Goldstone Primary School

GOLDSTONE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 5 th – 9 th May 2003

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GOLDSTONE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Full inspection carried out under Section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Laburnum Avenue Hove East Sussex

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: Not applicable (newly merged school)

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated.

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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. Goldstone Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities 21090 Mr D Manuel Registered inspector Information and communication technology Physical education Foundation Stage Educational inclusion, including race equality What sort of school is it? The school’s results and pupils’ achievements How well are pupils taught? How well is the school led and managed? What should the school do to improve further? 14214 Ms G Smith 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? 2756 Mr M Barron Team inspector Mathematics Design and technology Special educational needs How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils?

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

21171 Ms S Handford Team inspector English Religious education English as an additional language 17757 Ms J Willis Team inspector Science Art and design Music 32310 Mr E Morrison Team inspector Geography History

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

The inspection contractor was: Bench Marque Limited National Westminster Bank Chambers Victoria Street Burnham-on-Sea Somerset TA8 1AN

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Goldstone Primary School - 4

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 5

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

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 9

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Goldstone is a primary school for children aged between three and eleven years, and was established in September 2001 following the merger of Knoll Infant School and Goldstone Junior School, still on their original sites about half a mile apart. The school is situated in Hove in East Sussex and mainly serves the surrounding area of the Nevill and Hangleton wards. The school has 307 pupils on roll and is above average size. They are organised into 13 classes, one of which is a nursery. There are 87 pupils identified with special educational needs under the Code of Practice (30 per cent, above average), with nine pupils having statements of special educational need (above average). One hundred and two pupils are identified as being eligible for free school meals, (34 per cent, above average). There are 40 pupils from minority ethnic groups; 26 pupils speak English as an additional language, 14 at an early stage of

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

acquisition. The main languages are Bengali, Turkish and Shona (Zimbabwe). Attainment on entry covers the full range but, overall, standards are well below average, particularly in speaking and listening and personal, social and emotional development.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Goldstone Primary is a good school which provides a stimulating learning environment for all its pupils. Staff make very good provision for the all-round development of pupils, providing a very caring and inclusive environment which enables all pupils to achieve their full potential in many areas. Staff work very effectively as a team and all show a commitment to provide the best learning opportunities for pupils. This is evident in the good planning and teaching and the good progress made by pupils resulting in the raising of standards in many subjects, particularly in English and mathematics, during their time in the school. Governors, parents and pupils all acknowledge the efforts of the staff. The school has gained a deserved reputation for supporting children with complex and challenging needs. Taking all factors into account, the school provides good value for money.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What the school does well • The quality of teaching is good, particularly in providing opportunities for creative expression. • The Foundation Stage gives children a good start to their schooling and good progress is maintained throughout Years 1 to 6. • The provision for pupils’ personal development is very good. • There is a strong shared commitment by all staff to succeed and improve the school further. • The school provides a strong inclusive approach to support all pupils, particularly in the very good support for the high proportion of pupils with special educational needs. • The school has developed good links with parents and the parents’ own views of the school are very good.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What could be improved • Standards in English, mathematics and science in Years 1 and 2 are below expected levels. • The quality and range of learning opportunities in Years 1 and 2 in science are insufficient. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

Goldstone is a primary school which was established in September 2001 following the merger of separate infant and junior schools. In its new status, there has been no previous inspection. Goldstone Primary School - 6

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STANDARDS

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

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STANDARDS

Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

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STANDARDS

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

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STANDARDS

By the end of Year 6, national test results for 2002 show standards in English were well below the national average, in mathematics were above the national average and science were below the national average. When compared to similar schools, results in English were below average, in mathematics well above average and in science were average. Trends over the past three years show that results in mathematics exceeded the national trend and in English and science fell below the national trend.

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STANDARDS

Children enter the nursery with levels of attainment which cover the full range but, overall, are well below average, particularly in levels of communication, personal and social skills. Children make good progress in the nursery and reception years. The school’s results in the National Curriculum tests in 2002 for seven-year-olds in Year 2 were below the national average in reading and well below average in writing and mathematics. When compared to similar schools, results were average in reading and below average in writing and mathematics. These were the first results recorded by the newly merged school. In science, teacher assessments indicated that pupils’ overall attainment was similar to the national average.

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STANDARDS

Inspection evidence shows that most pupils achieve well and make good progress in their learning from low starting points. Almost one third of pupils have special educational needs, a higher proportion than normal. By the end of Year 6, pupils attain nationally expected levels in English, mathematics and science. In all other subjects, pupils achieve well and attain standards which are also at nationally expected levels, except in information and communication technology (ICT), music and art and design where they are above expected levels. The school sets challenging but achievable targets based on the close tracking of pupils’ progress. These targets were achieved last year.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attitudes to the school Pupils’ attitudes to school are good. They enjoy coming to school.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Behaviour is good overall. The vast majority of pupils can be relied upon to behave well during lessons. The behaviour of pupils during lunch and playtimes is satisfactory.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Personal development and relationships The personal development of pupils and the relationships throughout the school are very good.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attendance Overall attendance and the number of unauthorised absences are similar to the national average.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Goldstone Primary School - 7 Teaching of pupils in: Nursery and Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

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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.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

The overall quality of teaching is good and meets the needs of pupils well. During the inspection, teaching was satisfactory or better in all lessons with just over four-fifths of lessons being good or better. Teachers value all pupils equally as individuals, whatever their needs, and use a wide range of strategies to enable them to achieve their full potential. The teaching of children in the Foundation Stage classes is good. Strengths include teachers using questions and prompts successfully with the whole class at the beginning and end of lessons to build on what children already know and understand. Planned activities are stimulating and encourage great interest from the children. Very good provision is made to promote children’s personal, social and emotional skills and very good relationships are evident.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Teaching is good overall in Years 1 to 6, particularly in providing opportunities for creative expression. The characteristics of the good and better teaching include very good management of pupils’ behaviour and high expectations of what all pupils should achieve. These factors create a purposeful working atmosphere in lessons. The relationships between teachers and other adults in these lessons are very good and have a positive impact on pupils’ attitudes to learning. The quality of teaching in English and mathematics is good. Teachers plan good links between English and other subjects to develop pupils’ speaking, listening, reading and writing skills. The teaching of basic literacy skills is good. Numeracy skills are taught well and number work is effectively promoted. Mental calculation is a strong feature of all mathematics lessons.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Teachers make very good provision for the all-round development of pupils, providing a very caring and inclusive environment which enables all pupils, particularly the high proportion of those with special educational needs, to achieve their full potential in many areas. All pupils make good progress in their learning in most subjects due to the good teaching.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The quality and range of the curriculum The school provides a satisfactory curriculum for its pupils. Strengths are the development of pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills and the range of opportunities to develop skills in music and art and design. Provision for pupils with special educational needs Very good. Teachers and the co-ordinator carefully adapt their work to meet pupils’ particular needs, often with extra adult help. Provision contributes strongly to the good progress made towards set targets. Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Provision within the curriculum for pupils who speak English as an additional language is good and their learning reflects this.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Very good. Provision for spiritual, moral and social development is very good; for cultural development provision is good. As a result, pupils’ personal development is very good. This quality of provision prepares them well for playing an active role as citizens of the future. How well the school cares for its pupils This is a very caring and supportive school where the wellbeing of all pupils is important to all members of the staff. Assessment procedures are satisfactory and help track pupils’ progress and identify the next steps in learning. Goldstone Primary School - 8 The overwhelming majority of parents who voiced an opinion indicated that they are pleased with almost every aspect of the school’s work. The school is doing everything it can to increase parents’ involvement in their children’s education and links between home and school are good.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Each headteacher in the past two years has provided good leadership and has managed agreed priorities for the development of the school well. Each has provided a clear direction to the work of the school, despite changes. Contributions from other key staff are good. How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Governors fulfil their responsibilities satisfactorily and provide good support for the agreed areas of improvement. The school’s evaluation of its performance Senior staff and governors have developed suitably structured procedures to review the work of the school and have agreed relevant future priorities. The strategic use of resources The adequacy of staffing is good; the adequacy of resources and accommodation is satisfactory. The strategic use of all these elements is good.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school applies the principles of best value well, seeking to improve the whole-school performance. Taking into account the good progress made in pupils’ standards and personal development, and in many aspects of the school’s work since the merger, the school provides good value for money.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

• Their children like school. • Their children make good progress. • The teaching is good. • Parents feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. • The school expects pupils to work hard and achieve their best. • The school works closely with parents. • The school is helping their children become mature and responsible. • A more interesting range of activities outside lessons.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Inspectors agree with all parents’ positive views. A very small proportion of those who returned their questionnaire were dissatisfied with the range of extra-curricular activities provided. Inspectors feel that the range of activities offered is good. The extent to which pupils in Years 1 and 2 can participate, however, is limited by the fact that they are based in the infant building that is about half a mile from the junior site, where most activities take place. Pupils have to be escorted from one site to the other and this is not always possible. This situation, however, should be resolved when the new school building is provided. Goldstone Primary School - 9

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. Children enter the nursery with levels of attainment which cover the full range but overall are well below average, particularly in levels of communication, personal and social skills. Children make good progress in the six areas of learning during their time in the nursery and reception years. By the time children enter Year 1, standards in personal, social and emotional development, creative development, physical development and knowledge and understanding of the world are at expected levels for the majority of children. Standards in communication, language and literacy and mathematics are below expected levels.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. The school’s results in the National Curriculum tests in 2002 for seven-year-olds in Year 2 were below the national average in reading and well below average in writing and mathematics. When compared to similar schools, results were average in reading and below average in writing and mathematics. These were the first results recorded by the newly merged school. In science, teacher assessments indicated that pupils’ overall attainment was similar to the national average.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. The school’s results in the National Curriculum tests in 2002 for eleven-year-olds in Year 6 were well below the national average in English, above the national average in mathematics and below average in science. When compared to similar schools, results were below average in English, well above average in mathematics and average in science. Trends over the past three years at this age, including the period before the merger, have exceeded the national average in mathematics and fallen below the national average in English and science. One significant difference in the test results of boys and girls in these subjects has been the low standards in boys’ writing. The school has taken effective steps to raise the standards in this area.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. Targets for the year 2002 were related to the lower than average potential of the pupils and results were close to predictions. Targets for the current Year 6 are expected to be a little higher than last year. The school is committed to raising standards further and is well placed to do so.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. Inspection evidence shows that pupils in the current Year 2 attain standards in English which, overall, are below expected levels. Pupils achieve well from a low starting point, but insufficient numbers of pupils are reading at a higher level. Many pupils of average and lower attainment still need adult support to help them read successfully. Standards in writing are improving, particularly for boys, but are not yet high enough to raise them to the expected level. Pupils listen attentively to teachers and to each other and are confident in expressing their ideas in lessons. Standards in speaking and listening are close to expected levels. In mathematics, standards are below expected levels. Only a minority of pupils have adequate knowledge and understanding of place value up to 100 and add and subtract with confidence. In science, pupils attain standards which are below expected levels. Pupils learn science through their topic work and carry out an

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

interesting range of practical activities and investigations related to science, but there are significant gaps in their scientific knowledge and understanding compared with national expectations for pupils of this age. However, most pupils achieve well and make good progress in their learning from low starting points. In all other subjects, pupils achieve well and attain standards by the end of Year 2 which are at expected levels, except in music where they are above expected levels. No comparisons can be Goldstone Primary School - 10 made with the previous inspection as the school was only established in September 2001 following the merger of two schools.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6. The current Year 6 pupils achieve well and attainment in ICT, art and design and music are above expected levels. In English, mathematics and science, standards are at expected levels and reflect the good progress made since Year 2. In English, by Year 6, standards have improved in reading and writing to bring them in line with expected levels. Pupils have a good idea how to structure a range of writing, because teachers are careful to build up these skills well. In mathematics, most pupils have acquired a satisfactory range of methods to add, subtract, multiply and divide and show an adequate understanding of two- and three-dimensional shapes. In science, the development of scientific skills is improving and pupils understand the need for a fair test. In all other subjects, standards are at expected levels. Most pupils achieve well and build systematically on their knowledge and understanding in all subjects. Pupils

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

develop their ICT skills effectively to support literacy, numeracy and scientific skills and in other subjects such as geography, history and art and design.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. The overall achievement of the high percentage of pupils with special educational needs is good in all year groups and this is, in many ways, due to the inclusive nature of the school and the high level of targeted support given to this group of pupils both within the classroom and also in the well-managed focused support groups in subjects such as English and mathematics. As a result, pupils with special educational needs have developed good attitudes and enthusiasm for learning.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

8. The higher than normal proportion of minority ethnic pupils, many of whom speak English as an additional language at an early stage of acquisition, also make good progress and achieve their full potential. The majority of pupils with English as an additional language are fluent in English and achieve as well as the other pupils. There are 12 pupils across the school who are in the early stages of acquiring English. These are making good progress in developing their English language competence through the advice and support of the teacher from the local education authority Ethnic Minority Achievement Support (EMAS) service.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

9. Most pupils have achieved well this year due to improvements in planning, which include more challenging opportunities to extend pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills. Teachers value all pupils equally and carefully identify those who are disadvantaged or need additional support. However, higher attaining pupils still need to be further extended to enable them to reach their full potential.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10. Pupils’ attitudes to school are good. They enjoy coming to school and say that they look forward to taking part in the wide range of activities provided. Behaviour is good overall. The vast majority can be relied upon to behave well during lessons. Relationships are very good and pupils work well in groups. They speak highly of their teachers and the result is a friendly and very harmonious community.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. Children in the nursery and reception classes clearly enjoy being part of the school. They look forward to the activities that are provided and their enthusiasm helps to create a lively and vibrant atmosphere. Older pupils see the school as being at the heart of their community and they are very loyal towards it. During discussions, they say that there is little they would like to change. Teachers create a purposeful atmosphere that is very conducive to learning. For example, during a drugs education lesson that was led by the local police liaison officer, pupils in Years 5 and 6 completed Goldstone Primary School - 11 a questionnaire about their rights and responsibilities. They listened very closely to what the officer had to say and were very interested to learn how various aspects of the law applied to different age groups.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. Pupils of all ages and ethnic origin mix freely in an environment of social and racial harmony. They are well mannered and polite, confident, outgoing and very friendly. Teachers have high expectations of behaviour and, as a result, most of the pupils can be relied upon to behave sensibly and responsibly during lessons and at other times. A few pupils, however, have significant difficulties with their behaviour. Teachers are very skilled when managing these pupils and their strategies are usually effective. However, on a very few occasions the challenging behaviour of a small minority of pupils sometimes adversely affects the learning of their more co-operative classmates.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. Relationships between pupils and with adults are very good. A high proportion of pupils have special educational needs and the teachers in the reception classes use a system of signing to support children’s communication and learning. Other children see this going on and automatically pick up the gestures. This unspoken form of communication occurs alongside speech and is also a good example of how pupils with special educational needs are fully included in everyday school life. The behaviour of pupils during lunch and playtimes is satisfactory. Play equipment is provided and pupils running around the playground enjoy letting off steam. There are usually plenty of adults around and any inappropriate or anti-social behaviour is quickly nipped in the bud. Pupils say that, although bullying does occasionally occur, once they inform a member of staff the situation is quickly and effectively resolved.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. As a result of very good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, pupils’ personal development is very good. Over time, pupils form their own set of values, principles and beliefs and increasingly understand the consequence of their actions. They learn to respect one another and are concerned for each other’s welfare. As they get older, pupils are increasingly able to distinguish right from wrong and make reasoned and responsible moral decisions. Pupils work very successfully in groups and amicably share views and learning resources. Pupils in Years 2 to 6 participate in the school council and say they appreciate having a forum for discussion within which they can air their views and suggest improvements. Pupils learn about cultures other than their own and are open to new ideas. Pupils undertake a range of responsibilities and they relish being able to help. For example, Year 6 pupils walk to

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

the other site and act as lunchtime monitors. They help to make sure that their younger schoolmates in Years 1 and 2 are well looked after and have someone to play with. They also help in the school office during lunchtime, answering the phone and helping visitors.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

15. Attendance figures and the number of unauthorised absences are similar to the national average. There have been no permanent exclusions over the last school year. Although the school regularly reminds parents about the importance of good attendance, a few continue to book family holidays during term-time. This means that their children miss out on the work that is undertaken by the rest of the class and the ensuing gaps in their knowledge could place them at a disadvantage in the future.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

16. The overall quality of teaching is good and meets the needs of pupils well. During the inspection, teaching was satisfactory or better in all lessons with just over four-fifths of lessons being good or better. A quarter of lessons were very good or excellent. Goldstone Primary School - 12 Teachers value all pupils equally as individuals, whatever their needs, and use a wide range of strategies to enable them to achieve their full potential.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

17. The teaching of children in the Foundation Stage classes is good. A few lessons are very good or excellent. Strengths include teachers using questions and prompts successfully with the whole class at the beginning and end of lessons to build on what children already know and understand. Very good provision is made to promote children’s personal, social and emotional skills and very good relationships are evident. Teachers support the development of children’s early reading, writing and mathematical skills well and effectively develop these basic skills from a low starting point. Teachers, teaching assistants and other helpers have very good systems for recording daily how pupils achieve in relation to the areas of learning and the early learning goals. This information is used well to ensure that all activities, on a daily basis, are relevant and purposeful for all children, taking account of their prior learning.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

There is good use of the outdoor space to extend and stimulate children’s learning in all areas of their development.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

18. Teaching is good overall in Years 1 to 6. The characteristics of the good and better teaching include very good management of pupils’ behaviour and high expectations of what all pupils should achieve. These factors create a purposeful working atmosphere in lessons. The relationships between teachers and other adults in these lessons are very good and have a positive impact on pupils’ attitudes to learning. Teachers question and prompt skilfully, ensuring that pupils of all capabilities are fully involved in whole- class discussions by phrasing questions in different ways. These particular strategies were used very well in a Year 2 literacy lesson when pupils were asked to compare two books by the same author. As a result, pupils were keen to offer their views and also appreciated the opinions of others. However, there are discrepancies between the two Year 2 classes in the quantity and quality of work produced, so that not all pupils are

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

19. Other strengths include very good subject knowledge and the use of subject-specific vocabulary to extend pupils’ learning significantly. These strengths were demonstrated well in a Years 5 and 6 science lesson which required pupils to measure forces in Newtons and identify discrete data in their recording. In most lessons, resources are used effectively to support the activities. This was evident, for example, in a Year 2 history lesson when pupils observed and discussed a good range of traditional and modern games. Teachers’ subject knowledge is used well in the joint planning of lessons and good links are made between subjects. However, in a very small number of lessons which were satisfactory overall, relative weaknesses included insufficient opportunities to develop independent approaches to their learning. Another area for improvement is that teachers’ planning does not always give sufficient attention to

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

ensuring that the full range of needs are met.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

20. The teaching of basic literacy skills is good. Teachers implement the National Literacy Strategy well by providing a good range of activities that develop pupils’ communication skills and gain their interest. Teachers plan opportunities in subjects other than English to develop pupils’ speaking, listening, reading and writing skills. These are particularly evident in history and science lessons where pupils’ work contributes to their progress in writing skills. The National Numeracy Strategy is implemented well. Number work is effectively promoted and mental calculation is a strong feature of all mathematics lessons. Adequate links are made with other subjects such as ICT and science, when pupils are involved in calculating, measuring and presenting information in graphical form. Pupils’ learning is supported well in other areas by teachers’ clear understanding of how skills in one subject can be consolidated by experiences in another subject, as

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

Goldstone Primary School - 13 in links between geography and ICT when pupils collected data about how rainfall might affect tourism and fruit growing. Pupils are positively encouraged to work independently and in pairs, sharing ideas. These opportunities help them increase their levels of social and moral development successfully.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

21. Teachers make very effective use of the teaching assistants to provide additional instruction and guidance for pupils who need individual help, including those of minority ethnic groups. Pupils with special educational needs are supported well in classes and also when given targeted teaching and extra support outside the classroom either on an individual basis or in small focused groups for subjects such as English and mathematics. Specialist teachers, outside agencies and well-trained teaching support staff work very closely with the special educational needs co-ordinator and class teachers to monitor the impact of teaching on learning. As a result, the overall achievement of pupils who speak English as an additional language and those with special educational needs is good throughout the school.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

22. Teachers’ marking and verbal feedback relate to learning objectives and are used effectively by most teachers to inform pupils of how well they have done and how they might improve. Good provision for the all-round development of pupils supports the strong inclusive approach of the school and helps to create the very good relationships and very good attitudes throughout the school. Homework is set regularly; all pupils have regular practice in the basic skills of literacy and numeracy and this successfully consolidates their learning in lessons.

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PUPILS?

23. Overall, the school provides pupils with an appropriate curriculum which fully meets statutory requirements. The quality and range of learning opportunities provided for children in the Foundation Stage of education and also pupils in Year 3 to Year 6 are good. The curriculum has good breadth, balance and relevance to the needs of the wide range of pupils in these year groups. However, the breadth and balance of the curriculum for pupils in Year 1 and Year 2 are less effective. This is because pupils do not get sufficient opportunities to fully develop their understanding of science, mainly as a result of the topic based approach to teaching in both these year groups and the lack of a suitable focus on progressively building up knowledge and scientific enquiry skills. This affects learning and results in gaps in knowledge and understanding in some areas of the science curriculum.

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PUPILS?

24. The school’s provision for pupils with special educational needs is a strength of the school. It is good for children under five and very good in all other year groups. As a result, pupils with a variety of special educational needs make good progress in all classes. The special educational needs co-ordinator has drawn up and put into practice very good systems for the early identification and assessment of pupils with special educational needs. She has also ensured that individual education plans drawn up for this group of pupils are thorough and very well matched, not only to personal needs, but also to ensuring that they follow an appropriate and relevant curriculum. Individual education plans are of a consistently high quality and feature achievable targets and well-linked success criteria.

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PUPILS?

25. Provision within the curriculum for pupils who speak English as an additional language is good and their learning reflects this. Those pupils in the early stages of acquiring English are helped to access the curriculum through the support of the specialist Goldstone Primary School - 14 teacher, and the way they are grouped with pupils of a similar ability and need. At times, where there is no additional support, they find it more difficult to succeed at tasks.

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PUPILS?

26. The school successfully follows the National Literacy Strategy and has developed effective strategies for teaching literacy skills. Teachers have confidence in their ability to teach literacy in a creative way, especially when teaching older pupils. Outstanding additional literacy opportunities are provided for both pupils with special educational needs and also pupils of lower attainment levels. Strategies for teaching numeracy skills are good and this is reflected in pupils’ achievement in all year groups and especially in the results gained by the school in the national tests for pupils at the end of Year 6. Teachers and support staff work co-operatively to plan the curriculum on a whole-school and year-group basis. Very good additional opportunities, such as booster groups, are provided for pupils needing extra help to develop their potential and this has impacted positively on their achievement.

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PUPILS?

27. Provision for extra-curricular activities is good overall and older pupils have access to a wide range of after-school sessions including well-attended cookery, basketball, Taekwondo and guitar clubs. Younger pupils have access to a more limited range of activities including, for example, woodwork club, partly as a result of the school being on two separate sites. The school also provides pupils with opportunities to broaden their awareness and understanding of the wider world with visits to interesting places. Older pupils are given opportunities to take part in both whole-day and residential visits, whilst younger pupils visit places of interest as part of their topic work.

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PUPILS?

28. Provision for pupils’ personal, social and health education is very good overall. Records of development in all areas of personal, social and health education are kept on all pupils and are used to monitor individual progress and highlight areas of concern, when and if they occur. Sex and drugs awareness education is taught within the context of the curriculum at stages suited to the growing understanding of pupils about their bodies and how to care for them. The school actively promotes equality of access, and opportunity to the curriculum for all and is very inclusive. This is reflected in the school’s ethos and in the way in which the school has created a secure and caring environment for all pupils. As a result, nearly all pupils are well behaved, polite and show respect for themselves and others.

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PUPILS?

29. The school is continuing to maintain and develop good links with the community and has had some success in persuading local businesses to help with school projects. The recently constructed school garden has been improved by donations of equipment from local shops and retail outlets and the school won a ‘Brighton in Bloom’ competition in 2002 for the most attractive educational establishment. Visitors to the school are used to enhance the curriculum. An example of this was observed during the inspection when the local police visited the school to talk to pupils about drugs awareness.

p.14

PUPILS?

30. Relationships with partner institutions are satisfactory overall. Links with the local secondary school are good and help pupils to transfer easily at the age of eleven. The school is also involved with other local primary schools in projects such as the ‘Early Bird Club’ and also has satisfactory links with pre-school groups.

p.14

PUPILS?

31. The school makes very good provision for the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils. Pupils’ spiritual development is very good. It is promoted effectively through religious education, in assemblies and in the caring approach within many lessons. Teachers use effective strategies to value pupils’ views and contributions and help them to reflect on their own feelings and behaviour. This Goldstone Primary School - 15 encourages them to think about the effect of their actions on others. Teachers provide a good range of opportunities to encourage pupils to explore and develop what interests and stimulates them, as demonstrated in the opportunities provided for music, drama and art. The school has developed an ethos in which pupils flourish and respect each other and their different talents. This ethos is also promoted very effectively through assemblies which acknowledge the special achievements and efforts of particular

p.14

PUPILS?

32. Provision for pupils' moral development is very good. A strong moral code is taught through a whole-school culture and adults implement it consistently throughout the life of the school. This high quality approach forms the basis of the very good relationships observed during the inspection. Teachers and teaching assistants provide very good role models by dealing with pupils in a calm and sensitive manner and, as a result, pupils respond in a similar way. The school’s values are reflected in the class rules that are displayed clearly. Pupils are encouraged to respond to these rules and show high levels of respect for each other and all adults in the school. Individual pupils are helped to add their own ideas for promoting all forms of equality and care of property. Teachers encourage pupils to take responsibility for their actions and respect the different cultures represented within the school. Teachers provide very good

p.15

PUPILS?

opportunities in the curriculum to explore moral concepts in preparation for pupils’ transfer to secondary school, such as smoking and peer pressure.

p.15

PUPILS?

33. The very good provision for pupils’ social development is firmly rooted in the school’s strong, inclusive approach. The school fosters these qualities through its mission statement on which school life is based. Pupils thrive in a community where everyone is valued. From an early age, pupils are encouraged to share and work co-operatively in social and racial harmony and this is clearly evident throughout the school. Pupils understand that there are people less fortunate than themselves and are encouraged to raise money for charities, such as leukaemia and guide dogs for the blind. They also regularly sing and raise money to help the elderly in the nearby nursing home. This caring attitude supports their social development very well. In the playground, pupils are encouraged to share their games together. Well-organised educational visits, team competitions and participation in musical festivals provide good opportunities for pupils

p.15

PUPILS?

to extend their social interaction, while at the same time extending their learning in a range of subjects. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 also visit an outdoor residential activity centre and participate in a range of activities. These experiences, complemented by a good range of visitors, help pupils to grow in confidence and to become more aware of the many opportunities available within the wider world.

p.15

PUPILS?

34. Provision for pupils’ cultural development is good. Examples of interest in other cultures include a range of African drumming and Caribbean music. Visitors from the local British Christian Mission visit the school to discuss the differences between pupils’ homes and schools and those in Kenya. In art and design, pupils are introduced to the different styles of European and Asian artists and create pictures of the different cultural landscapes. Pupils are also encouraged to appreciate and learn about other faiths such as Hinduism, Judaism and Islam and their special festivals and traditions. Pupils are provided with good opportunities to learn about their own culture through visits to Brighton Museum and Preston Manor. They also discuss local issues such as whether the West Pier should be restored. The good provision is woven into the planning for different subjects such as geography, history and religious education and helps pupils

p.15

PUPILS?

develop an awareness of the multicultural society in Britain. Provision also prepares them well for playing an active role as citizens of the future.

p.15

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

Goldstone Primary School - 16 35. The school provides very good care and guidance for pupils and this helps them to develop as responsible citizens. All members of staff share a wholehearted and sincere commitment to pupils’ wellbeing. Although the school is currently operating from two different sites, everyone is working hard to overcome the practical difficulties that inevitably arise. This high level of care helps to ensure that the pupils are very well looked after during the school day and the time that pupils spend at school is happy and enjoyable. Children joining the nursery receive a warm welcome and this helps them to settle in quickly. Procedures for health and safety are good and local authority requirements are met. Procedures to promote and monitor good behaviour are very effective and attendance is closely monitored. The monitoring of pupils’ personal development is very thorough. Child protection procedures are satisfactory; although

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

members of staff are clear about their responsibilities, the policy needs to be updated in order to reflect the changing circumstances of the school. The school has a very successful policy of social and racial inclusion. Pupils from minority ethnic groups are very well integrated; racial harmony is very good.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

36. Procedures for monitoring and promoting good behaviour are very effective. The school has devised a set of school ‘Golden Rules’ and these form the cornerstone of school life. Teachers are very consistent in their expectations of behaviour and pupils know exactly what they can and cannot do. The school is keen to recognise and celebrate pupils’ academic success and teachers constantly praise pupils’ efforts and achievements. Pupils are delighted to have their efforts recognised during the weekly achievement assembly. Pupils who behave particularly well may be awarded a ‘Gold Standard Cup’ or invited to the headteacher’s weekly tea party. Pupils say that those who misbehave are managed firmly but very fairly and that the procedures for eliminating bullying and other oppressive behaviour are effective.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

37. Procedures for monitoring pupils’ personal development are very good. Relationships between pupils and members of staff are very good and teachers are very sensitive to pupils’ ‘ups and downs’. This helps to ensure that teachers are very well placed to spot any emerging personal or academic problems and deal with them at an early stage. In addition, each year, numerous aspects relating to each pupil’s personal development are meticulously assessed and recorded. Parents receive a copy of these records and, over the years, these form a comprehensive and cumulative picture of how each pupil is developing.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

38. Procedures for monitoring and improving attendance are good. Teachers complete the registers carefully and these are monitored closely to track the attendance of individual pupils. Although the school regularly reminds parents of the importance of regular attendance and discourages them from booking holidays during term time, some parents continue to do so. This means that their children miss out on the work that is undertaken by the rest of the class and could put them at a disadvantage in the future.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

39. The school has good procedures in place for assessing and tracking children’s progress in the Foundation Stage. There are satisfactory procedures in place for assessing the attainment of pupils in all subjects in the National Curriculum in Years 1 to 6. These take the form of individual pupil records with expected learning outcomes identified for each subject. Teachers complete these termly or at the end of a unit of work. The system is used regularly and effectively; however, the outcome statements for some subjects are not sufficiently specific to provide a measure of progress over time. This is evident in English where the statements do not relate closely enough to the nationally recommended level descriptors to provide a clear picture of pupils’ progression and levels of attainment. In other subjects the same statements are used Goldstone Primary School - 17 to assess two year groups in the mixed-age classes in Years 3 to 6. The school is

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

aware of these limitations in the current system and has already begun to review the statements and link them more closely to the National Curriculum level descriptions and expected outcomes for different groups of pupils.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

40. The school’s assessment policy places strong emphasis on assessment of learning. This involves setting clear and precise learning objectives for each lesson, assessing pupils’ achievement against these objectives and using the assessments to guide planning. In some subjects and classes this ongoing assessment is used well to inform planning but this is not consistent throughout the school. Most co-ordinators are aware of the need to monitor planning and assessment procedures and ensure consistent use. Ongoing assessment for pupils with special educational needs is used well to plan appropriate work, ensuring very good progress for these pupils.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

41. Procedures for monitoring and supporting the academic progress and personal development of pupils with special educational needs are very good. Information about individual pupils is usually used effectively to produce very good quality individual education plans, and pupil progress is monitored on a regular basis. Further information is then used when reviewing plans and setting new targets for pupils. However, parents are sometimes insufficiently involved in the drawing up of these individual education plans or in the review processes as many are reticent to become involved, even though the school has gone to great lengths to build up good working relationships with this group of parents through initiatives such as tea parties, contacting parents by phone or chatting to them informally at the end of the school day.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

42. Assessment is currently used well to identify pupils for booster classes in English and mathematics to help them reach the expected standards. The school has yet to analyse the results in national tests to provide the information on how well pupils from different ethnic groups are achieving. The specialist teacher maintains thorough records on the progress made by pupils who speak English as an additional language, which are shared with class teachers. There is also close liaison with the special educational needs co-ordinator to ensure that any special needs are addressed.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

43. This inspection took place less than two years after the merger between two schools. Members of staff are aware that parents have had misgivings and are working very hard to resolve any remaining concerns. To this end, they are meeting with considerable success. Although relatively few parents attended the pre-inspection meeting and only one in five returned the questionnaire, the overwhelming majority of those who voiced an opinion indicate that they are pleased with almost every aspect of the school’s work.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

44. The school is doing everything it can to increase parents’ involvement in their children’s education and links between home and school are good. The school is trying especially hard to involve the parents of pupils who have special educational needs. Wherever possible, parents are invited to help identify any difficulties their children are encountering and to decide upon their children’s future targets for improvement. While some parents are unwilling to become more involved, the majority appreciate this warm and welcoming approach. In addition, the ‘Friends of Goldstone School’ organisation (FROGS), arranges social and fund-raising events such as a mad hair day for Comic Goldstone Primary School - 18 Relief and children’s discos. The funds raised for the school have recently been used to buy stage lighting and new reading books. Parents recently rallied round to help the school secure a new building.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

45. The quality of written information produced by the school to inform parents about the identification, assessment and progress of pupils who have special educational needs is very good. Even so, parents are sometimes insufficiently involved in the initial and further stages of provision for pupils with special educational needs. As a result, many individual education plans do not contain evidence of parental involvement at the initial or review stages, even though the school has developed a number of initiatives to included parents in the planning and review processes. The specialist teacher visits the parents of pupils who speak English as an additional language at the request of the school, and bilingual assistants can be provided to help interpret.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

46. Parents are well informed about the day-to-day life of the school and about the work their children are undertaking. At the start of each term, parents in each year group receive a curriculum newsletter that also includes a reminder about the arrangements for homework. In addition, parents receive informative monthly newsletters. Parents have good opportunities to get to know staff before their children start in the nursery through staff visits to children’s homes and opportunities to visit the school. The teachers of children in the reception classes also detail each day’s activities on whiteboards that are located outside the classrooms. Pupils’ annual reports include detailed information about what pupils can and cannot do and give a very clear idea as to how each child is getting on compared to national norms. Teachers provide exceptionally detailed comments upon each pupil’s personal development and also set

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

47. Since the merging of the former, and separate, infant and junior schools into the present primary school in September 2001, there has been a period of significant change. Initially, the former headteacher left and the deputy headteacher acted as headteacher for a term. A new headteacher was appointed, continued for four terms and then resigned, leaving the deputy headteacher as acting headteacher again for one term. The present headteacher took up his post at the start of this term. During the period from 2001, each headteacher has provided good leadership and has managed improvements in the school very well. The current deputy headteacher has made very strong contributions to stability, to building a committed team and to providing a clear direction for the work of the school during this difficult period.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

48. Significant achievements since 2001 have been the development of a team spirit and collaborative planning to provide smooth progression through the school, despite being on their separate sites. In managing these priorities very well, each headteacher has improved the involvement of the governing body, created a strong team commitment from teaching staff and teaching assistants and ensured that all personnel were aware of what the school needs to do to improve. The leadership and management of the school, provided by the headteacher, senior staff and governors, are good overall. Governors and parents are strong in their support for the school.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

49. The senior management team and other key staff are involved and committed to further improvement of the school. All teachers have been observed and monitored with the focus on standards of teaching and learning. The co-ordinators for English and mathematics manage their subjects very effectively and have made important contributions to improve the curriculum planning. Other subject co-ordinators are at Goldstone Primary School - 19 different stages of development due to agreed priorities but, overall, their monitoring of teaching and learning is effective and good practice is shared for the benefit of all. The leader of the Foundation Stage has provided very good leadership in the short time since her appointment and manages improvements well.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

50. The special educational needs co-ordinator fulfils her role very well and overall leadership and management of special educational needs provision are very good. She has ensured that statutory assessments are completed in accordance with the school’s policy and that stringent systems have been set up to identify, assess, monitor and cater for the needs of pupils with special educational needs. As a result, the school has ensured that efficient systems are in place to deliver a relevant curriculum to pupils needing extra support. This has led to pupils with special educational needs achieving well, especially in subjects such as English and mathematics.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

51. The governing body has a clear understanding of its strategic role. The school improvement plan for 2002/3 identifies a range of relevant short-, medium- and long- term priorities and targets very clearly, focusing on improving the quality of teaching and learning, particularly in mathematics and boys’ writing. Individual governors play an active part in the life of the school. The governors successfully fulfil their statutory responsibilities and help to foster good links in the community. The school’s aims and values in its mission statement are very relevant and well communicated to staff and parents, reflecting the positive team commitment among staff and governors.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

52. The school has a good number of qualified and experienced teachers to meet the needs of all pupils and cover the full requirements of the National Curriculum. The monitoring of teaching and learning is now more closely linked to the school’s own appraisal procedures, which meet statutory requirements for performance management. Staff have a good range of individual strengths in subject knowledge and these are being increasingly shared to contribute to whole-school development in the curriculum and teaching. Induction procedures are good and new members of staff, including newly qualified teachers, feel well supported when they join the school, enabling them to settle quickly and successfully into their new roles.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

53. Teachers and pupils are well supported by a good number of suitably trained and effective teaching assistants. They make very good contributions to the work of the school and in particular to the good progress made by pupils with special educational needs and those from minority ethnic groups. Support staff and lunchtime staff supervise activities at playtimes and this adds to pupils’ enjoyment as well as encouraging their social interaction. The efficient administrative staff, meals’ supervisors, caretaker and cleaners are valued team members and contribute significantly to the smooth running of the two buildings making up the school.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

54. The overall adequacy of accommodation is satisfactory. At the time of the inspection, the school was operating from a split site; the two buildings are just under half a mile apart. Although this split site causes numerous day-to-day inconveniences, members of staff and pupils are pulling together very well in order to overcome them. The school is making the very best use of the available accommodation and day-to-day practical problems are not being allowed to impinge upon the quality of education provided. During the school day, teachers and pupils have to walk between sites for lessons, lunchtime duties and for the monthly whole-school assembly. Outside the school day, however, pupils may still have to be escorted and this is not always possible. For example, some pupils in Years 1 and 2 cannot take part in some of the extra-curricular clubs because they are held on the other site. Goldstone Primary School - 20

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

55. With the exception of the external paintwork, the school is well maintained and very clean. At present, however, there are no toilet facilities for the disabled on either site. In addition, the horseshoe shape of the computer suite on the Laburnum Avenue site makes it difficult to supervise pupils and there is no air conditioning. This means that the room becomes very hot during summer. Plans are in hand to improve these conditions later this year. A few of the classrooms are on the small side and this particularly affects subjects such as mathematics where practical activities are involved. Although some of the classrooms are large enough for the number of pupils currently on roll, they will become too small if the number of pupils increases as planned. In order to increase the amount of available teaching space, some dividing walls have been knocked down. Although this provides more room, noise travels more

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

easily between adjacent classes and this can be very distracting.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

56. The overall adequacy of learning resources is satisfactory. Resource levels are good in mathematics, design and technology, and music, while resources for Years 1 and 2 in religious education, physical education and English are inadequate and the range and number of reading books need to be extended. In ICT, the number of computers and the quality of software have improved significantly in the past three years. In Years 1 and 2, each classroom has two computers to teach ICT and support other subjects. In Years 3 to 6, computers are based in the computer suite and provide the school with a good level of resources to teach ICT and support other subjects.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

57. The overall efficiency of the school is good. Each headteacher and the governors have developed suitably structured procedures that effectively support the school’s educational priorities. This is a process that now involves all members of staff in an annual review of the work of the school in order to identify and agree future priorities. Good use is made of new technology in all aspects of school life to improve efficiency levels and to support the curriculum. Specific funding, such as that for special educational needs, minority ethnic pupils and the national funding for ICT, has been used efficiently and resources acquired are used effectively to support teaching and learning.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

58. The school successfully applies the principles of best value for money and regularly consults and involves all those concerned in decision making about spending, including staff, parents and pupils. Full consideration is given to alternative providers for services and resources in order to acquire cost effectiveness and, as a result, money is spent carefully. The school’s day-to-day financial controls and procedures are good, enabling the headteacher and governors to closely monitor and evaluate spending decisions, such as the provision of extra teaching support to help raise standards. The school has not undergone a financial audit since the merger almost two years ago.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

59. Taking into account the good achievement by pupils, the good teaching and learning which take place, the improvements which take place in most subjects and many aspects of the school’s work and the average unit costs, the school provides good value for money.

p.20

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

60. In order to raise standards further, the headteacher, staff and governors should:

p.20

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) Raise standards in English, mathematics and science by the end of Year 2 by:

p.20

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(a) improving the consistency of teaching in Years 1 and 2; (paragraphs 18, 23, 72, 75) Goldstone Primary School - 21 (b) improving the quality of provision to meet the different needs of pupils, particularly the higher attaining pupils; (paragraphs 19, 80, 83, 90, 91)

p.20

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(c) covering all parts of the National Curriculum in the science provision. (paragraphs 5, 23, 87, 90)

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) Improve the quality and range of learning opportunities in science by greater consistency in the identification of focused learning objectives. (paragraphs 23, 87, 90)

p.21

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 34

p.21

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

p.21

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. Goldstone Primary School - 22

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 15 277

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals n/a 102

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 9

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 0 87

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 26

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 20

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 15

p.22

Attendance

National comparative data 5.5 National comparative data 0.4

p.22

Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Goldstone Primary School - 23

p.22

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

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2002 18 22 40

p.23

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.23

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

Boys 9 10 14 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 20 20 19

p.23

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

Percentage of pupils School 73 (n/a) 75 (n/a) 83 (n/a) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (84) 86 (86) 90 (91)

p.23

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.23

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

Boys 11 12 17 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 20 19 20

p.23

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

Percentage of pupils School 78 (n/a) 78 (n/a) 93 (n/a) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (85) 89 (89) 89 (89)

p.23

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

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

p.23

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 20 22 42

p.23

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.23

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

Boys 15 15 19 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 14 16 20

p.23

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

Percentage of pupils School 73 (71) 78 (64) 93 (79) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 73 (71) 86 (87)

p.23

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.23

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

Boys 11 17 15 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 14 17 17

p.23

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

Percentage of pupils School 60 (45) 81 (62) 76 (62) at NC level 4 or above National 73 (72) 74 (74) 82 (82)

p.23

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

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Goldstone Primary School - 24

p.23

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.24

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

White – any other White background 8 0 0

p.24

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Mixed – any other mixed background 0 0 0

p.24

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British - Pakistani 6 0 0

p.24

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 8 0 0

p.24

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.24

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – Caribbean 3 0 0

p.24

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – any other Black background 1 0 0

p.24

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

The table gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded. Goldstone Primary School - 25

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 16.6 Financial year 2001/2

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 24.1

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 467,656

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 14 Total expenditure 431,759

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 328 Expenditure per pupil 1,367

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Balance brought forward from previous year None - new school Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 1 Balance carried forward to next year 35,897

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 15

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 2

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 15

p.25

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 2.8

p.25

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 5.2

p.25

Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

p.25

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.25

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.25

Recruitment of teachers

FTE means full-time equivalent. Goldstone Primary School - 26

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

p.26

Results of the survey of parents and carers

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

p.26

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 65 32 3 0 0

p.26

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 45 41 9 1 4

p.26

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 54 33 7 1 4

p.26

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 65 28 6 1 0

p.26

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 71 28 1 0 0

p.26

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 67 30 1 0 1

p.26

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 65 30 4 0 0

p.26

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 62 29 4 1 3

p.26

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 61 33 4 0 1

p.26

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 51 28 13 1 7 Goldstone Primary School - 27

p.26

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

61. Children start in the nursery classes in the September, January or April following their third birthday. They attend part-time in the nursery and full-time on entering reception classes. Attainment on entry varies from year to year and covers the full range, but there are well below average standards for this age, particularly in communication, mathematics and personal and social skills. One third of pupils in the school have been identified as having special educational and other needs. All children achieve well and make good progress in the Foundation Stage. As a result, by the end of the reception year, a majority are likely to achieve the early learning goals in personal, social and emotional development, physical development, creative development and knowledge and understanding of the world. In communication, language and literacy and in mathematical development, standards are still below expected levels.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

62. The quality of teaching is good. The classrooms are very welcoming with attractive displays which celebrate the children’s work and show them how much their work is valued. Teachers and their teaching assistants work together very well, intervening at opportune moments to pose questions and probe understanding. This allows children to develop skills at their own levels of need. The stage leader has developed new planning to cover all areas of learning, related to national guidance, and the school provides an effective education for all its children. Lessons are well organised and provide children with a very good range of interesting indoor and outdoor activities, which are securely based in structured play. Equipment is particularly well organised so that children are able to choose from a wide range of resources to support their learning. Activities are carefully planned and support is particularly good for pupils who

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

speak English as an additional language and those with special educational needs.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

63. Parents and children have good opportunities to get to know staff before starting in the nursery through staff visits to children’s homes and opportunities to visit the school. Once children have commenced school, regular observations are made during lessons and activities to identify exactly what they have achieved and what they need to learn next. Teachers are systematically building up their own Foundation Stage profile documents and their assessments keep track of children’s progress. The outdoor areas are used regularly for small groups of children to develop their physical, creative and social skills. Good routines and work habits are quickly established so that all children are familiar with classroom rules and procedures and make good progress in developing basic social and academic skills.

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Personal, social and emotional development

64. By the end of reception, most children make good progress and are likely to attain the early learning goals in this area of learning. A significant proportion of children have low levels of skill when they start school but learn to develop skills of personal development through quiet encouragement. Children take care when moving about the classrooms and the school. This is reflected in the confident way in which nursery children find their own space and develop their own ideas in sand play and the use of construction kits. Teachers provide good opportunities for children to play suitable games, encouraging them to take turns and share equipment. Good teaching encourages skills of co- operation which are developed further in reception classes through well-structured learning activities. Children develop very good relationships together and learn to communicate with each other in positive ways through speech, song and actions. In

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Personal, social and emotional development

Goldstone Primary School - 28 reception classes, children sit quietly and pay full attention to those who are speaking in response to prompts such as, ‘Show me good listening’. The good start that nursery children make in their personal, social and emotional development is reflected in the very good relationships, attitudes and personal and social development found in the reception classes. Good teaching ensures that adults provide good role models and use positive encouragement, which results in the increasing self-esteem and confidence that the children develop.

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Communication, language and literacy

65. By the end of reception, most children make good progress from low starting points but only a minority are likely to achieve the early learning goals in communication, language and literacy. The quality of teaching is good. The teachers and teaching assistants successfully encourage children to talk about their personal experiences using appropriate language. Questions and prompts are used well to inspire children to talk freely about their work and to comment about stories they have heard. Thinking skills are developed well through carefully selected and planned tasks. The role-play areas, such as the ‘shoe shop’ and outside activities, provide good opportunities for children to talk together in stimulating activities that are carefully planned to promote and reinforce the use of specific language.

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Communication, language and literacy

66. Children make good progress in developing their early reading skills, particularly letter sounds. Children learn new initial and end sounds in a systematic way and begin to recognise key words by sight. Stories are carefully chosen to match children’s interests and also to give good opportunities for them to learn about the way stories are structured. Many interesting opportunities are provided for children to learn about the things that interest them, for instance drawing pictures of their homes and describing their furniture. Children make satisfactory progress in developing their writing skills. They make good attempts at copying words and a few spell words they do not know using their knowledge and understanding of letter sounds and names to help them. Most write their first names unaided, forming most letters correctly. The good teaching in this aspect of learning in reception builds well on what children know from previous

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Communication, language and literacy

lessons in the nursery. Reception teachers monitor and assess children’s progress very carefully and build up groups of key words and phrases to which children can refer.

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Mathematical development

67. By the end of reception, only a minority of children are likely to attain the early learning goals in mathematical development with the majority still working towards the expected levels. Good teaching ensures that good progress is made by many children from low starting points. Teachers provide different challenges to match children’s needs, based firmly on assessments of their previous experiences. Particular emphasis is placed on teaching children to count and recognise numbers. This is done effectively through the use of number lines to which children regularly refer, and the provision of different resources to help their learning. Well-structured activities make sure that children get regular opportunities to read, order and count groups of objects accurately up to ten and sometimes beyond. Children correctly name regular shapes such as a circle, square, rectangle and triangle, and develop suitable language for describing the size

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Mathematical development

and position of objects. They also effectively develop their mathematical ideas in outdoor activities when following a number trail and tackling various physical tasks along it. Children’s learning is well supported through these well-planned activities that involve interesting tasks and spontaneous play. The school’s strong, inclusive Goldstone Primary School - 29 approach is very evident in all lessons when encouraging children to reach their full potential. Particular emphasis is placed on extending the higher attainers.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

68. The majority of children make good progress and are likely to attain the early learning goals by the end of the reception year. Good teaching in the nursery, through carefully planned themes and activities, helps children to learn about the world in which they live. For example, while using their senses to test different materials when imagining they are going on a bear hunt. In reception classes, children’s knowledge about themselves, their families and homes is effectively reinforced through the development of speaking and listening skills when they look at photographs of themselves and discuss changes that they notice. All children use computers regularly and know that these function by using sound, text and pictures. Nursery children confidently use the mouse control to select characters and words on the screen. Reception children develop early skills in using the keyboard letters to type common words and access art programs to design

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

patterns. They also observe and draw the different parts of plants and know that plants need sunlight, soil and water to grow. Teachers make very good use of a stimulating range of indoor and outdoor activities to help children develop good learning habits in this area of learning.

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Physical development

69. By the end of the reception year, most children make good progress and are likely to attain the early learning goals and a small number to exceed them. Teaching is good. Teachers plan well and demonstrate high expectations by encouraging children’s independence. Nursery children have a good awareness of space around them when moving freely in different ways such as climbing, sliding, crawling and twisting. Reception children also enjoy the use of large wheeled equipment and show good control over them. These activities support their personal and social skills of sharing and taking turns. Teachers sequence tasks well to set different challenges for children and enable them to improve their physical control. Reception children were observed in a gymnastics lesson performing sequences of movements at different levels on apparatus, with good control and co-ordination. Suitable emphasis is also given to

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Physical development

developing hand control through early drawing, writing and painting skills. As a result of the good range of opportunities provided for writing and colouring, most nursery children have a firm pencil grip and form many letters correctly. They also show good control when using the computer mouse to move the cursor on the screen to a required position. Children’s manipulative skills develop effectively throughout their time in the Foundation Stage. Reception children build models with careful control of small and large construction equipment.

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Creative development

70. Most children make good progress in their creative development and most are likely to achieve the early learning goals by the end of the reception year. Teaching is good. In response to the well-planned and stimulating experiences provided by the teachers, nursery children build on their good understanding of colours and design when painting and sticking a range of materials to create the foreground of landscape scenes. Reception children were observed exploring different colour and texture in a range of materials including printing patterns with the soles of shoes. As a result of the sensitive prompts and challenges by the teacher and assistants, children talked enthusiastically about their finished pictures. Children enjoy working with the good range of construction kits to make model toys. The children sing regularly and enjoy different aspects of Goldstone Primary School - 30 music. They sing together tunefully and add actions to represent the different verses of

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Creative development

‘He’s got the whole world in his hands’. They also practise singing higher and lower notes in their ‘alien singing’. Good management by teachers involves children totally and creates a happy learning environment where children’s contributions are valued.

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ENGLISH

71. Standards achieved by pupils at the end of Year 2 are below expected levels. By the end of Year 6, pupils achieve well and attain expected levels. Children have very low standards of literacy on entry to the school and a significant number of pupils have special educational needs in the area of literacy. The school is very aware of these areas for development and, over the past year, has taken steps to address them. There is now a much better understanding across the school of what needs to be done to raise standards and there is good evidence that standards are improving. This is more noticeable in the upper part of the school, where the provision of additional support for lower attaining pupils, for pupils who speak English as an additional language and those with special educational needs has been outstanding. This, and the high quality of teaching, is likely to lead to results in the national tests for 2003 being much closer to

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ENGLISH

72. Standards in speaking and listening are at expected levels by the end of Year 6. By Year 2, most pupils listen well to their teachers and others and respond suitably. In an outstanding lesson in Year 2, pupils talked together with their partners to say which of the two books they had studied, they preferred. Encouraged by the teacher, they gave reasons for their preferences, for example: ‘I prefer Mog and the VET because I like all the things that happen in the vet’s surgery.’ Pupils of all capabilities were involved in animated discussions and the teacher carefully helped the less confident to develop their replies into full sentences. In the parallel Year 2 class, many pupils, particularly those with special educational needs, lack the confidence to respond and to engage in discussions because the teacher fails to draw them in and encourage them. Most pupils in Years 5 and 6 are confident and discuss their work expressing their opinions

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ENGLISH

in interesting ways. Standards are rising because teachers provide pupils with stimulating experiences that engage their interest, and good opportunities for pupils to work and talk together in lessons. In an excellent drama lesson, pupils in Years 3 and 4 worked in groups to share their ideas so as to imagine and dramatise the events to conclude an eerie mystery story. Most pupils show good respect for what others have to say and all pupils are included. They know their contributions will be valued and this gives them confidence and raises their self-esteem.

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ENGLISH

73. By the end of Year 2, standards in reading are below average. Pupils achieve well from a low starting point, but insufficient numbers of pupils are reading at a higher level. Many pupils of average and lower attainment still need adult support to help them read successfully, and do less well where their reading skills are not backed up at home. Higher attaining pupils read familiar texts confidently and are beginning to develop expression. In lessons, pupils show a lively interest in the books they study. Where the questioning is good, this enables pupils to show how well they understand the main points. In the current Year 6 there is a wide range of reading abilities. Many of the lower attaining pupils and those with special educational needs lack confidence. However, a good number of these pupils are succeeding at more challenging texts and have developed an enthusiasm for reading because of the excellent targeted support given

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ENGLISH

by the special educational needs co-ordinator and the teaching assistants. Records show that many pupils have made exceptional progress over the past two terms. Goldstone Primary School - 31 74. Average and higher attaining readers are tackling books matched to their ability and higher attaining readers have a good understanding of complex plots, such as ‘Truckers’ by Terry Pratchett. In a lesson in which pupils decided on questions so that they could interview the main character in the story ‘The Banana Tree’, it was clear that many pupils had completed their homework task to finish reading the story, and understood the nuances in the text so that they could ask interesting and thoughtful questions. A research task in a religious education lesson gave Year 3 and Year 4 pupils the chance to show how well they could skim and scan to produce the required information. In order to raise standards in reading the school has increased the stock of

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ENGLISH

fiction and non-fiction books, carefully selecting books to stimulate pupils to read for pleasure. In regular library sessions, an enthusiastic librarian guides pupils in the upper school in their choice of home reading.

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ENGLISH

75. Standards in writing in Year 2 are improving but are not yet high enough to raise them to the expected level. Pupils write in a wide range of styles and for different purposes, for example a recipe for making a smoothie drink; instructions on how to make a den and formulating questions to ask Winnie the witch. Higher attaining pupils make good progress so that they write well-developed stories, correctly punctuated. Lower attaining pupils receive a good level of support to help them achieve well, although many pupils are still at an early stage. However, there are discrepancies between the two Year 2 classes in the quantity and quality of work produced, so that not all pupils are receiving the same level of challenge. This has an impact on the overall standards in Year 2. By Year 6, standards have improved to bring them in line with expected levels. Pupils have a good idea how to structure a range of writing, because teachers

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ENGLISH

are careful to build up these skills well. Literacy skills are developed in links with other subjects, for example in history, where pupils take the part of Henry VIII and write in a persuasive style to Thomas Cranmer requesting permission to divorce Catherine of Aragon. Pupils learn the rules for spelling well and have access to dictionaries and thesauri. They try hard to make their work interesting because this is encouraged by teachers and the texts chosen as examples are stimulating and appropriate. Year 3 pupils responded well to the teacher’s enthusiasm and love of language by using very expressive language to describe a pirate, such as ‘He was gruesome, with broken teeth and giant ears’. One pupil imitates the alliteration in the text: ‘He had a sword slash scar across his eye!’

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ENGLISH

76. The quality of teaching is good in Years 1 and 2, and in Years 3 to 6 it is very good, with some outstanding lessons being seen. The key element that raises teaching standards is the commitment of teachers to providing an atmosphere in which pupils are valued and respected. Pupils learn well because teachers ensure the climate in the classroom is calm and workmanlike. The few incidents of unacceptable behaviour are managed well, with praise used effectively to help pupils modify their behaviour. Teachers have a good understanding of the National Literacy Strategy and organise their lessons so that pupils build up their knowledge and understanding in a well-organised way. The close identification of the needs of lower attaining pupils ensures that they receive a very high quality level of support, which is raising their attainment to bring it nearer the national average. Teachers demonstrate well what they expect pupils to do in each lesson.

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ENGLISH

Consequently, having a good model, pupils achieve well. Good questioning is a key feature of successful lessons. However, in a lesson in Year 2, the significant number of pupils of lower attainment were not encouraged to participate, and so became disengaged from the activity.

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ENGLISH

77. Most lessons proceed at a brisk pace although, on occasions, the time spent on the introductory session is overlong and not enough time is allowed for pupils to feed-back what they have learned and for teachers to assess their learning. Great emphasis is Goldstone Primary School - 32 placed on pupils developing their independent learning skills and the success of this is often seen during lessons when pupils discuss their thoughts and ideas in groups and with partners. Teaching assistants are well briefed so that the pupils they support achieve well. There is some additional support from a specialist teacher for the small number of pupils in the early stages of acquiring English, so that they have focused teaching that helps them develop their literacy skills in English well. Teachers show a good awareness of the needs of these pupils who are also supported through working in groups of pupils of the same level.

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ENGLISH

78. Two co-ordinators share responsibility for English and lead the subject well. They have conducted a review of the subject to identify areas that need development, and give good feedback to teachers to help them identify areas for improvement. The steps taken to address the weaknesses they have identified are responsible for the improving standards in writing at Year 2 and overall at Year 6. They work closely with the special educational needs co-ordinator and the steps taken to identify the literacy needs of the lower achieving pupils are having a very positive impact on accelerating their progress. They understand what is needed to improve the subject further, especially in the area of assessment, so that the monitoring of pupils’ progress more closely relates to National Curriculum statements. This particularly applies to assessing more accurately the levels at which pupils are reading. All test results are analysed, and information used to

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ENGLISH

identify areas for improvement; however, there is a need to consider more closely the detail of how to achieve the set targets.

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MATHEMATICS

79. By the end of Year 2, standards are below expected levels and by the end of Year 6, pupils have made good progress and attain expected levels. This represents good achievement for nearly all pupils and fully justifies the importance the school places on ensuring that the quality and range of learning opportunities it provides are good in all areas of mathematics. As a result, nearly all pupils, including those with special educational needs and those who speak English as an additional language, make good overall progress in building up their knowledge, skills and understanding of the subject year by year.

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MATHEMATICS

80. The standards the school achieves are not only closely linked to the good teaching of the subject in most year groups but also to the very good subject leadership and management of the two curriculum co-ordinators, who have ensured that the successful implementation of the National Numeracy Strategy has had the desired impact on standards. However, the school aims to further raise pupils’ standards in this subject and, as a result, mathematics has a high profile in current school improvement planning. There is, however, a tendency for mathematics lessons to be aimed at one group of pupils and it was evident from both a scrutiny of pupils’ work and from some lessons observed during the inspection, that tasks are not always matched to pupils’ capabilities and previous learning. As a result, higher attaining pupils are sometimes insufficiently challenged whilst pupils of lower attainment struggle with some aspects of

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MATHEMATICS

the tasks they are expected to complete. Even so, the school has successfully implemented the school’s strategies and this has enabled most pupils to develop proficiency and confidence in number work as they progress through the school.

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MATHEMATICS

81. In all observed lessons it was clear that pupils’ overall achievement in number was good, although the attainment of younger pupils was below that expected for their age. A majority of Year 1 pupils successfully add nine to a two-digit number and easily recall addition and subtraction facts to ten. Whilst there is a lack of challenge in some work given to Year 2 pupils, pupils in Year 4 apply learned skills to word problems featuring Goldstone Primary School - 33 two- and three-digit numbers and lower attaining Year 6 pupils use known facts confidently when working on three-digit addition and subtraction sums mentally. Pupils’ attitudes towards mathematics are good and they enjoy their lessons, especially practical activities.

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MATHEMATICS

82. Pupils make good progress in their understanding of shape, space and measure in nearly all year groups. Whilst there is only limited evidence from a scrutiny of pupils’ work in Year 2 of progress in this aspect of mathematics, it is evident from the work of older pupils that, by Year 6, most measure accurately and construct two- and three- dimensional shapes and some higher attaining pupils correctly identify the symmetries of two-dimensional shapes. Whilst lower attaining Year 6 pupils find the area of shapes by simple methods, most are capable of using the formula to find the area of a rectangle. As they progress through the school, pupils learn to handle data effectively in a variety of situations so that, by Year 6, a majority have developed an understanding of the use of discrete data to construct line graphs. Higher attaining pupils develop a good understanding of probability and they also thoughtfully interpret data from pie-charts.

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MATHEMATICS

83. The quality of teaching of mathematics is good overall and this was reflected in the standard of teaching in the lessons observed during the inspection, which ranged from satisfactory to very good. Teachers’ expectations of pupils are high. When teaching was very good the pace of lessons was brisk and teachers used a variety of interesting strategies to develop understanding and to assess learning. In a very well taught lesson to average and above average Year 6 pupils on interpreting graphical data, the pace was brisk, good use was made of the teaching assistant to help pupils needing support and the subject content engaged the interest of the pupils. This lesson, and other successful lessons, include detailed planning linked well to the previous experiences and knowledge of pupils. Teachers structure sessions well and their introductions are very clear. This helps pupils to understand the nature of the tasks they are about to

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MATHEMATICS

undertake and to achieve well. Discussion at the end of lessons is used well to ensure objectives have been achieved and to reinforce learning. When teaching was satisfactory, relative weaknesses were that the pace of lessons was slower than in better lessons and tasks were not fully matched to pupils’ needs. In addition, teaching assistants were not always used to support learning throughout the sessions and the discussion periods at the end of lessons were not always used to assess or reinforce learning due to time constraints.

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MATHEMATICS

84. The co-ordinators lead and manage the subject very well and have ensured that teachers and teaching assistants have been given recent training opportunities to increase their knowledge of successfully delivering the mathematics curriculum. As a result, staff now have high expectations of pupils and there is a shared commitment to succeed in raising standards. In order to check delivery and improvement in the subject the co-ordinator monitors teaching on a regular basis and also analyses pupils’ work and teachers’ planning each term. In addition, the school has put in place systems for tracking the progress of individual pupils and groups of pupils and uses this information to identify and analyse areas of potential weakness in the curriculum. This process has helped to raise standards overall.

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MATHEMATICS

85. Resources for teaching mathematics are very good, although resources to link mathematics to ICT are more limited. The resources are easily accessed by teachers and pupils and cover all areas of planned work. Good links exist between mathematics and other subject areas and these are used well to enhance learning but there was only limited evidence of the use of ICT to support the teaching of mathematics in the Year 1 and Year 2 classes. Most computers situated in the upper school building are used in the ICT suite. These are used suitably to develop ICT skills in links with mathematics. In Goldstone Primary School - 34 Years 3 to 6, teachers make effective use of extra laptop computers and classroom projectors.

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SCIENCE

86. Standards in science are below expected levels by the end of Year 2 and at expected levels by the end of Year 6. Pupils’ knowledge and understanding of science are well below expected levels when they enter the school and they achieve well throughout the school to make good progress and attain expected standards by the end of Year 6. Pupils who speak English as an additional language and those with special educational needs are well supported and make the same good progress as other pupils.

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SCIENCE

87. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 learn science through their topic work and carry out an interesting range of practical activities and investigations related to science, but there are significant gaps in their scientific knowledge and understanding compared with national expectations for pupils of this age. Inspection evidence indicates that there are areas of the National Curriculum for science which have not been taught. Pupils’ scientific vocabulary is limited. For example, in their topic about light and colour they identify the sun, electric lights and candles as things that give out light but do not understand the term ’source of light’ and cannot compare light in terms of brightness. They know that they see their reflection in shiny objects but cannot explain that we need light to see. In a topic on transport they carry out an investigation to find out how different surfaces affect the distance a toy car will travel. However, they do not know

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SCIENCE

the scientific meaning of the word ‘force’ and have no understanding of how forces, or pushes and pulls, can make things move, speed up, slow down, stop or change direction.

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SCIENCE

88. Most Year 2 pupils interviewed could name and identify glass, plastic and wood but did not recognise these as ‘materials’. In a topic about hot and cold they carried out investigations to find out what happens to ice and chocolate when heated and they had a sound understanding of melting and freezing. They knew that wrapping up an ice cube in bubble-wrap will help to stop it melting and higher attaining pupils knew that this is called insulation. Year 2 pupils have a sound knowledge and understanding about living things and name a variety of plants and animals. They know that living things grow and feed and that plants need sunlight and water to grow. Higher attaining pupils explain that ‘the roots take in the water for the flower’. They make satisfactory progress in developing their skills of scientific enquiry, making close observations and recording these in a variety of ways. However, there is little evidence of pupils giving reasons for

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SCIENCE

their results or making comparisons based on evidence. Higher attaining pupils show a developing understanding of fair testing and, in one class, recorded results in tables using standard measurements of metres and centimetres. 89. By Year 6, pupils have a good understanding of forces. They understand that friction is a force that slows down movement and explain how greater air resistance is linked to greater surface area in falling objects. They accurately describe the life cycle of plants and understand the processes of pollination, fertilisation and seed dispersal. In their work on materials they separate mixtures of solids and liquids using the processes of filtration and evaporation. Higher attaining pupils explain how particles are arranged in solids, liquids and gases. In Years 3 to 6, pupils achieve well in the development of skills of scientific enquiry. They record their work in a variety of ways including charts,

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SCIENCE

tables and line graphs. They understand the need to repeat trials in their investigations to ensure the accuracy of their evidence and make generalised comparative statements to describe their findings. For example, in an investigation about the pitch of sounds, they conclude that ‘the tighter the string the higher the sound’. Pupils make Goldstone Primary School - 35 good progress in scientific understanding, use scientific vocabulary appropriately and plan fair tests.

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SCIENCE

90. The quality of teaching is satisfactory in Years 1 and 2 and good in Years 3 to 6. Science was not taught in Years 1 and 2 during the inspection week but scrutiny of teachers’ planning, pupils’ work and interviews with Year 2 pupils indicate that they have been well taught about life processes and living things. However, medium- and short-term plans do not contain a clearly identified progression of learning objectives for other areas, in particular, planning for the teaching of forces, light and sound, and materials and their properties. This is largely related to the way work is planned within topics. Currently, science is planned as activities that relate to the topic rather than as a clearly identified progression of scientific knowledge, understanding and skills to be taught within the topic. This results in gaps in knowledge and understanding in some areas of the curriculum and the lack of opportunities for higher attaining pupils to

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SCIENCE

develop and apply their understanding at a higher level.

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SCIENCE

91. Teaching in Years 3 to 6 is good. Planning is based on the national guidance, and short- and medium-term plans indicate that teachers have a good understanding of the subject requirements. In the good lessons seen in Years 5 and 6, teachers planned interesting activities to develop pupils’ skills of scientific enquiry in distinguishing between a scientific explanation of evidence and a description or statement of what happened. The lesson linked well to the development of pupils’ literacy skills, focusing on key vocabulary used in explanations. In all lessons seen in Years 3 to 6, teachers used questioning well to consolidate and develop pupils’ understanding of scientific ideas. Questions and activities were well matched to pupils’ different needs and, in one class, pupils with special educational needs were well supported by a learning assistant. In some instances, opportunities to set more challenging work for higher

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SCIENCE

attaining pupils were missed. Lessons are planned to ensure a sound progression in knowledge, understanding and skills, taking account of the two year groups in each class.

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SCIENCE

92. ICT is used appropriately in Years 3 to 6 to enhance the teaching and learning of science. Good use was made of a digital microscope linked to the computer to record a video sequence of seed germination which pupils then sent by e-mail to a neighbouring primary school. Use of ICT in science lessons is limited in Years 1 and 2 and the use of software to model scientific investigations is underdeveloped throughout the school. The teaching of literacy and numeracy skills in science is satisfactory in Years 1 and 2 and good in Years 3 to 6. Pupils use appropriate styles of writing to record their scientific work including labels in Years 1 and 2 and the writing of reports and explanations in Years 3 to 6. Scientific data is presented in a variety of ways and many investigations involve the use of measurement and time. 93. Science is led and managed well by the two co-ordinators, who have a clear understanding of the areas for development in the subject. Appropriate systems for

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SCIENCE

assessment are in place to assess pupils’ knowledge, understanding and skills as they complete the units of work. The co-ordinators are aware of the need to make learning objectives and outcomes more specific and more closely related to recommended areas of learning and levels of attainment to provide a measure of pupils’ progress which can be used more effectively to guide planning. The co-ordinator for Years 1 and 2 has only held the position since September 2002. She is aware of the need to provide a detailed scheme of work and to monitor teachers’ planning to ensure that pupils in these years have full access to the recommended coverage. A sound action plan is in place to develop a co-ordinated approach to teaching and learning of the subject throughout the school. Goldstone Primary School - 36

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ART AND DESIGN

94. Standards in art and design are at expected levels by the end of Year 2 and above expected levels by the end of Year 6. Pupils achieve well from their below average starting point on entry to the school. Pupils who speak English as an additional language and those with special educational needs are supported well and achieve at the same good rate as other pupils.

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ART AND DESIGN

95. Examination of pupils’ work shows that the range of their skills development is satisfactory in Years 1 and 2 and good in Years 3 to 6. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 develop good skills of observational drawing and painting using a variety of media including charcoal, pencil, pastels, crayons and paint. Year 2 drawings of bicycles are detailed and carefully executed in charcoal and pencil. They show a good awareness of colour and texture in their pictures of daffodils using pastels and paint. During the inspection, pupils in Year 1 used a range of materials and processes appropriately to create different shades of colour and to represent different textures for skin tones. Pupils in Year 2 achieved well in representing the colour, shape and texture of natural materials and objects. Good quality displays in Year 1 include tie and dye fabrics and press prints of wallpaper designs.

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ART AND DESIGN

96. Year 3 and Year 4 pupils make good progress in developing their understanding of texture, tone and perspective by studying how different artists used these techniques to represent urban landscapes. Pupils also use ICT effectively to represent the styles of Pollock, Mondrian and Escher. In a lesson seen in Years 5 and 6, pupils showed good understanding of the features of Caribbean art and worked hard to represent the bold colours, stylistic figures and movement in their sketchbooks. Work on display in Years 5 and 6 is mostly of above average standard, including representations of surrealist art based on the work of Salvador Dali, Paul Klee and Pablo Picasso. Pupils also compare the different styles of sculptors Henry Moore and Alberto Giacometti and attempt to imitate these styles using Plasticine, clay and foil to make their sculptures.

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ART AND DESIGN

97. The quality of teaching is good overall throughout the school. However, teachers’ planning in Years 1 and 2 does not fully cover all areas of the curriculum. During the inspection, no evidence was found in planning or pupils’ work of opportunities to compare the work of artists and crafts people from different times or cultures, or of pupils’ sculpture and collage work. Planning in Years 3 to 6 is based on nationally recommended guidance and addresses all areas of the subject. Good opportunities are provided in all classes for pupils to share and evaluate their work with the rest of the class. In lessons seen, teachers in all year groups explained lesson objectives clearly and offered good support in practical activities to enable pupils of all attainment levels to achieve well. Throughout the school, teachers have high expectations of the quality of work produced. They place emphasis on care and concentration as pupils work and

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ART AND DESIGN

the resulting outcomes are of a good standard. All pupils are given good support related to their individual needs to enable them to achieve well.

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ART AND DESIGN

98. The teaching and learning of art and design are enhanced by extra-curricular initiatives such as ‘arts week’ in which the whole school takes part in activities related to art and design, dance, drama and music. There is an after-school art club for Years 3 to 6 and pupils took part in the Bishop Hannington art exhibition with a theme of ‘God’s Design’. The subject contributes well to pupils’ cultural development. The two co-ordinators for the subject have a clear vision of the way they wish to develop the teaching and learning of the subject and have produced an appropriate action plan identifying the need to develop the areas of work to be covered from year to year throughout the school. Goldstone Primary School - 37

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

99. Only one lesson in design and technology was observed during the period of the inspection due to the school timetable. Evidence from this and from a review of planning and of pupils’ work over the last year, confirms that standards of attainment in design and technology are at expected levels by the end of Year 2 and the end of Year 6. All pupils, including those with special educational needs and those who speak English as an additional language, make satisfactory progress in developing their knowledge, skills and understanding in most aspects of design and technology as they progress through the school.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

100. The school’s planning of work, linked well to the national guidance, is comprehensive and provides a clear structure for progressive development in all aspects of the subject. Pupils are given structured opportunities to increase their knowledge, skills and understanding in the subject in all year groups, but especially in Year 1 and Year 2 where there is an added importance attached to design and technology as a means of communication and expression for pupils whose speech and language skills are less well developed. Pupils in both these year groups have the opportunity to attend a woodwork club in order to further develop their skills in the subject. Good examples of work in design and technology are displayed around the school and in portfolios of photographs of pupils’ previous work. Year 1 pupils had designed, made and evaluated puppets, whilst Year 2 pupils had completed model bi-planes and had designed and

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

made a board game. The work contained evidence of pupils being given satisfactory opportunities to work with a variety of materials and components and to develop the skills necessary to use an increasing selection of tools.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

101. Although design and technology is taught in a structured way throughout the school, the breadth of study for older pupils is limited and they are given less frequent opportunities to increase their knowledge, skills and understanding of the design and make process. This was evident during an observed Years 3 and 4 lesson when a lack of evaluation skills limited pupils’ learning and also led to a minority of pupils becoming frustrated and restless. However, this lack of skills development was not evident in the work from the majority of pupils in Year 3 and Year 4. They had been given adequate opportunities to develop skills at designing, constructing and evaluating packaging, pop-up toys and sandwiches. Pupils had made realistic plans for achieving their aims but there was less evidence of pupils identifying areas for improvement, even though they had continued to develop their skills in the use of tools and materials. Year 5 and Year 6

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

pupils had designed and made slippers, toys and musical instruments. They had worked with a variety of materials and components with some accuracy and their completed work and evaluations contained evidence of modifying their designs to reflect intentions. Work was of a satisfactory level and contained evidence of a gradual build up of skills, knowledge and understanding of the design and make process.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

102. The quality of teaching in the one lesson observed during the inspection was satisfactory and this reflected the overall quality of teaching in work analysed from all year groups, which contained evidence that the basic skills were taught effectively and that teachers’ planning and knowledge and understanding of design and technology were satisfactory. The subject is led and managed in a satisfactory manner by the co- ordinators who have ensured that teaching resources are managed and used effectively. These resources are easily accessed and cover all aspects of the school’s planned work. Assessment procedures are satisfactory and enable teachers to track the development of subject skills. Although links between design and technology and subjects such as mathematics are used well to enhance pupils’ learning opportunities, Goldstone Primary School - 38 few links with ICT were evident during the inspection and the school recognises this as

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GEOGRAPHY

103. By the end of Year 2 and Year 6 most pupils attain expected levels. All pupils, including those with special educational needs and those who speak English as an additional language, make satisfactory progress throughout the school. Strengths include opportunities to compare their own locality with areas different from their own.

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GEOGRAPHY

104. There is a strong emphasis on fieldwork. In Years 1 and 2, local studies are carried out as part of other topic areas. Pupils in Year 1 explore the school environment and local area and produce plans and routes of their journey from home to school. Pupils in Year 2 show awareness of places beyond their own locality, as they follow the travels of Barnaby Bear. Good use is made of both video and the Internet to develop pupils’ understanding when looking for similarities and differences in physical and human features. For example, in a Year 2 lesson, pupils identified a list of countries with mountains through skilful questioning by the teacher using their knowledge of stories, holidays, postcards, reference books and television. The nationally recommended guidance has recently been introduced to Years 1 and 2 and the co-ordinator has noted in the action plan the need to develop the subject further.

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GEOGRAPHY

105. In Years 3 to 6 very good use is made of the physical and human features of the local area. Pupils in Year 3 and Year 4 carry out shopping and traffic surveys of local and contrasting towns. This leads to pupils debating the advantages and disadvantages of pedestrianisation. They are familiar with a range of maps and extract information as part of their weather topic. In Year 5 and Year 6, pupils express their views clearly and present their work thoughtfully. For example, they wrote letters to the local newspaper about the future of the West Pier in Brighton and offered suggestions for the possible redevelopment of the local leisure centre. In Year 5 and Year 6 a residential visit to Seaford extends pupils’ knowledge of places, provides opportunities for the study of river features and contributes to their use of fieldwork and map reading skills. Pupils were eager to talk about their visit and to demonstrate their knowledge. They clearly

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GEOGRAPHY

enjoyed the residential visit and made good progress, not only in geography skills but in personal and social skills too. Year 5 and Year 6 pupils also make comparisons between different places, such as St Lucia in the Caribbean and Great Britain. Very good links are made with other subject areas including English, ICT and art and design, leading to the topic being covered in depth.

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GEOGRAPHY

106. Overall, the quality of teaching is satisfactory. The subject is well led by two enthusiastic co-ordinators, and teachers’ plans, assessment record sheets and observations of work and attractive displays indicate that the curriculum is planned satisfactorily. Assessment procedures are satisfactory and enable teachers to track the development of subject skills. Resources are good. Globes, atlases, maps, up-to- date textbooks and a good range of library books are easily accessible and make a valuable contribution to independent research and the quality of teaching and learning.

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HISTORY

107. By the end of Year 2 and Year 6 most pupils attain expected levels. All pupils, including those with special educational needs and those who speak English as an additional language, make satisfactory progress throughout the school. Goldstone Primary School - 39 108. Pupils’ historical understanding, skills and knowledge develop satisfactorily as they move through the school. Pupils in Year 1 have an increasing awareness of chronology, studying changes in their own lives. They thoughtfully identify changes in toys and clothing used at different ages. Year 2 pupils present events on timelines as part of their transport topic, such as the first hot air balloon trip. Most pupils use reference materials effectively, for example photographs and artefacts, to increase their knowledge and understanding. In Year 2, pupils are confident to express opinions. They list advantages and disadvantages of various artefacts such as Victorian flat irons and

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HISTORY

109. Pupils’ learning is enhanced by the use of photographic evidence and artwork. Pupils in Year 3 and Year 4 compare street scenes of Tudor life and modern times, and pupils in Year 5 and Year 6 annotate artwork from the Victorian period comparing the lives of rich and poor people. Pupils carry out independent research and this includes some posing of questions, such as ‘Why did Henry VIII behave in the way he did?’

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HISTORY

110. The quality of teaching in Years 1 to 6 is satisfactory. Lessons are presented in a range of creative ways reflecting good subject knowledge and motivated teaching. For example, in Year 3 and Year 4, pupils took part in a ‘Tudor progress’, with different classes taking on the roles representing court, town and country life as Elizabeth I progressed through England. This was presented to the school and parents and was greatly appreciated by them all. Displays are of a good quality and support an appreciation of the characteristic features of different periods. Assessment procedures are satisfactory and enable teachers to track the development of subject skills.

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HISTORY

111. The subject is led well. Clear planning and a range of visits lead to units of work being covered in depth. For example, pupils’ role-play a Victorian day at Preston Manor and visit a Roman villa at Fishbourne. By Year 6 it is clear that pupils have a great enthusiasm for history, with work illustrated carefully and a good range of styles of presentation evident in their work. Resources are satisfactory but require further development to ensure links to the planned work year by year.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

112. By the end of Year 2, most pupils make satisfactory progress and attain expected levels. By the end of Year 6, pupils make good progress and most pupils attain above expected levels. In recent years, resources have been updated and improved and a computer suite has been created for pupils in Years 3 to 6 in the junior building. Teachers’ planning makes good links with most other subjects. Pupils who speak English as an additional language and those with special educational needs are supported well and achieve at the same good rate as other pupils.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

113. From Year 1, pupils are keen to operate computers. They learn to access programs, using the mouse control and keyboard accurately and acquiring a range of basic technological skills. In Year 1, teachers link computer use well to other subjects, such as English, to reinforce reading and listening skills. In science links, selected pupils used the digital camera to take photographs to use in the ‘Who am I?’ topic. Year 2 pupils successfully developed their skills by using an art program to draw and colour spring daffodils. They used draw and brush controls effectively to create good likenesses. Year 2 pupils also create sequences of instructions to control and move a floor model along particular routes in good links with measurement in mathematics. They work together very well in small groups testing the routes personally before Goldstone Primary School - 40 starting the models. These experiences inspire them and introduce them to the full

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

range of technological skills, enabling them to achieve expected levels.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

114. In Years 3 to 6, pupils build on their enthusiasm for the subject and make good gains in their learning and effectively use different forms of technology in well-planned links with other subjects. They are aware of the importance of technology in their lives when searching for particular information linked to geography and history and widening their experiences. Year 3 and 4 pupils carryout various surveys into the hair and eye colours of pupils and present their findings in a range of different ways, such as block graphs, pie graphs and three-dimensional graphs. They extend their knowledge and skills by exchanging information with a neighbouring school about their recent science experiments with seeds.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

115. Year 5 and Year 6 pupils are extended to learn how to use spreadsheets. Having entered data about monthly rainfall in St Lucia into various cells, they were challenged by the teacher to retrieve saved work in order to make calculations about the data already entered. This they did well using the information to make good links with geography. They used the information to answer the question, ‘How might this information be used?’ Answers included, ‘Tourists would want to know when it was likely to be very wet’, and ‘Rain would be very good for helping the banana crop grow’. Higher attaining pupils were suitably challenged and those with learning difficulties were supported well to achieve their full potential. Pupils have also begun to use scientific sensors for monitoring changes in temperature and sound in and around the school. Selected pupils have also contributed to the creation of a video made by a digital

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

microscope showing the speeded-up growth of cress seeds in their science work. By Year 6, standards attained by most pupils are above expected levels.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

116. The good curriculum provision enables pupils to work together, finding things out, developing ideas and making things happen. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress in their learning due to specific support from teachers and classroom assistants. Pupils who speak English as an additional language also make good progress and many attain expected levels. 117. The quality of teaching in Years 1 and 2 is satisfactory. Adequate opportunities are provided during lessons to enable pupils to put their ideas into practice linked to various other subjects. In Years 3 to 6, the quality of teaching is good. Strengths are in the teaching and reinforcement of skills taking place in a well-planned session each week in the computer suite, with follow-up sessions planned when needed. Teachers and teaching assistants have a good knowledge of computing and make good links with most other subjects. Teaching assistants provide good support for pupils of all

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

capabilities, reinforcing the school’s strong, inclusive approach. Pupils work successfully in mixed-ability pairs and this collaboration successfully promotes their social and personal development. Teachers successfully promote pupils’ very good attitudes to the subject and, as a result, they enjoy using computers and other technological equipment. All pupils are highly motivated by developments in the subject and discuss their work enthusiastically. The good financial investment in resources has had a positive impact on pupils’ learning, which has benefited considerably from the greater opportunities to work regularly on computers. Teachers regularly use appropriate assessment procedures, related to the planning guidance, to track the progress of pupils carefully. The two co-ordinators provide good leadership and manage developments in the subject well. Good staff development has taken place in the subject. As a result, all teachers have greater confidence and expertise and use the

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MUSIC

Goldstone Primary School - 41 118. By the end of Year 2 and Year 6, pupils’ standards in music are above expected levels. In Years 1 and 2, it was only possible to make a judgment on pupils’ performing skills through observation of their singing activities. Pupils’ achievement, from their below average starting point on entry to the school, is very good.

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MUSIC

119. In Years 1 and 2, pupils sing well in lessons and in assemblies. They develop a good sense of rhythm and sing very tunefully for pupils of this age. They put actions to their singing, keeping in time with the music well and show a good understanding of tempo and dynamics by varying the speed and volume of their singing as directed. Pupils listen attentively and apply their knowledge to combine sounds expressively in different ways. It was not possible to see evidence of their early composing and appraising skills during the inspection week.

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MUSIC

120. Pupils in Years 3 and 4 make very good progress in developing their composing and performing skills. In the lesson observed, they made good gains in their understanding of the pentatonic scale and the use of standard musical notation to record a melody, attaining standards above expected levels for their age. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 sing rounds and counter melodies well, demonstrating a good sense of rhythm and holding the different tunes well. In the lesson seen, all pupils sang with enthusiasm, enjoyment and a good sense of performance inspired by the excellent teaching and enthusiasm of the deputy headteacher. They made very good progress in their understanding of how a counter melody is formed and, with the teacher’s excellent support, composed their own short counter melodies based on a Caribbean poem. They showed a good sense of the calypso rhythm, employed and performed their compositions competently and

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MUSIC

with enthusiasm, using pitched percussion instruments such as chime bars and glockenspiels.

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MUSIC

121. The quality of teaching seen during the inspection was good in Years 1 and 2 and very good overall in Years 3 to 6. One lesson was excellent. There is a team of enthusiastic specialist music teachers who use their talents well to develop the teaching and learning of music throughout the school. Their strong subject knowledge and well- focused planning ensure that pupils achieve well in the development of their musical skills and understanding. In every lesson seen, teachers’ enthusiasm and interest were passed on to pupils so that they were eager to try hard at the challenging tasks set for them. All pupils, including those with special educational needs and those who speak English as an additional language, achieve well in music lessons and work hard to meet the high expectations of teachers.

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MUSIC

122. Lessons have a good pace and pupils rehearse and build upon complex rhythms and melodies learnt in previous lessons. Skills of composition are taught well in Years 3 to 6 and performance skills are taught well throughout the school. There was no opportunity to see evidence of pupils’ appraisal of music other than the very brief evaluation of their own and others’ performance in lessons, but planning and assessment indicate that this area of learning is developed effectively throughout the school. Ongoing assessment is used well to guide planning and there are appropriate systems in place to assess pupils’ progress at the end of units of work. In a good Year 1 lesson, ICT was used well to enhance the teaching of a new song and also provided an appropriate link to their literacy skills development.

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MUSIC

123. Music provision is a strength of the school. The leadership and management of the subject are good across the school and the two co-ordinators work well together to monitor and develop teaching and learning of the subject. They are committed to improving the already strong provision for music through developing the confidence and Goldstone Primary School - 42 expertise of non-specialist teachers. The subject is enhanced by a good range of extra- curricular activities such as ‘arts week’, combining a focus of art, music, dance and drama. Developing from this, pupils perform a musical, specially written for them by teachers. Recordings of previous musicals and current rehearsals indicate that the standard of performance is high. Pupils have other opportunities to perform at Christmas and Easter and a good range of instrumental tuition is available, including guitar, harmonica and fife. Years 3 to 6 attended an African drumming workshop and

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MUSIC

Year 2 pupils took part in singing African songs with pupils from other local schools. This strong music provision contributes well to pupils’ spiritual and cultural development. The school has an appropriate range of resources to support the teaching and learning of music. The co-ordinators plan to develop these further by the provision of more keyboards and the use of ICT to download, compose and record music.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

124. Standards attained by pupils by the end of Year 2 and the end of Year 6 are at expected levels. This includes swimming, with a good majority of pupils reaching or exceeding the expected 25 metres before they leave the school. There is a broad and balanced range of activities that ensures pupils experience all aspects of the subject. Provision is based on national guidelines that teachers use well to plan individual lessons. The programme has been carefully thought out to support the development of an appropriate range of skills. Most pupils are keen participants in lessons.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

125. Teachers are careful to ensure that all pupils, including those who have special educational needs or disabilities, are fully and actively involved in their lessons. Often, this is with the valuable support of other adults, including teaching assistants, students and parent helpers. There is no difference in the standards reached by boys and girls.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

126. In gymnastics, pupils in Years 1 and 2 explore basic actions and begin to think carefully about the effects of stretching and twisting in their movements. In games, they listen attentively to the teacher’s instructions and enthusiastically repeat the planned practices to improve the control of their ball and racquet skills. In dance, Year 2 pupils learnt a Welsh country dance. Co-operating well in pairs, pupils responded imaginatively to the different sequences, altering their rhythm and direction of their movements as necessary and responding enthusiastically. By the end of Year 2, standards are at expected levels. In addition, although not compulsory at this age, Year 2 pupils have swimming tuition. Already, 63 per cent of pupils have learnt to swim distances from five to 25 metres.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

127. In gymnastics, pupils in Year 6 work well together, collaborating in a very mature way to create sequences of movements and balances involving bridges and the use of different body parts. In games, Year 3 pupils learn different catching and throwing skills in response to a range of good challenges from the teacher, and older pupils in Year 6 extend these skills in small games of cricket. Boys and girls perform with equal levels of interest and skill. A suitable programme is provided for dance but is not included in the provision for this term. In swimming, standards are close to expected levels with 85 per cent of pupils able to swim 25 metres or more. Other activities include athletics and a residential visit involving outdoor activities.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

128. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory overall, although examples of good teaching were seen. In almost all lessons seen the skilful management of pupils’ behaviour was a strength. In the most successful lesson, the teacher gave pupils clear guidance on how to use their skills in the different situations required in team games. Goldstone Primary School - 43 This led to good gains in the batting and fielding skills as well as extending pupils’ understanding of tactics. Pupils are given every encouragement to plan and perform to enable them to refine and polish their work. There are satisfactory formal systems in place to help assess pupils’ progress and to identify what pupils should do to improve.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

129. The two co-ordinators are knowledgeable and enthusiastic about their subject and provide effective leadership. With the support of colleagues and parents, the school organises a very good range of after-school activities where pupils practise and extend a wide range of sporting skills in informal ‘non-lesson’ situations. These sessions also contribute effectively to pupils’ personal development by encouraging them to pursue their own interests and to work with pupils from other classes. There is a good range of teams which compete successfully against other schools and there are also opportunities provided for pupils to sample activities at local sports clubs. There is an obvious enthusiasm and commitment from teachers and pupils to succeed further. The school has a good range of resources which are used effectively by teachers to support pupils’ learning of skills.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

130. By the end of Year 2 and Year 6, pupils’ attainment is at expected levels nationally and at levels prescribed by the locally agreed syllabus. Topics are selected from national guidance, which link with the requirements of the locally agreed syllabus. The subject is made interesting and relevant, particularly in the upper part of the school, and pupils achieve well. Good levels of support are provided for pupils who speak English as an additional language and those with special educational needs to enable them to achieve at the same rate as other pupils.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

131. Only one lesson was seen in Years 1 and 2. Because there is little recorded evidence of the topics that have been studied, it is not possible to make a judgement on teaching. However, from a scrutiny of teachers’ planning and through discussion with pupils in Year 2, there is sufficient evidence that pupils have a satisfactory understanding of different religions and respect different beliefs and practices. Pupils in Year 1 are introduced to elements of the Jewish faith and learn about the customs associated with Shabbat, through handling and wearing artefacts and clothing associated with the traditions. In discussion, Year 2 pupils recalled in great detail a visit they had made to the local synagogue. They recalled the special customs, and understood the significant elements such as, ‘the synagogue is really clean because it has precious things’ and ‘the person reading the Torah stands up high because it’s special’. They know that

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Christians, Muslims and Jews all believe in God. They enjoy the dramatisation of the parables that form the focus for assemblies, and know that these are stories with meanings. However, they have only a limited understanding of the key events in the Christian religion, and confuse the events of Christmas with those of Easter: ‘Christmas is when Jesus goes on the cross and Easter is when he goes in the sky’!

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

132. By Year 6, pupils understand the significance of sacred texts. They demonstrate that they understand the significant features of the Islamic faith such as the story of the Qu’ran being revealed to Mohammed, and the messages contained in the text. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 consider what messages they would want to spread in the world if they were given the same responsibilities as Mohammed. They give thoughtful responses such as, world peace and cures for the world’s illnesses. Follow-up work, using wordprocessing skills, shows that they are spiritually reflective when completing an acrostic poem based on the word ‘revelation’ with phrases such as, ‘Learning to love everybody’ and ‘Only God can change us’. Younger pupils in Years 3 and 4 examine how the Bible is organised through researching and ordering the names of the different Goldstone Primary School - 44 books in the Old and New Testaments. Teachers encourage pupils to relate the

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

elements of religion to reflect on religious ideas, for example to think about what are the characteristics of heaven, earth and hell.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

133. Based on the limited evidence available, the quality of teaching in Years 1 and 2 is satisfactory. Provision is enhanced through visits, such as that to the Synagogue, which made a strong impact on pupils because they were well prepared for what they would see. The quality of teaching in Years 3 to 6 is good and pupils learn well. A particular strength is that pupils not only learn the facts of religion, but also examine their feelings and emotions so as to develop an understanding of spirituality. Teachers prepare well for the subject, using books and artefacts to bring the subject alive. They provide satisfactory opportunities for pupils to develop their literacy skills, for example to make notes when watching a video on Islamic customs, or retelling the events in the story of Jesus’ life. Assessment procedures are satisfactory and enable teachers to track the progress of pupils in learning about religion and from religion.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

134. The two co-ordinators for the subject provide good leadership and management. They provide effective support for the school’s aim to enable religious education to make an important contribution to developing pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. In particular, provision encourages pupils to gain a good understanding of practice and customs of the major faiths held by people in Britain. There is strong evidence that the ethos of respect that permeates the school is supported by the way the subject is approached.

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