Exhall Cedars Infant School

EXHALL CEDARS INFANT SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 8 th -10 th March 2004

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EXHALL CEDARS INFANT SCHOOL

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 Exhall Cedars Infant - 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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EXHALL CEDARS INFANT 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. Exhall Cedars Infant - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Infant School School category: Community Age range of pupils: 3-7 Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 150

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Trenance Road Exhall Coventry West Midlands Postcode: CV7 9FJ

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Telephone number: 024 7631 6034 Fax number:

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: Governing Body Name of chair of governors: Mrs. Fran Wilkins

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: January 2002

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

Exhall Cedars Infant School is a smaller than average sized school but the school roll is growing. Currently, there are 128 full-time pupils on roll and another 22 children attend part-time in the nursery. The school draws its pupils from a range of backgrounds and pupils’ socio-economic backgrounds and their attainment on entry to school are below average. Most pupils are from white British backgrounds but nearly a third of pupils come from other ethnic backgrounds, mostly Indian, but also including pupils with Pakistani, Chinese and Caribbean heritage. Nearly 13 per cent of pupils are at an early stage of acquiring English. Eighteen per cent of pupils have special educational needs and most of these are identified as having specific learning difficulties or social, emotional and behavioural problems. Few pupils leave the school during the course of the year, although several are admitted. The school roll is growing. The school was granted an Achievement Award in 2000 and

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

a Race Equality Award in 2003. Exhall Cedars Infant - 4

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

23067 Mrs. D. Brigstock Lead inspector Foundation Stage, Mathematics, Information and Communication Technology, Art and Design, Design and Technology, Music 9756 Mr. K. Parsons Lay inspector 22397 Mr. S. Fowler Team inspector Special Educational Needs, English, Personal, Social and Health Education, Physical Education, Religious Education 1963 Ms. S. Raychaudhuri Team inspector English as an Additional Language, Science, History, Geography

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

Serco QAA Herringston Barn Herringston Dorchester Dorset DT2 9PU

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

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). Exhall Cedars Infant - 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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OVERALL EVALUATION

Exhall Cedars Infant School is rapidly improving and no longer has serious weaknesses. The school’s effectiveness is good. It is currently providing good value for money. Overall pupils’ achievement is good due to good leadership and management, good teaching, an interesting curriculum and pupils’ good attitudes towards learning.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

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OVERALL EVALUATION

• Pupils of all abilities achieve well throughout the school, because they are included very well in all the school has to offer. • Achievement in information and communication technology (ICT) is very good. • The quality of teaching is good so pupils are learning quickly. • The headteacher’s very clear vision and the good leadership at various levels in the school are ensuring rapid improvements and, promote pupils’ cultural development very well. • Attendance is still well below average, though the school is doing its best to improve it. • Newly appointed governors are not yet involved enough in school development planning.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school has made rapid progress towards completing its improvement plan since the last inspection and, already, improvement is good. The quality of teaching and learning has improved, as have standards and pupils’ achievement. The monitoring of teaching and learning plus raised expectations of what pupils can achieve, driven by the headteacher, are working effectively to raise standards.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

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

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Achievement is good. It is good in English, mathematics and science, and in all the other subjects inspected except ICT where it is very good. Pupils with special educational needs and those at an early stage of acquiring English achieve well because of the very good support they get. The results in the table above shows that standards rose sharply to well above average in 2003. This year group contained a higher proportion of higher attaining pupils than usual. Current standards in Year 2 are average, but achievement is good. When children enter the nursery their attainment is below average and a significant proportion of children have poor language skills. Although their achievement is good, most are unlikely to attain the goals they are expected to reach by the time they leave the reception class in communication, language and literacy, mathematical development, knowledge and understanding of the world or personal and social education. They are on course to

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

meet the goals expected for creative and physical development.

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Pupils’ personal qualities, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

are good overall. Pupils’ cultural development is very good. Attitudes and behaviour are good. Attendance is well below average but the school’s procedures for promoting better attendance are very good. Exhall Cedars Infant - 7

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The quality of education provided by the school is good overall. Teaching and learning are

good. Lessons are planned very well and support staff are closely involved contributing very well to pupils’ good learning. What the pupils know and can do is assessed very well in all subjects and the results of these assessments are used well to pinpoint the next steps in learning for individuals and groups of pupils, and are planned into lessons by teachers. The use of assessments to record small steps in children’s learning and match these to day-to-day planning in the nursery and reception classes is also very good. The school provides good support and guidance to its pupils. The curriculum is good including effective provision for pupils with special educational needs and those whose first language is not English.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management are good overall. The leadership of the headteacher and key staff is good with some very good features. The headteacher has very high aspirations and a very clear vision for the future of the school. Subject co-ordinators have a good understanding of their roles. They regularly monitor standards achieved, and through appropriate action planning, systematically improve the provision. Most of the governors are newly appointed and have had little time to train in their roles. Currently their work is satisfactory and the school meets all statutory requirements. Management is good. The quality of monitoring is good; clear targets are set to improve teaching and learning. Assessment data is analysed thoroughly to focus additional support where needed. Pupils with special educational needs and those at an early stage of acquiring English are included very well in all the school has to offer. There is a good programme to learn about different faiths and

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Links with parents are good. Those parents who responded to the questionnaire had no significant concerns and the inspection team supports their positive views of the school. Pupils are happy with what the school has to offer them.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

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

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

• Improve the rate of attendance. • Increase governor involvement in all aspects of school development. Exhall Cedars Infant - 8

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Standards achieved in areas of learning, subjects and courses

Achievement is a measure of how well pupils are doing, taking their progress and their capability into account.

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Standards achieved in areas of learning, subjects and courses

Achievement is good overall. Standards are below average in reception and average in Year 2. Achievement is at least good in all subjects inspected.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Achievement in ICT is very good by Year 2. • Achievement for pupils with special educational needs is good. • Achievement for pupils who are at an early stage of language acquisition is good. • Results of the Year 2 tests in reading, writing and mathematics were high in 2003.

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Commentary

1. In the Year 2 tests in 2003, results in reading, writing and mathematics were well above average compared to schools nationally and to similar schools and, over the last five years, the trend for improvement is above the national trend; the most rapid improvement being over the last two years. Currently, standards are average. There is a high proportion of pupils, about a third, with special educational needs in the current Year 2 group, and although their achievement is good, standards overall are average in reading, writing, mathematics and science. However, this still represents good improvement since the last inspection and is the result of the successful actions taken by the headteacher. She has improved the quality of teaching and learning through a well-planned programme of monitoring, a detailed and rigorous assessment system, and raising the expectations of teachers, pupils and their parents.

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Commentary

2. The attainment of boys in both reading and writing has remained below that of girls over the last three years. This is primarily because the attainment on entry of the boys has been lower than the girls. The inspection judgement is that both boys and girls are achieving well. Nevertheless the school is very aware of the need to ensure that boys’ lower attainment is consistently challenged. Raising boys’ attainment has been identified by the school as a prime target and new resources and male visitors into school have been arranged to raise the profile of English for boys. It is too soon to measure the success of these initiatives, but, through the school’s assessment system, the ‘tracking’ of boys’ attainment is monitored carefully.

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Commentary

The table shown in this commentary gives average points scores for all pupils. Each level in the National Curriculum is given a number of points. Pupils are expected to move on one point every term, so if a school’s scores are one point above the national, their pupils are, typically, a term ahead.

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Commentary

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

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Commentary

Standards in: School results National results reading 17.2 (16.1) 15.7 (15.8)

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Commentary

There were 47 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year. Exhall Cedars Infant - 9 3. Children enter the nursery with below average attainment, but with particular weaknesses in language skills. The school has identified, through testing, that only a quarter of children have the expected understanding of language for their age. Nearly half of the children are six months behind children nationally and a quarter are at least one year behind the expected level of language acquisition. Acquiring and learning new language has a very strong focus in nursery and in the reception classes. Children achieve well because of this well-planned and focused support, but, despite this, they are not on course to meet the goals they are expected to reach in their personal and social development, communication, language and literacy, mathematical development, or knowledge and understanding of the world by the time they leave reception.

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Commentary

They are on course to meet the expected goals for creative and physical development.

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Commentary

4. Pupils with special educational needs (SEN) make good progress in relation to the targets set for them because of the very good level of support from well-briefed teaching assistants and the very good planning of lessons by teachers which take their learning needs into account. This group of pupils and those with English as an additional language (EAL) are included very well in all the school has to offer. Pupils with EAL at all levels across the school achieve well by Year 2. In 2002, the school identified that pupils with EAL did not do as well as non-EAL pupils in reading comprehension at higher levels. Since then, the school has introduced extra sessions for listening and reading comprehension, which have been successful in raising attainment for this group.

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Commentary

5. In ICT pupils are attaining above average standards by the end of Year 2 and their achievement is very good due to the good organisation of ICT lessons. This organisation ensures that pupils have good access to computers. The above average standards are also due to the very good planning of lessons, detailed by the well-informed co-ordinator, in a productive partnership with other teachers. ICT is used well across the curriculum to enhance pupils’ learning in other subjects and to practise their skills. Pupils are attaining above average standards in music and their achievement is good.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour are good. The rate of attendance is well below average but punctuality has improved and is now good. Pupils’ spiritual, moral,and social development is good, whilst pupils’ cultural development is very good .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Relationships between teachers and pupils and between pupils are good. • Pupils behave well and show respect for others. • Spiritual, moral and social development are good overall. • Provision for pupils’ cultural development has improved significantly since the previous inspection and is now very good. • Although the school has very good procedures for promoting attendance, levels of attendance remain well below the national average.

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Commentary

6. Pupils’ attitudes are good because of the good relationships between all staff and pupils. Pupils show good attitudes to learning in most lessons and generally listen attentively, answer questions readily and undertake tasks enthusiastically. Pupils with learning difficulties enjoy good relationships with their support assistants and work effectively as individuals or in small groups. They try hard and are happy to be withdrawn from lessons when required to do so. Pupils move around the school sensibly and there are appropriate opportunities provided for pupils to take on some responsibility, such as when taking registers or setting out gymnastic equipment. Exhall Cedars Infant - 10 7. The school has very good systems for the management of behaviour. These systems are applied consistently throughout the school. Any inappropriate behaviour is linked back to school and class rules and this ensures that all pupils know exactly what is expected of them and what

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Commentary

constitutes acceptable behaviour. The school also awards certificates in its weekly Celebration Assembly in recognition of achievement, either academically or socially. Standards of behaviour are good in the classroom and very good in assembly, the dining room and the playground, where pupils play harmoniously together. Pupils know the difference between right and wrong and show consideration for others. Regular “circle time” sessions help pupils to understand the impact of their actions on others. There have been no exclusions during the last school year.

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Commentary

8. The school develops pupils’ personal, moral and social understanding well and pupils make good progress. For example, in assembly all pupils know the School Prayer, which helps to foster the very good community spirit that is a feature of the school. Pupils co-operate well in lessons. They readily share ideas and resources and show respect for others. In a physical education lesson, for example, reception pupils waited patiently for their turn on the apparatus, whilst pupils in Year 2 shared the very good resources that were provided for their drama lesson. Despite their good achievement, all children in the foundation stage are unlikely to attain the goals they are expected to reach in their personal and social education. A significant minority of children are still immature in their relationships with each other and prefer to work and play independently of other children although their skills in co-operative play are improving

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Commentary

9. Pupils develop their social awareness by raising money for a variety of charities, including ‘National Children’s Homes,’ ‘Comic Relief,’ and the ‘Encephalitis Society.’ Pupils’ cultural development is very well planned and has many very good features. The school helps children to celebrate cultural diversity by a range of trips that enrich the curriculum. Recent visits to Coventry Cathedral and a Sikh temple have given pupils the opportunity to develop their understanding of other cultures and their own. The school has recently won a ‘Race Equality Award,’ for their support of a school in Kenya. The good standard of display seen around the school now fully celebrates the cultural diversity of its pupils.

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Commentary

10. Although the attendance rate in the school remains well below the national average, very good procedures to improve the attendance rate have been implemented. The school Education Welfare Officer and school nurse regularly monitor the attendance of pupils and the school secretary contacts parents on the first day of any absence. Pupils are rewarded for good attendance and the headteacher informs parents of attendance figures in the school newsletter. The school regularly examines attendance figures and identifies those whose attendance is a cause for concern. Parents who arrive late at school are expected to sign to acknowledge that fact and this has significantly improved pupils’ punctuality. However, despite all of these very good procedures, the school attendance rate continues to remain well below that seen nationally with rates of authorised absence being very high. The school now needs be

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Commentary

absolutely certain that all authorised absences are fully justified and to ensure that all parents appreciate the value of formal education for their children.

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Commentary

Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

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Commentary

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data 8.0 School data 0.0 National data 5.4 National data 0.4 The table gives the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

Exhall Cedars Infant - 11 The quality of education is good. Teaching and learning and the curriculum are good. The range of extra-curricular activities is good as are the accommodation and resources in the school. The quality of care given to pupils is good and the school provides good support and guidance for its pupils.

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Teaching and learning

Teaching and learning are good overall. The use of assessment is very good throughout the school.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Very good, focused assessment systems are effectively raising standards. • The quality of teachers’ planning is very good and caters for the needs of different groups of pupils in each class very well. • Teaching assistants are deployed and used very well to improve pupils’ learning. • Teachers raise pupils’ expectations of what they can achieve well through celebrating their work well in displays around the school. • Where teaching is satisfactory as opposed to good, teachers’ expectations of what pupils can achieve need to be raised even higher.

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Commentary

11. The quality of teaching has improved well since the last inspection and there is now a higher percentage of good and very good teaching and a much lower percentage of satisfactory teaching. The key issues from the last inspection; to raise teachers’ expectations of what pupils could achieve, improve the quality of teachers’ planning and to make better use of assessment information, have been successfully addressed. The school now has very good assessment systems, which formally record what pupils know and can do each half term and teachers make good, helpful comments on pupils’ work, which tell them, and their parents, what they have to do next to improve. The information gathered from these assessments feeds directly into the very good, detailed planning documents for each lesson. In the foundation stage, teachers assess children’s new learning and acquisition of language weekly, and accurately

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Commentary

record what each child knows and can do in each area of learning. Adults ensure that new skills are practised and refined before assessing that objectives have been met and new experiences and learning are introduced.

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Commentary

12. The very good daily lesson plans not only describe the content of each lesson and its objectives very clearly, but also detail the objectives for each group in each class and which activities pupils will undertake and the resources they will need to achieve them. Time for assessment is built into these plans. Teachers follow their plans closely ensuring that the pace of most lessons is good and that pupils achieve well. Teachers use the national strategies for literacy and numeracy well and also ensure that lessons in other subjects have a clear beginning, middle and end, where pupils can evaluate their own learning and where the next steps are clearly explained. For example, in ICT lessons, after pupils have saved their work for the day, they learn exactly what they have to do in the next lesson to improve and progress further in their tasks.

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Commentary

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 30 lessons

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Commentary

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very poor

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Commentary

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

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Commentary

13. Teaching assistants are used very well to promote good learning for different groups of pupils. The staff who support pupils at an early stage of learning English work in a very good Exhall Cedars Infant - 12 partnership with teachers to give focused language support, particularly for some of the technical language used in, for example, science or mathematics. They use the school’s assessment systems well to set new targets for this group of pupils to achieve. Pupils with SEN are also supported very well because of the individual targets that they strive to achieve with the help of the support staff, their teachers and the special needs co-ordinator who work together effectively as a team.

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Commentary

14. Teachers display pupils’ work well throughout the school, celebrating their learning and showing the progress that pupils make. For example, in the hall, displays of artwork on the theme of winter, where pupils were only allowed to use a limited range of colours, clearly show an improvement in painting and drawing skills from the nursery to Year 2. Other displays clearly show links between different subjects such as the use of ICT to record mathematical learning in recording information on graphs.

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Commentary

15. Where teaching is satisfactory as opposed to good or better, teachers occasionally do not challenge the highest attaining pupils enough or, their management of behaviour is not as consistently effective as that of their colleagues, resulting in some small loss of time when pupils move from one activity to another in lessons.

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The curriculum

The school ensures that all pupils have a good quality and range of learning opportunities. The curriculum is enriched by a good range of extra-curricular activities. The school is well staffed, and its accommodation and resources support pupils’ learning well.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Planning is thorough with a strong emphasis on developing pupils’ speaking and listening skills and learning through enquiry that support them to work more independently. • There are good and effective links made between different subjects. • The provision for pupils with SEN is good and pupils with EAL are supported well. • The accommodation and resources are good and used well to support pupils’ learning.

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Commentary

16. The school has improved its curriculum since the last inspection. It is now broad and well balanced with all subjects of the National Curriculum, religious education and personal, social and health education (PSHE) being planned and taught regularly. The school offers its pupils many opportunities for reflection through assemblies, art and music and the legal requirement of a daily act of collective worship is met.

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Commentary

17. Teachers make effective links between subjects and both literacy and numeracy are supported well throughout the school, with all subjects providing good opportunities for speaking and listening, reading and writing. Investigation and problem solving activities feature well in mathematics and science, improving the provision since the last inspection.

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Commentary

18. Curriculum planning is effective with a two-year rolling programme to meet the needs of the one mixed-age class. In their planning, teachers plan for the different levels of attainment within their classes. Consequently, all groups of pupils achieve well because activities are organised well to challenge pupils of varying abilities. The school currently has a full complement of suitably qualified staff who are well deployed to make best use of their skills and experience. Specialist EAL staff are employed effectively, particularly benefiting pupils whose home language is not English. The provision for these pupils has improved since the last inspection. Overall, the school is effective in ensuring that all pupils are given equal access to the statutory curriculum and all other activities provided. Pupils with SEN are supported well by teaching assistants and, although they are sometimes withdrawn from lessons for additional support, teachers try to

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Commentary

ensure that they are given opportunities to catch up with anything that they have missed. Clear Exhall Cedars Infant - 13 procedures are in place, which closely follow the new Code of Practice. Pupils’ individual education plans are of good quality and are reviewed each term. Care is taken to ensure that the work provided for pupils with SEN is closely matched to their needs. There are currently no pupils with statements of educational needs within school and all pupils with SEN are involved in the full range of school activities.

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Commentary

19. The school provides a good range of extra-curricular activities, including very good participation in fund-raising activities to support children in need. For example, the pupils took part in a fund- raising event to support a nursery school in Kenya and, consequently, the school received the Race Equality Award from the Warwickshire County Council. The good range of visits and visitors to the school enhance the curriculum and extend pupils’ learning well.

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Commentary

20. The open-plan building contributes to the good learning environment because it is attractive with good displays from different classes. Resources are of good quality and are well organised. Teachers make good use of them to support pupils’ learning, particularly in art and design. The reference library is well stocked and suitable for small group work.

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Care, guidance and support

The school cares for its pupils well and there is good support and guidance for pupils. The school has satisfactory arrangements for seeking and acting on pupils’ views.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The school has effective child protection procedures in place. • The school’s provision to guide and support pupils is effective. • Staff work hard to develop good, supportive relationships with their pupils. • Induction arrangements for new pupils are very good. • The school provides a safe environment but has too few members of staff trained as first- aiders.

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Commentary

21. The vast majority of parents believe that the school cares for their children well. The school aims statement includes the intention to “create a happy, caring and secure place of learning” and it is successful in meeting it. The school ethos promotes a high level of care and positive relationships between staff and pupils. All staff are well-briefed on their child protection responsibilities and are vigilant in carrying them out. There are good links with the local social services department and the school keeps appropriate records. Systems and procedures are in place to ensure that the school provides a safe working environment for pupils and staff. There is a need for more staff to be qualified first aiders but the school has plans to remedy this.

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Commentary

22. Virtually all parents believe that the staff encourage their children to become mature and independent. Teachers and support staff know their pupils well and help them develop as individuals well. Class teachers do genuinely care about their pupils and there is very effective support from the headteacher; a very positive ethos permeates the school. Staff work well together as a team to share information and responsibilities. Pupils’ personal development is monitored well by class teachers and good support is provided on an individual basis. Staff know the stage at which individual pupils are in their personal and academic development. There is good formal monitoring of children’s progress towards their personal and social development goals in the nursery and reception classes. Adults respond appropriately if a pupil is having problems and pupils in turn know that there is a sympathetic adult they can approach

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Commentary

if they are having difficulties. Pupils do appreciate this whole school ethos, and the emotional security that results helps them to flourish. Circle times and religious education lessons are used to address any concerns that emerge, whilst some pupils are given good additional Exhall Cedars Infant - 14 support through social skills groups, where a special needs assistant helps pupils develop good relationships with each other.

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Commentary

23. Clear records are kept for pupils with SEN, and effective monitoring by the co-ordinator and class teachers contributes to the good progress of all groups of children. Pupils with SEN are regularly assessed and a wide variety of information is recorded to help identify pupils' current attainment. The information gained is used most effectively to provide suitable new work for individual pupils. There is also good support for EAL pupils who are well integrated into the life of the school.

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Commentary

24. Induction arrangements for new pupils are very good, with nursery staff carrying out home visits for all children prior to entry into the nursery class. This is also particularly true for those children who attend the pre-school group on-site, and entry into the school is kept as stress free as possible for both the children and their parents. Virtually all parents commended this aspect of the school’s work. There are supportive systems in place to help pupils joining part way through the year to settle into school routines and make friends.

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Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

The school has a good partnership with its parents. Links with the local community are satisfactory. There are good links with other schools.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Parents are very supportive of the school. • Parents receive very good information from the school and are made to feel welcome by staff when they need to discuss issues that arise. • Pupils are supported well as they transfer to junior school.

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Commentary

25. The school treats its links with its parents as a high priority. Virtually all parents believe that the school keeps them well informed, seeks their views and they feel comfortable approaching the school with any issues that arise. They appreciate the efforts the headteacher and her staff make to work with them for the benefit of their children. The vast majority of parents rate the school highly on all counts and believe that it is helping their children to learn and to develop as individuals. Parents come into school in the morning to settle their children in the classrooms; they are clearly comfortable in the school and appreciate the opportunity to talk to teachers informally. The school is very good at dealing with parents’ queries and provides prompt responses to them.

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Commentary

26. Provision of information to parents is very good, with efforts made to provide translators in the rare cases where it is necessary to communicate in the parents’ own languages. The prospectus and annual governors’ report are both useful documents, whilst the school keeps parents in touch with what is going on through regular newsletters. Parents have two specific opportunities per year to meet their child’s teacher, plus an open evening to see the work of the school and an additional chance to discuss their child’s written report on request. The written reports on pupils’ progress are characterised by very personal comments about the individual. Some parents respond with thoughtful written feedback to the teacher. Home-school diaries are used well for two-way communication with parents, particularly in the reception and nursery classes. The school organises useful curriculum meetings to tell parents how they can help

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Commentary

their children at home, whilst the nursery also holds regular coffee mornings to encourage parents to come into school. Parents attend school celebrations in large numbers, with events such as Mothers’ Day, Easter and Diwali attracting parents from all sections of the community. Parents are generally supportive in hearing their child read at home and a number volunteer to help in school, where their time is used well and valued. The school has supported a number of helpers to obtain NVQ qualifications and to become teaching assistants in classrooms. The Exhall Cedars Infant - 15 school nurse holds regular sessions in the school, to support the health of pupils and provide advice to their parents.

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Commentary

27. The school receives good support from parents of pupils with SEN, who regularly attend review meetings to contribute to their children’s learning. Parents are generally happy with the level of support that the school provides. The EAL staff attend all parents’ meetings and the bilingual staff help with translation and interpretation for them wherever needed.

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Commentary

28. The school works very closely with the privately run playgroup that operates from the school site. The school also has good links with the local junior school to which almost all its pupils transfer. Teachers from the junior school come to meet Year 2 pupils. Pupils get the chance to visit the junior school and there is good liaison between staff, with particular support planned for pupils with SEN.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The school is well led and effectively managed. The headteacher provides very good leadership and she is supported well by her key staff. The governance of the school is satisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The headteacher and senior staff provide successful leadership that has resulted in good improvement to the school’s effectiveness since the last inspection. • The headteacher has a very clear vision for the quality of children’s learning that directs decisions and action. • The monitoring of performance data has been used effectively to raise standards of attainment. • The senior management team gives good support to the headteacher. • There are some weaknesses within performance management. • The Governing Body, though enthusiastic and supportive, is relatively new to its role.

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Commentary

29. Overall, the improvement since the last inspection has been good and the school has tackled its key issues well. The headteacher provides very good leadership and is supported well by the other senior staff. The headteacher has a very clear vision for school improvement and has created a positive climate for change by motivating staff and gaining the confidence of parents. There is a very strong team ethos within the school and teachers and teaching assistants plan work collaboratively and provide good role models for their pupils. The school’s procedures for monitoring and evaluating what it does have improved since the last inspection and are now good. The headteacher and senior staff monitor teaching regularly, keeping careful note of observations and providing useful feedback both to teachers and to governors. As a result of its monitoring program, the school is looking much more critically at all aspects of school life and

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Commentary

has identified the most important areas for development. The school now has a very detailed and informative school development plan for this current year and a good overview of planning for future development, both of which have a clear, measurable agenda for school improvement.

p.15

Commentary

30. The determination and capacity of the school to raise achievement is seen in the way that the headteacher is putting into place good systems to support a rigorous approach to all aspects of monitoring and evaluation. The school has very detailed procedures for the monitoring and evaluation of performance. The monitoring of literacy, numeracy and science and the analysis of national test results has been rigorous. Pupil progress meetings are held on a regular basis and findings are used to identify groups of pupils needing additional support and to inform organisational decisions within the school. This detailed analysis of the performance of pupils has contributed significantly to the improving standards of attainment within the school. Exhall Cedars Infant - 16 31. The headteacher fulfils the role of the SEN co-ordinator. She is knowledgeable and manages this aspect very well. She has clear procedures for dealing with pupils with SEN and has a

p.15

Commentary

good understanding of national guidance and requirements. She works well with other teachers and the teaching support assistants and has established productive links with support services, such as those for behaviour management and Traveller support. She keeps clear records of the progression of pupils over time.

p.16

Commentary

32. The members of the senior management team fulfil their role effectively. They give very good support to the headteacher and share her strong commitment to the school review process. This has enabled them to be very clear about the issues for future development. They are committed to school improvement and with the support of the headteacher, have set up a number of new initiatives including the Breakfast Club and extra-curricular activities. They have begun to monitor teaching and are involved in the short-listing process for the appointment of new staff. It is part of the school’s planned development to enable the senior management team to become involved with the performance management process.

p.16

Commentary

33. There have been significant changes to the membership of the governing body since the time of the previous inspection. The governors are now very enthusiastic and committed to school improvement. They have good procedures to ensure that the school complies with all statutory requirements and take a close interest in the life of the school. The chair of governors is experienced and has established a close working relationship with the headteacher. However, a number of governors have been appointed very recently and have not yet had sufficient time to establish themselves fully in their new role. As a result, they will need to develop their understanding of all matters relating to the performance of the school including the need to obtain best value from their financial and educational decisions. They will need to become less dependent on the headteacher and take a more active role in establishing the strategic direction

p.16

Commentary

34. The school’s procedures for performance management are very thorough. However, as the headteacher was appointed midway through the year, performance management takes place in the spring term. This makes target-setting for individual members of staff more complicated than necessary, particularly when targets are directly linked to the performance of pupils. At present, the headteacher takes responsibility for all aspects of performance management and has yet to fully involve the senior management team in the process.

p.16

Commentary

35. The school now has sound procedures for ensuring that the financial resources available to it properly support the educational needs of its pupils. There is a clear cycle of financial planning, linked to the school’s development plan, and the monitoring of expenditure is secure. The headteacher monitors the budget on a monthly basis and provides the Governing Body with a detailed breakdown of all aspects of income and expenditure. There is sound identification of priorities related to improving the quality of education and raising standards. The finance and premises committee has taken an active part in the planning and monitoring of the school budget and has helped to ensure that spending reflects the educational priorities of the school. Within the governing body, effectively supported by the headteacher, the principles of best value are applied in a satisfactory manner.

p.16

Commentary

Financial information for the year April 2002 to March 2003

p.16

Commentary

Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 477,083 Balance from previous year 21,084 Total expenditure 469,629 Balance carried forward to the next 28,538 Expenditure per pupil 2,795 Exhall Cedars Infant - 17 The expenditure per pupil is broadly average in comparison with similar schools. The balance carried forward to the following year is appropriate and the governors have taken account of the likely need to increase staffing levels if the number of pupils on the school roll continue to rise. Exhall Cedars Infant - 18

p.16

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Attainment on entry is below average and despite good teaching, a rich curriculum and children’s good achievement in their time in the foundation stage, their lack of a wide enough vocabulary and below average speaking and listening skills limit their attainment. As a result, children are not on course to meet the goals expected for them in personal and social development, communication, language and literacy, mathematical development, or knowledge and understanding of the world. They are on course to meet the expected goals in creative and physical development.

p.18

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

The leadership and management of the foundation stage have improved since the last inspection and are now good. There are good links between the nursery and reception classes and support assistants are deployed well. Assessment is used very well to record all children’s learning and plan the next steps in their learning.

p.18

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in personal, social and emotional development is good.

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teachers and other adults are good role models. • Teaching and learning are good and children achieve well although children’s skills are still below average in the reception classes. • Staff enjoy good relationships with children and parents.

p.18

Commentary

36. Children in the nursery rightly trust the adults that work with them. All adults model good manners and value children’s responses with good manners which children copy. Consequently, children learn to take turns when, for example, accepting their fruit and milk for the day, and learn the rules about who can play where in the nursery. By the time children are in reception, the higher attaining children identify who they would like to work with and can tidy up resources they have used well. A large proportion of children still prefer to play alone or alongside rather than with other children. All children improve their self-confidence and their awareness of other cultures in the school.

p.18

Commentary

37. Teachers throughout the foundation stage plan interesting lessons in which there is always a strong element of personal and social development, whether it is through role-play outdoors or in learning how to use tools such as screwdrivers and hammers safely. Children respond to these physical experiences with enthusiasm and, as their skills and their learning improve, their self-confidence and self-esteem increase well. However, because of below average language skills, many children do not express themselves, or their feelings and opinions at the level expected for their age.

p.18

Commentary

38. In nursery and reception classes, staff enjoy positive relationships with children and their parents. Parents feel comfortable about approaching staff with any concerns, for example with a child’s health, but readily leave when lessons begin. Staff respond to parents’ concerns well and children know that staff will help them solve any difficulty they may have.

p.18

COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Provision in communication, language and literacy is good. Exhall Cedars Infant - 19

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teachers place a good emphasis on developing children’s skills and achievement is good. • Despite the low standards of language skills at entry, standards have improved to below average by the end of the reception year. • Teachers’ planning focuses strongly on developing children’s language through topic work. • Role-play activities outside are very well planned and contribute well to improving children’s language skills, but indoor role-play areas are underdeveloped.

p.19

Commentary

39. The quality of teaching is good. In the nursery, teachers and adults are careful not to issue too many instructions at one time, allowing children to succeed in following two or three instructions. Children are questioned carefully to ensure they have understood what has been said and adults encourage them to respond in sentences. The highest attaining children do this readily but some children refuse to take part in any discussions or make any verbal responses at all. Children in nursery enjoy listening to stories, which are read expressively by adults, and they can join in with well-known phrases in the stories they know such as ‘A present from the Zoo.’ They can re-tell stories in simple words and make marks on paper to represent writing. However, there is little child-initiated conversation and the nursery itself is very quiet as many children communicate using gestures and facial expressions rather than through conversation.

p.19

Commentary

40. In reception, the highest attaining children can write in simple sentences with support and are beginning to read independently at a good level for their age. The middle attaining children are beginning to write recognisable letters to represent words or phrases and recognise several words in their reading books although they cannot use the sounds of letters to build words. Lower attaining children can draw pictures to sequence a story and are beginning to make some attempts at using known letters to make marks on the paper for writing. They are interested in their reading books and handle them well although cannot read them independently. Parents are very helpful in maintaining the good home/school reading diaries that not only record children’s progress in reading but also provide a good, regular system of communication between home and school.

p.19

Commentary

41. Teachers’ planning documents focus strongly on improving children’s vocabulary and their spoken skills. This is proving particularly effective through topic work. Currently, the focus in the nursery is on building and in reception it is on travel. Children are taught specific names and uses of tools such as screwdrivers and spirit levels with some very good teaching on health and safety. Children are fascinated by these tools and rapidly learn their names and uses so they can play with and talk about them under supervision. The outdoor role-play areas in both the nursery and reception provide very good opportunities for children to explore and use these tools and the language they have learned, under adult supervision. However, indoor role-play areas are less interesting and lack focus. There is not enough adult intervention or modelling in these areas to improve either children’s language or their personal and social skills.

p.19

MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in mathematical development is good.

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The quality of teaching and assessment is good and children achieve well. • There is a good range of resources in use in classrooms. Exhall Cedars Infant - 20

p.19

Commentary

42. Teachers plan lessons well and children’s learning is assessed regularly. The results of these assessments are fed into future lesson plans ensuring that learning is taken on at a good rate and that children’s achievement over time is good. In the nursery, most children can count to five confidently and can match the right number of objects to a spoken number. The higher attaining children can order numbers to 20 using figures. Teachers model mathematical language well throughout the day, for example using language such as first or last, bigger or smaller. They question children as to what objects may be heavier or lighter. In reception classes, children are attentive and interested in their learning on how to make a simple tally chart. This lesson was successful because children knew why they were completing the task and, consequently some very good learning took place. The standards attained in this lesson

p.20

Commentary

were above average for a group of the higher attaining children in data-handling. Children’s achievement is good but, taking the whole year group into account, it is unlikely that most children will attain the goals expected for them because so much everyday language has to be specifically taught, explained and modelled.

p.20

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

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

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Good teaching ensures that a very wide range of learning experiences are planned and resourced very well. • The outdoor areas and teaching assistants are used very well to promote children’s learning. • Teachers place a good emphasis on children’s health and safety.

p.20

Commentary

43. In the nursery, the planning for learning about the immediate world is very good. Teachers prepare interesting, new experiences and resources which catch the interest of children and effectively extend their vocabulary. The focus on ‘Bob the Builder’ in the nursery effectively raised standards in knowing how buildings and materials work. Children explored how guttering could be used to collect water, learning basic scientific principles through being allowed to experiment in a controlled and safe way. Outside, two children were observed ‘building’ a wall using wooden bricks and sand as ‘mortar.’ Their concentration on this task was absolute as they carefully took turns in using a trowel to smooth the sand between the bricks. In all these activities, adults constantly reinforce health and safety rules and the new words children learn.

p.20

Commentary

44. In reception, the focus was on building and methods of travelling. Here children carefully dressed in hard hats and fluorescent jackets, and used tools such as a real spirit level to ‘build’ houses. They engaged in role-play in a big cardboard boat and experimented in water to see which objects sank or floated. Inside classrooms, children play with an island in the water tray, which promotes their social skills well, and they collaboratively make bridges and place boats on a river system, which the teacher had provided using coloured paper on a group of tables. Children have learned to make simple maps of roads and railway tracks using their own models as a guide. In children’s assessment books there is evidence to show how they have constructed and tested dresses made from different materials. One adult wrote a child’s explanation of why paper would not make a good dress, recording, “it would fall off if it got wet.”

p.20

Commentary

45. In both nursery and reception, children access computers and work in pairs on simple programs which give them the opportunity to practise skills in mathematics and drawing, as well as teaching them to work collaboratively, to take turns, and improving their ‘mouse’ skills. Exhall Cedars Infant - 21 46. Despite this good learning and achievement, most children are unlikely to attain the goals expected by the end of the year in this broad area of learning, as their general knowledge about the world around them and their language development is restricted on entry to school.

p.20

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in physical development is good.

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The quality of teaching is good leading to good achievement. • Good opportunities are provided to practise a variety of skills.

p.21

Commentary

47. Children achieve well in the nursery and in reception because teachers and adults manage children well, plan lessons and activities which are interesting and motivate children to learn. In the nursery, children can balance and jump along a series of raised steps with control and are developing finer motor skills through using modelling material, the mouse on the computer and through activities such as screwing a screw into a prepared block of wood using a screwdriver.

p.21

Commentary

48. In reception, children explore apparatus in the hall safely and can run, jump and hop in a reasonably controlled way for their age. As in the nursery, children have good opportunities to practise their physical skills outside and inside when using paintbrushes, constructing models and learning to paint and draw. Children in reception are on course to meet the goals they are expected to meet.

p.21

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Provision in creative development is good.

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children benefit well from the expertise of the art and design subject co-ordinator who is based in reception. • Teaching is good and teachers’ expectations are high resulting in children attaining the standards expected.

p.21

Commentary

49. In the nursery and reception, children achieve well. Good use is made of action songs and rhymes such as ‘Peter hammers with one hammer’ to improve singing skills and practise counting. Whilst less confident children are content to sit quietly and watch, the more confident children readily engage with adults and imitate their actions. Nursery children are keen to experiment with paint and textures whilst reception children benefit greatly from having the art and design co-ordinator as one of the class teachers. Children in reception have completed some good work in fabric painting and can paint good portraits of each other taking good account of the various colours of skin they see around them. They have completed some good drawings of fruit using oil pastels and some exceptionally good work in the style of Paul Klee, imitating the patterns and colours very well. On the current evidence most children will meet the

p.21

Commentary

expected goals in this area of learning and a significant number will exceed them. Exhall Cedars Infant - 22

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The quality of teaching and learning is good as are the leadership and management f the subject. • Teachers develop their pupils’ speaking and listening skills through the use of challenging questions. • The subject has been monitored well and pupil performance data is used effectively to raise standards. • Though boys’ attainment is not as high as girls’, both boys and girls achieve well. • Literacy skills are developed well in other subjects, but there are occasionally missed opportunities to use new technology to support language and literacy development.

p.22

Commentary

50. In the National Curriculum tests for 2003, standards in reading and writing at the end of Year 2 were well above average. However, this was a year group containing an unusually high number of more able pupils. For this current group of Year 2 pupils, evidence from the work scrutiny and lesson observations shows that standards in reading and writing and speaking and listening are average overall but above those seen at the time of the previous inspection. This represents good achievement as most pupils enter school with standards that are below average overall and some with language skills that are well below average.

p.22

Commentary

51. The quality of teaching throughout the school is good and this enables pupils to make good progress. No unsatisfactory lessons were seen during the inspection, which is a significant improvement from the last inspection. It is evident from lessons that teaching is good, with an emphasis on helping pupils to develop their literacy skills through purposeful and enjoyable activities that enable them to achieve well. For example, one writing lesson began with an opportunity for pupils to engage in role-play as they acted out the story from their class book. This helped them to appreciate the story content and to develop increasingly mature vocabulary. A strong feature of teaching is that teachers plan together to ensure that all pupils receive equality of access to the curriculum. Teachers are confident in their use of the National Literacy Strategy and make good provision within lessons for pupils of differing abilities. At the

p.22

Commentary

time of the previous inspection, teachers made insufficient use of ICT within lessons but this is no longer the case. The interactive whiteboard is used effectively to stimulate pupils’ interest, such as when Year 2 pupils worked collaboratively to develop an invitation to a wedding. Teachers are becoming confident in the use of this new technology, although there are some missed opportunities for pupils to access the interactive whiteboard or the computer suite, in order to develop similar confidence.

p.22

Commentary

52. All adults, including teachers, teaching assistants and other non-teaching staff make a positive contribution to the development of pupils’ speaking and listening skills. Pupils are encouraged to talk to and listen to adults and their peers in virtually every lesson. For example, in a lesson in Year 2, pupils were encouraged to develop increasingly more interesting dialogue to reflect the thoughts of characters from their story. Most pupils were able to express their ideas with confidence and had sufficient maturity to listen attentively to the contributions made by other pupils. Teachers are very effective at engaging pupils with probing questioning that encourages them to think carefully before responding. Virtually every lesson contains an opportunity for pupils to share their work with the rest of the class and such regular and good opportunities enable pupils to develop their language skills and to extend their range of vocabulary.

p.22

Commentary

Exhall Cedars Infant - 23 53. The school makes good use of data analysis that includes very effective systems for tracking the progress of individual pupils. There is a very good, planned programme of assessments and this provides information that is used to develop targets in reading and writing for individual pupils. These targets are displayed in pupils’ books and reviewed on a regular basis. At the time of the last inspection, assessment was not used effectively and this weakness has now been eradicated. These very good systems for assessment and data analysis have enabled the school to successfully address the key issue of raising standards in English.

p.23

Commentary

54. The co-ordinator for English provides good leadership to this curricular area. She has a clear view of standards within her subject and works closely with other members of the staff to ensure continued improvement. She has very good subject knowledge and has done much to secure good improvements since the last inspection. There is now a policy and scheme of work that take account of the requirements of the National Literacy Strategy and the co- ordinator monitors planning and teaching throughout the school. She has improved resources, particularly in respect of “guided-reading” books and developed a good home-reading scheme that enables parents to contribute to their children’s reading development.

p.23

Commentary

55. The attainment of boys in both reading and writing has remained below that of girls over the last three years. The school is aware of this fact and has highlighted the need to raise the attainment of boys as a key objective in their current school development plan. They have begun to address this issue by purchasing resources that are likely to appeal to boys and by inviting male role models into school. During the recent “Book Week”, for example, they had a visit from a local author and other male members of the community, such as the local policeman, were invited into school. The inspection team noted that the attainment of boys on entry to the school is generally lower than that of girls - they make up the majority of pupils within school with learning difficulties. Nevertheless, the school is right to maintain close monitoring of boys’ results and continue to raise expectations of them.

p.23

English across the curriculum

56. Pupils are given good opportunities to develop their language and literacy skills across other areas of the curriculum. In design and technology, for example, pupils have written instructions for making pancakes, whilst other pupils have written accounts of their science experiments and attached labels to their drawings. Literacy lessons are often linked to other curricular areas, for example, the decision to use an Indian folk tale as a featured class book gave pupils an opportunity to talk about their recent visit to a Sikh temple that had formed part of their studies in religious education. Much of the display work seen throughout the school features examples of pupils’ written work and these regular opportunities for writing have contributed to the steady improvement in standards of writing since the last inspection.

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Very good assessment procedures and monitoring of pupils’ work ensure that areas for improvement are quickly identified and addressed, leading to good achievement. • The quality of teaching and learning is good overall but expectations could be even higher in some classes. • The leadership and management are good. • There are good links to other curriculum areas.

p.23

Commentary

57. The results of the 2003 national tests indicated that standards had risen to well above average. This year group contained a high proportion of higher attaining pupils than in the current Year 2. Exhall Cedars Infant - 24 Currently, there is a high proportion of pupils with SEN in both Years 1 and 2. Nevertheless, pupils’ achievement is good and pupils in Year 2 are on line to reach average standards this year. This represents good improvement since the last inspection when standards were below average. There is a good focus on investigating numbers and shapes using practical apparatus, which gives pupils practice in their learning. For example, In Year 1, pupils used jugs and bottles to investigate capacity, recorded using a digital camera.

p.23

Commentary

58. One of the key factors in this improvement is the use of regular tests and assessments each half term plus teachers’ daily assessments of what pupils know and can do, and what they need to learn next to improve further. The results of assessments are used to set clear targets for improvement and these are readily identified in teachers’ very good planning documents which take the learning needs of each group of children, including those with SEN and EAL, in each class, into account. The quality of teaching is good overall and no unsatisfactory teaching was seen. Classroom assistants are well briefed and work successfully with different groups of pupils within classes.

p.24

Commentary

59. Since the last inspection, the headteacher has been successful, through a programme of monitoring and training, in raising the expectations of teachers, and this, in turn, has led to higher standards being attained. In the one satisfactory lesson seen, the work set for the highest attaining pupils, in ordering numbers, was still not challenging enough, and this group completed the task without effort. Teachers use the guidance from the numeracy strategy well and there is a strong focus on direct teaching. A scrutiny of work shows that pupils are encouraged to make and solve some of their own problems and use few pre-prepared worksheets and this helps to make lessons are lively and interesting. For example, in a Year 2 lesson, the pupils marched around the room clapping as they counted in tens from 1 to 91 and back again before quickly settling to the main part of the lesson on measurement, where they

p.24

Commentary

used practical resources to estimate and then measure ribbons of different lengths. By the end of the lesson, pupils’ progress was clear and their estimation of lengths in centimetres was much improved.

p.24

Commentary

60. The co-ordinator leads and manages this subject well. She has a good grasp of the strengths and weaknesses in the provision through conducting an annual audit, and analysing data from assessments. Using this information, she scrutinises teachers’ planning documents and makes recommendations for improvements. She supports teachers in planning and in setting challenging targets for their pupils to achieve. She accurately identifies training needs for less experienced staff in partnership with the headteacher.

p.24

Mathematics across the curriculum

61. Links to other areas of learning are good. In particular, there are strong links to ICT, which is used well to improve pupils’ knowledge and use of data-handling. Pupils use their measuring skills in science when conducting investigations as to how far toys travel over different surfaces, and they have ordered a set of musical instruments using a Venn diagram.

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching is good and so pupils achieve well by Year 2. • The teachers use investigation imaginatively, offering pupils many opportunities to investigate for themselves and this contributes to independent learning and good achievement. • The subject is well led jointly by two co-ordinators. • ICT is used effectively to enrich the curriculum. • Marking is not yet consistently good. Exhall Cedars Infant - 25

p.24

Commentary

62. The school has made good progress in developing the subject since the last inspection. The focus on practical and investigative activities is helping pupils to acquire skills of scientific enquiry. Standards in the current Year 2 are average. Although standards have remained the same, pupils’ skills in scientific enquiry have improved since the last inspection, and they are more secure now. The good quality of the teaching also enables all pupils to achieve well, coming from below average attainment on entry to school. Samples of work seen, show that by the end of Year 2, pupils have conducted experiments to find out, for example, how toys work through pushing and pulling, how to make a boat move and how materials change when making pancakes. They also investigate whether the oldest pupil is the tallest.

p.25

Commentary

63. This emphasis on learning through first-hand experiences was evident in the lessons seen during the inspection. Teaching seen in both Year 2 classes was very good where pupils planned and carried out an investigation to test which materials made things wet and which materials kept things dry. These were imaginative lessons. The problem for the investigation was introduced through a story where an animal had to cross the river keeping some ‘play maize’ dry. The pupils made predictions for a range of materials and tested their predictions. This motivated them very well because they investigated for a purpose. Skilled questioning by the teachers ensured that pupils understood what a fair test meant, and that their tests were fair. ICT was used effectively to support the lessons. The pupils used the digital microscope to examine which materials absorbed water and soaked the ‘play maize.’ There are examples of

p.25

Commentary

work in the scrutiny where the pupils used their learning in mathematics to record their data from investigations by making pictograms. These opportunities give pupils confidence in their work and contribute to the good curriculum.

p.25

Commentary

64. Good assessment procedures are in place and pupils’ progress is closely monitored to ensure that tasks are well matched to their needs. However, although there are some good examples in marking where teachers help pupils to improve their work, this is not consistent.

p.25

Commentary

65. The subject is jointly well led and managed by two co-ordinators. Subject leadership and management are good not only in the monitoring of planning of science topics, but also in the emphasis on scientific skills, vocabulary and creativity. These features effectively contribute to the richness of the curriculum that interests and motivates pupils.

p.25

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

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

p.25

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils are attaining above average standards. Their very good achievement is due to good teaching combined with very good curriculum organisation and resources. • Leadership and management are very good. • There are good links to other areas of the curriculum.

p.25

Commentary

66. By Year 2, pupils can save their work, then retrieve and edit it. They open and close programs themselves using their own passwords, and use these programs to design and make their own posters. They can insert text of different sizes, colours and fonts and add pictures to their work which have been taken using digital cameras or through accessing clip art from the computers. In addition, they can use the interactive whiteboard to access, write and edit and present information. Their concentration on their tasks is very good and their progress is rapid due to the drive and speed of teaching, which ensures no time is wasted. Their achievement is very good, particularly in the way they can evaluate their own work and make improvements. Exhall Cedars Infant - 26 67. Teachers follow very precise and challenging lesson plans written in partnership with the co- ordinator, which require good pace to be completed in the allotted time. Introductions and

p.25

Commentary

demonstrations are very clear and pupils concentrate hard on the instructions because they are so keen to do the practical work. Classes are split when using the computer suite, so that each pupil has a computer to work on and does not have to share or take turns, ensuring all their work is their own. They save their own work onto the computer and teachers can access and measure each pupil’s success through monitoring these files. Teachers’ knowledge and expertise is good and they use time at the end of each lesson to tell pupils what they are going to learn next and to sort out any problems as a class, allowing all pupils to share in and celebrate their learning.

p.26

Commentary

68. The co-ordinator has a very good knowledge and understanding of the subject and ensures, through her planning and monitoring, that all aspects of the subject are covered. She is enthusiastic and confident and leads by example. Although the new interactive whiteboard is in her classroom, she ensures that all classes have access to it and has arranged and led training on how to use it well for staff. Each time the school obtains new hardware, she updates teachers’ medium-term planning documents to ensure the new equipment is used. There has been very good improvement since the last inspection.

p.26

Information and communication technology across the curriculum

69. At the last inspection, it was reported that there were not enough cross-curricular links. This situation has now improved very well as there are good links with other curriculum areas. For example, pupils use a ‘paint’ program in art, they use word processing in English, and graphical programs to present their work and findings in science and mathematics. During the inspection, pupils were using ICT to complement their work in geography. They were designing a litter poster to encourage people to keep the school grounds tidy and clean after conducting a litter survey.

p.26

HUMANITIES

In humanities, work was sampled in history and geography and no lessons were seen in these subjects. Religious education was inspected in full.

p.26

HUMANITIES

70. By Year 2, pupils show sound knowledge and understanding of the important events in history such as the Gunpowder Plot and a sense of chronology. Pupils are encouraged to develop an understanding of the past, using pictures and artefacts as evidence. ICT is used well to enhance pupils’ learning and they have produced images of poppies for Remembrance Day and of different toys using their ICT skills. It is evident from teachers’ planning, and a scrutiny of pupils’ work, that a range of resources including visits and visitors, play an important part in making the work interesting and relevant. 71. An important aspect of the geography curriculum is that it builds effectively on pupils’ knowledge and experience of the world. For example, pupils in Year 2 walked around the school grounds as litter detectives, noting where litter was found. From planning and the available evidence of work, it is clear that mapping skills and geographical vocabulary are taught over the

p.26

Religious education

Provision in religious education is good. Exhall Cedars Infant - 27

p.26

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The curriculum is well balanced ensuring pupils learn from, and about, a range of different religions. • A programme of visits and visitors enriches the curriculum. • There is no permanent co-ordinator to lead the subject.

p.27

Commentary

72. Standards meet the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus at the end of Year 2, and pupils achieve well. This is a similar position to that seen at the time of the previous inspection.

p.27

Commentary

73. The curriculum is well balanced and covers a range of Christian and non-Christian faiths. Pupils learn about other religious beliefs and also how to apply these principles to their own lives. In a lesson in Year 2, for example, pupils discussed the importance of having respect for others when considering the importance of “special books.” The curriculum is enriched by a programme of visits, such as that to a Sikh temple in Coventry, that affords opportunities for pupils to meet and converse with people from non-Christian religions in order to deepen their understanding of other faiths and cultures. Pupils in Year 2 had obviously developed their understanding of the Christian faith as a result of their visit to Coventry Cathedral. The standard of display work around the school is good and teachers make very effective use of artefacts within their lessons. For example, very attractive saris and other articles of clothing enlivened

p.27

Commentary

drama lessons in Years 1 and 2. Religious education is often linked to other curricular areas, particularly in its contribution to standards of writing within the school.

p.27

Commentary

74. Teaching is good. Lessons are planned effectively with activities designed to cater for the needs of pupils with differing ability levels. In the satisfactory lesson, however, there was a lack of pace due to the time spent in managing the behaviour of pupils. Assemblies help to promote an appreciation of different cultures by celebrating a range of Christian and non-Christian festivals, including Christmas, Eid and the Chinese New Year.

p.27

Commentary

75. At present, the subject is ably led by a caretaker co-ordinator but she has several other subject responsibilities. Curriculum leadership is satisfactory as is improvement since the last inspection. The co-ordinator has implemented a new scheme of work based on the locally agreed syllabus and introduced class assessments for the end of each topic. However, she has not had sufficient time to regularly monitor planning and the delivery of lessons. The school has acknowledged this problem and is planning to appoint a permanent co-ordinator in the near future.

p.27

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

Music was inspected in full and is reported below. Art and design, design and technology, and physical education were sampled.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

No lessons were seen in design and technology but from a scrutiny of work, planning, and displays in the classroom, all aspects of the curriculum are taught. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 have benefited from a visitor called the ‘Toy Man’ and have made wooden toys from around the world using simple kits. In Year 2, pupils have designed, made and sewn attractive hand puppets and simple musical instruments using found materials such as wooden boxes, and string.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

No lessons were seen in art and design but from the quality and quantity and work on display around the school, this subject has a high profile. Pupils have completed good work in painting in the style of famous artists.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

One physical education lesson was seen in dance. This lesson was very good with some excellent features. The teacher proved an excellent role model, retaining very good class control whilst Exhall Cedars Infant - 28 participating in all dance activities. Pupils worked collaboratively to develop dance sequences on the theme of “Fire”, whilst the introduction of crepe paper to represent flames and the choice of lively, appropriate music contributed to very good standards of performance. Pupils were given opportunities to deliver their own assessments and their performance was recorded using the digital camera. The curriculum for physical education is well balanced, although pupils do not have opportunities to develop their skills in swimming. The subject leader has a good understanding of the role, although she has not yet monitored planning and curricular delivery or introduced assessment procedures.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The quality of singing is above average. • Music is used well throughout the day to set a calm working ethos. • Resources need to be organised more efficiently.

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Commentary

76. Pupils sing tunefully, expressively and with enjoyment. They can explore and make simple rhythmic patterns using percussion instruments to accompany their songs and a story. They can follow a story and insert symbols that represent the instruments they plan to play. They also listen well to music and make marks on paper to represent the moods and feelings that the music generates. Their achievement is good.

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Commentary

77. Teaching is good overall. In a good lesson in Year 1, the teacher had musical expertise, which the pupils recognised and appreciated. They made good progress in the lesson in identifying the high and low sounds that a flute could make. In Year 2, a visiting peripatetic teacher was getting pupils ready for a performance in a series of lessons focusing on inserting symbols to represent sounds. She had based the work on well-known stories and directed pupils well in their performances, using questioning skills well to encourage pupils to suggest improvements to their work and promoting their good achievement.

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Commentary

78. Throughout the day, music is played in shared areas in the school and pupils can identify some music composed by, for example, Mozart, in assemblies. The music played in the hall and in some classrooms, serves to set a calm working atmosphere which encourages pupils to settle quickly to their work. Currently the headteacher is leading and managing this area of the curriculum well. Another member of staff will take over after having training on subject leadership, which is already planned for her. Improvement since the last inspection is satisfactory.

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Commentary

79. Most music lessons take place in the temporary classroom in the playground where all the resources are stored. This is a new initiative and, currently the instruments are not accessible enough for pupils to collect themselves. This leads to a loss of pace in lessons as teachers have to spend time sorting out the instruments.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

80. There was not enough evidence to report on this area individually, but records of work were sampled. The co-ordinator has developed and implemented a scheme of work that is carefully planned to extend personal development and to help pupils to grow in confidence. This scheme of work has very strong links to other curricular subjects, particularly science and religious education. For example, pupils study health education within the science topic of “Living and Growing” and respect for others is developed through the “Special Books” topic in religious education. Exhall Cedars Infant - 29

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The overall effectiveness of the school 3 How inclusive the school is 2 How the school’s effectiveness has changed since its last inspection 3 Value for money provided by the school 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Overall standards achieved 3 Pupils’ achievement 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities 3 Attendance 5 Attitudes 3 Behaviour, including the extent of exclusions 3 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 2 How well the curriculum meets pupils’ needs 3 Enrichment of the curriculum, including out-of-school activities 3 Accommodation and resources 3 Pupils’ care, welfare, health and safety 3 Support, advice and guidance for pupils 3 How well the school seeks and acts on pupils’ views 4 The effectiveness of the school’s links with parents 3 The quality of the school’s links with the community 4 The school’s links with other schools and colleges 3

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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 2 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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