Ashfield Infant & Nursery School

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996

Ashfield Infant School - 2 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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Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996

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. Ashfield Infant School - 3

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

Ashfield Infant School is a community school that was awarded ‘ Beacon School’ status in 2001. It has 143 pupils on roll. This is fewer than at the time of the last inspection. Then there were 209 pupils at the school. The school considers that the fall in numbers is because there are fewer children in the area. It is a very popular school and draws its pupils from a wide area. It has a long- standing good reputation. At present it has six classes, two each for the reception year, Year 1 and Year 2. Last September, private nursery provision was established at the school. This has resulted in provision for the whole of the Foundation Stage being on site.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

The school has 66 boys and 77 girls. They are aged four to seven and nearly all remain at the school once they have started. The school serves pupils from a variety of backgrounds across the normal social spectrum. The percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is 12.5. This is below the national average of 17.9. It is around this figure from year-to-year. The ethnic background of nearly all the pupils is White British and most speak English as their first language. On entry to the school, levels of attainment are broadly average. The percentage of pupils identified by the school as having special educational needs (SEN) or disabilities is 6.8 per cent. These needs are mainly moderate learning difficulties, visual impairment, and social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. This percentage is lower than average. The school does not have any pupils with statements of SEN. Attendance is constantly above the national median from year-to-year. There

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

have not been any unauthorised absences or exclusions in recent years.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

In 2002, the school was one of the first schools in its local education authority to gain the National Healthy School Standard and in 2003, it achieved the Investors in People award. The school manages links between co-ordinators in the Workington and District Consortium’s schools and has been involved as a partnership school with Cumbria Primary Teacher Training since the beginning of the scheme in 1995. Ashfield Infant School - 4

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CW8 4DU

Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be made initially to the contractor. The procedures are set out in the leaflet ‘Complaining about Ofsted Inspections’ , which is available from Ofsted Publications Centre (telephone 07002 637833) or Ofsted’s website (www.oftsed.gov.uk). Ashfield Infant School - 5

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 8

Standards achieved in areas of learning, subjects and courses

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 8

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL 11

Teaching and learning The curriculum Care, guidance and support Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

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OVERALL EVALUATION

This is a very effective school that gives excellent value for money. It does exceptionally well at meeting the needs of all its pupils. It prepares its pupils positively for life in an increasingly diverse society. This is done in ways that are appropriate for Foundation Stage children and Key Stage 1 pupils.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are: • The school is most effectively governed, led and managed. • This results in very effective teaching and learning. • As a result the pupils make rapid achievement. • Their results at the end of Year 2 well exceed expected standards. • The school’s assessment procedures are very effective, though too reliant on paper systems. • Some lessons are overlong.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The last inspection clearly identified this school as a high-performing school. It has not, however, rested upon its laurels but has built very well upon its strengths and improved provision and standards even further. This is across the spectrum of its work but is notably so in information and communication technology (ICT). The school has invested in equipment for ICT and has used this effectively so that the previously satisfactory standards in this subject are now above average.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

all schools similar schools Results in National Curriculum tests at the end of Year 2, compared with: 2001 2002 2003 2003 Reading A B A A* Writing A B A A Mathematics A A A A Key: A - well above average; B – above average; C – average; D – below average; E – well below average Similar schools are those with similar percentages of pupils eligible for free school meals

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Achievement in reading, writing, mathematics and science is at least well above what is normally found. Excellent standards are achieved in reading. Compared to schools of a similar character across the country, the school is in the top five per cent for reading. Children achieve very well in the reception classes. They achieve the goals that children are expected to reach by the end of the reception year and a few exceed them. Pupils continue to achieve very well in Years 1 and 2. In 2003, all the Year 2 pupils reached at least national expectations in reading, writing, mathematics and science. This included pupils with special educational needs. The percentage of Year 2 pupils who reached the standards normally expected of Year 4 pupils in reading, writing and mathematics was high and well above what most other schools achieve. An outstandingly high percentage of the pupils reached the standard of Year 4 pupils in science. The pupils this year are well on line to

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

achieving similar standards. Standards are at least above average in all subjects.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

In many schools, boys do not do as well as girls in writing. This school has successfully narrowed this ‘gap’. By the end of Year 2, the boys here are nearly a year ahead of most other boys across the country and their standards match those of the girls. This is because the school’s curriculum and teaching methods support boys in the way that they need, without having a negative effect on the girls. Ashfield Infant School - 7 The pupils’ personal qualities, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are very good. Attitudes are very good. Behaviour is good. Attendance is very good. Pupils arrive very promptly for the start of the school day.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The school provides high quality education. Teaching is very effective and, as a result, pupils learn rapidly and achieve very well though their concentration lessens towards the end of some long lessons. Some excellent English and mathematics lessons were seen during the inspection. Very well qualified teaching assistants contribute significantly to the effectiveness of the teaching. Teachers and teaching assistants use assessment very well in lessons and, as a result, they challenge all groups of pupils appropriately. The school is well on its way to developing even in the youngest children, the ability to comment positively on their own work and to assess how it can improve.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The school provides a very good curriculum that promotes both excellence and enjoyment. There is a very good level of out-of-school activities. The school wins the local five-a-side football tournament most years and last year its choir won a cup at the district music festival. As a result of its successes, the pupils have high personal esteem and high expectations of their potential. The school further enriches the curriculum very well with the teaching of French. There are very good links with the community. Accommodation and resources are very good and used very effectively. There are designated areas where teaching can focus upon English, mathematics and practical subjects. Each year-group has these areas available to it. They are used flexibly and very successfully to provide a broad curriculum. The school is outstandingly well kept, clean and tidy. The pupils are very well cared for. There is a notably very good ratio of children to lunchtime

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

supervisors who play games with the children during lunchtime as well as supervise them.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The leadership and management of the school are excellent . This includes the governance of the school, the leadership of the head teacher and other key staff, and the efficiency of the management. However, teachers’ records of pupils’ achievements might now be streamlined to give the necessary information in the simplest form. This first rate leadership delivers standards that are very good and at times excellent. There is a culture in the school of high expectation. The school was awarded ‘ Beacon School’ status in 2001. It manages links between subject co-ordinators in the Workington and District Consortium’s schools. In 2002, the school was one of the first schools in its local education authority to gain the National Healthy School’s Standard and in 2003 it achieved the Investors in People award. The school has been involved as a partnership school with Cumbria Primary Teacher Training since the beginning of the scheme in 1995. The school is in an excellent

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

position to go on getting better and better. Statutory requirements are met.

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Most parents are highly satisfied with the school. Similarly, the pupils are very proud of their school. They were especially pleased with the many opportunities that the school gives them to play sport. They lobbied the inspectors to get nets for them for their goals!

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

There are no major points for improvement. However, in its constant drive to secure excellence, the school may wish to consider: • Reviewing the pattern of the school day and gaining more time for innovative subjects such as personal, social, health education and citizenship; • Refining its very good assessment procedures, ensuring that systems are easy to administer but give the information necessary in the simplest form to move the school forward. Ashfield Infant School - 8

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Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

Standards achieved in the areas of learning and subjects of the curriculum are high . The school’s results in the most recent National Curriculum tests and teacher assessments compared to both all schools and similar schools were at least well above average . Standards at this school are rising faster than the national average . Achievement in both the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 is very good . All groups of pupils do very well.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Achievement is very good and standards across all subjects are at least above average. • Standards in reading are among the best in the country. • Standards at the end of Key Stage 1 are rising faster at this school than generally across the country. • Weaknesses in ICT that were identified in the last report have been fully addressed with the result that standards are now above average. • The school has been successful in significantly narrowing the gap that is found nationally in performance between boys and girls in writing.

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Commentary

1. At entry the children have a wide range of ability in all areas of learning. This varies from year group to year group but is generally broadly average with social, communication and mathematical skills at the lower end of average. Children achieve very well in both reception classes. It is likely that the majority of this year’s group will reach the goals set in all areas of learning by the time that they start Year 1. A few may exceed the goals set, particularly for mathematical development, knowledge and understanding of the world and creative development.

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Commentary

Standards in national tests at the end of Year 2 – average point scores in 2003

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Commentary

Standards in: School results National results Reading 18.1 (18.3 ) 15.7 ( 15.8) Writing 16.2 ( 15.9 ) 14.6 ( 14.4 ) Mathematics 17.9 ( 18.6 ) 16.3 ( 16.5 ) There were 56 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Commentary

2. In the most recent National Curriculum tests and teacher assessments, all 56 Year 2 pupils reached level 2 or above in reading, writing, mathematics and science. This was excellent. It included pupils with SEN. The percentage of pupils who reached level 3 was well above average in reading and mathematics, above average in mathematics and very high in science.

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Commentary

3. Compared with all other schools, the school’s overall results in reading, writing and mathematics were well above average. In comparison with similar schools, its results in reading were very high and within the range of the top five percent. In writing and mathematics they were well above the average. The trend in the school’s average National Curriculum points score for all core-subjects was above the national trend despite this school’s being a high-performing school for many years. Standards are higher than at the time of the last inspection and are rising faster at this school than they are nationally. Ashfield Infant School - 9 4. The leadership of the school is dedicated to ensuring the highest possible standards and achievement in all areas of the school’s work. It is because of this that the school continues to improve rapidly, despite its being a successful school. Since the last inspection, the school has

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Commentary

maintained above average standards in religious education, history, geography and music. Standards in the core-subjects of English, mathematics and science have risen from above average to well above average. The school has raised its standards in ICT and design and technology from average to above average. Standards in physical education and in art and design have risen from average to well above average. This is very good improvement. Weaknesses in ICT that were identified in the last report have been fully addressed.

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Commentary

5. The school has been successful in significantly narrowing the gap that is found nationally in performance between boys and girls in writing, greatly improving the educational opportunities of boys. This has been achieved without having a negative effect on the girls. The standard of the boys’ writing at this school is nearly a year ahead of that of boys of similar age. The school has done this with teaching strategies that support boys’ needs. They have had an equally beneficial effect upon the achievement of boys with SEN and those of differing abilities, including the able.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities are developed very well . The pupils’ attitudes to school are very good . Their behaviour in lessons and at playtimes is good . The promotion of the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good . Attendance is very good . Pupils arrive very promptly and happily for the start of the school day.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The school provides very well for pupils’ personal development and encourages them to enjoy learning. • Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good. • Pupils’ behaviour is good, although in some long lessons a significant number of pupils find it difficult to remain interested towards the end. • The school takes a very proactive approach to ensure good attendance and punctuality.

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Commentary

6. The school places great emphasis on pupils’ personal development and the high standards identified at the time of the last inspection have been maintained. This underpins all of its work. As a result, pupils readily accept responsibility when asked to do so. They respect each other and the adults in school. The essence of the school is to make learning fun. As a result, pupils show pleasure in their own and others children’s achievements. For example, in one lesson, pupils clapped spontaneously after one boy performed the song which he had written. Pupils know what is expected of them and respond very well. The school provides a wide range of rich cultural experiences through high quality arts and sports activities. These form a very good feature of the curriculum.

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Commentary

7. The school provides very well for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development (SMSC). Class discussions, coupled with imaginative and lively assembly themes, are used effectively to promote an understanding of the difference between right and wrong. Circle Times 1 enable pupils to explore their own worries or concerns and to learn to respect other people’s values. Discussions about moral issues enable the pupils to identify the difference between kind and thoughtless acts, and why it is wrong to be unkind. Because teachers plan many practical activities for pupils, they learn to work together and to socialise. They work

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Commentary

1 Circle Time: in these sessions, pupils sit in a circle and, through agreed rules, have the opportunity to speak and listen to each other talking about issues which touch them all. Ashfield Infant School - 10 collaboratively, for example, on science projects and in music lessons. They enjoy the after- school clubs and the many opportunities to meet and talk to visitors during the school day. The school teaches pupils to appreciate their own cultural traditions exceedingly well. It does this through interesting topics in geography and history, and through art and design, and music. Visits to places of local interest, such as the Workington library and local museums, support this work very successfully. The school also provides a variety of opportunities for pupils to learn about the diversities and richness of other cultures. Visitors from different parts of the world, such as Zambia and South Africa, teach the pupils much about traditions other than their own.

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Commentary

Pupils learn about a range of religious festivals and study major world religions in religious education. High quality displays around school and the use of a good range of artefacts fruitfully enhance pupils’ understanding and awareness of other people’s ways of life.

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Commentary

8. Overall, pupils behave well. They develop a clear awareness of what is acceptable behaviour and they conform to the high standards set by all adults in the school. There is a very good behaviour and anti-bullying policy which, when invoked, works very successfully. Pupils are confident that if they have a problem, staff will help them sort it out. The vast majority of parents support the view that pupils’ complaints are listened to and addressed promptly and consistently. On occasions, in lessons which last a long time, pupils find it difficult to maintain their concentration. When this happens, the behaviour of a significant number of pupils becomes restless and the pace of learning slows.

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Attendance

Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

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Attendance

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data: 5.1 School data : 0.0 National data: 5.4 National data: 0.4 The table gives the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.

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Attendance

9. The attendance at the school is constantly above the national average from year-to-year and there have been no unauthorised absences in recent years. The school has a proactive approach to ensuring good attendance. Parents are made aware of the importance of their children’s good attendance at pre-school meetings and whenever they request holidays in term- time; which is only the case with a few. There is a clear attendance policy that sets targets, celebrates improvements and responds to patterns of absence. Children are brought into the school by their parents and punctuality is very good. The children run into school happily and begin to read, write or work on computers until registration. Registration is orderly and the children answer politely. Registration is often made more interesting for the children by their being asked to respond in French. During registration the teachers pay each child personal

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Attendance

attention. This gives the children a good feeling of being very well cared for and sets a very good tone for the day.

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Exclusions

There have been no fixed-period or permanent exclusions in recent years. Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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Exclusions

Categories used in the Annual School Census No of pupils on roll Number of fixed period exclusions Number of permanent exclusions White – British 142 0 0 Chinese 1 0 0 The table gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded. Ashfield Infant School - 11

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

The school provides a very good quality of education. Teaching is very effective and, as a result, the pupils achieve very well . The quality of assessment is very good . Assessment is used very effectively to challenge all groups of pupils appropriately, including those with SEN and the able. The curriculum meets the needs of all pupils very well. It is very well enriched, including a very good range of extra-curricular activities. The accommodation and resources overall are very good and used very effectively . The school cares for, guides and supports its pupils very well . The school has very good links with parents, the community and other educational establishments.

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Teaching and learning

Teaching and learning are very effective. Teaching is very good and, as a result, learning is rapid . Assessment of pupils’ work is of very good quality.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching is consistently very good from class-to-class and subject-to-subject, though towards the end of long lessons, the pace of learning slows. • The teachers and teaching assistants are knowledgeable, skilful and enthusiastic about teaching Foundation Stage children and Key Stage 1 pupils. • Voluntary help is used effectively to support learning. • The school’s assessment procedures are very effective, enabling all groups of pupils to be appropriately challenged. Records are, however, over-reliant on paper-systems. • Marking is prompt, detailed and indicates clearly both what has been done well and where improvements can be made. • As a natural part of their learning, pupils are increasingly involved in assessing the quality of their own work.

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Commentary

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 24 lessons

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Commentary

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

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Commentary

The table gives the number of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons; figures in brackets show percentages where 30 or more lessons are seen.

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Commentary

10. All the teaching seen was at least good. Most of it was very good and some English and mathematics lessons were excellent. Consistently, the pupils are receiving very good teaching day-by-day, throughout the school and across the curriculum. This consistent very good-quality teaching is the over-riding reason why achievement is very high. Teaching and learning are now even better than they were at the time of the last inspection.

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Commentary

11. Teachers are knowledgeable, skilful and enthusiastic. Their teaching is consistently stimulating, enthusiastic and constantly challenging all groups of pupils. Whatever their abilities, most pupils are engrossed in their work and achieve very well. The only time that the pace slackens is towards the end of long lessons. The pupils become tired because of the great efforts that they have been putting into their work, their concentration slips and behaviour deteriorates.

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Commentary

12. The teaching assistants are very effective. They are highly qualified and enthusiastic members of staff who contribute very significantly to the high quality of education that the pupils receive. They play a major role in the very effective classroom management, often enabling different ability groups of pupils to receive the support that they need to succeed. Ashfield Infant School - 12 13. Voluntary help is provided in many lessons by parents and the parents of former pupils. This help is very efficiently used by the teachers to support learning because they give the volunteers clear guidance on how they can help effectively.

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Commentary

14. Assessment is used expertly to match the demand and pace of pupils’ work so that there is constant challenge for all ability groups. The pupils respond to this challenge and do very well because the teachers give the right amount of support and independence to pupils. They can do this because they know their pupils so well and because they have such high quality teaching assistance. Assessment is a natural part of the teaching. Parents at their meeting with the lead inspector complimented the school on how well the teachers know their pupils. Although assessment is used to very good effect, now might be an appropriate time for the school to explore systems for recording achievement that are simpler and less paper-reliant.

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Commentary

15. A fine feature that is developing well in the school is the involvement of the pupils, including the youngest, in the marking and assessment of their work. From their teachers, they receive well- focused, diagnostic comments that help them to see what they are doing well and precisely how they can improve. Sometimes this is done orally and sometimes written feedback is given. Year 2 pupils could talk confidently about the targets in their books, explaining what they were about. They were particularly valuable to the pupils because they were specific, giving very short-term goals that they could clearly understand and reasonably achieve in the short term. They were small steps forward, particular to each child. Because marking is prompt, the pupils get immediate feedback on their work. This cultivates in them the frame of mind that it really matters to their teachers what they are doing. This ethos of care is beneficial for all pupils but it is

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Commentary

especially important in the motivation of boys.

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Commentary

16. Increasingly, the pupils are learning how to assess positively their own work. It was interesting that, when listening to the children talking about their own work, they did not belittle it. They were positive, looking for what was good in it and how it could improve. It is characteristic of this school that it involves young children with SEN, along with their parents and teachers, in writing their own individual education plans (IEPs). Some children even sign them.

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The curriculum

The curriculum meets pupils’ needs very well . It is broad and balanced and of very good quality. It enables all groups of pupils to achieve very well . A very good range of extra-curricular activities, visits and visitors all enrich the curriculum very effectively . The very good quality and quantity of accommodation and resources of the school meet the needs of the curriculum very well .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• There is very good planning, evaluation and monitoring of the curriculum. • There is a very good whole-school approach to curriculum innovation. • The deployment of very good support staff enhances the integrated delivery of the non-core- subjects* • There is very good enrichment of the curriculum through a very good range of extra- curricular activities. • Some lessons are too long.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

* The non-core subjects of the National Curriculum for Key Stage 1 include design & technology, history, geography, art & design, music and physical education. Core-subjects are English, mathematics, science and information and communication technology.

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Commentary

17. Since the last inspection, the curriculum has improved well and is now very well planned, ensuring that pupils of all abilities are given a curriculum that is very broad and balanced. Ashfield Infant School - 13 Thorough attention is given to long and medium-term planning. This helps to ensure a consistent approach, for instance between the different classes in the same year-group. However, this is achieved without losing sight of individual teachers’ strengths and different pupils’ needs because teachers plan their own delivery of the agreed medium-term plans.

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Commentary

18. Because of the school’s careful scrutiny of its work, it is able to adopt an innovative, whole- school approach to curricular planning. It is able, for instance, to try different methods to the delivery of the non-core subjects. It then monitors the effectiveness of these methods and either adopts them, or adapts them in the light of their success. In this way the most effective strategies are adopted, so as to help raise standards in the most productive way. For example, the system of delivering the non-core subjects through a topic-based approach is having a positive effect on standards in all non-core subjects.

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Commentary

19. Although the accommodation and resources are very good overall, the outdoor learning area for the Foundation Stage children is currently a rather sterile environment. Nevertheless it is used very effectively by the teachers of the reception classes. The school has recognised this and has plans to develop the area in conjunction with the newly-established private nursery on site. In all years, two classes share a base of three rooms which are equipped for literacy, numeracy and practical activities. The premises are very well maintained and conducive to happy learning and high staff morale. The very good curricular organisation, the very good deployment of very well informed, skilful teaching assistants, and the very well planned use of accommodation enable all subjects to be taught in innovative and very successful ways. Weaknesses in provision for ICT have been fully addressed, with the result that standards are now much higher.

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Commentary

20. A very good range of extra-curricular activities enhances the curriculum and makes a significant contribution to the development of pupils’ physical, social and intellectual skills. These are very well supported by all pupils and cover a wide range, from games and football activities, to French, mathematics, computer and art clubs. The school wins the local five-a-side football tournament most years and last year its choir won the district music festival. Because of the very good contribution that the French club makes to their linguistic and cultural development, the pupils sang confidently in French during collective worship and performed short dramatic presentations with poise. A good range of visits and visitors also helps to link learning experiences to the wider world. In addition to the National Curriculum subjects and religious education, there is a very good programme of personal, social, health and citizenship education

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Commentary

21. Some lessons seen during the inspection were too long. Towards the end, this led to a slowing of pace. There is a need to review the way in which parts of the school day are timetabled. As well as making over-long lessons shorter, this would free-up the allocated time for innovative subjects, such as personal, social, health and citizenship education.

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Care, guidance and support

The pupils are cared for, guided and supported very well . The school ensures its pupils care, welfare, health and safety very effectively . It provides very good support, advice and guidance that are based on the very effective monitoring of their achievements and personal development. It seeks to involve pupils in its work well .

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Main Strengths and Weaknesses

• Teachers know the pupils very well and have developed very good trusting relationships with them. • Pupils’ safety is safeguarded through clear and thorough procedures for child protection and health and safety. • Arrangements for induction into the school and transition to the local junior school are very effective. Ashfield Infant School - 14 • The Healthy Schools Initiative is well embedded in the life of the school and supports the welfare of the pupils.

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Commentary

22. The teachers know the pupils very well and this is demonstrated by frequent references to their families and their lives outside school. The pupils like the school very much and willingly take problems or questions to the teachers and lunchtime assistants. All staff are very well aware of those pupils with particular medical needs and their appropriate medications. All of the lunchtime assistants have undergone first aid training. Pupils get on very well with each other and have good behaviour. Tolerance and respect for others are a constant thread running through all the activities of the school. Most parents feel that their children are very well cared for in the school.

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Commentary

23. The school has thorough procedures for the care and safety of pupils. They are easy to understand and clearly identify responsibilities. Health and safety are given a high priority, with regular ‘Health and Safety’ audits, action planning and risk assessments taking place. The Governing Body takes a most active role in care and safety issues. The school has fully addressed minor weaknesses identified by the last inspection.

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Commentary

24. The school has an extensive programme of induction for pupils starting at the school. This includes staff visiting the children at home to tell them about the school and visits to school by future pupils and their parents. The parents play a full part in working with the teachers to make the children to feel at home in the school and to settle well. The links to the local junior school are developing very well in order to ensure that progression from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 2 is increasingly smooth. The literacy and numeracy co-ordinators from this school and from the junior school have shared-objectives and have engaged in joint-projects such as developing a co-ordinated approach to providing parents with help to support learning at home. There are also joint educational activities for the Year 2 and Year 3 pupils at this school and the local junior school, including theatre visits. Year 2 pupils visit the junior school before they transfer. To get

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Commentary

the best out of these visits, the Year 2 pupils use their ICT skills to produce autobiographies to share with their new teachers. Parents strongly feel that the arrangements made for their children to settle in at the local junior school are working very well.

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Commentary

25. The Healthy Schools Initiative is well embedded in the life of the school and as a result the children have become increasingly aware of healthy foods. The school supports this at lunchtime by arranging a varied menu, including salads and fruit. The pupils are also given a range of fruit under the National Fruit Scheme. There are plans for pupils to grow vegetables in the school. This will further develop the children’s understanding of healthy eating as well as contributing to the science curriculum and to the pupils’ personal development. There are regular courtesy visits to the school by the Police, Fire Brigade, Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI), Road Safety Officer and the School Nurse to inform the pupils about safety issues, personal hygiene etc. These enhance the curriculum very well. Sport and exercise play a prominent and very popular part in school life. The lunchtime assistants have had training in

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Commentary

organising games at break times. As a result, purposeful activities during lunchtime enhance the quality of school life.

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Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

The school works very effectively in partnership with parents, other schools and the community. The school has very good quality links with parents, with the community and with other schools. Links with schools through its role as a Beacon School are excellent . Ashfield Infant School - 15

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Main Strengths and Weaknesses

• The partnership between the school and parents is very effective and contributes very well to the pupils’ learning. • The school provides very good quality information to parents and the community about the work of the school. • Pupils benefit very well from the very wide range of links with the local community. • The school is highly influential in managing training for local subject co-ordinators.

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Commentary

26. Since the last inspection, the school has gone on to develop further its links with parents, other schools and the community. Most parents have a very positive view of the school and consider that the head teacher and staff are very approachable and willing to provide information and to support them in helping their children to learn well. The school operates an “open door” approach and the parents appreciate this. Each year, the school sends out a questionnaire to the parents of the pupils moving to the Junior School to ask them for their views of the school. These responses are very positive with many supportive comments. The school responds to constructive criticism from the parents and this has resulted in changing practice to address the concerns. The school actively encourages the participation of parents in school life. Some parents help in the classroom; for example, by supporting craft projects. This support has a

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Commentary

positive effect upon the quality of learning because the teachers direct the help very well. Parents of pupils with SEN work with the teachers in reviewing their children’s Individual Learning Programmes (IEPs), setting targets and monitoring achievement. Parents are actively encouraged and supported to help their children with their homework.

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Commentary

27. Parents receive very good information and guidance from both the school and the governing body. This includes the use of ICT. In addition to regular reports and formal parents’ meetings, the school has a good, up-to-date website that provides information about school activities. The school provides the parents with a brochure with extensive information; including the school’s mission statement, contact telephone numbers and information on “How to support your child.”

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Commentary

28. The school has developed extensive links with the local community. The pupils visit a residential home and a day-centre for elderly people. There they sing to the residents and involve them in their Harvest and Christmas celebrations. This opportunity to be involved in an activity outside school and in the community provides the pupils with an awareness of much older people than themselves who often have high levels of dependency. It makes a very good contribution to the pupils’ personal development and to their citizenship education. Another community activity that benefits the pupils developing citizenship is their participation in a community garden project. It also adds very well to their science education. The pupils visit local places of interest. This very effectively supports learning by enhancing the curriculum. The pupils have visited local churches to look at stained glass windows that reflect local history. Now they are going to make

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Commentary

a ‘stained glass window’ in art and design to depict the life of their school.

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Commentary

29. As a Beacon School, the school manages links between co-ordinators in the Workington and District Consortium’s schools. Local co-ordinators who have taken part in the professional training that the school has organised for them, rate the school’s contribution to local in-service education most highly. The school has been involved as a partnership school with Cumbria Primary Teacher Training since the beginning of the scheme in 1995 . It also supports Cumbria Business Education Consortium by providing placements for work experience for fifth and sixth form students who have an interest in teaching, in teaching assistance or in childcare.

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Commentary

30. The school is developing its links with the local junior school very well to facilitate smooth transition between Year 2 and Year 3. Since September, private nursery provision has been established on the school site. The school is working very well with the nursery to create a seamless transfer from nursery to the reception class. Ashfield Infant School - 16

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The school is most effectively led and managed. It is excellently governed. The leadership of the head teacher is excellent , as are the leadership of key members of staff, such as the deputy head and the subject co-ordinators. The school is managed most efficiently . The school is in an excellent position to go on getting better and better.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The head teacher leads and manages the school excellently, resulting in constant improvement. • There is a most effective partnership between the governors and the school. • Leadership development is supported and encouraged throughout the school, resulting in excellent subject-coordination. • Management systems enable the school to fulfil its vision. • The school is keen to learn from best practice elsewhere and is itself influential beyond its own boundaries.

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Commentary

31. The excellent leadership and management of the school provide a high quality of education for the pupils. Teaching and learning are very good and at times excellent. The pupils achieve highly and attainment well exceeds expected standards. In certain aspects, attainment is among the best in the country. The school does this at below average costs and gives excellent value for money.

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Commentary

32. At the time of the last inspection, the leadership and management of the school were described as ‘strong’. The leaders of the school have built upon this strength very well to become even more effective. The head teacher gives excellent leadership to the school. This is readily recognised by the governing body. She has a great drive for continuous improvement and is dedicated to ensuring the highest possible standards and achievement in all areas of the school’s work.

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Commentary

33. The governing body makes a major contribution to the success of the school. Governors work in partnership with one another and with the head teacher and other key leaders in the school to constantly move the school on. There is shared vision. This is clear in the governors’ minutes of the last two years that track the progress from vision to reality of getting private nursery provision on site. The nursery opened last September, collaborating with the school in providing Foundation Stage provision on one site.

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Commentary

34. Because there is such partnership in the school, there is joint-purpose between the constituent parts of the leadership and management of the school, though they maintain their distinct responsibilities and fulfil them fully. In 2003, the school achieved the ‘Investors in People National Standard’. That report, too, comments on the effectiveness of the school’s ‘teamwork’ approach.

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Commentary

35. Self-evaluation by the governors and the leadership and management of the school, is a shared process and fully embedded. It is open, frank and accurate and drives school improvement. Governors, head teacher and subject co-ordinators are totally aware of the position of the school and the strategic planning of the school starts from a very well-informed position. Again, the governors’ minutes show very good evidence of how they monitor the performance of the school, fulfilling the role of critical friend.

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Commentary

36. The school is keen to learn from best practice elsewhere. It has an excellent commitment to staff development. This includes the teaching assistants who are outstandingly well qualified. Their expertise shows clearly in lessons where they provide very good teaching assistance that enables the precise grouping of pupils so that they make appropriate levels of achievement. Ashfield Infant School - 17 Pupils with SEN particularly benefit from this. Because all staff feel appreciated by the leadership and management of the school, there is a very positive morale in the school that permeates its culture and ethos.

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Commentary

37. Key staff, as well as the head teacher, give outstanding leadership to the school. These include the deputy head and the subject co-ordinators. The deputy head fulfils the role of Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) very effectively. Provision for pupils with SEN is very good. The subject co-ordinators have expert knowledge and understanding of their subjects. They can talk authoritatively about standards and have aspirations for the future. Because of their expertise, they give most effective support to their colleagues and to colleagues in other schools.

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Commentary

38. The school gained ‘ Beacon School’ status in 2001 and set about being worthy of this status. As a result, it has been very influential in the locality, promoting best practice. The school manages links between co-ordinators in the Workington and District Consortium’s schools. Scrutiny of feedback that it has received from co-ordinators and schools shows that its work on behalf of other schools has been highly valued. The school has also been involved as a partnership school with Cumbria Primary Teacher Training since the beginning of the scheme in 1995. The school trains six to ten trainees a year as part of the primary ‘Post Graduate Course’ which is a School Centred Scheme.

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Commentary

39. The school is managed most efficiently. Smooth-running, unobtrusive systems, facilitated by the school secretary, enable the school to function most effectively. Records of pupils’ achievements might now be cut down to give the necessary information in the simplest form, perhaps through the use of ICT. Financial management is prudent and most efficient. The most recent financial audit did not identify any action required. The financial management within the school fully follows the guidelines laid down by the local education authority. The school has an above-average balance-carried-forward of about 13 per cent. This is a long-standing amount that the governors use when necessary, to manage the school’s affairs smoothly. They are well aware of it and have a clear purpose for it. It enables them to maintain the very good provision that is working so very effectively.

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Commentary

Financial information for the year April 2002 to March 2003

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Commentary

Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 403 048 Balance from previous year 77 489 Total expenditure 414 840 Balance carried forward to the next 65 697 Expenditure per pupil 2592.75 Ashfield Infant School - 18

p.17

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

40. The provision for the children in the Foundation Stage is very good . Children start school in the September of the academic year in which they are five. At entry they have a wide range of abilities in all areas of learning. This varies from year group to year group but is generally broadly average. Since the last inspection, attainment at entry shows a downward trend. This is particularly noticeable in children’s social, communication and mathematical skills. Children achieve very well in the reception classes. It is likely that the majority of this year’s group will reach the goals set in all areas of learning by the time they start Year 1. A very small proportion may exceed the goals set, particularly for mathematical development, knowledge and understanding of the world and creative development.

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AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

41. Teaching, in all areas of learning, is very good. Thus, children are successful learners and achieve very well. This is because: • relationships are very good and all staff work very successfully together, making a very strong team; • planning is meticulous and links all areas of learning together very effectively; • staff make their expectations very clear so that children are in no doubt what they are expected to do and why; • the reception classrooms are very well organised and activities planned lead seamlessly into one another.

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AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

42. The Foundation Stage is not led and managed separately from Key Stage 1. There is a whole- school approach to leadership and management. This is most effective because it lends itself to whole-school self-evaluation and development-initiatives. There has been very good improvement since the last inspection. The Foundation Stage curriculum has been implemented very successfully. The outdoor learning area is used very effectively for all areas of learning. However, it is currently a rather sterile environment. The school has recognised this and has plans to develop the area in conjunction with the newly-established private nursery on site.

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AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

43. There are very good induction procedures for children starting school. This helps them settle quickly and become accustomed to school routines. Staff are creating very good contacts with the nursery. These are at an early stage but are already providing useful curriculum links.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in personal, social and emotional development is very good .

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Staff have very high expectations that children will behave. • Staff demonstrate that learning is fun.

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Commentary

44. All staff expect that children will behave very well and try hard at the tasks set for them. They make this very clear to the children, who, as a result, respond very well and begin to concentrate for good periods of time. This aids their ability to learn and means that they achieve very well. Staff expect children to work and play together sensibly, and so they do. This is not necessarily the case when they start school. A minority of children do not have good social skills when they enter the reception classes. These few find it difficult to share and to play with other children. Staff work hard to show what they expect of the children. They work alongside them and role- Ashfield Infant School - 19 play acceptable behaviour to demonstrate their expectations. They make learning fun by planning activities which will enthuse children. This means that children learn to share resources. They begin to work with each other happily because they enjoy learning. The more

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Commentary

socially adept share their work and ideas with their friends and help each other complete tasks. Those who find this difficult learn strategies to cope with the hustle and bustle of the school day and thus achieve very well alongside their peers. Children grow in confidence and begin to participate keenly in the activities during their first terms in school.

p.19

COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Provision in communication, language and literacy is very good .

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Staff place great emphasis on developing children’s listening skills. • They make reading and writing activities enjoyable for the children.

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Commentary

45. Children develop their listening and speaking skills successfully because teachers and teaching assistants encourage the children to listen carefully to what they, and the other children, say. They use opportunities such as ‘fruit time’ to enable children to talk among themselves. Most children do this well and begin to instigate conversation. Staff help by moving between groups, asking pertinent questions and encouraging children to answer in full, well-constructed sentences. When reading ‘big books’ as a group activity, staff encourage the children to look, listen and respond appropriately. In this way, children learn to recognise a range of common words and to spell out simple words such as ‘man’ and ‘hat’.

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Commentary

46. Teachers invent very good games for the children, which make learning fun. For example, after sitting for a story or for the introduction to a lesson and before starting follow up activities, children play ‘jump the mat’. They take turns to spell out words by jumping from letter to letter on an alphabet mat. The teacher challenges each child very successfully by asking them to jump to the beginning sound, the end sound or the whole word, depending on their ability. Similarly, writing activities are fun and are linked well to other areas of learning. This means that the children learn in a joined-up way. For example, after reading and discussing a ‘letter’ from the giant to Jack, of Jack and the Bean Stalk fame , saying how upset he and his wife were that Jack had stolen their gold and their hen, the children wrote replies in the role of Jack. Unaided, the more able children wrote their own sentences with phonetically reasonable spelling and using

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Commentary

capital letters. One child wrote, “Dear Giant, Sorry I tuck yor geld and yor hen love Jack.” This represents very good achievement from the quality of the level of work done at the beginning of the reception year.

p.19

MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in mathematical development is very good .

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Very good focused teaching allows the children to achieve very well. • The staff make very good use of information and communication technology to promote learning in mathematics.

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Commentary

47. Children develop good skills of counting and sorting. They use accurate mathematical language to describe shape and colour. They enjoy their work because staff make the activities fun. For Ashfield Infant School - 20 example, they play ‘bingo’ as a means of identifying numbers. Very well-focused teaching challenges children very profitably. Staff plan very good links between the areas of learning. This was seen in the good mix of activities used to help children consolidate their understanding of counting in twos. Children used body percussion and actions to pick out the strong two-four beat in some lively music. They counted every second beat, reinforcing their understanding of even numbers and pairs. They made repeating patterns with cubes, two of one colour then two of another. As a result, the children achieved very well; most learning to count in twos successfully.

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Commentary

48. ICT is used very effectively to help children develop their mathematical concepts. Teachers use the interactive white board to play number games. They encourage the children to work directly onto the white board. They enjoy this and achieve very well. Children programme robotic toys to move from one shape or colour to another on a floor chart. They use mathematical games on computers to support their class work. Not only is this work entertaining, it also promotes very good mathematical understanding and enhances children’s learning very successfully.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Provision in knowledge and understanding of the world is very good .

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children have many very good opportunities to investigate the world around them.

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Commentary

49. Staff provide a very wide range of opportunities to extend children’s understanding of the world around them. These include activities which enable children to explore the properties of sand and water, to experiment with different malleable materials, to make and design their own models and to use computers. Teachers introduce children to the ideas of setting up a fair test and predicting outcomes. In a very good session, the teacher led an interesting discussion on what is the best way to grow cress. The children knew that the cress would not grow in the packet. They eventually decided, with the help of the very good questioning skills of the teacher, that the cress would need soil, water and sun to grow properly. They went on to devise a number of tests and predicted what would happen if they grew the cress seeds with different combinations of soil, water and sunlight. This was a very productive session in which pupils

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Commentary

achieved very well. It provided very good foundations on which children will be able to base their science work as they move through the school.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in physical development is very good .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children have very good opportunities to use a wide range of tools and materials. • The outside learning area is used very effectively.

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Commentary

50. Staff link activities for all areas of learning very well. This enables children to use regularly a wide range of tools and materials to develop their co-ordination skills. They use pencils, crayons, scissors, paint and glue brushes in writing, painting and making activities. They become adept with such tools, learning to manipulate them efficiently and with increasing control. Ashfield Infant School - 21 51. Very good use is made of the outside areas. Staff put out a good range of activities in the playground for children to explore. This helps them to develop their physical skills. Provision for this area of learning is enhanced by physical education and dance sessions in the main hall. Here, children can explore the use of space and improve their co-ordination skills, using a range of small and large equipment. For example, children develop good gymnastic skills when exploring the large apparatus. Most use space well, as when practising their ‘Jack and the Giant’

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Commentary

dance. However, a few still find it difficult to work in their own space.

p.21

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Provision in creative development is very good .

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Staff plan a wide range of activities to stimulate children’s imagination.

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Commentary

52. Staff encourage children to involve themselves in a wide range of activities which help to develop their imagination and creative abilities. For example, there are many opportunities to act out their own imaginary scenes in the pet shop area or in the giant’s castle. Adults join them in these sessions, providing props to encourage the role play and to help them retell stories, such as Jack and the Bean-Stalk. Children enjoy musical sessions and learn a good range of songs and rhymes. These support learning in other subjects such as literacy and numeracy. They explore sound through using percussion instruments. They explore colour and shape by choosing materials for their own designs in collage work, painting and model making. The children produce very good art work in the style of Jackson Pollack and Paul Klee. Staff display this work with care, valuing everyone’s contribution. The resulting displays around school are stimulating,

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Commentary

attractive and very successfully support children’s learning.

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Language development has a high profile in the school and classroom because the leadership of the co-ordinator and the head teacher drive the subject excellently. • The pupils achieve very well in speaking-and-listening, reading and writing. The pupils read texts confidently and write fluently in all subjects because literacy is of such a very high standard. • Teaching and learning are very good, and at times excellent. Teachers provide a constant high level of demand, challenging all ability groups to succeed independently while providing a context of support and collaboration that benefits all ability groups. • The gap in the performance in writing between boys and girls is significantly smaller than that usually found. This is because by the end of Year 2, the boys in this school are about a year ahead of most other boys of their age. • Some lessons are overlong.

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Commentary

53. The personal leadership and clear vision of the co-ordinator and the head teacher are significant factors in the success of this subject. All members of staff share the same values of promoting Ashfield Infant School - 22 excellence and securing the inclusion of all pupils in a culture of continuous improvement. As part of its work as a Beacon School, the school has been very instrumental in enhancing the role of the English co-ordinator in other local schools.

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Commentary

54. The pupils achieve very well and at times excellently. Standards are even higher than at the time of the last inspection. In the 2003 National Curriculum tests and teacher assessments, all the pupils reached at least level 2 in speaking and listening, reading and writing. These results are excellent and the school’s results are among the top five per cent of all schools. Similarly, they are among the top five per cent of schools with similar characteristics. The school is on track to achieve comparable results this year. The pupils reaching level 3 in speaking and listening and in reading were well above average. The percentage reaching level 3 in writing was above average. The standard of boys’ writing over the last three years has improved by two percentage points while, nationally, boys’ writing has stood still.

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Commentary

55. All pupils with SEN achieved at least level 2. This is the outcome of the very good provision that this school makes for pupils with SEN and for lower attaining pupils. Most of the pupils at this school, who have SEN, are boys. These boys particularly benefit from the school’s very effective ethos of challenging its pupils to succeed independently, while at the same time appropriately supporting them. They also benefit from the consistently very good teaching that they receive from both the teachers and the teaching assistants. For instance, the school has a philosophy of ‘a little often’. All the Year 2 pupils with SEN have a voluntary language session of about 15 minutes before school starts every morning. This is with a teaching assistant. The activities are varied from day-to-day, sometimes involving ICT or word games. The pupils arrive eager to learn and achieve very well. At their meeting with the lead inspector, parents spoke well

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Commentary

of this extra provision early in the morning.

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Commentary

56. Teaching and learning are very good, and at times excellent, though some lessons are overlong. When this happens, the pace of learning slips towards the end. A strong feature of the teaching is the clear control that teachers exercise over grouping and re-grouping pupils in order to provide a constant high level of demand. Teachers can do this because both they and the teaching assistants use assessment naturally in lessons. They challenge all ability groups to succeed independently while providing a context of support and collaboration that benefits all ability groups. Boys benefit greatly from this. Where common writing tasks were set to all pupils with an expectation that all would complete them successfully, the level of support offered was tailored to the needs of particular ability groups. For instance, in one very good lesson, pupils with SEN or low attainment worked with the support of the teaching assistant and writing frames

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Commentary

and produced lengthy, good quality texts. At the same time, fostering independence was equally evident in the literacy lessons observed. Higher ability pupils frequently write at length and in this way develop stamina as writers. Long pieces of writing are often tackled in stages with very good links being made with whole-class shared texts and oral work during which vocabulary is explicitly taught. The pupils are given immediate feedback or review at each stage. This is very effective in enhancing the quality of the writing of all ability groups. Immediate feedback proves especially valuable in promoting enthusiasm in the boys.

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Commentary

57. Pupils generally in the school, and boys in particular, benefit from knowing that someone is watching over them and caring about their efforts. For instance, the pupils know that their writing and their achievement as writers are valued by teachers and teaching assistants, because this is signalled to them in the way that adults respond to their work. Pupils understand through oral feedback and written comments on their work, how well they are doing and how they can improve. In the best marking, the pupils’ successes are praised and they are given very short term targets that they can achieve in their next piece of work. They show that they understand the comments made on their work; the targets set for them and how to go about reaching them, because they can talk about them and explain them. The school is well on its way in developing pupils’ abilities to assess positively their own work and this is often a successful feature in the

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Commentary

plenary session to a lesson. Ashfield Infant School - 23 58. The school has retained a strong emphasis on hearing individual pupils read and discussing books with individual pupils. Teaching assistants, volunteers and family members support this. It goes along side group reading and the use of whole-class shared texts. Spelling, as well as reading, is very good. Pupils practise reading and spelling for homework. This gives parents additional opportunities to see how well their children are doing. Most parents appreciated the home-school reading diaries or contact books as well-maintained means of effective communication between home and the teacher but one or two parents thought that they were of little use. Handwriting is good. It is legible from the earliest years and a few Year 2 pupils are already writing fluently in a joined style. The school has collaborated with the junior school in establishing a common handwriting style.

p.22

Language and literacy across the curriculum

59. There is a very good balance between learning skills and using these skills purposefully. The pupils listen, talk, read and write independently and use these skills across the full range of subjects to access information and to express themselves. Very good use is made in lessons of ICT.

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

• There are consistently high standards of achievement by the end of Year 2. • The co-ordinator leads and manages the subject very effectively. • The quality of teaching and learning are very good, and often excellent. There is very good use of assessment data to provide constant challenge. • Very good use is made of ICT to support lessons where appropriate. • Teaching assistants provide very good support for pupils who need additional help. • Allocation of time results in some lessons being too long.

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Commentary

60. Standards in mathematics are well above average by the end of Year 2. Compared with similar schools, those serving areas of similar socio-economic circumstance, results in 2003 at the end of Year 2 were also well above the standard expected. The results indicate that boys and girls achieve equally well. Pupils with SEN achieve very well in all classes. They are very well supported by both teachers and teaching assistants. Overall standards in mathematics at the end of Year 2 have improved since the last inspection report when they were judged to be above the levels expected nationally for pupils of their age. This improvement is due to development in the quality of teaching, use of assessment and very progressive leadership. On entry to Year 1, pupils’ levels are above those expected for pupils of their age. By the end of Year 2, most pupils have achieved levels that are well above those expected. They have developed a very good

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Commentary

understanding of basic number activities, such as counting on and back in tens, and carrying out simple multiplication, division and more complicated addition and subtraction calculations. They are introduced to simple fractions, and learn the names and properties of two- and three- dimensional shapes. They demonstrate their abilities to apply their knowledge in many examples of problem solving.

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Commentary

61. The coordinator manages the subject very well. She leads a very influential numeracy team, which monitors teaching and learning. It also carries out extensive analysis of pupils’ work, in order to identify areas of strength and weakness.

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Commentary

62. The teaching of mathematics is very good and often excellent in all classes. Teachers provide stimulating, very well prepared lessons and explain the work very well. There is very good Ashfield Infant School - 24 assessment, which gives teachers clear information about what their pupils know and can do, and what they need to do next. Teachers’ records are, however, over-reliant on paper systems. Lessons are very well planned, and teachers are good at keeping their pupils fully involved in their work. In lessons, teachers explain what their pupils will be learning, and then check later to see if they have been successful in their learning. In the best lessons, teachers challenge their pupils with a lively pace of work, and inspire them to try harder. Very effective methods are used together with an insistence on full attention and concentration from the pupils. This, together with very interesting and encouraging presentation, means that pupils discover the pleasure of

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Commentary

the subject and so make greater gains in their learning. In all lessons, teaching is targeted directly at the many differing ways in which pupils learn. For example, in an excellent Year 1 lesson, pupils learned how to categorise odd and even numbers in as many different ways as possible. The teacher’s lively approach, and excellent teaching methods, ensured that all pupils achieved very well. Pupils are given as many different strategies as possible in order to make accurate calculations. As a result pupils are able to select which is the best method for them, so ensuring that all achieve success. In all lessons, problems, which the teaching presents as ‘challenges’ to the pupils, are dealt with promptly and thoroughly. This involves applying the learning objective of the lesson and ensuring that all have fully understood. Whenever possible knowledge is further extended during theses revision sessions. ICT is used very well to support

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Commentary

63. Teaching assistants provide very helpful support for those who need it and they make a very valuable contribution to learning. This support is effective in building pupils’ confidence. This approach means that all pupils are developing a broad and secure understanding of mathematical concepts. At their meeting with the lead inspector, parents talked enthusiastically about the ‘Maths Club’ for Year 1 pupils. At this club, the pupils play games at this club that have a numerical content. This reinforces skills and gives the pupils opportunities to use and apply their mathematical knowledge and understanding.

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Commentary

64. Despite the overall very good quality of teaching, some lessons are too long. This results in a slowing of pace, and in some pupils losing their enthusiasm for their work. There is a need to review the way in which some parts of the school day are timetabled.

p.24

MATHEMATICS ACROSS THE CURRICULUM

65. The development of pupils’ mathematical skills in other subjects is good. Teachers identify occasions when pupils need to use their mathematical knowledge. For example, in a history activity, pupils made maps using grids on which they recorded features such as volcanoes, dinosaurs, caves, forests and swamps. Pupils accurately measure in design and technology lessons, and use graphs and charts when recording their results in science.

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards are well above average. • Pupils achieve very well because there is a clear emphasis on the teaching of scientific observation and enquiry. • Teachers devise very good ways for pupils to record their findings. • The co-ordinator leads and manages the subject outstandingly well.

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Commentary

66. Standards have improved since the last inspection when they were above average. They are now well above average in all aspects of the subject. This represents very good improvement. The high standards seen in experimental and investigational work at the last inspection have Ashfield Infant School - 25 been maintained. This is a strength of the subject. In 2003, about three-quarters of pupils in Year 2 reached the higher than expected level, level 3, in national tests. This puts the school in the top five per cent in the country in science. It is likely that this trend will continue because standards in the current Year 2 are well above average.

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Commentary

67. The emphasis that the school places on experimenting and investigating scientific topics means that the pupils achieve very well throughout the school. Teachers plan very effectively so that pupils can work practically and investigate scientific concepts for themselves. The outcomes of this are that pupils make very good predictions about what they think might happen and are adept at testing their theories. This was seen in a Year 2 lesson when pupils tested a wide selection of materials to see which were magnetic. They discovered that magnets attract metals. Then they went on to discover that this was not the case for all metals. For instance, they found that not all coins were magnetic. This provoked a good level of discussion on why this might be the case with some interesting hypotheses being aired.

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Commentary

68. Teaching and learning are very effective. Teachers devise very good methods for pupils to record their scientific findings. They plan a range of charts, tables and simple note-taking techniques for pupils to use. This means that the pupils can concentrate on the science and lessons do not turn into writing sessions. For example, when recording what they had discovered about magnetic materials, pupils used a chart to note down the material that they tested, their prediction and their findings. This recorded all the information that they required in order to come to conclusions about what was, or was not, magnetic.

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Commentary

69. The leadership of the subject is outstanding. The co-ordinator has been most effective in helping and supporting her colleagues. She has developed a carefully structured scheme of work, which is well resourced, and which gives good guidance to staff. The co-ordinator is empowered to monitor teaching and learning as well as standards. She is clear about the educational direction needed to maintain high standards and analyses pupils’ work efficiently to ensure that they achieve successfully.

p.25

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Provision in information and communication technology (ICT) is very good .

p.25

Main strengths and weaknesses

• There has been excellent improvement since the last inspection. • Standards are above average and pupils achieve very well. • Subject leadership and management are excellent. • The increased computer facilities are being used very well to help pupils learn.

p.25

Commentary

70. At the last inspection, ICT was highlighted for improvement. Since then there has been excellent improvement in: • the quantity and quality of hardware and software available for pupils to use; • the role of the subject leader, who is empowered to manage the curriculum and to monitor teaching and learning; • assessment of pupils’ attainment and achievement; • staff skills and confidence in using computers.

p.25

Commentary

71. These improvements have been instrumental in raising standards which are now above average throughout the school. Pupils achieve very well. They are adept at saving and retrieving information. They enter data and present their findings in a variety of styles. They undertake Ashfield Infant School - 26 research using the Internet. All of these areas were under-developed at the time of the last inspection. In addition, the introduction of peripheral resources, such as interactive white boards, digital cameras and internet links in each classroom, has greatly increased opportunities for pupils to put ICT to good use. This significantly enhances their learning.

p.25

Commentary

72. The co-ordinator leads and manages the subject outstandingly well. She has provided very good in-service training for her colleagues. This has enabled them to improve their skills and become more confident when using computers. She has ensured that all National Curriculum requirements are met and gives lively and innovative guidance for teachers to follow. As a result, all staff are keen to use computers and they, in turn, enthusiastically encourage the pupils to improve their skills. Thus, standards have risen rapidly and continue to rise as pupils increase their knowledge and understanding of the subject. The co-ordinator runs an ICT club for the pupils after school. This club has played a very effective role in developing the pupils’ ICT skills and developing their enthusiasm for the subject.

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Information and communication technology across the curriculum

73. Each classroom has at least two computers available for pupils to use. Teachers plan activities which allow pupils to use them in the vast majority of lessons. Thus, pupils constantly practise their skills and appreciate that ICT is a powerful tool which supports their learning in a wide range of subjects. For example, in a science lesson, Year 2 pupils independently used the Internet to search given websites to find information about reptiles, for their topic about the needs of animals. In a geography lesson, Year 1 pupils programmed a floor-robot, a ‘Roamer’, to visit different compass points and, in a literacy lesson, used a computer to put full stops and capital letters into their sentences.

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HUMANITIES

Overall provision for the humanities is very good .

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HUMANITIES

Geography and history are taught through an integrated topic-based approach which is very successful.

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Religious Education

74. Religious education (RE) is taught to all classes every week. However, RE lessons were not timetabled for the days of the inspection and teaching and learning were not directly observed. Therefore, it is not possible to make overall judgements, though evidence from the pupils’ work and discussions with pupils, indicates that standards continue to exceed the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus as they did at the time of the last inspection.

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Religious Education

75. The school’s curriculum for RE plans the delivery of the locally agreed syllabus for religious education thoroughly and imaginatively. It includes very good provision for the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Since the last inspection, there has been improvement in resources. The very effective co-ordinator has collaborated with another infant school and has invested in a range of artefacts that will extend the pupils’ first-hand experience of religious objects used in many forms of worship. These have enhanced the school’s multi-cultural provision by giving the pupils the opportunity to study artefacts from a wide range of faiths, including Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Buddhism.

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Religious Education

76. RE has a high profile in the school, taking its rightful place in the curriculum. Like much else in the school, it is delivered creatively. The pupils, for instance, have been learning through the study of stained glass. They visited Carlisle Cathedral to look at the glass there that is rich in the illustration of Bible stories. The pupils learn Bible stories as part of their RE. They remember them and can talk about them. Then they visited a local church where stained glass tells the Ashfield Infant School - 27 story of the town. The Year 2 pupils are now going on to produce, in art and design, their own ‘stained glass’, using Perspex. This window will tell about the school. 77. While visiting the local church, the teachers took the opportunity to allow the pupils to experience the feeling of awe that is often evident in buildings dedicated to worship or seeped in history. A great benefit that the teachers find in visiting this particular church with their pupils is that though

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Religious Education

the exterior is old, the interior is modern. This gives the teachers the opportunity to show to the children that places may be new but still inspire a sense of awe and wonder. The teachers remarked on the very good attitudes of the pupils on these visits to churches.

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Religious Education

78. It is a feature of this school generally that it is very successful in pitching the demands of the curriculum just right for its pupils. This is very well done in RE. Difficult concepts are very well delivered through the expert use of the local environment, pupils’ interests and religious artefacts that the pupils can handle respectfully. For example, the ability of the teachers to plan RE imaginatively and to pitch it at the right level for the interests and aptitudes of Year 1 and 2 pupils was very well exemplified in work done on ritual meals with Year 1 pupils. Here the differences and similarities between Christian and Jewish ceremonies were very well explored through celebration meals. The pupils learned about the different ceremonies of different faiths though a means with which they could readily identify.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• There is a very practical approach to the subject that is most appropriate for the Year 1 and 2 pupils. • The pupils are very enthusiastic about the subject. • The subject is very well resourced. • The subject contributes very well towards the pupils’ literacy, numeracy and ICT skills and to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Commentary

79. There is a very practical approach to this subject that is most appropriate for the age group. A lot of emphasis is appropriately laid upon discussion. This builds up knowledge and understanding and develops the pupils’ vocabularies and consequently their abilities to think in geographical terms. Year 1 pupils were keen to talk about their journey to Cockermouth. Being higher up in a coach than they usually are in a car had excited them and they enthusiastically described the geographical features of what they had seen on route. They had secure geographical vocabularies which they used accurately.

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Commentary

80. The subject is very well resourced. Throughout the school, there are very good quality reference books, globes and maps of varying scales. The pupils can accurately point out relevant places on maps, such as their own county and town. Surrounding the pupils with very good quality geography resources is a very effective strategy for promoting independent learning. Pupils can look at maps when passing them or visit them with friends to discuss them. Using magnifying lenses, Year 1 pupils studied aerial photographs of the school, identifying the features in the vicinity. This was very effective in developing their concept of mapping.

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Commentary

81. The pupils have a good understanding of the points of the compass. Year 1 pupils refer to places in the north, south, east and west and a few are starting to be more precise, with references to degrees such as ‘south-west’. This is well established in Year 2. When discussing places on a map with their teacher, they used directions such as ‘north-west’ and Ashfield Infant School - 28 ‘south-east’ instinctively. ICT is used well to reinforce learning. Year 1 pupils, for instance, programmed a ‘Roamer’ to visit different compass points.

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Commentary

82. The pupils’ very good literacy and numeracy skills enable them to access geographical material easily and the subject itself contributes very well to the teaching of English and mathematics. When Year 2 pupils were inventing maps of a prehistoric land that they were going to ‘explore’, they used a grid references. The teacher gave them the task of placing geographical features accurately on their maps using these grid references. They did this competently having both the literacy skills and numeracy skills at their finger tips.

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Commentary

83. Standards are above average. Teaching and learning are very good. The pupils are rapidly developing very good skills in the subject and very good attitudes towards it. The subject is very well led and the school has maintained the high quality of provision described in the last report. Geography is planned through a topic-based approach of daily activities covering the humanities and creative, aesthetic and practical subjects. This ensures that it is part of the pupils’ daily diet of subjects and that the school truly provides a broad and balanced curriculum. The philosophy behind the topic-based approach is ‘a little often’. This is very effective teaching with young children. Most afternoons the pupils have the opportunity to take part in ‘activities’. The activities, however, are not disparate. They are linked through a unifying topic and very well organised to provide progression in learning. The pupils are not allowed to wander aimlessly

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Commentary

from one activity to another, but are guided through these activities by the teachers’ careful planning and monitoring of the lesson. Towards the end of long sessions of activities, however, the pupils’ concentration tends to fade. At their meeting with the lead inspector, parents were very enthusiastic about this way of delivering the non-core subjects to Year 1 and 2 pupils. They think that topic-based activities are a very successful way of delivering the curriculum.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The teaching methods are very successful. There is a very practical approach to teaching history that captures the pupils’ interests. • The pupils are very enthusiastic about the subject and eager to learn. • The subject contributes very well towards the pupils’ literacy, numeracy and ICT skills and to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Commentary

84. This subject is taught very successfully because it is taught in a way that is most appropriate for Key Stage 1 pupils. Consequently the pupils are very enthusiastic learners and are rapidly achieving skills as historians. Standards are above average and the pupils’ attitudes to the subject are very good. Their great enthusiasm for the subject is one of the successes of the very good teaching. There is a very practical approach to delivering the subject at this school with great emphasis on ‘finding out for yourself’ and on making and doing. This is most appropriate for five- to seven-year-olds. When Year 2 pupils were learning about prehistoric times, for example, they designed maps of prehistoric landscapes as they imagined they might have been and then entered a ‘time-machine’ and ‘travelled back’ into the landscapes that they had imagined. There, they played out the lives of cavemen and women. They used the very

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Commentary

good role-play facilities that had been prepared for them, talking about prehistoric subjects and reinforcing what they had learned from the teacher and from books, pictures, models and ICT programmes. The classroom was very rich historically. The pupils also brought knowledge from home and shared that, too, with their friends who had ‘travelled back in time’ with them. Ashfield Infant School - 29 They were gripped by the way history was being taught to them. The pupils' confidence with reading, writing and ICT enables them to learn other subjects much more readily.

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Commentary

85. At other times, the pupils used magnifying lens to study fossils. This activity promoted a lot of discussion and it contributed very well to the pupils’ vocabularies. Most could talk about the most obscure dinosaurs, using their correct names and talking convincingly about their features. They were confident to have a go at spelling the dinosaurs’ long names, with some pupils getting them right. When they did not get them exactly right, their efforts were convincing phonetically- correct efforts. The teacher used the pupils’ enthusiasms for dinosaurs to introduce them to fossil hunters from the past like Mary Anning of Lyme Regis. Quite independently the pupils used ICT to find out more about dinosaurs. With the teacher, they used the Internet to log-on to the Natural History Museum’s website.

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Commentary

86. A similarly successful practical approach to the subject was seen being taken with Year 1 pupils. These pupils had visited the Cockermouth Toy and Model Museum and the teachers had set up for them their own toy museum, The Ashfield Toy Museum. Here, the pupils could look at old toys, play with some and look at old books. The real-life experience of seeing and touching things from the past stimulated discussion, the desire to draw, write and to find out more.

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Commentary

87. The subject is very well led and the school has maintained the high quality provision seen at the time of the last inspection. Like geography, the subject is very successfully delivered through an integrated topic-based approach that enables the school to deliver all the non-core subjects and thus provide a broad and balanced curriculum. Long lessons of activities in the afternoon are too much for some pupils, however, and their concentration tends to tail off.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

Overall provision for pupils in these non-core subjects is very good .

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

The school has introduced an innovative approach to all non-core subjects, where they are delivered through an integrated topic-based approach. Judgements have been made in all subjects in this area of the curriculum following several observations of activity sessions, discreet lessons, looking at pupils’ work and discussions.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Very good classroom organisation, assessment and record keeping, contribute very well to teaching and learning. • Pupil’s independent learning is very effective. • There is very good, committed involvement of the support staff.

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Commentary

88. Each year-group has a base of three classrooms. The teachers organise these classrooms very effectively to enable them to meet the learning needs of all the pupils. Careful planning and good flexibility ensure that during a lesson, pupils are provided with a good balance of sessions of direct teaching, intensive work with the teacher or classroom assistant in small groups, and opportunities to partake in a range of activities for themselves. This ‘short sessions’ approach is well matched to the pupils’ attention spans and their need to learn through practical activity, though towards the end of long lessons the pupils’ concentration wanes. This approach also successfully contributes to the very good achievement that the pupils make. Careful assessment and record keeping ensure that all pupils complete all activities thus covering all these non-core subjects.

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Commentary

89. Pupils work very effectively, both in groups and independently. There are clear routines for pupils; to plan, to select and to work in the different areas of the rooms or with particular pieces Ashfield Infant School - 30 of equipment, and to self-assess their results with others. Pupils understand and act on these routines very well. They accept responsibility for organising their own learning. This approach of fully involving pupils in managing resources and equipment for themselves is very good.

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Commentary

90. All the support staff make a very strong, positive contribution to the pupil’s learning. They offer particularly strong support to children with SEN.

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Design and Technology

Provision for design and technology is good .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• As a result of good teaching and learning, standards in design and technology are above the levels expected by the end of Year 2. • The integrated delivery of the subject is very effectively planned. • The pupils are successfully encouraged to improve and develop their designing and making skills.

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Commentary

91. Standards at the end of Year 2 are above average because the quality of teaching and learning are good. All pupils achieve well. This is good improvement since the last inspection. The subject is very well led. Activities are well structured, pupils are encouraged to improve and develop their designing skills through a range of topic based challenging activities, which they eagerly use to practise their skills.

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Commentary

92. The subject is very well planned for, as part of an integrated topic approach in the delivery of the non-core subjects. For example, in Year 1, pupils were designing and making moving toys following a visit to Cockermouth Toy Museum. This was part of a topic based on toys. While pupils in Year 2 designed and made moving dinosaurs when they learned about prehistoric times.

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Commentary

93. Pupils’ planning sheets show good design and evaluation, while the quality of many finished products demonstrates their good skills with materials and joining them. For example, the moving toys, designed and made by Year 1 pupils, showed a good variety of materials effectively put together. These pupils demonstrated a clear understanding of making movement, from rolling with the use of a bobbin reel to rocking using a paper plate.

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Art and Design

Provision for art and design is very good .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• As a result of very good teaching and learning, standards in art and design are well above the levels expected by the end of Year 2. • The integrated delivery of the subject is very effectively planned. • Very good use is made of a wide range of techniques and good quality materials.

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Commentary

94. Standards at the end of Year 2 are well above average because teaching and learning are very good. All pupils achieve very well. This is good improvement since the last inspection. Lessons are very well structured and pupils are encouraged to improve their techniques through a range of challenging, creative activities which they eagerly engage in. Ashfield Infant School - 31 95. The subject is very well led. It is planned for as part of an integrated topic approach for the delivery of the non-core subjects. For example, in Year 1, pupils used their observational-, cutting- and pasting-skills to produce a collage picture of a bowl of hyacinths as part of a topic about spring. Year 2 pupils used pastels and charcoal to reproduce cave drawings when they were learning about prehistoric times.

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Commentary

96. Well-planned activities ensure that pupils are learning to appreciate other artists’ work through discussion, observation and the application of their characteristic styles to the pupils’ own work. They produce portraits in the style of Picasso and pastel landscapes in the style of Constable. There is much evidence throughout the school of a very wide range of techniques and high quality materials being used. These include paint, sponging, finger-painting, and ink. The pupils produce collages of volcanoes and dinosaurs, using pastels and natural materials with various textures.

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Commentary

97. They are very confident about the range of techniques they can use and how to use different media to the best effect. When talking about their work, they can explain how they have achieved their results. There is an art club at the school which the majority of the Year 2 pupils support. This contributes very well to the very good standard of their work. The school has recently been the group winner in the Cumbria in Bloom art competition.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils achieve very well and reach above average standards. • They perform with confidence. • Music supports pupils’ personal development very effectively.

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Commentary

98. The subject is very well led and high standards have been maintained since the last inspection. They are above average. Pupils achieve very well. They do this because teachers plan musical activities which enthuse and excite the pupils. Teachers encourage pupils to play a wide range of musical instruments, both tuned and untuned. They give pupils opportunities to experiment. Hence, they know, as one pupil said when using chime bars “If you hold the plate it won’t vibrate”. Teachers teach the pupils correct musical vocabulary. Thus pupils talk about ‘pitch’ and ‘beat’ with authority. Pupils accompany themselves with drones for songs such as the Prehistoric Animal Brigade . They use hand movements as they sing to demonstrate the changing pitch of the melody. They sing tunefully and with clear diction.

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Commentary

99. Pupils enjoy music and are enthusiastic composers and performers. Lessons are fun because pupils work practically and are actively involved in their learning. This helps them achieve very successfully and become confident to both compose and perform. This was seen very clearly in a Year 2 lesson which was the culmination of several weeks’ work on pitch. Pupils had written their own compositions, both the music and the words. Their songs related to the dinosaur topic that they had been studying in literacy lessons. Their teacher had helped them make graphic scores of their melodies and they had matched their lyrics to the notes. They took turns to perform. They performed with confidence that is beyond their years. The rest of the group applauded each person’s success and, as they learned the tune and the words, joined in.

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Commentary

100. The school places great importance on music. Staff choose music carefully and encourage pupils to listen to a wide range of musical styles. For example, Mozart is played in assembly. Pupils are told about the composer and his music. They also hear a good range of music from cultures other than their own and experience concerts given by musicians from other countries. Ashfield Infant School - 32 For example, Indian dancers and South African musicians have visited the school and performed for the pupils. These events greatly enhance pupils’ personal development because they learn to respect traditions and values of other cultures.

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Physical Education

Provision for physical education (PE) is very good .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• As a result of very good teaching and learning, standards in physical education are well above the levels expected by the end of Year 2. • Very good subject leadership has had a positive impact upon standards and provision throughout the school and ensured that good extra curricular activities are available.

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Commentary

101. Standards at the end of Year 2 are well above average because teaching and learning are very good. All pupils achieve very well. This is very good improvement since the last inspection. Lessons are very well structured. The pupils are encouraged to improve their performances through a range of challenging activities. They eagerly take part in these to practise their skills.

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Commentary

102. To protect the pupils’ health, lessons appropriately begin with warming-up sessions and finish with imaginative cooling-down sessions. The pupils understand the need for these warming-up sessions. For instance, at the beginning of one Year 1 lesson, the teacher used dance very well as a warming-up session. All the pupils joined in very well, thoroughly enjoying the activity. In another warming-up session, the pupils joined in enthusiastically, moving about the room and changing directions at a given signal with great enthusiasm. The lessons also include discussion of the physical effects of exercise upon the body. For instance, we become warmer the more we work. Such discussion adds to the pupils’ scientific knowledge.

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Commentary

103. The pupils are very enthusiastic about PE at this school because it is taught very well and is a high profile subject in the school. This came across very strongly in the pupils’ questionnaires. The pupils enjoy both organised PE lessons and informal recreational sport during break-times. The very good quality lunchtime supervision that they have includes the supervisors playing games with the pupils, such as skipping. There is a very popular extra-curricular ‘Games Club’ for the pupils. At this the pupils were observed throwing balls accurately, catching well and travelling around the room rapidly as they bounced a ball. They could dodge and sprint to avoid opponents and they were very highly motivated. There was an appropriate zeal to win the game, team-work and adherence to the rules of the game. Fairness and observance of the rules reflect basic teaching in citizenship. The school has had recent successes in the local five-a-side

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Commentary

football tournament. High standards like these were seen in lessons where the pupils could work equally successfully individually, in twos or with a group. The pupils are achieving very well in developing their fine and gross motor skills, hand and eye coordination, enthusiasm and respect for the rules.

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Commentary

104. Teaching is very effective. It is planned thoroughly for year-groups so that there is equality of opportunity but it is delivered uniquely for each class, meeting the needs of specific pupils. There is very good quality demonstration and enthusiasm for the subject from the teachers that the pupils emulate.

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Commentary

105. The co-ordinator has very good knowledge of the standards and a clear vision of how to move forward. The quality of PE is a fine feature of this infant school. Ashfield Infant School - 33

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

Provision for personal, social, health education and citizenship (PSHE&C) is very good .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The school places great importance on personal, social, health education and citizenship. • These subjects support pupils’ personal development very well. They are being very well led and developed and the school would like to spend more time developing them.

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Commentary

106. Great emphasis is placed upon personal, social, health education and citizenship. This considerably enhances pupils’ learning and their attitudes to school. Very good links are made with other subjects, especially religious education and science. Pupils of all ages have very good opportunities to develop their roles as informed citizens through a wide range of local and national initiatives, such as the Healthy Schools initiative. Visitors from institutions such as the RNLI, come into school to tell pupils about their work. This enhances pupils’ understanding of citizenship very well.

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Commentary

107. Circle Times gives very good support to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Staff encourage pupils to talk about issues personal to them in Circle Times. For example, these sessions deal with questions such as “What makes you feel sad or happy?” In one very good Circle Time, pupils made a friendship-web. They linked a ball of wool from one friend to another, saying what they liked about their friends and what made them special. As the wool made its web, it was evident that all were valued and all had something special to offer to others.

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Commentary

108. Pupils contribute to the life of their classes and school. Older pupils can be seen taking care of younger pupils in and around school. Pupils are encouraged to respect their own cultural heritage and the cultural traditions of other people. As part of their citizenship programme pupils raise funds for charities.

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Commentary

109. The subject leader has clear vision and knows how to move the subject on. However, time is at a premium in the school’s busy day and the school would like to gain extra time to develop personal, social, health education and citizenship further. Ashfield Infant School - 34

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The overall effectiveness of the school 2 How inclusive the school is 1 How the school’s effectiveness has changed since its last inspection 2 Value for money provided by the school 1

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Overall standards achieved 2 Pupils’ achievement 2

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities 2 Attendance 2 Attitudes 2 Behaviour, including the extent of exclusions 3 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The quality of education provided by the school 2 The quality of teaching 2 How well pupils learn 2 The quality of assessment 2 How well the curriculum meets pupils needs 2 Enrichment of the curriculum, including out-of-school activities 2 Accommodation and resources 2 Pupils’ care, welfare, health and safety 2 Support, advice and guidance for pupils 2 How well the school seeks and acts on pupils’ views 3 The effectiveness of the school’s links with parents 2 The quality of the school’s links with the community 2 The school’s links with other schools and colleges 2

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The leadership and management of the school 1 The governance of the school 1 The leadership of the headteacher 1 The leadership of other key staff 1 The effectiveness of management 1

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Inspectors make judgements on a scale: excellent (grade 1); very good (2); good (3); satisfactory (4); unsatisfactory (5); poor (6); very poor (7). Ashfield Infant School - 35

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