Kincraig Primary School

KINCRAIG PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 3 rd -4 th November 2003

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KINCRAIG PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

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KINCRAIG 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. Kincraig Primary- 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Primary School category: Community Age range of pupils: 4-11 Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 150

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Kincraig Road Bispham Blackpool

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Telephone number: 01253 354059 Fax number: 01253 354072

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The Governing Body Name of chair of governors: Mr Deane Winter

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: October 2001

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

The school, which is smaller than most, serves a community on the outskirts of Blackpool that includes a lot of temporary accommodation for families in need. The area is currently under-going major changes as part of a regeneration scheme. Most of the 150 pupils who attend Kincraig live in the locality and are mainly from White European backgrounds with a very few of Thai heritage. All pupils speak English. There is a well above average proportion of pupils with special educational needs for mainly moderate learning difficulties: some also have emotional and social needs. Five pupils have statements with additional support to meet their specific needs. At the time of the inspection, 14 children in the reception class, known as the Foundation Stage, were attending full- time. The profile of children’s skills and knowledge when they start in the reception is well below average. A nursery, funded by government, is currently being built and due to open early next year,

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

when it will offer full-time places and wrap around care.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

Around 50 per cent of pupils leave or join the school over the course of the year and this has a major impact on its organisation and provision. The school is involved in the Excellence in Cities programme and is located within an Education Action Zone (EAZ) set up specifically to raise attainment and improve attendance. The EAZ funds a learning mentor based in school to support these key aspects and she currently works with 23 pupils. The school has just become a partner in the Blackpool Behaviour Improvement Programme (BIP) that also aims to improve attendance as well as behaviour. The school was accredited with the Healthy Schools Award in 2002. Kincraig Primary- 4

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

9479 C A Field Lead inspector Personal and social education including citizenship 9428 J Butler Lay inspector 15414 D Carrington Team inspector Mathematics, information and communication technology, history, geography 23866 S Hall Team inspector Science, design and technology, physical education 22474 J Taylor Team Inspector English, art and design 2818 G Warner Team Inspector Foundation stage, English as an additional language, special education needs, religious education, music

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

University of Warwick Science Park Unit 2, Barclays Venture Centre Sir William Lyons Road Coventry CV4 7EZ

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

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

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 9

Standards achieved in areas of learning, subjects and courses

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 9

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL 13

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

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OVERALL EVALUATION

Kincraig Primary is a sound and improving school that serves its community well. All pupils are welcomed into the family of the school and their many, and diverse needs are very well provided for. The school has a happy, supportive, and caring ethos that instils in pupils a desire to learn and underpins well their satisfactory achievement. Teaching is satisfactory overall with particular strengths in reception and Year 6 that enable pupils to learn at a good rate. The school is very well led by the headteacher who provides clear educational direction and is very focused on the school’s improvement. The headteacher and staff have good heart to face the challenges ahead and are determined to raise achievement to a good level. The school provides sound value for money.

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The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

• The head leads from the front and has motivated and guided others to bring the school’s provision up to a sound level and one without serious weaknesses. • The school is working effectively to boost pupils’ achievements in the three tested subjects of English, mathematics and science and in information and communication technology (ICT) but standards are not yet high enough. • The school is very effective at integrating new pupils and in providing the support they need to learn successfully. • The provision made for children in the Foundation Stage is good and enables them to get off to a secure start to their education. • Teaching needs to be more consistently good to enable pupils to learn to the maximum of their capabilities across subjects and years, this is particularly the case for higher attainers. • Pupils with special educational needs do particularly well because of the very good support they

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The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

receive through setting small step targets for achievement that are consistently promoted. • Pupils have good attitudes and behave well; but attendance, though improving, is below that seen in other primary schools. • Very good attention is paid to pupils’ care, welfare, health and safety; the arrangements for child protection are very good.

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The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

The school has made steady progress since its previous inspection . The serious weaknesses raised then have been tackled well, though not all of the issues have been resolved. The school has put in place firm building blocks to enable a more brisk pace to improvement from now on. The very significant improvement in the 2003 National Curriculum tests is a key indicator of the school’s growing effectiveness.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

The children who have just started in the reception (known as the Foundation Stage) with well below average skills are making good progress to reach the goals set for them across most areas of learning. Those in the Foundation Stage last year made good progress overall, even though they have started in Year 1 with below average standards across all areas of learning.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Boys and girls from Years 1 to 6 achieve soundly. Achievement is best in Year 6 because of consistently good teaching that enables pupils’ learning to accelerate. The very significant number of pupils who join the school at various times each term are well integrated and provided with a carefully planned programme of work tailored to their needs. Boys and girls of different capabilities, including those with statements are given work that is well matched to their needs and enables them to learn successfully. The pupils who would benefit from more consistent challenge in their studies are the highest attainers who could potentially reach higher standards.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

The standards achieved by pupils at the end of Years 2 and 6 are well below average overall. Kincraig Primary- 7

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Year 6 results in 2002

all schools similar schools Results in National Curriculum tests at the end of Year 6, compared with: 2000 2001 2002 2002

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Year 6 results in 2002

English E E E B Mathematics E* E E D Science E* E E* D

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below average

Similar schools are those whose pupils attained similarly at the end of Year 2. Caution should be used when looking at the table as the differences in the results from year to year may reflect the differences in the capabilities of that particular year-group. Typically each group comprises around 30% of pupils with special educational needs and up to 50% who have joined the school at non-standard times. The results in 2003 indicate significant improvement on those shown above, especially at the higher levels. All tested subjects in Year 6 are likely to be at least in line with those found in similar schools and could be above in English as in 2002. Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities are good overall. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good overall, with strengths in their moral and social development. Pupils enjoy good relationships with one another and have good attitudes to school and behave well.

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below average

Attendance falls below the national average and is unsatisfactory, though it is improving.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The quality of education provided is satisfactory overall. The teaching is sound overall and very much improved since the previous inspection. Staff rise to the many challenges with a genuine commitment to do their best for the pupils and this shows in the successful learning taking place in all classes. The curriculum is good overall. It is broad and reasonably well balanced, but the use of ICT to support pupils’ learning is not promoted well enough. The provision for pupils with special educational needs is very good. Pupils receive very good care and support. Induction arrangements work very effectively in helping the youngest children and those new to school settle well. Child protection procedures are very good. The provision for personal, social and health education is good. The school has a sound and improving

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Overall the effectiveness of leadership and management is good. The headteacher’s leadership is highly effective and she has a clear vision for the future in which all staff are keen to play their part. The school has a crystal clear agenda for action. Well-conceived strategies are beginning to show good impact. The challenging targets set to raise academic standards flag clearly the school’s ambitions to make good advancement. The quality of management is good overall. The school has begun to look more critically at its work and is making sound use of a range of data to establish how well it is performing. The role of subject leaders is earmarked for development in the drive for raised standards and the school is well on track with advancing this. Financial management is secure and usefully supports educational priorities. The governors efficiently manage the school ; are supportive and committed in their pursuit of best value.

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Parents are happy with the school and see many strengths in the quality of education provided. A few would like more information about their child’s progress. Inspectors agree this would be useful. Pupils have positive views about the school and feel well looked after and safe. They like the clubs after school.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

The most important things the school should do are:

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

1. Continue the drive to improve pupils’ achievement and raise standards, most importantly in English and mathematics.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

2. Continue to improve the provision for ICT, raise the standards and widen its use across the curriculum.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

3. Raise the quality of teaching and learning to the best level found in school, especially for higher attainers.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

4. Continue the successful drive for raised attendance. Kincraig Primary- 9

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ethnic backgrounds to achieve satisfactorily, despite the coming and going of a very high

proportion in every year group. Pupils’ performance in the national tests is getting better and better each year and this is due to the challenging targets the school sets to focus everyone on ensuring that pupils do the best they can. Nevertheless, standards remain as the number one priority for the school to improve and will be for some time. Inspection findings judge standards in the core subjects of English, mathematics and information and communication technology (ICT) to be below average by the end of Years 2 and 6. Standards are below average by the end of school in design and technology, science, and religious education. Standards are broadly average in art and design and physical education.

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ethnic backgrounds to achieve satisfactorily, despite the coming and going of a very high

NB. This inspection did not find sufficient reliable evidence to judge standards in history, geography or music.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The school is working effectively to boost pupils’ achievements in the three tested subjects of English, mathematics and science and there are promising signs that standards will continue to rise. Nevertheless standards in English and mathematics are not yet high enough. • Standards in information and communication technology (ICT) are not high enough. The new ICT suite is making a positive difference to skills development but too little attention is paid to using ICT to support pupils’ work across the subjects they study. • The provision made for children in the Foundation Stage is good and enables them to get off to a secure start and they are working well towards the goals set for them in their first year at school. • The school is very effective at integrating new pupils into school and at providing the support they need to learn successfully. • Standards could be better if more focus was placed on targeting potentially higher attaining pupils

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Main strengths and weaknesses

to learn to the maximum of their capabilities across years and in all subjects. • Boys and girls of all capabilities and from different ethnic backgrounds tend to make similar progress over their time in school. Those with special educational needs do particularly well because of the very good support they receive. • The school set challenging targets in national tests last year which were exceeded, and has set equally demanding ones for 2004.

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Commentary

1. From a well below average beginning, the children in the reception year, known as the Foundation Stage, are working confidently to reach the goals set for them by the end of the year. In lessons, the children were observed to be very responsive to the good quality experiences provided for them. The work of children who were in the Foundation Stage last year shows good progress overall, even though they have started in Year 1 with below average standards in most respects and particularly in literacy. The teaching team are very good at promoting many opportunities, both planned and incidental, for the youngest children in school to improve their communication skills. This successful approach is ensuring a firm base on which the children can develop their learning successfully.

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Commentary

2. Boys and girls in the infants are achieving soundly across the subjects they study. The key skills of speaking, listening, reading and numeracy are being given good emphasis and this means that pupils develop these competencies well. Some good achievement in science and Kincraig Primary- 10 religious education is evident from the sample of pupils’ work from last year. Good teaching in science lessons, and evidenced by the well-set out work in pupils’ books, is helping to raise standards to a near average level in Year 1. The work shows good understanding of a wide range of scientific topics. A greater proportion of pupils are reaching the expected level in reading and mathematics in Year 2 national tests but not in writing. Pupils’ writing skills and weak spelling holds back the standards they are able to reach in other subjects. The school has identified the need to support better writing as a top priority in the improvement plan and is

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Commentary

right to do so. Pupils’ performance at the higher level 3 is also showing an increase, with 2003 preliminary results showing a significant improvement on those attained in 2002.

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Standards in national tests at the end of Year 2 – average point scores in 2002

Standards in: School results National results Reading 11.1 (12.1) 15.8 (15.7) Writing 11.6 (10.9) 14.4 (14.3) Mathematics 13.9 (12.1) 16.5 (16.2) There were 27 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Standards in national tests at the end of Year 2 – average point scores in 2002

3. Boys and girls in the juniors are achieving soundly across the subjects they study. The good focus on pupils’ learning styles in Year 5 and consistently good teaching in Year 6 are accelerating pupils’ learning and impacting positively on the standards reached. The school is making sustained progress in improving standards in the national tests. An increasing proportion of pupils are reaching the expected level in English, mathematics and science. Preliminary results of the 2003 national tests are up on those in 2002 and show that performance at the higher level 5 was maintained in English but doubled in mathematics and tripled in science. The schools’ results are likely to compare favourably with those found in similar schools.

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Standards in national tests at the end of Year 6 – average point scores in 2002

Standards in: School results National results English 24.7 (24.0) 27.0 (27.0) Mathematics 23.5 (24.7) 26.7 (26.6) Science 26.8 (25.5) 28.3 (28.3) There were 30 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Standards in national tests at the end of Year 6 – average point scores in 2002

4. Managers and teachers deal really well with the influx of many new pupils throughout the year and through well-judged assessment set work that supports their on-going learning. The very good attention paid to providing pupils with special educational needs, including those with statements, with specific work that promotes both their academic and social growth enables this group to do especially well. In contrast, the group who are not being consistently given the work they need to do well are the higher attainers. In lessons, inspectors observed the higher attainers often being set the same work as others and this restricted the potential for a higher standard of work to be reached. English books saved from last year also show that pupils of very different capabilities are completing similar writing tasks. Handwriting is practised regularly and this is a positive feature. However, the skills learned are not always applied in the

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Standards in national tests at the end of Year 6 – average point scores in 2002

pupils’ recorded work. The school pays good attention to promoting pupils’ key skills. There is justifiable need to constantly reinforce and consolidate these key skills as pupils’ weak oracy and writing skills impedes the standards they are capable of reaching in the subjects they study. Too often, poor secretarial skills are hampering better standards in non-core subjects for example. The school has rightly identified the on-going need to develop pupils’ mental and problem solving skills. These are particularly weak areas. In too many mathematics lessons, Kincraig Primary- 11 pupils’ slow mental recall and inability to devise strategies for working out answers was observed to hinder their progress. The provision made for information and communication technology (ICT) has improved since the time of the previous inspection. However, standards are not yet high enough and pupils’ achievement is unsatisfactory overall. Too little attention is

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Standards in national tests at the end of Year 6 – average point scores in 2002

paid to using ICT to support pupils’ work across the subjects they study. Older pupils require far more time and opportunity to practice and refine their ICT skills than they currently receive.

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Standards in national tests at the end of Year 6 – average point scores in 2002

5. The school has high aspirations to continue to raise standards. Very challenging targets are set at the end of Year 6 to help raise expectations and to flag clearly the school’s confidence in the pupils, only five of whom have been in school since reception. The climate in school is one where all staff are determined to play their part in enabling pupils to do the best they can. The target setting process has been filtered down to all years, with targets set relevant to the different groups. The next step is to ensure that targets for individual pupils are sufficiently challenging in all years, are promoted in the objectives set for learning and for pupils to have a greater role in assessing their learning and reviewing targets regularly. The school has set targets for 2004 Year 6 national tests that demonstrate well its good ambition to continue to drive standards upwards. The school’s partnership with other schools within the Educational

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Standards in national tests at the end of Year 6 – average point scores in 2002

Action Zone (EAZ) is a positive feature in supporting the key priority of raising the quality of education for local pupils; Kincraig has been successful in meeting all of the targets set by the EAZ.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities are good overall. Boys and girls from different backgrounds get along well together. They have good attitudes to school and are keen to learn. Behaviour is good for most pupils and those with particular difficulties are supported well. Their personal development is good overall, with strengths in their understanding of moral values and their social skills. Despite a considerable improvement in attendance since the time of the previous inspection, it is still below the level expected nationally and, as such, is unsatisfactory. Punctuality is satisfactory and lessons begin on time.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils like coming to school, are interested in their lessons and are keen to learn. • Behaviour is good overall, in lessons and at playtimes. • The behaviour of some pupils who have emotional difficulties, particularly in the juniors, is well- supported and rarely causes disruption to lessons. • However, some pupils feel that they would like a clearer system of how to deal with anti-social incidents in the playground. • Attendance remains unsatisfactory but the school is making good progress towards raising the level to that expected nationally. • Pupils’ personal development is good overall, thanks to the school’s good provision for their moral and social education. • Although satisfactory, spiritual and cultural aspects of their education could be enhanced.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

6. Parents are very happy with the school’s development of pupils’ behaviour and personal and social skills, which have improved since the last inspection. The combined efforts of the school staff and external support agencies have had a wholly positive impact. This has provided a consistent and successful behaviour management policy, and good provision for the personal and social development of youngsters, some of whom have very difficult backgrounds.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

7. Attendance has improved considerably in recent years, and continues to be the focus of an attendance officer, who works closely with the education welfare service. Still below the levels expected nationally, it remains unsatisfactory, but the reduction in unauthorised absence is commendable. Punctuality is satisfactory overall, but the school has to strive to explain to all Kincraig Primary- 12 families the importance of being in school for the beginning of the morning lessons to ensure pupils make the most of the teaching.

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Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data: 6.0 School data: 1.2 National data: 5.4 National data: 0.5 The table gives the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.

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Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

8. Children in the reception have settled well and made a positive start to school. The children go about their tasks happily and are building good work habits. They are responsive to the teaching team and are willing to try hard to do all that is asked of them. Most of the children will not meet the target set for them in personal and social development but they are making good progress from a well below average start to reception.

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Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

9. Pupils like coming to school, are interested in their lessons and are keen to learn. Even the very youngest pupils sit quietly and listen intently to their teacher, before leaping into action with some vigorous ‘brain gym’. They respond best when intrigued by a subject and given the opportunity to discover something for themselves. This was well illustrated by a mathematics lesson in which older pupils made a tally of coloured cubes sampled at random from a secret, hidden source in order to predict the probability of the contents of each bag. They worked extremely well together and were fascinated to discover that their predictions were correct.

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Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

10. Behaviour has improved since the last inspection and is good overall, in lessons and at playtimes. The behaviour of some pupils who have emotional difficulties, particularly in the juniors, is well-supported and rarely causes disruption to lessons. However some pupils feel that they would like a clearer system of how to deal with anti-social incidents in the playground. There is a very effective system of rewards and sanctions used in class, and pupils are proud of their successes. Personal behaviour plans with targets and regular reviews are well used in support of pupils with particular difficulties, which allows them to be fully included in class activities. The learning mentor provides a sensitive and encouraging role in helping several pupils develop their self-esteem and their self-control.

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exclusions

White – British 161 0 0 Any other ethnic group 3 0 0 The table gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

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exclusions

11. The school takes a firm stand against any bullying or aggressive behaviour but attempts to support pupils with a variety of interventions before resorting to exclusion. This has proved very successful and last year there were no reported exclusions which shows a dramatic decline since the last full inspection. Kincraig Primary- 13 12. Pupils’ personal development is good overall, thanks to the school’s good provision for their moral and social education. Relationships are good. Pupils demonstrate an open, honest understanding of the difference between right and wrong and a very matter-of-fact awareness of life. They are enthusiastic about the possibilities of becoming more involved in decisions involving the quality of their environment through the forthcoming school council. In assemblies they show confidence when answering questions and can reflect on the qualities of true friendship, showing good insight into human nature. Although satisfactory, spiritual and cultural

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exclusions

aspects of their education are less developed. Teachers do not make the most of opportunities to consider the mystery and wonder of life and human creativity, or to inspire pupils and nurture a sense of ‘only the best will do’. There is room for improvement in their preparation for life in multi-racial British society.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

The quality of education provided is satisfactory overall. All pupils are welcomed into the family of the school and their many, and diverse needs are very well provided for. The justifiable emphasis placed on ensuring that pupils have time to build their skills in English and mathematics alongside the promotion of personal and social skills results in the time available for developing pupils’ experiences in some subjects, for example design and technology, history and geography, being restricted. School managers are alert to the need to now ensure that the curriculum widens out, so that high quality experiences are common-place in all subjects, and for more focused attention to be given to promoting speaking and writing skills within the planning of different subjects. Parents are happy with the school and see many strengths in the quality of education provided.

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Teaching and learning

The teaching is satisfactory overall and very much improved since the previous inspection. Staff rise to the many challenges with a genuine commitment to do their best for the pupils and this shows in the successful learning taking place in all classes. The school motto of “growing and learning together” is being well promoted.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching and learning are satisfactory overall and better than at the time of the previous inspection. There are considerable strengths that enable consistently good learning in reception and Year 6. • Teachers’ insistence on positive behaviour is uniform and leads to a good climate for learning in all classes. • The school has identified teaching and learning as the next priority area to be tackled; a useful start has been made in formulating a policy that will guide best practice. • Teachers work patiently to build children’s skills from a well below average base and through constant reinforcement ensure that they have a secure platform on which to learn successfully. • Teachers plan lessons that are effective in enabling the majority of pupils to make steady progress in their learning. A sharper focus on highlighting what pupils of different capabilities are expected to achieve in lessons is needed to improve pace and challenge, especially for higher

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Main strengths and weaknesses

attainers. • The teaching of pupils with special educational needs, who make a very sizeable proportion of the number on roll, is very skilful. Well-conceived individual education plans ensure that these pupils are given the support they need to make small but secure steps in learning that leads to good achievement. • Teachers are making reasonable use of the ICT provision to enable pupils to develop their ICT skills. However the use of ICT to support learning across subjects is rather adhoc. • The staff team work well together but there is a need to ensure that teaching assistants support pupils’ active learning earlier in lessons and contribute more to on-going assessment. • The EAZ funds a learning mentor based in school to support pupils’ academic and social development and she currently works with fifteen per cent of pupils very successfully. Kincraig Primary- 14

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Commentary

13. The serious weaknesses identified in teaching by the previous inspection have been eradicated due to the successful strategies for improvement led by the headteacher. The teaching team has been well chosen to complement one another, individuals are reflective about their practice and very willing to share ideas and give one another support. The very good relationships are at the heart of the school’s growing success. Pupils say they enjoy coming to school as they are learning much and having fun.

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 42 lessons

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfacto ry Poor Very Poor

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 42 lessons

0 2 (4%) 24 (57% 15 (36%) 1 (2%) 0 0 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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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 42 lessons

14. The staff in the Foundation Stage have good command of all areas of learning and are working in successful partnership to enable the children to learn well. Teaching and learning in all lessons in the reception class observed by inspectors were of consistently good or better quality.

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 42 lessons

15. Satisfactory teaching is supporting sound achievement for most boys and girls across the infants and juniors. However, in Years 3 and 4 current methods are not securing a good enough pace to pupils’ learning. The best teaching, typically in Years 5 and 6, makes learning productive, purposeful and fun and engages pupils of all capabilities to strive for their personal best. Year 6 pupils make the best rate of progress because of consistently good teaching. A very good lesson in science in Year 6 usefully illustrated the standard that others might follow. Here the teacher identified clear learning aims and built in well-timed assessment opportunities to enable her to keep check on how well different pupils learned about the earth, moon and sun. Very well-targeted questioning resulted in all pupils making a full contribution to the lesson and harder follow-on questions were asked of some to deepen their thinking skills. A pupil new

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 42 lessons

to the school was fully included in the lesson by the sensitive support shown by the teacher and other pupils in helping him to build his knowledge and understanding. Pupils were highly motivated by the teacher’s approach and worked hard to answer the probing questions and to use the key vocabulary provided. The outcome was reflected in the very good achievement made and near average standards attained.

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 42 lessons

16. Pupils with special educational needs receive some good one-to-one support from teaching assistants who are well deployed and highly effective in role. Teachers set suitable learning challenges in response to pupils’ diverse learning needs, as work provided is closely related to targets identified in pupils’ individual learning plans. Support assistants and teachers provide the correct blend of help and challenge, so that pupils do not become over-reliant on the staff. 17. Teacher’s methods by and large are chosen well to assist pupils in gaining knowledge and developing understanding at a steady rate. Their management of behaviour is a real strength. They are less successful in enabling pupils to follow their own lines of enquiry where appropriate or to enable them to put forward their views and opinions and to share problem- solving strategies. The chief weaknesses in otherwise satisfactory teaching are the lack of

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 42 lessons

precision in the objectives set for learning and too little use made of assessment to inform the planning of suitably challenging work to match different pupils’ needs and capabilities. There is a same-ness about the work set for everyone that does not stretch the brightest and so learning progresses at a pedestrian pace for this small but significant group. Teachers’ Kincraig Primary- 15 assessment is good in English and mathematics and satisfactory in science. Pupils are being given some helpful comments when their work is marked; the next step is to set realistic but challenging targets that they can work towards and review at timely intervals. Good use is made of homework to help develop the home-school partnership in the pupils’ best interests.

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The curriculum

The curriculum is good overall and provides a range of worthwhile experiences across subjects and meets statutory requirements. The provision for pupils with special educational needs is very good. The accommodation is of sound quality; it is bright, stimulating and well maintained. The size is appropriate for the current number on roll but would not be if the school’s standard number was imposed. Resources though adequate overall need enhancement in English, ICT, art and design and history. Pupils told inspectors how much they enjoy the clubs on offer.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The school is very inclusive; equality of access and opportunity is good for boys and girls from different backgrounds and provides very well for those with learning difficulties and emotional needs. However, the work planned across the curriculum is not consistently challenging for the higher attainers. • The curriculum is good in the Foundation Stage and broad and reasonably well-balanced for older pupils. Weaknesses lie in the lack of depth of study in some non-core subjects (history and geography) and the need to promote literacy and ICT skills more systematically across subjects. • There is a good range of extra-curricular activities that enhance pupils’ experiences.

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Commentary

18. Planning is much improved since the previous inspection and identifies worthwhile experiences across all subjects. The provision made for religious education fulfils the requirements of the locally agreed syllabus. Planning sets reasonable expectations and usefully takes on board national guidance that outlines the work to be covered by pupils of different ages. The school is effective in providing additional work, for example through its use of Wellington Square materials for slower learners, but is not giving the same levels of attention to ensuring that planning, provision and resources drive forward the achievement of higher attaining pupils at a consistent pace.

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Commentary

19. There are no pupils with additional language needs in the reception class. There are two pupils from Thai speaking home backgrounds in junior classes. Their achievements are in line with that of other pupils of similar capabilities. The provision to meet their needs is very well led by the head teacher as the co-ordinator for additional language needs. The school has developed a good partnership with parents of pupils who are learning to speak English.

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Commentary

20. Tried and tested strategies for improving pupils’ literacy skills are having a good impact, through the paired reading project for example. However, the amount of time devoted to teaching literacy limits that available to other subjects such as design and technology, geography and history. The school has not looked at how language and literacy skills could be extended through such subjects whilst retaining the subject-specific content. The school library is a developing asset as are the class libraries in the infants. There are generally too few books available to meet pupils’ needs in the juniors and this requires attention. There are generally too few books to support both teaching and learning in art and design and history. Accommodation is well maintained and provides a bright and stimulating setting but suffers from not having a good ICT facility and from the size of classrooms and shared spaces which are only just large

p.15

Commentary

enough to accommodate the size and number of pupils on roll. The current building of the new nursery is curtailing the available play space for the youngest children in school. However, the nursery is due to be completed by the start of 2004. Kincraig Primary- 16 21. The school’s numeracy strategy is effective but, as with literacy, there is lack of cross- curricular focus to accelerating pupils’ skills development. The work in books shows a same- ness in what pupils in different years are covering and the development of skills is adhoc. Pupils’ ICT skills are hampered by a lack of provision and too few resources to develop learning successfully.

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Commentary

22. Pupils have a wide range of experiences in the creative and aesthetic and physical aspects of the curriculum. For example, reception have made bonfire pictures from pipe cleaners, card and glitter, Year 3 have designed and created pictures in the style of Paul Klee using ICT software. Water-colours by Year 6 pupils in the style of impressionist artists are on display and are of sound quality. The school keeps a range of photographic albums and CD Rom on which it records pupils’ curricular, including musical and sporting, successes. All pupils in school have the opportunity to go swimming. For some, this is the only time they learn how to swim. Last year, 95 per cent of pupils in Year 6 met the required standard in swimming. Additionally, work supported by the EAZ has resulted in pupils sharing experiences with pupils from other schools, for example through the Young Enterprise Day. Later this term pupil mentees in Year

p.16

Commentary

6 will be sharing a play that they have written with the rest of the school, together with large- size puppets they have made to help promote the message “Make the Right Choice”.

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Commentary

23. Very good provision is made for pupils with special educational needs, including those with statements. The school draws well on external expertise to support those pupils with disabilities or with challenging behaviour and in a few instances those who have spent time in referral units prior to their successful integration into school. Carefully planned programmes of work are tailor made to enable these pupils to achieve successfully. Very good quality individual behaviour plans are in place to support pupils to manage their own feelings and trying to combat personal anxiety and anger. The use of stickers and rewards support the school’s strong ethos of valuing everyone’s efforts and hard work. Pastoral support plans are used as the final intervention before an exclusion would be inevitable. Pupils working with the learning mentor told inspectors that they feel good about themselves when they have received the

p.16

Commentary

support of staff and it helps them to behave better.

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Commentary

24. There is a good range of extra-curricular activities that enhance pupils’ experiences that includes swimming, athletics, kwik cricket, rounders, girls’ and boy’s football, netball, hockey, dance and gymnastics. The school choir meets after school, as does the homework club, and an art club at lunchtime. The school puts on a number of productions every year that all pupils take part in. Inspectors very much enjoyed watching the whole-school performance of “Robin Hood” on video. Community links are strong, for example Kincraig pupils opened the new local shop and have been involved in designing a local park. Visitors have included the school nurse, road safety officers, the Life Education Bus and Barnardos to hold a Fathers’ Day event aimed at supporting one-parent families. The Togs for Dogs day, and Jeans for Genes initiative have encouraged pupils to think about those less fortunate than themselves. The school used

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Commentary

transition units for Year 6 in the summer term with mentors from Year 7 set up to help Year 6 transfer to secondary school smoothly.

p.16

Care, guidance and support

Pupils receive very good care and support. Induction arrangements work very effectively in helping the youngest children and those new to school to settle well. The school has a very strong commitment to meeting the needs of pupils who are vulnerable or have specific difficulties, and is currently trying to strengthen its capacity to deal with transience with support from the EAZ. Child protection procedures are very good. Pupils receive very good personal and academic support, advice and guidance. The school actively seeks pupils’ views and, whenever possible, incorporates their ideas and suggestions into future plans. Kincraig Primary- 17

p.16

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The school sees everyone as being special and ensures that personal successes are celebrated and shared. • Induction arrangements are very good. • Pupils are extremely well looked after during the school day and the standard of care provided is very good. • Relationships between pupils and adults are very good and pupils receive very good support and guidance. • The monitoring of achievements and setting of personal targets is limited in subjects other than English and mathematics.

p.17

Commentary

25. Pupils are extremely well looked after during the school day; child protection and health and safety procedures are very comprehensive. The headteacher plays a pivotal role in ensuing that all pupils’ needs are taken account of and that individuals receive timely and well-judged support. A range of people are involved in risk assessments that include staff, pupils and governors working in partnership, and they are very thorough. Very good attention is paid to first aid with many staff being trained to a basic level of competence. Links with external agencies are close and enable the school to offer very good personal support to pupils who are facing particular difficulties.

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Commentary

26. Pupils like their teachers and speak warmly of the personal and academic support they provide. Inspectors agree with their positive comments; inspectors also understand why a few pupils raised in the questionnaires the fact they do not like having supply teachers when their own teacher is away from the classroom. The school rightly prides itself on the successes it has had with some pupils with significant emotional and behavioural problems who feel secure here. Pupils are happy with their school and are generally well motivated. The support provided for pupils with special educational needs is very good. All pupils are well known by the staff and have very good, trusting relationships with them. Pupils are treated with respect, care and patience. The exclusion rate has fallen dramatically from 14 in 2001 to none in 2002/3 and this demonstrates clearly the schools’ very strong commitment to inclusion.

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Commentary

27. Whilst the monitoring of achievement in English and mathematics is effective, there is limited assessment of achievement in other subjects. In addition, the setting of academic targets has usefully been introduced in these subjects, but should now be extended more widely and tied closely into the objectives set for learning.

p.17

Commentary

28. The school actively seeks pupils’ views and, wherever possible, acts upon them. A head boy and head girl were chosen through a democratic process and meet regularly with the headteacher to put forward canvassed views. Currently older pupils, who have written applications to win places on the newly created Schools Council, are waiting to hear if they have been successful.

p.17

The school has a sound and improving partnership with parents and links with the

community and partner schools are well forged to the benefit of pupils’ education.

p.17

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Most parents are positive about the quality of education being provided but some would like more information about their child’s progress and a few have concerns about bullying. • The quality of information for parents is upbeat, informative and user-friendly. • The school has good links with its community to extend the opportunities for pupils. Kincraig Primary- 18 • Links with other schools and colleges, particularly through the EAZ, have a positive impact on pupils’ education.

p.17

Commentary

29. The school has a sound and improving partnership with parents and links are growing slowly as more parents find out at first hand what the school offers its pupils. The contribution of parents to pupils’ learning both at home and school is satisfactory overall. The turn out at meetings is improving and all the parent-governor posts are filled. There are not many parents helping as volunteers in school and the parent, teacher and friends association (PTFA) is moribund. However, plans are in hand to revitalise the PTFA and through the support of the EAZ the school is hoping to encourage more parents to come into school. Parents give good support to the productions that pupils perform during the year and to the school’s charitable fund-raising endeavours. Not all parents, however, give the school the support required in ensuring their children attend regularly and on time.

p.18

Commentary

30. School information is of good quality. Newsletters are sent home regularly and include lots of useful information. The small booklet that contains parents’ and pupils’ views of the school is a high quality publication that is very user-friendly. The bookmark within it that parents can use at home is a very thoughtful touch. The annual written pupil report meets statutory requirements in telling parents how well their children are doing in the subjects they study. Most reports helpfully include literacy and numeracy targets that parents can support at home. There is nowhere for parents to comment or for pupils to review their own performance and inspectors agree with parents that this would add value to the reporting process.

p.18

Commentary

31. The links with the community and partner schools are strong and fruitful. Links with the local community are very close. Pupils in all years are involved in local studies work that helps them get to know their neighbourhood and begin to take responsibility for looking after it. Various initiatives are supported through the EAZ that help widen pupils’ experiences, for example the Tower of Learning Day involving a range of Blackpool schools working cooperatively in team- building skills.

p.18

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management are of good quality overall and governance is satisfactory.

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The headteacher gives very good leadership to the school and has ensured that all staff are signed-up to improvement and working well to bring it about. • The headteacher and her key managers have successfully eliminated the serious weaknesses in school and are making good progress towards even better quality educational provision. • The school has set itself challenging targets to raise standards and achievement levels. • The school’s commitment to educational and social inclusion is excellent and the future provision of wrap-around care for children under five is a very positive step forward. • Management systems are good and the interpretation of data to identify strengths and weaknesses is much improved. • Subject leaders are not yet fully involved in checking that school performance is at best possible levels. • Financial management is good and the budget is carefully linked to educational priorities.

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The governors are supportive, interested and actively involved in the work of the school. They are beginning to act as critical friend when questioning the school about its performance.

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

32. The headteacher has accomplished much in the fairly short time she has been in school. This is due to her forthright focus on standards and achievement that has eliminated any under- expectation and complacency. She sets a very clear agenda for school improvement and Kincraig Primary- 19 leads this process overtly. She is a very good role model for staff, but more than this, she motivates staff very effectively and has built their self-esteem greatly. In this way, all staff have been prepared successfully for their role in taking the school forward. Some staff are already showing good qualities of personal leadership; the others are poised for this role. The conditions for maintained and heightened improvement in school are very positive because of the headteacher’s personal, supportive but very rigorous approach to school improvement.

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

33. Senior managers, under this very strong steer, have contributed effectively to the process of eliminating the serious weaknesses that were apparent in school in the past. They show good understanding of the remaining issues that stand in the way of better achievement by the pupils. They too are determined to forge ahead. The prospect of enhanced leadership by senior managers is positive as the school seeks to appoint a permanent deputy headteacher and to welcome a new senior manager to its ranks. The headteacher has identified very clear and entirely appropriate specifications for both these posts that should contribute to the power and impact of leadership and management in school. 34. One of the headteacher’s first actions was to ensure that the targets set for achievement tested the mettle of the school. The school’s overall targets for achievement at the age of eleven are demanding, given the diverse background of the pupils and factors such as high

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

mobility, repeated absence of a small but significant group and the large proportion of pupils with learning difficulties as part of their special educational needs. Gradually, and increasingly, the climate is being developed to enable all pupils to thrive. At present this extends in particular to pupils with special educational needs, including those with statements, though school managers see the logic of now focusing on the demands of the higher attaining pupils in order to further advance achievement. The development of a total care package through the provision of nursery facilities and in-house social services is a key step in ensuring that pupils, whatever their circumstances, are welcomed into school and grow in academic and personal stature. The school’s commitment to inclusion is excellent and is a significant strength. 35. As part of the school’s guarantee of inclusion, it has developed a process of target setting and

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

tracking to ensure that all pupils achieve at best levels. This process is bedding in well, though it is not yet extended to the full range of subjects, it is not consistent in application, and assessment, especially marking, is not fully geared to the process. The headteacher has led the process of monitoring and evaluation from the outset and perceptive analysis of outcomes has been made. Other staff have yet to have a full role in this process of checking school performance, though they are keen to take part and to take on the mantle of responsibility for standards and achievement within their subjects. 36. The school development plan contains sensible priorities for improvement of the quality of educational provision and standards, though some success criteria are not precise enough and require a sharper focus. Finance is tied into the priorities carefully and the budget is managed and controlled effectively. Governors take an increasingly important role in the task of

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

budget setting and control and ensure that best value is pursued as they buy goods and services. At £40,000 the carry forward is reasonable but most has been earmarked for increasing learning resources. The implications for extending ICT provision is one aspect that will require resourcing at a greater level than that available currently within the school’s budget and governors need to take account of this in their financial planning. Governors support the school well and are interested in its work. They are asking more questions about the successes of the school and the areas for development in a bid to check its effectiveness. They are alert to the range of indicators that can be used to hold the school to account. The role of critical friend is an aspect of their work that could be strengthened, however. 37. The school no longer has serious weaknesses; it also has a bright future. The value for money

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

offered is sound. As standards and achievement improve, there is good prospect that the value for money will be greater. Kincraig Primary- 20

p.19

Financial information for the year April 2002 to March 2003

Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 506,438 Balance from previous year 15,712 Total expenditure 476,535 Balance carried forward to the next 40,828 Expenditure per pupil 2,962 Kincraig Primary- 21

p.20

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Provision for boys and girls in the Foundation Stage is good and has improved since the last inspection. Children are being well prepared for their move into the Year 1 class. The children come into the reception class in the September before they are five. Some have attended a variety of other pre-school provision but a few come straight from their homes. Overall the children’s attainment on entry to the reception class is well below average. However, all children achieve well because the teaching is good and work is well planned and provides a wide range of interesting activities that are matched to their different needs. The teacher and the nursery nurse are good role models for the children as they work effectively as a team. They monitor progress very thoroughly to ensure all children’s needs are being met appropriately. The accommodation is satisfactory but at the time of the inspection the outside area was not in use because a new nursery is being built. This will provide

p.21

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

the community with a wrap around facility, including children’s centre and the school with a complete Foundation Stage unit. The completion of the building is being looked forward to with great pleasure. The Foundation Stage co-ordinator has clear and aspirational vision of the children achieving higher standards when the school has the opportunity to work with them for a longer period of time. Although the children are making good progress from their starting point, many will still be working towards the goals set for them in the Foundation Stage curriculum well into Year 1.

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children come into the school with limited skills that are well below those typically found. • Children achieve well because of the good teaching and example set for them. • Positive relationships are quickly developed between children and adults who work with them. • Although the children are achieving well they are still working below the expected goals by the time they move into the Year 1 class.

p.21

Commentary

38. The personal, social and emotional development of the current intake is similar to that of children in previous intakes and is well below the level expected for children of this age. The good role models set for them by their teacher and nursery nurse helps to build confidence and self-esteem very well. The adults work as an interchangeable team who respond sensitively to the children’s diverse needs. The children follow the well-established routines with a calm approach to their work. Staff are consistent in the expectations that they have of the children’s behaviour and reward good behaviour appropriately with praise. Equally they set clear boundaries so that the children understand what is and what is not acceptable. As this is fair, the children respond positively. The adults jointly plan tasks that are interesting and ensure that the children work co-operatively with one another. The children concentrate well, even when

p.21

Commentary

they are engaged in tasks that are not directly supervised such as in their role-play in the home corner.

p.21

Commentary

39. The majority come into the classroom confidently without their parents or carers because they feel secure. They collect name cards that are placed on a chart that expresses how they feel. Most are happy but one may be sad or angry. One of the adults talks with the children about this so that they can also develop their speaking skills effectively. The children are succeeding because they trust the adults working with them as very caring relationships have been firmly established. Kincraig Primary- 22

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching is good and children achieve well, though most will not reach the goals expected by the start of Year 1. • Every opportunity is taken by adults to develop the children’s speaking and listening skills as the first step to developing reading and writing when they are ready.

p.22

Commentary

40. Both adults who work with the children are very aware of the crucial need to develop skills in this area of learning. Every opportunity is taken to question, extend answers and initiate discussions in whole class sessions and in the children’s independent activities. The teacher and nursery nurse work patiently but persistently. As a result of the very good relationships that have been built up the children are beginning to talk with growing confidence. For example, when the children are preparing to make three-dimensional images of fireworks they show good listening skills. Their interest has been well captured by the teacher’s use of good visual resources. The children are encouraged to choose the words carefully as they discuss the colours with the teacher. The children’s amazement and wonder is well developed, as demonstrated by one child declaring, “Look, look a rainbow….boom boom!”

p.22

Commentary

41. Children’s enjoyment of books is effectively developed by the way that their teacher reads so expressively to them. The lovely illustrations from carefully selected stories provide a focal point that starts their learning about families in an interesting way. The children all have their own books to share with adults. Most of them are picture books that support the children well in developing their understanding of how a story follows a sequence. A few of the children have books that have words as well as pictures in them. These children are aware of the words having meaning and are already on the pathway to becoming confident readers.

p.22

Commentary

42. All of the children take care of their books because they are being helped to understand the value of them. All of the children are expertly supported in recognising that sounds will help them to enhance their skills as both readers and writers. The teacher imaginatively uses a puppet that is unable to match sounds to pictures accurately. The children are immediately absorbed and try to help the puppet get it right. The teacher and the nursery nurse interact extremely well with one another as they match letter sounds to large illustrations prepared beforehand. The children automatically want to join in the matching exercise because the adults are so obviously enjoying doing this. Skilful interventions are beneficial and ensure that key points are reinforced. A few children are only just beginning to write with any measure of confidence and more could be done to help them along. Nevertheless the children are

p.22

Commentary

achieving well but will still be working towards their expected goals when they move into Year 1.

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching is good as well planned activities support the children in achieving well • Children need constant support as their understanding is well below that typically found Kincraig Primary- 23

p.22

Commentary

43. A significant number of children are uncertain about the value of numbers. This level of understanding is well below that typically found. The thoughtfully planned range of interesting activities helps to overcome the difficulties the children have. A major focus is in the way that the teacher and nursery nurse visually illustrate the learning for the children. There is an equally helpful emphasis on the practical nature of the whole class and group activities. This is a continuing theme shown in the examples of work over the past school year. This shows the good progress being made by the children. However, they are still working towards their expected goals when they move into Year 1. Although little recording of number has been done so far, at this early stage of the term, children are already showing understanding of numbers up to six. The teacher worked patiently with the children to consolidate their understanding of

p.23

Commentary

numbers through using pictures of apples and getting children to place them against a correct number on a number line. This children’s developing knowledge is built successfully as a result of the persistence of the teacher and her good focus on language, for example ‘More’ and ‘less’ was carefully developed in the whole class session. This learning is then effectively reinforced in small groups with children working with the teacher or nursery nurse in a very focused way. The adults assess the children’s understanding as they distribute apples to one another and then take them off one another. The adults record the children’s achievements meticulously. These activities enhance the children’s personal and social skills as well as developing their mathematical capabilities. The children’s understanding of shape and space is also developed appropriately, for example, when they make three-dimensional firework pictures.

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching is good with a wide variety of activities chosen to stimulate good learning. • Staff monitor carefully what the children are achieving. • Children use computers confidently. • Children need to be constantly reminded to listen to both adults and other children.

p.23

Commentary

44. Teaching and learning are good and children achieve well. Nevertheless the children are working at levels well below those normally expected at this stage of the school year. This is because they bring a limited knowledge of the world when they start in the school. The staff pay a great deal of attention to planning carefully and making activities fun and so get the children quickly interested in them. This arouses the children’s curiosity and develops their understanding meaningfully. For example, children are helped to develop their knowledge of the passage of time when the nursery nurse talks about her children growing up. The teacher and nursery nurse interchange their roles as the teacher poses questions and the nursery nurse records what the children contribute to the discussion. This good role modelling supports the children effectively. However, the discussion becomes diverse when children want to

p.23

Commentary

contribute all at once. The teacher is very alert to overcoming this by giving constant reminders of the need to listen to one another as well as adults. As the adults are monitoring the children’s efforts so systematically the children respond positively. They achieve well as a result of this thoughtfully systematic approach. The children’s knowledge and understanding of the world is enhanced when they work in a carousel arrangement of independent and directed activities. The children use the computer with a great deal of confidence when they match numbers to objects. Others build with construction materials linking parts together accurately. They are able to talk about tall and shorter as they have created a giraffe with a tall neck and a van that is shorter. Although the children are choosing what they are doing they are able to do Kincraig Primary- 24 so because the teacher has organised activities very well. Together with the nursery nurse she

p.23

Commentary

questions perceptively because they have formed a good relationship with the children and one another. All of the activities arranged to develop the children’s knowledge and understanding of the world emphasise the effectiveness of all areas of learning being developed alongside each other.

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children are developing their coordination and manipulative skills well. • There is no access to the outdoor play area currently because of the nursery building taking place. • Staff are making the most of the present limited opportunities to develop physical skills.

p.24

Commentary

45. No hall sessions were observed during the inspection. It was not possible to use the outdoor area because of the nursery building that is taking place. No judgement can be made about the way that staff are developing the children’s larger physical skills. However, in lessons where children were cutting and sticking, using dough or building with small and larger construction materials they were doing so with confidence. Both the teacher and nursery nurse were being supportive through monitoring carefully what the children were achieving. They questioned, acted as good role models and ensured the children were achieving well in this aspect of their physical skills. The teacher has a very clear vision of how well this position will be changed once the building work is completed for the beginning of next term.

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching and learning are good. • The children are able to experiment with a wide variety of materials. • The children enjoy singing together and changing the tempo in their music-making.

p.24

Commentary

46. The teacher plans activities carefully in order to enhance the children’s learning. The nursery nurse gives unstinting support to ensure that the children’s achievement is good. Children learn well because they have a well-organised room in which to experiment with the wide variety of materials that they can use to develop their creative abilities. For example, when the children are creating a three-dimensional firework picture they are able to use pipe cleaners, ribbon, card and string. The children listen carefully and watch avidly as the teacher demonstrates how these materials can be used together. The children’s interest is effectively engaged because the teacher targets them in discussion thoughtfully. As a result the children are able to handle the glue sticks and scissors with reasonable dexterity. As they work the children are also listening to music that stimulates their imagination. The nursery nurse is

p.24

Commentary

equally as engaged as the teacher in supporting the children’s endeavours very effectively. As a result the children are enabled to produce pictures that are a good representation of fireworks exploding in the night sky. The children are proud of their pictures because they have chosen the resources for themselves. When they are learning about tempo together in their music making the teacher and nursery nurse act as good role models by joining in all of the Kincraig Primary- 25 actions. The children demonstrate clear understanding of the difference between a slow and fast tempo because they listen to a tape carefully. They repeat the faster tempo of a song that they have already learnt as they echo the tape and the teacher and nursery nurse. They move at a slower tempo when they recognise immediately the movement of an elephant. The practical nature of their learning is helping them to move forward from a base that is well below

p.24

Commentary

that normally found. They are being well prepared for work in Year 1 and some will reach the goals this year.

p.25

Provision in English is satisfactory for boys and girls of all ages and is particularly effective

for the very large group of pupils with special educational needs.

p.25

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards in writing are improving in English lessons, particularly in Year 5 and Year 6 but presentation, punctuation and spelling are not good enough in other subjects. • Pupils with special educational needs receive good support and achieve well because of the good early assessment and specific literacy targets set that are reviewed and revised regularly. • A high proportion of pupils do not complete their full primary education at Kincraig and this has an adverse impact on standards and achievement. • Too few opportunities are planned to use ICT to help with presenting work in English. • Opportunities for speaking and listening in English lessons are having a positive impact. • More chances for pupils to put forward their views and opinions need to be planned specifically in other subjects. • The work for the higher attaining pupils is not sufficiently challenging to allow them to make the progress they potentially could.

p.25

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Resources in the new library need to be extended to enrich reading and research opportunities as do class libraries in junior classes.

p.25

Commentary

47. The school has focused clearly on eradicating the serious weaknesses in this subject and standards are rising as a result. National test results for 2003 indicate that standards are well below those of schools nationally for both Year 2 and Year 6. However when compared to similar schools results are likely to be at least average. This represents satisfactory progress from a well below average start in reception for a majority of pupils, and for those with a range of capabilities who join at other times in the year. Provision is now satisfactory but is well on track to be better than this.

p.25

Commentary

48. Achievement for pupils throughout the school, including those for whom English is an additional language, is satisfactory. Achievement for pupils with special educational needs is good. These pupils are well supported and they make good progress against their own sharp and precise individual literacy targets.

p.25

Commentary

49. Overall standards in speaking and listening are below average throughout the school. Whilst some older pupils speak confidently and make themselves understood very clearly, many pupils have a very restricted vocabulary. As a result, both their understanding and ability to communicate are significantly hampered. Teachers and teaching assistants work hard in lessons to help pupils to extend their vocabulary by:

p.25

Commentary

• Planning activities in English lessons for pupils to talk to each other. • Using skilful questions techniques which scaffold appropriate responses for pupils. Kincraig Primary- 26 • Repeating and explaining new and unfamiliar words and phrases to reinforce and consolidate learning.

p.25

Commentary

50. The use of role-play in other subjects was seen to have a real impact on pupils’ confidence and ability to speak to a large group and could be very effective if planned for more extensively.

p.26

Commentary

51. Achievement in reading is satisfactory with the development of skills being steadily acquired. Standards are well below average by the end of Year 2 and Year 6. There is a well-structured reading programme and pupils are working through a recently purchased published reading scheme. The core scheme is reflected in stimulating displays throughout the school, including Kipper’s Healthy Eating Café . There are regular opportunities throughout the day for group, paired and silent reading. Although pupils are encouraged to read with parents and carers, not all pupils get this support. As a consequence, reading diaries are inconsistently maintained for a significant proportion of pupils and this hampers progress. The library book stock is supplemented by local education authority (LEA) loans, which are well chosen by Year 6 librarians. However, the overall stock is insufficient for the development of higher order

p.26

Commentary

52. Standards are below average in all year groups in writing. English books saved from last year, show that junior-age pupils of very different capabilities were completing similar writing tasks. The school picked up on this and the drive to raise standards in writing has been hard and is beginning to show signs of success. Pupils’ achievement over time is satisfactory. Standards are rising as a result of:

p.26

Commentary

• Extended writing opportunities in Year 5 and Year 6. • Good marking, so that pupils are clear about how they can improve in Year 5 and Year 6. • Well planned, interesting writing tasks being set. • Opportunities for writing across a range of genre. • Clear literacy targets developed with pupils. • A structured handwriting scheme.

p.26

Commentary

53. The school is continuing to target writing for improvement and is aware that contributing factors to improvement include:

p.26

Commentary

• Higher expectations of presentation and spelling. • Extended writing opportunities planned in all subject areas, including the use of ICT to publish and edit work. • Clearer marking in Year 1 to Year 4 so that pupils know what it is they need to do to go for gold.

p.26

Commentary

54. In all the lessons seen teaching was mainly good and never less than satisfactory with teachers having good knowledge and a clear determination to ensure that all pupils develop their literacy skills through enjoyable activities. The incidence of mobility in school, sometimes as high as three-quarters of the class, has a profound impact on the rate of learning. Teachers have to work very hard to enable the pupils to make even small gains and generally, teaching is successful in promoting sound achievement. In a Year 5 lesson, pupils worked well to develop effective story opening from stimulating starts. These pupils were able to listen to and evaluate the work of others sensitively. Pupils concentrate well in lessons and work at the brisk pace demanded by their teachers. Teaching assistants provide good support but are not always well directed in lesson openings. The use of plenary sessions is inconsistent. Too often they are

p.26

Commentary

rushed and do not enable pupils to reflect on what they have learnt or to consider what they need to do next to improve.

p.26

Commentary

55. The subject leader has a very clear view of the subject and what still needs to be done. She has worked well with the LEA support teacher and the school staff to put in place strategies, which are impacting very positively on improvement. Monitoring has been undertaken of Kincraig Primary- 27 planning, pupils’ work and lessons although a sharper focus on targets for further improvement could now be undertaken.

p.26

Language and literacy across the curriculum

Pupils’ language and literacy skills are not well enough developed in other subjects. However, in one religious education lesson observed by inspectors in Year 2, the opportunity to role-play provided a valuable opportunity for pupils to express their thoughts and feelings. Medium term planning is insufficiently joined up for these valuable opportunities to be undertaken extensively as yet, particularly for speaking and listening and writing.

p.27

Provision in mathematics is sound with strengths in the way the school provides for pupils

who join the school at non-standard times.

p.27

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards in mathematics have risen well during recent years due to the school’s effective focus on the improvement of teaching, learning and the curriculum. • Currently, standards are well below average in Years 2 and 6. Pupils achieve satisfactorily. • A large proportion of pupils are regularly absent from school and a high percentage does not complete their full primary education at Kincraig. These factors affect standards and achievement. • Pupils with special educational needs are very well provided for in mathematics. • Higher attaining pupils could be set more demanding tasks. • Monitoring and evaluation and target setting and tracking in mathematics are not rigorous enough. • Boys and girls work equally well in most lessons and their achievement is similar. • Pupils from different social backgrounds are enabled to make satisfactory progress. • The focus on problem solving and investigation could be greater.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

56. The school has worked successfully to eliminate the serious weaknesses that affected mathematics at the time of the previous inspection. Standards have improved year-on-year, though they are still well below average in Year 2 and 6. However, all pupils achieve soundly, given their starting points. There are a number of factors that influence this pattern of standards and achievement, but school managers are very aware of the constraints on achievement and are determined to isolate them. Good improvement has been made to the curriculum for mathematics and the quality of education provided. Provision is now satisfactory but is well on track to be better than this.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

57. The observation of lessons, and importantly, the scrutiny of pupils’ work show that achievement is strongest in Year 6. This is because expectations are highest in this year group and the work is well targeted against pupils’ prior attainment. Additionally, factors such as the high level of mobility in the year group are understood for their impact on achievement and provision is well adapted, both in the short term and the long, to meet all pupils’ needs effectively. 58. The high incidence of mobility in school, sometimes as high as three-quarters of the class, has a profound impact on learning. School records show that some topics in mathematics have not been as well learned by pupils in particular years because of the high incidence of absence during the week of that work. Overall, the quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory in mathematics. Teachers have to work very hard to enable the pupils to make even small gains

p.27

Main strengths and weaknesses

and generally, teaching is successful in promoting sound achievement.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

59. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory and the curriculum is appropriate for the diverse range of pupils in school. Pupils from different social backgrounds achieve satisfactorily, including those pupils who have difficult circumstances outside school. The Kincraig Primary- 28 gradual development of wrap around care in school is a positive step towards improved achievement in mathematics. Overall, there is good focus on skills and knowledge, though the pace of mental arithmetic could be slicker and pupils’ understanding of their mathematics would be fostered by greater emphasis on problem solving and investigation. Pupils with special educational needs are enabled to achieve steadily because their work is very carefully planned to meet their requirements and the quality of support is very good. The school’s monitoring and evaluation process has not yet identified the factors in provision for pupils with

p.27

Main strengths and weaknesses

special educational needs that can be applied to other groups, such as the higher attainers, whose work is not always as demanding as it could be.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

60. Mathematics is led and managed well. In the past, leadership has ensured that provision has improved substantially. School managers have identified that in most lessons and in tests, boys and girls achieve at similar levels. This analysis corresponds with the findings of inspection. The school has begun to target individual achievement and set clear learning priorities for pupils. The tracking of progress towards these targets is not yet rigorous enough and marking of work does not often enough identify how well the pupil is doing or suggest ways to improve in order that targets are met. The school is awake to the need to work for continued improvement in mathematics and the prospects for the future are bright.

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Mathematics across the curriculum

61. There is satisfactory use of mathematics in other subjects. For example, in ICT pupils use spreadsheets to gather and present data in tabular and graph form. Positive links are also to be found in science and design and technology for example, in the fields of measurement and data handling. In this way, skills, knowledge and understanding are developed soundly. However, in some subjects links are not strong enough. In history, time lines and chronology are not emphasised enough. There is a need to ensure that explicit links are written into planning and then monitored for impact.

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Provision in science is satisfactory with some good features that are enabling pupils to build

their achievement from an improving base.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils’ achievements in science show an improving trend although results achieved are still below the national average for pupils aged seven and eleven. • A very small group of pupils are achieving standards that are above average for pupils aged eleven. • A high proportion of pupils do not complete their full primary education at Kincraig and this has an adverse impact on standards and achievement. • Teaching throughout the school is satisfactory overall with some good teaching in infant years and towards the end of the junior stage. • Good attention is given to most aspects of science but more attention should be paid to using and applying science strategies particularly in the junior classes. • Management of science is effective although more opportunities need to be given to the subject leader to monitor the impact of teaching and learning on standards achieved by pupils. • There is insufficient use of ICT to assist pupils’ scientific work.

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Commentary

62. Inspection evidence indicates an improving picture in both provision and in teachers’ expectations of pupils’ achievement. An increasing proportion of pupils are reaching the expected level in the national tests in science. Preliminary results of the 2003 national tests are up on those in 2002 across the board. Year 6 data shows that performance at the higher Level Kincraig Primary- 29 5 tripled in science. The schools’ results are likely to compare favourably to those found in similar schools. This is very positive in view of the high level of mobility amongst year groups. Some good achievement in science is evident from the sample of pupils’ work saved from last year. Good teaching in science lessons, and evident from the well-set out work in pupils’ books is helping to raise standards to a near average level in Year 1. However the low standards of attainment in literacy and numeracy are generally having a continued impact on overall results

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Commentary

by the end of Year 2 and Year 6. Inspection findings confirm that standards in science are below average at these two key points.

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Commentary

63. Pupils with average attainment achieve well, as do pupils for whom English is an additional language and who also have similar capabilities. Pupils with special educational needs achieve in line with other pupils and there are no significant differences between the attainment of boys and girls. However there is evidence that some older pupils, identified as lower achievers for literacy and numeracy, have better scientific skills than those identified as higher achievers. Assessment and target setting processes in science therefore need to be refined to ensure that they are linked effectively to tracking pupils’ achievement and progress over time.

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Commentary

64. Teaching is satisfactory overall throughout the school with some good teaching in infant classes and in the last two years of junior classes. Where teaching is better an appropriate balance of challenge and support is applied to pupils of all capabilities and higher attaining pupils, in particular, are stretched by skilful questioning and open-ended tasks. For example, as part of their topic about “Growth”, Year 2 pupils interviewed a mum about what it was like looking after a toddler. Such experiences not only widen pupils’ scientific knowledge and understanding but make a useful contribution to developing their speaking and listening skills too. In some classes teaching assistants are utilised skilfully to support pupils learning, particularly that of pupils with special educational needs, but in some cases teaching assistants are not fully engaged in the learning processes from the start of the lesson and

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Commentary

momentum is lost. Where pupils are given the well-resourced opportunities for scientific investigation they make measurable progress over the course of a lesson. In Year 3, pupils were well motivated and confident to predict which rocks would be the best to withstand weathering. Pupils undertook the fair test with a good degree of accuracy, rubbing different rocks for the same amount of time with a penny. In their evaluations, pupils rightly decided that granite, as the hardest rock, would be the best material in which to construct a statue. The good focus on pupils’ learning styles in Year 5 and consistently good teaching in Year 6 are accelerating pupils’ learning and impacting positively on the standards reached. A very good lesson observed in Year 6 enabled pupils to begin to build a good knowledge base about the planets in the Earth’s solar system as part of the introductory lesson in the series. Good

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Commentary

questioning techniques deepened pupils’ thinking skills and extended their vocabulary. Standards were not far short of average because of the very good methods and very high expectations.

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Commentary

65. Leadership of science is effective but as yet there has not been opportunities to monitor teaching and learning. Release for the subject leader to advance her management role is planned as part of the current school development plan. Similarly, whilst assessment processes are in place, annotated and levelled exemplars have still to be included in the school’s standards portfolio. Assessment processes now need to be refined to more accurately inform teachers’ planning and target setting particularly of that group of pupils which is non-transient and who were assessed at the school at the age of seven. The target setting and tracking of progress of this group of pupils will provide more useful information regarding the impact of any implemented improvement strategies. The targets set for 2004 national tests in Year 6 are very challenging at 75 per cent and the school will have to make good advancement to reach them. There is a good, shared determination to strive for improvement.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Provision in ICT has been improved considerably but is not yet satisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• ICT is a key issue for the inspection. • Standards in ICT are well below average in most parts of the school because pupils do not have enough opportunities to learn and apply new skills and knowledge. • Achievement is unsatisfactory in most years. • The school has improved resources for the subject and this is having a positive effect on the quality of education. • There is not enough use of ICT across the curriculum. • Monitoring and evaluation and target setting and tracking are ripe for improvement.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

66. At the time of the previous inspection, much criticism was levelled at provision in ICT because of the insignificant amount of work completed. This meant that most pupils had very limited skills and knowledge in the subject and standards were low. Since then, school managers have redoubled their efforts to improve the subject. Much money has been spent on new resources and, importantly, on staff training, with the result that now, ICT is used more successfully and staff confidence and expertise is satisfactory. However, much remains to be done to ensure that satisfactory provision and outcomes are achieved.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

67. In the few lessons observed, teaching quality was never less than satisfactory and sound learning resulted in appropriate gains in knowledge and skills. However, not much evidence of pupils’ past work was evident, so it is difficult to gauge teaching and learning in the longer term. Furthermore, lesson planning for the inspection period only infrequently made specific link to ICT. Few pupils were observed using computers in class. ICT is clearly a key issue for improvement in school.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

68. The quality of resources have been improved, and continue to be so. By the end of the autumn term all classes will have a laptop driven digital projector that, on the evidence of lessons seen, will make a positive contribution to learning. School managers are adamant that pupils have greater opportunities to use the full range of technology available and develop skills and knowledge that will benefit their learning in all subjects. At present, the banks of computers outside some classrooms is a good step towards more effective provision. The development of integrated ICT and library facilities as the school expands is a challenge for school managers and the governors.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

69. Monitoring and evaluation of the subject has started securely, though it is in its early stage of development. The subject is well led. The subject leader is firm in her intent to move the subject ahead and gives a good steer to developments in the subject. The priorities for development are the right ones, for example the development of an assessment and target setting process that is dovetailed into the planning system.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

70. It is evident that the pace of improvement to ICT has to be accelerated in order to ensure that the curriculum is delivered in full and that pupils gain in their learning at a consistent and appropriate rate. Currently, standards remain well below average and achievement is unsatisfactory. Pupils in the junior classes are considerably behind their colleagues in other primary schools. However, there are more positive prospects in infant classes, where Year 1, for example, show a broader base of experience and more secure knowledge and skills. Their standards are below, rather than well below average and their achievement is satisfactory. This platform for the future is something that the school can now build from confidently in its bid to boost standards and achievement at all stages. Kincraig Primary- 31

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ICT ACROSS THE CURRICULUM

71. There is not enough use of ICT in different subjects to develop both skills and knowledge in ICT or proficiency in the host subject. ICT is often used as a teaching resource in subjects such as history and mathematics but limitations of equipment and accommodation mean its use as an aid to learning is not strong. In many lessons just two or three pupils at most use the technology and this slows the pace of learning. School managers are alert to this issue and are tackling it with determination, but much still has to be done to ensure ICT is an integral part of learning across the school and in all appropriate subjects.

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GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

Provision in geography and history is adequate.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Geography and history provision is of sufficient quality to ensure pupils learn basic information about the two subjects. • The time spent on ensuring pupils build basic skills in literacy and numeracy has an adverse impact on the allocation made to developing pupils’ learning consistently and to enable a good depth of study. • There is not enough development of basic skills of English and mathematics in geography and history.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

72. Not much evidence was available for geography and history during the inspection, so it is difficult to rank standards and achievement. However, the evidence that was forthcoming in the sample of work saved from last year was sufficient to show that pupils study a range of civilisations in history and undertake local studies, map work and compare and contrast different localities in geography. A Year 5 lesson demonstrated adequate knowledge to talk and write briefly about the differences in classrooms and learning in Victorian times. Similarly, Year 1 pupils were able to write job titles as labels for local buildings that they recognised as part of their geography lesson.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

73. Much of the learning in the two subjects relies on a good memory and the repetition of information given by the teacher. There is insufficient opportunity for pupils to research topics for themselves. This is in part due to the lack of resources such as books and not enough use made of ICT, but it is also due to the teaching methods used and the capping of achievement by extensive use of worksheets.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

74. Opportunities to promote basic skills in English and mathematics are missed. In lessons, pupils frequently listen for lengthy periods as their teachers explain and develop knowledge. In general, listening skills are sound. However speaking skills are not given the same emphasis. Pupils do not have enough opportunities to question, explain, describe or analyse as they work. The mode of recording the outcomes of lessons, such as in poster or worksheet format, reduces the opportunity to write at length or in different styles. Neither are handwriting, spelling and punctuation skills sufficiently developed by the current approach and work is often untidy.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

75. School managers are aware of these shortcomings. The school’s priorities have rightly been elsewhere whilst the school had serious weaknesses. The opportunity to make continued improvement to English and mathematics through the development of subjects such as geography and history is now. Resources, though adequate in overall, could be enhanced by widening the range of books to support both teaching and learning in history. Kincraig Primary- 32

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils are beginning to learn about the way that religion can be applied to their daily lives. • Pupils are learning from a suitably wide range of world religions and their achievement is satisfactory. • There is not enough attention being paid to good presentation.

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Commentary

76. Standards are below average at the end of Years 2 and 6 as they were at the time of the last inspection. Although only one lesson was observed there was a good amount of written work to examine. Analysis of this work clearly indicates that pupils’ achievement is sound by the end of school. Some good achievement in religious education is evident from the sample of pupils’ work in infant classes from last year and in Year 3. Pupils have considered friendship and cross-referenced their own views to those of Jesus and his disciples. They have thought about the features of good role models in their writing about Kylie Minogue and David Beckam. Pupils consider a range of comparative religions, looking for similarities between Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Pupils write about the importance of light as a symbol of hope for all faiths. 77. In the lesson observed by inspectors in Year 2, teaching and learning were both good. Pupils

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Commentary

were exploring ways that news can be transmitted and relating it to the good news embedded in the Christian message. The disaster of a fire at a local school was focused upon as pupils took on the roles of pupil, parent and fire fighter. Pupils were perceptively taking a viewpoint according to the role they were playing. Newspaper and radio recordings were discussed and listened to carefully. From the disastrous situation the good news of rebirth of the school was effectively equated to the good news of the Christian message. Written work shows that pupils in other year groups have good opportunities to link religious teaching with everyday life. When learning about Diwali in Year 4 the pupils’ growing awareness of how light affects moods and feelings is an example of how pupils are encouraged to consider wider issues. The work on this was neat and well presented. However, there is too little attention being given to recording

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Commentary

knowledge and understanding carefully enough throughout the school and teachers are not expecting high quality presentation. 78. The good coverage of the locally agreed syllabus is well supported by teachers’ planning. This pays careful attention to giving the pupils opportunities to discuss and express their feelings. The approach is usefully supporting pupils’ speaking and listening skills. The subject leader has had no opportunity to monitor teaching and learning to enable her to have a clear view of the standards across the school. There is no agreed assessment policy other than that provided by the local syllabus. The subject is due to be high priority in the school improvement plan for next year and in readiness the subject leader is beginning to build a subject portfolio that includes samples of pupils’ work.

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Art and design

Provision in art and design is satisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Worthwhile experiences enable pupils to enrich their artistic, creative and cultural awareness. • There is limited work in three dimensions, for example clay work. Resources lack breadth and the school has few multicultural images and artefacts. Kincraig Primary- 33 • The school has not explored the possibility of harnessing an artist in residence to bring added expertise and a wider creative partnership .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

79. It is evident from teachers’ planning, pupils’ sketch books and portfolios and displays of pupils’ work that the work planned in art and design is both varied and interesting. Standards are average in infants and juniors, which is a positive improvement on the position at the last inspection. Pupils’ work consistently increases in skill level as they get older. In Year 1 collage work on fruit and vegetables is carefully constructed and reflects line and tone. Spirals in Year 3 and Autumn leaves in Year 4 show careful application and understanding of colour. In Year 6 sensitive water colours, developed from sketches in the local area, are skilfully executed. Sketch-books are used to plan, experiment and record pupils’ progress in line, colour and observational skills. Few opportunities for three dimensional (3D) work were seen although pupils sharing life stories in emotional literacy work are planning to construct large-scale

p.33

Main strengths and weaknesses

80. Resources lack breadth and do not support the study of artists. The school has few multicultural images and artefacts, which would significantly enrich the subject. ICT is not used consistently to support the subject. Despite being a priority in the school improvement plan the subject is just ticking along due to the subject leader’s arduous workload. There is however a clear awareness on her part of the factors which will contribute to further improvement:

p.33

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Additional resources for 3D work and study of artists. • Staff development through use of artists in residence. • Opportunity for a sharply focussed monitoring programme.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils’ sound achievements in design and technology show an improvement since the previous inspection. • Standards are average by the end of Year 2 but below average by the end of Year 6. • Teaching throughout the school is satisfactory overall but where teaching is better pupils’ activities are less prescriptive and personal choice and selection of materials leads to more creative designs. • The range of experiences for the pupils could be extended and could include more challenging tasks, particularly for higher attaining pupils, linked to other areas of the curriculum. • Management of design and technology is effective although more opportunities need to be given to the subject leader to monitor the impact of teaching and learning on standards achieved by pupils. • Although there are examples of teachers using ICT to support pupils’ learning, the practice is not sufficiently widespread.

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Commentary

81. There has been a steady improvement since the last inspection in standards attained by pupils in infant classes and in pupils’ achievement overall. Pupils for whom English is an additional language achieve as well as those who have similar capabilities. Pupils with special educational needs achieve in line with other pupils and there are no significant differences between the attainment of boys and girls. The school provides worthwhile experiences for pupils across the design and making strands. Pupils’ opportunities to evaluate their work need to be consistently applied so that they can be more involved in assessing their own achievement and taking more responsibility for their own learning. Kincraig Primary- 34 82. Teaching is satisfactory overall throughout the school, the most effective teaching being in infant classes. Pupils in Year 2 have made some wheeled toys of good quality and worked with

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Commentary

dexterity to make wind up toys with axle and pivots. The links to literacy were clear when the pupils named the toys ‘Incey Wincey Spider’ Where teaching is better the range of learning opportunities in the subject has been extended, linking design and technology with other areas of the curriculum. For example pupils in Year 1 designed a fruit salad by choosing healthy eating foods. The topic was made meaningful to them because of links with both science and literacy that involved Kipper’s Healthy Eating Café a key character from the Oxford Reading Tree reading scheme. In better lessons, higher attaining pupils are stretched by skilful questioning and more open-ended tasks. In otherwise satisfactory lessons, however, opportunities for pupils to show independence and self-choice are more limited. In an unsatisfactory lesson in Year 4 these were the key limiting factors on pupils’ achievement. Marking is sporadic in design and technology and therefore misses opportunities to provide

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Commentary

pupils with guidance about how to improve next time. Pupils in some classes carry out evaluations of their work to identify how future improvements might be made but the practice is not sufficiently widespread.

p.34

Commentary

83. Leadership of design and technology has the potential to become effective but as yet the subject leader has not been able to monitor the impact of teaching and learning in the classroom on pupils’ standards of achievement, although this is planned as part of the current school development plan. Similarly, whilst assessment processes are in place, annotated and levelled exemplars have still to be included in the school’s standards portfolio. This along with other assessment processes needs to be sharpened to have a greater impact on pupils’ achievement. In-service training utilising a local education authority adviser has been started and plans have been drawn up to replace the existing two year rolling programme of topics with a progressive skills based curriculum for the subject which will help to improve provision.

p.34

Music

84. It is not possible to report about the provision in music because no lessons were identified on the timetable during the inspection time in the school, nor was any significant amount of other evidence made available. Planning shows reasonable curriculum coverage and the subject leader, who is a professional musician herself, made a position statement available that gave useful insights into how the subject is to be improved. Resources for music are sound and stored to be accessible for all classes. Inspectors watched a range of videos that included singing of satisfactory quality. For example, as part of a Year 6 assembly about World War 2, It’s a long way to Tipperary was sung enthusiastically and with good diction and timing. In an assembly on Day 1 of the inspection, pupils from junior classes were confident to sing a song from the musical Grease which they will perform in February alongside pupils from other

p.34

Music

Blackpool schools. A keyboard club for Year 2 and 3 pupils is held weekly and a good stock of recorders has been purchased for use at an after school club yet to begin. No pupils learn musical instruments at home- all provision is school-based.

p.34

Physical Education

Provision in physical education (PE) is satisfactory.

p.34

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils’ achievements in PE are satisfactory and standards are average. • Achievement for children with special educational needs is in line with that of other children. • Teaching throughout the school is satisfactory overall but the organisation of internal teaching spaces requires attention. • The range of experiences for the pupils is planned for improvement by the addition of an adventure play area. Kincraig Primary- 35

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Commentary

85. Pupils experience a range of worthwhile opportunities to develop their physical skills across all strands of the PE curriculum. Last year, 95 per cent of Year 6 were able to swim the required 25 metres by the time they left school. Teaching is satisfactory overall but opportunities to improve achievement are missed. For example in a gymnastics lesson, pupils were asked to watch the performance of others, but were not directed to consider how the quality of performance or execution of a movement might be improved. Pupils sitting out of the lesson due to injury or because they have forgotten PE clothes could usefully play a part in assessment at such times. Better class management and tighter control of pupils during lessons would also result in improved standards of achievement.

p.35

Commentary

86. The leadership and management of the subject are satisfactory. However care should be taken to ensure that teaching spaces are free from unnecessary clutter and that there are sufficient safety mats for use by pupils during gymnastics lessons. In-service training for staff to ensure levels of subject knowledge and safety procedures are secure should be held as soon as possible.

p.35

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

Provision in personal, social, health education and citizenship is good.

p.35

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The school is a happy and caring community in which all pupils are given equal status and show tolerance and respect for one another. • The staff know pupils and their families very well and are happy to go the extra mile to make sure that pupils feel safe and confident in school. • The provision of milk for younger children and water for older pupils together with healthy fruit, and snacks helps pupils’ concentration and also shows the value of nutrition and diet. • A well-conceived scheme of work is in place that enables pupils to build their level of knowledge and understanding about a range of moral and social issues, including race awareness, sex and drugs education as well as developing good social skills. • Pupils with emotional and behavioural needs are given very good additional support to help improve self-esteem and self-worth and to ensure that they develop useful strategies to enable

p.35

Main strengths and weaknesses

them to resolve conflicts and cope with personal anger.

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Commentary

87. Personal, social and health education is very well provided for. The very good role models provided by staff and governors support positively the very good relationships so evident in school. Assemblies often focus upon a theme that supports pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. One example seen by inspectors involved pupils’ considering, what it means to be a friend and what characteristics define friendship. Circle times are used effectively for pupils to explore their own feelings, listen to the views of others and share experiences openly and honestly. Pupils are being given good assistance to prepare them to take their place as responsible future citizens.

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Commentary

88. Pupils are given a good range of experiences that enable their personal and social skills to be built effectively. For example, participation in assemblies, school plays and productions enable pupils of all ages to perform before their peers with confidence. In the infants’ production of the Grumpy Sheep, the pupils showed real professionalism as they used microphones and performed on a proper stage set, acting confidently and singing sweetly, much to the enjoyment of the audience. Year 6 pupils show good levels of self-esteem, for example as they explain to the rest of the school about multiple intelligences as the main theme of an assembly they wrote and performed. Kincraig Primary- 36 89. A healthy life-style including healthy eating is given prominence in school. Pupils in Year 2 have written a book of healthy messages that include: “do more exercise”, “drink more water”, “eat fruit five times a day” and “wash your hands in the day”. All year groups consider aspects of

p.35

Commentary

keeping safe and healthy and in Year 6 pupils spend time ranking what is most important and usefully consider what to do in the event of an emergency.

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Commentary

90. Pupils have been instrumental in drawing up their class and the school rules and the good behaviour is testament to the way these rules are upheld. The “super pupil” award made in assembly is prized highly from the youngest to the oldest pupil, and celebrated by all. Kincraig Primary- 37

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The overall effectiveness of the school 4

How inclusive the school is 2 How the school’s effectiveness has changed since its last inspection 4 Value for money provided by the school 4

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities 3

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

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The quality of education provided by the school 4

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

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The leadership and management of the school 3

The governance of the school 4 The leadership of the headteacher 2 The leadership of other key staff 3 The effectiveness of management 3 Inspectors make judgements on a scale: excellent (grade 1); very good (2); good (3); satisfactory (4); unsatisfactory (5); poor (6); very poor (7). When judging standards- 1 is very high, 2 - well above average; 3 – above average; 4 – average; 5 – below average; 6 – well below average; 7-very low

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