well they are doing is insufficiently developed; and • teaching assistants are not well deployed at the beginning and end of lessons.

p.9

TEACHING AND LEARNING

No judgements were made on: • the quality of teaching and learning in design and technology or music by the end of Year 2 and Year 6 or religious education by the end of Year 2. Bentley New Village School - 10

p.9

OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The quality and range of the curriculum Satisfactory: the curriculum meets statutory requirements and a good range of extra-curricular activities enriches it. The curriculum for Year 1 and Year 2 pupils is too narrow. That for the nursery and reception classes is very good overall though the provision for outdoor play is a relative weakness.

p.10

OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good: work is usually pitched at an appropriate level and the school provides effective support from teaching assistants.

p.10

OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Good: strengths are in the very good provision for pupils’ moral and social development which helps pupils to become mature and take responsibility within the school community. Weaknesses are in the provision for pupils’ understanding of the multi-cultural society in which we live.

p.10

OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

How well the school cares for its pupils Satisfactorily: staff know the pupils well and take good care of them but the procedures for assessment are unsatisfactory.

p.10

OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

How well the school works in partnership with parents The school works well with parents: links between home and school are very good and information is of good quality. Parents make a good contribution to pupils’ learning at home.

p.10

HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Satisfactory: the leadership by the headteacher is of good quality and in a short time has established a clear educational direction and a strong team spirit. Key members of staff are developing their roles though the management of design and technology. Art and design and music are unsatisfactory in part because of difficulties in recruiting staff.

p.10

HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Satisfactorily: statutory requirements are met and since the appointment of the new headteacher the governors have quickly developed an understanding of the school’s strengths and areas to be developed.

p.10

HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school’s evaluation of its performance Unsatisfactory: though the headteacher has made a good start at checking the quality of teaching the work is at an early stage. The monitoring of the curriculum is unsatisfactory.

p.10

HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The strategic use of resources Satisfactory: the budget is used, as it should be to best benefit the pupils. The time of teaching assistants is not always used effectively. The school satisfactorily applies the principles of best value.

p.10

HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The adequacy of staffing, accommodation and learning resources; Satisfactory: accommodation is good and impacts favourably on standards. The match of staffing to the school’s needs is unsatisfactory: recruitment difficulties have led to unsettled classes in a minority of cases. However, this has been rectified for the new academic year. Bentley New Village School - 11

p.10

PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved • Children like school and make good progress • Parents feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or problems • The school is well led and managed • The school has high expectations of its pupils • Teaching is good and pupils make good progress • Instability in staffing • Range of activities outside lessons

p.11

PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

The parents’ positive views of the school are justified. Though the level of management is satisfactory it has a good capacity to quickly improve and the school is already well led. The range of activities outside lessons is good. The inspection team agrees with parents’ views on staffing. Bentley New Village School - 12

p.11

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. The school has worked very hard under difficult circumstances caused by significant instability in staffing to raise standards very successfully in English, mathematics and science. By concentrating time and effort on these subjects and engaging specialist staff and advanced skills teachers where the school lacked expertise very good gains have been made on the well below average standards attained in the national tests for pupils in Year 6 in 2002. The often very good quality of teaching that pupils in Year 6 have received, the very positive attitudes of pupils and the support of many parents have come together most favourably to impact on standards. This is despite a change in staff mid-year. The headteacher and Year 6 teacher have been determined in raising standards in Year 6 and expectations of what the pupils can achieve have been raised considerably. Nonetheless, standards are below average in all aspects of English yet pupils have achieved very well this

p.12

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

year in Year 6 and, in particular, gains have been made in writing because the curriculum has been improved. A lower number of pupils who have special educational needs is also evident in the present Year 6 class than was the case last year. Pupils in Year 3 to Year 5 are achieving well.

p.12

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. Conversely, standards have fallen by the end of Year 2 where staffing changes over time have had a more detrimental impact. Even though the school has allocated a much greater proportion of time to English and mathematics in Year 2 it has not paid sufficient dividends. Furthermore, time is not planned well and this has gone unnoticed because the curriculum has not been monitored. Because senior managers have not regularly checked the quality of teaching and pupils’ work there is great variation between subjects by the end of Year 2. For example, pupils’ speaking skills are below average, their writing and mathematics are well below average yet their capacity to read is about typical for their ages as is their attainment in science.

p.12

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. The pace of learning and pupils’ achievement has varied between year groups because of the difficulties the school has experienced in appointing staff of good quality. The lack of monitoring has meant that there has been little check on standards, teaching or pupils’ progress throughout the school. Often staff have worked in a vacuum doing the best they could for their classes but without a clear overview of what was happening in their subjects or often in other schools. This has now changed. The newly appointed headteacher, fresh from regularly teaching a class, has made a start in evaluating the outcomes of the teaching and quickly putting measures into place to improve matters. This has been particularly evident in Year 6 where specialist teachers have added much to pupils’ progress.

p.12

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. Children in the nursery and reception classes achieve very well overall because of the good teaching first of all in the nursery and then in the reception classes. Children’s attainment on entry is low in language and personal development. In the latter they are on course to reach the expected standards for their age. In language children are on course to reach a level below that typically expected because their speaking and writing is not yet up to the required standard though it is in reading. Parents give good support to reading which is well organised by the school. In other areas of their learning children enter the nursery at a level well below that usually expected and make very good gains to set them on track for reaching the early learning goals. In their physical development they enter at a below average level, make good progress overall and are on course to meet expected standards. A very

p.12

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

good curriculum overall provides a wealth of opportunities for pupils’ academic and social Bentley New Village School - 13 growth. Nonetheless, the curriculum for their physical development is not well thought through. It relies too much on formal lessons in the reception class which though taught well do not allow for the freedom and imaginative play as recommended nationally for children of this age. In the nursery planning is too imprecise for children’s outdoor play and physical development, though it is good in the development of pupils’ finer skills such as in work with pencils, crayons and scissors.

p.12

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. Pupils who have special educational needs make good progress, which is in line with the previous inspection. The good progress they make is the result of good support they receive in literacy through special sessions and pupils with statements through work with the named support assistants. Extra help in mathematics through using a national programme helps pupils to make good progress and this is reflected in their overall progress in the subject.

p.13

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6. Children achieve well throughout the school in ICT because of the good quality resources and the teachers’ subject knowledge and enthusiasm. In particular ICT is taught well through other subjects. This has already raised standards by the end of Year 2 to a level above that typically expected. By the end of Year 6 standards have improved from the last inspection.

p.13

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. Pupils attain an above average level in physical education by the end of Year 6 because of the breadth in the curriculum.

p.13

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

8. In religious education and music standards are below that typically expected of pupils by the end of Year 2 and Year 6. This is because there is no subject specialist to coordinate music and a lack of assessment in both subjects. Furthermore, pupils do not have the experience of visiting or meeting people that represent all the religions studied. Standards in art by the end of Year 6 are below the level found in most schools because the curriculum is narrow and as a result there are weaknesses in pupils’ skills in painting.

p.13

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

9. Because pupils have very good attitudes to school they take an interest in their lessons and are enthusiastic in their learning. They respond to the high expectations of their teachers and thrive in the lively learning environment and acquire positive outlooks. From the nursery to Year 6 they are enthusiastic in school. For example, children in the nursery follow the school’s daily routines with maturity, they do not need their teachers to lead them into the classroom, nor do the majority need much help with practical tasks such as dressing after physical education lessons. Year on year pupils grow in confidence. In Year 1 and year 2 pupils are prepared to lead the singing for the reception children or discuss Florence Nightingale in their history lessons. Pupils in Years 3 to Year 6 positively influence the younger pupils. Pupils usually work to their full potential and demonstrate their commitment

p.13

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

to learning. For example, in a dance lesson, pupils in Year 4 responded exceptionally well to outstanding teaching and contributed to their own spiritual, social and personal development as they interpreted the music, reflected on their individual roles in working together to produce a production of high quality and at the same time improved their physical skills.

p.13

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10. The attitudes of pupils with special educational needs are very good and their behaviour is good in line with other pupils in the school. They are enthusiastic and interested in the activities in class. In all aspects of school life, pupils with special educational needs are fully integrated and form strong relationships.

p.13

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. Pupils’ behaviour is good and generally free from oppressive behaviour. During lessons behaviour is mainly good and often very good. Even away from the classroom the Bentley New Village School - 14 pupils play well together. They comfort their friends and show awareness for their feelings. A dip in the quality of behaviour sometimes occurs due to the restlessness of some older pupils who have needed to adjust to changes in teaching staff. The school is providing support to help the minority come to a better understanding of the school’s expectations. There have been three exclusions.

p.13

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. The personal development of pupils is very good. Children in the nursery grow in confidence and make very good strides in their development. The youngest pupils accept minor roles and pupils in Year 1 help by serving lunch to their friends. Pupils are enthusiastic members of after school clubs; they are willing to develop new skills and improve learning in their own time. Some older pupils use their student planners creatively and helpfully and keep useful records of homework commitments. Their teachers congratulate them and helpful comments encourage independent learning. Pupils appreciate the success of their friends and celebrate academic and personal achievement as was very evident in the weekly assembly for awards.

p.14

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. The very good relationships are evident in the respect pupils have for their teachers and other children; it is shown in the way they work in the classroom and respond to the other activities provided. Pupils collaborate well in lessons and respond maturely to questions. They make good use of the homework club as a social occasion between Year 5 and Year 6 to build on their friendships. Pupils respond well to having a voice in school and they develop awareness for the feelings, values and beliefs of others. For example, in assemblies, pupils consider the freedom of spirit. They reflect on collective prayer and decide for themselves whether to endorse or reject the principles they represent. The encouragement of pupils to use their initiative is well established and being developed with good effect on the social, moral and personal development of all the pupils.

p.14

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. The rate of pupils’ attendance is unsatisfactory. Many pupils are absent in term time for family holidays and because of this attendance is lower than national levels although they compare with other schools in the local education authority. Since the last inspection attendance has improved but high levels of absence continue to have a detrimental effect on the educational standards achieved. Punctuality has improved with most pupils ready for lessons at the start of the day.

p.14

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

15. The quality of teaching throughout the school has improved since the last inspection. It was satisfactory in 1998 and now it is good overall. This confirms the parents’ view expressed before the inspection. Very good and excellent teaching has increased from a small proportion to about a quarter of all lessons. The quality of teaching in ICT has improved greatly, particularly in Year 3 to Year 6 owing to the training teachers have received and the way in which they use the increased number of computers in school. The quality of teaching in Year 6 was often very good and has enabled standards to rise quickly often with the help of specialist teaching. The proportion of unsatisfactory lessons has increased slightly because teaching has been adversely affected lately by absence or vacancies. Pupils with special educational needs achieve well, in most cases, because of the way that they are helped in

p.14

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

lessons and in groups with a specialist assistant.

p.14

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

16. Children learn at a good pace in the nursery and reception classes because the teaching effectively ensures that activities are well structured, practical and fun. Children are so well managed that there is little time lost and one activity leads very well into the next. Children’s learning spirals quickly as they develop basic skills and make best use of the stacks of opportunities to apply them to a broad range of situations. High expectations mark this teaching. Emphasis is rightly placed on pupils’ personal development and on ensuring Bentley New Village School - 15 that pupils make very good gains in speaking and listening. As a result pupils learn to be confident and develop a sense of self-worth.

p.14

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

17. The national strategies for literacy and numeracy are taught well across the school and there is some very good teaching of numeracy in Year 1. In one lesson in Year 1, for example, the pupils learned very successfully how to spot patterns that were contained within sequences of numbers. The teaching was so precise and encouraging that the pupils worked harmoniously in groups to solve the problems. Similarly in Year 2 there are some strong aspects. The brisk pace of learning in mathematics and the teacher’s knowledge of how to teach reading by using large versions of books to help the class concentrate well on particular teaching points, for example, ensure good learning of basic skills.

p.15

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

18. There are some weaknesses in Year 1 to Year 6 that prevent pupils from making better progress. The work of teaching assistants is not well planned and they fulfil an unsatisfactory role during the time that the teacher speaks to all the class. They only provide good value when supporting a group of pupils. Pupils often lack the opportunity to understand how well they have done because time is not set aside for this kind of discussion. Teachers often fail to provide enough time for pupils to talk about their learning. Teachers do most of the evaluation and under develop the pupils’ ability to comment on how they have progressed and what could have been improved. Pupils complete too many worksheets in English in Year 1 and Year 2 that make few demands on their ability to write. This disadvantages the higher attainers, in particular. In Year 5, pupils were writing leaflets to advertise the benefits

p.15

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

of living in Doncaster. Those capable of more demanding work were not expected to make their leaflets more appealing by using a wider range of persuasive vocabulary.

p.15

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

19. There are some good and occasionally very good literacy and numeracy lessons in Year 3 to Year 6. There is, however, some variation between year groups and within year groups because some teachers are very new to the school and have not yet acquired a firm understanding of what is required. The best teaching is sharp, lively and engaging. In these lessons, pupils show a thirst for learning that inspires them to work quickly but with care. This was the case in a Year 3 literacy lesson in which pupils were writing letters to Greenpeace. In Year 6, pupils wrote powerfully when assuming the role of an evacuee after they had listened to the droning sound of a Second World War air raid siren. It is the teaching of writing, particularly in Year 6, that is striking about the work in the juniors. Pupils’ learning is improved by having to write more often for an increasingly wider range of purposes. In Year 3 the teaching of mental arithmetic is very successful. By the end of one

p.15

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

lesson, for example, pupils were able to work out, at speed, the factors of various numbers. It is the effective use of first-hand experiences and the lively, ambitious and creative teaching that ensures rapid progress in learning.

p.15

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

20. Teaching in the rest of the subjects has several strengths. There are good opportunities for pupils to use their skills in literacy, numeracy and ICT in other subjects. Mathematics is used well in science and pupils write at length in history. ICT is well integrated into the work of a wide range of subjects. For example, pupils in Year 4 are learning to send emails to pupils in Dakar to share experiences and learn more about world geography. The school has not formally identified gifted or talented pupils, but they make rapid progress in the best lessons. However, they sometimes underachieve in others because teachers do not possess sufficient understanding of how to challenge them. This was the case in a Year 2 dance lesson in which teaching failed to show pupils how they could improve their efforts to achieve even the required level for their age. Nevertheless, teaching in physical education is sometimes excellent. In a Year 4 dance lesson, for

p.15

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

example, pupils were taught expertly to consider the theme of Aliens and produced a dance of high quality. The use of professional coaches in cricket and basketball, for example, also helps pupils to make substantial progress in their games’ skills. Bentley New Village School - 16 21. Strength in the quality of teaching and learning for pupils who have special educational needs is the extra help provided by teaching assistants in work with small groups of pupils. Teachers take care to make sure all pupils are involved, for example, in ICT the enlargement of the font and the positioning of the pupils during the introduction to the lesson ensured that all pupils were able to learn the skills they needed effectively. The support assistants are insufficiently included in planning the lessons or in the beginning and end of lessons, which is a waste of their skills.

p.15

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

22. In general, teaching is good at making sure pupils learn the basic skills. Teachers have good expectations and manage the pupils very well on most occasions. Furthermore, homework is used productively to help pupils make progress and to forge a good link between home and school. There is a general weakness in Year 1 to Year 6 in the way the reading is taught to groups of pupils in literacy lessons. This element of the lesson is not planned well and pupils’ reading is not assessed.

p.16

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

23. The statutory methods of assessment are established satisfactorily for English, mathematics and science, but the school’s own methods for other subjects are unsatisfactory. The use made of the results to record the individual progress of pupils, in English, mathematics and science, and to set targets for learning is less well developed. This has a detrimental effect on the teachers’ ability to use the information to plan further learning. The school has begun to set targets for groups of pupils in writing and mathematics, but these are not referred to in the marking of work and therefore pupils do not always understand how well they are doing.

p.16

PUPILS?

24. The satisfactory quality and range of the curriculum soundly promote the aims of the school. This is a good improvement since the last inspection. Provision in the nursery and reception classes is very good overall though the provision for outdoor play is under- developed and as a result children do not achieve as well in this aspect as in others where the planning is much better. Literacy and numeracy are promoted strongly following the national strategies but over-dominate the curriculum in Year 2, leaving too little time for some other subjects. Too much time is also given to snack time in Year 1 and Year 2 which further erodes the time for subject teaching. ICT is taught through a good range of other subjects and is used as an effective tool for communicating information and analysing data. Cross- curricular links are a strength and help to bring pupils to a better understanding of the world

p.16

PUPILS?

about them. The provision for art lacks the appropriate development of skills and by Year 6 is too narrow. In religious education too little emphasis is placed in comparing and contrasting different religions.

p.16

PUPILS?

25. The satisfactory provision for pupils’ personal, social, health and citizenship education is beginning to make a significant contribution to pupils’ personal development. A draft scheme of work is sensibly drawn from a review of the current practice in school. All classes are developing aspects of the healthy living project and appropriate attention is given to drugs misuse and sex education for the older pupils. The school is inclusive in practice and the needs of most pupils are met within the class for much of the time. Provision for support for pupils who have special educational needs in literacy is good. Opportunities for challenging the higher attaining pupils are sometimes missed. The school has a policy for teaching the more able pupils but has not yet fully developed this work. A good range of visits and visitors to the school enrich the curriculum significantly and make a strong contribution to provision

p.16

PUPILS?

for pupils’ personal development, which is good. Bentley New Village School - 17 26. Overall, the curriculum is carefully planned using nationally recommended schemes for most subjects and schemes recommended by the local education authority for physical education and religious education. A commercially published scheme is used for music. Sufficient time is allocated to subjects in all year groups but Year 2 where the curriculum is narrow with the balance of the timetable favouring English and mathematics. As a result pupils’ progress is uneven over time between subjects.

p.16

PUPILS?

27. The pupils who have special educational needs have access to the whole curriculum. Where necessary additional support is well used to ensure they have full access to all subjects, for example, additional time at the swimming pool for pupils with visual impairment, ensuring full support in learning to swim and being safe at the pool. The majority of pupils identified as having special educational needs in literacy, receive additional support mainly through withdrawal into small groups led by a learning support assistant. These are effective in helping pupils to make good progress.

p.17

PUPILS?

28. Good links with the community and other local institutions enrich the curriculum through visits, and visitors, in connection with a good range of subjects. For example, visits to local churches, businesses, services, museums and wildlife settings gives the pupils good first-hand experience to support their learning in school. Visitors from theatre groups, the Fire Service and history projects have stimulated and entertained the pupils and Year 6 were entranced by the stories from their visitors talking about their experiences of World War II. In Year 6 pupils visited the Houses of Parliament and learned about democracy, which they then linked to their work on democracy in Greek history. The school nurse visits to deliver the sex education programme, and a member of the police force delivers a programme on raising pupils’ awareness about drugs. This works well because the pupils know the visitors

p.17

PUPILS?

well and feel able to ask questions. A business links project for pupils in Year 6 involves exciting design and technology work with local industries. This year they are designing a special pipe fitting and support which is a challenging problem for this age group and enabling them to develop a good insight into design in the world of work. The school has effective links with the local high school and a very good transition programme involving pupils in Year 6 having science lessons in both schools as good preparation for the move in September.

p.17

PUPILS?

29. Although parents would like to see an improvement in the range of extra curricular activities provided, inspectors consider that it is good. The school has concentrated its energies on providing a range of clubs in gymnastics, football, basketball, netball, a science club for pupils in Year 6 and a homework club for those in Year 5 and 6. Many clubs are recently set up but are working well and are well attended. The academic clubs for pupils in Year 6 have had a positive impact in raising standards this year.

p.17

PUPILS?

30. Assemblies make a valuable contribution to pupils’ spiritual development providing daily opportunities for prayer and reflection. Pupils are involved in assemblies and are given opportunities to celebrate good work and talk about, for example, their birthdays. Times when pupils reflect in a sensitive way in lessons are evident, for example in art; Year 6 pupils were encouraged to show empathy through appreciation of Hockney’s painting of his parents. Children in Year 1 reflected on the role of the butterfly and its needs. Time is set aside for pupils to listen and share their thoughts with others which encourages a sense of being above the physical. Quiet music is also played in some areas of the school to nurture pupil’s deeper appreciation and contribute to a calm atmosphere around the school.

p.17

PUPILS?

31. Children in the nursery and reception classes have a wealth of opportunities to develop the spiritual, moral, social and cultural aspects of their life. This is because the curriculum is lively and teachers provide much time to talk about a wide range of interests and day-to-day expectations to which the pupils respond very well. Bentley New Village School - 18 32. The very good provision for pupils’ social and moral development has a positive impact on pupils’ behaviour and attitudes. Most pupils respond well to rules of safety and routines. They behave well in lessons and show respect for teachers and each other. Teachers provide good role models in their respectful treatment of pupils. Moral messages are clearly conveyed by teachers in lessons and in assemblies. For example, in an assembly in Years 1 and 2 pupils were reminded of the organisations which work to raise money to help starving people throughout the world. The school provides a positive environment where

p.17

PUPILS?

pupils work well together as a community. The majority are developing very good social skills and they enjoy meeting visitors to the school. Pupils talk enthusiastically to adults, as was the case when those in Year 5 visited Bridlington and avidly discussed their treasures that they had collected off the beach. There is a popular homework club where pupils are encouraged to develop problem-solving skills using ICT and draw on a range of subjects. The recorder players perform in school and in the community and this provides them with opportunity to take part in performance in front of a range of audiences.

p.18

PUPILS?

33. The good provision for pupils’ cultural development enables them to learn about the history and geography of their own locality often through visits and walks to observe what is happening and how things have changed over time. Pupils talk about some of the traditional songs that they sing of the British Isles and pupils in Year 6 can compare for example British and American music from the 1940’s. Pupils’ knowledge of other countries is being widened by the Year 3 visit to ‘Tropical World’ in Leeds and the recent e-mail link for pupils in Year 4 with a school in Bangladesh. Year 4 pupils visit an Italian restaurant and also Tear 3 visit a local supermarket where they look at food from different countries. Some major world faiths, for example Christianity, Judaism and Sikhism, are studied in religious education. However, there are some missed opportunities for pupils’ multicultural development. For example the

p.18

PUPILS?

range of multicultural texts is limited in English and in the library. Although there are many visits out of school and visitors to the school in most subjects, there are a limited amount of these representing other cultures.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

34. The school cares about the welfare of its pupils and its procedures are satisfactory. Practice is often ahead of policy but new and improved policies are being used to support the welfare of pupils and to ensure all are included. The governing body ensures that health and safety requirements are met. The welfare of all pupils is a priority and the headteacher oversees the support of vulnerable pupils by working closely with the welfare services. Formal arrangements are in place and parental permission has been obtained to protect pupils using the Internet.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

35. The provision for pupils with special educational needs is good and the school’s use of the Code of Practice is effective in providing good support to the pupils’ progress. There are fewer pupils on the register for special educational needs than previously because the school has refined the criteria. These are linked to literacy although a few pupils have support for behaviour. This is an improvement since the time of the last inspection. All pupils receiving extra help have individual education plans. It has been difficult to keep these regularly under review because of recent disruption to staff and the school has yet to set up termly reviews. The targets are often too broad and when this is the case success is hard to measure.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

36. Other than in the foundation stage where an early assessment shortly after children enter the school makes an effective contribution the procedures for assessment have not been satisfactorily developed since the previous inspection. Day-to-day assessment is not effective in providing information to teachers or pupils. Often marking is brief and there is little information fed back to pupils on how they could further improve their work. There is much Bentley New Village School - 19 ground to cover to make assessment procedures of a good quality and consistency across the school. A positive start has been made and assessments are more finely tuned in literacy and numeracy. National test results are used mainly to assess pupils’ attainment in Years 2 and 6 and a satisfactory range of optional tests is used for checking the level of pupils' work in other years in English and mathematics. In other subjects assessment is mostly at an

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

early stage. The absence of monitoring partly contributes to inconsistency in procedures across the school.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

37. Teachers have recently set up systems for tracking individual pupils' progress in literacy, numeracy and science. They also collect samples of work for each child termly and these give a clear picture of progress made. Regular staff meetings comparing the standards of pupils' work have enabled staff to set curricular targets in literacy and numeracy and adapt planned work for pupils. This has given useful information for setting group targets. Most pupils understand the nature of the group targets they are expected to achieve but such detail is not always shared with parents.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

38. There is a strong and consistent approach to monitoring and promoting good behaviour which is closely linked to the school’s new anti-bullying policy. Well-established routines are entrenched and contribute to the school’s calming environment which is generally free from undisciplined and disaffected behaviour. The school acts promptly on any behavioural issues and consults parents if necessary. Rewards and sanctions are used successfully and pupils respond to the arrangements well. Record books keep a check on behaviour and show the effectiveness of the school’s systems. For example, pupils in Year 6 have few entries of sanctions whilst rewards for effort are plentiful. Procedures work to eliminate oppressive behaviour and contribute to the harmonious atmosphere which promotes inclusion for all pupils. Over time, this work has been funded through the single regeneration budget and has paid good dividends.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

39. Procedures for monitoring and supporting pupils’ personal development are well established and effective. They contribute to raising self-belief in pupils and encourage determined team and individual efforts. Pupils are taught about healthy eating and healthy lifestyles. Older pupils are taught about the onset of adolescence and the dangers of the mis-use of drugs. The teaching of citizenship is underway to prepare pupils for secondary school. The school provides extra-curricular activities to stimulate pupils and encourage them to use their own time wisely. Football and homework clubs for older pupils enhance social, personal and academic development well.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

40. Liaison is in place between the school and the education welfare office to check unexplained absences. Levels of pupils’ attendance are now rising and have improved since the last inspection but the true impact of the school’s efforts have yet to be felt and attendance levels remain low.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

41. Parents perceive the school to be good and are pleased with its work. Respondents to the parent questionnaire have few concerns about the school. However, they are concerned about the many changes in teaching staff and the effect these changes have on their children. Their other reservation is the range of activities outside lessons which are now improved although they focus mainly on the needs of the older pupils. The school has made new appointments to the teaching staff ready for the next academic year.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

42. The effectiveness of the school’s links with parents stem from the school’s open communication and the personal relationships formed with the headteacher and staff. The school welcomes parents to the nursery and informs them of the new routines their children Bentley New Village School - 20 will undertake. Parents of older pupils are invited to school to meet their child’s new class teacher at the start of each academic year. Consultations take place with parents of children with special education needs and their progress is on the whole reviewed regularly though this has been hindered through the changes in staffing. Annual reviews are appropriately organised and the pupils’ individual education plans reflect the recommendations in the statements well. Agreements between the home and school are based on mutual respect and high expectations of co-operation including consultation with pupils.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

43. Parental involvement on the work of the school is enhanced by school fundraising events, special assemblies and other social occasions which bring together parents, children and teachers to support the work of the school. Events, such as the family literacy workshop, which are organised to familiarise parents with new teaching methods in literacy are successful. They enable parents to work along side their children in the classroom and to understand the teaching strategies and the learning experiences of their children.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

44. Information to parents is of good quality and the governors’ annual report and school prospectus tell parents all they need to know about the school. The school has developed its use of reading records and study planners very well. When these are used well, they provide parents with a wealth of information about the work their children are doing in school and offer good opportunities for dialogue with teachers. The planners used by pupils in Year 3 to Year 6 often contain targets for learning in English and mathematics and provide good quality information on what children are doing in school and what they need to do to improve. A significant contribution to pupils learning in school and at home is fulfilled by the best practice of parents who use these records.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

45. Annual reports to parents are not as fulsome as the information provided in the study planners used by older pupils. However, reports to parents convey details of the work their children have covered throughout the year but there are few examples of specific learning targets and information to parents about whether attainment is good enough. Attendance levels are not shown in the required format of figures.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

46. The leadership of the headteacher is good indeed and that of staff with responsibilities is satisfactory. The headteacher’s leadership qualities are good with some very good features. Many of the senior staff are undertaking a strategic role for the first time and this has had a negative effect on the pace of change and development at the moment. Nevertheless, there is a good sense of shared commitment amongst the management team and a good capacity to succeed.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

47. The school has just emerged from a very difficult period during which there has been a lull in development. This has been exacerbated by a number of staff absences or vacancies resulting in temporary cover in several classes or the rearrangement of staff midway through the year. The headteacher and acting deputy headteachers, who have steered the school calmly with sensitivity, have managed this turbulence very well. Disruption to pupils’ education has been kept to the minimum. This has been achieved with good teamwork, but the headteacher has been instrumental in maintaining the high levels of respect between adults and pupils within the school and the very good relationships in general that exist at all levels. The school’s new development plan contains a sense of direction that is right for the school. It sets out an apt programme to tackle the key areas that have been underdeveloped for some time. In 1998 the school’s leadership and management

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

was described as firm and supportive. It is still that, but it is also energetic and tenacious. Bentley New Village School - 21 48. Parents have been involved well in the school’s renewed sense of direction. They were consulted recently about a new set of aims for the school. These aims are having a positive effect on the daily life of the school. This confirms the view held by parents that the school is well led and managed in a way that is having a positive effect on the all round development of their children. Assemblies and acts of worship provide a very good indication of the aims at work. The way in which the headteacher, in particular, leads these gatherings creates a great sense of community and pride in individual and collective achievement.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

49. Subject co-ordinators and other teachers with management responsibilities tackle their responsibilities with energy and enthusiasm. Many of them have had to put into place new procedures and have done this with speed and efficiency. The effect of their work is satisfactory - it is too early to see many results of significance. In some cases the work to be completed is substantial and the current situation is unsatisfactory. Assessment is one such area. The co-ordinators of English and mathematics, for example, have tried hard to establish comprehensive systems to check pupils’ progress and raise standards, but they are only part-way in a programme that will take some time. Subjects that are unsatisfactorily managed are those without permanent staff to lead them: art and design; music; and design and technology. In some respects good leadership, from permanent members of staff, is already having a positive effect on standards. In physical education standards are higher

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

than the national expectation by the end of Year 6 and in ICT they are high by the end of Year 2. Equally the way that literacy, numeracy and ICT are used to help pupils learn in other subjects is good and reflects well on the teachers in general and the work undertaken by the co-ordinators concerned.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

50. The leadership and management of special educational needs are satisfactory. The policy is clear and guides staff enabling them to identify pupils who require additional help to support their progress. Teaching assistants have received minimal training, although the learning support assistant responsible for the withdrawal groups is satisfactorily trained. The governor responsible for special educational needs is well informed and works well with the school. Resources to support the teaching and learning of pupils who have special educational needs are good and additional support from outside agencies is drawn upon as necessary.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

51. The school has been through difficult times, due to changes in leadership, in its teaching staff, and the match of teachers and support staff to meet the demands of the curriculum which is currently unsatisfactory. However, new teaching appointments should remedy the situation. In consequence, the teaching of some subjects within the National Curriculum has not been sufficiently effective and the management of some pupils has not always been carried out to the school’s usual high standard. The role of support staff has seen limited advancement and although the quality of classroom support for pupils has not suffered adversely, the potential use of support staff to support the management of subjects has not been advanced.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

52. The school’s accommodation is good. It is well managed and the site manager and staff ensure that the school is aesthetically well maintained. The school has spacious classrooms and makes effective use of accommodation such as the two halls for physical education. It has very good outdoor space, including two fields, for pupils to play and for physical education and an attractive enclosed garden used to enhance learning. However, the facilities for children in the nursery and reception years are limited. Learning resources are adequate to meet the needs of the curriculum with the new computer suite providing exceptional facilities for teaching ICT and this is increasing the rate of pupils’ progress in the subject. In the same way the administration of the school is effective and this means that the headteacher can concentrate on developing pupils’ teaching and learning. Bentley New Village School - 22

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

53. The governing body has come a long way in a short time working alongside the newly appointed headteacher to come to a better understanding of their roles and responsibilities and of the strengths and areas to develop in the school. Communication is open, honest and focused and has raised areas where monitoring needs to be strengthened. A good start has been made in linking named governors with subject leaders.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

54. In a short time the headteacher has quickly assessed the quality of teaching in the school including that of temporary staff. This has highlighted the need for a more in depth and regular approach to monitoring to make sure that the teaching is consistently good or better. The curriculum has yet to be monitored. The role of the senior managers and subject leaders is at an early stage in this.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

55. The school uses its funds to the best advantage for its pupils linking it to clear educational priorities. Furthermore extra funding through the single regeneration budget has been very well managed and used exceedingly well in a range of aspects; for example, in improving pupils’ behaviour so that the school has an ethos that is conducive to learning. It has also been channelled to improve the quality of teaching and learning to raise standards in literacy.

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

56. In order to improve further the school should:

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) Raise standards across the school in English and by the end of Year 2 in mathematics. [paragraph 69 - 78]

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) Improve assessment to enable teachers to better match work to the pupils’ needs [paragraph 36]

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(3) Rigorously monitor the curriculum and teaching to raise standards overall and in in religious education, art and design and music by the end of Year 6 [paragraph numbers 3, 8, 54, 96, 120 and 130]

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(4) Improve the rate of pupils’ attendance. [paragraph numbers 14 and 40] Bentley New Village School - 23

p.22

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 49

p.23

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

p.23

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

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

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 23 315

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 0 105

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 3

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 0 31

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 1

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 24

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 16

p.23

Attendance

National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5 Bentley New Village School - 24 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.

p.23

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 28 21 49

p.24

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.24

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

Boys 24 12 27 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 21 18 21

p.24

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

Percentage of pupils School 92 (82) 61 (82) 98 (96) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (84) 86 (86) 90 (91)

p.24

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.24

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

Boys 19 28 28 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 19 21 21

p.24

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

Percentage of pupils School 78 (86) 100 (96) 100 (86) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (85) 89 (89) 89 (89)

p.24

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

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

p.24

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

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2002 21 29 40

p.24

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.24

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

Boys 9 11 14 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 19 17 23

p.24

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

Percentage of pupils School 56 (50) 56 (43) 74 (72) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 73 (71) 86 (87)

p.24

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.24

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

Boys 11 11 15 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 19 18 24

p.24

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

Percentage of pupils School 60 (54) 58 (54) 78 (72) at NC level 4 or above National 73 (72) 74 (74) 82 (82) Bentley New Village School - 25 Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Bentley New Village School - 26

p.24

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.26

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

White – any other White background 3 0 0

p.26

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Mixed – any other mixed background 3 0 0

p.26

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British - Pakistani 0 0 0

p.26

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 0 0 0

p.26

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.26

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – Caribbean 0 0 0

p.26

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.26

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.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 13 Financial year 2001 / 02

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 22.5

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR– Y6 Total income 708850

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 11 Total expenditure 648292

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 316 Expenditure per pupil 1776

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Balance brought forward from previous year 78212

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 1 Balance carried forward to next year 60558

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 25

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 2

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 32 Bentley New Village School - 27 Number of pupils per FTE adult 11.5;1

p.26

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 6

p.27

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.27

Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 1

p.27

Recruitment of teachers

Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 4

p.27

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.27

Recruitment of teachers

FTE means full-time equivalent. Bentley New Village School - 28

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

p.28

Results of the survey of parents and carers

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

p.28

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 62 36 0 0 0

p.28

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 71 24 5 0 0

p.28

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 60 29 10 0 0

p.28

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 50 43 7 0 0

p.28

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 79 19 2 0 0

p.28

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 71 24 2 0 0

p.28

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 52 43 5 0 0

p.28

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 64 33 0 0 0

p.28

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 57 43 0 0 0

p.28

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 31 36 21 2 10

p.28

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentages are rounded to the nearest integer and may not total 100. Bentley New Village School - 29

p.28

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

57. Pupils’ very good achievement has been improved since the time of the last inspection. Very good induction procedures mean children get off to a happy and seamless start in the nursery and reception classes. The good quality of teaching at each stage effectively helps children to make very good gains across the majority of the curriculum. Strengths in the teaching are in the very good management of pupils stemming from very high expectations. This means that no time is lost and the pupils learn well in each class, building upon their skills and knowledge quickly. This is because assessment is good. The classrooms are exceedingly inviting and well presented. A very good curriculum provides a strong base for the teaching and learning though in the aspect of outdoor play planning in the nursery and provision in the reception classes are relative weaknesses.

p.29

Personal, social and emotional development

58. From a low level on entry in the nursery when pupils often lack confidence the children in the nursery and reception class achieve very well in their personal, social and emotional development and are on course to attain the expected levels by the end of the reception year. By the end of their time in the reception classes most children are able to work well in groups and follow routines without fuss. The big strides in their development occur because the curriculum is very well structured to make sure there are plenty of opportunities for children to develop this important aspect and because the quality of teaching is very good. Adults are very good role models with great warmth in their approach to life. Much time is taken in talking and explaining to children not only what is expected of them but why this is the case. Pupils come to a very much better understanding of what is right and wrong and how to best get on with other children so that all can enjoy the activities and learn

p.29

Personal, social and emotional development

from them. Children develop an empathy and understanding of the needs of others. Higher and middle attainers in particular quickly come to a better understanding of how their actions impact on others.

p.29

Personal, social and emotional development

59. The children behave well and willingly share resources with each other because they know what is expected of them. They are treated fairly and know that they will each get a turn with new activities. This promotes their independence because they are quite happy to choose from a range of tasks flowing easily from one activity to another though spending increasing time finishing off one task before moving on to the next. Pupils’ confidence increases very well so older children, for example, are able to speak out unselfconsciously to an audience of other classes and explain their work.

p.29

Communication, language and literacy

60. Priority is given to developing pupils’ learning in this aspect. The starting point is low but through very good teaching pupils achieve very well. Even so they are on course to attain a level below that typically expected for their ages. Children have very good attitudes and really enjoy the challenging tasks set for them. Children make very good progress often from using very little spoken language on entry to the nursery to acquiring the confidence and vocabulary by the end of the reception year to hold intelligent conversations using an ever- widening vocabulary. Higher attainers have technical words at the ready because the lesson planning and teaching emphasizes key words.

p.29

Communication, language and literacy

61. Children write for a range of purposes but not all their letters are well-formed or fluent in style and lower attainers often forget to leave spaces between words. The teaching is good Bentley New Village School - 30 and takes care to provide models of exemplar writing and to share with children how writing reflects the spoken word. However, not all children grip their pencil well enough to produce a flowing style and this at times goes uncorrected. The two reception classes work in groups set by attainment and this works well because work is matched to pupils’ needs.

p.29

Communication, language and literacy

62. Reading is taught very well indeed and parents have a good part to play in it from the nursery onwards. As a result pupils are on course to reach typical levels for their age by the end of their time in the reception classes. For example, middle attainers make sense of their reading, can read simple familiar sentences and blend sounds of letters to work out unknown words. Children enjoy reading and listening to stories as was the case in the nursery, when a story well linked to the topic children were studying captured their imaginations. With much well-placed prompting and patient questioning children recalled page by page what happened in the story but needed a great deal of help for even the higher attainers at the end to recall the main features.

p.30

Mathematical development

63. The teaching is of good quality and pupils achieve well in the nursery and reception classes. Children are set into groups by attainment and tasks are overall matched to their needs though at times the challenge for the high attainers is insufficient leaving them to consolidate rather than take forward their learning. This was the case, for example, when children were sorting coins. The higher attainers were capable of more though the teachers’ work with other groups was quick and sharp making pupils think very hard. Strengths in the teaching are in the practical approach, the use of good quality and well-prepared resources and the use of a three-part lesson as in the national strategy for numeracy. This prepares children well for the slightly more formal work in Year 1. Day-to-day assessment was usually used well. Questioning fitted the individual’s needs and all get a sense of satisfaction

p.30

Mathematical development

resulting in them trying even harder with their work. The practical approach is linked well to numeracy so that for example pupils can count two pence coins by using their understanding of counting in sets of two. The higher and middle attainers are adept at adding and subtracting within ten.

p.30

Mathematical development

64. Children get much enjoyment from the challenges set before them and have very good attitudes to their work. They behave very well indeed. These attributes enhance the teaching and learning and enable children to make good gains in mathematical development in all classes.

p.30

Knowledge and understanding of the world

65. Teaching is good in the nursery and reception classes in this area of learning and activities are well planned so that children have much breadth and depth in the curriculum. First hand experiences are used very well and sometimes are excellent. This was the case, for example, when a parent brought a lizard for the pupils to look at. It was used as a basis for a literacy lesson improving pupils’ understanding of how to pose questions using words such as ‘when’, ‘how’ and ‘why’. Such approaches provide good links across the curriculum so that in this lesson they made gains in asking some questions, sequencing their speech and acquiring facts about the lizard. Furthermore they had the opportunity to think about how we should care for animals and a sense of wonder pervaded the room as pupils gently touched the lizard and observed it closely ‘It has beautiful eyes’ commented one child and ‘Thank you for bringing it to show us’ said another unprompted. Children achieve very

p.30

Knowledge and understanding of the world

effectively from the well below level on entry to the nursery.

p.30

Knowledge and understanding of the world

66. Children make very good gains in their use of ICT. This is because the teaching is very good and the computer suite is used very well indeed. High expectations of pupils’ Bentley New Village School - 31 behaviour and independence in using expensive equipment pays dividends because pupils are able to work with partners to log onto their programs very maturely and extremely sensibly. The direct teaching at the beginning of the lesson is very effective because it sets a fast pace and adults insist on children using correct technical vocabulary, for example, the teacher would not even accept ‘click on’ but insisted in ‘exit’ when asking children to close down a program. Children are very self-confident and willing to help each other. Lower attainers and those who have special educational needs manage well with the help of teaching assistants. By using ICT as a tool to learning children’s opportunities are broadened

p.30

Physical development

67. The quality of teaching and learning are satisfactory in the nursery and good in the reception classes. Strengths are in the way in which nursery children are provided with experiences to develop their finer skills using a range of small tools such as scissors and pencils. Strengths are also in the formal physical educational lesson for children in the reception class where much attention is given to pupils finishing off their work. The use of praise linked to clear learning objectives provides good support to children. As a result children learn to exercise self-control and responsibility. They are very well behaved and have very good attitudes to their work. Good questioning techniques such as ‘Did you notice anything different…..’ helps children think hard about what they have seen and how they can improve. However, the quality of the provision for outside play is narrow and insufficiently

p.31

Physical development

structured. In the nursery the planning for outside play is not as good as the other planning. It is too generalised and does not identify particular skills to be developed nor does it sufficiently well link the outside play to the topics being studied inside. As a result children consolidate their skills but they are not built upon quickly. In the reception class the provision does not include outside play of good quality. None the less because of the good teaching of finer manipulative skills and the formal lessons in physical development children move from a below average level on entry to the nursery to a broadly typical level for their ages by the end of the reception year. Children’s achievement is good but not as fast as in other areas of learning.

p.31

Creative development

68. A mark of the provision in this area of learning is that the activities fit in very well with the topics being studied. This provides children with good reasons to develop their artistic and inventive responses to a range of stimuli. For example, children in the nursery make small insects out of scrap material and make good gains in cutting sticking tape and using split pins to fasten their models together. One very high attaining child was able to tie a knot to hold materials together because, as he proudly said, ‘My Mum showed me’. Because tasks are planned well the children come to a much better understanding of how to use a range of materials and develop the skills needed to make simple yet effective models, paintings and textiles and to experiment with music and sounds. The quality of teaching and learning is good in all classes and because of this children achieve very well over time.

p.31

ENGLISH

69. By the end of Year 6, standards are below average, but pupils are achieving well, particularly in writing. This is because the scope of pupils’ writing has lately been broadened considerably in Year 3 to Year 6 and the often very good teaching in Year 6 gives pupils a real boost in this area. Current standards are better than in the national test scores for previous years when pupils were well below the national average. A smaller proportion of pupils have special educational needs and the school has made a concerted effort to raise standards in Year 6. Pupils’ ability to read fluently and talk about their learning is satisfactory and Bentley New Village School - 32 sometimes good, but is not as good as achievements in writing. Nevertheless, current standards represent good improvement in English since the time of the last inspection, when pupils were well below the national average in Year 6 and very well below it in Year 2. Since

p.31

ENGLISH

1998, ICT has greatly assisted in the development of reading and writing. Pupils use computers very well to produce word-processed work in many subjects. They practise their reading well by searching Internet sites and display their work in many visually appealing styles of lettering.

p.32

ENGLISH

70. For pupils in Year 2, current standards are below average, but their achievement in writing is well below what is expected. This matches the national test results for the last few years. Standards overall are strengthened by their reading, which is about average. Pupils’ education has been interrupted this year by staff changes and this has had an effect on their progress particularly in writing. This lull in progress is unrepresentative of the very good advances in reading and the good progress in writing that have taken place since the time of the last inspection.

p.32

ENGLISH

71. The pupils’ ability to listen thoughtfully to their teachers and friends is good. They plainly enjoy trying to communicate with each other, showing very good attitudes and behaviour. They can often talk with enthusiasm about the content of their work in a clear way particularly when it is based on first-hand experiences. For example, in Year 5, pupils spoke well about a visit to Bridlington, using the correct geographical vocabulary to describe what kind of coastal features they had observed. In Year 1, pupils generated some well-formed questions after having watched butterflies emerge from their chrysalises. Pupils with special educational needs often make similar progress to the rest of the class, but are not prompted by teaching assistants enough to be speak out confidently in whole class sessions. However, pupils’ ability to talk about their learning is weak. They are often not encouraged to

p.32

ENGLISH

say how well they have done in the lesson and how they might improve. Teachers often leave too little time for this valuable kind of discussion and do all the evaluation themselves. This is true even of the best lessons. For example, in Year 6 pupils were studying some poems about the Second World War. They discussed the poets’ intentions, but there was no time for them to say what they found hard and what else they would need to know, for example about the war, the poems and the poets’ lives to help them to gain a better understanding.

p.32

ENGLISH

72. Pupils’ achievement in reading, by the end of Year 6, is not as good as that of writing. Pupils have very good attitudes to all their work in reading, but often lack the skills to read widely with understanding. The practice throughout the school, for example, of a group of pupils all reading the same book, while receiving direct instruction on specific techniques, is not well planned and assessed. As a result pupils are not good at talking about the meaning of what they read. By contrast teachers and their assistants, listen well to pupils read individually. Pupils can sound out words and read with reasonable expression because of these methods. Parents are well involved in this process. Pupils take books home regularly and communication between home and school is well established by the use of a diary. Pupils who have difficulty in learning to read have additional regular support designed to help

p.32

ENGLISH

them catch up, particularly in their ability to recognise the correct sounds in words. Pupils, in general, cannot talk about authors with any confidence. There are ample books of fiction around the school, but these are not displayed in a way to promote authors and different genres. The very good readers, for example, do not receive enough guidance on what authors might be of interest to them so that they can extend the range and depth of their experience. By contrast, lower attaining pupils are well catered for by books designed to help them improve in the basic skills. As a result many lower attaining pupils can read simplified texts fairly fluently. Bentley New Village School - 33 73. Pupils’ achievements in writing are better in the classes that have been taught by the same teacher throughout the year. This applies mainly in Years 3, 5 and 6. Moreover, teaching in Year 6 is so rigorous, well organised and inspirational, at times, that pupils can

p.32

ENGLISH

express their thoughts well in writing. Classroom management is superb at such times and the teaching engages all pupils in a productive and disciplined way so that learning is at a quick pace. Higher attaining pupils in Year 6, including those with a special talent, have mastered the technicalities of using, for example, apostrophes, colons, brackets and paragraphs correctly, but can also write powerfully. One pupil, when writing about an evacuee in the Second World War wrote, that the boy’s, ‘Tears fell down his cheeks like the blood from a cut.’ Many average and below average attainers try as hard, but have a limited breadth of vocabulary and cannot yet write more complex sentences. Pupils in Year 2 have not developed a similar zest for powerful communication.

p.33

ENGLISH

74. The higher attainers can write stories that comprise simple sentences, which are spelt correctly with full stops and capital letters, but do not contain much flair or originality. Average attainers produce similar work, but the spelling is not as good. Pupils in Year 1 and Year 2 cannot write with confidence because they spend too much time completing worksheets that require one-word answers or short phases. Sometimes, they spend time colouring them in instead of practising their writing.

p.33

ENGLISH

75. The demands made on pupils from Year 3 onwards increase and pupils begin to be able to use writing more expressively. For example a pupil in Year 3 wrote about a mysterious shadow in short snappy sentences that built up the suspense, ‘He makes slow movements. He crunches bones and dribbles.’ In Year 4 pupils become more confident at experimenting with commas and brackets to create an effect. One higher attainer wrote, ‘Becky is very little, brave but gets in muddles, (not brainy).’ Progress is not even from Year 3 to Year 6. In Year 5 pupils practice grammar, spelling and handwriting regularly, but apply their learning less often than in Year 6 where the emphasis is properly on writing frequently for a wide range of purposes. Handwriting is a good throughout the school. Pupils in many classes try hard to present their work well. This, in part, is a consequence of a special project undertaken by the school that has developed over a number of years.

p.33

ENGLISH

76. The teaching of English is satisfactory in Year 1 and Year 2 and good, in general, from Year 3 to Year 6. There is some unsatisfactory teaching in the lower juniors, where teachers are very new to the school and do not know the pupils well enough. Conversely there is some very good teaching in Year 6. The school has implemented satisfactorily the National Strategy for Literacy, except in the respect of reading in groups. The very good progress in reading in Year 2 in recent years has been caused by the more structured approach to reading, as a whole class, advocated by the strategy. Teachers in Year 1 and Year 2 have a good knowledge of the teaching of reading by letter sounds and lessons are often lively and productive in this respect. This very good progress has not been sustained in the lower juniors, due to the lack of additional strategies to help pupils comprehend at a deeper level.

p.33

ENGLISH

Pupils with special educational needs are supported well throughout the school, and make good progress, by being given special classes designed to help them catch up. The marking of pupils’ work is a weakness throughout the school. Teacher sometimes provide advice for pupils about how to improve and how close they have got to their targets – for example to use commas more often – but in general pupils receive very little help from marking. This limits the progress made. The school has introduced a system of giving pupils targets to help them achieve at a higher level in their writing. This is a well-conceived system, but there are, currently, too few targets spread over too long a time scale for the system to have any significant effect on standards in the short-term.

p.33

ENGLISH

77. The subject is led and managed satisfactorily. This is a good achievement because until very recently the co-ordinators did not have a significant leadership role. They have Bentley New Village School - 34 begun to consider the quality of teaching and learning throughout the school and worked well to improve standards in writing. They recognise the weaknesses in reading, speaking and listening, but have not had time to tackle them. Resources for teaching are adequate, but library facilities are weak. There are not enough books, for example, that teach pupils about cultures other than their own. The co-ordinators have not monitored teaching and pupils’ work enough to recognise the strengths and weaknesses in teaching for themselves. They have not discovered, for example, that teaching assistants are not actively involved throughout the lesson in many classes and how the good ways in which writing is used to

p.33

ENGLISH

extend pupils’ understanding of other subjects could be extended.

p.34

MATHEMATICS

78. Standards at the end of Year 6 have risen and are now in line with national averages, which is a very good improvement on previous results and since the time of the last inspection. The main reason for this is the effective use of the National Numeracy Strategy to develop teachers’ skills and expertise, the analysis of results and setting of appropriate targets particularly for pupils from the age of seven, and the use of ICT to support learning in mathematics across the school. The support of a leading teacher in mathematics to demonstrate lessons, support the co-ordination of the subject and to identify problem solving as an area of focus to which the school has responded very well have added greatly to the school’s provision. The use of a national programme for Year 5 pupils and extra classes for pupils in Year 6 to boost their attainment have had a very positive impact on the standards attained. The Year 6 teacher with the support from the headteacher has taken a very

p.34

MATHEMATICS

determined and extremely successful approach to raising pupils’ attainment. Standards for pupils at the end of Year 2 are well below those expected for their age, as they were at the time of the previous inspection but in the context of similar schools, it is satisfactory. This is lower than previous years but is the result of there being a high percentage of pupils with special educational needs in the year and therefore a lower number of pupils gaining higher levels. In addition the pupils in Year 2 have had a series of teachers this year which has not promoted continuity in their learning.

p.34

MATHEMATICS

79. The pupils make good progress by the end of Year 6 and this is a good improvement since the time of the previous inspection. They build well on previously learned skills and the higher attaining pupils are able to work out percentages accurately, create graphs and multiply and divide using a two-digit number into a three-digit number. Using data, they are able to compute range, mode, mean, median, and their results. They make good progress in tackling written problems, using the prompts the school has developed of ‘read, understand, work it out, answer’, to guide them through. They develop skills in different methods of long multiplication, understand probability, can use co-ordinates to draw shapes and understand symmetry both mirror and rotational. The less able pupils are able to add three digit numbers accurately, they can multiply and divide single figures into three figures, create graphs but

p.34

MATHEMATICS

their analysis is less detailed and they make good progress in converting fractions into decimals. The pupil know their targets for mathematics, which are recorded in their individual planners, as well as on the classroom walls and this has a positive impact on their progress because they know and understand what they need to learn.

p.34

MATHEMATICS

80. The pupils make satisfactory progress by the end of Year 2. The higher attaining pupils build well on previously learned skills and are able to add and subtract numbers up to 100, they add money to two decimal places and know multiplication tables up to five. The pupils are confident in the place value up to three digits and are able to solve word problems that involve subtraction. They are able to measure accurately in centimetres, and understand that litres are used to measure liquids, know that the measurement of temperature is in degrees and can identify right-angled triangles, marking the angle correctly. The less able pupils use a line of numbers to help them add and subtract, are able to tell the time to the Bentley New Village School - 35 hour and are able to handle one pence coins to make a total: they know they need 10 coins to make 10 pence. All pupils apply the skills they have learned in measurement in science,

p.34

MATHEMATICS

when measuring the distances a toy car travels down a ramp and are able to interpret simple graphs and charts.

p.35

MATHEMATICS

81. The pupils who have special educational needs make good progress particularly when groups of differing ability are set and additional adult help provided. For example, in a group of lower attaining pupils in Year 5, including some who had special educational needs, the pupils made good progress in understanding subtraction by rounding the numbers used up to the nearest ten, which made the computation easier to manage.

p.35

MATHEMATICS

82. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory for pupils up to the end of Year 2, and good overall for pupils up to the end of Year 6. Generally lesson plans have clear objectives discussed with the pupils at the start of the lesson helping them to know what they are going to learn.

p.35

MATHEMATICS

83. When the teaching is good in Years 1 and 2 the clear instructions given to the pupils helps them to know what they have to do and what they are going to learn. When lessons are well organised as in a Year 2 lesson, no time is lost, the pupils take on a good degree of responsibility for their own work and make good use of the resources available which has a positive impact on their learning. The pupils listen to each other well, for example, in the plenary session of a lesson in Year 1, the pupils were confident in volunteering to tell each other what they had learned about tens and units. They looked at the results of counting on in nines and were very excited when they discovered that the tens column went up by one each time and the units column went down. Teachers use the mental starter well, for example, to gain pupils attention by practising the ten and five times tables. The teacher’s good reminders

p.35

MATHEMATICS

that the pupils should draw on work they had done previously, as seen in a lesson in Year 2, help the pupils to understand how to work out time using halves and quarter hours. The teacher did this imaginatively by linking work on half and a quarter of an hour to fractions of a pizza. Pupils are supportive to each other and behave well, for example, they applauded another child who answered a hard question – ‘What is the 5 th month after February?’ ‘That was tricky’ commented another. When teaching and learning is satisfactory, the weaknesses are the use of too many photocopied worksheets, which do not give the pupils the opportunity to learn to set out sums precisely by themselves. The under-use of support assistants during initial and concluding parts of lessons causes opportunities to be lost to support individual pupils or record learning which is taking place.

p.35

MATHEMATICS

84. The good teaching up to the end of Year 6 has had a positive effect on pupils learning, progress and the standards they achieve. The good use of ICT consolidates learning about angles, and this supports work previously done in the classroom. For example at the start of a Year 6, lesson the brisk but clear explanation helped pupils to focus on the task quickly. The good questions asked by teacher helps the pupils to explain their answers and there is a good level of challenge in the different questions asked. The pupils behaviour and response to the teaching is very good because of the very good relationships between the staff and the pupils giving them confidence to try more complex work. Where practical and written work are well balanced this ensures that good learning takes place throughout the lesson. Observed in a good lesson in Year 4, the pupils learned to understand fractions related to

p.35

MATHEMATICS

different parts of a litre because of the mix of activities, including the use of bottles of water to demonstrate different quantities. The use of homework is good and supports pupils learning by giving them opportunities to practice their skills. Where teaching and learning are less effective, the lower attaining pupils do not get sufficient help, for example, to access a computer database quickly and lose concentration and learning support staff are not used to full advantage. There are too many photocopied work sheets, making it difficult for the pupils to learn how to lay out computations that are more complex with consistent accuracy. The Bentley New Village School - 36 pupils do not date their work consistently, which makes it difficult to see the pupils’ progress through the years, and, although it is marked, there are no examples or helpful comments to guide the pupils’ learning.

p.35

MATHEMATICS

85. There are no real opportunities for the co-ordinator to observe the teaching and learning in the subject. However, the good analysis of results and pupils’ work identifies areas for development in teaching and learning, for example, the need to extend work on problem solving. There is a very good action plan, which over time aims to improve standards of attainment by focussing on areas for development. Good use is made of statutory and non-statutory assessment to monitor the pupils’ progress over time, which contributes well to the co-ordinator’s overview of the subject.

p.36

SCIENCE

86. Pupils’ attainment in science by the end of Year 6 has improved on the standards found at the time of the last inspection. At that time, results in the national tests for pupils in Year 6 were below average. They dipped shortly afterward but have risen to a broadly average level. This improvement is particularly evident in the teaching and learning of investigative skills, which was in the early stages of development at the time of the last inspection. The headteacher together with the help of an advanced skills teacher from the local education authority has looked after the subject in the absence of a permanent post holder. They have helped staff to develop skills and knowledge in teaching the subject. This expert has also worked alongside teachers in class supporting their planning and the development of teaching of investigative skills. An after school club to develop thinking skills in science for pupil in Year 5 and Year 6 has been well attended and very effective in raising

p.36

SCIENCE

standards for pupils in Year 6. There is no significant difference in the standards achieved by boys and girls and pupils who have special educational needs also make good progress. Pupils achieve well in response to good teaching and in Year 6 over the year pupils have made fast progress. The pupils’ attitudes and behaviour are good overall and in Year 6 are very good and have very much aided their progress.

p.36

SCIENCE

87. Standards in the current Year 2 are broadly in line with national expectations for their age. Pupils know how to complete an electrical circuit to make a bulb light or a buzzer sound. They can sort plants into categories according to whether they grow wild or in a garden. Pupils all like science and can explain a fair test for investigational work. Pupils in Year 2 did not produce as much work as other year groups due to the overemphasis on literacy and numeracy in preparation for national tests. In Year 1 pupils have worked on forces and can explain how they used this work to make playground equipment, which works in construction kits, linking design technology and science.

p.36

SCIENCE

88. By the time they leave the school, pupils are able to decide which variable needs controlling to make a fair test and explain how to do this because of the good quality discussions and explanations set up by the teacher. Pupils’ clear understanding of solutions, dissolving and evaporation is due to good explanations and questioning set up by the teachers. An analysis of pupils’ work shows that they consistently make good progress and have a good knowledge of forces, plants and the human body and its systems, micro- organisms and healthy eating. Their work is neatly presented and a useful reference for later revision. However, all pupils in a year group are given much the same work. Although teachers sometimes expect more or better quality recording from the more able, there are sometimes missed opportunities for the higher attaining pupils to work at a more challenging level.

p.36

SCIENCE

89. The quality of teaching in science is good overall with a number of strengths that account for the pupils’ good progress. One strength is the teachers' enthusiasm for the Bentley New Village School - 37 subject, which was very evident in Year 1 where the teacher had brought some chrysalises into class for the pupils to observe butterflies emerging. The emphasis on investigative work, which all pupils enjoy, has established a good foundation for developing pupils’ understanding of scientific work in the adult world. Teaching is based on good subject knowledge that enables teachers to ask probing questions to make pupils think and explain their thinking to others. Good resources ensure that pupils can have first hand experiences to experiment for themselves. The school garden and grounds provides a good living resource, which is used well.

p.36

SCIENCE

90. Good links are made with other subjects. For example, in the good Year 6 lesson seen pupils were developing their skills in English in discussions by listening with concentration and questioning others’ ideas and opinions responsively in groups to plan an investigation to carry out at the local high school. They then presented their ideas confidently to the class with all groups showing a very good level of science work. Handwriting was neat and care taken in the presentation of the work. Pupils make good use of their numeracy in science, for example, Year 3 pupils measure resistance in Newtons, and Year 5 pupils measure temperature in work on insulating materials. Pupils use charts and a range of graphs to communicate the findings of their investigations. Skills in data handling in mathematics using ICT help pupils to accurately record the results of their experiments. Teachers value science and good displays are evident in classrooms and around school.

p.37

SCIENCE

91. Pupils cooperate and discuss well in pairs and groups in science lessons. They listen attentively and are polite. They are able to discuss the beauty and lovely smell of plants as well as their scientific characteristics and pupils in Year 2 wondered at butterflies hatching from the chrysalises they were keeping in their classroom.

p.37

SCIENCE

92. There is little within the planning and in lessons to show how tasks are adapted for different groups of pupils, especially the high attaining pupils. Planning for the termly units of work is detailed but does not identify assessments to be used for different groups of pupils to enable future planning to be adapted.

p.37

SCIENCE

93. A start has been made on procedures for assessment to track pupils’ progress. The monitoring of teaching and learning remains underdeveloped.

p.37

ART AND DESIGN

94. By the end of Year 6 the curriculum is insufficiently wide and as a result pupils’ attainment is at a level lower than typically expected for their age. Furthermore, the curriculum does not guarantee that skills are built up progressively from year to year. Sketches in Year 6 show promise but too little use is made of sketchbooks to build up the skills needed to improve initial drawings. Standards have fallen since the last inspection because the subject is not well enough managed. As a result the curriculum lacks balance in Year 3 to Year 6 and is unsatisfactory.

p.37

ART AND DESIGN

95. However, there are pockets of very good practice. For example pupils’ creative and artistic skills came into their own when they worked with a ceramicist to design and make ceramic tiles to be incorporated into the local renovations of walls. This also provided very good links with a local college and the community and a sense of pride in the local area. Similarly good teaching in Year 5 contributed to pupils’ appreciation of a range of cultures. The lesson was linked through literacy to an Indian story. Pupils listened to the story enthralled because they knew good things would come of it in terms of challenge, enjoyment and working with friends. This is because the learning objective was clear and discussed at the beginning of the lesson. It gave clarity to what was expected of the pupils. The pace was good and much was done in a short time because pupils had the end product in mind Bentley New Village School - 38

p.37

ART AND DESIGN

building very well on previous work on textiles. Very good subject knowledge and interest on the part of the teacher helped to make this a successful lesson. Overall, the quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory.

p.38

ART AND DESIGN

96. Pupils use art satisfactorily to support learning in other subjects. This is the case, for example, in ICT where pupils produce work in the style of famous artists. Pupils have a good attitude to art and design. Pupils’ art work is displayed well around school and pupils are proud to discuss their pieces. Through help from the new leadership of the school the subject manager has made an early start in coming to grips with what is required to fulfil the role and is keen to get on with it. Nonetheless, assessment is unsatisfactory and the subject is not well enough monitored.

p.38

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

97. This is a subject adversely affected by the lack of a co-ordinator. The school follows the national guidance in design and technology and medium term planning shows a good range of activities in which pupils design, make and evaluate a range of products.

p.38

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

98. In Year 2 there was little work to be seen because of lack of time spent on design and technology. Pupils have worked with textiles to produce effective patterns with sequins and buttons. They have illustrated the science work on the life cycle of a frog by making moving sections in a circle revealing each stage in turn. Those of the higher attainers are made well. In Year 1 pupils have created habitats for butterflies and evaluated appropriate habitats from research in books. They have evaluated playground equipment looking scientifically at the forces of pushing and pulling needed and then made their own swings and seesaws, which worked well, from construction kits. Pupils talked enthusiastically about how they planned these from what they had learned in science and worked in pairs cooperatively to produce a finished item.

p.38

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

99. In Year 6 limited work seen was satisfactory. Pupils had enjoyed planning in groups and designing and making machines to move an egg in a race. They had recorded evaluations at the end of the project and suggested improvements and also evaluated how well they had worked as a team. Pupils were currently working on a well thought out business links project to design a functional joint for a local company making plastic piping. Some design and technology projects had formed part of homework activities. Pupils in Year 3 had investigated the sensory qualities of materials by evaluating the appearance, texture, smell and taste of sandwiches. Year 4 pupils designed and made Christmas decorations using their knowledge of electrical circuits and switch mechanisms learned in science. Year 5 investigated ways of making movable joints to design a moving toy.

p.38

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

100. A specialist consultant has helped the school to develop teachers’ skills and knowledge and appropriate resources, which is an improvement since the last inspection. The last inspection also identified that there was no scheme of work and the school is now using a recommended scheme, which needs some customising for the school. Assessment procedures are not in place and the monitoring of teaching and learning remains underdeveloped.

p.38

GEOGRAPHY

101. Standards are at those found nationally at the end of Year 2 and Year 6. A minority of pupils in Year 6 are working at above average levels in their written and research work on mountains. This is because the quality of teaching is good in Year 5 and Year 6 though satisfactory when taken across the school. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 are developing a satisfactory knowledge of their local area by learning to write and illustrate directions from, for Bentley New Village School - 39 example, the school to the local church. They are able to illustrate and write a description of a riverbed and are comparing the size of England to that of other countries of the world. Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory.

p.38

GEOGRAPHY

102. Pupils in all years are well motivated to learn and in Years 3 to 6 overall produce a good volume of well presented finished work, for example, the Year 3 work on transport. By Year 6, relatively able and more able pupils reach the national levels in their knowledge and understanding of places, environments and geographical patterns. They understand a range of terminology, including continents, countries and specific terms for weather conditions. The majority have a broad knowledge of places in the world and of climatic conditions. They are able to make valid comparisons. They remember work about the local area that they were taught in previous years and build on it.

p.39

GEOGRAPHY

103. Teaching and learning is satisfactory overall and planning in most lessons meets the needs of all pupils including those who have special educational needs and the more able. The quality of day-to-day assessment including marking varies between year groups. It is not helping to raise standards in the subject. Strengths in teaching include the knowledge teachers have of geography and good management of pupils’ behaviour. Computers are used well for research and collating information. For example, following a Year 5 visit to Bridlington, pupils were beginning to compare and contrast Bentley with Bridlington using ICT to create and interrogate a database, extracting information using their tally charts from the visit.

p.39

GEOGRAPHY

104. Schemes of work are thorough and fully cover the requirements of the National Curriculum. An action plan is linked to the school development plan and rightly identifies the need for monitoring the quality of teaching and learning in order to raise standards. Provision is enhanced well through field studies in the local environment, a visit to the Houses of Parliament and Normanby Hall. There is a residential visit to Eden Camp in Year 6 which captures pupils’ interest in the subject. Resources have improved though atlases are out of date.

p.39

HISTORY

105. Standards the pupils attain in history are typical for those of their age at the end Year 2 and Year 6. Satisfactory teaching and learning ensure that standards have been maintained since the time of the previous inspection and the school continues to provide a broad and balanced curriculum in history. Aspects of teaching are good but the lack of assessment inhibits its impact on standards.

p.39

HISTORY

106. The pupils make satisfactory progress by the end of Year 2 and Year 6. The pupils who have special educational needs are fully included in all lessons and make the same progress as other pupils. The younger pupils know about how household equipment has changed over the years, such as irons, lights and hot water bottles and writing about these through the story of Cinderella supports their work in literacy. Pupils in Year 2 talk enthusiastically about the Great Fire of London, its cause and that it was ‘a long time ago’. They talk in detail about Florence Nightingale wanting to be a nurse and that “there were rats in the hospital!” They enjoy finding out about people that lived in what they call ‘the olden days’ and how life is different now. Higher attainers are good at using vocabulary linked to the subject.

p.39

HISTORY

107. By the end of Year 6, the pupils continue to make progress and they have a good understanding of a wide range of historical events. They build on their previous knowledge of different aspects of history over time. They understand why World War II happened, about rationing, and higher attainers empathise and say that there is “a need to be kind to older Bentley New Village School - 40 people because of the war they didn’t have things.” They know there was not much food in the 1940’s, about ration books and say that ‘ladies had to work’. They remember other periods of history and are able to link invaders such as the Romans and Anglo-Saxons and link this with the invasions of the Second World War.

p.39

HISTORY

108. The quality of teaching and learning are satisfactory overall. The relationships between the teachers and the pupils are very good giving the pupils confidence to answer questions and attempt explanations. For example, in Year 2 the pupils learning about Florence Nightingale explained that at that time “wealthy women didn’t work”. Good encouragement by the teacher helped the pupils to discuss their work with each other, which had a positive impact on the development of their social skills. The teachers make very good use of original source documents, for example, in a Year 6 class, the pupils used the old school logbooks and the entry register from their own school, which dated from the 1930’s, to find out particular information and to practice note taking. Some found the names of people in their own families, which caused interest and excitement bringing history to life. The pupils were enthusiastic and behaved well, taking turns and working well together. Teachers

p.40

HISTORY

encourage the pupils throughout the school to use history as an opportunity for extended writing. In some classes, good use is made of sequencing for example, 1901 going back to 55 BC, to help pupils understand when major events happened, such as the Roman invasion of Britain. Each year the school attends a Victorian day for Year 5 pupils at Normanby Hall, when pupils and staff dress up as Victorians, this enhances the pupils learning through first hand experience and enjoyment.

p.40

HISTORY

109. The teachers use ICT very well to support the pupils’ learning in history. The Internet provides an effective tool for the pupils to research different eras in history. The teachers are good at linking history to other subjects, such as music. In one excellent lesson, visitors to the Year 6 class talked about music in World War II and played a selection of music from both England and America from that period. This enhanced the pupils learning in history by giving them access to a different dimension of the period. Weaknesses in the teaching include the use of too many work sheets to record work and marking that does not help pupils improve their work as it lacks useful comments or corrections.

p.40

HISTORY

110. There are insufficient opportunities for the co-ordinators to monitor teaching and learning across the school. There is an assessment process but it records the topics covered and not the key skills pupils need when learning history. The resources for history are good, and include artefacts, videos and books and these are well used and have a positive impact on pupils learning.

p.40

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

111. This is a strength in the school. By the end of Year 2, pupils’ attainment is above that typically expected, which shows an improvement on the satisfactory standards in the last inspection. By the end of Year 6 standards are typical for pupil’ age across all aspects of the subject, whereas it was only satisfactory in communication and handling information at the time of the last inspection. Pupil attitudes to the subject are now very good. The quality of teaching is good throughout the school, which represents an improvement since the last inspection when inspectors found it sound. The new suite for ICT is of good quality and is well used by all classes to support teaching and learning across the curriculum and especially in English, mathematics, history, geography, music and religious education. All pupils, including those who have special educational needs have good access to ICT and make good progress. Pupils also make good use of the bank of computers and laptops in

p.40

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

the classroom and broadband access to the Internet to reinforce their work across subjects. Teachers use interactive technology well to demonstrate and explain the computer skills, which are then transferred to the computer work by the pupils. Another improvement is in the Bentley New Village School - 41 teachers’ knowledge and expertise, which is now good and all teachers show confidence and enthusiasm for the subject. The school has invested well in very good consultant and technical support.

p.40

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

112. In Year 1, pupils learn to write simple sentences. In a good literacy lesson, a specially prepared word bank on a writing program enabled pupils to write well about the butterflies they had seen hatching from chrysalises using good keyboard skills and mouse control. The skills learned in Year 1 are built on well by pupils in Year 2, who understand that data presented graphically can be easier to understand than textual information. They can access the Internet selectively and, in a good lesson seen, pupils found out a range of new information about Florence Nightingale to support their history work from interrogating Internet websites. By the end of Year 2 pupils are familiar with the different functions of the keyboard and mouse. All pupils load programs and save and retrieve their work. Higher attainers are particularly adept at this. Most pupils know how to change the size and appearance of their

p.41

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

text. Pupils can use an art program to change colours and use commands to change the range of tools they use to draw and paint pictures of themselves. Middle attainers produced careful and detailed work.

p.41

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

113. By the end of Year 6 pupils use ICT as a tool for learning, research, presentation and for reinforcing learning. They use computers with great enthusiasm and very good levels of concentration, which is confirmed by parents’ views. Pupils handle and interpret data in a range of ways communicating findings in graphs and charts. They write commands to control a sequence of lights in a lighthouse in a predetermined way in a design technology project. They have used e-mail to exchange information with the visitors who came to talk to them about the Second World War in their history topic. When the computer suite was opened Year 6 pupils had prepared automated slide show presentations to welcome parents and visitors to the suite. In a very good lesson seen, pupils were taught to use a mathematics programme very well to measure and draw angles very accurately and then because of the very good teaching were able to transfer these skills to drawing and

p.41

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

measuring angles as accurately on paper. Year 6 pupils have not yet experienced using sensory devices to record physical data using ICT equipment and this is an area for development. Throughout Years 2 to 6 pupils confidently use computers to present their written work in interesting ways and make very good use of them for editing and redrafting. They use the Internet to conduct research on the Tudors, Egypt, artists and the planets. They use a range of programs to support the other subjects in the curriculum. Higher attainers use the keyboard quickly and accurately.

p.41

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

114. The leadership of the subject is good because of the whole school vision and effective development planning and because both of the coordinators are very enthusiastic and model good teaching. They support and motivate all the teachers in the school working closely with the very good ICT consultants. National guidelines for teaching and learning in the subject are being used, along with a good range of programs to support different subjects. There is a sound policy in place to secure pupils’ safety in accessing the Internet and a good code of conduct for using the suite with care and consideration to other users. Coordinators are starting to develop a portfolio of samples of good work in all year groups to give guidance to teachers. Management of the subject is satisfactory and the coordinators have already prioritised the need to develop the assessment of ICT to inform the future planning and

p.41

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

identify the more able pupils who need additional challenge in their work. The school has also rightly identified plans to develop the monitoring of the teaching and learning of ICT throughout the school by the subject coordinators in order to further develop the good practice which is already taking place.

p.41

MUSIC

Bentley New Village School - 42 115. Pupils' attainment in Year 2 and Year 6 is below national expectations because of the lack of subject specialist support. A significant minority of pupils attain higher standards in playing and performing on guitar and recorder. These pupils are supported in their learning by extra tuition and opportunities to play and perform in the school and in the community. Pupils in Year 6 are most enthusiastic about the songs they sing but in lessons seen, voices were not prepared before singing and outcomes were disappointing. Although songs make a valuable contribution to other subjects, for example, Year 1 science, there is insufficient attention paid to pitch which, in one lesson seen, was set too low for young children. In all years there is insufficient emphasis on the use of the elements of music to improve composition and performance.

p.42

MUSIC

116. Pupils who have special educational needs are fully integrated and make the same rate of progress as others. The school does not identify talented pupils.

p.42

MUSIC

117. The school holds limited records and assessments of pupils’ progression in the skills learnt. Lessons observed were generally interesting and well organised for example in one Year 6 lesson, where the teaching was excellent, pupils listened, compared and contrasted a piece of music recorded in the 1940’s, and played on a wind-up gramophone, with that of a recording of the same piece using a CD disc and player. Pupils were most curious and asked many questions about how the sound was made on the wind up. They were able to describe one slower piece of Big Band music as being romantic and they thought that it would be played for people to dance in pairs. They were also able to identify the similarity that both this music and the pop music of today made them want to move to the beat. However, there was insufficient evidence upon which to judge the quality of teaching and learning overall.

p.42

MUSIC

118. During the inspection there was no opportunity to evaluate listening and appraising in Years 1 to 5. In one Year 5 lesson seen, pupils used ICT to organise sound but planning did not give enough guidance to pupils on the ways in which to give shape to their compositions. Pupils spoken to say they enjoy their music lessons. In the very few lessons seen their interest, attention and concentration was good. They sing enthusiastically in assemblies and in music lessons.

p.42

MUSIC

119. Close to 40 older pupils have the opportunity to play recorder or guitar, receiving tuition from the music support service. This provision is good and pupils are enthusiastic about their work. They play and perform in assemblies and on special occasions in school and in the community. This gives them opportunity to represent the school, enjoy playing and singing together, and experience music in the wider community. The music support service provides a concert annually to raise the profile of music. These opportunities play a part in enriching the music curriculum.

p.42

MUSIC

120. Resources for music are good though keyboards are not linked to computers for composition work. There is a good range of percussion instruments with a broad cultural base but most resources are underused. Monitoring the subject and assessment procedures are not in place and the co-ordinator has not had the opportunity to gain an overview of the subject. Bentley New Village School - 43

p.42

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

121. By the end of Year 6 standards are above the national expectation because the school provides a wide-ranging curriculum that includes the opportunity for pupils to work with professional coaches. This represents good achievement and an improvement in standards since the time of the last inspection when achievement was unsatisfactory. Standards, by the end of Year 2 are broadly satisfactory and have been maintained satisfactorily at this level since 1998.

p.43

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

122. Pupils in Year 6 have visited Hatfield Water Park where they learned to build rafts and complete an orienteering course. They now have confidence in water, can find their way around with maps and work collaboratively in a challenging situation. Moreover, their skills at throwing and catching are better than expected as a result of the ten-week courses, with professional coaches, in cricket and basketball. Regular lessons with teachers are successful in helping pupils to be able to run and jump with increasing competence for example, but it is the additional activities that lift their achievement to better than is expected for their age. Year 5 pupils receive weekly swimming lessons and most are on course to swim the recommended minimum of 25 metres.

p.43

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

123. Pupils in Year 2 can devise simple sequences of movements to perform on and around gymnastics apparatus. However, they cannot discuss what they have done with any understanding and this limits the way in which they are able to refine their movements even further. They meet the nationally expected level for agility, but could do better in evaluation. Standards in dance are currently unsatisfactory because pupils lack the knowledge of how to improve their movements. In this facet of physical education standards have fallen since 1998.

p.43

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

124. Teaching is good in Year 3 to Year 6 and generally satisfactory in Year 1 and Year 2. Most teachers understand the basics of the subject, but do not have a clear enough understanding of what comes next. They are unsure about how to get pupils talking about what they have learned and how to help pupils fine tune their movements, in terms of better stretches, more pointed toes and fingers, for example, to create work of a higher quality. This weakness is exaggerated in unsatisfactory lessons. By contrast some teaching is excellent. In a Year 4 dance lesson, for example, first-rate teaching gave pupils the confidence to work out a dance on the theme of Aliens. The teacher, who used music and a powerfully recorded narration by Anthony Hopkins, managed their efforts expertly. Pupils then went on to talk with insight about what they had done and how it could be improved.

p.43

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

125. Pupils’ attitudes to physical education are very good. Most really enjoy being active. Pupils who find the work difficult try hard and achieve satisfactorily by the end of Year 2 and well by the end of Year 6. Those with talent are not identified formally and do not thrive particularly well in regular lessons. However, they receive real stimulation with the professional coaches and teaching staff with specialist skills.

p.43

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

126. The subject is well led by an enthusiastic co-ordinator who has only just assumed a full leadership and management role. Management is satisfactory because the weaknesses are being tackled in such a systematic way. The school has a good scheme of work, but its effect on teaching and learning is not yet being monitored and evaluated. Pupils’ work is not assessed regularly and this weakness also limits the co-ordinator’s understanding of where teaching needs to be improved. The school has made good progress from 1998 in providing a wide range of extra-curricular activities in sport for pupils to enjoy. Bentley New Village School - 44

p.43

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

127. There was too little evidence to make a judgement about standards or the quality of teaching at the end of Year 2 as only one lesson was seen. This was taught very well and Year 1 pupils were encouraged to think about the needs of insects and plants and their value to each other for example butterflies and nettles. Their level of understanding and thoughtfulness was demonstrated when they discussed their caring for small creatures such as the caterpillars they were studying. In Year 2 work seen, above average pupils had written a modern day account of the Birth of Jesus and events in the life of Saint Francis of Assisi. There were limited opportunities for pupils to write their own thoughts and learn in different ways. However, pupils’ work on their own personal qualities demonstrated that they had thought carefully about what to write. The amount of time that teachers say that they give to

p.44

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

the subject is satisfactory. Much work in Years 1 and 2 is oral and there is limited evidence or records kept of pupils’ work.

p.44

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

128. Improvement since the previous inspection is evident in that individual blocks of work are often well planned and taught, for example on the Sikh religion and Judaism. However, although the overall curriculum is planned for each year group for each term, the lack of opportunities for pupils to learn from religion and the lack of thorough assessment procedures has a limiting effect on the progress that the pupils make. Christian festivals, for example, are taught annually and planning does not make it clear how pupils’ knowledge and understanding should be developed, as they grow older. Overall, pupils make steady progress, though overall standards remain below expected levels by the end of Year 6.

p.44

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

129. The quality of teaching in Year 3 to Year 6 is satisfactory overall though teachers’ subject knowledge ranges from good to inadequate. Explanations and questioning are used well as seen in one Year 3 lesson on Guru Nanak. Pupils’ behaviour is good and managed very well. Resources are used effectively to extend pupils’ knowledge, particularly in relation to world faiths, for example, a short video in one lesson on Sikhism. Pupils, including those who have special education needs, learn at the same pace as others in most lessons. They are encouraged to speak out confidently for example when discussing the Sikh naming ceremony. However, in this Year 5 lesson, there were limited opportunities for pupils to compare the Sikh naming ceremony with, for example, Christian baptism. Generally, pupils have too little opportunity to record their work in a variety of ways or learn through drama and ICT.

p.44

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

130. There are insufficient opportunities in planning, for pupils to compare and contrast with other religions in line with the requirements of the Locally Agreed Syllabus. Together with the underdeveloped assessment procedures, this has had a negative effect on the raising of standards. The co-ordinator has not yet been allocated any time to monitor or evaluate provision or teaching as the school has been concentrating all its energy on raising standards in English, mathematics and science. There are valuable curricular links to representatives from the local Christian churches but pupils have not had any opportunities to visit places of worship that represent a wider range of religions.

p.44