Hallfield Primary School

HALLFIELD JUNIOR SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 1 – 3 December 2003

p.1

HALLFIELD JUNIOR SCHOOL

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 Hallfield Junior School - 2 This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated.

p.1

HALLFIELD JUNIOR 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. Hallfield Junior School - 3

p.2

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Junior School category: Community Age range of pupils: 7 to 11 years Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 322

p.3

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Hallfield Estate London Postcode: W2 6JJ

p.3

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Telephone number: 020 7641 6230 Fax number: 020 7641 6231

p.3

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body Name of chair of governors: Mrs Anne Barns

p.3

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 1st June 1998

p.3

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

Hallfield Junior School has 322 pupils aged from seven to eleven, and is larger than average. It is located in the Bayswater area of Westminster. Although there are pockets of affluence and established housing around the school, few pupils come from these. Pupils travel from other parts of Westminster and beyond, as well as from temporary accommodation mainly housing refugees and asylum seekers. A small number of pupils live in the local women’s refuge. The percentage of pupils who join or leave the school at times other than the start of the year is very high. In the last school year, 96 pupils (29%) joined the school and 70 (21%) left at other than the usual times. There is a core of pupils who have attended the infant school and moved up to the juniors. The school is included in an Education Action Zone.

p.3

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

The school shares an attractive site with the infant school; the schools were designed by Sir Denys Lasdun, and are listed buildings. Attainment on entry from the infant school has varied over the years from well below average to its current intake, which is well above average. However, almost all pupils entering the school in Years 3 to 6 have no experience in the British school system, and are in the earliest stages of learning English.

p.3

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

Overall, pupils’ socio-economic circumstances are low, and many pupils face complex difficulties outside school. Over one third of the pupils are from refugee or asylum seeker families. Over half of the pupils are entitled to receive a free school meal, well above average, and this statistic does not include the children of asylum seekers. The school’s population is very diverse. Over nine tenths of the pupils have a mother tongue other than English, and over half of the pupils are judged by the school to be in the early stages of learning English. At least thirty languages are spoken by pupils in the school. Arabic, Albanian and Kurdish are the main languages other than English, reflecting the refugee and asylum seeker pattern. The proportion of pupils identified as having special educational needs is above average, as is the proportion of pupils with statements. Pupils’ needs include moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and behavioural problems, speech or communication

p.3

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

difficulties, autism and hearing impairment. Hallfield Junior School - 4

p.3

INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

p.4

INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

21541 Linda Murgatroyd Lead inspector Information and communication technology Geography History Religious education Special educational needs 13481 Douglas Binfield Lay inspector 16773 Raminder Arora Team inspector Mathematics Art Design and technology English as an additional language 20963 Judy Keiner Team inspector English Music 32702 Anna Savva Team inspector Science Physical education

p.4

INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Demeter House Station Road Cambridge CB1 2RS

p.4

INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

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

p.4

STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 9

Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

p.5

STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 9

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

p.5

QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL 13

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

p.5

OVERALL EVALUATION

Hallfield Junior School is a good school where pupils achieve well. The standards the oldest pupils are likely to achieve when they leave the school in Year 6 are above average in mathematics, and close to average in English and science, despite many pupils being in the earlier stages of learning English as an additional language. The school is led satisfactorily by senior management with good involvement by governors. The school provides sound value for money.

p.6

OVERALL EVALUATION

The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are: • Good achievement by the time pupils are 11. • High standards in mathematics, with above average numbers of pupils reaching the higher levels in national tests. • Over one quarter of the teaching is either very good or excellent. • Provision for pupils in the early stages of learning English as an additional language is not systematic enough. • Pupils have good attitudes to school and they behave well. • In the 2003 national tests, pupils who had remained in the school since Year 3 had made much more progress than average. • Provision for information and communication technology in classrooms does not allow pupils the opportunity to practise skills learned in the specialist suite. • Teachers’ assessment is not used in enough detail to plan work, and marking does not clearly show pupils what they need to do to improve. • Monitoring of teaching, learning and the curriculum does not always identify weaknesses, or

p.6

OVERALL EVALUATION

result in effective action to remedy these. • The school takes good care of its pupils, and links with other schools and the community are very strong.

p.6

OVERALL EVALUATION

All the key issues from the previous inspection have been addressed. The quality of teaching has improved significantly. There has been a slight decline in standards, but this is related to the changing profile of pupils entering the school. Weaknesses in the curriculum have been remedied, and a system for monitoring teaching and learning has been established. However, this system has not been rigorous enough to remedy some important weaknesses.

p.6

STANDARDS ACHIEVED

all schools similar schools Results in National Curriculum tests at the end of Year 6, compared with: 2001 2002 2003 2003

p.6

STANDARDS ACHIEVED

English B D D B mathematics A B C A science A C E C Key: A - well above average; B – above average; C – average; D – below average; E – well below average Similar schools are those with a similar proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals.

p.6

STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Overall, pupils achieve well when measured against their levels at entry to the school . Whilst results in national tests in English are below average, pupils are doing better than others in schools in similar circumstances. Standards in mathematics match the national average, and are well above average for similar schools. In science, standards are well below the national average, but average when compared to those in similar schools. When results of pupils in the school for less than a year before taking the tests are omitted, standards in English match the national average, are well above average in mathematics, but are below average in science. Year 6 pupils taking the Hallfield Junior School - 7 2003 national tests who were in this country in Year 2 had made much more than average progress in those four years, as a result of the work of Hallfield. By the time they are 11, boys and girls of all

p.6

STANDARDS ACHIEVED

abilities and backgrounds achieve at similar rates, partly because of the good teaching in the later years.

p.7

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

and spiritual development is satisfactory . Behaviour is good. Children make good relationships with each other and with the adults around them. They understand the school’s values and try hard to live up to them. Pupils from all backgrounds get on well with one another, and there is very little bullying. Pupils’ attendance in 2002-3 was below average. However, the school does all it can to promote good attendance and punctuality, and more recently attendance figures have been close to the national average.

p.7

QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The overall quality of education provided by the school is good. Teaching is good overall , with some very good and excellent teaching, especially in Years 5 and 6. Pupils learn well because most teachers have high expectations of them, and encourage them to work hard and do their best. Some pupils learning English as an additional language would make faster progress if early assessment were more focused, with clear guidance to staff about the support they need.

p.7

QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The curriculum is broad and balanced, and is enriched with a good range of activities. Provision for pupils’ personal, social, health and citizenship education is good, and well linked with strategies for promoting good behaviour. The school ensures that pupils are safe and well looked-after. The school is successful at working with parents and gaining their confidence, and links with other schools, particularly arrangements for transition, are very good.

p.7

The leadership and management provided by the headteacher and senior staff are

satisfactory. The headteacher has established a good ethos for learning, and has built a highly committed team. The senior team provides good role models for staff, including inspiring teaching by the deputy and assistant headteachers. There are weaknesses in the management of science and the support for pupils learning English as an additional language. Governors take their responsibilities seriously, and have a good knowledge of the school. Financial management is very good.

p.7

PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Parents have a high opinion about the work of the school and express confidence in it . The response to the questionnaires and the pre-inspection meeting were very positive and parents appreciate the efforts of the school staff to work with them in supporting their children’s education. Pupils also appreciate the school and over four fifths of pupils feel that teaching is interesting and challenging, and that they are helped to improve their work.

p.7

IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

The most important things the school should do to improve further are: • Develop the identification of the learning needs of pupils beginning to learn English and those on the higher levels who could reach national averages, and ensure that these needs are met. • Sharpen the focus of monitoring, and take action to remedy weaknesses so that the very good practice in the school is more consistent. • Ensure that teachers make greater use of their marking of pupils’ work and of their assessment of pupils’ attainment in planning what they need to learn next, and sharing this with pupils so that they understand what they have to do to improve. Hallfield Junior School - 8 • Provide more opportunities for pupils to practise their information and communication technology skills in the classroom as well as in the specialist provision.

p.7

IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

and, to meet statutory requirements, the governors should: • Ensure that the school prospectus informs parents of their right to withdraw their children from religious education and collective worship, and that the requirement for a daily collective act of worship is met. Hallfield Junior School - 9

p.8

Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

By the time they are 11, most pupils have made good progress, and are achieving well compared with their previous attainment. Whilst results in national tests in English are below average, pupils are doing better than others in schools in similar circumstances. Standards in mathematics match the national average, and are well above average for similar schools. In science, standards are well below the national average, but average when compared to those in similar schools. When the figures are adjusted to take into consideration pupils who have recently arrived in the school, results are more positive.

p.9

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Good achievement by the time pupils are 11. • High standards in mathematics, with above average numbers of pupils reaching the higher levels in national tests. • When measured against their levels at the end of Key Stage 1, the Year 6 pupils sitting national tests in 2003 showed much better improvement than the national average. • There are no significant differences between the standards of boys and girls, or between different ethnic groups. • Pupils in the early stages of learning English could achieve more, if the support to them was more effective. • Pupils’ skills in using the keyboard in information and communication technology are below what might be expected for their age.

p.9

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

Standards in: School results National results English 25.7 (26) 26.8 (27) mathematics 27.5 (26.8) 27.9 (26.7) science 26.9 (29) 28.6 (28.3) There were 87 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year.

p.9

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

1. Attainment on entry from the infant school has varied from average to well below average over the last four years, and the current intake is well above average. However, all pupils who arrive between Years 3 and 6 are new to British schooling, and are only beginning to learn English. The above results show that standards in English are below the national average, average in mathematics, and well below average in science. However, when compared with the results in schools with similar proportions of pupils eligible for free school meals, results are above average in English, well above average in mathematics, and average in science.

p.9

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

2. The above results include those of nine pupils who, at the time of the tests, had been in the school only a short period of time and therefore on whom the school has had little impact. When the results of these pupils are discounted, results compared with the national picture are average in English, well above average in mathematics, and below average in science. This shows that pupils who are in the school long enough to benefit from the education the school provides achieve well. Under two thirds of pupils taking national tests in 2003 had been in the Hallfield Junior School - 10 school since they were 7. The improvement of these pupils is very good compared with that in other schools. 3. The school sets challenging targets for the proportion of pupils reaching Level 4 and above in English and mathematics. In 2003, these targets were narrowly missed, but the target for pupils reaching the higher level in mathematics was exceeded, and was well above the

p.9

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

national average. The proportion of pupils reaching the higher level in English was average. These are impressive results in the light of the proportion of pupils entering the school in the early stages of learning English.

p.10

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

4. The school has a well-developed system for predicting and monitoring pupils’ attainment at the end of each year, and this is effectively used to allow the school to know how well each year group is doing. The inspection team found that pupils who will take the national tests for 11 year olds in 2004 are likely to reach standards that are average in English and science, and above average in mathematics. This is partly because of the very good teaching in Year 6.

p.10

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

5. Overall, pupils from all ability groups and from all ethnic backgrounds achieve well, and school and local education authority analyses show no significant differences in the standards between pupils from these different groups, nor between boys and girls. Many pupils are doing as well as they can with their work. However, the early progress of some pupils in the early stages of learning English is not as good as it might be, as the support for these pupils is not carefully matched to their specific needs. When teaching is very effective, and their English is good enough to follow lessons, they catch up, and make good progress. The progress of pupils with special educational needs is satisfactory, although they too could make faster progress if work was planned in more detail to meet their needs. The school has not yet formally identified any pupils as gifted. Talented pupils are given the opportunity to participate

p.10

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

in musical and artistic extra-curricular activities.

p.10

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

6. Pupils in Year 6 show good understanding of the uses of information and communication technology, and have used a range of computer programs. However, they do not always have sufficient opportunities to practise the techniques they learn, and the keyboard skills of many are not as good as they should be for their age. What was seen in other subjects indicates that standards are what might be expected for pupils’ age, but this is based on limited evidence. In history and religious education, pupils show good understanding, but this is not always evident from their written work as much work is at a practical level with an emphasis on discussion.

p.10

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour are good overall. After the last inspection, the school noted a decline in the standard of behaviour, and requested that this be a focus for this inspection. The school’s actions have been effective, and as a result, behaviour is now good. Pupils show interest in their work, and their relationships are good. Spiritual development is satisfactory and moral, social and cultural development is good.

p.10

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils enjoy their learning, and are willing to take responsibility. • Rigorous monitoring and evaluation of behaviour with appropriate action by the deputy headteacher have resulted in improvements. • Pupils from different ethnic groups work and play together well. • Although over time, attendance is below average, rigorous systems to promote good attendance and punctuality are resulting in improvements.

p.10

Commentary

7. The school has taken decisive action to remedy the decline in behaviour. Under the joint leadership of the deputy and assistant headteachers, the provision for citizenship and Hallfield Junior School - 11 personal, social and health education is linked effectively with the strategies to promote good behaviour. These are working successfully towards improving behaviour and developing consistency across the school. The deputy headteacher sets and rigorously monitors individual behaviour plans, detentions and letters sent home. Evidence shows that there has been a substantial decrease in the need for these sanctions. Good behaviour is rewarded with golden tickets and cinema tickets. Displays show pupils on a trip to a Tudor workshop with a letter from the centre, praising pupils for "their outstandingly good behaviour” during the visit and at lunchtime. The school has re-introduced a ten day induction programme across the

p.10

Commentary

school, setting expectations of behaviour and focusing on positive self-esteem for all pupils. The exclusions policy has preventative measures and follow-up procedures which involve liaison with outside agencies, and as a result the number of exclusions has decreased since the last inspection.

p.11

Commentary

8. Positive behaviour management training with Year 6 pupils and school meals assistants, the purchase of playground resources and the re-organisation of lunchtimes and the involvement of Year 6 pupils at lunchtime to support with dinner duties are having a positive impact. Pupils report that they feel safe and happy and would like more games, resources for play and lunchtime clubs. The school is aware of the need to improve lunchtime supervision further in order to maintain good behaviour and has plans to address this.

p.11

Commentary

9. Pupils’ attitudes to school are positive. They are well motivated, and try hard with their work. Pupils co-operate well and understand the need for teamwork and working together constructively. Examples of this were seen in a Year 6 history lesson where a group worked independently to produce a presentation, and in a Year 4 ICT lesson where pupils shared resources well and supported each other during their learning. Pupils from the many different ethnic groups in the school get on well together, as do boys and girls.

p.11

Commentary

10. Behaviour is good overall. It is very good when pupils come together for assemblies. Behaviour in lessons is mainly good, although when teaching is less challenging, or support is reduced when teaching assistants leave the classroom for other duties, some pupils become unsettled. At lunchtimes, behaviour is satisfactory, and concerns raised by a small minority of parents about playtime behaviour were not supported by the inspection findings. However, it was noted that boys tend to dominate the playground with ball games. The parents’ questionnaire revealed some concerns about bullying and harassment. The school reports that it deals immediately with the few reported incidents of bullying and racism. There are plans to discuss the definition of bullying with parents and children and provide further reminders about the importance of sharing any concerns. Pupils report that the school’s handling of these is prompt and effective.

p.11

Commentary

11. Pupils’ spiritual development is satisfactory. It is promoted in a variety of ways, including multi- faith assemblies, circle time and discussions in religious education and other lessons. A good example of a moment of quiet reflection about religious freedom was seen in a Year 5 class learning about Hanukkah. The school is sensitive to the effect of religious observance, such as fasting during Ramadan, and provides an area for pupils to pray at lunchtimes. In an assembly, a pleasant atmosphere was set for pupils to reflect about the period leading to Christmas and what pupils were hoping for. Music was played and the room darkened. Music is also used effectively to provide a spiritual uplift for the beginning and end of assemblies. However, although assemblies are a positive contribution to the ethos of the school, they do not always meet the statutory requirement for an act of collective worship.

p.11

Commentary

12. Pupils’ moral development is good. They have a good understanding of right and wrong. Assemblies play an important role in moral development. A citizenship award is given every week for a child in each class. There is a strong emphasis on building confidence and self- esteem, with awards given for behaviour such as ‘excellent participation in class discussion’. Good deeds such as ‘excellent team player’ and ‘being courteous and opening the door’ are displayed with the child’s photograph. The use of circle time (speaking and listening shared Hallfield Junior School - 12 time with a focus on different personal development issues) is having a good impact on pupils’ moral and social development. 13. Social development is good. Relationships between pupils and staff are positive, and pupils show consideration to each other. For example, when a girl was spotted alone at playtime, another girl immediately asked her to join in with a group game. Positive strategies for

p.11

Commentary

managing relationships are provided. A group of three girls came up to the deputy headteacher and explained how they had worked together through their misunderstanding, explaining, “We did as you said, sir, and we’re all friends now.” A sense of responsibility is cultivated and Year 6 pupils are involved in supporting other pupils at playtimes. Year 5 pupils act as referees at lunchtime for football and there are plans for Year 5 pupils to teach table tennis to the younger ones. Pupils are fully involved in the decision making process in the school council, which is very effectively managed by the deputy headteacher. School council members were able to outline their role clearly and gave examples of issues they were working on, such as the need to develop opportunities for girls’ football at lunchtimes. Members take their responsibilities very seriously and with great pride. They take the minutes for their

p.12

Commentary

meetings and plan the use of a small budget. Fairly high numbers of pupils reported that teachers listen to their ideas and that they are trusted to do things on their own.

p.12

Commentary

14. Cultural development is good. Photographs on display show the wide variety of activities pupils participated in during their residential visit. During a visit to the Tate Gallery, pupils studied the work of Bridget Riley. High quality artwork was seen with pupils’ comments, such as, “I was inspired by your work. The shapes you use are out of this world.” The school also organises regular visits to the Serpentine Gallery. Pupils learn positive messages about key figures, for example, the lives of Stephen Lawrence, Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks. A range of religions and celebrations is covered through religious education and in assemblies. For example, Ramadan, Hanukkah, Eid and Christmas are all celebrated. An interesting display of poetry from different areas of the British Isles provides good examples of links with the English curriculum. The Creation Story display provided a range of creation stories from

p.12

Commentary

different cultures; Hindu, Mongolian and Native American. However, there is little acknowledgement in displays of the range of languages spoken in the school, or pupils’ diverse language histories.

p.12

Commentary

15. Extra-curricular activities such as football, basketball, art club and homework club, the whole school productions such as ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and ‘Grease’, and personal, social, health and citizenship education curriculum also play an important part in pupils’ personal development.

p.12

Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data 3.5 School data 2.9 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.

p.12

Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

16. Attendance in 2002-3 was unsatisfactory, with the reported figures below average in comparison to the national average. However, the school’s very recent results show attendance is in line with the national average. This is due to the rigorous monitoring and evaluation systems, the emphasis on rewards for good attendance and punctuality and the effective partnership with the home/school liaison officer and the education welfare officer. For example, a weekly attendance certificate and the school teddy are given to a class for best attendance. The graphical display and the regular reminders in the newsletter for attendance and punctuality are also having a good impact. Reminder letters are translated in a wide range Hallfield Junior School - 13 of languages. Holidays during term time are discouraged by the school, but are a factor in the attendance figures. High pupil mobility also has an impact, as pupils may move without notice,

p.12

Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

leaving the school with difficulty in knowing when they should be removed from the roll. This accounts in part for the high level of unauthorised absence. A very high number of parents report that pupils like coming to school.

p.13

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Categories used in the Annual School Census No of pupils on roll Number of fixed period exclusions Number of permanent exclusions White – British 23 0 0 White – Irish 2 0 0 White – any other White background 63 0 0 Mixed – White and Black Caribbean 3 0 0 Mixed – White and Black African 6 0 0 Mixed – White and Asian 3 0 0 Mixed – any other mixed background 18 0 0 Asian or Asian British – Indian 5 0 0 Asian or Asian British – Pakistani 4 0 0 Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 14 0 0 Asian or Asian British – any other Asian background 18 0 0

p.13

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – Caribbean 4 0 0 Black or Black British – African 38 7 0 Black or Black British – any other Black background 3 0 0

p.13

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Chinese 2 0 0 Any other ethnic group 111 4 0 No ethnic group recorded 5 0 0

p.13

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

The table gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

p.13

QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

The quality of education provided by the school is good overall. This judgement is based on good teaching, effective strategies for raising pupils’ standards of work in English and mathematics, good provision for pupils’ personal, social and health education, the high level of personal support offered to pupils and very good links with parents and the community. There are weaknesses in support for pupils in the early stages of learning English.

p.13

Teaching and learning

Teaching and learning are good overall, with one quarter of teaching very good or excellent, particularly in Years 5 and 6. Most pupils are interested in their work, and try hard. Assessment Hallfield Junior School - 14 gives feedback to pupils on the content of their work, but does not often indicate what pupils might do to improve. It is not consistent across the school.

p.13

Main strengths and weaknesses

• In the majority of lessons, teachers have high expectations, and use questions effectively, constantly challenging pupils to achieve high standards of work and behaviour. • Strategies for teaching literacy and numeracy are good. • Pupils learn well, and most want to concentrate and do their best. • Staff have high expectations of behaviour and make them clear to pupils. • Marking does not always make it clear to pupils what they need to do to improve. • Teachers and support staff need to improve their specialist skills in developing the competence of pupils beginning to learn English, and those pupils whose competence is almost enough to reach national averages. • Teachers plan work at different levels, but this planning lacks detail for those pupils who need the most help.

p.14

Main strengths and weaknesses

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 34 lessons

p.14

Main strengths and weaknesses

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

p.14

Main strengths and weaknesses

2 (6%) 7 (21%) 11 (32%) 12 (35%) 2 (6%) 0 0

p.14

Main strengths and weaknesses

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.

p.14

Commentary

17. Overall, this is a picture of good teaching, with pupils in Years 5 and 6 regularly experiencing challenging lessons which encourage them to do their best work. Teaching in Years 3 and 4 is satisfactory. Some support in small groups to the pupils requiring most help is not focused well enough on their specific needs.

p.14

Commentary

18. Staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour, and they use a range of effective strategies to achieve this. Expectations are made very clear to pupils, who generally try hard to live up to what teachers demand of them; well over four fifths of pupils filling in the questionnaire thought that they had to work hard, found out new things in lessons, and got help when they were stuck. Most pupils are keen to learn, especially when they are challenged by work that interests them. This was seen in a science lesson in Year 6, where pupils were asked to predict outcomes, pressed to define their responses more accurately, and then evaluate their own learning. Over nine tenths of parents think that teaching is good, and almost as many think that staff expect their children to work hard.

p.14

Commentary

19. Most lessons are lively and stimulating, and pupils respond with real enthusiasm and pleasure. Pupils co-operate well and understand the need for teamwork and working together constructively. This was seen in a Year 6 history lesson taught by the deputy headteacher, where a group of pupils prepared a presentation on their findings on someone’s life from research on a number of documents. They took different roles in the research and presentation, handing over to each other smoothly and showing interest in each other’s findings. It was also seen in a Year 4 ICT lesson where pupils, including mixed pairs of boys and girls, took turns to use the keyboard and mouse, and showed each other various techniques during the practice session. In the minority of lessons when teaching is less challenging or the pace is too slow, some boys in particular lose concentration and have to be reminded to get on with their work. In some classes, pupils needing support lose

p.14

Commentary

concentration when the teaching assistants need to leave to carry out other duties. Hallfield Junior School - 15 20. Most teachers use an active and lively style to develop pupils’ vocabulary and their ability to express their ideas. They use questions effectively to guide pupils’ thinking, and to help them to explain their ideas. In the best teaching, there is a clear focus on the vocabulary that pupils need in order to make progress in the subject. This is of particular help to the pupils who are learning English as an additional language. This was seen in an excellent mathematics lesson, where the teacher ensured that all pupils understood key vocabulary for a lesson on shapes and angles. He ensured that pupils answered as fully as possible, in whole sentences, modelling the kinds of responses she wanted to hear from pupils in good, clear spoken English. As a result, pupils developed their skills in English as well as their mathematical

p.14

Commentary

21. Where teaching is strong, as in the example above, the needs of pupils learning English as an additional language are catered for well, and they achieve well because of this good teaching. These class teachers give due regard to pupils’ levels of competency in speaking and listening, reading and writing, particularly those in the upper part of the school. They specifically plan to ensure an environment which is rich in language and provide lots of visual clues to aid children’s understanding of spoken English. Most teachers have strengths in questioning to develop pupils’ ideas. However, in the majority of lessons, staff, including some supporting pupils in the early stages of learning English, do not have enough understanding of their specific needs. There is not a sufficient emphasis on the development of key vocabulary, nor on the language structures that pupils need to speak and write in correct English.

p.15

Commentary

22. Pupils with special educational needs have individual education plans to guide teachers and classroom assistants. These are seen and referred to by the staff who support them in small groups, but the targets in the plans are seldom used to inform class teachers’ planning. The pupils in the earliest stages of leaning English are often grouped with pupils with special educational needs, and supported by teachers or classroom assistants with tasks that do not always correctly match their different learning needs. Lesson plans, even those of the most effective teachers, do not clearly identify the appropriate steps taken to meet the needs of either group of pupils.

p.15

Commentary

23. The continuous assessing and reviewing of pupils’ progress through the stages of learning English are weak, and as a result many pupils on the more advanced stages of learning English remain identified as early learners of the language on the class lists. These pupils do not have specific learning targets related to their language needs against which their individual achievements can be measured and recorded. The progress of pupils with special educational needs is measured against targets in their individual education plans, which are regularly reviewed.

p.15

Commentary

24. Teaching is good in mathematics, and satisfactory in English, science, and music with some very good and excellent teaching in both these subjects in Years 5 and 6. Across the school there are effective strategies for the teaching of literacy and numeracy. Mathematics lessons are characterised by good subject knowledge, varied teaching methods and high expectations by staff. This accounts for the good progress that pupils are making. Overall, teaching is good in specialist information technology lessons, but is not followed up sufficiently well across the curriculum. Too few lessons in other subjects were seen to be able to make subject-related judgements about the quality of teaching, but sampling indicates good teaching overall. In some classes, homework is used very effectively to support pupils’ learning. For example, a Year 6 religious education lesson was based on the expectation that pupils had carried out

p.15

Commentary

research at home in preparation – and all had done so.

p.15

Commentary

25. Although the school has recently introduced a number of strategies to improve the way that teachers assess pupils’ work as they teach and give feedback, these are not yet being used consistently by all teachers. Most teachers write comments about the content of pupils’ work, and some invite responses to these comments, but they do not consistently let pupils know how they can improve their work. Some teachers are good at making links with what has gone Hallfield Junior School - 16 before, or what pupils are learning in other subjects, but there is a need for more work on helping pupils to know how well they are doing and what they can do to improve. Hallfield Junior School - 17

p.15

The curriculum

The school provides a satisfactorily broad and balanced curriculum that meets statutory requirements, including those of providing personal, social and health education. The sufficient staffing and accommodation, and good resources enable the National Curriculum to be taught effectively.

p.17

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Literacy and numeracy are planned effectively. • Personal, social and health education are strong. • There is a good range of opportunities to enrich the curriculum. • Resources for most subjects are plentiful, and well organised. • Considerable improvement has been made in provision for design and technology since the last inspection. • All subjects have an adequate time allocation with an appropriate emphasis on literacy and numeracy. • Links between subjects are planned to increase the opportunities to learn important skills.

p.17

Commentary

26. Since the last inspection, planning has been improved by the adoption of nationally recommended guidelines in most subjects. All subjects of the National Curriculum are provided for, including the provision for citizenship and personal social and health education. This also includes education for sex and human relationships, drugs and alcohol use and abuse. The school now has appropriate sex education and drugs education policies in place. A ‘Drugs Caravan’ visits the school each year to raise pupils’ awareness of drug misuse, and lessons in sex education form part of the science curriculum. Circle time in personal and social education make a positive contribution to pupils' overall development and help them build good relationships between pupils and between pupils and adults.

p.17

Commentary

27. Planning has improved since the last inspection particularly in foundation subjects such as design and technology and physical education. All elements of design and technology, a weakness during the last inspection, are now covered, and weaknesses in the provision for information and communication technology have largely been addressed. The curriculum for history and geography emphasises the building of skills in historical and geographical enquiry and interpretation, as well as covering the necessary topics. Programmes for the delivery of literacy and numeracy follow the national strategies and their effective implementation has ensured a positive contribution to raising standards. The cross-curricular links between some subjects are well used as a means to providing more extensive opportunities, for example in information and communication technology. Swimming is regularly provided in physical

p.17

Commentary

28. The range of extra-curricular opportunities offered is good and includes a number of music and sporting activities, as well as after school clubs such as French, information and communication technology club and art talents club. Most club activities are generally well attended by both boys and girls. Good use is made of the wider community to support teaching and learning. The school works regularly with the local police. A massive art project has been carried out in partnership with Serpentine gallery. Year 6 also worked on a music, art and drama week. The use of visitors enhances the curriculum in many fields. Good examples are the regular visits by each class to the local library. Educational visits, including the school journey, are well linked to the planned topics and therefore make a useful contribution to extending pupils' academic knowledge, as well as providing valuable social benefits.

p.17

Commentary

Hallfield Junior School - 18 29. Pupils are encouraged and enabled to take a full and active part in the whole curriculum. However, the curriculum is not being adapted effectively by teachers to enable pupils new to English to make sufficiently rapid progress. The recognition and celebration of pupils’ home languages is not visual on displays around the school. Pupils with special educational needs are appropriately identified, and provision for some needs is good. Although all these pupils have individual plans, they are too often grouped with pupils in the early stages of learning English as an additional language without a clear distinction between the two types of learning needs. This slows the progress of both groups.

p.18

Commentary

30. Overall, the school's accommodation allows the curriculum to be taught effectively, except in the temporary classrooms, which are cramped and do not have a water supply. The plans to replace this temporary accommodation have been postponed for reasons outside the school’s control, and the school is awaiting the necessary financial approval for these major building works. The premises are appropriately maintained and are a safe environment for pupils and staff. There are sufficient teachers to meet curricular demands. The support staff levels are generally appropriate. Resources for learning are good. They are well organised, and some co-ordinators ensure that they are supported with appropriate guidance for their use.

p.18

Care, guidance and support

Good provision is made for welfare and guidance. This enables pupils from all backgrounds to feel valued and secure.

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

• A healthy and safe learning environment is provided. • Pastoral support and guidance are of a high quality. • Pupils’ views about the school are carefully considered. • Personal development is very well monitored. • Procedures for ensuring that pupils know how to improve their work are not sufficiently rigorous.

p.18

Commentary

31. Very effective arrangements are in place for pupils’ health and safety. Such matters receive a high priority including regular inspections and risk assessments undertaken by governors and staff. Health education is included in the curriculum, including good provision for sex and drugs education. Illness and accidents are dealt with competently by staff trained in first aid and appropriate records are maintained and reviewed. Child protection issues are handled carefully by the headteacher in close co-operation with other agencies, especially social services.

p.18

Commentary

32. Pastoral support and guidance to pupils are a strong feature. Teachers and support staff show a caring approach and encourage pupils to raise any concerns. High quality advice is provided by specialist advisors including the home/school liaison officer and the refugee counsellor. This is especially important for pupils who are at an early stage in learning English. The support helps families to get the services they need, and to understand how to help their children make the best of school. As a result, pupils settle quickly in school and are able to concentrate on learning. Pupils with special educational needs are supported well. The personal development of all pupils is very well monitored by teachers and support staff. The information to individual pupils about academic progress and how they can improve is not sufficiently challenging.

p.18

Commentary

33. Induction arrangements for pupils transferring from the infant school are extremely thorough and enable them to make a confident start in Year 3. The many children from a wide variety of backgrounds who join at a later stage, all of whom are learning English as an additional language, are made welcome. They are well supported in this way by the class teacher and Hallfield Junior School - 19 other specialist staff. Such pupils also benefit from the ‘buddy’ system that usually involves help from a pupil speaking the same home language. Discussions take place with parents of children who arrive at the school new to English schooling, and are helpful in identifying their needs.

p.18

Commentary

34. The school council meets regularly. This provides a helpful forum for pupils to put forward suggestions, raise any concerns and to respond to any specific matters raised by the school. A survey of pupils’ views through questionnaires is also undertaken. Such measures enable pupils to have a constructive role that is valued by the school and often contributes to changes being made.

p.19

Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

The close partnership with parents and very good educational and community links make a significant contribution to the life and work of the school. Parents feel valued by the school and appreciate the help the school provides for them and their children. As a result, parents feel more confident in helping their children to do well in school.

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Parents are well informed about their children’s progress and school activities. • Effective links with nearby schools have a positive impact on pupils’ learning and social development. • Extensive involvement with the community enriches curriculum opportunities and helps local families.

p.19

Commentary

35. The school places a strong emphasis on working closely with parents from the wide range of social, ethnic and cultural backgrounds. The school is also very fortunate to have a number of bilingual staff who are able to share the language and culture of the pupils. Very supportive arrangements are in place to help parents of children when moving into and out of the district, including refugees and asylum seekers. Good information about progress and standards is provided at meetings with the class teacher and in the annual written reports. Newsletters, informal discussions and meetings about the curriculum keep parents well informed about school activities. Better arrangements of interpreters and translating texts to support ethnic minority pupils and their parents would further enhance the provision. The parents of pupils with special educational needs are consulted about the support for their children, and are

p.19

Commentary

actively involved in reviews of their progress.

p.19

Commentary

36. A clear picture about the school’s achievements is set out in the high quality annual written report issued by governors. The school prospectus does not fully meet legal requirements as there is no reference to parents’ right to withdraw their child from religious education and collective worship. This aspect is, however, explained to parents as part of the induction process. The work of the home/school liaison service provides an invaluable contact with local families, especially those who are new to educational matters in this country.

p.19

Commentary

37. There is very good co-operation between governors and staff of the infant and junior schools. This facilitates the smooth induction of pupils at age seven. Joint arrangements are made for site maintenance, lunchtime meals and educational policies such as race awareness and exclusion. Parents are especially well advised about choices for transfer to secondary schools. Last year this resulted in pupils moving to 12 different secondary schools. The work of the Education Action Zone has a positive impact especially with the learning support arrangements for pupils in Year 5. The weekly after school homework club is supervised by sixth form students from Marylebone Girls School. Hallfield Junior School - 20 38. The school premises are used on three evenings a week for classes for adult education classes and at weekends by an Arabic and Greek school. A refugee counsellor works with families in school. There are also strong links with the Bayswater Family Centre and St.

p.19

Commentary

Stephen’s Women’s Refuge. The school provides courses for parents on English, parenting skills and first aid. Support by local businesses including a bookshop, restaurant and cinema enable special events to take place that help children’s learning and development. The school is successful in securing grants from external organisations including a contribution of £1,500 towards the cost of a Year 5 residential visit.

p.20

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The leadership and management of the school are satisfactory overall. The headteacher provides a clear vision for the school, which has resulted in a positive ethos for learning and a high level of commitment by all staff. However, the leadership of curriculum subjects and pupil support is variable, with some strengths but some important weaknesses. The governors provide a good level of support and challenge.

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The key senior leaders are excellent role models as teachers and play an effective role in improving management. • Very good financial management systems have enabled the governors to ensure that the school has successfully managed recent funding fluctuations and is well prepared for the future. • The leadership and management of support for pupils with English as an additional language, and of science, are unsatisfactory. • The monitoring of teaching and learning has not resulted in these identified weaknesses being addressed. • The school’s participation in the local Education Action Zone is improving teaching and learning.

p.20

Commentary

39. The headteacher provides sound leadership and a clear vision for the school’s development, which has enabled its very positive and welcoming climate to be maintained and enhanced in a period of increasing local instability and mobility. She has ensured that the school has maintained a very good senior leadership team and a cohesive staff, despite staff turnover, often through promotion. This has played a major part in securing the substantial improvements since the last inspection. She has also ensured that the school has made very good use of its participation in the local Education Action Zone to develop very good teaching and learning approaches in Years 5 and 6. The school’s performance management system ensures that all teaching staff have improvement targets which they have identified in discussion with senior management, but its effectiveness in improving teaching or management quality is limited because it is not tied to a sharp enough focus by the senior

p.20

Commentary

leadership on identifying and taking action on weaknesses in performance.

p.20

Commentary

40. The roles of the deputy headteacher and assistant headteacher have been very effective in promoting good teaching, learning and behaviour management by example and by improving the behaviour management system. However, the effectiveness of curriculum and year co- ordinators and support managers is variable. There have not been checks on the quality of support teaching, so that weaknesses seen by the inspection team in support for pupils with English as an additional language have not been remedied. Some subject and year leaders have combined great enthusiasm and commitment with good analysis of pupils’ work to identify and promote ways to improve provision. For example, leadership in mathematics has rigorously identified ways in which all aspects of the subject can be improved. There has been effective staff training, including teaching assistants, teaching and learning have been monitored thoroughly, resources are good and planning has been detailed. As a result, staff

p.20

Commentary

have high expectations, and pupils are aware of how to improve their work. This systematic Hallfield Junior School - 21 approach has ensured that pupils of all levels of ability make good progress, and accounts for the high standards achieved. Some other subject leaders have done too little to analyse assessment results and use this information to improve teaching.

p.20

Commentary

41. The leadership and management of special educational needs are improving. Since she was appointed, the new acting co-ordinator has concentrated on setting up good systems for identifying pupils’ special educational needs, and for reviewing pupils’ progress. She is aware that the support to pupils in the classroom is not always sufficiently focused on pupils’ specific needs, and plans to work more closely with class and support teachers to remedy this. She works closely with the co-ordinator for English as an additional language, to establish clarity about the difference between learning difficulties and the early stages of English. The proportion of pupils identified as having special educational needs is high, and the new co- ordinator is conducting a series of reviews, which are likely to determine that fewer pupils than currently identified need additional help.

p.21

Commentary

42. The leadership and management of support for pupils with English as an additional language are unsatisfactory. Although since the last inspection the school has established a system for assessing the needs of these pupils, it is not sufficiently rigorous. The special educational needs co-ordinator and the co-ordinator for English as an additional language carry out a helpful initial interview with parents to collect the most useful information about pupils’ backgrounds and their linguistic competencies in English as well as their other languages on admission. This information is recorded on profiles, which also identify pertinent background information, but more detailed assessments of pupils’ stage of English acquisition are not carried out early enough. Assessments, when they do take place in June and December, are carried out by all relevant staff, but are not dated, making it difficult to track pupils’ progress.

p.21

Commentary

Some assessments are inaccurate, with pupils being assessed as being at the earlier stages of learning English when they have already developed basic English skills, and records give little or no guidance to teaching staff on how best to support their learning. The co-ordinator does not take a lead in building the specialist skills in developing pupils’ capabilities in English among all staff, as might be expected in a school with such a high proportion of such pupils. This means that the provision is too dependent on the effectiveness of individual class teachers and teaching assistants. Because of the strength of teaching and learning in Years 5 and 6, most pupils with English as an additional language achieve well by the end of Year 6. However, weak support holds back those of the pupils who are new to learning English and those who have basic English skills but need continuing support to make the progress required

p.21

Commentary

to reach the expected National Curriculum standards. The specialist support teachers do not provide a strong lead of how to support the pupils in the classroom, and the resources they produce for them are limited.

p.21

Commentary

43. The school’s development plans are based on a system of identifying and improving curriculum provision in order of priority, with a strong emphasis so far in the current school year on continuing to improve English, mathematics and ICT. The plans have been successful in promoting staff awareness of good new curriculum approaches, such as the extended writing approach which has been developed through the Education Action Zone project.

p.21

Commentary

44. Governors are knowledgeable and experienced, with a strong commitment to the school. They work in effective partnership with the headteacher and senior management team, and provide challenge as well as support. Many know the school well, with a good understanding of the difficulties the school faces as well as its successes, and a core of governors visits regularly. The committee structure is well established, and governors use committees effectively in making decisions. The governing body has a system of continuous review of the school improvement plan, parts of which are shared with the infant school. The plan forms the basis of agendas for the relevant committees, and the overall plan is overseen by an executive. Although governors review the plan’s progress, the review does not focus enough Hallfield Junior School - 22 on how effective the previous year’s development plans were in improving pupils’ attainment,

p.21

Commentary

and how effectively the budget has been spent in raising standards for different groups of pupils in the school.

p.22

Commentary

45. The governors have ensured that the school now meets legal requirements that were reported at the last inspection as not being met. Their annual report to parents is a very well written and presented document which gives parents a very thorough account of the achievements of the school and their own work. However, the governors have not ensured that the school always meets the legal requirement to hold a daily act of collective worship and to include in the prospectus the required information on parents’ right to withdraw their children from religious education and collective worship.

p.22

Financial information for the year April 2002 to March 2003

Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 1,181,334 Balance from previous year 290,220 Total expenditure 1,143,389 Balance carried forward to the next 328,165

p.22

Financial information for the year April 2002 to March 2003

46. The governors’ overall strategic financial management is very good. Very good systems are in place for long term management of the budget, including the use of a contingency fund built from past surpluses. The very capable financial administrator and finance governors have identified the need to respond to fluctuating funding and pupil mobility with sophisticated long term financial planning. The school has thus been able to avoid the financial crises which have beset many London schools and has sustained good quality staffing, buildings maintenance and administrative services. It is also well prepared financially for the anticipated building programme. The governors ensure the school seeks good value for money by obtaining several quotations for major spending items. It consults parents, pupils, staff and other key users and challenges the quality of these infrastructure services. It has yet to apply these best

p.22

Financial information for the year April 2002 to March 2003

value principles to pupil support services. Hallfield Junior School - 23

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching and learning of basic reading and writing are very good in Years 5 and 6, so that almost all pupils achieve well. • The curriculum in most years includes good opportunities for developing pupils’ speaking and listening skills, reading quality literature, and varied writing. • Support for some groups of pupils who are learning English as a second language is weak, and holds back their progress. • Pupils do not get enough guidance on developing library research skills and widening their personal reading.

p.23

Commentary

47. Standards in English overall are below national averages, at the end of Year 6. They are above average compared with similar schools, which is an improvement on the last inspection. The most recent national test results showed that the achievement of pupils at the end of Year 6 compared with their starting point when they entered the school was high compared to pupils in similar schools. The percentage of pupils reaching higher than nationally expected levels in the national tests in 2003 was well above that of similar schools. This is good improvement since the last inspection, when pupils’ achievement was in line with those of pupils from similar schools. The difference between boys’ and girls’ achievement in the most recent national tests was smaller than that seen nationally, and pupils with special educational needs and most of those whose first language is not English made as good progress as their

p.23

Commentary

classmates. However, analysis of the 2003 tests shows that there is a minority of pupils who are not achieving so well. Scrutiny of the current pupils’ work and discussions with them about their reading shows that these are often pupils who are at the earliest stages of learning English as a new language and those who have acquired basic competence in English but need continuing support to reach the nationally expected standards in writing.

p.23

Commentary

48. Pupils’ speaking and listening skills are satisfactory. Very good speaking and listening were seen in Years 5 and 6, where the classes enthusiastically questioned pupils who took the roles of characters in the texts they were studying. Because their teachers got the pupils to first devise and practise the questions in pairs and small groups, they were very confident and articulate. In other years, pupils’ speaking and listening observed in lessons and discussions with pupils, particularly those who are at the earlier stages of learning to speak English, were less well developed, because they do not have so many rich opportunities to develop their English skills through rehearsing asking and answering questions and giving their opinions in role play or problem solving contexts.

p.23

Commentary

49. Pupils’ reading and understanding of texts studied in class are good. Year 6 pupils confidently worked with their teachers on a demanding text about a snowy winter in Dickens’ London which dealt with a time and culture very new to most of them, but where the teachers’ use of visual support and clear and repeated explanations helped them make sense of it. Year 5 pupils made very good progress and thoroughly enjoyed working out the underlying meanings in a deceptively simple Charles Causley poem because the teachers had made a choice which brought together the traditions of the ballad with a story line and vocabulary familiar from today’s popular songs and soap operas. In most years, pupils’ reading is well developed Hallfield Junior School - 24 through lessons which centre on high quality texts, including, for example, J K Rowling’s guidebook to dragons in Year 3. However, discussions with pupils about their personal reading

p.23

Commentary

shows that their wider reading development is not as good. Few pupils have access to books at home, and not all teachers are able to suggest good children’s authors to extend pupils’ reading. Although teaching assistants work with pupils in the library and teachers organise regular library visits, pupils in most years are not developing their skills well enough in finding and using reference books and using the index to find information. The development of the reading skills of pupils at the early stages of learning English as a new language is more uneven, and depends on the quality of the support they receive. Some examples of good support by teaching assistants were seen where they used appropriate pictures and prepared phrases and posters to help these pupils understand. However, more examples were seen in classes and in groups for beginning English learners where there were no visual aids, such as

p.24

Commentary

picture dictionaries and photos, or prepared vocabulary cards, and the pupils made slower progress.

p.24

Commentary

50. The standard of pupils’ writing, including their spelling and punctuation skills, is good in Years 5 and 6. They write in a wide variety of styles and formats including biographies and autobiographies, research notes and letters to characters in the books they have been reading. They achieve well, because they regularly read good quality texts which help them to use a range of styles. However, the work of Year 4 pupils shows that they have fewer opportunities to write for a range of purposes, but are too often given limited textbook exercises, which are not linked to their wider reading or practical experience, and this limits the progress they make. Additionally, in all years, some of the pupils with English as an additional language, and who have acquired basic competence in English, are not achieving as well as they should. They are not being given the extra support they need to develop the levels of skill they need in formal

p.24

Commentary

written English and in checking their work to identify and correct the typical errors they make as non-native speakers.

p.24

Commentary

51. Teaching and learning are satisfactory overall. Very good classroom teaching and learning were seen in Years 5 and 6, where lessons observed were never less than good and most were very good. In the best lessons, the teachers and their assistants had prepared very good support resources, such as posters with key phrases, and gave lively demonstrations of how to put good sentences together. They helped all the pupils learn well by making sure they had good and very interesting texts and tasks to work on and demonstrated clearly how to succeed at the tasks they set. Satisfactory teaching seen in lessons and pupils’ workbooks included such good features as the use of overhead projectors and prepared posters to help pupils read and write key phrases from good, lively texts. However, in the small amount of unsatisfactory teaching observed, work was not well matched to pupils’ needs, and lacked the good quality

p.24

Commentary

texts used in other years. Evidence from these pupils’ written work supports these findings. A minority of teachers lack the confidence and expertise to build on the best approaches in other years.

p.24

Commentary

52. Teachers give helpful oral feedback to pupils in lessons in all years, and their marking often shows pupils what they have done well. However, the marking does not consistently show pupils how to improve their work. The marking by specialist staff of the writing of pupils who are at the early stages of learning English rarely gives clear guidance on what they have done well and how to improve their writing.

p.24

Commentary

53. The co-ordinator for English has done some very good work on analysing test results and existing provision and developing a new policy for English with some excellent features. These include the use of quality literature, library visits and good extended writing approaches which the school has successfully developed through its work with the local Education Action Zone. The policy does not make it clear enough to staff how to address the needs of pupils learning English as an additional language, at all stages, although the best teaching and learning approaches being used in Year 5 and 6 provide good models of how it can be done. Hallfield Junior School - 25 This is despite the fact that the previous inspection identified weaknesses and inconsistent quality of support for, and inadequate assessment of the needs of pupils whose first language is not English, and which continue to limit the effectiveness of English teaching overall.

p.24

Commentary

54. A poetry week run in the Summer Term provided excellent curriculum enrichment through engaging pupils in events, readings and competitions based on the poetry traditions of the British Isles, from Scotland to Cornwall and including lively ethnic minority poetry from the inner cities. The co-ordinator has done some observation of English lessons in all years. These are improvements since the last inspection. She is aware of the weaknesses in promoting pupils’ wider reading and has good plans to develop the use of the library.

p.25

Language and literacy across the curriculum

55. Pupils’ speaking and listening skills, and their basic reading and writing skills, are satisfactorily developed in other subjects. A particularly helpful approach to developing wider reading and writing skills for other subjects has been developed in co-operation with the local Education Action Zone, where extended writing projects include writing about history and field visits as well as fiction writing. Many teachers provide key phrases and vocabulary in other subject lessons, and offer writing formats for investigations which help pupils compile the right answers. The best teaching includes having pupils display and put together key phrases to make good sentences but this is not yet done consistently. Although pupils use computers for word-processing, the range of extra help available for the pupils who are at the early stages of learning English, including the use of “talking” software, dictionaries, internet sites and word-

p.25

Language and literacy across the curriculum

processing tools in their home languages, is under-used.

p.25

MATHEMATICS

Provision in mathematics is good . Standards in mathematics have improved well since the last inspection because of strong leadership in this subject.

p.25

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Very effective leadership of mathematics has driven up standards. • Standards and progress in mathematics are good overall. • Children of all abilities are supported and challenged. • There is effective use of mathematics across other subjects of the curriculum. • Assessment is not well used to ensure that planning meets the needs of all pupils. • Information and communications technology is not used frequently enough in lessons.

p.25

Commentary

56. Standards in mathematics are high, and pupils make good progress. Standards in mathematics have been rising consistently throughout the whole school since the previous inspection and are now above those expected nationally at Year 6. These standards differ from those in the 2002 test results, reflecting the different groups of pupils. There is very good improvement in the proportion of pupils reaching Level 5 in Year 6. This is well above the levels expected for similar schools and shows very good progress at these levels of attainment.

p.25

Commentary

57. Leadership in mathematics has rigorously identified ways in which all aspects of the subject can be improved, and this has had a very good effect on standards and progress at all levels of ability. It has been achieved through a systematic approach to planning, monitoring and observation, work analysis and staff training, and the provision of a range of resources of a good quality. As a result, good teaching skills support, challenge and extend learning. The expectations of pupils are generally high, and pupils are aware of these expectations through a system of self- assessment. Hallfield Junior School - 26 58. The focus on training and updating of the skills of teaching assistants for supporting in numeracy sessions is proving to be successful. These staff effectively support pupils with special educational needs, enabling them to achieve in line with their capabilities. Pupils on advanced stages of learning English as an additional language progress in line with their peers,

p.25

Commentary

but those new to English are not always provided with adequate specialist support in lessons to enhance their progress in mathematics. This means that some pupils in each class do not achieve as well as could be expected. Pupils achieve well in the best lessons, especially in Year 6, where class teachers specifically plan to meet the needs of the targeted pupils learning English as an additional language, and use appropriate methods and resources to enhance their learning. In an excellent lesson in Year 6, the teacher gave pupils enough practice with the new vocabulary and made them articulate their thinking and give fuller answers to questions. In most good lessons, extension work to challenge higher attaining children in each unit of work is effectively planned. As a result of a very clear analysis of internal assessments and national test results, a focus on real life problems is proving very useful. Most pupils

p.26

Commentary

develop their own strategies for solving problems and successfully apply these to practical situations.

p.26

Commentary

59. The quality of teaching and learning in lessons is good overall and some teaching is very good and excellent. Planning is very clear and thorough, based on national guidance and adaptation of unit plans. The school’s inclusive climate for learning promotes good attitudes towards the subject in all pupils, and contributes well to overall learning and achievement.

p.26

Commentary

60. Lessons are brisk and learning intentions are shared well with pupils, which raises their interest and provides good motivation. Sessions at the beginning of lessons consist of thorough explanations of mental strategies and oral questioning that require these strategies to be used. High levels of interest and good behaviour contribute to effective learning. Good use is made of teachers’ expertise in Years 5 and 6, where those who plan and prepare each session teach both of the parallel classes, ensuring continuity and equality of opportunity. For example, in Year 6, very good teaching resulted in thorough understanding of the formula in calculating the area and the perimeter of compound shapes. By the end of the lesson, owing to good questioning and carefully chosen examples, nearly all pupils achieved well. Homework is used effectively to extend learning beyond the school day. During the inspection, information

p.26

Commentary

and communication technology was not used sufficiently.

p.26

Commentary

61. Assessment of children’s abilities and the use of this information are not yet fully consistent across the school. The school undertakes a full audit of mathematics tests each year, and identifies the main areas where children appear to be lacking in knowledge or skills. However, this information is not used effectively enough to set individual targets for pupils. Marking is regular, constructive and encouraging in most books.

p.26

Mathematics across the curriculum

62. Mathematics is further enhanced because teachers ensure that children understand its relevance throughout the rest of the curriculum and school. Wall displays for other subjects include the use of mathematics, for example, recording results of investigations in science, using graphs and charts.

p.26

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Very good teaching in the Year 6 lessons observed. • The co-ordinator’s role in the use of data analysis to plan improvement is underdeveloped and assessment systems do not provide statistical evidence of year on year progress. Hallfield Junior School - 27 • There is wide variation in the quality of work within and across year groups, including planning, marking and presentation. • Some pupils could achieve more in their scientific enquiry skills, particularly the higher attainers. • Good attention is paid to health and safety systems. • The use of ICT is underdeveloped.

p.26

Commentary

63. In the 2003 national tests results reveal that Year 6 pupils achieved below the national average, including the proportion achieving above the expected level. Compared with results in similar schools, pupils’ achievements were average. However, when adjustments are made due to the very high number of pupils leaving and entering the school, percentage results show that the school is in line with national comparisons for all schools. Comparisons with similar schools reveal that pupils’ achievements are well above average. Inspection findings indicate that standards are expected to be in line with national expectations by the end of Year 6 due to the very good and excellent teaching in these year groups. There are no significant variations between boys and girls and pupils with special educational needs make good progress. In some classes, provision for pupils acquiring English needs improvement.

p.27

Commentary

64. In Year 6, current work on materials and their properties provides evidence of good understanding of how differences are used to classify substances, such as solids, liquids and gases. Pupils are also able to use their knowledge about some reversible and irreversible changes to make predictions about whether other changes are reversible or not, for example, bread changing into toast and the subsequent change of charcoal when the toast burns.

p.27

Commentary

65. Teaching and learning are satisfactory overall. There was a wide variation in the quality of teaching in the lessons observed during the inspection, and apparent from the scrutiny of pupils’ work. It ranges from unsatisfactory to excellent. In most lessons, teachers showed good subject knowledge and used accurate subject vocabulary well in their questioning to extend pupils’ ideas. Good demonstrations and high expectations of pupils’ participation held their interest, and enabled all pupils to develop their skills in understanding and applying science. Careful attention was paid to the health and safety aspects of the subject. The excellent lesson was characterised by: • Very skilful questioning with increasing challenge, particularly in the higher levels of scientific enquiry skills. Why would the flame take longer? Do you think it will take longer than 40 seconds? Why? The teacher ensured that predictions were supported by careful

p.27

Commentary

hypotheses. • Very high expectations of behaviour and pupils’ answers, expecting nothing but the best from every pupil, for example, “Before you speak, think and impress me.” • Pupils were fully engrossed due to the excellent explanations and variety of teaching methods. For example, there was a clear emphasis on key concepts and pupil involvement in acting out the movement of molecules. This helped the learning of pupils acquiring English and pupils with special educational needs.

p.27

Commentary

66. In the one unsatisfactory lesson seen, explanations were too brief and repetitive, without a change in teaching methods to respond to pupils’ attitudes and difficulties in their level of understanding. As a result, some pupils struggled to apply their scientific enquiry skills when explaining and recording their investigations. They also lost concentration and were unsettled. Pace was lost due to the emphasis on managing behaviour.

p.27

Commentary

67. There is some evidence of good, constructive marking in Year 5. For example, one teacher wrote on a pupil’s book, “You understand that blood carries oxygen and that the heart pumps the blood.” There is variation in the quality of marking and quality of work in Years 3, 4 and in one of the Year 6 classes, but overall it is unsatisfactory, as there is not enough guidance to pupils about how to improve their work. Displays show evidence of previous investigative work, such as making and experimenting with string telephones. Planning shows links with Hallfield Junior School - 28 other subjects such as music (musical instruments) and design and technology (designing and making musical instruments.) However, the use of ICT to support science is underdeveloped. The use of sensors and data-loggers in scientific investigations is limited.

p.27

Commentary

68. Leadership and management are unsatisfactory. The co-ordinator supports staff by providing assistance in planning, and by teaching alongside staff when release time is available. This has helped most staff to develop their subject knowledge. However, the role is underdeveloped in terms of data analysis and its use to plan improvement. The assessment systems do not provide statistical year on year analysis or evidence against national assessment levels. There has been some monitoring of the quality of teaching and learning by some lesson observations and some analysis of pupils’ work. Such monitoring and evaluation are not well enough linked to analysis of what pupils achieve in the different aspects of the subject. The failure to analyse areas of weakness in pupils’ knowledge and understanding and take action to address these may account in part for the decline in results in national tests in

p.28

Commentary

recent years. The co-ordinator was the specialist science teacher for the school for several years. She is no longer teaching science across the school and is aware of the need to address the variations in subject knowledge and understanding amongst staff and the need to develop links with ICT further, planning and the extension of scientific enquiry skills.

p.28

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Provision in information and communication technology (ICT) is satisfactory overall . This is because of the good quality of work seen in the specialist suite, although this is not followed up enough in classrooms.

p.28

Main strengths and weaknesses

• There is good teaching in the specialist ICT suite. • Coverage of the curriculum is carefully planned to support learning in other subjects. • Computers and other ICT equipment are rarely used in the classroom, so that pupils do not get enough practice in the skills they are learning.

p.28

Commentary

69. By the time they are 11, most pupils’ understanding of the subject is what might be expected for their age, but the keyboard skills of many are slightly below this level. This is mainly because there are too few opportunities to use the computer in the classrooms to practise their skills, and few of these pupils have access to computers at home. Pupils can demonstrate a range of skills on the computer, and understand the many uses of information and communication technology. Year 6 pupils confidently showed an inspector how to create a PowerPoint presentation linked to their study of World War II, with two girls in particular giving a very clear explanation of the process. They can describe the uses of spreadsheets and simple formulae, and have used databases to classify and sort information. There is evidence of the use of word-processing, but few of the pupils observed in any year group were

p.28

Commentary

sufficiently competent in using the keyboard. The school has identified this as an area for development.

p.28

Commentary

70. All classes have ICT lessons timetabled in the specialist suite. Five lessons were observed during the inspection, four in this suite. The quality of teaching was good overall in these lessons, with teachers demonstrating good subject knowledge and confidence in what they were teaching. They made good use of the equipment such as the Smartboard for the class parts of the lessons, to hold pupils’ attention and allow them to learn new techniques. Opportunities were then provided for pupils to practise in pairs. In almost every case, pupils worked well together, helping each other and working co-operatively, even in pairs where girls and boys worked together. Teaching ensures that pupils understand the benefits and disadvantages of using computers rather than other media. For example, in a Year 4 lesson on manipulating pictures and text, pupils created their own hieroglyphics picture, with links to

p.28

Commentary

Hallfield Junior School - 29 both their literacy lessons and their history topic on Ancient Egypt. In the discussion after this activity, the teacher explored with pupils its advantages of good presentation and speed with the more personal outcomes of drawing and writing. However, this good teaching was not followed up in classrooms, and computers were rarely seen in use during the inspection in other lessons.

p.29

Commentary

71. The subject is enthusiastically led by the acting co-ordinator, who supports colleagues well in their planning. She has ensured that each class is equipped with hardware in working order, and is aware that too little use is made of computers and other equipment outside the computer suite. A simple assessment system, based on the scheme of work, is being trialled. Improvement since the last inspection is satisfactory. Teaching is more consistent, subject knowledge and confidence have increased, hardware is in working order, and long term planning is good. However, the issue of insufficient use of computers in lessons generally has not yet been addressed, although it forms the basis of the schools’ action plan for the subject.

p.29

Information and communication technology across the curriculum

72. One strength of the subject is that planning is well organised so that aspects of ICT are taught when they are most relevant to links with other subjects. For example, in Year 5, work on the use of databases takes place during the history topic on the Victorians, when pupils are looking at census information. Pupils compile their own census, and use the database to classify and sort information, answering challenging questions on their findings. Digital cameras are used well to support work in art and design. Despite this, there is not enough use of the technology for routine use for research and as an integral part of pupils’ work.

p.29

HUMANITIES

Provision in history and geography is good, and is satisfactory in religious education . These judgements are based on evidence from a small number of lessons, discussions with co-ordinators and a scrutiny of planning documents. There was too little evidence available to make a sound judgement about the standards that pupils achieve, or about the quality of teaching, in these subjects. However, pupils’ understanding in the Year 6 lessons seen in history and religious education was what might be expected for their age, although this is not so apparent in their written work.

p.29

Main strengths and weaknesses

• A clear focus on the teaching of historical and geographical skills • Well organised resources, with helpful guidance to teachers about their use • A week-long visit geography field trip and other visits to places of interest support pupils’ learning • Good use made of pupils’ own experience in religious education • Insufficient recording of pupils’ work in some year groups in any of the subjects

p.29

Commentary

73. During the inspection, two history lessons and two religious education lessons were seen, all in Years 5 and 6. No geography lessons were being taught during the inspection, because of the way the curriculum is organised over the year. Long term planning in all three subjects is satisfactory. Resources are well organised. For all three subjects, the co-ordinators see teachers’ planning, and advise colleagues on the use of resources to support topics. There was little work in geography and religious education in pupils’ books, as only work from the current term was available, and these three subjects are mainly taught in a practical way, supported by discussion. The lack of an assessment system in history and geography, identified as a weakness during the last inspection, has now been remedied. Hallfield Junior School - 30 74. As no lessons of geography were timetabled during the inspection, it is not possible to make a

p.29

Commentary

judgement about the quality of teaching. However, the subject is efficiently managed by the co- ordinator, and there is every indication that provision is good. The co-ordinator has a clear view of the strengths and weaknesses of the subject. She has conducted a survey of staff about their subject knowledge, and, as a result, carried out in-service training to help teachers understand the way that pupils’ geographical skills are built. As the subject is to be a focus for development next term, the co-ordinator will have the opportunity to evaluate this initiative. She has developed an assessment system, which appears to be manageable, and this is beginning to be used by staff to plan further work for pupils based on their prior learning. This assessment is also used, alongside the teacher survey, to determine priorities for development in the subject.

p.30

Commentary

75. Too few history lessons were seen to make an overall judgement about the quality of teaching. However, the lessons seen were both characterised by a focus on looking at sources of evidence about the periods being studied, with pupils encouraged to use these to interpret events and information in a searching way. For example, in a very good lesson in Year 6, pupils were asked to explore their ideas on the representations of women in advertisements from the 1950s and the present day. The teacher used active questioning and a lively style of presentation, constantly challenging pupils to look beyond what was apparent and expand their ideas about the images portrayed. A group of higher attaining pupils conducted their own research on a series of documents, selecting information from these to make their own hypotheses about the life of the person concerned. Their short presentation to the class demonstrated that they understood that evidence can be interpreted in a number of

p.30

Commentary

ways. In this lesson, pupils showed a good level of understanding of historical ideas, because of the very good, challenging teaching.

p.30

Commentary

76. Work in pupils’ books shows a more inconsistent picture. There is evidence that all topics are covered in enough range, but the depth is not apparent, as there is too little writing in some year groups. There is some writing at length, but this is not consistently found in pupils’ books, particularly in the lower age groups. In some classes, teachers write comments and questions on pupils’ work, but this is not done by all teachers. Examples of very negative marking were seen in the books of pupils in the early stages of English in one year group, with little indication that these pupils were being systematically supported to develop their skills in writing in English.

p.30

Commentary

77. History is well managed, with the co-ordinator giving good support to staff, particularly in the provision of well-organised resources with teaching suggestions included. Long term planning is good, with a focus on the teaching of skills alongside topics. The co-ordinator has developed an assessment scheme similar to that in use in other foundation subjects, to assist teachers in planning work which is adapted to building on what pupils already know and can do. Visits to places of interests, and good use of the local environment for study, both support pupils learning well.

p.30

Commentary

78. Only two lessons of religious education were seen, too few to make an overall judgement about the quality of teaching, and there was little written work available for scrutiny. Teaching in the two lessons seen was good. A strength in both lessons was the way in which teachers drew upon the considerable knowledge among pupils in the class to illuminate learning. In a Year 5 lesson on the symbolism of the lighting of candles during Hanukkah, references to persecution and religious freedom struck a particular chord with some of the refugees and asylum seekers, one of whom eloquently gave his opinion on his right to hold his beliefs. The teacher’s lively style held pupils’ attention, and she achieved an effective balance between allowing pupils to express their views while maintaining a good pace. The teacher showed good subject knowledge, and used correct language. As a result, pupils themselves used

p.30

Commentary

correct terminology in their answers. Pupils watched the ritual with respect, and the subsequent discussion demonstrated that they understand that there is a diversity of religions, Hallfield Junior School - 31 all with their own rituals and beliefs. A particular strength of this lesson was the moment of reflection provided by the teacher, when pupils were asked to think about the freedom to worship in one’s own way.

p.30

Commentary

79. Evidence from the lesson seen indicates that pupils’ are reaching the standards expected by the time they are 11. They become familiar with key facts about the six main religions. Pupils hear stories and learn about festivals important to these faiths. In both lessons seen, pupils showed not only good knowledge of the religions being studied, but also positive attitudes of tolerance and understanding of religious diversity. In the Year 6 lesson, all pupils had carried out a homework research task on which their work was based, demonstrating their commitment to their own learning, and the teacher’s high expectations. There is little evidence of written work in the subject across the school. This limits the possibility of assessing progress systematically.

p.31

Commentary

80. Religious education was a strong subject at the time of the last inspection. Since then, it has not been a focus in the school, but is now being further developed by the acting co-ordinator. Resources are well used, and further support is being provided for staff. Planning is scrutinised by the co-ordinator to ensure that the curriculum is covered. Through assemblies, circle times and lessons, religious education makes a significant contribution to pupils’ moral and social education. There are close links between the teaching of religious education and the curriculum for citizenship and personal, social and health education.

p.31

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

Provision in these subjects is satisfactory overall , from the evidence available.

p.31

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Work is planned with the use of national guidance to ensure that skills build well over each pupil’s time in school. • Effective links are made between subjects. • Good development of extra-curricular activities in physical education to enrich the curriculum. • In music, teachers use practical exercises well to teach rhythms and note values. • Pupils are keen to learn and enjoy their lessons in these subjects. • Co-ordination does not include sufficient direct monitoring of teaching and learning or standards attained.

p.31

Commentary

81. None of these subjects was a particular focus for the inspection. Lessons were sampled in music, art, and design and technology. Three lessons in music, two in art and one in design and technology were observed. No physical education lessons were seen. Pupils’ work was scrutinised where available, and discussions were held with all co-ordinators. Separate overall judgements of pupils’ standards in these subjects have not been made, except in music. However, what was seen was broadly in line with what is normally expected in the age groups that were observed.

p.31

Commentary

82. Pupils’ work in art and design included links with history, for example, signs and symbols of Ancient Egyptians, using elements of collage and observational drawings. In Year 6, there are attractive displays of pupils’ artwork in weaving with straws, as well as the work inspired by the British artist Bridget Riley. Year 4 pupils’ work on tonal scales and making objects look three- dimensional is attractive and well finished. Pupils’ work on viewpoints, using different tints and tones, is of a good quality. It demonstrates good brushwork in some of the detailed figures, and an attention to realistic and characteristic colours. Examples of work on display demonstrate that a good range of techniques and media are taught. Hallfield Junior School - 32 83. Planning for the subject is generally good. An example occurred in a good lesson that was observed in Year 6. Plans of how pupils were to approach their work were very detailed.

p.31

Commentary

Again, links with other subjects were explicit, including the use of a digital camera. The lesson focused on skills of mixing and matching colour, with a strong emphasis on getting tones of different colours, in a sustained painting project. There are resources of good range and quality in art and these are used to good effect to assist pupils’ learning and to engage their interest in art lessons. Evidence that pupils make good progress from Year 3 to Year 6 is available in pupils’ work on display. A lesson in Year 4 on relief printing focused well on pupils’ skills in making card blocks representing lines, texture and shape. Pupils are encouraged to evaluate their own and others’ work to make further improvements. The subject co-ordinator is enthusiastic in keeping a high profile for the subject, thus maintaining the provision reported in the last inspection. An art club has been established for talented pupils.

p.32

Commentary

84. In design and technology, the subject’s characteristic features of designing for a purpose, making a product based on designs, and evaluating both the effectiveness of the design and the final product or model are planned effectively. In a Year 3 lesson, for example, pupils worked successfully in tasting sandwiches made out of different types of breads and fillings. They showed developing understanding that their designs have to meet a variety of different needs in terms of texture, taste and appearance. They understood the importance of experimenting as part of their preparation and design, so as to evaluate what works best. Evidence that such knowledge and skills are developed successfully was seen in the shelters outside, being made by pupils in Year 6. The design and technology component of this project is of good quality, suitable for the purpose, although not finished yet due to the bad weather.

p.32

Commentary

This work entails strong links with literacy, art and history.

p.32

Commentary

85. The subject is well managed, and as far as it was possible to judge from the available evidence, the weaknesses in the subject identified in the previous inspection have been addressed. The co-ordinator is enthusiastic about the subject, and action has been taken to ensure full coverage of the curriculum. There is now a policy, and national guidance is used as a basis for planning. Links have been developed with other subjects, such as the building of shelters in association with the work on air raid shelters during the study of World War II. Resources are good, and supplemented by donations from local businesses, increasing the range of materials available to teachers and pupils.

p.32

Commentary

86. In physical education , no judgements can be made on the quality of teaching and learning or on standards, as no lessons were seen. The discussion with the co-ordinator revealed that issues from the previous inspection such as ensuring that a warm up and cool down activity within the lessons had been addressed. Time for pupils to critically reflect on their work is also planned for. The curriculum is planned so that areas are revisited in order to build on pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding, although a policy is yet to be developed.

p.32

Commentary

87. Leadership is satisfactory with good features. The co-ordinator has observed teaching and learning in some year groups. This needs to be formalised and assessment findings need to feed into this process to improve the quality of the provision further. The co-ordinator is proactive in obtaining grants to raise the profile of physical education and to offer greater opportunities for pupils. For example, she has obtained table tennis tables and resources for the school, basketball training for after school and training for dance. Through such grants the school has also purchased the school football kit, goal posts, basketball posts and other resources to supplement these games.

p.32

Commentary

88. The school is developing a good range of extra-curricular activities such as basketball, football and table tennis. Pupils have opportunities to participate in basketball tournaments. The school has attained a good range of awards, such as the second place at the Westminster Athletics Competition and an award for Sportsman of the Year; they are also in Hallfield Junior School - 33 the top four in the football league. There are plans to involve Year 5 pupils to train and support younger pupils in table tennis during lunchtimes. This contributes well to pupils’ personal development.

p.32

Commentary

89. Standards of music by the time pupils are 11 are as might be expected, maintaining the standards seen at the last inspection. Boys and girls, pupils with special educational needs, and those whose first language is not English, achieve comparably with their classmates. Pupils come from the infant school with a good singing repertoire and know the use of simple percussion instruments, but they have little musical vocabulary and do not identify fast and slow tempo. By the end of Year 6, they have had a satisfactory range of experiences of appreciating and composing in different musical styles with tuned and untuned instruments. They have used musical notation. They have learnt about the music of some of the historical periods they have studied and had the experience of performing in a major school production. However, the curriculum does not build progression coherently enough, as the work on

p.33

Commentary

notation done in some years is very similar to that done in others. The curriculum does not do enough to draw on the rich range of musical traditions which pupils bring from their home cultures. Although there is limited use of a music composition program to help pupils compose digital music, there is not yet systematic use of ICT to enrich the subject, including the use of readily available musical clips and the use of digital recording and playback for performances. Tuition in violin and guitar, for which parents pay, is available from visiting local authority music specialists, and provides well for talented pupils. There are also opportunities for all pupils to enrich their musical experience through the after school choir and through taking part in productions.

p.33

Commentary

90. Teaching and learning are satisfactory. Very good teaching was seen in Year 3, where the co- ordinator used the challenge of becoming “musical detectives” to intrigue and motivate the pupils. Well prepared prompt and task sheets helped pupils investigate and record the relationship between the length of “boomwhacker” - a simple tube of paper - and the sound produced by striking it, building their skills of listening and evaluating well. She produced gasps of surprise and excitement as the pupils realised that the set of “boomwhackers” they were investigating produced a scale when played in order of length. Her careful demonstrations and explanations of key words enabled pupils who were beginners in learning English as a new language to do as well as other pupils in learning and understanding musical vocabulary such as “pitch”. Good teaching was also seen in Year 4 where the teacher used phrases like “tea

p.33

Commentary

and coffee” with clapping and body sound exercises to help pupils in understand the different values of crotchets and quavers. In the lessons seen, the quality of support given to pupils new to learning English varied. There was some lowering of behaviour and concentration where support staff were either not present or had to leave the lesson for other duties. In one lesson seen, the class teaching assistant enabled a group of pupils new to learning English to make very good progress in composing a story sequence using different sounds by using a sequence of photographs and repeatedly offering phrases and ideas for the pupils to use. Another group of similar learners made much less progress because their specialist support teacher played a far less active role and provided fewer helpful phrases and ideas. Teachers give good oral feedback to pupils in lessons but do not systematically record their progress or

p.33

Commentary

use the information to develop their planning.

p.33

Commentary

91. The co-ordinator leads the subject satisfactorily. She is very committed to raising standards and helping staff build confidence and expertise, since because of staff changes, there is not now the level of music teaching expertise seen at the time of the last inspection. She is aware of the need to improve the curriculum, extend the use of ICT and improve assessment. She has not yet monitored the quality of classroom teaching, but there are plans to make the subject a major focus for improvement across the school in the Summer Term. Hallfield Junior School - 34

p.33

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

Provision in personal, social, health education and citizenship is good, based on the available evidence. Because of the timing of lessons, no direct teaching of the subject was observed during the inspection, so it is not possible to make a judgement about the quality of teaching. The judgement on provision is based on evidence from discussions with co-ordinators, a scrutiny of planning documents and displays, assemblies, and from observation of pupils’ behaviour and relationships around the school.

p.34

Main strengths and weaknesses

• A high level of prominence is given to these aspects of the school’s work. • Strong links exist between the provision for the subject and the promotion of good behaviour and personal development.

p.34

Commentary

92. The school places a strong emphasis on the development of pupils’ personal qualities, and much of its good work in this area has already been described in an earlier section of the report. The policies for personal development and citizenship and strategies for the promotion of good behaviour are carefully linked, so that these messages are reinforced throughout the school’s work. As a result, pupils have harmonious and respectful relationships with each other and with staff, and are developing strong values. Assemblies and displays are well used to celebrate pupils’ efforts in actively promoting the school’s values. Regular circle time sessions are timetabled in every class, as part of the provision, but none were seen as these take place at the end of the week. The school council is a good example of pupils willingly taking responsibility, and the process of elections to this is well used to help pupils to

p.34

Commentary

understand issues about representation and democracy.

p.34

Commentary

93. Management of these areas of the curriculum is shared between two senior managers, who provide very good role models for pupils, and are successful in ensuring a consistent and cohesive approach throughout the school. Hallfield Junior School - 35

p.34

The overall effectiveness of the school 3

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

p.35

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities 3

Attendance 5 Attitudes 3 Behaviour, including the extent of exclusions 3 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 3

p.35

The quality of education provided by the school 3

The quality of teaching 3 How well pupils learn 3 The quality of assessment 5 How well the curriculum meets pupils’ needs Enrichment of the curriculum, including out-of-school activities 3 Accommodation and resources 4 Pupils’ care, welfare, health and safety 3 Support, advice and guidance for pupils 4 How well the school seeks and acts on pupils’ views 3 The effectiveness of the school’s links with parents 3 The quality of the school’s links with the community 2 The school’s links with other schools and colleges 2

p.35

The leadership and management of the school 4

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

p.35

The leadership and management of the school 4

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

p.35