Beeston Primary School

BEESTON PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 10 th – 13 th November 2003

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BEESTON PRIMARY SCHOOL

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 Beeston Primary 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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BEESTON PRIMARY SCHOOL

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. Beeston Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Primary School category: Community Age range of pupils: 3 – 11 years Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 451

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Town Street Beeston Leeds West Yorkshire Postcode: LS11 8PN

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Telephone number: 0113 2716978 Fax number: 0113 2716978

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: Governing body Name of chair of governors: Mrs J Mapplebeck

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 2 - 5 November 1998

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

Beeston is situated to the south of Leeds and serves an area of private and council owned properties. Most of the 451 pupils, 216 boys and 196 girls, live locally. The area around the school has changed significantly over the last few years. A village-like community has become much more mobile, vulnerable and unstable. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs is above the national average for primary schools. Nine pupils have a Statement of Special Educational Need and a further 48 pupils have a special educational need. The majority of these pupils have learning difficulties, but the school increasingly caters for pupils with behavioural difficulties. Eight per cent of pupils have an ethnic minority heritage and the proportion of pupils who are learning English as an additional language is above the national average. The school population is a fairly stable one, but a significant number of pupils join the school in Years 4, 5 and 6. The pupils’ attainment when they

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

start school is below average. The school has just emerged from a period of instability which was related to staffing. It was then incapacitated at the time of the inspection, for example, by the absence of several senior teachers, including the deputy headteacher. Beeston Primary School - 4

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

4074 R Gill Lead inspector English Art and design Physical education Music English as an additional language Personal, social and health education and Citizenship 8988 J Cross Lay inspector 32392 J Watson Team inspector Science Information and communication technology Design and technology Special educational needs 23081 C Waine Team inspector Mathematics History Geography Religious education Foundation Stage of Learning

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

3 Harrowby Road West Park Leeds LS16 5HN

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be made initially to the inspection 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.ofsted.gov.uk). Beeston Primary 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 good school. It has recovered well from a period of change in the intake of pupils and difficult circumstances in terms of staffing. Standards are improving again towards levels achieved in 2000. Pupils are currently achieving well, in English and mathematics in particular, because teaching is ambitious, well organised and makes learning relevant and enjoyable. Leadership and management have been strengthened by new appointments and the school is tackling weaknesses with speed and resolve. The school is once again providing good value for money.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are: • Good leadership and management that has engineered the school’s recovery. • The school’s ethos that places children at the centre of its developments. • Good teaching that has helped children to achieve well by the end of Year 2 and Year 6. • A rich curriculum that is very well extended by extra-curricular activities and multi-cultural influences. • Standards in art and design are well above the nationally expected level. • The quality of teaching overall in the nursery and reception classes is satisfactory in most areas of learning, but not yet as good, overall, as elsewhere in the school. • Pupils capable of higher attainment in science do not achieve well enough. • Teaching does not fully inform pupils about how they can improve their work.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school is as effective now as it was in 1998. The changed character of the school means that it has had to work even harder to ensure that pupils achieve well. Provision for information and communication technology (ICT) has improved since the last inspection. Co-ordinators and senior managers make a stronger contribution in assessing pupils’ work and tackling the school’s weaknesses.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

all schools similar schools Results in National Curriculum tests at the end of Year 6, compared with: 2001 2002 2003 2003 English D D C C mathematics E E D D science C C D D Key: A - well above average; B – above average; C – average; D – below average; E – well below average Similar schools are those whose pupils attained similarly at the end of Year 2.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Pupils’ achievement is good. In 2003, results in English and mathematics were an improvement on the two preceding years. Standards in Year 6 currently meet national expectations in both subjects. Pupils in Year 2 regularly meet national expectations, which is a mark of good achievement. Throughout the school, performance in reading is usually stronger than in writing. In mathematics, pupils’ good achievements are the result of the lively and productive teaching that makes learning fun. More pupils than is found nationally reach the expected levels in science, but those capable of higher attainment do not always fulfil their potential. Pupils achieve well in history and music and very well in art and design. They also achieve well in ICT in Years 3 to 6. By the end of the reception year, children do not achieve the nationally expected levels except in language and literacy and personal social and emotional development. Nevertheless, they make at least

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

satisfactory progress in most areas of learning. Beeston Primary School - 7

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Pupils’ personal qualities are good and are helped by the good provision for their spiritual,

moral, social, and cultural development. Pupils enjoy school and attend satisfactorily. Their attitudes and behaviour in lessons are good and sometimes very good, but some pupils are a little boisterous and anti-social at playtimes.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The quality of education provided by the school is good. Lively lessons produced by good teaching are characterised by productive relationships and imaginative methods. Pupils are able to learn quickly, achieve well and enjoy what they are doing. Those pupils who have special educational needs or are learning English as an additional language are included well in lessons and they make good progress. Teachers have a good idea about how well pupils are doing in English, mathematics and science, but their methods of giving advice to pupils about how to improve lack consistency and precision. Analysis of pupils’ learning in other subjects is unsystematic.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

Pupils’ academic achievement and personal development are enhanced well by the rich and varied curriculum and the caring approach taken by the school. Staff are very good at discovering pupils’ views through the school council and acting upon them wisely.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management are good. The school has a very clear sense of purpose that is promoted positively by the headteacher and staff. Governors share this vision and have managed the school’s recent problems well. The governing body fully complies with all statutory requirements. Good management systems are now in place to assist the school to develop, and staff and governors are collaborating closely to make them work. Monitoring and evaluation of the school’s work are effective in general, for example, the school is already aware that pupils in the nursery and reception classes could achieve at a faster rate.

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Parents have a good opinion of the school. They particularly like the way that the school makes learning interesting and that they are so involved in their child’s schooling. They believe, correctly, that the very wide range of extra-curricular activities helps children grow in maturity and perform better academically. Pupils are also pleased with school. They appreciate its open, caring and positive atmosphere. Pupils enjoy learning new things in lessons and feel confident that teachers will help them when they are stuck.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

The most important things the school should do to improve are:

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

• Make sure the higher ability pupils achieve as well as they can in science. • Strengthen the quality of teaching in the nursery and reception classes. • Give the pupils good advice about their learning so that they can be more fully involved in making their work better. Beeston Primary School - 8

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Standards achieved in areas of learning, subjects and courses

Pupils’ attainment by the end of Year 6 has had an erratic history since the time of the last inspection. It was stable until 2000, after which there were two very low attaining years. By 2003, a recovery was evident, which has been consolidated in this academic year. Children achieve satisfactorily by the end of the reception year. Achievement is good thereafter by the ages of seven and eleven .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards in English and mathematics are about average by the end of Year 6 and this represents good achievement for pupils. • Standards in art and design are well above those expected nationally, • Pupils achieve well in history and music throughout the school and in ICT by the end of Year 6. • Children achieve well in literacy and personal, social and emotional development by the end of the reception class. • Pupils capable of higher attainment do not do well enough in science.

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Commentary

1. The trend is for pupils to achieve well as they progress through the school. This positive pattern includes those pupils with special educational needs and those learning English as an additional language. Children start the school with attainment below that expected nationally for their age and generally reach nationally expected levels by the end of Year 2. They make satisfactory progress in the nursery and reception classes and then improve quickly in Years 1 and 2 in response to the good quality of teaching they receive. This achievement is maintained between Year 3 to Year 6, despite the relatively recent phenomenon, linked to the changing social context around the school, of pupils being admitted into Years 4, 5 and 6 who find learning difficult and who sometimes have significant behavioural problems. This is coupled with the loss of some average and higher attaining pupils who leave the school in Year 5 to

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Commentary

secure places in secondary schools in other parts of Leeds.

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Commentary

2. Improvements in English and mathematics, as the table below describes, have brought the school’s results in National Curriculum tests for 11 year olds virtually back in line with the national average in mathematics and statistically beyond it in English. This is due to good teaching, particularly in Year 6. The grouping of pupils by attainment for these two subjects, for example, works well to improve pupils’ learning. Teachers use the school’s new ways of setting pupils’ individual targets in English to good effect. This has helped to improve performance in writing in a relatively short time.

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Commentary

3. In science, the proportion of pupils reaching or exceeding the nationally expected level was similar to the national figure, but fewer pupils exceeded it than was found nationally. Several pupils capable of higher attainment did not do as well as expected, partly because of the school’s emphasis on learning scientific knowledge at the expense of using that knowledge to interpret and explain information. This was a disadvantage, since the test in 2003 emphasised this skill. Beeston Primary School - 9 Standards in national tests at the end of Year 6 – average point scores in 2003

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Commentary

Standards in: School results National results English 27.3 (25.8) 26.8 (27.0) mathematics 26.2 (23.6) 26.8 (26.7) science 27.9 (28.2) 28.6 (28.3) There were 63 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Commentary

4. Currently, pupils in Year 6 are reaching nationally expected standards in English and mathematics. This represents good achievement for all pupils. They are responding well to the clear way in which their targets for writing are communicated. Their reading continues to thrive owing to the school’s long-term initiatives in this aspect. In mathematics, pupils make swift progress because the drive to improve mental arithmetic is beginning to pay dividends. The school’s new senior management team has shown strength and vision in devising measures to tackle the low attainment in recent years. The headteacher and deputy headteacher have never been complacent about the fact that the two low attaining year groups started school in the reception class with attainment that was well below expectations for their age, and then acquired more pupils with additional problems as they went through school.

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Commentary

5. Standards in art and design remain well above those expected nationally at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 owing to the expertise within the school and the belief in a rounded education through the arts. Parents and pupils all recognise, correctly, this aspect of provision as a significant strength of the school. The achievements that pupils make in history and music are also the result of a determined effort to make sure that pupils get as much hands-on experience as possible. Pupils are achieving well in ICT by the end of Year 6 because the co- ordinator has been able to work alongside colleagues to provide extra support and advice in lessons.

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Commentary

6. Pupils achieve well by the end of Year 2, largely owing to the quality of teaching in Years 1 and 2. However, innovation is beginning in the nursery and reception classes. This has caused achievement in children’s writing, by the end of the reception year, to be good. Their personal, social and emotional development is also good owing to the many opportunities children have to work in small groups with teachers and experienced teaching assistants.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

Pupils have good attitudes towards their learning and they respond well, on balance, to the school's provision for their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Staff prepare them skilfully for living in a multi-cultural society and becoming responsible members of the school community. Behaviour is sound and there are no exclusions from the school. Attendance is in line with the national average and punctuality is also satisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Almost all pupils like school and want to succeed. • Pupils maturely help in the smooth running of the school and decision making. • Pupils' awareness of multi-cultural diversity is very successfully heightened. • The rate of unauthorised absence, although falling, is still higher than average. • There is some anti-social behaviour in the playground, but pupils are well behaved when they are learning. Beeston Primary School - 10

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Commentary

7. Several aspects remain as strong as at the time of the last inspection, but pupils' attitudes and behaviour are not quite as positive as five years ago. This is largely because of changes in the nature of the school's intake in the intervening period. Staff have responded suitably to these changes by strengthening their emphasis upon promoting pupils' personal and social skills, particularly when they first start school, so that effective learning can take place.

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Commentary

8. Pupils have positive attitudes towards school. They especially value their friends and staff, who are kind and helpful to them. They particularly like art, mathematical games and speed challenges, and learning that is enriched by visits and visitors. Year 1 pupils, for example, were spellbound when a visiting storyteller kept them rapt for the whole of a lengthy story that unfolded to eyes wide open and dropped jaws.

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Commentary

9. Some pupils and parents have reservations about behaviour and bullying. While pupils' behaviour is good in lessons, assemblies and extra-curricular clubs, enabling all to concentrate on their learning, some tend to lack self-discipline in situations where they are less tightly controlled. Many 'let off steam' by being boisterous when playing outside. Some charge around with little regard for the safety of others, particularly in the small infant playground and, to a lesser extent, in the junior yard where ball games are allowed and played with passion. The juniors can, nevertheless, opt to spend their free time in a quieter playground or in lunchtime clubs indoors, and many do that.

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Commentary

10. Almost all pupils are friendly and get on well together but a few are aggressive towards others and there was a small incidence of bullying last year. The school has revised its behaviour policy in response to parental concerns that it made no reference to bullying. Suitable procedures to deal with the issue are now included in the policy, which has been distributed to parents. Pupils say that things have settled down since the summer break and the school's records concur with this. Pupils believe that the introduction of prefects has made a difference. These Year 6 pupils dutifully keep a watchful eye and alert the staff to issues before they escalate. Also playing an important part in eliminating bullying are posters, assemblies and discussion times that bring home the hurt that bullying causes, and teaches pupils strategies for coping and raising self-esteem.

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Commentary

11. Pupils from ethnic minority heritage are fully integrated into all aspects of school life and there is racial harmony, helped by the very high profile given to raising the whole school community's multi-cultural awareness. Wonderfully vibrant, eye-catching displays of images and artefacts all around the school very sensitively reflect and celebrate ethnic diversity and others' faiths and cultural traditions. Racism is always challenged and recorded.

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Commentary

12. Pupils act very responsibly when undertaking the many tasks that they are entrusted to carry out and when representing their classmates' views through election to the school council.

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Commentary

13. Absence condoned by parents has considerably reduced since the school tightened up its procedures for contacting them for explanations.

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Commentary

Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

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Commentary

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data 5.0 School data 0.6 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. Beeston Primary School - 11 Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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Commentary

Categories used in the Annual School Census No of pupils on roll Number of fixed period exclusions Number of permanent exclusions White – British 331 0 0 White – any other White background 1 0 0 Mixed – White and Black Caribbean 2 0 0 Asian or Asian British – Indian 5 0 0 Asian or Asian British – Pakistani 2 0 0 Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 2 0 0 Asian or Asian British – any other Asian background 2 0 0 Black or Black British – Caribbean 1 0 0 Chinese 1 0 0 Any other ethnic group 1 0 0 No ethnic group recorded 5 0 0 The table gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

The school provides a good quality of education . Energetic and informed teaching results in productive learning. Pupils get interesting things to do and develop well owing, in particular, to the lively and extended curriculum. Pupils’ views about how the school can improve are taken seriously. By comparison, the satisfactory system of assessing pupils’ achievements is weak in some aspects.

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Teaching and learning

Teaching and learning are good from Year 1 to Year 6 and generally satisfactory in the nursery and reception classes. Teachers and their assistants work well together to provide interesting and relevant lessons. Learning is enjoyable and pupils generally respond positively to the imaginative challenges they receive. Assessment of pupils’ learning is improving at a fast rate, but is satisfactory overall because there are still some gaps.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teachers are knowledgeable and use imaginative methods to capture pupils’ interest. • The specialist skills of staff are used well to improve pupils’ learning and groups of pupils, such as those with special educational needs, are well supported. • Pupils’ personal development is catered for well in lessons owing to the methods used, but pupils are not always involved in assessing their own performance. • There is a lack of challenge for pupils capable of higher attainment in some lessons. • Teaching in the nursery and reception classes is sound, but not as good as that found elsewhere in the school. Beeston Primary School - 12

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Commentary

14. Many lessons are successful because teachers use their good knowledge to plan and prepare them so well. Pupils say that they particularly enjoy mathematics and art and design. They are justifiably pleased with these subjects because of the lively mathematical games used in lessons and the wealth of resources that are used very well in art and design. In history and geography, teachers regularly use objects of interest for pupils to handle and talk about in order to make learning more relevant. Teaching assistants and parents are used successfully in lessons to help pupils achieve well. Teaching assistants, for example, have acquired a close knowledge of how pupils with special educational needs are progressing and what to do to broaden their achievements. A parent helped children in a reception class to understand more about her culture by painting Mehndi patterns on their hands. They looked on in awe and

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Commentary

wonder at the beautiful designs taking place.

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Commentary

15. The role-play used in English, religious education and history lessons is very successfully used to enthuse pupils and promote understanding. In one lesson, pupils in Year 6, for example, dressed up in Victorian costume and used a dolly tub in the classroom. They learned, at first-hand, about the rigours of life about 150 years ago. In Year 4, pupils researched, successfully, facets of Roman history to write a Time Travel Guide set in 2030. These and other imaginative devices help to involve pupils well in their learning, particularly boys who find that these methods add meaning, structure and purpose to their work. Poor behaviour by pupils who find self-control hard is invariably prevented by these methods.

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Commentary

16. Lessons in music, ICT and physical education are improved by the use of specialist staff from the local education authority as well as from within the school. The use of a professional storyteller has enormous benefits for pupils’ personal development as well as for their progress in English. A volunteer rugby coach ensures that pupils learn skills correctly and compete well against other schools. Grouping pupils in English and mathematics in Year 5 and Year 6, by how well they achieve in those subjects, also provides a focus to learning and helps pupils achieve well.

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Commentary

17. Occasionally, too little is demanded of pupils who are capable of higher attainment. In science, for example, pupils capable of higher attainment often do the same work as the rest of the class. They do not have enough experience in hypothesising, testing and interpreting their results. This relative lack of challenge expresses itself in other subjects, when pupils are only expected to write one-word answers in history, or do not get the chance to use computers to enhance and extend their thinking.

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Commentary

18. Pupils are provided with very useful targets to achieve in English. This helps their reading and writing. This system is just beginning in mathematics with good results. However, pupils are, in general, not involved in enough discussion in lessons about their successes and what they need to do to improve. Despite the good marking in some classes, teachers give too little guidance in their marking about how pupils can do better.

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Commentary

19. Teaching in the nursery and reception classes is satisfactory overall. It lacks some of the imaginative methods used in other classes and learning is often limited by the lack of space. For example, provision for educational role-play of the type found in Years 1 and 2 has not been established for these younger children. Beeston Primary School - 13 Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 50 lessons

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Commentary

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Commentary

0 (0%) 10 (20%) 22(44%) 18(36%) 0(0%) 0(0%) 0(0%)

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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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The curriculum

The school provides a good curriculum that caters well for pupils’ interests and needs. Extra- curricular opportunities are very good. The accommodation and resources are satisfactory, but the size and open-plan nature of some rooms hinders learning.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The opportunities provided by the curriculum are broad and help pupils become mature learners. • Some imaginative methods are used to improve the achievement of all pupils, particularly boys. • There are very good opportunities for enrichment within the school day. • Wide participation in extra-curricular activities contributes well to pupils’ academic and personal development. • Some aspects of the accommodation restrict learning.

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Commentary

20. The curriculum meets the national requirements and is planned in a way that makes learning challenging and fun. The programme for learning is well developed from the vision espoused by the headteacher and staff. They want pupils to see the purpose of the activities and links between subjects, to make work more interesting. Tasks are designed to be practical and based, as far as possible, on real life experiences. Furthermore, the school tries to ensure that pupils with gifts and talents can progress as far as possible in their field of expertise or interest. Pupils with special educational needs are included well in all activities. A hallmark of the school’s provision for these pupils is the creative way in which activities are tailor-made for pupils who find learning difficult, for example, and need additional support. In all these ways, the school does well in satisfying the needs and engaging the attitudes of the majority of pupils.

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Commentary

Pupils often struggle in a mature fashion to succeed. For example, in a Year 6 music lesson, pupils were determined to master the complicated rhythms of a traditional African song. They never gave up and were justifiably proud when they performed their spirited attempt at the end of the lesson.

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Commentary

21. The school has identified that boys, in general, do not achieve as well as girls. The curriculum is organised in a sensible way to tackle this problem. Lessons often include successfully the acting out of ideas with pupils or adults in costume. In Year 1 and Year 2 pupils develop the skills of talking through ideas in an imaginative way before having to write about them, for example, in The Snow Queen’s Grotto. These methods also advantage girls and contribute to the pupils’ good achievements in English by the end of Year 2 and Year 6.

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Commentary

22. Pupils’ learning is broadened and enriched by some very good opportunities for working with experts. For example, a professional storyteller regularly visits classes throughout the school. This contact fires pupils’ imaginations wonderfully well and creates, in their minds, a pool of rich ideas that they can use in other lessons. Many pupils in Year 5 and Year 6 have the chance to play in the school orchestra. The orchestra is trained with great skill to perform at a high standard. Very many pupils attend the numerous interesting after-school activities that Beeston Primary School - 14 range from story club to rugby. Pupils’ academic, personal, sporting and artistic development is greatly enhanced by these opportunities.

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Commentary

23. The curriculum for children in the nursery and reception classes is equally well planned, but its implementation is often thwarted by room size and the way furniture is positioned. For example, the small nursery classroom is so full of furniture that there is not enough space for children to work comfortably in groups with an adult. Elsewhere in the school, the semi open- plan nature of the building sometimes hinders the learning of some classes while others are moving around or undertaking noisy activities.

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Care, guidance and support

Teachers and their assistants continue to take good care of the pupils and give them sound support and guidance . The ways in which the school involves pupils in its development, by seeking their views and acting upon them wisely, are very good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The headteacher, teachers and support staff establish trusting relationships with the pupils, which offers confidence to pupils to ask for help and advice when they need it. • The learning mentor plays a large part in helping the most vulnerable pupils. • Staff place high priority on promoting health and fitness among the pupils. • Staff welcome pupils' opinions and consider them carefully. • Boisterous behaviour outdoors causes many minor accidents. • Pupils are not involved closely enough in setting their own targets for academic improvement.

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Commentary

24. Parents rightly appreciate the high level of care that their children receive. They are pleased that teachers pick up on their children's sensitivities effectively and treat each as child an individual.

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Commentary

25. Pupils are very clear that there is an adult in school they can turn to if they have any worries. Some choose, for example, to 'drop in' to see the learning mentor who makes herself available for confidential chats and follows up pupils’ anxieties diligently. Her very good relationship with the pupils enables them to voice concerns and feel reassured. The prefects, for example, act as her 'eyes and ears' and play a large part in alerting the staff to tensions and fall-outs between pupils. Monday Club activities successfully help to protect the most vulnerable and make them feel better about themselves.

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Commentary

26. The learning mentor is central to the school's success in reducing unauthorised absence. All absences without explanation are followed up after the close of registration by contacting parents to find out why their children are not in school. This is a good safety feature because home and school are then clear about their responsibilities of care. The school has beneficial links with the education welfare service, social services and behaviour support agencies, which help pupils to attend more regularly and punctually and be better behaved.

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Commentary

27. The school is working towards national recognition as a Healthy School through many initiatives, valued by parents, to promote healthy eating and lifestyles. A daily breakfast club, for example, offers care and nourishment for pupils before school. The infants share fruit, older pupils patronise a health bar run by pupils in Year 5. Cooked lunches offer appealing healthy options. Last year's inaugural health week was well supported. Many pupils attend extra-curricular clubs that help them keep fit, such as aerobics, dance, martial arts and sports. Lesson in personal and social education and science successfully enable pupils to make informed life choices to help them keep safe and well. Beeston Primary School - 15 28. Pupils in care are closely monitored and staff attend regular reviews with their social workers. Pupils with special educational needs are well supported. Their individual education plans

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Commentary

include appropriate targets and guidance on how they are to be implemented. Learning packs containing appropriate tasks have been prepared to enable the teaching assistants to help pupils well. Sometimes, the learning packs include helpful activities for parents so that they can be involved well in their child’s learning. Teaching assistants regularly assess pupils’ learning and feed back this information to teachers and the co-ordinator for special educational needs.

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Commentary

29. Supervision at break and lunchtime is usually adequate. Walkie-talkies are used well to communicate between areas. Safety, however, is not always fully assured because some pupils charge around recklessly, particularly in the small infant playground, causing many bumps and grazes. Staff with first aid training treat the injuries, record them and notify parents where there are concerns, but not enough is done to prevent the boisterousness.

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Commentary

30. The school council provides a very useful forum for the head boy and girl, and elected representatives from Years 3 to 6, to discuss issues that matter to them and have a real say in bringing about improvements to the school. Their input, for example, has led to several clubs, a stationery shop and the health bar being set up.

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Commentary

31. Teachers tell pupils how to improve their work in general through, for example, spelling and punctuation corrections and handwriting practise. Pupils receive more specific targets for improvement in English, but this kind of tailor-made advice is not fully developed in other subjects.

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Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

The school has established good partnerships with parents and the wider community that benefit pupils' learning and contribute to their personal development. Links with other schools and colleges are satisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teachers keep parents well informed about the curriculum and their children's progress. • Workshops and courses for parents enable them to increase their own skills and help their children to learn well. • The school successfully taps into community resources to enrich pupils' learning and help them to mature.

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Commentary

32. The school is popular in the locality and parents' opinions about its life and work are generally positive. They are particularly pleased that their children like school, are expected to work hard and are well taught. Relationships between home and school continue to be good.

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Commentary

33. The quality of information provided for parents has improved since the last inspection. Reported weaknesses have been tackled successfully. Teachers now provide termly letters that explain what children are being taught, as well as occasional workshops for parents. Courses for parents and families, arranged on-site in conjunction with a local college, offer further opportunities for them to get more involved in their children's learning. Past omissions in statutorily required information for parents have been rectified.

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Commentary

34. Annual written reports for parents on their child's progress are good, being very personal to the individual. They clearly state whether the child is working above, at, or below nationally Beeston Primary School - 16 expected standards in English, mathematics and science, and record how well they read in relation to their age. They report strengths and weaknesses across the curriculum clearly and make good links between low achievement and contributory factors, such as absence, where appropriate.

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Commentary

35. Parents and carers are at ease in school when helping the staff, fetching and collecting their children, and when attending celebration assemblies and school productions because of the welcome they receive from the staff. Informal chats at the start and end of the school day enable concerns and anxieties to be shared and dealt with efficiently. Parents of pupils with special educational needs are invited regularly into school to talk about their child’s learning and meet annually with staff at review meetings to discuss their child’s progress.

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Commentary

36. Strong community links are used well to bring learning alive for the pupils, particularly through visits and visitors. Standards in creative and performing arts, for example, are successfully raised through visiting the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, links with West Yorkshire Playhouse and community groups, such as Flashdance, and visiting artists, theatre groups, authors and storytellers. Older pupils benefit from attending Leeds United Study Support sessions and from using sports facilities at South Leeds Stadium. Pupils' personal development is strengthened particularly well through the residential trip, close links with the elderly and participation in community initiatives such as Leeds Annual Family Fun Run, Beeston in Bloom and Leeds City Council's Czech Week celebrations.

p.16

Commentary

37. Arrangements to prepare pupils for transition to their prospective secondary schools are satisfactory, but there are few curriculum links with these and local primary schools. Good communication is fairly impracticable because pupils transfer to so many schools.

p.16

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management of the headteacher, senior staff and co-ordinators are good . Governance is satisfactory. The school has had to face several challenging situations over the past two years. This barrier has affected the work of the school as a whole, but the school is now more stable. The new senior management team has clear roles of responsibility and these have been instrumental in moving the school on.

p.16

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The focus upon English and mathematics through monitoring and performance management is having positive effects on raising standards in these subjects. • The school’s commitment to provide a wide, varied and rich curriculum has a very positive effect on the provision for learning. • Teamwork is having a positive effect upon teaching and learning. • The headteacher’s drive to promote a caring and inclusive school ensures that pupils’ involvement is valued. • Governors’ improved knowledge of the school helps their decision-making. • The leadership and management of the nursery and reception classes have not yet produced good achievement in all areas of learning.

p.16

Commentary

38. The school has gone through a considerably sustained period of unavoidable and unexpected difficulties. The situation has adversely affected the smooth running of the school and hindered progress in terms of development. The school has now addressed these issues through the determination of the headteacher and key staff. Rapid progress has been accomplished over the past year in terms of pupils’ achievements and systems to ensure continued progress. Beeston Primary School - 17 39. Leadership and management by the headteacher and key staff are good. This is an improvement since the previous inspection when weaknesses were identified in the school not having clear management systems. Effective systems are now established and are being used as a focus for improving attainment in English and mathematics. Pupils with special educational needs receive good support from well trained teaching assistants and this has a

p.16

Commentary

positive effect on the good achievement overall.

p.17

Commentary

40. Monitoring and evaluation are evolving well. All co-ordinators are involved in moving their subjects forward and there is a balance of more established and new co-ordinators who work together as a team to improve the curriculum. The major focus has been upon English and mathematics and these co-ordinators have had the opportunity to observe lessons and provide useful advice to teachers. Teachers, teaching assistants and governors have access to good training opportunities that build upon outcomes from monitoring and performance management. The staff development co-ordinator ensures that training delivers best value for money.

p.17

Commentary

41. The school is a lively, stimulating and caring environment as a result of the positive shared ethos of all partners. The drive to be inclusive and value all pupils has resulted in a rich, varied and diverse curriculum through which pupils can flourish. The high quality display of pupils’ artwork and artefacts creates an interesting environment that values all races and cultures. Academic standards in English and mathematics have begun to improve despite the increase in the number of pupils who come to school with emotional difficulties. The learning mentor helps these pupils in the short-term to benefit fully from the teaching.

p.17

Commentary

42. The governors are giving sound support to the headteacher and the school. The governing body has gone through a period of instability, but new governors have recently been appointed to bring the team back up to capacity and all statutory requirements are met. The governors are about to reconsider their roles on committees and induct new governors. Governors are kept well informed of school developments through regular presentations and reports from key staff. They are involved in decision making to good effect. They decided, for example, to support the funding of the orchestra, in keeping with the school ethos of high standards in the arts. This decision has been a huge success. The governors have an appropriate policy in place for Racial Equality, which is monitored well. The budget is well managed to maintain a high level of support staff that provides an invaluable resource for pupils and teachers alike.

p.17

Commentary

The school bursar, who provides good information for the headteacher and governors, rigorously monitors the school budget. This enables them to set the predicted annual budget expenditure and monitor the spending against the intended plan. The unavoidable problem of overspending in 2001/2 has been tackled well.

p.17

Financial information

Financial information for the year April 2002 to March 2003

p.17

Financial information

Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 870,810 Balance from previous year - 19,140 Total expenditure 830,338 Balance carried forward to the next 21,332 Expenditure per pupil 1,695

p.17

Financial information

43. The leadership and management of learning for children in the nursery and reception classes are satisfactory. They have managed to improve children’s achievements in writing in a relatively short time. However, achievements in other areas of learning are satisfactory in contrast to the good achievement found elsewhere in the school. This is partly due to the use Beeston Primary School - 18 of space that limits certain activities, but also to a predominance of satisfactory teaching that is not always sharply focused enough on improving performance. Beeston Primary School - 19

p.17

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Provision for the children in the Foundation Stage is satisfactory , as it was at the time of the previous inspection. The quality of provision is now more consistent across the nursery and reception classes. Children start school in the nursery at two points during the year, following their third birthday. About two-thirds of the children attending the nursery transfer to the school’s reception classes in the September following their fourth birthday. They are joined by other children, not all of whom have had attended nurseries or playgroups elsewhere. As the inspection was early in the new school year, little written evidence was available and work from the previous year was examined to inform judgements.

p.19

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory overall and is good in personal, social and emotional development and in literacy; the children make good progress in these areas of learning. Provision in creative and physical development was only sampled, hence no overall judgements can be made in these areas. Children are achieving satisfactorily overall. Most are not on target to achieve the goals set for their age group by the end of the reception year, but this is partly due to a significant number of children in the current reception classes being lower attainers or having special educational needs.

p.19

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

The curriculum is sound and provides for an appropriate balance between direct teaching and activities that the children choose for themselves. However, some of these activities lack quality and are not organised well enough to ensure that children learn from them. Adults sometimes interact with children in these activities to help them make progress, but on several occasions during the inspection, this was not the case and children gained no benefit from what they were doing, sometimes becoming silly as they played together. In the reception classes, children make a note of which activities they take part in and staff check this to make sure that all experience a balanced range of activities. Sound and improving leadership is now leading to improvements in the curriculum and in assessment procedures. Teamwork between teachers and support staff is good and support staff make a good contribution to the quality of teaching. Good records are kept of

p.19

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

children’s achievements, which demonstrate good progress across the previous year in personal, social and emotional development and in literacy.

p.19

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

There are satisfactory resources in both the nursery and reception classes, but the nursery is very cluttered with furniture, which makes it very difficult to find space for children to play safely in more energetic indoor activities. There are some interesting areas for independent activities, but they are small and difficult for staff to supervise. Similarly, the seating space in the reception year for whole- class activities is too cramped for teachers to use groups of pupils for demonstrational purposes, for example.

p.19

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in personal, social and emotional development is good .

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Good teaching and learning ensure that children feel secure and confident and make good progress. • Children form good relationships with staff and with each other. • Children are independent in looking after their personal needs.

p.19

Commentary

Beeston Primary School - 20 44. Teaching is good and good relationships are established with children and their families. Children settle quickly into it classroom routines and a warm and caring ethos promotes their confidence and self-esteem. From their early days in the nursery, they are taught to be independent in registering themselves on arrival and in making their own choices in activity sessions. Children’s efforts are celebrated, such as in displays and in their personal profiles. Staff provide good role models of relationships and adopt a positive approach to managing children’s behaviour. Children quickly learn what is, and what is not acceptable and form constructive relationships with each other, learning to share and take turns. They are independent in looking after their personal needs, such as dressing and undressing themselves for outdoor play; those in the nursery decide when to take their healthy snacks.

p.20

Commentary

Lunchtime arrangements for the first term in the reception year provide a good opportunity for children to learn how to socialise and develop good table manners.

p.20

COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Provision in communication, language and literacy is good .

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Basic phonic and literacy skills are taught well. • Some opportunities are missed to develop children’s language further, particularly when children choose their own activities

p.20

Commentary

45. The good emphasis on teaching the basic skills of literacy provides children with the skills for reading and writing. This aspect is taught well, with an active approach to teaching letters and their sounds and a good focus on correct letter formation and basic sentence structure. Boys are making good progress owing to the added emphasis placed on their reading and writing. Children enjoy listening to stories and handle books with care. Parents support their children well at home in learning letter sounds and in early reading, helping to promote children’s good progress. Children make good progress in writing their names and gain confidence in attempting their own writing. Sound opportunities are provided for them to write in informal situations; for example, in the role-play areas, such as the post office in the nursery. There are now more opportunities for children to write in other areas of learning than at the previous

p.20

Commentary

inspection. Children’s speaking and listening skills are currently below what is expected for their age. Staff provide good opportunities in direct teaching sessions to widen children’s vocabulary, but many opportunities are missed to develop this further when children are working independently. There is not enough structure and organisation behind the free-choice activities to promote good development in children’s spoken language, for example.

p.20

MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in mathematical development is satisfactory .

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Most children count well. • Children enjoy mental mathematics sessions and join in counting rhymes and songs. • The range of practical activities from which children can choose is not always stimulating or purposeful.

p.20

Commentary

Beeston Primary School - 21 46. Teaching provides for a satisfactory range of practical activities that engages children’s interest in counting and sorting, and develops their understanding appropriately. For example, groups in the nursery count how many children in their group are here each session. Most children in the reception class are confident in counting to 10 and higher attainers count to 20. Children join in the lively and practical opening sessions of lessons with enjoyment. Tasks are satisfactorily organised, but not all children contribute sufficiently to these, which slows their learning. Some of the activities linked to mathematics are inappropriate and do not help children to learn well enough. For example, in a lesson observed, the threading of paper cut- outs of coins onto a string, which children than made into a necklace, did not help them to understand about coins and their value. The paper coins were of poor quality and were not of

p.21

Commentary

correct proportions. In addition, there was no adult support for the activity, consequently no mathematical learning took place. Children use computers to practise their counting skills and match the correct numeral to a group of objects. Many are on course to achieve the early learning goals set for this age group by the end of Reception, but there is a significant group who are unlikely to do so and standards are below those expected nationally overall.

p.21

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Provision in knowledge and understanding of the world is satisfactory .

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children experience a good range of activities that extend their knowledge of their world. • Children become confident in the use of computers. • A good range of visits and visitors helps children to learn well. • Question and answer sessions are sometimes not planned well enough to help children understand the ideas being taught.

p.21

Commentary

47. Teaching is satisfactory and children make sound gains in their understanding of the world. Owing to the good range of activities on offer, they learn well about themselves and their bodies, such as the need for healthy food and exercise. Teaching of computer skills is good and children quickly become confident and independent in their use of the mouse and keyboard. Good use is made of the school grounds to extend learning, such as when children in the nursery went on a walk to develop their skills of observation. Children grow to understand about different faiths, when, for example, they learn about the different celebrations of world religions, such as Harvest and Diwali. Learning is enriched by visits out of school, such as to a bookshop and a farm, and by expert visitors such as parent who demonstrated Mendhi patterns to children before they attempted their own. In some cases, learning was not

p.21

Commentary

successful because children did not understand what they had to do before they tried for themselves. Teaching had not pinpointed the real purpose of the activity and some children just coloured in a picture of their hand without reference to the Mendhi patterns.

p.21

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in physical development was only sampled and no overall judgements can be made. However, evidence shows that standards are currently below what is expected nationally. Children’s skills in handling tools, such as paintbrushes and scissors, are weak. Children have satisfactory opportunities to develop finer control in the use of pencils, scissors and brushes and staff give good guidance on these of these tools in creative activities. The school has identified appropriate areas for development and has begun to make changes. For example, extra classroom support staffing provides for increased levels of adult and child contact and also allows for regular opportunities for reception class children to take part in outdoor play in the recently improved nursery grounds, where there is a good range of resources for climbing and balancing. Beeston Primary School - 22

p.21

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Provision appears to be satisfactory overall, and good in the teaching of art skills, where children often have individual support in developing skills and techniques. The range of opportunities for role- play is satisfactory, but space is often too cramped in both the nursery and reception classes for children to make the best use of this type of educational play. Beeston Primary School - 23

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils’ achievement is good at the end of Year 2 and Year 6. • Teaching channels the interest of pupils well in reading and writing. • The pupils’ ability to speak and listen well is developed with skill. • The assessment of pupils’ written work is clear, precise and helpful. • Pupils are not involved in enough discussion about how to improve their work

p.23

Commentary

48. The 2001 and 2002 National Curriculum test results in Year 6 fell below the national average. Reading levels remained satisfactory at least, but pupils’ ability in writing was not as good as in previous years. The school has worked hard to improve the quality of teaching in this respect. The results in 2003 demonstrate the success of these measures because the school’s results were in line with the national average, which was a good achievement given the characteristics of the year group. Currently, pupils’ attainment is about average and achievement is good. The school’s results in national tests for pupils in Year 2 are usually at least in line with national averages, which represent good achievement for these pupils.

p.23

Commentary

49. The school has a tradition, generated by the headteacher, for success in reading and spelling. Pupils’ attainment in reading and spelling is checked well and action is taken quickly if they fall behind. Pupils with special educational needs achieve well because they receive very good support from well trained teaching assistants. The library is used well by classes for research and this improves pupils’ ability to read unfamiliar passages. The headteacher and staff share their passion for literature well with pupils, and, in general, interest in books and reading is high. The same kind of interest is evident now in writing. Teachers have worked hard to tackle low attainment in this respect. Boys, for example, who were identified as not being so successful in writing as the girls, are now much keener to communicate their ideas because lessons have been made more relevant and interesting for them. For example, the very good provision for

p.23

Commentary

imaginative play in Year 2 has developed boys’ desire to write longer and more elaborate pieces of work.

p.23

Commentary

50. Pupils’ ability to express themselves verbally and listen well when other people are speaking is good owing to the many well-planned and engaging opportunities provided to develop these skills. The regular contact with the professional storyteller and the role-play in lessons provide a rich context in which ideas flow and pupils rehearse what they want to write before they put it onto paper. In this way, writing is more polished than it might otherwise have been. Pupils who are learning English as an additional language make equally good progress owing to the good emphasis in lessons on speaking and listening well.

p.23

Commentary

51. The recent improvements in the assessment of pupils’ writing have had a significant influence on the quality of written work produced. Teachers throughout the school have been trained to analyse examples of pupils’ writing in great depth and then set challenging targets for improvement. The benefits from this more focused evaluation of pupils’ work are enormous. Pupils take notice of their targets and try hard to make the necessary improvements.

p.23

Commentary

52. Lesson have clearly explained objectives, but not enough time, in general, is set aside for pupils to be fully involved in discussing their achievements and difficulties. In some classes, this aspect of learning is undertaken very well. For example, in a Year 4 lesson devoted to writing a character description, pupils talked eloquently about their learning because the Beeston Primary School - 24 teacher had created such an open atmosphere for reflection and debate. This positive and productive end to lessons is not common throughout the school.

p.23

Language and literacy across the curriculum

53. There are good opportunities for pupils to use their skills in reading, writing and discussion in other subjects. Computers are used well for word processing. Pupils’ written work in history and art and design, for example is lively and displays an understanding of the ideas being studied. For example, in Year 6, pupils wrote with insight about L S Lowry’s paintings in a way that not only gave details of his life, but which also showed a personal response to his work.

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils achieve well because teaching and learning are consistently good. • Leadership and management of the subject are good and have promoted good improvement. • Computers are not used sufficiently in mathematics lessons. • Marking and target setting are not used widely enough to help pupils improve their work.

p.24

Commentary

54. Current standards are average in Year 2 and Year 6 and pupils are achieving well throughout the school. This maintains the standards shown by National Curriculum test results in Year 2, in both 2002 and 2003, and is a big improvement in Year 6 from the standards shown by the results in 2002. The school analysed those results very carefully and took effective action to improve the quality of teaching and the curriculum, with good support from the local education authority. Results in tests in 2003 show a marked improvement; national data shows that standards then were only slightly below the national average. This improvement is being maintained and improved upon as the effect of consistently good teaching throughout the school has an impact on older year groups. This is a credit to the school because almost a fifth of the pupils joined the school during Years 3 to 5 and some of these pupils have learning

p.24

Commentary

or behavioural difficulties. All groups of pupils achieve well. By the time they leave, both boys and girls achieve well and attain similar standards. Teachers take care to ensure that they target questions to both boys and girls to ensure that they are all fully engaged in lessons.

p.24

Commentary

55. Assessment information is used effectively to check the progress of individuals and to highlight groups of pupils who need specific support. This is provided consistently well throughout the school by teaching assistants who help lower attainers and pupils with special educational needs to make good progress. They work closely with class teachers and have good systems of recording the progress their pupils are making. Pupils who are higher attainers are also highlighted and supported well by the level of challenging tasks.

p.24

Commentary

56. Teachers plan well and pupils are enthusiastic about the subject. They develop good attitudes to learning and the overwhelming majority concentrates very well on their tasks, which promotes their progress well. Although good oral feedback is given in lessons, marking is not developed well enough to help pupils understand how they can improve their work. Assessment information is not yet used to set individual targets for improvement, but this is currently being introduced in younger classes.

p.24

Commentary

57. The subject is led and managed well; the co-ordinator has a clear view of standards across the school and what is needed to improve them further. Good improvements have been made to provision for mathematics since the previous inspection, but, because of differences in year Beeston Primary School - 25 groups, results in national tests are now lower than at that time. The school is managing well in the context of these changed characteristics.

p.24

Mathematics across the curriculum

58. There are satisfactory opportunities for pupils to apply and develop their mathematical skills in real situations in other subjects. Pupils are competent in working independently with sound accuracy. For example, they measure accurately when making products in design and technology and collect data in science, record their scientific data and present their findings in charts and graphs.

p.25

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils’ work is well organised and well presented. • Lesson starters and plenaries are often good as they reinforce learning through targeted question and answer sessions, and move pupils’ learning on. • Assessment procedures are not fully developed. • Pupils’ skills in predicting and hypothesising, designing their own investigations and raising questions are underdeveloped. • Planning in lessons does not include sufficient challenge for the different groups within each class, particularly the higher attaining pupils.

p.25

Commentary

59. Standards in science are usually in line with those achieved nationally. However, the newly published results indicate a slight decline in standards for higher attainers in 2003. There was a similar picture in 2002, when the proportion of pupils achieving at the higher level was below that in other similar schools.

p.25

Commentary

60. The teachers have sound subject knowledge and, consequently, are able to ask relevant questions to find out about what pupils know and to further develop their scientific understanding. Teachers successfully share the purpose of the lesson with pupils so that they are clear about what they are to learn and what is expected of them. Where teaching is good, planned activities build well on previous work, so that pupils can use prior scientific knowledge and understanding to support their learning. This was evident in a Year 1 class when pupils were using their knowledge of light sources to begin to understand that light is essential for seeing things, and, in a Year 2 class when pupils used their knowledge of electrical sources to investigate making electrical circuits. Too few opportunities are taken to develop report writing, on many occasions pupils copy the write-up of investigations. Links to other subjects are

p.25

Commentary

starting to develop, for example, in Year 6 where pupils are learning about minibeasts in ICT. Teaching assistants are used well to support those pupils with special educational needs, enabling them to work alongside their peers and being fully involved in the lessons.

p.25

Commentary

61. Pupils enjoy science and respond positively, showing a great deal of interest and enjoyment in their work. Consequently, they pick up the scientific ideas they are being taught and show sound achievement. Pupils’ books are all well presented and the work well organised. Work is marked with positive comments, but marking does not give pupils a clear enough idea about what they need to improve.

p.25

Commentary

62. Recent changes in subject leadership have yet to be consolidated and time is needed for initiatives to be implemented consistently across the school. The co-ordinator has analysed Beeston Primary School - 26 standard assessment tests at Year 6 and from this has identified appropriate targets that are included in the development plan. However, the development of scientific enquiry continues to need attention. The monitoring of planning has not ensured that teachers plan tasks that meet closely enough the different groups within the class, for example, the pupils capable of higher attainment. The co-ordinator has introduced good quality end of topic assessment sheets, but their use was evident in only a couple of classes. The co-ordinator is giving good support to teachers through timetabled specialist teaching and this is having a positive effect on pupils’ learning within lessons. The co-ordinator has done well to maintain resources to support

p.25

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Provision in information and communication technology is satisfactory .

p.26

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils are benefiting from the specialist teaching from the co-ordinator at Years 3, 4, 5 and 6, and from the teaching assistant at Years 1 and 2. • Pupils are achieving well in word processing skills and have confidence in using appropriate software to compile their own writing drafts. • Pupils are not involved sufficiently in evaluating and thinking of ways to improve their own work and the work of other pupils. • Tasks are not always closely matched to the needs of groups within each class.

p.26

Commentary

63. Standards at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 are typical of those expected nationally for the age of the pupils. At Year 2, standards have kept pace with national expectations and, at Year 6, standards have risen so that they are now also in line with national expectations, indicating good progress since the last inspection.

p.26

Commentary

64. Since the last inspection, teachers have undergone training to improve their subject knowledge and expertise. They now have more confidence in their teaching of ICT and are able to set work that challenges pupils more appropriately. They are beginning to use the digital projector to model the skills they are teaching.

p.26

Commentary

65. Teaching and learning are satisfactory overall, but better where specialist teaching is promoted. Lesson plans, following the national guidelines, are providing good guidance for all classes and helping to improve teaching in this subject. Pupils are achieving well in word processing skills, using appropriate software to compile their own writing drafts. Pupils are not sufficiently involved in evaluating and considering ways to improve their own and other pupils’ work. Pupils’ work is marked with positive comments, but pupils receive insufficient written feedback on the intended learning or what they need to do next. This tends to limit their achievement overall.

p.26

Commentary

66. The improved resources within the school enable pupils to build on their communication skills, particularly word processing. Pupils are becoming more confident in using the Internet and e- mail by the time they leave the school, but this is still in the early stages of development. Years 5 and 6 pupils are beginning to create their own multimedia presentations. In Years 5 and 6 pupils were researching their topic on ‘Minibeasts’ and preparing multimedia presentations for Year 2 pupils. Pupils enjoy this subject and this is reflected in the good attitudes they demonstrate when applying themselves to their work. Work is not yet matched closely to the abilities of groups within the classes Beeston Primary School - 27 67. The subject is satisfactorily led and managed and the enthusiastic co-ordinator is making strides to support staff in improving provision in this subject. The co-ordinator has put in place

p.26

Commentary

an action plan that outlines appropriate targets to develop. The co-ordinator has good subject knowledge and is using this to work alongside other staff in Years 3 to 6, thus enhancing teaching and learning for these pupils and supporting staff development. A teaching assistant at Years 2 and 3 is supporting small groups of pupils. She links closely to teachers’ planning and feeds back information for assessment purposes. Formal monitoring of the subject has yet to be developed.

p.27

Information and communication technology across the curriculum

68. There are only a few opportunities for pupils to develop ICT through other subjects within the classroom. Pupils follow programs to support their spellings, such as ‘Dazzle’ to link with art and design, but too few opportunities are taken to link topics to ICT as a whole. Learning in the computer suite is more often linked to classroom learning. Pupils are learning to use camcorders in physical education and digital cameras to record the work they have done.

p.27

Geography

Only one geography lesson was observed during the inspection. There was only a limited range of supporting written evidence of pupils’ work and, therefore, no overall judgement about provision can be made.

p.27

Geography

Pupils respond well to lessons that give a real flavour of the country being studied. For example, in a Year 6 lesson on Africa, pupils handled everyday objects that might be used in Kenya, studied photographs of Kenyan wildlife and talked with interest about the map of Africa. They knew exactly where Kenya was and most could point to the Mozambique Channel.

p.27

Geography

Pupils throughout the school have an appropriate knowledge of Britain and the wider world and have sound skills in reading and drawing maps. An annual week’s study of Europe, culminating in ‘Europe Day’ enhances their understanding of life in other countries. The Year 5 residential visit to Ingleborough also enriches learning well.

p.27

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils achieve well and standards are in line with expectations by the end of Year 2 and Year 6. • Good use is made of role-play and artefacts to make lessons interesting. • Good opportunities are provided for applying and developing literacy skills. • Insufficient use is made of computers in history lessons for research and recording. Beeston Primary School - 28

p.27

Commentary

69. Teaching is good and promotes good achievement. Pupils gain a sound understanding about life in the past and how it influences life today. For example, Year 6 pupils recall their learning about the Tudors and know that Henry VIII founded the Church of England when he wanted to remarry and introduced divorce to the country. Year 2 pupils learn about famous people, such as Florence Nightingale, and understand the difference she made to life in hospitals in the Crimean War.

p.28

Commentary

70. Teaching observed during the inspection was consistently good and occasionally very good. Teachers make lessons stimulating by their good use of role-play and artefacts to engage pupils’ interest and develop their empathy with people in past eras. Pupils are taught to look for evidence by investigating the artefacts and carrying out research using books and photographs. They develop a good level of interest and their good attitudes contribute well to their learning. Although some use is made of computers for research in lessons in the computer suite, they are not used sufficiently during history lessons to aid research or recording. Teacher make their learning targets for lessons clear so that pupils understand what they are meant to learn and can settle quickly to their work. Teachers plan very well to apply and develop literacy skills in historical writing and pupils have many opportunities to write

p.28

Commentary

in different styles during lessons. For example, they take notes and write reports and biographies. Good links are also made with art and design to maximise the use of time and make learning real. For example, pupils in Years 5 and 6 produce very good pencil drawings of the Tudors and Queen Victoria.

p.28

Commentary

71. Leadership of the subject is good and has promoted good improvement in provision since the last inspection. Planning is now based on a scheme of work that enables teachers to plan for the development of pupils’ knowledge, understanding and skills more systematically. Resources are good and contribute well to the raising of standards.

p.28

Religious Education

Provision in religious education is satisfactory .

p.28

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Good use is made of role-play to make lessons interesting and pupils develop good attitudes. • Good opportunities are provided for applying and developing literacy skills. • Insufficient use is made of computers for research and recording. • There is no system for assessing and recording pupils’ learning and achievements.

p.28

Commentary

72. Standards of attainment remain in line with expectations of the locally agreed syllabus, as they were at the time of the last inspection. Examination of pupils’ work and discussions with pupils show that pupils develop a sound knowledge and understanding of Christianity and other world faiths. They are aware of some similarities between world religions, such as the various celebrations, special books and places of worship that are important to followers of different faiths, and know that faith influences the way people live. However, older pupils are not as certain about the underlying principles of certain aspects of their learning. For example, although pupils knew that Lent followed Shrove Tuesday, none could relate it to a period of fasting and sacrifice similar to that made by Jesus in the wilderness.

p.28

Commentary

73. Teachers plan interesting lessons and make good use of role-play to stimulate interest and develop empathy. They provide very good opportunities to develop pupils’ speaking, listening and writing skills in lessons. In the well-taught Year 6 lesson observed, pupils took part in a Beeston Primary School - 29 role-play about the story of King Solomon and the baby. They then wrote persuasive speeches from the two women claiming the baby, and presented these at the end of the lesson for King Solomon to make his decision. There was initially a strong focus on the literacy aspects of the tasks rather than the religious content, but the teacher consolidated pupils’ understanding of sacrifices made because of love. Learning support staff made a good contribution to the progress of lower attaining pupils, enabling them to succeed on the same task as other pupils.

p.28

Commentary

74. There are sound opportunities for Year 6 pupils to conduct a piece of independent research on a world faith of their own choice. In this they make satisfactory use of computers in research, but these are generally underused in lessons for research and recording. Good links are made with other subjects, particularly in the studies of world faiths, when, for example, pupils create Rangoli patterns in art and design. In geography, pupils study Hinduism when learning about India. Pupils develop good attitudes to learning and a respect and interest in the beliefs and customs of others. This work is enlivened by visitors from various faiths, visits to places of worship and the use of a good range of religious artefacts.

p.29

Commentary

75. Leadership is satisfactory and is beginning to have an impact on improving the planning of the curriculum. However, there is not yet an assessment procedure to support teachers in planning and checking pupils’ progress. This gap in provision restricts pupils’ achievement overall. The subject makes a good contribution to pupils’ personal development.

p.29

Art and Design

Provision in art and design is very good .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils’ attainment and achievement have improved dramatically since the last inspection. • The breadth of provision is key to the pupils’ success. • The leadership and management of the subject are strong and influential. • Assessment is integral to the work undertaken.

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Commentary

76. At the time of the last inspection, pupils were achieving well by the end of Year 6 and satisfactorily by the end of Year 2. Currently, pupils are attaining standards well beyond the national expectation at the end of Year 2 and Year 6. This is a major success story for the school. It is founded on the school’s long-term belief in breadth of study, incorporating the arts as fully as possible. The new co-ordinator, who teaches in Year 2, has made sure that standards have been raised in Years 1 and 2, and has also has worked most productively with other staff in the school who have specialist knowledge and skills. For example, a well- qualified and enthusiastic teaching assistant takes full responsibility for the very well-stocked art resources area in the centre of the school. It is here that, for example, pupils’ work is displayed superbly and high quality resources are dispensed. Moreover, a teacher takes

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Commentary

responsibility for three-dimensional work, in particular clay. The school kiln is used to very good effect to enhance the clay work produced.

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Commentary

77. Pupils’ achievements are largely a result of the great breadth and depth of the work undertaken. Observational drawing is full of well-considered lines and thoughtful detail. Pupils of all ages are dedicated to producing drawings of quality. These sketches often provide the inspiration for work in paint, textiles, printing or clay. In Year 2, for example, pupils sketched some colourful daisies and then produced some visually stunning pastel daises that seemed to leap out from the page. Moreover, some closely observed studies of fruit and vegetables in Beeston Primary School - 30 Year 6 were used to produce pastel drawings and prints that transformed the original lines and patterns into bold and colourful versions that had a strong life of their own. Some of the details included in the painted versions on wood blocks were exquisite. The many pupils that attend the school’s art club extend successfully their skills beyond the school day. Past pupils are so

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Commentary

pleased with the provision and the progress that they make that they continue to attend the art club after leaving for secondary school.

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Commentary

78. Very good leadership and management provided by the co-ordinator and several other staff, have made sure that sketchbooks are used effectively to record thoughts, collect visual stimuli and try out ideas. These useful books act as a constant source of self-assessment for pupils. Pupils talk very well about what they are doing and how well they have done. They are particularly pleased to be able to take their sketchbook up into the next class to act as a constant reminder about work undertaken.

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Design and Technology

Three lessons in design and technology were observed during the inspection and pupils talked about their work, but not enough current work, particularly in Year 6, was available to make a full judgement about provision.

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Commentary

79. The co-ordinator is used as a specialist teacher for some year groups. In these classes, teaching and learning are good as a consequence of the co-ordinator’s good subject knowledge. The co-ordinator has produced lesson guidance for other teachers. This very helpful guidance has not been in use for long enough for the results to be seen in terms of pupils’ work, but teachers are a lot clearer about what to teach and how to go about improving pupils’ learning. The marking of pupils’ designs and written ideas is, however, not helpful in all classes. Some comments prompt pupils to think again, but in some classes pupils receive too little advice about what to do.

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Commentary

80. The co-ordinator has organised resources very well so that teachers can fulfil the school’s curriculum that is usefully based on the national guidelines. These resources are used successfully in lessons to help pupils achieve well. For example, in Year 2, pupils were thrilled to design and make puppets using a wide range of well-organised tools and materials. Good teaching by the co-ordinator had demonstrated the skills needed well and reinforced the correct use of vocabulary such as, prototype, pattern and template.

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Commentary

81. There are some very good links with other subjects such as English, mathematics and science. As, for example, in a Year 5 lesson, when the pupils’ were focusing upon healthy eating as they designed cereal packages and invented interesting healthy cereals. In this way the curriculum became more relevant and exciting. An after-school club for design and technology is popular with the pupils and this reinforces appropriate skills for pupils.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils reach satisfactory standards which represents good achievement. • The co-ordinator has improved the subject well. • Local education authority staff make a strong contribution to pupils’ achievements. • There is no formal assessment system in place. Beeston Primary School - 31

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Commentary

82. At the time of the last inspection, standards were not judged as there was too little evidence available. The school accepts that, in 1998, pupils’ achievements were mainly related to singing and that compositions and performances using instruments were not strong features. Pupils are now reaching satisfactory standards in all aspects and this represents good achievement considering the ground that they have had to make up.

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Commentary

83. The co-ordinator has worked very hard to make sure that there is a good scheme of work for teachers to follow and that there are enough instruments to use. An enclosed room for music has been created which, although rather cramped at times, does provide a place in which singing and playing can be accomplished without disturbing other classes. The main drive has been to support non-specialist class teachers in the teaching of their own class. The school makes very good use of the knowledge of the co-ordinator and a local education authority music assistant who demonstrates good teaching and then encourages the class teacher to take over. The result of this support is that pupils in Year 1 can now compose imaginative sounds to depict fireworks using percussion instruments. In Year 4, pupils sing a Native American song melodiously, and clap the complicated rythmn. By Year 6, many pupils are

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Commentary

already reaching the nationally expected level in being able to beat out, on a drum, a very complicated African rhythm while listening to a recorded version of the song.

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Commentary

84. The school invests a considerable amount of its own money to make sure that the orchestra thrives. More than 20 pupils play a variety of brass, string and woodwind instruments. They are expertly led by a local educational authority teacher who inspires top quality performances from the pupils. This activity is a strong feature of the school’s provision for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Commentary

85. The curriculum development that has taken place recently has been beneficial, but it has not yet been accompanied by a system with which to assess pupils’ progress. Sometimes lessons finish without pupils having had the chance to talk about how well they have done and what could have been improved.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Provision in physical education is satisfactory .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils’ achievements are beginning to be influenced positively by staff with specialist skills. • Extra-curricular provision is very good. • There is no formal assessment of pupils’ achievement.

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Commentary

86. Standards were not judged at the time of the last inspection and since then the co-ordinator has left and not yet been replaced. The subject has not been managed in a way to ensure that pupils achieve better than expected in lessons. As a result, pupils reach satisfactory standards and achieve reasonably well, but could do better. When pupils are taught by staff with specialist knowledge, as in the case of Year 6, achievement is much higher than elsewhere in the school.

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Commentary

87. Keen and enthusiastic staff provide a very good range of extra-curricular activities for pupils to enjoy and in which to excel. Teaching staff are ably supported by parents and governors in offering a challenging programme of activities that includes dance, rugby and athletics to a high Beeston Primary School - 32 level of performance. Several pupils are inspired to join local clubs to improve their skills. In this way, talented pupils are well catered for by the school’s commitment to extended learning.

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Commentary

88. Pupils’ progress is satisfactory in most lessons because they can think of movements to make and sometimes string them together into a proficient sequence, but they have not yet acquired the skill with which to sustain a movement, extend a stretch or hold a position firmly. Sometimes lessons are rushed and pupils do not get enough time to reflect on what they have learnt and how they could do better. In the best lessons, teachers take time to help pupils analyse their success and plan for improvement. The digital camera is used successfully in Years 5 and 6 to help pupils evaluate their performances. In these successful lessons, pupils make rapid progress and are able to talk coherently and sensitively about the work of other pupils.

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Commentary

89. The school has a good plan to appoint a co-ordinator early in 2004. It acknowledges that the lack of a system of assessment is a weakness and plans are in hand to put one in place.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

Provision in personal, social and health education and citizenship is good .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Class discussion times for all year groups, and confidential drop-in sessions, encourage pupils to open up about their feelings and sensitivities and empathise with others. • Healthy lifestyles and personal safety are strongly promoted, sometimes with help from outside agencies. • Pupils get a good taste of democracy through elections to serve as leaders and representatives in school.

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Commentary

90. The school places great importance on developing pupils' personal and social qualities and enabling them to mature into responsible citizens. Year 3 pupils, for example, sensibly discussed times when they had seen someone upset and helped them to feel better. Well- established routines and trusting relationships give pupils confidence to share such experiences.

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Commentary

91. Healthy eating and fitness are reinforced through lessons and many initiatives that include sports and other extra-curricular provision. Pedestrian training led by the Safety Rangers Highways Department and cycling proficiency help pupils to keep safe on the streets. A recent performance by West Yorkshire Playhouse of 'Broken Angel' successfully raised pupils' awareness of alcohol abuse and issues surrounding child carers. A nurse visits school to talk to older pupils about puberty as part of the school's sex education programme.

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Commentary

92. Citizenship is very actively promoted through opportunities for pupils to play a considerable part in helping the school to run smoothly and improve. The head boy and head girl, school council, team captains, prefects and monitors make a big difference through carrying out their responsibilities diligently. Beeston Primary School - 33

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The overall effectiveness of the school 3 How inclusive the school is 3 How the school’s effectiveness has changed since its last inspection 4 Value for money provided by the school 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Overall standards achieved 4 Pupils’ achievement 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities 3 Attendance 4 Attitudes 3 Behaviour, including the extent of exclusions 4 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The quality of education provided by the school 3 The quality of teaching 3 How well pupils learn 3 The quality of assessment 4 How well the curriculum meets pupils needs 3 Enrichment of the curriculum, including out-of-school activities 2 Accommodation and resources 4 Pupils’ care, welfare, health and safety 3 Support, advice and guidance for pupils 4 How well the school seeks and acts on pupils’ views 2 The effectiveness of the school’s links with parents 3 The quality of the school’s links with the community 3 The school’s links with other schools and colleges 4

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The leadership and management of the school 3 The governance of the school 4 The leadership of the headteacher 3 The leadership of other key staff 3 The effectiveness of management 3

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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).

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