Forres Primary School

FORRES PRIMARY SCHOOL

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 Forres 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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FORRES 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. Forres Primary - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Primary School category: Community Age range of pupils: 5-11 years Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 305

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Stanstead Road Hoddesdon Hertfordshire Postcode: EN11 0RW

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Telephone number: 01992 467821 Fax number: 01992 467821

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: Governing body Name of chair of governors: Mr Ken Ayling

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 23 March 1998

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

This community primary school serves a residential area and most pupils come from average socio- economic backgrounds. Many children arrive at school with levels of attainment that are below average and in recent years there has been a marked decline in children’s early language and numeracy skills. Nearly all are from white English speaking families, although a small proportion are from ethnic minority backgrounds. Most pupils speak English as their first language, although there are a small number whose home language is not English who are at an early stage of learning to speak English. The proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals, around 11 per cent, is broadly average. A below average proportion of pupils, around 13 per cent, are entered on the school’s record of special educational needs and of these a small number have a Statement of Special Educational Needs because they need considerable help with their learning. Overall, the proportion

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

of pupils who enter or leave the school part-way through this stage of their education, around nine per cent, is broadly average, but in several year groups the proportion is high. It has become very difficult to recruit teachers in this area. Forres Primary - 4

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

15477 John Messer Lead inspector Foundation Stage, English as an additional language, science, art and design, design and technology. 1311 Barry Wood Lay inspector 31029 Peter Thrussel Team inspector English, geography, history. 27243 Ian Tatchell Team inspector Mathematics, music, special educational needs. 18936 Carol Frankl Team inspector Information and communication technology, religious education, physical education.

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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). Forres Primary - 5

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 9

Standards achieved in areas of learning, subjects and courses

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 9

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL 12

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

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OVERALL EVALUATION

This school provides a sound education for its pupils and satisfactory value for money. Teaching and learning are mostly satisfactory and good in Years 3 to 6. Standards of attainment on entry to the school are below average. In recent years staff absence due to ill health and difficulties in recruiting teachers have seriously affected the continuity of pupils’ learning and have had an adverse effect on their achievement. Most pupils are now achieving well, so that by the end of Year 6 they are likely to attain standards that are broadly average in English, mathematics and science. The headteacher is strongly supported by staff and governors and together they provide sound leadership and management.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

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OVERALL EVALUATION

• The school provides a warm, friendly learning environment that promotes high levels of satisfaction among parents and pupils. • The quality of teaching and learning in Years 3 to 6 is mostly good and often very good. • Pupils develop very positive attitudes to learning that help to promote good achievement. • Pupils’ behaviour is good. • Standards in information and communication technology are below average and resources are inadequate to support learning across the curriculum. • The quality of teaching is inconsistent; it ranges from unsatisfactory to excellent. • The management of the curriculum is insufficiently systematic and so curricular planning and school development lack clear direction. • Attendance is unsatisfactory.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

Standards are not as high as at the time of the last inspection, mainly because pupils’ attainment on entry to the school is lower now than it was. There are also higher levels of staff turnover and pupil mobility. Pupils enter the school with below average attainment and when they leave standards are broadly average; this represents good achievement. The school’s effectiveness is similar to the situation at the time of the last inspection when achievement was also good. However, standards in information and communication technology were average and are now below average. This is partly because the school has not kept up with the higher expectations of pupils’ performance in this subject, which have steadily increased over the past five years. The school has successfully addressed most of the key issues raised in the last inspection report, although there are still issues regarding school development and targeting resources accurately according to the school’s most

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

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

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Overall, pupils’ achievement is good. Children’s achievement in the reception classes and in Years 1 and 2 is satisfactory and in Years 3 to 6 it is good. Although children’s achievement is satisfactory in the reception classes, it is unlikely that they will attain all the goals children are expected to reach by the end of reception, especially in communication, language and literacy and mathematical Forres Primary - 7 development. By the end of Year 2, most pupils are likely to attain average standards in reading, writing, mathematics and science. Most pupils are on course to attain average standards in English, mathematics and science by the end of Year 6. Pupils now in Year 6 are performing better in mathematics and science than last year’s group so national test results in these subjects are likely to be better than last year’s.

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Pupils’ personal qualities, including their moral and social development, are good and their

spiritual and cultural development are satisfactory. They have very good attitudes to their work are eager to please and work willingly. Pupils develop good levels of self-esteem and maturity. They have a keen sense of justice and fair play. Behaviour is good and pupils work and play happily together. Attendance is unsatisfactory.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The quality of education provided is sound. The quality of teaching is satisfactory. Teachers strive to assist pupils to learn effectively and in many lessons they succeed. However, some teachers lack experience and expertise in teaching the year groups for which they are responsible. This contributes to wide variations in the quality of teaching and a lack of consistency across the school. Much of the teaching is satisfactory and there are examples of very good teaching and learning in most year groups, but there are also examples of unsatisfactory teaching in a small number of lessons in Year 2 where pupils do not always learn enough. The inconsistencies in teaching lead to uneven learning from year to year. This is compounded by significant gaps in pupils’ prior learning caused by staffing problems in previous years. However, pupils’ achievement is good overall because it is boosted by their very good attitudes to learning. Teachers plan lessons carefully

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

and pupils’ learning now progresses methodically. However, advances in the school’s curricular developments are not always planned systematically or in sufficient detail. The school knows what it wants to improve, but it is not so clear about how to achieve improvements. This constrains advances in pupils’ learning and the standards they attain. The school has recently been able to establish a more stable teaching force and is in a good position to make further improvements.

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Leadership and management are broadly satisfactory, but there are weaknesses in the

management of the curriculum. The headteacher provides particularly good pastoral care. She listens carefully to parents, pupils and staff and attends to their welfare exceptionally well. She has a good understanding of pupils’ individual personal circumstances and ensures that all are treated fairly. This is a strength of the school and makes a strong contribution to the school’s happy ethos and the high regard in which it is held by pupils and parents. Governors provide sound support, but many are new and have yet to have a major impact on school developments. School improvement planning is not fully developed and subject leaders’ action plans are variable in quality. Finances are managed prudently, but plans to spend money on major initiatives are not always based securely on a thorough audit of need or on a long-term strategic plan.

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Parents hold the school in high esteem and there are high levels of satisfaction with the standards of provision. Pupils are proud to be members of the school community. There is little that they wish to be changed in the school. Responses to questionnaires showed that more sport, longer playtimes and larger portions of food were the main areas that pupils wanted improved. Forres Primary - 8

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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 management of the curriculum and refine development planning so that there is a clear long-term plan that incorporates financial planning and subject leaders’ action plans that describe how improvements in teaching and learning will be achieved and how standards will be raised. • Develop resources and raise standards in information and communication technology so that computers can be used more readily to support teaching and learning. • Improve the quality and consistency of teaching. • Develop better procedures for promoting attendance. Forres Primary - 9

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Standards achieved in areas of learning, subjects and courses

Pupils enter the school with standards of attainment that are below average and leave with standards that are broadly average in almost all subjects. This represents good achievement overall from reception to Year 6. Standards in information and communication technology are below average.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The good teaching in Years 3 to 6 helps pupils to achieve well in most subjects. • The positive school ethos promotes an enthusiasm for learning that helps all pupils, including those with special educational needs, to achieve well. • Pupils in Years 3 to 6 do not achieve as well as they could in information and communication technology and standards are not high enough. • There is no specific provision for gifted and talented pupils.

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Commentary

1. Standards are not as high as they were at the time of the last inspection. At the time of the last inspection standards were above average in English, mathematics and science and now they are average. The school used to take in pupils with broadly average standards of attainment, but now standards on entry are below average. The socio-economic backgrounds of pupils are not as favourable as they were at the time of the last inspection. At the time of the last inspection staffing was relatively stable and the school found no difficulty in recruiting suitably qualified and experienced teachers. Now the school has greater difficulty in recruiting teachers. Staffing issues have caused serious problems that have adversely affected the continuity of pupils’ learning, their achievement and the standards they attain. This was particularly evident in the sharp decline in the school’s performance in the national tests for pupils in Year 6 in 2003.

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Commentary

2. In the national tests for pupils in Year 6 in English in 2003, the school’s performance was broadly average and this concurs with inspection findings. However, the school’s performance in the tests in mathematics was well below average and was below average in science. Due largely to the staffing difficulties, standards in all three subjects declined sharply in 2003, but in mathematics, and to a lesser extent science, the decline was from a lower base. This is largely because the school has a history of below average attainment in mathematics that stems from lower than average attainment on entry. However, because the school now has a more stable teaching force, standards are improving and are likely to be average by the end of this school year.

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Commentary

3. Pupils’ achievement is mostly satisfactory from reception to Year 2 and thereafter it accelerates. Pupils make faster progress in Years 3 to 6 because the teaching is more consistent and much of it is good. The pupils develop more mature and more focused attitudes to learning as they get older and this has a major impact on the effectiveness of their learning.

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Commentary

4. Inspection findings show that standards by the end of Year 2 are broadly average in reading, writing, mathematics and science. These findings were not reflected in the school’s performance in national tests and assessments for pupils in Year 2 in 2003. Standards in writing were above average, but they were below average in reading and mathematics. The school’s own assessments confirm inspection findings and show that the school’s overall performance is likely to be much better this year in national tests for pupils in Years 2 and 6. This is because pupils’ learning is now more consistent. However, gaps in pupils’ prior learning, Forres Primary - 10 caused largely by the staffing problems, remain evident and still slow progress and achievement, particularly in mathematics.

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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 15.4 (15.3) 15.7 (15.8) Writing 15.5 (15.1) 14.6 (14.4) Mathematics 15.7 (16.1) 16.3 (16.5) There were 44 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Commentary

Standards in national tests at the end of Year 6 – average point scores in 2003

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Standards in: School results National results English 27.2 (28.4) 26.8 (27.0) Mathematics 25.5 (26.4) 26.8 (26.7) Science 27.9 (28.5) 28.6 (28.3) There were 40 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Commentary

5. Children enter the reception classes with standards of attainment in early learning that are below average. These findings are confirmed by the school’s thorough and detailed analyses of pupils’ attainment on entry to the school. One reception class had only been established a matter of days prior to the inspection and the children were very new to school. However, early signs indicate that they are settling well and will achieve at least satisfactorily as a result of the sound teaching that they are receiving. The other smaller class, have settled well since September and are achieving satisfactorily. They are making sound progress in most of the areas of learning and in their personal, social and emotional development as well as in their physical development, they achieve well. However, in most of the areas of learning it is unlikely that they will attain all the Early Learning Goals by the end of reception. This is partly due to their

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Commentary

below average attainment on entry, partly due to the teachers’ inexperience and largely because the leadership of the Foundation Stage is unsatisfactory. This results in a lack of guidance and support for the teachers.

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Commentary

6. In no subjects were there any significant differences in the achievement or the standards attained by boys compared with girls. The inspection found that pupils, including those from minority ethnic groups, pupils with special educational needs and those whose home language is not English, achieve as well as all the other groups. However, although the faster learners also achieve well in most lessons, there is no specific provision for gifted and talented pupils. Although the school has a list of its gifted and talented pupils, there is no clear assessment of their educational needs. Consequently, the school cannot be certain that their learning requirements are being fully met.

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Commentary

7. Pupils with special educational needs who receive support in lessons or who have individual or group lessons, generally achieve well in relation to their prior attainment. Records show that these pupils make good progress towards meeting their individual targets. Although they attain standards that are often below those expected for pupils of their age, they are actually achieving well. However, recent admissions of pupils with complex difficulties require the continued support and advice of a range of specialists to enable the school to successfully meet the particular needs of all pupils. Forres Primary - 11

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

Pupils’ attitudes to learning are very good and their behaviour is good. Their moral and social development is good and their spiritual and cultural development is satisfactory. Pupils’ attendance is unsatisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils’ attitudes to work are very good and this contributes well to their learning and achievement. • Pupils’ good relationships contribute well to their enjoyment and well-being and promote a positive learning ethos. • Pupils’ good behaviour inside and outside the classroom supports the school’s smooth running effectively. • Pupils’ good moral and social education positively shapes their attitudes and behaviour. • Attendance has declined and is below the national average; this has a negative impact on learning. • Opportunities are missed to include elements of spiritual, moral, social and cultural education in lessons.

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Commentary

8. Since the last inspection, attendance has declined annually and is now below the national average. During the last year, none of the classes exceeded the national average. Unauthorised absence is minimal, but the high, authorised absence rate is largely due to parents taking their children on holiday during term time. The school does not analyse pupils' attendance levels sufficiently, except under the termly guidance of the education welfare officer, and does not try to assess the affect of poor attendance on pupils' performance. It cannot, therefore, target support for those pupils whose achievement is most affected by their absence. Despite telephoning parents on the first day of absence, where necessary, the school is too passive in bringing long-term poor attendance to the attention of parents. The punctuality of pupils is generally satisfactory and lessons begin on time.

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Commentary

Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

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Commentary

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data 6.6 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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Commentary

9. Most pupils come happily to school, look smart and are proud to be members of the school community. Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour improve significantly as they progress through the school and become more mature. This contributes to their good achievement. In Years 1 and 2, pupils' attitudes are mostly good, but they tend to lose concentration, particularly if teaching is not stimulating and, consequently, their behaviour has to be corrected. In Years 3 to 6, pupils' attitudes are very good as they learn to improve their concentration levels and listen carefully to their teachers, so that lessons flow without interruption. Pupils build good relationships with each other, which help them to co-operate well when working in pairs or groups. This promotes effective learning. Pupils develop trust in their teachers and other adults around the school. As a result, they are willing to ask questions and seek advice. Pupils confirm that they enjoy school

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Commentary

and like most subjects. Pupils with special educational needs are included well in all activities. The school has only needed to use the sanction of excluding pupils sparingly in the last three years. Around the school, pupils show good behaviour, are polite to adults and tolerant of each other. They relax and play safely together without any fear of bullying or harassment. They value Forres Primary - 12 each other’s contributions, either in the classroom or when representing the school in sport. Pupils are keen to take responsibility through the school council and in assisting with classroom management. They show respect for the school environment and resources.

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Commentary

10. The moral and social development of pupils is stronger than their spiritual and cultural development. Opportunities are missed in lessons to promote spiritual and cultural development and these areas do not feature strongly in school life. In a science lesson on muscles and the effectives of exercise, for example, opportunities were missed to marvel at the complexity of the human body. Collective worship meets statutory requirements and pupils learn about and have respect for the celebrations and beliefs of other faiths in assemblies. Pupils know the difference between right and wrong. They meet together in class at special times to reflect on social and personal issues. This special period, called ‘circle time’, makes a strong contribution to pupils’ personal development. The school’s supportive ethos helps pupils to develop their self-esteem and confidence within the context of co-operation and

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Commentary

togetherness. Lunchtimes are a happy social occasion, where pupils mix easily with each other. The school engages effectively with the local church and community and pupils demonstrate a keenness to learn about their own cultural roots and traditions. They are given some appreciation of painting in the style of famous artists, learn to play a musical instrument and take part in school sports teams against other schools. This fosters their personal and social development well. The school makes a sustained effort to develop pupils’ appreciation of other cultures through assemblies and topic work. One good initiative is the school’s participation in a project, the Comenius Project, which promotes links with three European schools and one of which is in Martinique.

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Commentary

11. On entry to the school many children display personal and social skills that are not as well developed as would normally be the case in most schools. Their progress in achieving the Early Learning Goals in personal, social and emotional development is good. Children’s attitudes and behaviour are good throughout their time in the Foundation Stage where they are prepared well to tackle the next stage of education.

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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 249 2 0 White – any other White background 5 0 0 Mixed – White and Black African 3 0 0 Asian or Asian British – any other Asian background 2 0 0 Black or Black British – Caribbean 2 0 0 Any other ethnic group 1 0 0 No ethnic group recorded 2 0 0 The table gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

The quality of education provided by the school is sound. Teaching and learning are satisfactory and the curriculum is taught thoroughly and according to legal requirements. Satisfactory arrangements are in place to ensure the welfare and care of pupils. Forres Primary - 13

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Teaching and learning

Teaching is mostly satisfactory and this promotes generally sound learning. However, the quality of teaching is inconsistent and results in inconsistencies in pupils’ learning. In over a third of the lessons seen teaching was good and in over an eighth it was very good and occasionally excellent, but in a small number of lessons teaching was unsatisfactory and pupils did not learn enough. Most of the good teaching is in Years 3 to 6. Assessment is satisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The quality of teaching and learning in Years 3 to 6 is good. • English and mathematics are taught well. • Thorough lesson planning and good relationships are particular strengths of the teaching. • The quality of teaching across the school is inconsistent and teaching in a small number of lessons was unsatisfactory in Year 2.

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Commentary

12. The quality of teaching is satisfactory, but within this overall picture there are wide variations. Parents are in almost total agreement that, in their view, teaching is good and that their children make good progress. However, in the lessons seen there were examples of very good and occasionally excellent teaching as well as lessons where teaching was unsatisfactory. This unevenness in quality is recognised by the school and regular advice is provided to improve the quality of teaching and learning, but a concerted drive to bring all teaching up to the level of the best has not been implemented. Not all teachers have a clear understanding of how to make their teaching exciting and inspirational. However, there are classes where much of the teaching is exciting and does inspire pupils. Teaching and learning are particularly good in many of the classes for pupils in Years 3 to 6, but the good practice here is not shared

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Commentary

systematically with the rest of the school. Teaching for the children in the Foundation Stage is always at least satisfactory and much of it is good. Teaching in Years 1 and 2 is satisfactory and there were several examples of good teaching, although teaching was unsatisfactory in a few lessons in Year 2. Pupils’ achievement is better than might be suggested by the broadly satisfactory teaching because it is strongly enhanced by their very positive attitudes to learning. The very good lessons were characterised by the clarity of explanations during the introduction that helped pupils to understand precisely what was expected of them. In the unsatisfactory lessons, explanations were not clear and pupils were not sure about what they had to do. In the best lessons progress was rapid as pupils learned new skills and developed greater knowledge. In the less effective lessons the pace of learning was slow and not enough was

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Commentary

learnt in the time available because not enough was expected of pupils.

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Commentary

13. A particular strength of the teaching is the thorough, detailed lesson plans that teachers produce. These are based on long-term planning frameworks that are broken down into half- termly medium-term plans and thereafter to weekly and daily lesson plans. These help to promote the sequential development of skills, knowledge and understanding, as well as full coverage of the National Curriculum Programmes of Study. Another particular strength is the good relationships that have been developed between pupils and teachers. These help to foster very positive attitudes to learning. Teachers assess pupils’ progress regularly and keep detailed records of pupils’ attainment. The detailed and thorough records are not always used systematically to identify and respond to individual learning needs. There is a great deal of data about pupils, but this is not always analysed thoroughly to find any gaps in learning or to

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Commentary

determine whether different groups, such as the most able, are achieving as well as they should. Teachers mark pupils’ work conscientiously and the best marking gives pupils a clear understanding of how to improve their work.

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Commentary

14. The teaching and learning in English and mathematics are good. Teaching is also good in history. It is satisfactory in science and religious education. The teaching of information and communication technology is satisfactory in the lessons taught in the computer suite, but these Forres Primary - 14 are not always followed up in the classrooms in order to consolidate and extend learning. There was insufficient teaching seen in the other subjects to make secure judgements about the quality of teaching and learning.

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Commentary

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 51 lessons

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Commentary

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Commentary

1 (2%) 7 (13%) 18 (35%) 24 (46%) 2 (4%) 0 0

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Commentary

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

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Commentary

15. There were no pupils in attendance whose mother tongue was other than English and none at an early stage of learning English speaking skills. However, there is satisfactory provision available for these pupils when they return to school from holidays abroad. Teachers and classroom assistants are very aware of strategies to support them in lessons until they gain fluency. All the pupils with English as an additional language who were observed in lessons were fluent in English and were learning as effectively as all the others. Pupils from ethnic minority backgrounds are well integrated and learn at about the same rate as everybody else.

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Commentary

16. The standard of teaching of pupils with special educational needs is good. When pupils are given appropriate support within well-planned lessons, much is achieved. In classes or ability sets pupils with special educational needs receive additional support and work that is matched to their ability so that they make good progress. The teachers and support staff involved build up a good relationship with these pupils and by gentle encouragement take every opportunity to extend their knowledge and understanding.

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The curriculum

The curriculum is satisfactory and is planned well so that pupils learn sequentially. It provides a broad range of learning opportunities and a satisfactory number of extra-curricular activities that enrich the curriculum and suit pupils’ interests. The quality of accommodation is satisfactory. Staffing and learning resources are sufficient to meet the needs of the curriculum.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• In the reception classes good foundations are laid for future learning. • The transfer for pupils to secondary school is co-ordinated well so that they settle readily and this promotes continuity in learning. • Lesson planning is good and is based on well-developed long-term plans that promote good coverage of the National Curriculum Programmes of Study. • The management of the curriculum is unsatisfactory. • The targets described in plans for pupils with special educational needs are not sufficiently specific. • Although there is a well-equipped computer suite, there are not enough computers in classrooms and many are of poor quality and this restricts pupils’ learning opportunities.

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Commentary

17. The curriculum for children in the reception classes is planned effectively and is rooted in national guidance. Curricular plans are used well by teachers and support the good foundation that is laid for children’s further learning. Curricular plans for pupils in Years 1 to 6 are based soundly on the National Curriculum Programmes of Study. These programmes or courses of study are adapted appropriately to meet the learning needs of different groups of pupils and for all levels of ability, although there is no specific provision for gifted and talented pupils. The school provides a curriculum that includes suitable provision for pupils with special educational Forres Primary - 15 needs and those whose mother tongue is not English. Clear long-term plans and detailed half- termly plans ensure that learning develops systematically. Most curriculum co-ordinators monitor the half-termly planning effectively.

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Commentary

18. The provision for pupils with special educational needs is satisfactory. Almost all pupils with additional needs have individual education plans. However, some of these pupils’ individual plans do not match their particular learning needs very well. The targets described in plans are not sufficiently specific and this makes it difficult to measure pupils’ progress against them. However, lessons are planned to meet the needs of all pupils and tasks are suitably matched to pupils’ abilities. Pupils are fully integrated for all lessons and extra-curricular activities, such as lunchtime clubs, and those who receive additional support generally make good progress. This works particularly well during literacy and numeracy hours and is a very efficient use of the teaching assistants. Resources and the school accommodation are generally well suited to the needs of pupils with special educational needs. The school has, for example, provided a

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Commentary

special toilet and changing facility as part of making the school accessible to disabled pupils.

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Commentary

19. Pupils are prepared well for transfer to the two local secondary schools to which most transfer. The school’s plans for mathematics in Year 6 are transferred to Year 7 for completion, thus promoting continuity in learning. Pupils in Year 6 also take part in the mathematics and physical education challenge with secondary schools and good arts and drama links are being developed.

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Commentary

20. The management of the curriculum is unsatisfactory. Curriculum co-ordinators produce action plans to develop the curriculum, but these are not clearly linked to whole-school development priorities. This lack of whole-school vision for developing the curriculum has, for example, contributed to unsatisfactory use of computers to support learning across the range of subjects taught. Too few links are made between the different elements of the curriculum. Consequently, the curriculum is somewhat disjointed rather than interrelated and unified. There are inconsistencies in the quality of subject leaders' action plans for improving standards. Also senior managers have not been entirely successful in building a curriculum that includes connections between subjects. Opportunities are, therefore, missed to enable pupils to transfer and apply their learning successfully across subject boundaries. This applies, for example, to

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Commentary

the application of numeracy skills across the curriculum and opportunities for using word- processing in English.

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Commentary

21. Accommodation is suitable. Classrooms are large and light, but the school experiences difficulty in maintaining consistent levels of heating because many windows are in poor condition. Resources for teaching are satisfactory, except for computers in classrooms, which are often broken, and some classes do not have a computer at all. This restricts opportunities to follow up what has been taught in the computer area and, therefore, impedes pupils’ learning. All pupils do have access to the computers in the computer area and these are of good quality.

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Care, guidance and support

Provision for pupils’ care, welfare, health and safety is sound. Pupils are provided with satisfactory support and guidance. The school involves pupils adequately in its work and development.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The school maintains a safe environment for all pupils through good health and safety procedures and the keen awareness of staff and governors of potential hazards. • The headteacher, teachers and support staff have a good knowledge of pupils’ individual characteristics and this helps them to give sensitive pastoral care. • Good procedures are in place to help new pupils to settle well into the school. • Staff do not receive sufficient training in child protection procedures. • The school’s procedures for tracking the personal development of pupils during their time in school are insufficiently formalised. Forres Primary - 16

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Commentary

22. The care, welfare and support of pupils are satisfactory. However, there is a lack of formalised systems and analyses of data to track trends and identify problems. The high turnover of staff, including teachers, has made the consistent support and guidance for pupils more difficult, but it also highlights the need for detailed records that help new staff to gain a complete picture of an individual’s personal development. The headteacher and governors have a sufficient range of well-developed policies, which are implemented conscientiously by diligent and caring staff. The school receives variable levels of assistance from outside agencies, such as speech therapists and educational psychologists. The school nurse has supported the school well over four years by providing information for parents and by giving advice on sex and drugs education. However, other agencies often have too high a turnover of staff to make a significant

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Commentary

23. Child protection procedures conform to local statutory guidelines, but teaching staff have not experienced annual refresher training. Support staff have not received any child protection training, and have insufficient awareness of pupils with problems. Despite the limited child protection knowledge, the school is vigilant and careful about responding to children who may be at risk.

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Commentary

24. The headteacher, governors and caretaker undertake regular health and safety reviews, and careful records are maintained. Staff and governors are keenly aware of the need to be vigilant. The school undertakes regular risk assessments for many activities and key equipment is checked regularly. The school site is safe, but there are too few fire signs.

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Commentary

25. The headteacher gives a high priority to the pastoral care of all pupils. However, the pupil questionnaire shows that one in eight pupils do not feel that there is an adult to go to if they are worried at school. This is definitely not confirmed by conversations with many pupils, as they assure the inspectors that they do feel their teachers are friends and that they can trust them and other adults to listen with a sympathetic ear to their problems and anxieties. Discussions with pupils indicate that the discrepancy between their written and their oral responses is partly due to the high turnover of lunchtime staff and their lack of training in how to relate to pupils effectively. Consequently, lonely or vulnerable pupils can feel rather isolated at lunchtimes. Pupils feel that their teachers are fair when implementing behaviour procedures.

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Commentary

26. The arrangements for assessing pupils’ attainment and progress are broadly satisfactory, but they lack clarity and so are not always used efficiently to identify learning needs. Teachers identify pupils with special educational needs quickly and they develop satisfactory individual education plans in liaison with pupils and parents. The tracking of pupils' personal development is mostly informal, except for pupils with individual education plans. There is good feedback and discussion of issues surrounding individual pupils between the teacher and the headteacher at internal staff meetings. The outcomes of these discussions are not always formalised or recorded and so can be overlooked should any incidents occur. Pupils' awareness of their individual academic targets is developing through regular termly reviews and pupils feel that they can influence their performance. However, the setting of personal development targets

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Commentary

varies between classes. The school treats pupils with respect and most pupils feel that teachers listen to them. The school consults pupils through the school council and pupils generally are not shy about voicing their opinions.

p.16

Commentary

27. The arrangements for new pupils to settle in are good, and most pupils and parents feel welcome in the school and are knowledgeable about the routines. A significant number of pupils join the school partway through the school year and the headteacher is very caring with both pupils and parents in order to integrate them into school life quickly and sensitively. Parents appreciate the school’s efforts in giving their child a successful fresh start when there have been problems at another school. Forres Primary - 17

p.16

Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

Parents demonstrate high levels of satisfaction with the school’s provision, but the partnership with parents is not always effective in promoting learning, despite the efforts by the school to forge closer links. Links with the local community and other schools are good and promote pupils’ learning well.

p.17

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The headteacher and staff work hard to promote links with parents, and parents are pleased with the education provided for their children. • Parents have great trust and confidence in the school and this is sustained through good communications and the headteacher’s open approach. • Parents of pupils with special educational needs are kept well informed about provision for their children and about their progress. • Good links with the local community have been established. • The school has a good relationship with other schools, which assists the transfer of pupils. • The partnership between parents and the school in supporting pupils’ learning is underdeveloped.

p.17

Commentary

28. The headteacher gives a high priority to developing good relationships with all parents. She is approachable and encourages parents, from their first contact with the school, to express their views or concerns frankly. Parents’ satisfaction with the school is even better now than it was at the time of the last inspection. The overwhelming majority of parents show total confidence in all aspects of the school. A minority of parents have concerns about homework and do not feel sufficiently well informed about the progress their children are making. However, inspection findings show that homework is satisfactory and information for parents is generally good. Pupils themselves speak highly of their school and are pleased with the facilities provided.

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Commentary

29. The high levels of parental satisfaction are not reflected in the involvement of parents in their children’s learning. Despite the school’s best efforts, most parents are not actively involved in their children’s education. Parents' contributions to homework are limited and few provide voluntary assistance in classrooms. However, four enthusiastic parent governors serve the school well and six parents organise successful fund-raising events, although there is no official parents’ association. Parents attend progress evenings and school concerts, but other initiatives tried by the school have been poorly attended. Although all parents have signed the home-school agreement, some parents do not support the school through ensuring their children’s regular attendance. Pupils who do not attend regularly tend not to achieve as well as all the others because they miss critical pieces of learning.

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Commentary

30. Parents of pupils with special educational needs are involved and informed at all stages of a pupil’s assessment and review; contact is maintained at other times on an informal basis. This maintains a steady flow of information. Pupils, who need the support of specialists, receive help from a variety of external agencies.

p.17

Commentary

31. The information provided for parents is good and reflects the essential ethos of the school and its welcoming approach. Annual reports to parents are satisfactory; they provide informative statements describing what pupils can do in all subjects. Pupils do not contribute to their reports so opportunities are missed to encourage them to reflect on their learning. Most parents are happy with the opportunities provided for discussions with teachers on their children’s progress. Most parents are broadly happy with homework, but some query its relevance and do not see the value of children spending time on homework. The school has made efforts to consult parents on their views, but some initiatives have not been maintained because of the lack of sustained parental involvement. Forres Primary - 18 32. Links with the local community have developed well and benefit pupils both inside and outside the classroom. Relationships with the local church are strong. Pupils visit the church for

p.17

Commentary

festivals and this supports religious education and spiritual development well. The school brings to life its citizenship education with visits to the town hall and mayor’s parlour. It has been successful in winning local art and writing competitions and pupils contribute to local and national charities, which supports their social development well.

p.18

Commentary

33. The school has good links with other schools, which greatly assists the easy transfer of pupils from one phase of their education to the next. The school maintains good links with the nursery and playgroup with regular staff visits. The school has good links with a local special school that assist all pupils in understanding the needs of others. The relationship with the local secondary schools is extensive and supports the transfer of pupils with special educational needs particularly well. The school has good links with other primary schools and together they produce an area music festival, which promotes social and personal development effectively.

p.18

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The leadership of the school is satisfactory. The headteacher provides sound leadership and she is particularly effective in promoting a warm ethos so that all pupils learn in a secure and happy environment. The management of the school is generally satisfactory, but there are weaknesses in the management of the curriculum. The work of the governing body is satisfactory.

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The headteacher promotes strong pastoral care and leads a team that is dedicated to providing pupils with lots of support and guidance. • The headteacher has managed the school securely during a very difficult period and has been influential in promoting a positive climate for learning, which ensures that all pupils are treated fairly. • The school supports new staff well and ensures that all staff have appropriate in-service training, but several teachers have responsibility for areas in which they have limited expertise. • Pupils’ good achievement, the high levels of parental satisfaction and the sound quality of education provided help to demonstrate that the school provides satisfactory value for money. • The school improvement plan is not based upon a systematic evaluation of the school’s current position or its most pressing needs and does not focus sharply on how improvements will be achieved or on how finances will be used to raise standards.

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The role of the deputy headteacher is underdeveloped. • The governing body is over-cautious about spending money and has not created a long-term spending plan linked to a systematic analysis of how money should be spent to improve standards. • The effectiveness of subject co-ordinators varies; some lead developments in their subjects well, but there is no systematic, whole-school approach to curricular developments.

p.18

Commentary

34. The school is emerging from a difficult period when a chain of challenging circumstances adversely affected the quality of education that it was able to provide. It has become increasingly difficult to recruit staff in the outer London fringe area where house prices are high. The school had to rely on temporary appointments and on appointing staff to posts where they had limited prior experience. The school has employed agencies to find appropriately qualified teachers and this has proved successful, albeit expensive. Staffing problems have been compounded by staff absence and sickness that has adversely affected the school’s ability to maintain consistency in teaching and learning. The school has been creative in its efforts to solve these problems. It has made provision for training new teachers within the school and has made provision for teachers to work on a part-time basis rather than leave the school

p.18

Commentary

altogether, after maternity leave, for example. The school has been largely successful in Forres Primary - 19 resolving its difficulties and now has a more stable staff, although the retention and recruitment of staff remains an ongoing challenge. Resolving staffing problems has diverted attention from curricular developments and has contributed to insufficient attention being paid to focusing on improving standards. Despite the difficulties that the school has faced, the headteacher has ensured that the school has continued to run smoothly day by day.

p.18

Commentary

35. The headteacher provides supportive leadership and her sensitive care for pupils, parents and staff is a strong feature of the school. She maintains strong pastoral care and is perceptive in recognising individual needs. New pupils are welcomed warmly. All pupils have equal access to all areas of the curriculum and all are treated fairly. A positive climate for learning is fostered. The headteacher is greatly trusted and respected by parents and staff. Staff who are new to the school are supported well. The headteacher ensures that teachers and support staff are provided with good in-service training to meet the requirements for their continuing professional development. Performance management systems are well established and help to identify training needs effectively. Appropriate targets for improvement are set for staff.

p.19

Commentary

36. The headteacher is building a team that has good morale and an eagerness to improve provision. Several teachers have accepted responsibility for developing areas of the curriculum in which they have little previous experience. This is an inevitable consequence of difficulties in recruiting teaching staff. They are supported well in gaining appropriate experience. The headteacher also supports the deputy headteacher well, but the role of the deputy is underdeveloped and he has not been effective enough in contributing to school improvement. He has responsibility for managing the provision for pupils with special educational needs, leading developments in information and communication technology, leading the team of teachers in Years 1 and 2 and for leading and managing provision in the Foundation Stage classes. Advances in these areas have been limited.

p.19

Commentary

37. The quality of subject leadership varies widely because several teachers have not yet developed the skills necessary to raise standards in their areas of responsibility. The leadership and management of English and mathematics are good and the subject leaders are beginning to have a strong influence on raising standards. The new subject leader for English is well organised and has a clear vision for improvement and the subject leader for mathematics provides staff with very good support. The leadership and management of science are unsatisfactory and the new subject leader has yet to create an action plan designed to improve standards. The leadership and management of information and communication technology are unsatisfactory because proposals for improvement have not been researched thoroughly to ensure that they are appropriate. Overall, the school’s approach to curricular development is not sufficiently systematic and lacks clear direction.

p.19

Commentary

38. Many new governors have joined the governing body since the last inspection. They provide satisfactory support and help to ensure that the school complies with all statutory requirements. The experienced Chair of the governing body provides able support, but other governors are over-dependent on his expertise rather than being proactive themselves in promoting new initiatives. The new governors are rapidly developing a knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. They are not closely involved in school development planning and have too few opportunities to take part in strategic planning designed to improve the school’s long-term performance. Consequently, they are not in a strong position to challenge the school about standards or to assess whether provision is improving sufficiently. They have participated in training and are beginning to acquire the skills and knowledge to act as a critical friend of the

p.19

Commentary

headteacher and the senior management team.

p.19

Commentary

39. The school improvement plan identifies the school’s priorities, but is not closely linked with the subject co-ordinators’ action plans and does not fit into an overarching strategic plan for development. The plan includes details of what the school would like to improve, but lacks detail about how improvements are to be achieved. It does not include enough detail or clarity about how initiatives will be evaluated in terms of their impact on standards. It is difficult, therefore, for staff and governors to evaluate how well the school is doing. Subject leaders’ action plans are Forres Primary - 20 variable in quality; some are good and indicate clearly how improvements will be made, others are far less clear and provide insufficient detail about how it is intended to raise standards. The subject action plans do not form part of the school improvement plan. This leads to a lack of whole-school concerted effort to improve standards systematically.

p.19

Commentary

40. The headteacher and several subject co-ordinators are involved in monitoring and evaluating the quality of teaching. This has been successful in identifying the strengths and weaknesses in teaching across the school. The senior management team is fully aware of where teaching is strong and partially aware of where teaching is inconsistent. Actually dealing with the inconsistencies and bringing the quality and consistency of teaching up to the level of the best has proved difficult because guidance provided by senior managers is insufficiently firm and explicit. Difficulties in recruiting and retaining teachers have also interfered with the continuity of staff development. There is a determination to improve the quality of teaching, but this is not underpinned by a concerted strategy to focus strongly and systematically on promoting inspirational teaching of high quality.

p.20

Commentary

41. Systematic self-evaluation is not a strong feature of the school. A great deal of information is collected, but the amount generated tends to cloud the school’s focus rather than clarify it. The inconsistencies in the effectiveness of subject leaders developing their own subjects derives in part from the lack of clear whole-school systems. The school compares its performance with the performance of similar schools when operating the principles of best value, but it does not challenge itself critically enough in order to improve standards.

p.20

Commentary

Financial information for the year April 2002 to March 2003

p.20

Commentary

Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 703 509 Balance from previous year 98 444 Total expenditure 704 771 Balance carried forward to the next 96 182 Expenditure per pupil 2310.72

p.20

Commentary

42. The financial management of the school is sound and all accounts are kept meticulously. The expenditure per pupil is below the national average and the school has accumulated a large underspend. This is partly because staffing costs were not as high as anticipated when setting the budget, partly due to a large carry forward of money accumulated from previous years and because the school received a staffing grant that was not expected. However, the governing body has been overly cautious in its decision making, and has not used the large financial reserve well to improve standards. Resources are generally adequate, but no better. The main reading scheme used by the younger pupils, for example, is outdated. There are too few computers in classrooms to enable work completed in the computer suite to be followed up in class. Systems to identify what resources would make a major impact on standards have not

p.20

Commentary

been identified methodically. School planning does not indicate how the school intends using its surplus balance. However, with a significant number of new, suitably qualified teachers now in post, the prospect of a more stable staff and the expertise provided by new governors, the school is in a good position to make further improvements. The school’s position is supported by the high levels of satisfaction expressed by parents, who are pleased with the education provided for their children. Overall, taking into consideration pupils’ good achievement and the sound quality of education provided, the school provides satisfactory value for money. Forres Primary - 21

p.20

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

The youngest children are taught in two reception classes. The children in one class have been attending school for just over a term whilst the children in the parallel class had only been in school for a few days prior to the inspection. The range in children’s stages of development is unusually wide; a significant number have difficulty in learning effectively and have been identified as having special educational needs whilst a good number are clearly very advanced in their learning. Provision overall is satisfactory, but the leadership and development of the Foundation Stage curriculum is unsatisfactory because the co-ordinator lacks experience of the reception year and there is only a sketchy action plan for improving standards in this part of the school. Consequently, the two teachers, who are both new to teaching this year group, lack sufficient guidance. Despite this shortcoming all the teaching seen was at least satisfactory and much of it was good. However,

p.21

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

provision is not as well developed as it was at the time of the last inspection.

p.21

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Teachers plan activities meticulously with close regard to national guidance on the curriculum for this age group. Teachers and classroom assistants keep careful records of children’s individual progress and they use these records well to plan the next stages in learning. The staff are still assessing those children who have only just started school and as yet have not refined planning sufficiently so that all groups are challenged appropriately. There is a good proportion of more able children who are not yet stretched sufficiently. The teacher is well aware of this and is working towards providing tasks that match children’s learning needs more accurately and that enable all groups to achieve well. The teachers work closely together to support each other and they manage the curriculum satisfactorily.

p.21

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in personal, social and emotional development is good.

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching is good and classroom assistants work closely with teachers to provide a secure, supportive and effective learning environment. • Communication with parents is good; staff maintain close contact with parents and carers to promote children’s development.

p.21

Commentary

43. Teaching is good and helps children to learn effectively. Children receive a warm welcome when they arrive at school each morning and are beginning to adjust to class routines, although they still need many reminders about what is expected of them. A significant proportion are emotionally fragile, several cry easily if upset and several find it difficult to conform to the class rules. The children themselves suggest classroom rules, such as ‘You always have to be kind to people’ and ‘Don’t spill paint on anybody’s picture’. They are developing confidence and several are able to express their feelings clearly, as, towards the end of the morning session, ‘I’m tired and I’m hungry’ and, defiantly, ‘I don’t want to do no more’. Many enter the school with a limited range of social skills. Despite the class rules, one or two are still causing upsets by insensitive name calling or carelessly trampling on the painstakingly constructed towers or tile

p.21

Commentary

patterns made on the floor by their friends.

p.21

Commentary

44. Teachers use carefully chosen stories well to foster a sense of right and wrong. One teacher asked, for example, how the character in a story might have felt when nasty things were said to him. Children empathised with the character and thought that he would be very cross – rather than sad as the teacher had suggested. This showed a developing understanding and awareness of the consequences of words and actions. Classroom assistants make a strong Forres Primary - 22 contribution to children’s development and are particularly good at comforting individuals, freeing the teacher to press on with explanations or with leading discussions. Children learn about the celebrations practiced by some of the major world faiths, such as Judaism and create patterns based on Islamic art forms, for example. In this way they are developing an initial understanding that people have different cultures and beliefs.

p.21

Commentary

45. Most of the children sit quietly and listen attentively to stories, although several cannot manage to concentrate for very long. Children are developing increasing independence and select the tools or equipment they need without having to ask. They dress and undress themselves independently, but not all are secure in managing to reach the toilet in time. Classroom assistants are very good at dealing with accidents sensitively so that no embarrassment is caused. Teachers seek out parents at home time and pass on relevant information about how children have got on during the day. This has proved very helpful in building trust and a partnership in learning. Children’s achievement is good, but, although the teaching is good and provides a supportive and encouraging learning environment, it is unlikely that the children will attain all the Early Learning Goals in this area of learning before the end of the reception year.

p.22

Commentary

This is because from the outset many had limited social and personal skills and many are still at a very early stage in their personal, social and emotional development.

p.22

COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Provision in communication, language and literacy is satisfactory.

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Lessons are planned meticulously and there is an appropriately strong emphasis on developing children’s understanding of phonics. • Teachers foster a strong interest in stories and poems. • Children have too few opportunities to write independently. • Resources are not always used effectively. • Activities are sometimes too prolonged and lack variety.

p.22

Commentary

46. Many pupils are at an early stage in their development of speech whilst others are articulate and demonstrate a good understanding of language. Many answer in single words rather than sentences and several demonstrate speech patterns normally associated with younger children, such as, ‘Me do it’, rather than, ‘Can I do it?’, and mispronunciation, such as ‘animals’ is common. Most children enjoy poetry. In one good session the teacher encouraged children to participate by acting the characters in a poem called, ‘Ten Tired Tigers’. The children thoroughly enjoyed acting the roles and repeatedly asked, ‘Can we do it again?’. The more able children were able to explain why the teacher had used a soft voice when describing animals creeping past the sleeping tigers and a loud voice when describing the tigers. This helped to develop the children’s understanding of how to use intonation appropriately. Teachers plan

p.22

Commentary

activities in great detail and there is a strong emphasis on teaching phonic skills. However, few children understood that the word ‘tiger’ began with the letter ‘t’, indicating that there is a long way to go before they understand the correspondence between letters and the sounds they make.

p.22

Commentary

47. Children enjoy books and most are eager to respond to teachers’ questions about, for example, what might be going to happen next in a story. Teachers use good questioning strategies to extend children’s thinking and develop an interest in analysing stories. In one good lesson, for example, the children were asked to recall who the characters were in the story they had read and to describe what each had done. This proved very challenging, but the more able succeeded in providing a good resume. Children take books home to share with their parents and several are able to read simple texts independently. Sound foundations on which to build reading skills are introduced systematically. The school has recently adopted a good scheme Forres Primary - 23 that introduces children to letters and the sounds they make in a methodical, step-by-step approach. Parents are involved in reinforcing this learning at home. This helps to provide

p.22

Commentary

children with good strategies to work out how to read unfamiliar words.

p.23

Commentary

48. Pupils have too few opportunities to write independently. There are examples of good practice as, for example, in the garage where children use ‘play writing’ to fill in forms regarding customers' cars and the repairs required. Where they are required to write over words written by adults, many are just drawing the shape of the words with very little regard to the individual letters or the structure of the word. There are instances where they form the letters incorrectly and this is not corrected. Children’s learning is usually satisfactory and their achievement is sound. However, there are occasions during lessons when learning stalls and interest wanes because activities lack variety and go on for too long. The role-play areas are used well to provide opportunities for social interaction and the development of speech and language.

p.23

Commentary

49. Resources are not always used effectively. Computers in the classrooms are not used systematically to support teaching and learning. The outside area is not used much in the mornings for such interaction and so opportunities to use this stimulating learning are wasted.

p.23

Commentary

50. Although teaching and learning are satisfactory, it is likely that most pupils will not attain all the Early Learning Goals because they are still at an early stage of developing language skills. However, many of the more able pupils are likely to exceed the goals and will be ready to start work on the National Curriculum Programmes of Study before the end of reception.

p.23

MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in mathematical development is satisfactory.

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Good links are made with other areas of learning. • The more able pupils are not always given enough to learn.

p.23

Commentary

51. Children are at widely varying stages of development. The less advanced learners cannot count four spots on a card whilst the more advanced know that regular hexagons have six equal sides. Teaching and learning are satisfactory and promote sound achievement for most children. As most enter school with attainment that is below average, it is unlikely that they will attain all the Early Learning Goals by the end of reception. A particular strength of the teaching is the good questioning strategies that teachers use to stimulate children’s thinking and to assess their understanding. Many children are fast learners; they learn new facts quickly and readily assimilate new ideas. Teachers do not always keep up with the pace of some children’s learning and do not provide enough new material for them to learn. Whilst the learning needs of most are catered for well, the faster learners are not always provided with work that stimulates

p.23

Commentary

and challenges them sufficiently. There are too few, big bold displays showing, for example, shapes and their names, and, as a result, lower attaining children who forget the term, ‘rectangle’, for instance, have no point of reference to act as a reminder.

p.23

Commentary

52. Good links are made between the various areas of learning. When studying patterns and shapes, for example, children learn about Rangoli patterns and use these as a basis for creating their own patterns made from squares and triangles arranged so that they tessellate. They use different shaped sponges to print sequences of repeating patterns with different coloured paint. Children have a great enthusiasm for learning. The teachers are eager to raise standards and to promote effective learning. The school is well placed to make further advances.

p.23

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Forres Primary - 24 Provision in knowledge and understanding of the world is satisfactory.

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

• There are examples of imaginative teaching that stimulates children’s learning well. • Children are encouraged to experiment with a good range of materials. • The outside area is not used sufficiently during the morning sessions.

p.24

Commentary

53. Children thoroughly enjoy playing in the role-play areas and these have been structured imaginatively to provide good learning opportunities. There are examples of particularly inventive teaching. In one class, for example, a garage with mechanics' workshop has been created. Small mechanics greet customers before selecting plastic tools to make repairs to the car that is suspended safely on the ramp. They man the office, take orders and make notes on forms that have been specially prepared by the teacher. These activities continue in the outside area where a car-washing centre has been established. This helps children gain an understanding of how things work and why things happen. The outside area is used well in the afternoon sessions, but it is not exploited fully during the mornings when the classes spend most of their time inside working on literacy and numeracy. Consequently, opportunities are missed to use

p.24

Commentary

the outside area fully. They go on short walks to places of interest and find out about their local environment.

p.24

Commentary

54. Teaching and learning are sound and children’s achievement is satisfactory. However, many pupils enter the school with below average attainment and it is unlikely that they will attain all the Early Learning Goals by the end of this school year. Children use appropriate materials to build houses for the 'three pigs' from straw, sticks and bricks. They visit the computer suite and use computers to draw and colour houses. Here they show a good range of computer skills, such as drawing lines, infilling with spray paint of different colours and erasing mistakes. Children enjoy conducting simple experiments, such as finding out which materials are waterproof and would be most suitable for making raincoats. The autumn term’s work culminated in a grand wedding feast at Christmas and children themselves adopted the role of official photographers. They experimented with cameras and learned, eventually, how to point the viewfinder

p.24

Commentary

accurately in order to take portraits of faces rather than just pictures of feet.

p.24

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in physical development is good.

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

• There are examples of very good teaching that promotes very effective learning. • The outside area is used well to practise skills associated with manipulating tools skilfully and for adventurous activities.

p.24

Commentary

55. Teaching and learning are sound and there are examples of particularly good teaching. A very good lesson in the hall was well structured and learning was brisk. The children enjoyed a medley of activities designed to warm them up and prepare their muscles for action. Rhythm was used well as the small drum major beat a drum to regulate the marching troops. Particularly expert marchers, who were keen to perform for the others, were selected to demonstrate their skills. The troops studied the demonstrations closely and incorporated the exemplary skills into their own technique. They changed speed and direction as directed. Here children were learning effectively and appreciating how to interpret music through actions. The Forres Primary - 25 work rate was high. The classroom assistant evaluated children’s performance and made good assessment notes. The less able groups were supported well and all groups achieved

p.24

Commentary

success. The cooling down part of the session helped children to calm down and prepare themselves for the next lesson. Discussions with the children showed that many had a good understanding of the importance of warming up prior to vigorous exercise and several knew that their hearts beat faster when they were exercising. Also teaching in the outside area is effective and is used well for chalking, painting, car washing and developing general co- ordination skills.

p.25

Commentary

56. Children enjoy chalking directions on the roadway in the outside area and draw large road signs. As they practise how to manipulate sticks of chalk with increasing precision, they also develop the skills they will use when forming letters carefully. They learn to cut accurately with scissors and staff are vigilant in ensuring that left-handed children use left-handed scissors. They also climb adventurously over the outdoor climbing frame and gain confidence in balancing high above the ground. They gain a good sense of how to move with control and in safety. Teachers plan both indoor and outdoor activities carefully so that children are guided towards developing the skills that help them to attain the Early Learning Goals. Children achieve well and most are likely to attain average standards by the end of reception.

p.25

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Provision in creative development is satisfactory.

p.25

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children have opportunities to participate in a good range of creative activities.

p.25

Commentary

57. Overall, teaching and learning are satisfactory and there are examples of good teaching. Most children are on course to attain the Early Learning Goals by the end of reception. Little mechanics, both boys and girls, love dressing up in white overalls to stop the engine grease spoiling their clothes. They enjoy pretending and enter into many imaginative games as well as more structured dramatic activities such as the grand wedding ceremony at the end of last term. Good opportunities are provided to use a wide range of media and implements for applying paint. One group used cotton buds, for example, to paint pictures of favourite characters from the story to which they had listened. Children have good opportunities to play musical instruments. They know the names of many percussion instruments, such as tambourines, and understand that some are shaken and others banged. Most are good at distinguishing 'loud' and 'soft' as well as 'fast' and 'slow' beats. They clap a repeating pattern of

p.25

Commentary

beats. They have a good understanding of how to respond to the conductor’s baton, but find it very difficult to stop playing at the signal to stop. One small conductor expressed her pleasure with her orchestra’s achievements in composing, ‘You’ve just maked a piece of music!’. Forres Primary - 26

p.25

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Overall, pupils achieve well to attain average standards in reading and writing. • Teaching and learning in Years 3 to 6 are mostly good, and enable pupils to achieve well. • Pupils behave well in lessons and have very positive attitudes to learning. • Teachers do not always teach speaking and listening skills systematically. • The subject is co-ordinated well and improvements in provision are being made. • Reading resources are beginning improve, but the books in both the libraries and the classrooms are not displayed well in order to encourage curiosity and develop interest.

p.26

Commentary

58. Most pupils enter the school with standards in literacy that are below average. By the end of Years 2 and 6 pupils attain average standards. This represents good achievement overall. Pupils are eager to please and keen to learn and this boosts their achievement effectively. Standards in English have fallen since the last inspection when they were above average, but at the time of the last inspection children’s attainment on entry to the school was higher than it is now. Also, in recent years there have been frequent changes of staff, and this has contributed to inconsistencies in the quality of teaching and learning. These factors have adversely affected standards. Currently there is a more stable teaching force that is enabling pupils, particularly in Years 3 to 6, to achieve well.

p.26

Commentary

59. Overall, standards in speaking and listening are average. Most pupils speak confidently and readily answer questions about what they are doing in lessons. However, few lessons were seen where this led to whole-class discussions and fuller involvement. Although pupils generally listen well during the whole-class part of lessons, opportunities are not always given for all abilities to respond to appropriate questioning, in order to extend their vocabulary and understanding. Speaking and listening are not always taught systematically. The school has only recently adopted a specific speaking and listening policy. Where this is already being applied well, for example, in Year 3, very good opportunities are provided to encourage pupils to develop these skills through drama and other activities. Such good opportunities are not common across the school.

p.26

Commentary

60. Pupils achieve well to attain average standards in reading. Changes have recently been put in place to help raise reading standards. Pupils now have daily ‘guided reading’ sessions that are separate from literacy lessons. These are well organised with clear tasks, designed to help pupils gain a better understanding of what they are reading. New reading materials have been introduced for both these sessions and to extend the library provision. However, the reading scheme used by many of the younger pupils is outdated and uninspiring. Also, there are very few displays of books, either in classrooms or in the libraries, to promote an enthusiasm for reading, to encourage pupils to read a wider range of books and authors, or to support different subject areas. Talking with older pupils indicated a lack of awareness of different authors, and the range of books they had read was limited. Younger pupils, especially, when reading books

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Commentary

from a scheme, are sometimes held back through believing that they have to read all of the books at a particular level before they move on to the next stage.

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Commentary

61. Pupils achieve well and attain average standards in writing. Writing skills are taught consistently, and are applied to a sufficiently broad range of work that includes poetry, narrative, report writing and diary entries. Pupils are generally aware of the targets they are working towards, and, therefore, how to improve their written work. In a lesson in a Years 5 and 6 class, Forres Primary - 27 pupils were able to discuss meaningfully the use of complex sentences, powerful verbs and punctuation; they were very keen to improve their written work and knew how to set about it and to achieve well. Where pupils do not achieve as well, taught skills, for example, spelling, handwriting and punctuation, are not so evident in the work produced. This shows some lack of expectation that these skills should be applied appropriately.

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Commentary

62. Teaching and learning overall are good. Teaching and learning in Years 3 to 6 are good. Some unsatisfactory teaching was observed in Year 2, although teaching overall in Years 1 and 2 is satisfactory. In the very good lesson seen for pupils in Year 5 and 6, the teacher had very high expectations, a good pace was maintained throughout, and opportunities were given for pupils to analyse their own work and to improve it. In the unsatisfactory lesson seen the pace was too slow, leaving time for pupils to lose concentration and interest. The teacher's expectations were too low to promote work of which the pupils were capable. Classes are managed well. Teachers have good relationships with their classes and this results in good behaviour and very positive attitudes to learning. Planning for the lessons seen was good and appropriate activities were prepared for different ability groups so that all could make progress in learning. An

p.27

Commentary

analysis of past work, however, shows that work is sometimes matched inappropriately to ability, so that higher attaining pupils succeed and lower attaining pupils struggle. For example, where pupils are all given the same spellings to learn, higher attaining pupils perform well in tests and lower attaining ones only get a few right.

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Commentary

63. The subject is led and managed well. The new co-ordinator has quickly identified where improvements need to be made in all aspects of the subject in order to raise standards. Reading has been reorganised and a speaking and listening policy put in place, although it has not yet been fully implemented. Training has been given on improving the standard of individual reading and writing through teachers and support staff working alongside different groups in turn to provide appropriate support. These initiatives have yet to be evaluated for their effectiveness in raising standards. Individual progress is carefully monitored and, where necessary, additional literacy support that follows national guidelines is given to 'booster' groups. Some monitoring of lessons has been carried out and written feedback given to teachers on their strengths as well as areas for improvement. However, such strategies have

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Commentary

yet to improve the overall quality and consistency of teaching and learning.

p.27

Language and literacy across the curriculum

64. The development of literacy across the curriculum is satisfactory. Attempts are made to ensure that pupils are offered opportunities to develop their reading and writing skills in other subjects. However, the planning for this is not yet sufficiently systematic. The opportunities provided do not take enough account of the particular levels at which individual pupils are working. The work provided for higher attaining pupils in particular does not always challenge them to make full use of their skills. Some use is made of computers for word-processing and setting out written work with an audience in mind, but opportunities are too infrequent.

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MATHEMATICS

Provision in mathematics is satisfactory .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils’ attitudes to work are very good and the older pupils have a good capacity to work independently and collaboratively. • Pupils achieve well to attain average standards by the end of Year 6. • Teaching and learning are good in Years 3 to 6 and good overall, although there was an example of unsatisfactory teaching in Year 2. • Subject leadership is good; the subject action plan is already having a positive impact on pupils’ achievements. Forres Primary - 28 • Information from the analyses of data on pupils’ performance is being used effectively to place pupils in sets or ability groups. • Too few opportunities are provided for pupils to use computers to collate data and present the results of investigations.

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Commentary

65. Pupils enter the school with attainment that is below average and from the work seen, the present Year 6 are likely to attain average standards by the time they are due to leave the school. This represents good achievement. Improvement since the last inspection has been satisfactory in terms of improved resources and curriculum development. Pupils achieve well because the teaching is mostly good and the curriculum provides a range of activities that are matched appropriately to pupils’ varying stages of development. Their achievement is also enhanced by their very positive attitudes to learning. Test and assessment results are used appropriately to place pupils in sets in Years 5 and 6 and in ability groups within the other classes. Standards by the end of Years 2 and 6 are not as high as they were at the time of the last inspection because attainment on entry is now lower than it was. Also staffing difficulties

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Commentary

have seriously affected the continuity of pupils’ learning. The trend in standards had been steadily upwards over the past few years, but faltered last year when standards dropped.

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Commentary

66. The quality of teaching and learning is good overall. Most lessons seen in most classes were good, with teachers planning effectively from the National Numeracy Strategy. Teaching in Years 1 and 2 ranges from good to unsatisfactory. In Years 3 to 6 teaching is never less than satisfactory; it is mostly good and occasionally very good. The best lessons start with a brisk mental arithmetic session that pupils enjoy, although insufficient use is made of devices such as number fans and white boards for all pupils to be actively involved in presenting their answers together. Hence, opportunities are missed to provide the teacher with a quick assessment of how well the class is performing. Classes are well managed during the main mathematical activities. Tasks are matched to pupils’ varying stages of development and learning support assistants are used well to support pupils with particular needs, so that all

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Commentary

achieve well. An effective mental arithmetic session was seen in Years 3 and 4. Pupils were enthusiastic when challenged to provide answers to a series of activities designed to teach the three and eight times tables. Such sessions are not taught consistently well so there are wide variations in pupils’ ability to make rapid calculations. A discussion with a group of more able pupils in Year 6 confirmed they were working at the higher levels, they could calculate the area of regular and irregular shapes and convert fractions to percentages.

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Commentary

67. Subject leadership is good. The subject co-ordinator manages the subject well and the subject action plan is already having a positive impact on pupils’ achievements. The subject leader monitors teachers’ planning, ensures that marking is used consistently and, together with the headteacher and numeracy consultant, gives very good support to teachers and support staff involved in teaching the subject. This subject is one of the school’s priorities for development and challenging targets have been set for pupils in the forthcoming tests.

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Mathematics across the curriculum

68. The National Numeracy Strategy has been implemented well and is used effectively in mathematics lessons, but opportunities to practise and consolidate numeracy skills in other subjects are not provided regularly or according to a systematic plan. Mathematical skills are used well in some science activities where data is presented in the form of graphs and bar charts. Pupils use their measuring skills in design and technology and their knowledge of shapes in art and design, exploring ways of making and creating patterns. Pupils occasionally make good use of computers to present the results of their mathematical investigations. Pupils in Year 3, for example, predicted how many televisions people have, sorted the information and, with the encouragement and support of the teacher, used computers to produce a bar graph of the results. However, the use of computers and the application of numeracy skills across the

p.28

Mathematics across the curriculum

curriculum vary widely from class to class. Forres Primary - 29

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The subject is taught thoroughly and methodically in a step-by-step approach. • There are examples of particularly good teaching, although some teaching is not inspired. • Pupils enjoy this subject and in several classes many have very positive attitudes to learning. • There are too few opportunities for pupils to be actively involved in practical activities. • Leadership and management are unsatisfactory and plans to raise standards are inadequate.

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Commentary

69. Pupils are likely to attain standards that are broadly average by the end of Years 2 and 6. Inspection findings are confirmed by the school’s own assessments, which indicate that standards are likely to be very similar to the average standards attained in all previous years except the last when special circumstances affected the school’s performance in the tests for pupils in Year 6. Inspection findings are, therefore, not reflected in the National Curriculum test results for pupils in Year 6 in 2003, which were below average. This is because staff sickness adversely affected the learning of those pupils in Year 6 who took the tests last year. The teacher assessments of pupils in Year 2, also indicated that standards were below average. The continuity of pupils’ learning in Years 1 and 2 has been adversely affected by inconsistencies in the quality of teaching that have now been largely resolved. Also there is now

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Commentary

greater stability among the teaching staff and pupils’ learning is, as a result, progressing more smoothly. Consequently, standards are now better than they were last year. Overall achievement is satisfactory. Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory in Years 1 and 2 and it is mostly good in Years 3 to 6.

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Commentary

70. Pupils work methodically through units of work and this gives them a thorough grasp of the statutory Programmes of Study. Discussions with pupils revealed that many of the younger pupils thoroughly enjoy the subject, although pupils in Years 5 and 6 were less enthusiastic. Most pupils develop a good understanding of how to control variables in order to conduct a fair test. Exercise books are well illustrated and handwriting is exceptionally neat and legible. However, opportunities are missed to teach pupils how to spell accurately. It is not uncommon for the oldest, more able pupils to misspell words such as ‘temperature’ and ‘separate’ that remain uncorrected. Teachers mark pupils’ work with ticks and occasionally write comments such as, ‘Please complete’, yet the work remains uncompleted. There are good opportunities for pupils to practise and extend numeracy skills. They use Newton meters to measure force,

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Commentary

stopwatches to take measurements of time when studying air resistance and record temperatures when studying the effects of growing beans in different conditions, such as in a freezer, a refrigerator, on a sunny window sill and in a cupboard. This purposeful use of measurement extends pupils’ understanding of numeracy particularly well.

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Commentary

71. The quality of teaching and learning are satisfactory overall, although there were examples of good and occasionally very good teaching in the lessons seen. In one very good lesson for pupils in Year 3, pupils experimented with circuits to discover which materials would conduct electricity and which would make good insulators. A great deal of excitement was generated as pupils conducted experiments with their partners, ‘Look, this spoon makes the bulb light up!’. Pupils were encouraged to use the correct terms, ‘conductor’ and ‘insulator’ when talking about their findings. The teacher asked probing questions that encouraged the pupils to make deductions based on their experiments, ‘So why are our wires coated with plastic? What would happen if electric cables, plugs and sockets were not protected by insulators?’. Pupils were encouraged to explain their findings, using the new technical terms they had discovered. ’If we

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Commentary

didn’t have insulators we would be electroshooted.’ Forres Primary - 30 72. Teaching was less successful where too much of the lesson was taken up by the teacher’s over-long and uninspiring demonstrations. Here pupils’ interest was not captured and they grew restless and difficult to manage. Teachers lack guidance on how to make lessons exciting. Several were content with the low level of work that pupils produced, which indicated that expectations of pupils’ performance are sometimes too low. In the less effective lessons there were too few opportunities for pupils to be actively involved in practical activities. The imaginative teaching seen in several classes contrasted markedly with the unexciting teaching and highlighted the inconsistencies in quality.

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Commentary

73. The leadership and management of the subject are unsatisfactory. The subject co-ordinator has only recently been appointed to lead the subject. The action plan for improvement does not indicate clearly how standards will be raised. Assessments of pupils’ attainment and progress are not analysed systematically to reveal areas for improvement. However, the subject is taught sequentially and teachers keep careful records of what units of work have been covered as well as notes about which pupils have been especially successful in their learning, as well as those who have underachieved.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Provision in information and communication technology (ICT) is unsatisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The computer suite provides good learning opportunities and is used well. • Computers in the ICT area are of good quality, but the quality and number of computers in the classrooms are unsatisfactory. • Pupils’ achievement in Years 3 to 6 is unsatisfactory and by the end of Year 6, pupils attain standards that are below average. • Leadership and management are unsatisfactory.

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Commentary

74. Pupils’ achievement in Years 1 and 2 is satisfactory and most attain average standards by the end of Year 2. Pupils in Year 2 can find the appropriate program and manipulate the mouse with precision. Younger pupils use simulation programs to, for example, dress and undress the teddy accurately and quickly. Pupils do not make enough progress in Years 3 to 6 and their achievement is unsatisfactory. By the end of Year 6 most are likely to attain standards that are below average. Pupils in Years 3 to 6 make unsatisfactory progress because they have not been taught some of the basic skills needed to operate spreadsheets, databases, word- processing and other relevant software. They can create a spreadsheet and enter data, but are unsure of how to use a formula to calculate and few can amend and interrogate information that has been stored. Expectations of pupils’ performance are too low. The high staff turnover in

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Commentary

recent years has contributed to gaps in pupils’ skills, knowledge and understanding.

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Commentary

75. Overall, teaching and learning are satisfactory. Teaching and learning are mostly good in ICT lessons conducted in the computer suite. Lessons are well prepared and teachers now have adequate subject knowledge, although there is too little use of the projector to demonstrate to the whole class. In lessons where the projector is used, the pace of learning is good. Activities are planned to match the needs of all pupils, but in several lessons, pupils who finished quickly were unsure of what to do next. Some higher attaining pupils are not sufficiently challenged once the class work has been finished. Assessment of pupils’ progress is satisfactory and careful records are kept. These help to identify gaps in pupils’ learning, but are not used systematically to modify teaching plans in order to address the weaknesses revealed. Forres Primary - 31 76. The standard of computers in the ICT area is good, but the provision of computers in the

p.30

Commentary

classroom is unsatisfactory. Some classes have no computers and others have computers that do not work. The computers in the new Foundation Stage classes are satisfactory, although none of the computers in classrooms are networked, or have access to the Internet. Pupils, therefore, are unable to readily use ICT as part of their learning in classrooms and cannot apply skills learned in the computer area to learning in lessons.

p.31

Commentary

77. Leadership and management are unsatisfactory. The curriculum does not provide enough opportunities for pupils to develop their skills in control technology or modelling. Assessments of pupils’ attainment and progress are not analysed systematically to reveal areas for improvement. The action plan is appropriately focused on improving the quality of hardware in classrooms, but the solutions proposed have not been thoroughly researched.

p.31

Commentary

78. Although there has been some improvement since the last inspection in the number and range of computers available for learning, improvement overall is unsatisfactory.

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Information and communication technology across the curriculum

79. Computers are not used effectively to support teaching and learning across the curriculum. There is little evidence to suggest that they are used regularly in English, mathematics or science. This is partly because the skills learned in the computer suite cannot be applied to learning in the classroom because the computers are not fully networked and in several classrooms there are no computers.

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HUMANITIES

Inspectors did not see any lessons in geography , and there was not enough previous work available in order to make a reliable judgement about provision or standards.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching is good in Years 3 to 6 and this enables pupils to achieve well. • Good links are made with other subjects; a good range of visits and visitors supports the curriculum well. • Plans for developing the subject do not describe how standards will be raised.

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Commentary

80. Pupils achieve well and by the end of Years 2 and 6, pupils attain average standards. Pupils are now entering the school with below average standards of attainment; in recent years there have been frequent changes of staff, and, therefore, an inconsistent quality of teaching and learning. These factors have affected the consistency of achievement and the standards that pupils attain. Currently there is a more stable teaching force that is enabling pupils, particularly in Years 3 to 6, to achieve well. Although the work by pupils in Years 5 and 6 is well produced, it is mostly factual. There is very little evidence to show that pupils are currently working at a higher than expected level, for example, by considering the impact that major events have had on world history and the consequent changes in society.

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Commentary

81. The quality of teaching and learning is good overall. Teaching and learning are satisfactory in Years 1 and 2, but good in Years 3 to 6. One very good lesson was seen in Year 3. The method used in this lesson stimulated a strong desire for learning. A tape recording of an imaginary Viking set the scene for the lesson and warned pupils that taped questions would later be put to Forres Primary - 32 named individuals. The teacher had very high expectations and provided very good opportunities for research and for pupils to work collaboratively. Other lessons were also well planned and prepared. Good use was made of a video to introduce the living conditions of poor Victorian children. Learning objectives were well shared with classes so that all knew and understood the purpose of the lessons. Good relationships resulted in good behaviour and very positive attitudes to learning. Past work from Year 2 shows a low expectation of the quality and

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Commentary

content of the work produced, particularly by higher attaining pupils.

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Commentary

82. Some work is word-processed and pupils are starting to use CD-ROMs and the Internet for research. Good use is made of art and design and design and technology, for example, when making Anderson shelters as part of a topic on World War Two. Pupils learnt the songs associated with World War Two and acted out Dickensian scenes in costume. Visits, for example, to the Imperial War Museum and a Celtic village, and visitors that brought the Romans to life, have enhanced the curriculum.

p.32

Commentary

83. Standards are not as high as they were at the time of the last inspection. The subject is managed satisfactorily, but plans for improvement do not focus specifically on how the co- ordinator intends to raise standards. The plans include, for example, looking at topics covered, going through resource boxes and using non-class contact time to observe teaching. The actions to be taken to actually raise standards are not expressed clearly or made explicit. This absence of a clear focus results in a lack of direction and no shared understanding of how standards will be raised.

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Religious education

Provision for religious education is satisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils develop a good understanding of the world’s major faiths. • Assessment is unsatisfactory because records are imprecise and are not used to support pupils’ learning.

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Commentary

84. Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory and by the end of Years 2 and 6, most attain standards that are in line with the expectations described in the locally agreed syllabus. The standards attained by pupils at the end of Year 2 are similar to those attained at the time of the last inspection, but standards attained by the end of Year 6 are not as high. The subject is taught to every class in the school and gives all pupils a good insight into the religious beliefs of major world faiths and enhances their spiritual, moral and social development satisfactorily. As a result of satisfactory and sometimes very good teaching, pupils make good gains in their understanding of other faiths. Pupils in Year 6 know that the Bible contains different types of writing and was written by many different people. Younger pupils explain the importance of festivals of light in Christianity, Hinduism and Judaism.

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Commentary

85. The teaching and learning in the lessons seen were always at least satisfactory and there was an example of very good teaching in Year 4. In the very good lesson, the teacher captured the children’s imagination and generated great interest through her enthusiastic approach. The story of Rama and Sita was told well and the celebration of Divali was explained clearly. Pupils were challenged to deduce what was symbolised by light and dark. Good links were made with other subjects, such as geography, when India and Sri Lanka were identified. Pupils created short acrostic poems using the word ‘Diva’. Pupils from the Muslim faith were pleased to be able to describe and explain Eid. The pace of learning was brisk and a good review session towards the end of the lesson was used well to assess and consolidate learning. Teachers use a wide variety of strategies to encourage thought and discussion, including brainstorming ideas,

p.32

Commentary

small group discussion and poetry writing. Although teachers often assess pupils’ work during Forres Primary - 33 the course of lessons, records of what pupils know and understand are imprecise. Records identify which pupils have not learned effectively but the records are not used to inform plans to revisit areas where pupils have not gained an adequate understanding.

p.32

Commentary

86. The leadership of the subject is satisfactory. Curriculum provision and monitoring have improved since the last inspection, so that topics are not repeated in mixed year groups.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

There was not enough evidence to report on any of these subjects individually, because not enough teaching was seen and there was not enough evidence to judge achievement. However, work was sampled in art and design, design and technology, music and physical education.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

87. One lesson was seen in art and design and a large amount of pupils’ work was examined. Teachers’ planning was examined and work was discussed with pupils. It is clear that pupils thoroughly enjoy the subject and they are introduced to a good range of different media. Particularly good work was seen in Years 1 and 2 where pupils had used pastel crayons to create dramatic portraits inspired by studying the work of Picasso. In a good art and design lesson in Year 4, good links were made with mathematics as pupils created repeating patterns using shapes that were rotated, reflected and transformed. The higher attaining pupils talked about "rotating an irregular octagon through 180 degrees" and described how "the red is vibrating against the green". It is clear from the volume and quality of work that this subject maintains a high profile in the school’s work. The co-ordinator studies teachers’ planning and

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

keeps meticulous records of the work that has been covered as well as collecting samples to include in school portfolios. These are used to demonstrate to new teachers the standards that can be attained and the range of media that pupils use. There are few opportunities to monitor and evaluate teaching and learning across the school. There is very little evidence among pupils’ work of computers, being used for research into the work of artists or of the use of paint programs, cameras and scanners to create images.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

88. One lesson was seen in design and technology and samples of pupils’ work were examined. Teachers’ planning was examined and work was discussed with pupils. It is clear that the subject is well established in the school’s curriculum. Although judgements could not be made about overall provision, it is clear that there has been a significant improvement since the last inspection when standards across the school were below average. Pupils’ work gives every indication that standards are now broadly average. The processes of designing, making, evaluating and improving work feature strongly in pupils’ work. When they finish making an article they ask themselves whether the piece meets the initial aims, whether it looks pleasing and what they could do to improve it further. Good links are made with other subjects, such as history, where pupils have made carefully constructed Anderson shelters as part of their study

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

of World War Two. In a very good lesson on Victorian toys pupils carefully studied the movement and mechanisms of a good range of toys before designing their own moving toys that incorporated revolving shafts and eccentric cams. The co-ordinator has worked hard to raise the profile of the subject and to improve standards. She monitors planning, samples pupils’ work and provides good guidance and advice to colleagues. Resources for food technology are now much better than they were and good links have been made between, for example, baking bread in food technology and examining the changes that take place in this process during science lessons.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

89. Two lessons of music were seen, one in Years 3 and 4 and one in Years 5 and 6. A discussion was also held with the co-ordinator and documentation was studied. Both lessons were good. The teachers managed and organised pupils well. Pupils used a good range of percussion instruments and learning was effective. In Years 3 and 4 the pupils showed that they could recognise a steady beat in a piece of music and keep in time with it. They enjoyed the challenge of composing music as a class, using a good range of musical instruments. In Years 5 and 6 pupils enjoyed singing and used the correct musical vocabulary, such as ‘tempo’, ‘dynamics’ and ‘duration’ in their analysis of songs. Forres Primary - 34 90. There is a choir and there are recorder and guitar clubs, as well as peripatetic music tuition in saxophone and clarinet. The curriculum was also enhanced last year by visiting musicians. The subject is led and managed well. The co-ordinator has an appropriate action plan for the future

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

development of the subject that is designed to maintain high standards.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

91. Two lessons of physical education were seen, in Years 2 and 3. A discussion was held with the co-ordinator and the policy and scheme of work studied. One lesson was satisfactory and the other excellent. In the excellent lesson pupils were challenged and engaged throughout. Here their achievement was very good and they reached a standard that was above average. Despite the poor weather and the cramped conditions in the hall for the football game, the pupils worked in silence and controlled the ball by dribbling extremely well. The teacher's subject knowledge and the quality of planning were good. In the satisfactory lesson learning was less effective because the pace of the lesson was not so brisk and there was no clear focus on teaching new skills. Daily swimming provision for all children in the summer term is a good feature of the curriculum, which is further enhanced through a wide range of sports clubs.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

Resources have improved since the last inspection, especially the gym equipment which is much more flexible and easier to use. The co-ordinator has introduced a new assessment system that enables teachers to accurately track pupils’ progress.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

92. Only one lesson was seen in this area of the school’s work and so no judgements are made about overall provision. In the lesson seen there was a strong emphasis on promoting healthy lifestyles through sensible diets and exercise. The school council is well established and is actively involved in decision making. This promotes citizenship well. The school provides pupils with a sound programme of sex education and drugs awareness. The school sees personal education as an important part of its work and it is particularly keen to promote self-esteem and pupils who feel confident. It is largely successful in this aim. The good relationships and racial harmony across the school help to enable frank discussions that support this area of learning well. Forres Primary - 35

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Overall standards achieved 4 Pupils’ achievement 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities 3 Attendance 5 Attitudes 2 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 4 The quality of teaching 4 How well pupils learn 4 The quality of assessment 4 How well the curriculum meets pupils needs 4 Enrichment of the curriculum, including out-of-school activities 4 Accommodation and resources 4 Pupils’ care, welfare, health and safety 4 Support, advice and guidance for pupils 4 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 3 The school’s links with other schools and colleges 4

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

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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). Forres Primary - 36

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