Down Ampney Church of England Primary School

DOWN AMPNEY CE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 21 st -22 nd January 2004

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DOWN AMPNEY CE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 Down Ampney CE Primary - 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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DOWN AMPNEY CE 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. Down Ampney CE Primary - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Infant and junior School category: Voluntary Controlled Age range of pupils: 4 to 11 Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 45

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Down Amoney Cirencester Gloucestershire Postcode: GL7 5QR

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Telephone number: 01793 750294 Fax number: 01793 750605

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body, Down Ampney CE Primary School Name of chair of governors: Mr D Skinner

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

Down Ampney CE Primary School is a very small two class village school with 45 pupils on roll. It is the same size as at the time of the previous inspection but the number of pupils has fallen as low as 32 in the intervening years. There are similar numbers of boys and girls on roll. The percentage of pupils with special educational needs (SEN) is above average and has increased since the last inspection. Most of the 13 pupils on the school’s register of SEN have moderate learning difficulties. Pupils come from a wide variety of social backgrounds and attainment on entry to the school is broadly average. Most pupils live in the village but some travel from further afield. There are no pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and none who speaks English as an additional language. The turnover of pupils is higher than that seen in most schools. There has been a high turnover of teachers in the junior class over the past three years, due to a retirement and a teacher taking

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

extended leave. Down Ampney CE Primary - 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

23160 Carole Skinner Lead inspector English, religious education, geography, history, music, foundation stage curriculum. 9092 Ron Elam Lay inspector 16492 Bob Lever Team inspector Mathematics, science, information and communication technology, art, design and technology, physical education, special educational needs.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Phoenix Educational Consultants Thule 60 Joy Lane Whitstable Kent CT5 4LT

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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.oftsed.gov.uk). Down Ampney CE Primary - 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 10

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

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The school provides an acceptable standard of education for its pupils but it has serious

weaknesses in aspects of leadership and management and the curriculum. It gives unsatisfactory value for money.

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The school provides an acceptable standard of education for its pupils but it has serious

The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are: • The leadership, management and governance of the school are unsatisfactory because they do not focus sufficiently on standards, teaching and the curriculum. • Teaching is satisfactory, but insufficient support and guidance for teachers make it difficult for them to meet fully pupils’ individual needs. • Pupils reach average standards and achieve soundly in mathematics and science, but their achievement in aspects of English is unsatisfactory in some year groups. • Very good provision for pupils’ moral and social development leads to very good attitudes, behaviour and relationships among pupils. • The planned curriculum is not sufficiently broad and balanced to ensure that all subjects are covered in enough depth. • Pupils’ learning is enriched by a good range of extracurricular experiences. • Procedures for assessing pupils’ attainment and tracking their progress are unsatisfactory in

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The school provides an acceptable standard of education for its pupils but it has serious

Years 3 to 6. • The principles of best value are not central to the school’s management and use of resources.

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The school provides an acceptable standard of education for its pupils but it has serious

The school has not made enough improvement since the last inspection. The management of pupils’ behaviour has improved significantly and is now a strength of the school. However, there has been underachievement in Years 3 to 6 over the past five years that has not been addressed with sufficient rigour to ensure that standards were raised sufficiently in English. Assessment procedures remain unsatisfactory in Years 3 to 6 and the curriculum for these pupils has declined in effectiveness. A significant barrier to improvement has been the lack of continuity in all aspects of provision for Years 3 to 6 as a result of the staffing situation. The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the school have also declined.

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The school provides an acceptable standard of education for its pupils but it has serious

STANDARDS ACHIEVED all schools similar schools Results in National Curriculum tests at the end of Year 6, compared with: 2001 2002 2003 2003 English E* E D D mathematics E* E E E* science E* E* E E* Key: A - well above average; B – above average; C – average; D – below average; E – well below average; E* very low Similar schools are those whose pupils attained similarly at the end of Year 2. These comparisons should be treated with caution owing to the small number of pupils involved and the high turnover of pupils in the school.

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The school provides an acceptable standard of education for its pupils but it has serious

Achievement is satisfactory. In Year R, achievement is satisfactory. Children are on course to reach the goals they are expected to reach by the end of Reception in all areas of learning. In Year 2, achievement is satisfactory and standards are average in reading, writing, mathematics, science, ICT and PE. In Year 6, achievement is satisfactory and standards are average in English, mathematics and science. However, the table above shows that there has been underachievement in Year 6 over the past few years and this is still evident in aspects of reading and writing in some other year groups. In 2003 the school was in the lowest five per cent of schools whose pupils attained similarly in Year 2. Indications are that standards in ICT, RE and PE are below average in Down Ampney CE Primary - 7 Year 6 as some aspects of these subjects are under developed and there are shortcomings in the school’s accommodation and resources which affect pupils’ rate of progress. Overall, boys do not

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Pupils’ attitudes, behaviour, attendance and punctuality are very good. Their spiritual,

moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils show very good interest in learning and are enthusiastic. Their behaviour is very good in lessons and around the school. The attendance rate is well above the national average. There are not enough opportunities for pupils to learn about and appreciate the cultural diversity of British society.

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The quality of education provided by the school is satisfactory but it has some notable

weaknesses. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory throughout the school. Teachers work very hard to meet the very diverse range of needs in each class but they are not given enough support to ensure a consistently high standard. Teachers manage and encourage pupils very well and provide work that interests and engages them in learning. There are significant weaknesses in the way assessment information is used to promote and track pupils’ progress in Years 3 to 6. The school provides a wide range of worthwhile and enriching experiences to enhance its curriculum. However, the balance of the curriculum is unsatisfactory and does not ensure that all subjects are taught in sufficient depth. There are shortcomings in some aspects of the curriculum in ICT, RE, PE and the Foundation Stage which are partly related to the limitations of the school’s accommodation and resources. The most significant strengths of the school’s provision are the

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The quality of education provided by the school is satisfactory but it has some notable

school’s welcoming family ethos and the way it provides for pupils’ personal development.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The leadership and management of the school are unsatisfactory. The leadership of the headteacher, although good in promoting pupils’ personal development, is unsatisfactory in ensuring high standards of teaching, learning and achievement. Management is unsatisfactory and does not help the school to meet its stated aims. Evaluation of the quality of education provided for the pupils and strategic planning for improvement are not rigorous enough. Although governors fulfil their statutory requirements, they have limited effect on the quality of provision and the school’s performance.

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Parents are very positive about the school. The only significant improvement they would like is related to the school’s accommodation. Pupils’ views are also positive. They enjoy school and most find lessons interesting.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

The most important things the school should do to improve are: • Improve the leadership and management of teaching and the curriculum. • Improve the management of the deployment and workload of staff to make teachers’ work more effective. • Ensure that strategic planning for school improvement is based on a more rigorous approach to self-evaluation and that it sets out clearly what needs to be done to raise standards, especially in English. • Review the time that is allocated to different subjects within the curriculum and ensure that it is sufficiently broad and balanced. • Improve the procedures for assessing and tracking pupils’ progress through the levels of the National Curriculum and ensure that teachers have the information they need to plan appropriate work for pupils and raise standards of attainment. • Ensure that the principles of best value are central to financial management.

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Standards achieved in areas of learning, subjects and courses

Achievement is satisfactory in the foundation stage and in Years 1 to 6. Standards in English, mathematics and science are average, overall, in Year 2 and Year 6, but there is evidence of underachievement in some year groups in reading and writing.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards in mathematics and science are average and achievement is satisfactory throughout the school. • Standards in writing are below average in Years 3, 4 and 5 and there is also evidence of some underachievement in reading in Years 4 and 5. • There are weaknesses in aspects of ICT, PE and RE in Years 3 to 6. • Girls generally do better than boys.

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Commentary

1. Comparisons of attainment on the basis of national test results alone may be statistically unreliable because of the small numbers of pupils involved. However, they do indicate that between 1999 and 2003, the school’s results were above the national average in Year 2 in reading and writing and they rose from below average to above average in mathematics over the same period. In Year 6, however, the school’s results in English, mathematics and science were considerably below the national average over that same five year period. This suggests that pupils in Years 3 to 6 were not achieving as well as they should have been. However, other important factors make it difficult to interpret the test data with a reliable degree of accuracy. Firstly, the proportion of pupils with special educational needs varies considerably between year groups, as does the nature of those needs. Secondly, there is a high turnover of pupils, particularly in Years 3 to 6. In addition, pupils in the junior

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Commentary

class have had several changes of teacher.

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Commentary

2. Standards in the current Year 6 are in line with the national average in English, mathematics and science. This is a very small year group which is achieving satisfactorily in line with the school’s targets. Three of the four pupils have joined the class in the past two years. Monitoring reports by the Local Education Authority (LEA) indicate that underachievement in Years 3 to 6 has been the main focus of support from external advisers over the past few years. Improvement has been slow, and is not always reflected in the results of national tests. However, the inspection findings show that standards are broadly average in mathematics and science throughout Years 3 to 6 as the teaching pupils are now receiving is at least satisfactory and sometimes good. More able pupils have been given appropriately challenging work in these subjects to help them achieve their potential. The school has also benefited from additional support from external advisers, which has helped to

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improve teaching, particularly in mathematics.

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Commentary

3. However, standards in writing have been low for several years and remain so in Years 3, 4 and 5. Standards in reading, though average in Years 3 and 6, are below average in Years 4 and 5. This is because there has not been a clear and consistent approach to teaching skills and diagnosing the causes of underachievement. The new teacher has received little guidance to indicate the strategies adopted by the school in order to raise standards and there is no whole school action plan that sets out what needs to be done.

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Commentary

4. Standards in ICT are below average in Year 6. This is largely because there are not enough opportunities for pupils to develop more advanced computer skills and use them in a variety of subjects to enhance their learning. The school is partly addressing this situation through its involvement in the Local Archive project, which is an ICT based activity. Standards in gymnastics, which was the only aspect of PE it was possible to observe, are below average. This is because the school has no hall and pupils are only able to use the village hall in the spring term. Gymnastics Down Ampney CE Primary - 9 equipment is inadequate to enable pupils to reach the standards expected by Year 6. The limited range of evidence available indicates that standards in RE are below the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus in Year 6. Pupils are not able to talk in any depth about the aspects they have studied and their knowledge of religions other than Christianity is very limited.

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Commentary

5. Standards in Year 2 are average in reading, writing, mathematics, science, ICT and PE. There was insufficient evidence to make reliable judgements about standards in other subjects. Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory and reflects the satisfactory quality of the teaching they receive.

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Commentary

6. Individual pupils’ performance in national tests shows that girls generally achieve better than boys. Although the school is aware of these differences, there is little evidence to show that consistent strategies are being implemented to address the situation. Pupils with SEN make steady progress against specific targets and goals. They do well when receiving extra support. Regular reviews show they generally achieve their targets.

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Commentary

7. Achievement in the Foundation Stage is satisfactory. This reflects the satisfactory nature of the quality of teaching the children receive. They are taught in a class alongside pupils in Years 1 and 2. This factor and the limitations of the accommodation restrict the range of approaches the teacher can employ. Children are on course to reach the goals they are expected to reach by the end of Reception in all areas of learning.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

Overall, pupils' attitudes to school and behaviour are very good. Attendance and punctuality are very good. The provision for the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils is good overall, though there are weaknesses in the appreciation of cultural traditions.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils behave very well, have very positive attitudes to work and enjoy being at school. This shows a considerable improvement since the last inspection. • The level of attendance is well above the national average. • The school's provision for social and moral development leads to very good relationships around the school. • The school's provision for preparing pupils for life in a multicultural British society is unsatisfactory

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Commentary

8. The table below shows the attendance figures for the school. The level of attendance has improved since the last inspection. The keenness of the pupils to come to school and the good support of parents result in a prompt start to lessons.

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Commentary

Attendance in the latest complete reporting year [%] Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data: 3.4 School data: 0.1 National data: 5.4 National data: 0.4 The table gives the percentage of half days [sessions] missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.

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Commentary

9. Pupils' social development is very good. The school provides very good opportunities for pupils to interact with classmates in group work, paired discussions and monitor tasks within each class and around the school. The size of the school and the mixed age classes lead to a family atmosphere and to the older pupils being very supportive of the younger. Their awareness of the wider world is enhanced by their participation in village life, the range of visitors and opportunities to meet other pupils in inter-school events. Pupils' relationships with their peers and with adults have maintained the high level at the time of the last inspection, and contribute to the quality of work in Down Ampney CE Primary - 10 lessons and to the progress they make, especially by giving them the confidence to ask and to answer questions.

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Commentary

10. The pupils' personal development is very good. The opportunities for pupils to gain insight into values and beliefs in order to develop their spiritual awareness are good. As well as providing a time for reflection, school assemblies help pupils to a sense of belonging to a whole school community. Circle time helps pupils to start to appreciate their own worth and to raise their self- esteem. They willingly demonstrate that they can act responsibly and both older and younger pupils talked with maturity in discussions with the inspectors. The school provides good opportunities in lessons for the pupils to develop their problem solving skills. An effective example of this was seen in an infant class science lesson where pupils designed a way to move Elmer the elephant across the room.

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11. Overall, the provision for cultural development is satisfactory. Pupils are starting to appreciate the western cultural background from nursery rhymes and work on, for example, the Greeks and Tudors in history and European artists and composers. During the year, the school highlights different festivals such as the Chinese New Year, which was featured in an assembly during the inspection. Nevertheless, pupils show little understanding of religions other than Christianity and the school has no visitors from other faiths or visits to their places of worship. In addition the school does little to promote pupils’ understanding of life in a multicultural British society.

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Commentary

12. The pupils' attitudes towards learning are very good. Parents confirm what their children told the inspectors and what was seen during the inspection: school is fun and the pupils really enjoy their lessons. They listen attentively, follow instructions well and settle quickly to the tasks given. They have confidence in their own abilities and are eager to contribute their ideas. These positive attitudes reflect the quality of teaching and the variety of interesting activities built into the lessons.

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Commentary

13. Pupils’ moral development is very good. They are aware of how their behaviour affects others and they show good self-discipline, resulting in an orderly school. They are open, polite to adults and to each other and welcoming to visitors. Any instances of aggressive behaviour are rare and the pupils confirm that any such behaviour is dealt with promptly and effectively. Last year, no pupils were excluded.

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Commentary

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 44 0 0 White – any other White background 1 0 0

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Commentary

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 quality of education provided by the school is satisfactory. The most significant strength is the quality of care that pupils receive, the school’s welcoming family ethos and the way it provides for pupils’ personal development. In addition, the school provides a wide range of worthwhile and enriching experiences to enhance its curriculum. However, the balance of the curriculum is unsatisfactory and does not ensure that all National Curriculum subjects are taught in sufficient depth. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory throughout the school, but levels of support for class teachers are low and this reduces the effectiveness of their teaching. Assessment information is not used satisfactorily to promote and track pupils’ progress in Years 3 to 6. There are comparative weaknesses in ICT, RE and PE and aspects of the curriculum in the Foundation Stage, some of which are related to shortcomings in the school’s resources and accommodation.

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Teaching and learning

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory throughout the school. Assessment procedures are satisfactory in Reception and Years 1 and 2, but unsatisfactory in Years 3 to 6.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The class teachers are dedicated, hardworking and committed to providing the best possible education for the children in their classes. • They receive insufficient support with planning and in lessons to enable them to teach consistently to a high standard. • Teachers form very good, supportive relationships with pupils and encourage them to do their best. • Pupils apply themselves to their work well and show interest in it, but some do not produce as much work as they could in the allotted time. • Teachers insist on high standards of behaviour and are consistent in their expectations of pupils’ conduct in lessons. • Teachers plan activities to meet the needs of the wide range of pupils in each class, but are sometimes hindered by inadequate resources. • Assessment procedures are not sufficiently clear and constructive in Years 3 to 6 and do not help the teacher to plan work to meet individual pupils’ needs.

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Commentary

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in nine lessons

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Commentary

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

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Commentary

The table gives the number of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

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Commentary

14. The two class teachers work very hard to meet the considerable challenges posed by teaching three or four different age groups and preparing work for pupils at widely differing levels of attainment in each class. They strive to do their best for all pupils, often under difficult circumstances. Discussions with pupils show that they respect the teachers and trust them. Parents are happy with the levels of care their children receive and feel comfortable approaching teachers with problems or concerns.

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Commentary

15. A serious concern for the school is the inadequate support that teachers are given to enable them to meet the needs of all pupils in all areas of the curriculum. This results in high levels of stress for the teachers and an unacceptably heavy workload, especially for a newly qualified teacher. Until very recently, each class was allocated a learning support worker for two hours each morning, which did not provide cover for the whole of each literacy and numeracy lesson. This has recently been increased by half an hour a day to ensure that both lessons are supported. The school does not employ support staff in the afternoon when all other aspects of the curriculum are covered, but relies on voluntary help. Although two part-time teachers support pupils with special educational needs on a one-to-one basis, no additional qualified teachers are employed to ease the burden on class teachers in literacy and numeracy lessons. The headteacher does not teach groups of pupils

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Commentary

in these lessons on a regular basis. The difficulty of meeting the needs of individual pupils in literacy was particularly apparent during the inspection in both classes. 16. The responsibility for planning the whole curriculum for their pupils rests on the two class teachers. They spend many hours planning activities to cater for the different groups within each class, based on their own knowledge of pupils’ diverse previous attainment and capabilities. Sometimes, the effectiveness of lessons is reduced by inadequate resources, as in a literacy lesson in Years 3 to 6. There were not enough dictionaries to ensure that all pupils were able to use them Down Ampney CE Primary - 12 and the planned ICT activity could not take place because the computers failed to work. This had happened on a number of previous occasions according to both the teacher and pupils, but was rectified the following day. 17. A significant strength of the teaching is the way teachers form constructive relationships with

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Commentary

pupils and encourage them to strive to do their best. As a result, pupils say they enjoy school and show interest in their work. Most apply themselves well to tasks and produce work of a satisfactory standard, but some pupils in Years 3 to 6 do not produce sufficient work in the allocated time. The teacher has identified the need to develop pupils’ independent thinking and problem solving skills, which were weak when she took over the class, in order to reduce their dependence on adult guidance. Teachers use appropriate methods, which enable pupils identified with special educational needs to learn effectively. Teachers take account of the targets set out in pupils’ individual education plans, which are sufficiently practical to implement when support staff are not present. 18. A significant weakness identified by the previous inspection was the pupils’ behaviour, which was sometimes disruptive in lessons. The school has addressed this weakness well. Teachers

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Commentary

have a consistent approach to setting expectations of behaviour and pupils respond well to this. As a result, lessons are not disrupted or slow to get underway and pupils are able to concentrate well. The level of challenge for higher attaining pupils has also improved with the result that these pupils reach above average levels in the national tests. However, very few pupils achieve above average standards in writing. 19. The school has a comprehensive range of procedures which are administered throughout Years R to 6. However, there are no clear and simple procedures for recording and tracking pupils’ attainment and progress through the levels of the National Curriculum throughout Years 3 to 6. Although pupils are given tests each year, the assessment information gained is not used effectively to help the teacher to track pupils’ progress effectively and plan appropriate work for each one. Assessment data are not easily accessible for class teachers. The new teacher had little

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Commentary

information about pupils’ previous attainment to guide her in planning work for pupils across four school years and a wide range of abilities. Day to day assessments by teachers, particularly marking, are often good. Teachers give good indications of what pupils need to do to improve. For pupils with SEN, the school uses assessment data from teachers and standardised tests to inform target-setting procedures in individual education plans. These are mainly based on assessment that shows reading age below chronological age. The school uses a range of specific tests to monitor individual progress in terms of their reading. Assessments made on entry to school enable early identification of pupils needing extra support.

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The curriculum

The curriculum is satisfactory in Reception and in Years 1 and 2; it is unsatisfactory in Years 3 to 6. It covers all subjects of the National Curriculum and RE but it lacks sufficient balance. It provides good opportunities for enrichment, including extra-curricular provision. The quality and quantity of accommodation and resources at the school do not meet the needs of the curriculum well.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Insufficient time is allocated to some subjects. • There are weaknesses in the deployment of staff to meet the needs of the curriculum. • Accommodation and learning resources are insufficient in some areas. • The school provides a good range of out of school activities which enrich pupils’ learning. • The curriculum for children in Reception is satisfactory but has some shortcomings.

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Commentary

20. Although the school reports an above average amount of time available for the curriculum, the timetables show that actual teaching time is almost one and a half hours below that which is recommended for pupils in Years 3 to 6. Furthermore, the balance of each day is heavily weighted towards English and mathematics, which take up the whole of every morning session of 2 hours 25 Down Ampney CE Primary - 13 minutes. When afternoon guided reading sessions are taken into account there are only 8 hours 20 minutes per week to cover the rest of the curriculum. This means that an appropriate amount of time has not been allocated to the teaching and learning of some subjects. Subjects like art and DT, and aspects of geography and history, are not taught in sufficient breadth and depth to build progressively on pupils’ skills, knowledge and understanding as they move through the school. In addition, this narrows the scope and variety of pupils’ use of literacy skills across the curriculum.

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Commentary

This is reflected in the limited amount of work that has been completed in some subjects. These factors also restrict the breadth, balance and relevance of the curriculum and limit the attainment of higher standards by pupils of all abilities.

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Commentary

21. The long morning sessions are not currently used to their best effect and sometimes result in over-long lessons where some pupils, especially the youngest and the least able, find it difficult to sustain interest and concentration. This provides another challenge for teachers in planning appropriate activities . No procedures are in place for reviewing the effectiveness of the timetable.

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Commentary

22. Overall the provision for pupils with special educational needs is sound. The curriculum is appropriately organised for these and no pupils are disapplied. Arrangements for using individual education plans are effective in ensuring that pupils’ needs are met whilst still enabling pupils to have access to the whole curriculum.

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Commentary

23. The accommodation is unsatisfactory overall. Outdoor facilities are good but the lack of a school hall restricts the development of some aspects of PE and other whole school activities. Classrooms are small and have to double up as dining rooms and assembly hall. Lack of storage space in other parts of the school restricts classroom space. However, many of the resources currently being stored are outdated and some are in poor condition. Resources to support the curriculum are unsatisfactory. Although the school has new computers, equipment to monitor external events is lacking and problems have arisen because existing software is proving to be incompatible with the new system. During the inspection, problems with computers affected some lessons and there was a delay in solving them. There are also shortages of resources in some other areas of the curriculum, most notably reading books, dictionaries and some mathematical

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Commentary

equipment. Teachers provide some necessary equipment themselves or have to borrow it from other sources. 24. Staffing arrangements are unsatisfactory. There is insufficient support for class teachers to enable them to provide a high standard of education for all pupils. This is particularly evident in the junior class, where the newly qualified teacher has no additional teacher support in literacy and numeracy lessons. Both classes have a learning support worker in the morning, but this has only recently been extended to cover both literacy and numeracy lessons. Teachers have to rely on voluntary help for the rest of the day. This makes it difficult to ensure that the curriculum matches the needs of all groups of pupils within the wide age and ability range in each class . Although governors have discussed the need to employ a part-time teacher, no interim arrangements, such as the headteacher taking half of the class, have been put in place to ease the burden on the junior

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Commentary

teacher. 25. A strong feature of the school’s provision, and one which is given a high priority, is the range of activities outside of lessons. The curriculum is enhanced by a variety of clubs and a good range of visits and visitors. There is a French club, nature club and a good range of sporting activities. The school is currently embarking on a very exciting Local Archive Initiative. Pupils benefit from interesting visits both locally and further afield. The school makes effective use of the village as a resource for local studies in geography and history. There are opportunities for a residential visit every two years for older pupils, which makes a good contribution to their personal and social development. Cultural visits include a whole school trip to a performance by the National Ballet.

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Commentary

26. Curricular planning for Reception is based on subjects, with appropriate links made to the Early Learning Goals as recommended for the Foundation Stage. However, it is sometimes too closely related to the curriculum for pupils in Years 1 and 2, which limits the opportunities for the Reception children to be involved in activities that enable them to choose for themselves. The accommodation also places restrictions on the provision for physical activities for these children. Down Ampney CE Primary - 14 There is no enclosed or covered outside area for children to use, which limits opportunities for social and physical development and for developing independence.

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Care, guidance and support

The arrangements for pupils' care, welfare and health and safety are satisfactory overall and support pupils' learning. The provision of support, advice and guidance based on monitoring is unsatisfactory. The involvement of pupils in the school's work through seeking, valuing and acting on their views is good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The pupils trust the teachers and other staff and know there is always someone to whom they can turn. • The monitoring of pupils' academic progress through the school is unsatisfactory. • The school provides a variety of opportunities in lessons for pupils to express opinions about life in the school. • The school has good arrangements to enable new pupils to settle in.

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Commentary

27. The governors are actively involved with the headteacher in touring the school to identify any potential risks and hazards. A safety officer from the local authority has visited the school to check on the state of the buildings. Teachers ensure that pupils are made aware of health and safety issues during lessons such as science and design and technology. The school follows appropriate local procedures for child protection. The arrangements for first aid are appropriate, with several staff trained by the St John’s Ambulance Brigade.

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Commentary

28. Although the school undertakes frequent assessments of pupils’ attainment, such as reading ages, verbal reasoning and mathematics tests, its systems for tracking their progress through the levels of the National Curriculum are unsatisfactory. There are no simple procedures for recording individual pupils’ attainment, against the levels of the National Curriculum, in English, mathematics and science on a termly basis which inform teachers’ planning or help them to set work that will move pupils on to the next level of attainment.

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Commentary

29. Parents are pleased with the level of support in the school, seeing it as a caring community where staff are approachable if there are any problems. In particular, parents agreed that their children were well supported when they first come into the school either into reception or if they arrive in other years. This is because of good links with the nearby playgroup and the good informal support from the pupils already in the school. Pupils consider that they are supported very well by the staff and know whom they would go to if they needed help. They also consider that the teachers listen to their ideas. A good example of this was seen in the infant class during circle time with the teacher discussing, with the pupils, concerns that they had written in a class notebook and asking for their views on how they could be resolved.

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Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

Links with parents are satisfactory overall. Links with the local community are good and those with other schools are satisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Parents hold the school in high regard. • The school does not provide parents with enough information about what is being taught. • The parents' support at home and in school makes a good contribution to pupils' achievement. • The annual reports to parents provide good information on their children's progress. Down Ampney CE Primary - 15 • The involvement of a range of organisations and people in the community extends experiences for pupils' personal, social and academic development.

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Commentary

30. In their very high response to the pre-inspection questionnaire and at the meeting, parents showed they that they are very pleased with what the school provides. Their children like school, the staff expect them to work hard and encourage them to become mature and independent.

p.15

Commentary

31. The information provided by the school is satisfactory. The headteacher sends home regular letters about school life though these are mainly about trips. Little information is provided about what is being taught in class. Teachers are readily available. In particular, parents are welcomed into school with their children before the start of the day and the teachers take the pupils into the playground at the end of the day. From the relaxed, informal conversations seen to take place between the class teachers and the parents, it is apparent that parents are comfortable talking to the staff. The annual reports on pupils’ progress in the summer term have a good summary of what the children know and can do in each subject and include targets for improvement.

p.15

Commentary

32. Parents’ involvement with the school and support at home make a good contribution to its work and to the achievement of the pupils. Pupils confirm that their parents usually insist on the homework being completed. The parent teacher association works hard to organise both fundraising and social events. Some parents, other relatives and governors help regularly in the classroom and many more help with swimming and, for example, transporting children to sports matches and other events. The school has not yet introduced any formal arrangements such as questionnaires to enable parents to be actively involved in helping to formulate school policies. Nevertheless the headteacher does consult parents at parent evenings and through the parent teacher association.

p.15

Commentary

33. The school has good links with the wider community and, in particular, it enables the parents and their children to make an important contribution to the life of the village. The pupils benefit from a variety of visitors to the school and visits out in the local area and further afield. The school has satisfactory links with other schools. The good links with the local playgroup and the local secondary schools ensure pupils make a smooth transition at the start and end of their time in the school. The cluster arrangements with local schools enable them to share resources, including a handyman, and teachers within the school meet for some joint training.

p.15

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The leadership and management of the school are unsatisfactory. The leadership of the headteacher, although good in promoting pupils’ personal development, is unsatisfactory in ensuring high standards of teaching, learning and achievement. Management is unsatisfactory and does not help the school to meet its stated aims. Governance is unsatisfactory because governors have limited effect on the quality of provision or the school’s performance.

p.15

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The headteacher provides effective leadership in raising the school’s profile in the community and promoting a friendly and caring ethos where pupils feel happy and secure. • Leadership of teaching and the curriculum lack clarity and there are no clear lines of responsibility. • Strategic planning is weak and does not provide a clear agenda for addressing the school’s weaknesses. • Monitoring and evaluation of the school’s performance are not rigorous enough and do not lead to effective action. • Governors are very supportive of the staff and pupils but their role in strategic planning is limited. Down Ampney CE Primary - 16 • The governors’ awareness of the school’s weaknesses is insufficient to ensure they are able to hold the school to account for the standards it achieves and the quality of education it provides. • The deployment, workload and professional development of staff are not managed sufficiently

p.15

Main strengths and weaknesses

well to provide adequate support and guidance for teachers. • The principles of best value are not central to the school’s use and management of its resources.

p.16

Commentary

34. The headteacher has worked hard in recent years to raise the profile of the school in the local community and to win the support of parents and others in providing a wide range of additional activities for pupils. She knows individual pupils and their families well and is committed to providing a nurturing environment, where each pupil’s needs are taken into account. There has been a successful focus on improving pupils’ attitudes towards school and their behaviour since the previous inspection, which is reflected in the high standards now being achieved in those aspects of pupils’ personal development. Parents speak highly of the way the headteacher ensures that every pupil is involved in events such as Sports Day and Christmas plays and pupils talk with enthusiasm about taking part in visits and special events.

p.16

Commentary

35. Although there is a very strong emphasis on providing a caring and supportive environment for pupils, the leadership and management of teaching and the curriculum lack vision and rigour. Discussions with the governors and headteacher show that the main area of concern is the buildings, and in particular, the drive to secure the construction of a hall. Much of the headteacher’s time is taken up with administrative tasks, many of which relate to this project. As a result, insufficient time is given to ensuring that the headteacher leads by example in order to inspire and motivate other members of staff. Leadership of the curriculum does not provide a clear agenda for improvement or ensure that the monitoring and evaluation of provision are sufficiently thorough. The headteacher has not established a climate in which other teachers’ leadership skills are developed in seeking creative and innovative ways to overcome difficulties and remedy weaknesses.

p.16

Commentary

36. The school improvement plan is ineffective in achieving the aims it sets out to meet. Priorities for improvement are identified after the headteacher has analysed the school’s performance data. However, this analysis places too great an emphasis on the unfairness of national comparisons due to the small number of pupils in the school and also on giving reasons why individual pupils did not achieve as well as might have been expected. Too little attention is given to putting strategies in place to help raise standards. The action plans that address each of the priorities identified do not show what needs to be done in order to bring about the necessary improvements. The school improvement plan does not specify the implications for the budget, nor does it provide measurable criteria to judge how successful the school has been. It is not a useful tool for raising standards as teachers are not fully aware of its content. Consequently, there is no

p.16

Commentary

coherent team approach to school improvement.

p.16

Commentary

37. The monitoring of pupils’ progress against their targets is unsatisfactory because the use of assessment information is not rigorous enough. The evaluation of the school’s effectiveness also lacks rigour in diagnosing what needs to be done to improve the quality of teaching and learning. It is, however, important to note that a significant barrier to bringing about improvement has been the high turnover of teachers in the junior class and the difficulty in ensuring continuity of approach. Records show that the school has benefited from increased support from the Local Education Authority (LEA) which has helped to address some of the factors that were identified as causing underachievement. This has helped to raise standards in mathematics and science. However, although the headteacher has carried out some observations of teaching, these do not have a clear focus that is related to implementing agreed strategies. Although the school’s LEA adviser stressed

p.16

Commentary

the need for rigorous monitoring and evaluation of teaching, pupils’ work and the curriculum over a year ago, this has not been maintained. Down Ampney CE Primary - 17 38. Discussions with governors show that they are committed to the school and have the best interests of the pupils at heart. Most have work commitments that limit the time available to visit the school, but those who are able help out with activities both during the school day and on visits to the swimming pool and places of interest. Governors rely heavily on the headteacher for information about the school’s performance and have not been represented at most of the meetings with the LEA adviser to discuss what needs to be done to raise standards. This limits their understanding of the main issues facing the school. As with the headteacher, they are principally concerned with the proposed building project. Their involvement in strategic planning is slight, and the school

p.16

Commentary

improvement plan does not provide them with a clear picture of what strategies are needed to address its key priorities. Consequently they have no effective means of checking whether any improvement is taking place. 39. The governors and headteacher have not taken sufficient steps to ensure that teachers are adequately supported to enable them to perform to the best of their ability. The newly qualified teacher has received inadequate support to ease the pressure of teaching all four junior year groups in one class. She works well in partnership with the learning support worker, who was also new to the profession at the beginning of the school year. However, the hours of support allocated are lower than those seen in most schools, amounting to only two and a half hours per day. In the autumn term this was lower still and did not ensure cover for both literacy and numeracy lessons. The newly qualified teacher has received insufficient help with planning the curriculum and was not provided

p.17

Commentary

with adequate assessment information to help her plan appropriate work for such a diverse group of pupils. The level of support in the infant class is also lower than that seen in most schools and the teacher relies heavily on voluntary help to ensure that she is able to provide for both Reception children and those in Years 1 and 2. Governors have, however, taken steps to ensure that class teachers have non-contact time in advance of the statutory requirements due to come into force in 2005. 40. The links between school development planning and financial management are not explicit in the improvement plan. Expenditure decisions are not based effectively on best value principles. The school’s managers do not question sufficiently why they do things in a particular way or whether alternative strategies might bring better results. The use of performance data to compare the school with other schools in a similar situation is not rigorous enough. There is insufficient consultation with

p.17

Commentary

governors, staff and parents when managing improvement. As the table shows, the school is holding significant reserves. Approximately 70 per cent of this money consists of capital funding which is to be used specifically to fund the costs of a new hall, as agreed with the LEA. The rest of the money represents just over seven per cent of the school’s income, which is a significant proportion in view of the fact that there are deficiencies in resources in some areas of the curriculum and in staffing levels, which the school is aware of. Financial information for the year April 2002 to March 2003 Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 154623 Balance from previous year 50021 Total expenditure 166042 Balance carried forward to the next 38602 Expenditure per pupil 4370

p.17

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Provision for children in the Foundation Stage is satisfactory. No judgement was made by the previous inspection. The quality of teaching is satisfactory in all areas of learning, as are the leadership and management of the provision. At the time of this inspection, eight children were attending full time and were being taught alongside pupils in Years 1 and 2. Assessment information indicates that children make sound progress and reach the standards expected by the end of the Reception year in communication, language and literacy, mathematical development, creative Down Ampney CE Primary - 18 development, knowledge and understanding of the world, personal, social and emotional development and physical development. This represents satisfactory achievement.

p.17

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Good induction procedures ensure that children settle in quickly and become confident and happy at school. • Relationships between adults and children are very good. • There are limited opportunities for children to develop independence by choosing activities for themselves or initiating their own ideas through play. • Good teaching of letters and sounds forms a good basis for developing reading and writing skills. • Some of the teaching is too formal and directed for children of this age. • The accommodation restricts opportunities for developing some aspects of the children’s social and physical skills.

p.18

Commentary

41. The school has good induction procedures for the children and their parents, which help the children to settle into school quickly and happily. Close links with the pre-school and a good range of visits for both children and parents help prepare them well for school. The teacher and assistant form very good, constructive relationships with the children which help to develop their confidence. They encourage the older pupils in the class to look after the younger ones, which makes for a happy and harmonious group. These aspects of the children’s personal, social and emotional development are good. However, there are insufficient opportunities for children to develop independence by selecting activities for themselves or for taking part in creative role-play.

p.18

Commentary

42. In communication, language and literacy the teacher plans a variety of interesting activities to help children learn letters and sounds. For example, in one lesson they listened to and joined in with rhymes about the alphabet and used ‘letter fans’ to find and hold up the letters that matched different sounds. Children are given many opportunities to practise writing letter shapes and to reinforce their knowledge of sounds. They begin to experiment appropriately with their own writing, sometimes using recognisable letters to attempt words.

p.18

Commentary

43. Photographic evidence shows that children enjoy a wide range of activities to extend their mathematical development and their knowledge and understanding of the world around them. The teacher makes effective use of the school grounds to extend children’s understanding of colour, light and sound. They explore materials, and look how some change when they are cooked. Children know how to program a toy robot to make it move along a path and stop at a chosen place. They explain how some toys move by pushing and pulling. In a mathematics lesson about shape, the learning support worker took the children on a ‘shape walk’ around the school to see if they could recognise different shapes in the school environment. All of these activities are well planned to develop children’s ability for investigation and exploration. However, in parts of some lessons, the teaching is rather formal and over directed for such young children and they are expected to sit still

p.18

Commentary

for too long listening to the teacher or taking part in activities more suited to the older pupils. This is often because the teacher does not have the necessary trained support in the classroom to make separate arrangements for them in all lessons.

p.18

Commentary

44. The limitations of the accommodation mean that children do not have free access to a secure outdoor play area. Although alternative arrangements are in place for them to use the village hall for PE, this only takes place in the spring term. The teacher makes the best possible use of the school grounds to develop the children’s physical skills at other times of the year. Children also benefit from swimming lessons after school, although these are optional. Sometimes they play on tricycles at playtime. The teacher provides children with a sound range of experiences to help improve their manipulative skills by handling modelling materials, scissors and brushes. Down Ampney CE Primary - 19

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards are not consistently high enough in Years 3 to 6, especially in writing. • Teachers work hard to meet the needs of all the pupils in their class. • Teachers place good emphasis on developing pupils’ speaking and listening skills. • There is insufficient support for literacy planning and teaching in the junior class. • The leadership and management of English are unsatisfactory. • There is no clear action plan for raising standards in writing or for improving boys’ achievement. • Shortcomings in the range and quality of resources reduce the effectiveness of the teaching. • There are insufficient opportunities for pupils to use and develop their literacy skills in other subjects.

p.19

Commentary

45. Standards in Year 2 and Year 6 are currently in line with national averages and achievement is satisfactory. However, standards in writing are lower than those in reading, and have been identified by the school as a priority for improvement. An analysis of pupils’ work shows that those in Years 1 and 2 are making satisfactory progress, overall, in writing, but weaknesses in spelling and punctuation still exist. Although standards in Year 6 are currently average, this judgement is based on the work of four pupils, three of whom have not been at this school throughout Years 3 to 6. A more representative sample is the larger group of pupils in Years 4 and 5, most of whom have been at the school since Reception. Among this group of pupils there is evidence of underachievement in reading and writing. Standards in writing are particularly low, with weaknesses in many areas.

p.19

Commentary

46. The few higher attaining pupils are able to write at length and make effective use of a wide range of vocabulary to make their writing interesting. For the majority of pupils in Years 4 and 5, standards are too low. Ideas are not developed at sufficient length, spelling and punctuation are weak and handwriting is untidy and ill-formed. Pupils have also not made sufficient progress in reading given their attainment at the end of Year 2. Overall, there has been insufficient improvement since the previous inspection to ensure an improvement in standards, especially for the more able pupils in writing.

p.19

Commentary

47. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory, overall. Both teachers work very hard to meet the needs of the pupils in their class. The infant teacher knows pupils well and has tracked their progress carefully from Reception onwards. The junior teacher clearly found it extremely difficult in the early stages as she did not have sufficient assessment information to guide her planning for such a diverse group of pupils. As she has built up a clearer picture of pupils’ capabilities, her planning has improved and work is matched more closely to pupils’ needs. However, the lack of adequate support, both with planning and in literacy lessons, reduces the effectiveness of the teaching. Pupils are all taught together for the first part of each lesson, which makes it difficult for the teacher to pitch the work at the right level for all of the pupils. Similarly, in guided reading lessons each afternoon, the teacher is only able to focus her attention on one group,

p.19

Commentary

which leaves the rest of the class to read silently. Not all pupils make the most of this opportunity to improve their reading skills, and some choose books that are too easy for them.

p.19

Commentary

48. Teachers pay good attention to developing pupils’ speaking and listening skills. They ask well thought out questions during whole class sessions and encourage pupils to express their own ideas, developing their vocabulary and correcting them as necessary. Pupils in the infant class learn and Down Ampney CE Primary - 20 recite simple poems as well as explaining how they have done something. Junior pupils are given the opportunity to make presentations to the rest of the class about a topic that interests them.

p.19

Commentary

49. There are no clear lines of responsibility in the subject to ensure that it is led and managed effectively. The school improvement plan is ineffective as a tool for raising standards in the subject. For example, standards in writing throughout the school were noted as a priority for improvement in 2003. However, the only action plan relating to this priority required the infant teacher to assess a piece of unaided writing by each pupil in each term and to assess how well pupils were progressing. There was no action plan for the junior class. No-one has a clear overview of the strengths and weaknesses of the provision because there is insufficient monitoring and evaluation and discussion of the issues facing the school. Although the school has received advice from the LEA adviser about the need to address issues surrounding underachievement by boys, there is no action plan to explain the strategies that are being implemented in order to improve the quality of boys’ learning.

p.20

Commentary

50. Reading resources in the junior class further inhibit good progress. The reading scheme is outdated and unattractive to the pupils. The class library has an extensive range of books but this, too, contains many that are old and unappealing to the pupils. Some parents have expressed concern about the quality of reading material available for their children to take home . Lack of space means that books are not displayed attractively. Some older pupils were reading books that they had brought in from home in preference to what the school had to offer. The small reference library is situated in the infant demountable building and is not used sufficiently to have a significant impact on developing pupils’ research skills or their love of reading.

p.20

Language and literacy across the curriculum

51. Some pupils’ reading and writing skills limit their learning in other subjects. In addition, there are not enough opportunities for pupils to use and develop literacy skills across the curriculum. For example, pupils in Years 3 to 6 copy writing from the board in their RE books rather than finding information for themselves and writing independently to express their own opinions or recount information.

p.20

MATHEMATICS

Provision in mathematics is satisfactory.

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching and learning are sound with some good features. • Pupils have good attitudes to their work. • Management of the subject is confused. • There is limited evidence of the use of ICT or the use of mathematical skills in other subjects. • Assessment procedures are unsatisfactory in Years 3 to 6.

p.20

Commentary

52. Pupils of all ages and abilities are making steady progress and show sound achievement. The inspection findings show that standards are in line with national averages in Years 2 and 6 as they were at the time of the previous inspection.

p.20

Commentary

53. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory throughout the school, with some evidence of good teaching as teachers benefit from the advice of external advisers. Teachers’ planning shows that pupils are taught all aspects of the mathematics curriculum and there are appropriate opportunities for them to use and apply what they have learned. Work is generally well Down Ampney CE Primary - 21 marked and teachers show pupils what they need to do to improve. Pupils take care with the presentation of their work. In the Year 1/2 lesson observed, the teacher managed the lesson well and pupils were attentive. They joined in well with the counting activities and enjoyed their success. In groups, they worked on two- and three-dimensional shapes and used everyday and mathematical language to describe their properties.

p.20

Commentary

54. In the lesson in the junior class, the quality of teaching and learning was good. Teaching methods were imaginative and led to a good level of interest as pupils explored the relationships between the properties of solid shapes. The oldest pupils successful established that faces plus vertices equalled edges plus 2 ( f+v=e+2). Group tasks were well matched to pupils’ needs and all worked productively at their own levels. All concentrated well and were appropriately challenged. Pupils clearly enjoy the subject.

p.21

Commentary

55. Management of the subject is delegated to the class teachers. As the junior teacher is newly qualified, the headteacher officially adopts this role in Key Stage 2. However, there are no clear arrangements for monitoring standards or evaluating the quality of provision throughout the school, which is unsatisfactory. Teachers’ short term assessments of how well pupils are doing are appropriate, but they receive little overall information to plan their work against National Curriculum levels. This is because the results of assessments are not shared and discussed with the class teacher.

p.21

Mathematics across the curriculum

56. There was limited evidence of the use of mathematics in other subjects. In science, pupils used nets for classification. Planning indicates some use of measurement in DT and science. Computers are used to practise basic skills but there is little evidence that pupils handle data using ICT.

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching and learning are sound with some good features. • Pupils have good attitudes to their work. • Management of the subject is confused. • There is limited evidence of the use of ICT.

p.21

Commentary

57. The inspection findings show that standards are average in Years 2 and 6 as they were at the time of the previous inspection. Pupils of all abilities are making steady progress and show sound achievement.

p.21

Commentary

58. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory in Years 1 to 6. Teachers’ planning shows that pupils are taught the required elements of the science curriculum and there are appropriate opportunities for them to carry out investigations. Work is generally well marked and teachers’ comments show pupils what they need to do to improve. Teachers have due regard to the different age groups in their classes within the rolling programme of planned work. In the well planned infant lesson, the teacher used good strategies to promote independent thinking. Pupils showed good confidence to select appropriate resources for their investigations into forces of pushing and pulling. In the junior lesson, pupils showed sound knowledge of the similarities and differences between humans. The teacher made good use of siblings in this four age group class and set an interesting Down Ampney CE Primary - 22

p.21

Commentary

challenge to identify family members from a wide range of photographs. Pupils showed good attitudes to their learning. When involved in investigations they worked well in groups and pairs.

p.22

Commentary

59. As in other subjects no one person has overall responsibility for managing the subject. In reality each teacher manages their own science. This means that the monitoring role does not exist. There is little evidence in the work of the use of ICT to present work or to display data. Assessment procedures are not rigorous enough to ensure that work is planned to match the needs of individual pupils in Years 3 to 6. The class teacher has had to find out for herself what pupils already know to inform her planning.

p.22

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

60. No lessons were seen in ICT so it is not possible to make reliable judgements about provision or the quality of teaching and learning. From discussions with teachers and pupils, and analysis of teachers’ planning and a limited range of pupils’ previous work, indications are that pupils reach average standards in Year 2 but below average standards in Year 6. Hardware and software resources have improved since the previous inspection, but ICT is still not well used across the curriculum. In a literacy lesson for pupils in Years 3 to 6, the teacher had planned for a group of pupils to use the computers for a particular task, but was prevented from doing so by a malfunction.

p.22

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

61. In English, there is some use of word processing but this is not developed using more sophisticated multimedia presentations, although some pupils learn these skills at home. In other subjects they are beginning to use CD ROMs and the Internet to find information for topics. Pupils use programs to develop basic skills in mathematics, but there is limited use of computers to handle data and present results in a graphical form. There is little use of ICT in science and computers are not used to monitor external events.

p.22

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

62. There is no overall management for the subject so no one has a clear overview of its development. No action plan is in place to show what priorities for improvement have been identified or to guide decisions about expenditure. The basic skills are taught by a visiting volunteer teacher on a weekly basis. She keeps clear and accurate records of what pupils have covered in each aspect of the subject but opportunities to use these skills in other contexts are limited.

p.22

HUMANITIES

63. Inspectors were not able to observe any lessons in religious education, geography or history during the inspection. A limited amount of pupils’ work was available for analysis, and discussions were held with a small group of pupils in Years 5 and 6. It was not possible to make judgements about provision or the quality of teaching and learning.

p.22

HUMANITIES

64. In geography and history, pupils in Years 3 to 6 follow a four-year rolling programme of study based on national guidelines. They were able to describe the work they had carried out in the previous term, which incorporated a study of the local area. There was effective use of first-hand evidence from visits into the village and talking to people who were able to share their experiences of the village in the past. However, there was insufficient evidence to make reliable judgements about the standards achieved by the pupils. The amount of time that is available for studying geography and history in Years 3 to 6 is not enough to guarantee that pupils cover the different aspects in sufficient depth. The quantity of work that was produced in the previous term reflects this judgement.

p.22

Religious education

65. There is insufficient evidence to judge standards in Year 2. There are some notable shortcomings in the provision in Years 3 to 6 which indicate that standards are below average. This is a significant decline from the previous inspection when they were judged to be above average. Down Ampney CE Primary - 23 The small amount of work available for analysis shows that pupils have covered aspects such as places and features of worship, codes of conduct and symbols. However, the limited written evidence, which covered two years’ study, relates only to Christianity and nothing is recorded about either the Muslim or Jewish religions, which planning shows to be part of the programme of work in Years 3 to 6. Discussions with pupils revealed a similar picture. Some could remember learning about the Muslim religion but could recall very little. Pupils have not had any opportunities to visit either a mosque or a synagogue and have not had the benefit of visitors from other faiths to enhance

p.22

Religious education

their learning. A further weakness is the lack of opportunity for pupils to write independently about what they have learned or to use their research skills. Each pupil’s book, across all four year groups, contains mostly identical pieces of writing that have been copied from the board. Pupils explained that this is what they usually do.

p.23

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

During the inspection it was not possible to observe any lessons in art, DT or music. There was insufficient evidence to judge provision in these subjects. There was not enough previous work available in order to make a reliable judgement about standards. Two gymnastics lessons were seen, but an overall judgement cannot be made about provision in all aspects of PE. From the limited amount of work available, and from talking to teachers and pupils, indications are that standards in Year 2 are broadly average in art and DT, but below those usually found in Year 6. There is little to suggest that standards have been raised in response to the issues raised at the previous inspection.

p.23

Physical Education

Provision in gymnastics is unsatisfactory

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The accommodation and resources restrict achievement in this aspect. • There are good opportunities for pupils to take part in a range of extracurricular sporting activities. • The leadership and management of the subject are unsatisfactory.

p.23

Commentary

66. The school has the use of the village hall on two afternoons each week in the spring term. Beyond this there is no provision for indoor physical education. The village hall is adequate in size and has a good floor. There is no fixed apparatus and only a few agility tables and mats, which are shared with the playgroup. This is just about adequate for pupils in Years 1 and 2, where standards are broadly in line with other children of their age. However, for older pupils the lack of apparatus restricts what they are able to do and achievement is unsatisfactory. They do not have opportunities to develop their gymnastics skills to the level usually found in other schools.

p.23

Commentary

67. In the lessons seen, teaching and learning were satisfactory. In the infant lesson, pupils explored different ways of travelling and changed speed, direction and levels. In the junior lesson, pupils explored a range of balances and developed sequences of movement at different levels on the floor. The lack of apparatus restricts any further development of these skills for the older pupils. In both lessons teachers gave appropriate opportunities for pupils to demonstrate movements and evaluate each other’s work. They managed the lessons well and pupils’ behaviour was good as a result. Pupils listened carefully to instructions and carried them out sensibly and safely.

p.23

Commentary

68. As in other subjects, management falls to the class teachers. This is unsatisfactory as no one has a clear overview of development or continuity of learning. Swimming takes place as a voluntary after school activity. Most pupils reach the national expectation to swim 25 metres by the time they leave the school. In order to compensate for the lack of adequate facilities for PE, the Down Ampney CE Primary - 24 school makes effective arrangements for pupils to benefit from expert coaching in dance, tennis and hockey skills, for example. Pupils participate in local small schools’ sports competitions and the school is involved in the Cotswold Partnership which supports teachers’ professional development in the subject.

p.23

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION

Provision in personal, social and health education is good. Inspectors were able to observe one short ‘circle time’ in the infant class, but no lessons in the junior class. However, a regular PSHE lesson is timetabled for pupils in Years 3 to 6. The good provision for pupils’ personal development contributes to their very good attitudes and positive relationships. Circle times provide good opportunities for younger pupils to explore feelings and share concerns. During the inspection they talked about the importance of being kind to others. Sex education is sensitively taught within PSHE lessons appropriate to pupils’ age and stage of development. Pupils are involved in drawing up class rules and know the reasons for them. Provision is enhanced by an annual visit of the health education bus and first aid instruction for older pupils. Down Ampney CE Primary - 25

p.24

PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The overall effectiveness of the school 4 How inclusive the school is 4 How the school’s effectiveness has changed since its last inspection 5 Value for money provided by the school 5

p.25

PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Overall standards achieved 4 Pupils’ achievement 4

p.25

PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

p.25

PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The quality of education provided by the school 4 The quality of teaching 4 How well pupils learn 4 The quality of assessment 5 How well the curriculum meets pupils needs 5 Enrichment of the curriculum, including out-of-school activities 3 Accommodation and resources 5 Pupils’ care, welfare, health and safety 4 Support, advice and guidance for pupils 5 How well the school seeks and acts on pupils’ views 3 The effectiveness of the school’s links with parents 4 The quality of the school’s links with the community 3 The school’s links with other schools and colleges 4

p.25

PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The leadership and management of the school 5 The governance of the school 5 The leadership of the headteacher 5 The leadership of other key staff 5 The effectiveness of management 5

p.25

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).

p.25