Hollickwood Primary School

Hollickwood Primary School

Dates of inspection: 4 th – 6 th May 2004

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Hollickwood Primary School

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

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Hollickwood Primary School

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Primary School category: Community Age range of pupils: 3 to 11 years Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 195

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Sydney Road Muswell Hill London Postcode: N10 2NL

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Telephone number: 020 8883 6880 Fax number: 020 8883 6880

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: Governing body Name of chair of governors: Professor P Schofield

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 22 nd June 1998

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

Hollickwood is an average sized multi-ethnic primary school. There are 160 children on roll, aged five to eleven, plus 35 children who attend the Nursery part-time. There is an almost equal number of boys and girls who are organised into seven classes according to their age. Children come from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds. The largest groups are White-British and other White backgrounds from Albania, Kosovo, Serbia and Africa. Many children are from Greek Cypriot backgrounds. Fifty seven children are from refugee or asylum seeking families. The percentage of children whose first language is not English is very high and the main languages are Bengali and Turkish. Thirty children are at an early stage of learning to speak English. Almost one third of children have been identified as having special educational needs and three of them have a statement of particular need. This is well above the national average, as is the percentage of

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

children eligible for free school meals. Attainment on entry to the Nursery is well below that normally expected. Some children have very little spoken English. A high number of children start and leave the school other than at the usual time of admission or transfer to secondary school. The school is part of the Leadership Development Strategy in Primary Schools and received the Healthy Schools Award in 2004.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

The headteacher retired at the end of the Spring term after 33 years at the school and the deputy headteacher is acting headteacher for the summer term. A new headteacher is taking up the post in September 2004. The chair of governors is new to the role. One teacher had only been in the school for three days at the start of the inspection. Hollickwood Primary School - 4

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

10090 Kath Beck Lead inspector Foundation Stage Mathematics Geography History Music 13481 Doug Binfield Lay inspector 6436 Alan Andrews Team inspector English Art and design Design and technology Religious education Special educational needs 7694 Martyn Richards Team inspector Science Information and communication technology Physical education English as an additional language

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

360 Lee Valley Technopark Ashley Road Tottenham Hale London N17 9LN

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

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

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 9

Standards achieved in areas of learning, subjects and courses

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 9

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL 13

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

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Overall evaluation

Hollickwood Primary School is in a period of transition but is ineffective in many important ways. In Year 6, standards are below average in English and science and well below average in mathematics, representing a decline since the last inspection. Children with special educational needs, English as an additional language and those from asylum seeking or refugee backgrounds do not achieve as well as they should in lessons. The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is poor. Newly appointed governors are aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the school and are making determined efforts to bring about improvements. They have appointed a new headteacher who will take up the post in September. The behaviour of the children has deteriorated in recent years. The school has lost the confidence of a good number of its parents. It provides poor value for money.

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Overall evaluation

The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are: • Governors are taking clear and determined action to improve the school. • Overall, standards throughout the school are low. • Leadership and management are ineffective so that major weaknesses in teaching, curriculum and the provision for children from a variety of backgrounds are not being tackled rigorously. However, the recently appointed acting headteacher has gained the enthusiastic support of the staff. The impact of good subject leadership and management in literacy and information and communication technology is reflected in improved standards, although in English they remain below average. • Poor teaching and assessment procedures hinder children’s achievements as they move through the school. The provision for English as an additional language and special educational needs in lessons is not good enough. Teaching assistants are not always deployed effectively.

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Overall evaluation

That said, there is some good teaching in Years 2, 4 and 6 and in the specialist teaching of small groups of children with special educational needs. • Curriculum provision overall is poor and means that children in the Foundation Stage and in Years 1 to 6 do not experience a broad, balanced and interesting curriculum. Statutory requirements are not met in religious education, history and geography. • Behaviour is poor; although the school’s new personal, social and health education programme is benefiting the behaviour and attitudes of some children. • Provision in the Foundation Stage is poor. • The strategies for the admission, induction and support for children from asylum seeking and refugee backgrounds do not help them to settle quickly enough. • The school does little to celebrate the rich ethnic diversity of its community. • The accommodation and resources are unsatisfactory. • Attendance overall is poor.

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Overall evaluation

The school’s progress since the last inspection is poor. Key issues, especially those relating to the curriculum, leadership and management, statutory requirements, assessment, schemes of work and teachers’ planning have not been tackled rigorously. There has been a sharp decline in many aspects of the school’s work since the last inspection. Recent efforts to stem the decline are beginning to bear fruit, but there is a lot of work to do.

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In accordance with section 13(7) of the School’s Inspection Act 1996, I am of the opinion, and

HMCI, agrees that special measures are required in relation to this school. Hollickwood Primary School - 7

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Standards achieved

all schools similar schools Results in National Curriculum tests at the end of Year 6, compared with: 2001 2002 2003 2003 English D C E E mathematics C D E* E science B D E C Key: A - well above average; B – above average; C – average; D – below average; E – well below average Similar schools are those with similar percentages of pupils eligible for free school meals

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Standards achieved

Overall, standards are poor and children’s achievements over time are poor. The school faces many challenges and the children significant barriers to learning. It has high numbers of children with special educational needs or English as an additional language. There are also many children from asylum seeking and refugee families. In addition, many join or leave the school other than at the usual times. However, it has not made sufficient or effective arrangements to ensure that all the different groups in the school achieve as well as they can. In Years 2 and 6, results over time have risen and fallen dramatically, but the trend in improvement is below that found in schools nationally. There has been improvement in information and communication technology, where children’s confidence is similar to that found in most schools in Year 6. They are benefiting from good resources including a computer suite. At the end of the Reception year, children are meeting the

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Standards achieved

early learning goals in personal, social and emotional development because relationships are constructive. Few children are on course to meet them in communication, language and literacy, mathematical, physical, creative development and knowledge and understanding of the world. Children’s attitudes and behaviour, as well as their spiritual, moral, social and cultural developments are poor. Attendance is poor because a significant number of parents do not ensure their children attend regularly and this has a significant impact on their achievement. Punctuality is satisfactory in most classes, but it is poor in the Reception class.

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Quality of education

The quality of education is poor. Teaching and learning are poor as is the curriculum the school provides. There is some good teaching in Years 2, 4 and 6. However, teaching in the Foundation Stage is poor as teachers’ knowledge of the best way children of this age learn is not good enough. Teaching in Year 1 has been disrupted by staffing difficulties. While there was some good teaching in this year group during the inspection the poor behaviour of many children undermines the quality of teaching overall. The main weaknesses in teaching stem from low expectations of what children know and can do, ineffective use of teaching assistants and lack of provision for children with English as an additional language or special educational needs in class lessons. Assessment procedures are poor as teachers do not identify children’s needs precisely enough. The school gives more than one third of its curriculum time to literacy. This limits provision for many other

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Quality of education

subjects, especially religious education. The school does not acknowledge in its work the cultural and linguistic diversity of the children. The good new programme for children’s personal, social and health education is beginning to impact on the attitudes, values and behaviour of children in Years 4 and 6. The care, welfare, health and safety of the children are satisfactory, although in some classes children with very challenging behaviour are not managed effectively enough. There is insufficient support, advice and guidance based on monitoring, especially for the asylum seeking and refugee families. Resources and the accommodation are unsatisfactory. In the Nursery, they are poor and hinder children’s learning opportunities. Junior classrooms are small and cramped and lessons are interrupted when classes use the hall for physical education lessons. The school’s partnership with many parents is unsatisfactory. Links with the community and other schools are

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Quality of education

satisfactory. Hollickwood Primary School - 8

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Leadership and management

Leadership, management and governance are unsatisfactory . There is a lack of direction and purpose stemming from limited monitoring and evaluation of aspects of the school’s work. This means that major inconsistencies, such as those found in teaching and the Foundation Stage, have not been tackled effectively. The professional development of staff has not been a high priority. The newly appointed acting headteacher is raising the morale of staff and welcomes the new opportunities for change. Overtime governance has not been satisfactory and a number of statutory requirements are not met. Currently, the governing body, under the leadership of a new chair of governors, has strengthened its position, grasping the difficulties. It is now fully aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the school and the urgent need to tackle difficulties in terms of raising standards and improving leadership and management. In recent months, governors have taken

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Leadership and management

really determined action to stem the decline in the school’s provision. A new headteacher has been appointed and some staff have left the school. The governors deserve credit for the work they have done in a short period of time to bring about improvements. They have recently become aware that they do not meet their statutory duties and are taking immediate action to tackle this.

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Parents’ and pupils’ views of the school

The school does not attract the confidence of all its parents. They are unhappy about the leadership and management, the quality of teaching in some classes and the behaviour of a significant number of children. In particular, parents believe their children are harassed and bullied while at school. Parents are also concerned about the limited range of activities that their children find interesting and they do not know how to help their child with work at home. Some parents expressed optimism about the school’s future as they believe the changes taking place currently will bring many benefits. Children spoken to during the inspection are pleased to be at the school and feel their views are listened to in the school council. However, they are concerned about the behaviour of their classmates.

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Improvements needed

The most important things the school should do to improve are: • Raise standards in all subjects throughout the school, especially in English, mathematics, science and religious education. • Provide more effective leadership, management and governance. • Take action to reduce the marked inconsistency in teaching from class to class. • Improve provision in the Foundation Stage. • Improve the behaviour of the children. • Ensure the full programme for all subjects, including religious education, is taught consistently. • Review provision for children with English as an additional language and special educational needs. • Develop strategies for the admission, induction and continued support for children from asylum seeking and refugee backgrounds. • Ensure the curriculum and ethos of the school reflects and celebrates its cultural diversity and multilingualism. • Regain the confidence of parents. • Raise the levels of attendance throughout the school and punctuality in the Foundation Stage,

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Improvements needed

and, to meet statutory requirements: • Ensure that statutory requirements for religious education, geography and history are met. • Analyse the progress of the different ethnic groups and set targets for them to achieve. • Make sure the school’s prospectus, annual governors’ report to parents and annual written reports about children’s progress contain all the information they should. Hollickwood Primary School - 9

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Standards achieved in areas of learning, subjects and courses

Standards at the end of Years 2 and 6 are well below those normally found. Throughout the school, children’s achievements vary according to the quality of teaching, but over time they are poor.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Few children are on course to reach the early learning goals by the end of the Reception year. • Low standards are impacted by poor teaching, curriculum provision, attendance and unsatisfactory behaviour. • Standards in information and communication technology and English have improved through the good leadership and management of the subject leaders. • Children with English as an additional language or special educational needs do not make the progress of which they are capable, especially in class lessons.

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Commentary

1. Observations during the inspection indicate that children start in the Nursery with a broad range of attainment but mostly it is well below that normally found for children aged three. Nursery staff do not identify closely children’s levels of attainment compared with the nationally agreed stepping stones towards the early learning goals. This makes it hard for them to plan work that meets children’s needs and help them to progress towards goals they are expected to reach at the end of the Reception year. The picture is similar in the Reception class. As a result, teachers do not have sufficient information to enhance the rate of children’s achievements. This means that children meet the early learning goals in personal, social and emotional development, but few meet them in communications, language and literacy, mathematical, creative and physical development and knowledge and understanding of the world.

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Commentary

2. In both the Nursery and Reception classes, children’s achievements are poor in most areas of learning. This is because teachers’ knowledge of the curriculum for the Foundation Stage and the best way in which children of this age learn are not good enough. The organisation of the curriculum and teachers’ planning do not take into account sufficiently the way in which the areas of learning can be linked together to extend children’s achievements. Planned tasks lack challenge and adult interventions do little to take children’s learning forward.

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Commentary

3. In 2003, national tests results for children aged eleven were well below average in English and science and very low in mathematics compared to all schools. When compared to schools with children from similar backgrounds, the school’s performance was well below average in English and mathematics and average in science. These results need to be viewed with caution as only eighteen children took the tests, some of whom had significant special educational needs. However, over time, the school’s improvement is below the national trend and boys outperformed girls significantly in mathematics. The school does not add enough value to children’s education.

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Commentary

4. These low results stem from major weaknesses in teaching that slow the rate of children’s progress. These factors were identified as priorities that needed urgent improvement when the local authority identified the school as one causing concern in January 2004. The action taken has had some impact. The new programme to enable staff to manage children’s behaviour and promote their self esteem more effectively is enabling some children to be more responsible. In addition, attitudes to learning are improving. However, this is not the case in Years 1 and 3, where the behaviour of some children overwhelms the efforts of the teachers, disrupting lessons and holding back the achievements of their classmates. Hollickwood Primary School - 10 5. In the national tests, a number of points are awarded for each level reached by the children. These are then added up and divided by the number of children taking the tests to give an average

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Commentary

points’ score. The tables reflect well below average standards.

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Commentary

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

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Commentary

Standards in: School results National results reading 14.2 (11.9) 15.7 (15.8)

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Commentary

There were 25 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Commentary

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

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Commentary

Standards in: School results National results English 23.7 (26.8) 26.8 (27.0) mathematics 22.7 (26.3) 26.8 (26.7) science 26.7 (27.8) 28.6 (28.3) There were 18 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Commentary

6. In Year 2, in 2003, test results were well below those found in all schools nationally in reading, writing and mathematics. The school’s performance was average in all three subjects when compared to that of other schools with similar numbers of children eligible for free school meals. In reading and writing too many children only just reached the nationally expected Level 2. Girls outperformed the boys significantly. The 2003 results were better than those in 2002. However, over time, improvements in results in Year 2 have been below the national trend.

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Commentary

7. In Years 2 and 6, results are not as good as they were at the time of the last inspection. Children’s work and lesson observations indicate this is mainly because teachers’ expectations are too low. Teaching strategies are inappropriate and work is not matched to children’s particular needs in many lessons. There are pockets of good teaching in Years, 2, 4 and 6, but there is too much ground for these teachers and children to make up. It is made more difficult by the poor rate of attendance.

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Commentary

8. The school gives a substantial amount of curriculum time to English to the detriment of the investigative aspects of mathematics and science, religious education, geography and history. Year 2 children know a little about the Great Fire of London and Florence Nightingale, but found it hard to recall work in geography. Year 6 children who were asked, found it very difficult to recall their learning in history or geography. Achievements in these subjects are very poor as they are not taught often enough. Children’s work also shows big gaps in their learning in Years 3 and 5, especially in mathematics and science. The good provision in information and communication technology influenced by an effective subject leader means children reach standards that are typical of those found nationally at age seven and eleven. They enjoy their work and do their best to achieve as well as they can. The literacy subject leader also has a good view of what needs to be done to

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Commentary

improve standards in English and has had success in some areas of the school.

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Commentary

9. Children learning English as an additional language make headway as they move through the school, but their achievements are not as good as they could be because teaching does not address their needs accurately enough. Their progress is better in spoken English than in reading or writing. The school has not identified its gifted and talented children. While brighter children achieve satisfactorily in some subjects, this is seldom the case in science. The school does not analyse the relative achievements of children from different minority ethnic groups, but there is no evidence that some are disadvantaged more than others. Hollickwood Primary School - 11 10. Children with special educational needs achieve well when taught by either of the two special needs support teachers. However, the school’s system of support for these children relies heavily on class teachers. The quality of this support varies because the children’s individual targets

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Commentary

for improvement are not always used effectively by some class teachers to help plan and deliver programmes of work. As a result, there are occasions when children struggle and their achievement over time is unsatisfactory.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

Poor attendance, together with poor behaviour and attitudes, has an adverse impact on the children’s achievements. Performance in these areas has fallen since the last inspection. Provision for children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural developments is unsatisfactory overall.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Attendance is poor and well below the average for primary schools. • In the Foundation Stage, children’s attitudes and behaviour are good. • In many lessons children become inattentive because work is not linked sufficiently to their particular needs. • Many behaviour problems, including bullying, arise during lessons and around the school. • The school does not do enough to promote responsibilities of living in a community or celebrate the cultural diversity within the school.

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Commentary

11. In the current school year, attendance levels have improved slightly, but the proportion of unauthorised absence is much higher than shown in the table of the last reporting year. Registration and follow up procedures are undertaken efficiently. Good use is made of the computerised recording system to provide up to date management information. The education welfare officer visits regularly and works closely with the school supporting its efforts to ensure regular attendance. A minority of parents do not respond positively and this impacts negatively on their children’s achievements. Punctuality has improved since the last inspection and is now satisfactory overall, although too many pupils still arrive late in the Reception class.

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Attendance

Attendance in the latest complete reporting year 91.6%

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Attendance

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data 8.4 School data 0.3 National data 5.4 National data 0.4 The table gives the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.

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Attendance

12. In the Nursery and Reception classes, children mostly behave well and do their best to concentrate for long periods of time, although tasks do not provide sufficient challenge for their abilities. They play together happily, sometimes sharing resources and tidy up carefully when asked to do so. Relationships between staff and children are supportive and friendly so that children feel secure. These factors contribute to their achievements so that they are on course to reach the early learning goals in personal social and emotional development at the end of the Reception year.

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Attendance

13. Children’s attitudes vary according to the quality of teaching. In the good lessons observed, especially in Year 6, children showed a keenness to learn and work hard. They listened carefully, responded well when answering questions and undertook written and practical tasks conscientiously. However, in many other lessons children soon became bored and inattentive Hollickwood Primary School - 12 because their work is not linked to their capabilities. Children’s books show a lack of pride in presentation. Work is often unfinished and in Years 3 and 5, very little work has been recorded since the beginning of the year. These difficulties affect many children, especially those with special educational needs or English as an additional language.

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Attendance

14. Parents and children are right to be dissatisfied with the standards of behaviour. In Years 2 and 6, behaviour is good enough to allow children to enjoy a positive working atmosphere and to make progress. However, in other year groups behaviour is unsatisfactory and sometimes poor impeding opportunities for children to learn. Behaviour in and around the school is also a cause for concern, especially in the playground areas. There is a high incidence of bullying such as fighting and verbal abuse, including swearing. Last year there were no permanent exclusions but three children were excluded for short periods of time.

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Exclusions

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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Exclusions

Categories used in the Annual School Census No of pupils on roll Number of fixed period exclusions Number of permanent exclusions White – British 58 1 0 White – Irish 4 0 0 White – any other White background 19 0 0 Mixed – White and Black Caribbean 4 1 0 Mixed – White and Black African 4 0 0 Mixed – White and Asian 4 0 0 Mixed – any other mixed background 7 0 0 Asian or Asian British – Indian 3 0 0 Asian or Asian British – Pakistani 2 0 0 Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 3 0 0 Asian or Asian British – any other Asian background 4 0 0 Black or Black British – Caribbean 1 0 0 Black or Black British – African 5 1 0 Black or Black British – any other Black background 4 0 0 Any other ethnic group 6 0 0 No ethnic group recorded 15 0 0 The table gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

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Exclusions

15. There are serious shortcomings in the behaviour of children in some classes, especially in Years 1, 3 and 4. In Years 1 and 3, the school has been faced with frequent changes of teaching and support staff. A contributory factor to the behavioural problems is that a few children have severe emotional and behavioural difficulties. Some teachers find it hard to manage the behaviour of these children so that others in the class can learn. At times, the behaviour of a few children influences that of other children and teachers are overwhelmed in their attempts to help them learn.

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Exclusions

16. Governors have approved an action plan to address the underlying problems of challenging behaviour. Measures taken include enhancing the behaviour management skills of staff, changes to the behaviour policy and working closely with parents. In addition, a new personal, social and health education programme is beginning to impact the attitudes and values of some children in Years 4 Hollickwood Primary School - 13 and 6. Regular opportunities are taken to stress the importance of good behaviour during assemblies, through discussions in class and by the playground ‘buddy system’ whereby some Year 5 and 6 children give support to disruptive children. Children have benefited from these initiatives, but significant further improvements are needed.

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Exclusions

17. Most children spoken to say they like school because they like their teachers. Staff do their best to promote good relationships with the children and to promote a friendly environment. However, the behaviour of some of the children makes this really hard to achieve. That said, children from different racial and cultural backgrounds usually cooperate well with one another. Lunchtime sessions in the dining hall observed during the inspection were mainly pleasant social occasions. Most children from different ethnic minority groups, those learning English as an additional language and those from asylum seeking and refugee backgrounds are included in lessons, although the tasks are not always adapted to meet their needs.

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Exclusions

18. Children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural developments are unsatisfactory. Children are clear about the differences between right and wrong, but do not always carry these insights into their own classroom behaviour. They are sensitive to other religious beliefs and practices and respond with informed sympathy to the misfortunes and privations of others. The shortage of provision for the investigative aspects of science and mathematics and visits out, limits opportunities for children to experience the awe and wonder of the world. Most are usually polite and helpful to visitors and begin to take responsibility through activities such as the school council and the ‘buddy system’. They can discuss the work of some classic artists, writers and illustrators. However, the school has given them little opportunity to enjoy and appreciate the variety of cultural expression in their ethnically and very diverse community. This aspect of their learning is not as good as it was at

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

The quality of education is poor because teaching, learning and assessment are weak. The poor curriculum, in the Foundation Stage and Years 1 to 6, means children do not have a broad, balanced and interesting range of activities to motivate them. The accommodation and resources in the Nursery are poor and junior classrooms are cramped. The school admits children from all backgrounds, regardless of ability or difficulties with their behaviour. However, the challenges it faces are substantial and the needs of different groups are not met well enough. Children’s care, welfare, health and safety are of concern to all staff, but the behaviour of a small group of children puts the health and welfare of some staff and children at risk. As a result of these issues, a significant number of parents have lost confidence in the school, although some have expressed optimism for the school’s future development. Links with other schools and the community are

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Teaching and learning

Teaching, learning and assessment are poor.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching in the Foundation Stage is poor. • Children’s books and lesson observations show that teaching and learning in Years 1, 3 and 5 are not good enough. • Good teaching in Year 6, especially in science and information and communication technology, is raising standards in these subjects. • Teachers’ planning does not take into account the specific needs of the different groups in the class so that teaching of children with English as an additional language is unsatisfactory. • On-going assessment of children’s progress is poor. • Teaching assistants are not used effectively enough. Hollickwood Primary School - 14 • Teaching for children with special educational needs in small withdrawal groups is good, but in most class lessons it is unsatisfactory. • Homework is not set consistently to take children’s learning forward.

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Commentary

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 26 lessons

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Commentary

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

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Commentary

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

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Commentary

19. Taking into account lesson observations and children’s work over time, a significant number of children underachieve or make little progress in the Foundation Stage, Years 1, 3 and 5.

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Commentary

20. Teachers in the Foundation Stage do not have sufficient knowledge of the curriculum for children of this age. In the Nursery, the classroom is organised appropriately to reflect the different areas of learning. The atmosphere is relaxed so that children feel comfortable. However, planning does not take into account children’s different needs or their different rates of progress through the stepping stones. This stems from limited assessments of what children know and can do in each of the areas of learning. Nursery nurses and support staff are not deployed effectively and are unsure of what children are to achieve in each of the activities that take place. Time is not used to best advantage. Children enter the Nursery at the start of the session and become involved in tasks that take their interest and spend much of their time playing as there are few adult led activities that really take their learning forward. In addition, there are few planned opportunities that provide them with a

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Commentary

clear sense of community and belonging. Children at an early stage of learning English were observed spending much time alone, rarely encouraged to play with other children to develop their language skills.

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Commentary

21. In the Reception class, the areas of learning are taught as separate subjects. Teachers’ planning indicates that much of the time is devoted to literacy. Phonics, reading and writing are taught as separate entities so that children find it hard to make the links between them. Tasks lack challenge and interest as inappropriate teaching methods are used. For example, in literacy many tasks are based on poor quality worksheets that include words that are not within the children’s experiences. They spend a few minutes recording the words they know with the relevant sounds and then spend substantial time colouring in the printed pictures. Staff insist on high standards of behaviour and expect children to work collaboratively, but the substantial time set aside for them to choose their activities without adult intervention leads to some disagreements. Teaching assistants are poorly managed as they are not made aware of what children are to achieve from the activities

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Commentary

22. In the Nursery and Reception classes staff do not keep track of children’s movements sufficiently to assess how well they are learning and help children to know how well they are doing. Children’s play is too repetitive and staff do not contribute enough to its development.

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Commentary

23. In Years 1, 3 and 5, children’s learning has been interrupted by staff changes or staff illness. However, children’s books show that their learning has been slow. In Years 3 and 5, there are big gaps in recording work in mathematics and science. Expectations of what children know and can do are not high enough. Children’s work is poorly presented and lacks pride as teachers accept children’s efforts too readily. Time is not used well enough to enhance learning as lessons lack pace and purpose. While there was some good teaching in Year 1 during the inspection, children in this year group are often unwilling to work without close supervision. The school has a high number of teaching assistants, some of whom come from agencies and do not know the children well. They are deployed to oversee groups of children or help staff maintain order in the classroom. Some are Hollickwood Primary School - 15

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Commentary

employed specifically to look after children with very challenging behaviour. In most cases, the teaching assistants are poorly managed as they are unaware of the ways in which they can reinforce and support learning effectively. Teachers in these year groups exert greater effort on managing children’s behaviour than promoting learning. As a result, few children have the capacity to work collaboratively or independently.

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Commentary

24. Teaching in science and information and communication technology is good in Years 2 and 6. This is because teachers have good subject knowledge and motivate children to want to learn, capturing their interest in humorous ways. Good use of resources and involvement in practical activities enable children to gain new knowledge and skills in these subjects. This good teaching raises the speed of learning at the end of the infant and junior stages, but there is too much work to be done to help the children catch up.

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Commentary

25. A great deal of time is spent teaching literacy and this squeezes out time for other subjects and the investigative aspects of science and mathematics in most classes. Teachers follow newly introduced Unit Plans in mathematics without adapting them to meet the needs of the children. This leads to them spending long periods of time listening to their teachers unable to apply the skills they are being taught. Teachers’ planning overall is poor as too little provision is made for different ability groups in the class.

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Commentary

26. The teaching of children learning English as an additional language is unsatisfactory. While their needs are assessed reliably, the resulting targets are often too broad to generate well-focused teaching. The part-time teacher with responsibility in this area is thorough and well-informed, but cannot provide the whole of the necessary teaching input alone. Class teachers seldom plan work to address the individual needs and targets of these children, although they usually ensure that children have sufficient help to participate in lessons. Most lessons in literacy and numeracy include activities for more able groups of children, although few science lessons make provision for children who learn the subject quickly.

p.15

Commentary

27. Children with special educational needs are supported well when withdrawn for group work or individual sessions with either of the school’s special needs support teachers. Some of the children involved have considerable behavioural problems, but the school does its very best to ensure they are fully included. A pleasant, firm approach by the support teachers enables children they withdraw from lessons to show engagement and application towards tasks set. Activities are matched to the children’s needs. As a result, they are enabled to experience success and their self- esteem is maintained. However, much of the provision for special educational needs rests with the class teachers. They deserve credit for the way they try to deal with the disruptive behaviour of a small number of the children. That said, too often they do not take enough account of children’s individual targets for improvement when planning and delivering lessons. Consequently, children

p.15

Commentary

sometimes struggle and do not make the progress they should. The targets themselves are generally clear, but could sometimes be more precise in identifying exactly what the child needs to do to improve. Teaching assistants need to be more aware of children’s individual needs and how they might be addressed.

p.15

Commentary

28. Homework is not set consistently to enhance the rate of children’s progress and this is of concern to parents. The youngest children take books home to share with their parents each week. Children in Year 1 said they did not get homework. At the time of the inspection, homework was set in Year 6 to help children revise for their forthcoming national tests. In Year 4, children had been asked to find information for their science project.

p.15

Commentary

29. Assessment of most children’s progress is poor. There is little systematic assessment of children’s work. A new computerised system has been set up but is not available for all staff to use. Work in some year groups is marked infrequently and gives children little idea of how it could be improved. Assessment beyond statutory requirements and end of year tests is sporadic and does not play a big enough part in teachers’ planning. Hollickwood Primary School - 16

p.15

The curriculum

Shortcomings noted in the previous inspection have not been fully addressed. The present curriculum is unbalanced and some statutory requirements are not being met. As a result, the curriculum is poor in the Foundation Stage and Years 1 to 6. Opportunities for enrichment of the curriculum are satisfactory. The accommodation and resources are unsatisfactory, but for the Foundation Stage, especially the Nursery, they are poor.

p.16

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Provision in information and communication technology is much better than at the time of the last inspection. • Year 6 children benefit from a good programme to promote their moral, spiritual and social awareness, although provision overall is poor. • The programme for religious education is unsatisfactory, as it was at the time of the last inspection, and breaches statutory requirements. • Too little science has been taught in some classes. • Programmes in mathematics and science do not provide sufficient opportunity for practical and investigative work. • The curriculum does not reflect the rich cultural and linguistic experience of the children, or the local community. • The needs of children with learning difficulties and those learning English as an additional language are not met effectively.

p.16

Commentary

30. The last inspection report commented favourably on the curriculum offered to children under five and noted that all children in the school had equal opportunity to benefit from what it had to offer. These strengths have not been sustained. The report noted weaknesses in provision in several subjects. In religious education especially, too little time was given and planning was weak. There have been no improvements in this area, with little religious education being taught and statutory requirements in the subject not being met.

p.16

Commentary

31. The school gives priority to literacy and numeracy and has introduced national schemes for teaching both subjects. The literacy programme receives more than one third of the curriculum time at the expense of other subjects. It is beginning to have an impact on raising standards, although weaknesses in provision for children with special educational needs and learning English as an additional language, are hampering improvement. There is little evidence that the mathematics programme is being implemented thoroughly enough and standards have been falling. In both mathematics and science, the practical and investigative aspects of the subjects receive too little attention. There have been large gaps in the science programme this year and provision in Years 3 and 5 has been unsatisfactory. History and geography receive very little time and statutory requirements are also not met in these subjects.

p.16

Commentary

32. The establishment of a very well-equipped computer room has given a boost to the subject. Combined with energetic leadership and effective additional staff training, this has led to a marked improvement in provision and standards since the last inspection.

p.16

Commentary

33. The school is implementing a new nationally supported programme of personal, social and health education. Although this is still only available in part, it is encouraging children to think about healthy lifestyles and about positive ways of managing their own feelings. Assemblies encourage children to reflect on right and wrong and on their own behaviour. In some classes, lessons specifically encourage empathy and concern for others. Work in Year 6, for example, included Internet research on the Holocaust and the anniversary of genocide in Rwanda. The lack of religious education teaching, however, limits this aspect of children’s development. Much time has been spent on activities to improve children’s attitudes to learning, their behaviour and their sense of social responsibility. This is having some impact in Years 4 and 6. The school council and the ‘buddy Hollickwood Primary School - 17

p.16

Commentary

system’ encourage them to take responsibility in school, while the Year 6 annual residential trip gives invaluable experience of community living away from home. However, much classroom behaviour remains poor. The provision for children’s cultural development shows little recognition of the multiethnic background of the community and is unsatisfactory.

p.17

Commentary

34. Parents are concerned that most classes no longer go on trips to places of interest because of worries about health and safety. Visiting authors, theatre groups and sports coaches have been brought in to help to enrich the curriculum . The acting headteacher is reviewing the situation.

p.17

Commentary

35. The curriculum for children in the Nursery and Reception class is poor as teachers take too little account of the curriculum for the Foundation Stage. This is due in part to staff adherence to a whole school computerised planning system. The programmes of work cover all the areas of the curriculum but they are not planned carefully enough to ensure a good balance between teacher led and child initiated activities. In both classes, play is left too much to the children’s own devices. Personal, social and emotional development receives appropriate attention so they make satisfactory progress in this area of learning. The accommodation restricts opportunities for children to enjoy a wide range of experiences in the outside area. Teachers’ planning makes few links between learning in the classroom and outside. The Reception class timetable indicates that a considerable amount of time is set aside for literacy. Each of the areas of learning are taught as

p.17

Commentary

separate subjects which limits the chance for children to explore, experiment, plan and make decisions for themselves. The specific needs of the different groups of children, including those with English as an additional language or special educational needs, are not taken into account sufficiently.

p.17

Commentary

36. Overall, the curriculum for children with special educational needs is unsatisfactory. The procedures for identifying such children are sound and the school liaises with appropriate outside agencies as part of the programme of support. Individual education plans are up-to-date and reviewed termly. Targets for improvement are generally satisfactory, although some could be more precise in the identification of children’s needs. The system of support relies heavily on programmes of work devised by class teachers. However, too often the tasks set are not matched closely enough to the abilities of the special needs children and they find it difficult to succeed.

p.17

Commentary

37. The great majority of the children come from minority ethnic groups and nearly half have a mother tongue other than English. The school is a racially tolerant community. There is no evidence that any ethnic minority groups perform better, or less well than others. However, the school does not analyse the relative performance of different ethnic groups and is in no position to detect possible underperformance, or to set targets. It is not meeting its statutory duties in this regard.

p.17

Commentary

38. In most lessons, classroom assistants are on hand to help children who do not speak English as their first language understand what is required of them. A part-time teacher works for two days a week leading English as an additional language. Her time is continuously eroded by other duties and despite her enthusiasm and skills, she cannot single-handedly meet the needs of such a large number of children. As a result, the targets set for these children are often too general to promote sharply-focused teaching and maximum progress. The subject leader has no time for regular consultation with her colleagues and they do little to address the individual targets set for the children. This area of work has been given too little priority and provision is unsatisfactory.

p.17

Commentary

39. The school does little to reflect or celebrate the cultural and linguistic diversity of its community. The impressive bilingualism of many of the children receives little recognition.

p.17

Commentary

40. Literacy and numeracy lessons in Years 2, 4 and 6 provide work to extend brighter children, although this is rare in science. The school has not identified its gifted and talented children and no special curriculum provision is made for them. Hollickwood Primary School - 18 41. The school provides a small number of well-supported after-school clubs, varying according to time of year and staff availability. Usually there are clubs in football, netball, rounders and recorder playing. A popular and impressive table-tennis club benefits from Lottery funding.

p.17

Commentary

42. The school finds difficulty in attracting permanent teaching and support staff and relies heavily on agency provision. Many classroom support staff and one teacher had been in the school for less than a week at the time of the inspection. Inevitably this causes dislocation in the learning of some of the children. This is made worse when temporary staff are not provided with the curriculum information and planning they need in order to take the children’s learning forward smoothly. Many staff lack skills in important areas of work, such as special educational needs, English as an additional language and the education of children from asylum-seeking and refugee backgrounds.

p.18

Commentary

43. Overall, the accommodation is unsatisfactory. Classrooms are smaller than in most schools and the hall serves as a thoroughfare. When physical education lessons are taught in the hall, they disrupt lessons in the classrooms that surround it. Most junior classrooms are cramped. While staff make good use of the space, it is not easy for them to move around the room to check children’s progress. Often children are withdrawn to work in small groups to create more space and enable some children to learn without interruption. In most subjects, the school has the equipment and resources necessary to teach a broad curriculum. In information and communication technology resources are good. Although the school has some dual-language texts, resources are insufficient for the effective teaching of children learning English as an additional language. Resources for children in the Nursery are poor. Many are old and unattractive. In addition, the

p.18

Commentary

Reception class resources are satisfactory, but not used as well as they should be. The Reception class does not have immediate access to an outside play area. The accommodation for the Nursery is poor and in urgent need of decoration. The organisation of the Nursery makes it difficult for children to move in and out of doors with ease. The outside play area is a hard surface, with no grass or flower beds or areas for children to dig. Also there is very little shelter for all weather play.

p.18

Care, guidance and support

Satisfactory provision is made for children’s welfare, health and safety. The arrangements for advice and support to meet children’s individual learning needs are unsatisfactory. Greater emphasis has recently been given to seeking children’s views about the school and this is satisfactory.

p.18

Care, guidance and support

• Health education is an important feature of the school’s work. • Arrangements for health and safety and child protection have improved since the last inspection. • Procedures for setting pupils’ targets need to be more rigorous. • The recently established school council has made a good start.

p.18

Commentary

44. Health education is a regular feature of the curriculum and work in this area has been recognised by a Healthy Schools Award. The programme includes personal hygiene, safety, drugs awareness and sex education. Accidents and illness are handled well by staff trained in first aid and there is a well equipped medical room. Health and safety procedures include regular inspections and appropriate records are maintained. Child protection procedures are clearly defined and there is good cooperation with specialist agencies on any issues that arise.

p.18

Commentary

45. Most parents say their child likes school. Children spoken to say that they appreciate the emphasis that teachers and staff place on caring for them. However, there are shortcomings in the monitoring arrangements for advising children about academic progress and personal development. In particular the targets set for improving standards for children from different ethnic backgrounds and those for whom English is an additional language are not well matched to their individual needs. Hollickwood Primary School - 19 46. Induction arrangements for children joining the Nursery are satisfactory. Children joining the school in Years 1 - 6 are welcomed. A high proportion of the children on roll come from asylum seeking and refugee backgrounds. Many arrive unexpectedly at the school gate and some have undergone traumatic experiences in the past. While all new children are welcomed to the school, no

p.18

Commentary

particular arrangements have been made for easing the admission, induction and subsequent support of these children. There are no established links with other services to ensure the children and their families are well placed to gain full benefit from the education provided. No staff have undergone training to help them understand and provide for the particular needs of these groups.

p.19

Commentary

47. Children are able to give their views about aspects of the school during time set aside in class discussions and through the ‘suggestion box’ system. A school council has been elected comprising two representatives from classes in Years 2 to 6. It has made an encouraging start. Members have already made helpful contributions on issues such as behaviour rules, and the ‘buddy system.’ They have also identified a need for improved play equipment.

p.19

Commentary

48. Children from the school’s many minority ethnic groups make friends. However, the school does not carry out the checks it should to make sure no groups progress more slowly than others. Similarly, checks on the progress made by children learning English as an additional language are imprecise.

p.19

Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

The school’s relationships with parents have deteriorated since the last inspection and are now unsatisfactory. Parents are not provided with sufficient information about the school and their child’s standards and progress. Links with other schools and the community are satisfactory.

p.19

Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

• Many parents have lost confidence in the school. • Communications with parents are unsatisfactory. • The prospectus, governors’ annual report and the annual reports to parents do not fully meet legal requirements.

p.19

Commentary

49. Views expressed by parents in questionnaires and at the pre-inspection meeting indicate that there are serious concerns about leadership and management, behaviour, communications with parents and homework arrangements. Most parents are satisfied with other areas of the school’s work, including teaching, except in Years 1 and 5, and children’s progress. Inspection evidence supports parents’ criticisms, but inspectors have also identified a need to improve teaching and to raise standards.

p.19

Commentary

50. Parental support for learning is satisfactory apart from a small minority of parents who do not ensure regular attendance. The majority of parents give good support to work undertaken at home especially with the reading partnership scheme. Parents are rightly concerned about an inconsistent approach between classes as to frequency and amount of other homework that is set. The Parents and Friends Association organised a very successful international evening last year to celebrate the rich ethnic diversity reflected in the school. Other events are organised but the Association has difficulty in securing volunteer helpers. School concerts are attended well.

p.19

Commentary

51. Regular newsletters are issued about the school and forthcoming events, but parents are not notified about the main areas to be studied in the forthcoming term. Helpful information about progress is provided to parents at termly meetings with class teachers and at review meetings concerning children with special educational needs. The annual written reports to parents generally provide clear descriptions about personal development and describe work undertaken during the Hollickwood Primary School - 20 year and standards reached. However, the reports do not identify areas for development or include the required information about religious education.

p.19

Commentary

52. Helpful information is included in the governors’ annual report and the school prospectus. However, the documents do not fully meet legal requirements because the governors’ report does not contain information on progress in implementing the action plan from the previous inspection.

p.20

Commentary

53. When interpretation is necessary, the school tries to call on mother-tongue speakers to assist. However, with such a wide range of different community languages spoken, this is not always possible. None of the school’s materials are produced in community languages and the school does not display advice materials, booklets and other support information for non-English speaking parents.

p.20

Commentary

54. Year 2 children enjoy taking part in the local schools’ music festival and the older children visit a nearby school for swimming lessons. Year 6 children typically move on to about eight different secondary schools in Barnet or Haringey. About a year before transfer the school gives a helpful explanation to parents about the process involved. Liaison with the main schools involved includes visits by children and meetings with Year 7 teachers. Student teachers from Middlesex and North London Universities undertake teaching practice in school whilst other students gain experience in the Nursery.

p.20

Commentary

55. Elderly persons in the local community receive food parcels as part of the harvest festival celebration. Fund raising activities enable support to be given to charities such as Children with Leukaemia and the Leprosy Society. The Year 6 residential visit, currently being organised for this year, involves close liaison with other organisers in Lyme Regis. Visitors to the school include theatre groups, authors and police officers. Little effort is made to engage pro-actively with the local multi ethnic community.

p.20

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management are unsatisfactory, although the recently appointed acting headteacher offers satisfactory leadership and is raising morale among staff. Despite the significant efforts of governors in recent months, governance is also unsatisfactory, because statutory requirements are not met.

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The governing body has grasped the difficulties and taken determined action to stop the decline in the school’s provision. • The leadership provided for literacy is good. • Subject leadership overall is not clearly organised. • Leadership and management of the Foundation Stage are poor. • There is inadequate leadership and management of the provision for children with special educational needs. • Key issues from the previous inspection have not been tackled rigorously enough. • The school’s self-evaluation is not rigorous enough to enable priorities for development to be tackled urgently and successfully. • The professional development of staff is unsatisfactory. • Not all statutory requirements are met.

p.20

Commentary

56. The school is facing a number of barriers to raising achievement, including high numbers of children with special educational needs or English as an additional language. It does its best to ensure that children with behavioural difficulties are fully included. Overall, however, the leadership and management are unsatisfactory. Hollickwood Primary School - 21 57. The school is beginning a period of transition because its longstanding headteacher retired at the end of the spring term and his replacement will not take up post until the autumn term. In the interim, the deputy headteacher is undertaking the role of acting headteacher. He has a difficult task because, although some progress has been made with the help of the local authority, much remains to be done. Standards have fallen and key issues from the previous inspection have not been tackled rigorously enough, for example, appropriate time is still not being given specifically to

p.20

Commentary

religious education. There is a lack of direction and purpose to the work of the school and it does not have the confidence of all its parents. Indeed, some are highly critical. Not enough emphasis is placed on monitoring and evaluating the various aspects of the work of the school. There is insufficient rigour in ensuring that major weaknesses, such as inconsistencies in teaching and unsatisfactory assessment of the needs of refugee children, are tackled with due urgency. The acting headteacher has held the responsibility for less than a month and is carrying out his duties satisfactorily, including the teaching of the Year 6 class. He is successfully raising morale among staff. Together with the senior management team, he welcomes change and is positive about the future.

p.21

Commentary

58. The governing body has recently become more proactive, strengthening its position. It has taken determined action to halt the school’s decline. Some staff have left the school and a new headteacher has been appointed because governors are aware of the urgent need to tackle difficulties in terms of raising standards and improving the leadership and management of the school. The newly elected chair has a clear view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. He understands very well the key role governors must play in holding it to account for its performance and in checking progress. Governors deserve credit for the work they have done in a short period of time to try and stem the decline in the school’s provision. They have a very clear and optimistic view of the school’s future and are determined to do their best for the children. The governors are organised into appropriate committees that meet regularly. They are now aware that they do not fulfil

p.21

Commentary

all their statutory duties, but are already tackling this in a determined way.

p.21

Commentary

59. The leadership and management provided for literacy and information and communication technology are good. Overall, however, subject leadership and management within the school are not clearly organised. As a result, some curriculum areas lack effective leadership and management, for example religious education. Leadership and management of the Foundation Stage are poor and arrangements for overseeing the school’s provision for special educational needs are inadequate resulting in some underachievement. This is because the special needs coordinator, though enthusiastic, is new to the post and only responsible for the junior stage.

p.21

Commentary

60. The management of the education of children learning English as an additional language and those from asylum seeking or refugee families is unsatisfactory. The grant received to support the education of children from ethnic minority groups is not spent correctly. A part-time teacher works for two days a week in the school. She also provides specialist music input and teaches the classes of other staff to provide them with planning time. During the inspection, she was also called upon to take the class of a colleague who was taken ill. She has had training in this field of work and is both energetic and committed. However, her role in leading this key area of school activity has not been given adequate priority and she has too little time to manage it to full effect. The systems introduced to assess children’s strengths and weaknesses in English are too imprecise to show exactly what each child needs to learn next. No regular time has been set aside for her to liaise with

p.21

Commentary

her colleagues and, as a result, few of them plan classroom work to address the targets set for the individual children.

p.21

Commentary

61. As part of its attempt to raise standards, the school has recently put in place a useful programme of paired lesson observations involving English, mathematics and information and communication technology. The observations have been undertaken by members of the senior management team with support from local authority personnel. It includes written and verbal feedback to teachers with targets for development. 62. The school’s improvement plan also lacked clarity and did not identify areas for improvement precisely enough to enable standards to be raised. It was replaced recently by an Hollickwood Primary School - 22 action plan produced with assistance from the local authority. This has the potential to help move things forward.

p.21

Commentary

63. The school has had some difficulties in terms of staffing, but, currently, has an appropriate number of qualified teachers. A system of performance management is in place, although it does not include support staff. Teaching assistants are not deployed effectively. Some of them are new to the school and do not know the children well enough to contribute to their learning. The school’s overall programme of ongoing staff development is poor and this impedes efforts to raise standards.

p.22

Financial information

Financial information for the year April 2002 to March 2003 Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 614,240 Balance from previous year 113,774 Total expenditure 627,649 Balance carried forward to the next 100,365 Expenditure per pupil 3,138

p.22

Financial information

64. The school has good procedures, including a computerised accounting system provided by the education authority, to track spending. Progress against budget headings is carefully monitored by the acting headteacher and governors, although the grant to support children who speak English as an additional language is not spent correctly. The budget reflects educational priorities in the school improvement plan and appropriate emphasis is given to the principles of best value. The year end balance at March 2003 was about three times the usual recommended maximum level of five per cent. This is unsatisfactory given the impetus needed to such areas as staff development and resources for the Nursery. It is likely that the balance at March 2004 will be about £85,000. Hollickwood Primary School - 23

p.22

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Overall provision in the Foundation Stage is poor .

p.23

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

65. Attainment on entry into the Nursery is broad but mostly it is well below that found for children aged three. Children attend part time either during the morning or during the afternoon.

p.23

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

66. The accommodation in the Nursery is poor. It is in urgent need of redecoration. The outside area is an unusual shape, difficult to supervise and is of a hard surface with limited cover for all weathers. The kitchen and storage room is untidy and there is no hygienic area for the preparation of food or drink. The quality of teaching in the Nursery and Reception classes has important weaknesses that hinder children’s achievements in most areas of learning. Teachers’ planning takes too little account of the required curriculum for the Foundation Stage. This means that tasks often lack challenge and children spend a considerable amount of time in child initiated activities with limited adult intervention to take their learning forward. Relationships between the children and staff throughout the Foundation Stage are good so that children behave well and meet the early learning goals in personal, social, emotional development.

p.23

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

67. Resources for children’s learning are poor in the Nursery as many are old and lack appeal. Learning support assistants and Nursery nurses are not given explicit instructions about how they are to help children learn. As a result, they do not interact often enough with the children to develop their language skills, especially those of children who do not speak English as their first language. As teachers do not track the activities children take part in, assessment is not used effectively to plan different tasks which means opportunities to extend children’s learning are lost. Also teachers do not take sufficient account of the stepping stones to plan work and track children’s progress towards the early learning goals. Support and guidance from an advanced skills teacher has brought about improvements in the organisation of teaching areas in the Foundation Stage but has yet to have an impact on teaching and learning.

p.23

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in personal, social and emotional development is satisfactory .

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children feel safe and able to trust the adults who work with them.

p.23

Commentary

68. Teaching in this area of learning is satisfactory because staff in the Nursery and Reception classes give encouragement to the children and provide positive role models. The children are given time and space to develop their interests so that they concentrate, sometimes for long periods of time. Activities, such as role play in the home corner, shop, hospital or hairdressers encourage individual and cooperative play.

p.23

Commentary

69. The calm, relaxed atmosphere in the Nursery enables children to feel safe so that they move between activities confidently. Children leave their carers happily and quickly choose something to do. Reception children usually play happily but know that if they encounter difficulties in their relationships with other children an adult will help them to sort them out.

p.23

Commentary

70. In Nursery and Reception classes, children know the routines, hanging up aprons when they have finished painting and tidying up when asked to do so. However, they are not invited to take on responsibilities that help them to predict the shape of the day and its rhythms. The culture and Hollickwood Primary School - 24 languages of the different ethnic groups are not celebrated as well as they should be. In the Nursery, children speaking English as an additional language are sometimes left for too long to play alone. Overall, children are on course to meet the early learning goals.

p.23

COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Provision in communication, language and literacy is poor.

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teachers’ planning and methods do not take into account the best way children of this age learn.

p.24

Commentary

71. Teaching in this area of learning is poor and as a result few children are on course to meet the early learning goals. This is because teachers’ knowledge of the ways children of this age learn best is not strong enough. Teachers’ planning in the Nursery and Reception classes does not identify clearly enough what children are to gain from their activities. This makes it hard for teaching assistants and Nursery nurses to support children effectively in their learning. The learning needs of children with English as an additional language are not identified quickly enough. As a result, all staff are unclear about the best way to help them speak English quickly.

p.24

Commentary

72. Role play areas include opportunities for children to apply their developing literacy skills. They are not used well enough to develop children’s speaking skills as adult intervention is insufficient to really develop a wide range of vocabulary. In the Nursery, children spend the majority of each session playing and are drawn together for a story before they go home. Interactions with adults are often brief. They ask children closed questions which make it difficult for a dialogue to be established.

p.24

Commentary

73. Teaching methods are inappropriate to help children to learn the sounds letters make. For example, in the Nursery and Reception, children spend time completing poor quality worksheets that contain pictures that are outside their experience. Skills in reading and writing are taught separately which makes it difficult for children to make the links between them. In the Reception class children know some of the sounds letters make but do not apply them when looking at popular books. The most able children in the Reception class are beginning to read simple stories in books that they share with their parents.

p.24

MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in mathematical development is poor.

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Provision does not promote children’s mathematical development effectively.

p.24

Commentary

74. Very few activities were planned to take children’s learning forward in mathematical development in the Nursery during the inspection. In Reception, this is taught as a separate subject. Planning is linked to a whole school computerised planning system. It lacks appropriate detail to show how the needs of children of different abilities and those with English as an additional language are to be met. As a result tasks lack challenge and do not engage children sufficiently to take their learning forward. Children finish them quickly and move on to other activities that they can choose which may not involve mathematical skills. Teaching assistants are not deployed effectively enough as they are unclear about how to help the children effectively. For example, a teaching assistant oversaw a group of children cutting out two dimensional shapes and sticking them into a small book Hollickwood Primary School - 25

p.24

Commentary

in the shape of a T-shirt. There was little discussion about the shapes. When asked, some children found it hard to identify rectangle, circle and triangle, yet earlier in the lesson they had identified three dimensional shapes, such as cones and cuboids.

p.25

Commentary

75. Children’s work shows that they spend a considerable amount of time colouring in and completing poor quality worksheets. During the inspection, children were trying to draw a bear under, on, beside, or over a chair. Many found this concept hard, but once they had drawn the picture, spent a lot of time colouring it in. At the end of the lesson, children were praised for their colouring, rather than their understanding of these words. There are some able children in the Reception class, who demonstrated they could count to 70 or more. Their skills were not challenged. As planning does not take into account the abilities of the children, few are on course to meet the early learning goals.

p.25

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Provision in knowledge and understanding of the world is poor.

p.25

Main strengths and weaknesses

• There are few opportunities for children to find out about the world in which they live.

p.25

Commentary

76. At the time of the inspection, children in the Nursery and Reception classes were finding out about their senses, especially smell and taste. They tasted different fruits and explained their preferences. In the Nursery, children were also involved in trying to guess the contents of containers by smelling them. This involved identifying soap, chocolate and coffee. Children enjoyed doing this when encouraged to do so for a short time by an adult, but few chose the activity at other times. However, teachers’ planning indicates that there are few planned activities for children to be involved in problem solving, prediction, critical thinking or decision making.

p.25

Commentary

77. The outside area has a hard surface and limits opportunities for growing things and digging. Planning does not take sufficient account of the links that can be made between learning inside and outside. The Reception class does not have direct access to an outside area. In the Nursery there is little direct teaching of skills and knowledge. Questions from all staff are often closed and this limits discussion.

p.25

Commentary

78. Computers are used to help children to learn the sounds letters make and draw simple pictures. However, important elements of this area of learning, geography, history and religious education are very limited. Too little account is taken of the full requirements for this area of learning and, as a result, few children are on course to meet the early learning goals set for them.

p.25

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in physical development is poor.

p.25

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teachers’ planning does not take into account the requirements of this area of the curriculum. • Accommodation restricts learning opportunities.

p.25

Commentary

79. The organisation of the accommodation for the Nursery makes it difficult for children to move spontaneously between the indoor and outdoor environments. There is a small covered area, but poor weather also restricts the amount of time Nursery children can spend outside. The Hollickwood Primary School - 26 Reception class does not have immediate access to an outside area. Restrictions of space and access limit activities that offer appropriate physical challenges. This has been identified by the school as an area for improvement.

p.25

Commentary

80. In the Nursery and Reception, planning for this area of learning is brief. It takes little account of a wide range of activities, what children are to achieve and how adults should intervene to develop physical and linguistic skills. In Reception, time in the Nursery play area is seen as additional playtime. Also in Reception, some children show they can use malleable materials safely and with increasing control, but generally, children do not meet the early learning goals as activities are not planned well enough for them to do so.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Provision in creative development is poor.

p.26

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Opportunities for children to use their initiative are limited.

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Commentary

81. In the Nursery and Reception classes, there are few opportunities for children to use their initiative. The learning environment in the Nursery lacks richness as many of the resources are old and the room needs redecorating urgently. Art work on display is mostly collage giving children little chance to express their own ideas. In the Reception, much of the children’s art work is the same showing the intervention of adult direction. For example, paper lanterns are all made to the same design. The cultural differences of the children are not reflected in either the Reception or Nursery class. Songs and rhymes are traditional western nursery rhymes. Teachers’ planning makes few links between the areas of learning, music and dance. These factors mean that few children reach the early learning goals. Hollickwood Primary School - 27

p.26

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards are well below those found in most schools at the end of the infant stage. They are better at the end of the junior stage, but still below average. • Children’s achievements over time are poor at the infant stage and unsatisfactory at the junior stage. • The school’s focus on reading has benefited the children. • The school is aware of the need to raise standards. • The subject is led effectively.

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Commentary

82. The previous inspection judged standards in English to be frequently in line with that of most schools at the end of both the infant and junior stages. Currently, standards are well below that expected nationally at the end of the infant stage and below that expected at the end of the junior stage. This represents a fall since the school’s last inspection. There are some shortcomings in the teaching of the subject. In addition, children with special educational needs or English as an additional language do not always make the progress they should in class lessons. This happens when tasks are not sufficiently differentiated for them. Observation of lessons and scrutiny of work shows children’s achievements over time are poor at the infant stage, particularly in Year 1. They are unsatisfactory at the junior stage, especially in Years 3 and 5. The Year 6 work shows children make faster progress with some ground being made up.

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Commentary

83. The school’s performance in national tests for the subject needs to be treated with some caution because its cohorts of children are relatively small. That said, its 2003 results in reading and writing at the end of the infant stage were well below the national average. Since 1999 the gap between the school’s results for children aged seven and the national average has widened. However, when compared to similar schools a better picture emerges because the 2003 results were average. At the end of the junior stage, the school’s 2003 results compared to the national scene and to those in a similar context were well below average. This represents a fall from previous years because from 1999 to 2002 results had been steadily rising.

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Commentary

84. The school is acutely aware of the need to raise standards and is trying hard to do so. This reflects the priority given to English and the determined work of the subject leaders. The national initiative on literacy has been introduced satisfactorily. More than a third of the school’s teaching time is now given to English and this is having a positive impact, although there are clearly important implications in terms of time left for other subjects. The previous inspection judged that brighter children were not offered sufficient challenge. Lesson observations and scrutiny of work during the present inspection found that this is no longer the case and that brighter children are now being extended satisfactorily. Analysis of the school’s national test results over time indicates that girls outperform boys. Inspectors found no significant evidence that this is the case currently.

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Commentary

85. Children are pleased to talk to visitors about their work and matters that interest them. They are usually polite and respectful when doing so. However, they often use only a limited range of vocabulary. This includes those who do not have English as an additional language. At age seven, children’s speaking and listening skills are well below those found in most schools. By age eleven, they have gained in confidence and made up some ground, but their skills are still below average. At both the infant and junior stages, children begin oral sessions by listening carefully. They respond well to praise and encouragement, but many quickly become restless and find it difficult to concentrate. Teachers promote the use of a range of vocabulary, but this is not consistent Hollickwood Primary School - 28 throughout the school. There are opportunities for children to discuss their ideas, although they do

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Commentary

not often ask questions or use their own experiences to develop particular points.

p.28

Commentary

86. The school has put considerable effort into improving children’s reading. A guided reading session of some fifteen minutes is held each day and is proving beneficial. Most take books home regularly and reading diaries are used to record their progress. This is a useful link between parents, children and teachers, although the response is often disappointing. Infant children are encouraged to use letter sounds, pictures and stories to help them tackle new words, but by age seven their reading skills are mostly well below average. They often read hesitantly and with little confidence. Junior children improve their reading skills well and by age eleven they are in line with those found in most schools. Brighter children in the current Year 6 are able to read difficult texts with confidence and expression.

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Commentary

87. Many children find writing skills difficult and standards are well below average at age seven and eleven. The school is aware of the problem and is considering making writing a focus for development. Children write for a range of purposes, including stories, poems and letters. Most understand how to sequence events in the right order, but ideas lack imagination and are not often extended so as to add interest. Grammatical structure and spelling receive appropriate attention, but children make simple errors. Not enough care is taken over handwriting and presentation, including dates and headings. Marking is up to date, but more could be done to make clear what the child needs to do to improve.

p.28

Commentary

88. The overall quality of teaching and learning in the lessons observed was satisfactory, although one lesson was poor. The structure of the literacy hour has given teachers clear guidelines about the organisation of lessons and this is proving helpful. In the satisfactory lessons resources are prepared carefully and lesson plans are usually clear about what children are to learn and how. This is often explained to them at the beginning of the lesson so that they know what they are going to do. There are reminders about previous work and how it links with what is to be done next. Texts are chosen well and tasks explained clearly. This helps ensure that time is used productively. Children are controlled and managed satisfactorily even though some find it hard to behave sensibly for long. In the poor teaching observed there was considerable difficulty in keeping the children on task and insufficient guidance about the work to be done. As a result, not enough progress was

p.28

Commentary

89. There are two subject leaders and they undertake their responsibilities well. They have a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses within the subject and have positive views about the future. They have both observed lessons as part of a monitoring process that involves written and verbal feedback to the teachers concerned. Some observations have been undertaken with local authority support and this has been helpful. Resources overall are satisfactory.

p.28

Language and literacy across the curriculum

90. The school’s efforts to reinforce language and literacy across the curriculum are generally satisfactory. Reading is an integral part of much of their work. There are opportunities for children to participate in discussions, for example in art and design when considering how pictures can tell a story. Children are given writing tasks in most subjects, but often find this difficult and progress is slow.

p.28

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards are low in Year 2 and in Year 6. • Teaching is inconsistent. Hollickwood Primary School - 29 • Too little time is set aside for investigative aspects of mathematics in Years 1 to 6. • There is not enough recorded work to enable teachers to track children’s progress carefully or help them know the best way to improve.

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Commentary

91. In 2003 national test results in mathematics in Year 6 were very low. When compared to similar schools results were well below average. This is a substantial drop in results over the previous year. Apart from a small rise in 2001, results have declined significantly since 1999. Over time, boys outperform girls in mathematics. In 2003 only a small number of children took the tests, some of whom had significant special educational needs. Currently, standards in Year 6 are well below average.

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Commentary

92. National test results for children in Year 2 in 2003 were well below those found in schools nationally. Results have risen and fallen dramatically over a number of years and the trend in improvement is slower than in most schools. However, when compared to schools with children from similar backgrounds, results were average. Over time, girls have significantly outperformed the boys. This is the reverse of the situation in Year 6. The school adds little value to children’s education as they move from the infant stage to the junior stage. In part this is due to the high number of children starting and leaving the school. It is also the result of limited progress in other year groups and there is too much ground to make up in Year 6.

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Commentary

93. Some teachers use newly purchased Unit Plans to try and make sure they cover the mathematics curriculum. However, these plans are often implemented without consideration of the needs of different children in the class. It also leads to teachers giving long explanations with few opportunities for children to apply new knowledge and skills. Often children record work on spirit marker boards in order that they can show the teachers the way they have worked out mathematical problems. However, this leads to a lack of a permanent record that children can refer to revise or for teachers to check children’s progress. Children’s books indicate that little work is covered over time. In Years 3 and 5, there are large periods of time when no work has been recorded indicating that children’s progress has been hindered. The use of the Unit Plans is not consistent throughout the school. Some teachers prefer to use a published scheme and this is not always linked closely

p.29

Commentary

enough to the National Numeracy Framework. As a result, children’s progress over time is poor as skills are not developed year on year. Teachers give too little time to the investigative aspects of the mathematics curriculum making it difficult for children to draw quickly on a wide range of skills to solve problems.

p.29

Commentary

94. Teaching in Year 2 during the inspection was good. The brighter children were able to use their knowledge learned at home as well as in school to use number patterns to calculate subtraction sums using very large numbers. For example, one child explained very clearly how he knew that 999,910 take away two was 999,908. Teaching in Year 1 has been disrupted by staff changes. The teacher covering this class had only been in post for three days at the time of the inspection. The lesson observed during the inspection was unsatisfactory because, despite the teacher’s best efforts, children’s poor behaviour prevented learning taking place. The teacher used appropriate behaviour management techniques which were effective for a short time. Teaching assistants were new to the school, having been brought in from an agency for the period of the inspection. They were deployed effectively to keep the children on task in group work but did little to take children’s

p.29

Commentary

learning forward. Teaching in Year 3 was also poor because the teacher’s subject knowledge and behaviour management skills were inadequate. As a result, children learned very little. Teaching is mostly satisfactory in other year groups although children’s books show that there are weaknesses in Year 5 where children do not cover enough work in the time and have difficulty recalling their multiplication tables and number bonds.

p.29

Commentary

95. When children do record work in books, teachers’ marking in Year 6 is constructive and helps children to learn where they have gone wrong. In other year groups marking is often a tick or cross with few comments to help children improve. Hollickwood Primary School - 30 96. Curriculum, leadership and management are unsatisfactory. Programmes of work vary from class to class. National test results have only recently been analysed to identify strengths and where improvements need to be made. There has been some monitoring of teaching, but this has not brought about significant improvements in Years 1, 3 and 5.

p.29

Mathematics across the curriculum

97. Children’s books and teachers’ planning show that mathematics is rarely used across the curriculum. It is sometimes used in Year 6 in information and communication technology, science and design technology, but this is not the case in other year groups.

p.30

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards have fallen since the last inspection. • Too little work is undertaken in some classes and teacher expectation is low. • Poorly presented work undermines efforts to improve literacy. • Temporary arrangements for the leadership and management of science are not effective.

p.30

Commentary

98. The last inspection found that standards of attainment were similar to those in most schools by the age of seven. Standards at the age of eleven were above average nationally. Teaching was satisfactory and sometimes good, with children making steady progress. Some lessons, however, were not challenging enough and junior children had too few opportunities for investigation and initiative in their work.

p.30

Commentary

99. Standards at the ages both of seven and eleven are now below average, although the infants achieve in line with their abilities. In some junior classes, however, children could do much better and their achievements are unsatisfactory.

p.30

Commentary

100. The results of national assessments confirm the fall in standards since the last inspection. They indicate that in 2003 standards were well below average at the end of both the infants and the juniors. However, the data also shows that standards are broadly the same as those found in other schools with similar intakes of children.

p.30

Commentary

101. In Year 2, most children understand that seeds, given adequate treatment, grow into plants. Brighter children can explain what adequate treatment consists of and attempt to say how plants produce seeds and the cycle begins again. Children recognise that some common materials, such as wood, grow naturally and that others, such as plastic, are man-made. They find it much harder to classify other materials, such as paper and cloth. They know a little about circuits and about healthy foods. Most children find difficulty in recording their work and there is consequently little to see in their science books. Although the standards reached are below average, children work hard at the subject and do their best. They achieve satisfactorily in the context of their abilities.

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Commentary

102. In Year 6, children understand the functions of the major organs of the body and how muscles support the skeleton. They have learned that animals and plants adapt to their habitats and can give examples. By learning about materials, most understand the importance of recycling and the different ways recycling can take place. They can select methods – such as filtration or evaporation – suited to the separation of different types of mixtures. They appreciate the importance of fair testing and can plan an experiment with proper control of variables to allow a reliable result. However, a significant number of children find the work difficult and the overall standard is below average. Children in Year 6 work hard and carefully in science and they achieve well for their ability. Hollickwood Primary School - 31 Overall however, children’s achievements in the juniors are unsatisfactory because there are

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Commentary

significant weaknesses in the work undertaken in Years 3 and 5.

p.31

Commentary

103. The achievements of children with special educational needs and those learning English as an additional language depend very much on the quality of the science teaching they receive. In effective lessons they work hard, understand what is asked of them and do their best. Where this is not the case they achieve less than they should.

p.31

Commentary

104. The science lessons seen in Years 2 and 6 during the inspection were good. However, a scrutiny of work completed in the past two terms in other classes shows that too little has been undertaken in Years 3 and 5. Work is untidy and lacking in care in spelling and writing. It runs counter to the efforts teachers make to improve literacy levels. Work is often unfinished. The content of the work is sometimes at an undemanding level and children’s understanding is not secure. Work set for the brighter children is often the same as that for the less able and there is little evidence of progression over the two terms.

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Commentary

105. A similar scrutiny of work in Year 4 and the lessons seen in Years 2 and 6, provide clear evidence of how well children can achieve when teaching is good. Science teaching overall is unsatisfactory.

p.31

Commentary

106. There has been a lack of continuity in the leadership and management of science recently. A subject leader left the school some time ago and for a period was not replaced in this role. Subsequently, and on a temporary basis, the acting headteacher has assumed responsibility for science. He has considerable expertise in the subject and his teaching sets a good example. However, the demands on him, as acting headteacher, are such that he has not been able to commit much time to the subject. Checks on classroom teaching and learning have been few and there has been no staff training recently. A new programme of work is being introduced, but this development is only in its second year and it is not yet having a strong impact on teachers’ planning. The subject is showing signs of neglect and its leadership and management at present are unsatisfactory.

p.31

Commentary

107. Progress since the last inspection has been unsatisfactory. Standards have fallen and children do not achieve as well as they could. They still have too few opportunities to show initiative in their work.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Provision is information and communication technology is good.

p.31

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards have risen since the last inspection, because weaknesses in some areas of work have been corrected. • Resources for information and communication technology are very much improved. • Teachers are fully trained in information and communication technology and are finding imaginative applications across the curriculum. • Teaching is good and children work hard in the subject. • The subject leadership is good.

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Commentary

108. The previous inspection commented that all information and communication technology work was undertaken in classrooms, using classroom based computers. It found that standards were average at the ages both of seven and eleven, although there were weaknesses in the control aspect of the programme in the junior stage. Teaching was generally satisfactory, although children were sometimes left too long without adult intervention. Hollickwood Primary School - 32 109. The school’s response has been very good. There has been substantial training for staff and they have rapidly developed the skills and confidence needed to implement the new work programme. A new computer room with sixteen networked computers has provided children with far more opportunities to use the technology and to benefit from whole-class lessons. An appropriate programme of control technology is in place both for the infants and the juniors. The standard of

p.31

Commentary

teaching is now good and children are not left without adult support.

p.32

Commentary

110. In Year 2, most children are confident in handling the mouse and keyboard. They can open and close files and use on-screen menus well. They can use a graphics programme to make pictures, varying colour and line and have made simple block graphs and can explain what they show. Children have good skills in word processing and can select sizes and fonts for their work, entering, saving and retrieving their efforts. They can programme a simple floor robot and some can transfer these skills to the more complex process of writing a basic programme to control an on- screen robot. Standards are in line with expectations for children of this age, but they work very hard and enthusiastically at the subject and achieve well in terms of their abilities.

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Commentary

111. By the age of eleven these skills have been built on effectively. Standards reached in Year 6 are average for this age, but children’s abilities to apply these skills in new contexts are better than those usually found. Children can independently boot up the computers, find their own files and select programmes they want to use. They present their own written work in a variety of forms, according to purpose, including graphics and tables as appropriate. They can create and interpret their own spreadsheets, for example costing a week of menus for a group of people and use a computer to control devices such as electric circuits and a temperature sensor, displaying the cooling rate of water over time on another spreadsheet. Children know how to research and use information from the Internet and they can use graphics programmes to model the artwork of classic artists, such as Picasso. They find the work challenging but rewarding and achieve well.

p.32

Commentary

112. Children with special educational needs and those learning English as an additional language also achieve well because working groups are usually small enough for them to receive any additional help they may need.

p.32

Commentary

113. Three information and communication technology lessons were seen during the inspection, and a good volume of previous work was available for scrutiny. Teaching in Year 2 and Year 6 is good. Teachers have a confident mastery of the subject and transmit their evident enthusiasm to the children. They set high expectations, calling for substantial mental effort and the children respond very positively. All the lessons seen made good use of information and communication technology skills to extend work in other subjects. Year 2 children were challenged to create a short set of instructions to make a screen robot draw an accurate square. The task drew on a complex range of skills, including some from mathematics, yet most managed the task successfully. Year 6 children, studying persuasive writing in literacy, produced Power Point slide shows to support a “Don’t Drop Litter” campaign. They worked in pairs to produce five or six slides with captions,

p.32

Commentary

animated graphics and sound accompaniments. This called for care and persistence.

p.32

Commentary

114. Classroom computers were little used during the inspection and this is an aspect of the subject the school has already decided to address.

p.32

Commentary

115. Leadership and management are good. A new nationally supported programme of work is in place. While there is still some lack of confidence among teachers, it is being implemented energetically and imaginatively. There has been substantial staff training and more is planned. The subject leader has observed teaching and learning in all classes and has the specialist skills and knowledge to advise colleagues well. She brings zest and ambition to the work, setting a good example from her own practice. At present, too much of her time is taken up with correcting systems faults. The school is planning to buy in technical support and this will release her for further development work.

p.32

Commentary

116. Resources provision for information and communication technology is very good. It is a buoyant subject and standards are rising rapidly. Hollickwood Primary School - 33

p.32

Information and communication technology across the curriculum

117. In lessons observed, information and communication technology was linked to other subjects, but this is not the case in all classes.

p.33

HUMANITIES

118. No lessons were observed in geography and history during the inspection, although they were timetabled to take place. Evidence from teachers’ planning, children’s work provided by the school and discussions with them show that these subjects are not taught often enough. This is because the school devotes a great deal of time to teaching literacy, leaving little time for the humanities. As a result, children in Year 6 have not acquired the level of knowledge or skills expected for their age in the subjects. In history in Year 2, children recall a limited number of facts about Florence Nightingale and the Great Fire of London. They have little to say about their work in geography. At both the infant and junior stages, children’s achievements are poor because appropriate time is not set aside for these subjects over the year. The subject leader for geography and history left the school in December 2003 and since that time, no one has taken on the

p.33

Religious education

Provision in religious education is poor.

p.33

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Insufficient time is devoted specifically to the subject. • Programmes of work for both the infant and junior stages do not meet statutory requirements as set out in the locally agreed syllabus. • There is no subject leader. • The system of assessment is unsatisfactory.

p.33

Commentary

119. A key issue identified in the school’s previous inspection was to address non-compliance of statutory requirements in terms of time allocation for religious education. This has not been done. Currently, very little time is given specifically to the subject. Indeed, timetables indicate that most classes have no lessons devoted to this area of the curriculum. As a result, the statutory content of the locally agreed syllabus is not covered and standards are poor. There are occasions when the school’s assemblies consider aspects of the agreed syllabus, but programmes of work presented to the children fall well short of requirements. In addition, not enough has been done to establish a system of assessment to help check children’s progress and inform the planning of future work.

p.33

Commentary

120. No lessons were observed during the period of the inspection. Discussions with children and scrutiny of work show that they are given very little opportunity to begin to explore the nature of religion and fundamental questions of human experience. Infant children know that people have special days, such as birthdays. They are able to explain the Christmas story in simple terms. They also know that there are different religions in the world, but have little understanding of what this means. Junior children have a limited knowledge of festivals, such as Harvest and Eid. In Year 6 they have studied the Easter story and are able to relate it in some detail. However, they know little about religious leaders or the use of symbols to communicate meaning. Their knowledge and understanding of other world faiths and religions is minimal.

p.33

Commentary

121. Curriculum leadership in the subject is poor. No member of staff holds this particular responsibility. There is little attempt to monitor the amount of time given to the subject or to the existence of programmes of work to ensure they meet statutory requirements. Hollickwood Primary School - 34

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

122. Only one lesson was seen in each of art and design, music, physical education and design and technology. It is not possible to make overall judgements about standards or overall provision in these subjects.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

123. An examination of teachers’ planning and of children’s work in art and design shows that they undertake activities, such as painting, collage, observational drawing and the making of computerised pictures. However, programmes of work are sometimes limited and there is little to show that they reflect the varied cultural experiences of the children. In addition, the tasks do not always provide sufficient opportunity for them to experiment and to develop ideas for themselves. Children often use their drawing, painting and colouring skills to illustrate work in other subjects, for example those in Year 4 have produced a good quality Tudor portrait gallery. At other times, the results lack care and imagination. Displays of children’s work indicate that their awareness of pattern, shape and size is growing only slowly. Their observational drawings lack detail and there is little evidence of an increasing understanding of proportion as children move up through the school.

p.34

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

Appropriate attention is given to the work of well-known artists. For example, the younger junior children have studied paintings by Vincent Van Gough and have produced satisfactory pictures using the technique of waves and swirls. Such studies help children to appreciate the wide variety of ways that feelings and experiences can be represented in art work.

p.34

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

124. The quality of teaching in the one lesson seen was good. The teacher had prepared the tasks well and used a range of books, photographs and artefacts to help show children how pictures can tell a story. The lesson linked effectively with history work on the Ancient Greeks and the children looked at a copy of a Greek vase. Helpful references were also made to Egyptian tomb paintings, the Bayeux Tapestry and cartoon strips. The children were motivated to learn and to do their best, which they did when sketching pictures to show their own stories.

p.34

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

125. The subject leader is enthusiastic and is trying to raise its profile in the school. She has done much to improve displays and the importance of visual awareness. A successful whole school art day was held recently. Every child painted a self-portrait on a plastic tile with pleasing results. Resources overall are satisfactory and easily available.

p.34

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

126. In design and technology an examination of teachers’ planning and of the tasks undertaken by the children shows that programmes of work are limited. There are not enough opportunities for children to explore and to use their own initiative. An emphasis is rightly placed on the designing and making of products and children sometimes record the steps involved. For example, those in Year 2 have written accounts of how they constructed model cars from wood, corners, axle holders and wheels. This is commendable because many of them find writing skills difficult. However, there is little evidence in most classes to show that children evaluate what they make or consider how their products might be improved. Some helpful links are made with other subjects, for example the construction of simple aeroplanes, as part of an historical study about early flight.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

127. In the one lesson seen the teaching was good. The children were considering how fabrics can be patterned in different ways. The teacher quickly captured their interest through well-directed questions about the sample fabrics available for them to look at. Book illustrations were used to help challenge children’s thinking further. Time was used productively and children used coloured paper to begin the process of designing their own patterns.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

128. No member of staff holds a particular responsibility to provide leadership in the subject. As a result, there is little attempt to raise its profile or monitor the quality of teaching and learning so as to raise standards. Resources are satisfactory overall, but are stored untidily.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

129. Music is taught by a part-time teacher who provides teachers with non contact time. The lesson observed was satisfactory. Good knowledge helped children to compose and perform simple repeated phrases and rhythms related to ‘sleepy phrases’, such as dream time, nighty night to make Hollickwood Primary School - 35 up a lullaby . Additional support staff helped to keep the children focussed, although the behaviour of some slowed the pace of the lesson. The teacher recorded children’s efforts to refine their performance, but they were noisy and did not listen carefully enough to learn how they could improve.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

130. In physical education, swimming is available for children in Year 6 and most achieve the national standard of 25 metres by the time they leave the school. Work in gymnastics, based on the single lesson seen, is also in line with that found nationally. The school provides regular teaching in dance, athletics and games and older children enjoy an annual residential activity trip to Dorset, with opportunities for adventurous activities, such as orienteering and climbing.

p.35

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

131. Sports coaches visit the school regularly to enhance games skills, in football for example. The school participates in a further coaching scheme in athletics and basketball. Visiting experts work with classes of children, while school staff observe. This is a valuable activity, enriching the programme for the children and improving the skills and confidence of the teachers. At the end of each course, the school is given a range of equipment to enable them to continue coaching.

p.35

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

132. There are few additional physical educational activities. The only inter-school competitive activity is netball. After-school clubs are available in netball and football, while a lively table-tennis club is supported through Lottery funding. The subject leader is enthusiastic and knowledgeable. However, she has not had the opportunity to check on the quality of teaching and learning in the subject. Leadership and management are therefore unsatisfactory.

p.35

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

133. This was not a major focus for the inspection. The school has taken determined steps to promote this aspect of the children’s education. A newly established school council is enabling children to understand their role in a democratic society. A new programme to promote children’s personal qualities is having an impact in some classes. The curriculum for children in Year 6 includes a programme of sex education and awareness of the use and misuse of drugs. The promotion of healthy living has enabled the school to win the schools, Healthy Living Award. Hollickwood Primary School - 36

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The overall effectiveness of the school 6 How inclusive the school is 5 How the school’s effectiveness has changed since its last inspection 6 Value for money provided by the school 6

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Overall standards achieved 6 Pupils’ achievement 6

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities 6 Attendance 6 Attitudes 6 Behaviour, including the extent of exclusions 6 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 5

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The quality of education provided by the school 6 The quality of teaching 6 How well pupils learn 6 The quality of assessment 6 How well the curriculum meets pupils needs 6 Enrichment of the curriculum, including out-of-school activities 4 Accommodation and resources 5 Pupils’ care, welfare, health and safety 4 Support, advice and guidance for pupils 5 How well the school seeks and acts on pupils’ views 4 The effectiveness of the school’s links with parents 5 The quality of the school’s links with the community 4 The school’s links with other schools and colleges 4

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The leadership and management of the school 5 The governance of the school 5 The leadership of the headteacher 4 The leadership of other key staff 5 The effectiveness of management 5

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

p.36