Lamberhurst St Mary's CofE (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School

PRIMARY SCHOOL

Inspection number: 256671 Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 Lamberhurst St Mary’s CE (VC) Primary School - 2 This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated.

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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. Lamberhurst St Mary’s CE (VC) Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Primary School category: Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils: 4-11 Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 114

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: School Hill Lamberhurst Kent Postcode: TN3 8DF

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Telephone number: 01892 890281 Fax number: 01892 890281

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body Name of chair of governors: Mrs J Leng

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 22 June 1998

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

With 114 pupils on roll, this school is smaller than most primary schools. The roll has risen slightly since the previous inspection. The school serves an area of social and economic advantage but a minority of pupils have less advantaged home backgrounds. Pupils’ attainment on entry covers a wide ability range, and is above that generally found. The proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals is below the national average. The percentage of pupils learning English as an additional language is higher than that of most schools at 3.3 per cent, but none are at an early stage of acquiring the language. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs is around the national average and three pupils have Statements of Special Educational Needs. Their needs include: moderate learning difficulties, autism and multi-sensory impairment. Nearly all pupils have White UK heritage backgrounds. A few have Indian, White European or other backgrounds. A high

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

proportion of pupils start or leave the school at times other than is usual. There have been a significant number of staff changes since the previous inspection and currently there are two temporary teachers. The school plans to move to a new building in the village within the next two years. Lamberhurst St Mary’s CE (VC) Primary School - 4

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

2592 Mr R Cheetham Lead inspector Mathematics Science Geography History Physical education English as an additional language Educational inclusion Special educational needs 19436 Mr M O’Malley Lay inspector 26219 Mrs P Hadfield Team inspector English Art and design Design and technology Information and communication technology Music Religious education The Foundation Stage

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Cambridge Education Associates Limited Demeter House Station Road Cambridge CB1 2RS

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

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

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 8

Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 8

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL 11

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

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS 30

Lamberhurst St Mary’s CE (VC) Primary School - 6

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school provides a sound standard of education for its pupils. Most pupils make satisfactory progress, reach average standards in subjects and achieve soundly. School leadership and management are satisfactory. Through a combination of circumstances, the school has had and still faces significant difficulties over staffing and this has slowed its progress. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. The school provides satisfactory value for money .

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school’s main strengths and weaknesses: • The headteacher provides good leadership. • There is very good provision for pupils with special educational needs. • There is good provision in the Foundation Stage (children in the Reception class in this school). • Pupils’ good attitudes, personal development and very good behaviour are promoted. • There is a good range of extra activities. • There is good analysis and use of pupil assessment information in English, mathematics and science, but weaknesses in most other subjects. • Provision enables most pupils to reach their learning targets. • Standards in information and communication technology (ICT) are below average. • Subject management in design and technology, geography, history, ICT, music and physical education is unsatisfactory. • There is not enough very good or better teaching. • Strategic development planning is unsatisfactory. • There are too many temporary arrangements for teaching staff.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

• Physical education provision does not meet statutory requirements.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

Since the school was last inspected in June 1998, improvement has been satisfactory. Although current Year 6 standards in English, mathematics and science are below those of 1998, the current year group has a higher proportion of pupils with special educational needs. ICT now meets statutory requirements and standards in handwriting have improved. Teaching has been monitored and specific points for improvement made so that marking is consistent, learning objectives are clear and pupils are more involved in assessing their work. Arrangements for financial planning now make better use of the headteacher’s time. Accommodation has been improved to maximise learning opportunities as far as possible.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

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

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

In the tables above, E* refers to the lowest 5 per cent nationally. Care should be taken when interpreting the information in the tables because year groups are small and a high proportion of pupils start or leave the school at times other than usual. Current pupils’ achievement is satisfactory overall. Children in the Foundation Stage achieve well and a minority will attain above the goals in all the areas of learning children are to reach by the end of Reception. In Years 1 and 2 most pupils achieve soundly in reading, writing, mathematics and science and reach average standards. By Year 6, most pupils achieve soundly in English, mathematics and science and reach Lamberhurst St Mary’s CE (VC) Primary School - 7 average standards. Standards of attainment are generally higher in Year 5 than in other year groups. Standards in ICT are below average and achievement is unsatisfactory. Standards in religious

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

education are average and pupils’ achievement is satisfactory. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress and achieve well. The few pupils learning English as an additional language make similar progress to that of their peers. The school encourages pupils’ personal development well . Their spiritual and cultural development is good and their moral and social development is very good . Pupils have good attitudes to school and behave very well. Relationships are very good. Attendance is satisfactory and punctuality is good.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The school provides a satisfactory standard of education . The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory overall . It is good in the Foundation Stage, where learning is managed consistently well. In Years 1 to 6, the skills of literacy and numeracy are taught soundly, although pupils do not use their number or ICT skills enough in other subjects. Pupils build their scientific knowledge soundly but do not develop their investigative skills enough because teachers do not emphasise them. Teachers plan their lessons well and pupils know what is expected of them. All pupils are very well included in lessons and those with special educational needs are taught well. Pupils’ homework supports their learning well.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The school provides a broad and balanced curriculum that is enriched by extra activities. The school cares for its pupils well and makes good use of its assessment information in English, mathematics and science to promote their progress. Assessment is unsatisfactory in most other subjects. Resources are good. The school has very good links with parents and the community.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Overall leadership and management are satisfactory . The headteacher leads the school well and is a significant factor in maintaining continuity of provision against a background of staffing changes. Although the leadership of English, mathematics and science is good, there are weaknesses in the leadership of most other subjects mainly because staff have only recently taken them over. The management of provision for pupils with special educational need is very good. Staff are well trained and deployed. Strategic planning is unsatisfactory because there are too many priorities that are not staged over the medium term. Governors are soundly organised and have been influential in planning for the new school. They monitor aspects of the school’s performance and wish to strengthen this in order to hold it more to account.

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Parents and pupils are very pleased with the school. Parents particularly like the speed with which any concerns are addressed, and pupils feel secure.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

The most important things the school should do to improve are: • Raise standards in ICT. • Improve subject management in design and technology, geography, history, ICT, music and physical education. • Improve overall the quality of teaching and learning and improve teacher assessment in art and design, geography, history, music, physical education and religious education. • Improve strategic development planning. • Make every effort to secure greater stability of teacher staffing.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

and, to meet statutory requirements: • Ensure that all physical education planning follows National Curriculum Programmes of Study. Lamberhurst St Mary’s CE (VC) Primary School - 8

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Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

Children in the Foundation Stage achieve well. Most will reach the Early Learning Goals in all the areas of learning by the start of Year 1 and a minority will exceed this. By Years 2 and 6, most pupils reach average standards of attainment in most subjects reported and achievement is satisfactory. A small minority of higher-attaining pupils are reaching above average standards.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children’s good rate of achievement in the Foundation Stage is due to well-managed learning and high expectations. • By Year 6, standards in speaking and listening, spelling and handwriting are above average and pupils achieve well. • Attainment is Year 5 is generally above average mainly because the year group has a higher proportion of higher-attaining pupils than others. • By Year 6, pupils achieve well in number work owing to regular practice. • By Year 6, standards in using and applying in mathematics and in investigative work in science are below average and pupils’ achievement is unsatisfactory because not enough emphasis is placed on these aspects. • In Years 2 and 6, standards in ICT are below average and pupils’ achievement is unsatisfactory. However, in Year 1, pupils’ attainment is above average and their achievement is good. • Pupils with special educational needs make good progress towards their targets in their Individual

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Main strengths and weaknesses

Education Plans because of accurate assessments and very good support. • The school reached its target for Year 6 pupils’ attainment in English in 2003 but fell short of the mathematics target. • Currently, the school is making satisfactory progress towards its appropriately demanding targets.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

Standards in national tests at the end of Year 2 – average point scores in 2003 Standards in: School results National results Reading 16.1 (13.8) 15.7 (15.8)

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Main strengths and weaknesses

There were 14 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Main strengths and weaknesses

Standards in national tests at the end of Year 6 – average point scores in 2003 Standards in: School results National results English 27.0 (25.7) 26.8 (27.0) Mathematics 28.6 (29.0) 26.7 (26.8) Science 29.0 (29.7) 28.6 (28.3) There were115 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Commentary

1. Trends in pupils’ standards of attainment in Years 2 and 6 are affected by several factors: the quality of teaching, the composition of each year group, the small numbers of pupils, and the high proportion of pupils who start or leave the school each year at times other than normal. Consequently, care should be taken when examining trends in attainment over time. From a Lamberhurst St Mary’s CE (VC) Primary School - 9 low base in 2001, Year 2 standards have generally improved. In the last three years, Year 2 standards in national tests of reading, writing and mathematics have improved at a faster rate than those nationally. In 2003, they matched the national average (and the average of schools with a similar proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals) in reading and writing and were above average in mathematics. In science, Teacher Assessments showed that standards were average. During the same period, and again from a low base in 2001, standards in Year

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Commentary

6 in English, mathematics and science have improved at the same rate as those nationally. In 2003, standards were average in English and science and well above average in mathematics. However, in English and science, they were well below the average of a group of schools whose pupils reached similar standards in Year 2 and they matched this average in mathematics.

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Commentary

2. In the current year, children in the Foundation Stage achieve well because the class teachers work well in partnership with the teaching assistants and parent helpers. This gives children ready access to an adult to promote their learning. Their good achievement is also due to the way that the teachers plan and manage the learning of the mixed Reception and Year 1 class so that the Reception children have good role models for learning.

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Commentary

3. In Years 2 and 6, most pupils’ sound achievement overall reflects the satisfactory standard of teaching in most lessons. Although there are differences in the attainment of boys and girls in each year group, they are not statistically significant because of the small numbers involved.

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Commentary

4. Pupils’ development in speaking and listening is consistently encouraged in most lessons and pupils are usually given time to think to compose their reply to questions and to reflect on the comments of others. Their spelling and handwriting skills are practised regularly. Pupils usually take a pride in the presentation of their work and homework makes a good contribution to their progress in spelling. Pupils’ progress in number skills is encouraged through their regular practice using a computer program that sets progressively more challenging work and through the way pupils explain how they worked out their answers. They do not have the same amount of practice in using mathematics in other subjects or in solving problems. In investigative science, pupils are encouraged to put more effort into setting out the results of their experiments than they put into making predictions and evaluating their work.

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Commentary

5. Below average standards in ICT are due to limited resources that do not allow for enough pupils to have regular access to a computer, and because of insufficient use of ICT in other subjects. Higher achievement in Year 1 is promoted by clear teacher demonstration and good choice of program. In religious education, standards in Years 2 and 6 are average and achievement is satisfactory. Year 6 pupils have a good knowledge of different faiths, but their general achievement is not better because the school does not assess pupils’ progress well enough to promote higher standards. From limited evidence, there are indications that pupils’ attainment in Years 2 and 6 is average in history and geography because teachers make good use of local and other resources to motivate pupils to learn. There is not enough evidence to report on standards in art and design, design and technology, music and physical education.

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Commentary

6. The good progress of pupils with special educational needs is due to accurate initial assessments, clear learning targets and sensitive assistance that supports pupils and encourages their independence. The few pupils learning English as an additional language and those from minority ethnic backgrounds are fully included in all the school has to offer.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

Pupils’ attitudes are good and their behaviour is very good. Their spiritual and cultural development is good, and their moral and social development is very good. The high standards noted at the previous inspection have been maintained. Attendance is satisfactory and punctuality is good. Lamberhurst St Mary’s CE (VC) Primary School - 10

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The vast majority of pupils work hard, but a few fail to concentrate enough when teaching is not sufficiently stimulating. • Pupils know what is expected of them and behave very well. • There are very good relationships and pupils respect each other. • Pupils’ personal development is good. They are self -ssured and keen to take responsibility. • Pupils are punctual but too many take holidays during term-time.

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Commentary

7. Pupils like school. The vast majority work hard in lessons and many take part in the good range of activities outside class. A few pupils do not concentrate well enough when teaching is not sufficiently stimulating. Behaviour is very good. A few pupils who have difficulty moderating their behaviour are making good progress in correcting this. Pupils know what is expected, and the teachers work consistently to maintain these high standards. Pupils’ relationships with each other and the teachers are very good and have a direct impact on learning. There is no bullying and any teasing is quickly addressed. The pupils work in an environment free from oppressive behaviour such as sexism or racism.

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Commentary

8. To support pupils’ spiritual development, assemblies are well planned and include themes such as “growth” and “we are all special”. They regularly feature a story, symbols, prayer and reflection and help pupils consider values and beliefs. Teachers encourage the pupils to talk about themselves and draw on their personal experiences, particularly during circle time (when pupils sit in a circle and take turns in expressing their views). Pupils learn about the major world faiths in religious education and the school is very effective at promoting mutual respect and concern for others. Pupils readily accept differences and they make sure no one is left out when they organise activities for themselves.

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Commentary

9. Pupils can distinguish clearly between right and wrong, and they are encouraged to think through the consequences of their actions. The School Council, teaching in personal, social and health education (PSHE) and circle time make a good contribution to pupils’ social development. The older pupils are keen to take responsibility as monitors, and the younger pupils clear away after break-times. Through merited praise and reassurance, staff very effectively build pupils’ self-esteem so they become self assured. The youngest pupils are secure and confident, and learning to become independent.

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Commentary

10. To aid pupils’ cultural development, there is a good range of extra-curricular clubs. Pupils visit the theatre and take part in music and sports festivals. Drama, music, and dance groups visit the school. Pupils learn about their own and other cultural traditions through assemblies and their studies in literacy, art and design, French, music, geography, and religious education. They take part in events such as the German Day and the Romany traveller exhibition. The school plans to strengthen further pupils’ understanding of other cultures represented in British society.

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Attendance

11. The school follows up all unexplained absence with phone calls home on the first day of non- attendance where necessary. Unsatisfactory patterns of attendance are addressed with letters and discussion with parents. Good attendance is rewarded with certificates. However, last year 41 per cent of pupils were absent due to holidays taken during term-time and this interrupts their education. Lamberhurst St Mary’s CE (VC) Primary School - 11 Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%) Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data 4.9 School data 0.2 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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Exclusions

The school did not exclude any pupils during the last reporting year.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

The school provides a satisfactory standard of education for its pupils. It provides very well for pupils with special educational needs. The Foundation Stage provision is good and pupils make good progress. Provision in Years 1 to 6 is sound. The teaching and learning of English, mathematics and science are satisfactory and enable pupils to achieve soundly. The school provides a satisfactory curriculum that includes a good range of extra activities. It cares well for its pupils. There is a very good home-school partnership.

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Teaching and learning

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory overall. It is good in the Foundation Stage and satisfactory in Years 1 to 6. Children’s progress is assessed well in the Foundation Stage and pupils’ progress in English, mathematics and science in Years 1 to 6 is also carefully assessed. Because of assessment weaknesses in other subjects, assessment is satisfactory overall.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The quality of teaching has declined since the previous inspection probably because of the need for new staff new staff get used to the school. • Teachers in the Foundation Stage organise the learning of a mixed Reception and Year 1 group well and overcome the shortcomings of accommodation as much as possible. • Teachers’ lesson planning is generally good. • The pace of learning during a minority of lessons in Years 2 to 6 is slow. • Teachers draw on a good range of resources. • Teachers and teaching assistants work very well together to support pupils with special educational needs. • There are weaknesses in the assessment of pupils’ progress in art and design, geography, history, music, religious education and physical education. • The assessment of the progress of pupils with special educational needs is very good. • Homework has improved since the previous inspection and is helping pupils progress.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The two unsatisfactory lessons were due to lack of familiarity with teaching materials or with the age group. • Until recently, teachers in Years 3 to 6 have set work to cater for most abilities in the class but not routinely for the high attainers.

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Commentary

12. In the Foundation Stage, teachers have a good understanding of the learning needs of young children. They plan carefully for all pupils and ensure they all receive a balanced curriculum. Pupils benefit from being in the same classroom as Year 1 pupils as the older pupils are good role models for them to copy. Pupils are prepared well for starting school. They visit the school on several occasions and the headteacher and school staff also visit them in their Lamberhurst St Mary’s CE (VC) Primary School - 12 previous settings. Detailed records are passed on to the school. The teacher uses these as a basis for her initial observations and then plans her own schedule of assessments. These help her to plan appropriate activities and make decisions regarding the amount of support different pupils will need. Teaching assistants and parents support children’s learning effectively. This good adult to pupil ratio and very good class organisation help to overcome

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Commentary

some of the constraints of the accommodation still left after improvements since the previous inspection. These shortcomings, mainly lack of space and access to resources, limit progress in most areas of learning.

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Commentary

13. In Years 1 to 6, teachers plan their work on a common format that makes clear what pupils will learn during the lesson and where this fits into the overall plan. Teachers routinely make these learning intentions clear at the start of lessons and also tell pupils to which features of their learning teachers will be paying attention. This works well in most lessons. Pupils are clear about what they have to do and respond well. The school has worked hard to achieve this level of consistency. However, at the start of the year, teachers were either new to the school or the age group. They mostly did not set work that routinely catered for the needs of some higher-attaining pupils in lessons other than English, mathematics and science. In these subjects, work was well matched to pupils’ abilities because assessment of pupils’ progress is accurate and is helping to set individual pupil targets. In most of the remaining subjects, the

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Commentary

assessments of pupils’ progress were not accurate enough to enable teachers to plan to set work at different levels. More recent work shows that the situation is improving, and during the inspection the teachers were matching work soundly to the needs of all the pupils either in the planning or during teaching as the lesson developed. The school is aware of this issue and has plans to address it this year.

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Commentary

14. Teachers mark work regularly and often comment on pupils’ work. This is a good feature but is not routinely built on in most classes and the potential for pupils to understand how to improve is lost. Although in most lessons time is used well, during a minority of lessons in Years 2 to 6 too much time is spent going over what most pupils already know or can do and so they make limited progress. On the other hand, in most lessons teachers make good use of resources to motivate pupils, as in a history lesson in Year 5/6 when pupils analysed local census records; a Year 3/4 lesson in art and design when pupils explained what they could interpret from paintings by Magritte; or in Year 2, when pupils used number lines, hundred squares and other mathematical equipment to develop their concept of place value. Use of new music resources was weak in one lesson.

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Commentary

15. A strength of the teaching and learning is the support for pupils with special educational needs. Building on accurate assessments, the staff use the specific targets in pupils’ Individual Education Plans to plan a programme of work to meet their needs. Teachers and teaching assistants work very well together during all phases of the lessons. While the teacher works with all the class, the teaching assistant works with individuals by prompting their attention, rephrasing questions and encouraging answers. Pupils respond well. They gain confidence and offer their own contributions to the group. Teachers actively encourage this, and a good example was in the Year 3/4 class when, at the conclusion of a lesson, the teacher invited pupils’ accounts of their half-term activities. The first pupil chosen was one with special educational needs, who spoke up confidently and was listened to closely by the

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Commentary

rest of the class. Occasionally, a few pupils find it difficult to control their behaviour and the keynotes to the school’s success are the patience, flexibility and consistency with which these incidents are handled. The outcomes are consistently positive and pupils are making good progress in adjusting their behaviour.

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Commentary

16. The skills of literacy and numeracy are taught soundly but there are not enough planned opportunities to develop numeracy skills in other subjects. Staff are consistent in the setting of homework. Pupils and parents know what to expect, and work done at home is regularly used in class either to consolidate what is being learned or to extend it. The quality of teaching in other subjects is mostly satisfactory but teachers do not routinely incorporate ICT skills into lessons in other subjects. Lamberhurst St Mary’s CE (VC) Primary School - 13 Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 28 lessons Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Commentary

The table gives the number of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

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The curriculum

The school provides a broad curriculum with good opportunities for enrichment, and has sound accommodation and resources overall.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The provision for pupils with special educational needs is very good. • There is a good range of extra curricular activities, with very good opportunities for participation in the arts. • Teaching assistants support pupils effectively. • The school is well resourced. • The school has good arrangements for introducing the youngest pupils to school. • There remain some shortcomings in the accommodation, which inhibit some activities. • There are too few opportunities for pupils to develop their numeracy and ICT skills in other subjects.

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Commentary

17. The school provides the pupils with a broad and well-structured curriculum. With the exception of physical education, it meets the requirements of the National Curriculum, and the teaching of religious education is based on the locally agreed syllabus. The curriculum includes sex and relationships education, and drugs and alcohol education, which are taught as part of the school’s PSHE programme.

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Commentary

18. Teachers’ planning continues to be good. However, there has been little innovation in the way lessons are taught apart from some modifications to the way literacy teaching is organised. The school has adapted the nationally recommended guidelines for most subjects to help ensure that pupils have a wide range of learning opportunities. The adaptations take into account that most pupils are taught in mixed age classes, and mostly ensure that pupils do not repeat work unnecessarily. Occasionally, pupils go over work they have already covered and this slows their progress. There are a few weaknesses in planning. There is not yet a curriculum plan for physical education. In addition, although teachers’ planning in numeracy and ICT lessons is effective, there is insufficient whole-school planning to ensure pupils have opportunities to practise their ICT and numeracy skills in other lessons.

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Commentary

19. The provision for pupils with special educational needs has improved since the last inspection and is now very good. The provision is effective and caring. The headteacher deploys teaching assistants to support teachers and individual classes. This makes a significant difference to the progress pupils make. For example, in a design and technology lesson a boy worked with his teaching assistant to develop his design work in a way best suited to his specific learning needs. He reported back to the rest of the class and as a result, he made good progress both in design and in speaking and listening. The school is justifiably proud of its reputation for including and catering for pupils whatever their learning needs. This ethos of care is exemplified by the attention paid to preparing the four-year-old pupils for starting school. As a result, they quickly gain confidence in their new surroundings and they make good

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Commentary

progress in learning. Lamberhurst St Mary’s CE (VC) Primary School - 14 20. A major strength of the school is its provision for extra-curricular activities and out of school learning. There are many and varied clubs including sport, art and music. Pupils have opportunities to compete within the Weald of Kent sports association and the Rochester Diocese schools’ festival, and have close links with the local Cranbrook brass band. The art club makes a significant contribution to the quality of artwork displayed around the school. Trips into the local area enhance learning. For example, a visit to Scotney Castle arboretum helped the Year 5 and 6 pupils understand the importance of trees in the environment. Visitors to the school also help develop the pupils’ learning. As part of the Remembrance Day celebrations, army veterans took part in a special assembly and helped the pupils to understand the significance of the poppies they had been buying and selling.

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Commentary

21. The school is well resourced with sufficient teaching staff and a good number of support staff. The school has also invested heavily in good quality reading material to improve pupils’ reading and writing and has bought a mathematics program to help develop pupils’ number skills. The range of outside equipment and improvements in accommodation have helped pupils’ physical development. However, the lack of space in the Foundation Stage classroom constrains the work the pupils are able to do and there is no outdoor playing area immediately adjacent to the classroom. Other shortcomings in the school accommodation restrict movement and inhibit some of the activities the pupils are able to undertake. Although well resourced, the library is underused because of its size and inaccessibility. Similarly, some classrooms are small and make work requiring any movement, such as science investigations in Year 6 or creative

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Commentary

activities in the Reception/Year 1 class, difficult.

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Care, guidance and support

Provision for pupils’ care, welfare, health and safety is good. The overall provision for support and guidance is also good and the school is good at providing opportunities for pupils to become involved in its work and development.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Health and safety arrangements are effective. • Staff are vigilant regarding child protection procedures. • Pupils enjoy trusting relationships with staff. • Initial and continuing assessment of special educational needs is good. • Pupil assessment data in English, mathematics and science are analysed in detail to inform decisions regarding targets. • There is minimal assessment and recording of pupils’ progress in most other subjects. • Pupils new to the school are inducted well through good procedures and follow up.

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Commentary

22. The governors are vigilant in their monitoring of health and safety around the school. Potential hazards have been considered and dealt with by, for example, a buzzer to permit entry on the school gate, and extra dinner supervisors for the outside areas at lunchtime. All teachers are fully aware of child protection procedures. A number of staff have up-to-date first aid certificates. The school community is close and trusting. Staff know of pupils with medical problems, and pupils know of an adult they can go to if in need of support.

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Commentary

23. Induction procedures for new pupils are good. They rapidly feel at home in the school community. Teachers use a range of assessment tasks with new pupils to ascertain their strengths and learning needs. There is detailed and effective assessment and monitoring of pupils with special educational needs. The monitoring of pupils’ personal development is informal but effective. The progress of pupils in English, mathematics and, to a lesser extent, science is monitored well. Teachers set targets for pupils on the basis of their previous performance, and older pupils are beginning to understand the steps they need to take to Lamberhurst St Mary’s CE (VC) Primary School - 15 improve their learning. However, there is little assessment or recording of pupils’ progress in history, geography, physical education, religious education, art and design and music. There are systems for recording progress in ICT and design and technology, but staff are not yet

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Commentary

24. The recently introduced School Council provides good opportunities for all pupils to influence the life of the school, either through class discussion, or through direct participation. Pupils feel their views are taken into account and the results of decisions are posted on a notice- board. All classrooms display class rules and a school code of conduct is sung in assembly.

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Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

As at the previous inspection, there is a very effective partnership with parents, and very good links with the community. There are good links with pre-school providers and satisfactory links with the secondary schools.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Parents are kept very well informed. • The school works closely with parents and responds to their concerns. • Parents are involved and give good support to the school’s work. • The school makes very good use of community links and works closely with pre-school providers.

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Commentary

25. Parents are pleased with the school’s work and are kept very well informed about what is going on through regular newsletters. The prospectus and governors’ annual report are informative and well written. There are very good arrangements for keeping parents informed on their children’s progress, including good end of year reports, and the use of targets for improvement.

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Commentary

26. The school works closely with parents, seeks their views and addresses their concerns. There are good arrangements for introducing parents and their children to the school. Parents are kept well informed about school policy, what their children are learning, and how they can help. They are encouraged to keep the teachers well informed about their children, and the school is quick to involve them when there are problems. Parents of children with special educational needs are fully involved in decisions about support and receive good information about their children’s progress.

p.15

Commentary

27. Parents are involved and give good support to the school’s work. There are good arrangements for homework and a well-used home-school contact book. Many parents encourage their children to take part in after school activities, and they support them at events such as drama productions and festival celebrations. They help in school, with clubs, transport, and visits. The PALS (parents’ organisation) organises social events and raises funds for school resources.

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Commentary

28. The school makes very good use of community links. Many visits and visitors enrich the curriculum. Pupils take part in music festivals and sports competitions. There are good links with the village and the church. The school works closely with the two local pre-schools so that pupils’ needs are met and they transfer smoothly. Lamberhurst St Mary’s CE (VC) Primary School - 16

p.15

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management are satisfactory overall. The headteacher leads the school well and overall management is satisfactory. The school is soundly governed.

p.16

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The headteacher provides resilient leadership in a period of continuing staff changes. • The Foundation Stage provision, English, mathematics and science are co-ordinated well but the co-ordination of design and technology, geography, history, ICT, music and physical education is unsatisfactory. • The management of provision for pupils with special educational needs is very good. • Staff and governors ensure that all pupils are fully included in what the school offers. • Pupils new to the school are inducted well. • The governing body has been a major influence in promoting the need for a new school building but has not ensured that provision for physical education meets requirements. • There is an effective programme of staff induction and development. • The school’s strategic plan is unsatisfactory. • Financial and other resources are managed well.

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Commentary

29. Over the last four years the school has had many changes of teaching staff. These were caused by factors outside the school’s control such as: promotion, illness, maternity leave and difficulties with recruitment. At the time of the inspection, of the four full-time class teachers, two were in their first year at the school and the other two were on temporary contracts. This continuing issue has delayed the headteacher’s plans to have full-time rather than part-time teachers and to develop a senior management team. The changes have affected how the school has developed its curriculum, delegated its responsibilities and improved the quality of its provision. They have demanded a lot of the headteacher, who has been the one constant feature in a sea of changes, and she has met these demands well. By working effectively with a number of staff, she has delegated responsibility where she could and assumed it when she

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Commentary

could not. She has maintained morale through personal example and a clear view of the school’s priorities. She has put in place effective systems for monitoring aspects of pupils’ progress and of the school’s performance and kept the governing body well informed.

p.16

Commentary

30. The role of curriculum co-ordinators is clear and all of them have benefited from this guidance. Some are more effective than others because their work has a higher school priority, or because they have held the responsibility for a longer period. The temporary teachers in the Reception/Year 1 class have been very well supported by the headteacher and have effectively managed the development of the Foundation Stage provision since just after the start of this term. The co-ordinators for English, mathematics and science have a clear idea of school performance through the analysis of pupil assessment data, scrutiny of planning, examination of pupils’ work and observation of teaching and learning. They have led or organised staff training and promote their subjects well. They have spotted where the school needs to improve its work and have been effective in supporting this. The National Strategies for

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Commentary

Literacy and Numeracy are managed well. Most other co-ordinators have at least audited their subjects, have managed resources soundly, have plans to take their subjects forward and are coming to grips with their responsibilities. However, they do not have a clear enough view of how well pupils are progressing or where the strengths in teaching and learning lie.

p.16

Commentary

31. The co-ordinator for special educational needs provision has put in place very effective systems and processes to identify pupils at an early stage, and to support and monitor their development. All procedures fully meet requirements; governors ensure regular oversight and additional grant is well spent. The school has good links with outside agencies to lend Lamberhurst St Mary’s CE (VC) Primary School - 17 specialist support when necessary. The co-ordinator has trained teaching assistants and briefed new teaching staff. Their work together makes a significant contribution to the learning of pupils with special educational needs and ensures that they are fully included in all activities.

p.16

Commentary

32. The school pays close attention to the needs of all its pupils. Staff take care to follow the race equality policy, for instance in their monitoring of progress in English, mathematics and science. The school has a higher than usual proportion of pupils who start or leave the school at times other than normal. Staff seek information on their progress and learning needs quickly and use it well to enable them to settle in effectively. Links with local playgroups are good so that pupils who start in Reception make a confident beginning. No pupils who want to take part in additional activities are prevented from doing so on the grounds of cost. Pupils who are withdrawn from class for work in small groups follow a similar pattern of learning activities to that of the rest of the pupils and benefit from more individual attention.

p.17

Commentary

33. Governors are consistent supporters of the school and have been closely involved in the planning for the new school. They have a good idea of the school’s strengths and weaknesses, mainly from the headteacher’s routine reports to them. They have some involvement in school strategic planning through their oversight of finance and discussions on the school improvement plan. Their good financial management and control have ensured that the school is well resourced. The larger than usual carry forward is the result of prudent budgeting to allow for potential extra expenditure on an old school building and is also due to additional funds at the end of the financial year. Governors are well organised and have produced their own development plan to handle their business over the next two years. They fulfil nearly all their statutory functions soundly but their challenge of school provision has not

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Commentary

revealed the school’s shortcomings in provision for physical education. Their current priority is to improve their links with subject co-ordinators to strengthen the governors’ monitoring role.

p.17

Commentary

34. The headteacher’s strategy for ensuring teaching consistency against a background of staff change has been to develop good systems of induction and training. The newly qualified teacher is being very well supported during her first year of teaching and she is given scope to develop her own ideas. The useful staff handbook ensures that staff are up to date with school routines and fit in quickly. Staff meetings have a regular element of updating to ensure that no one is left out. Staff training and standard formats for lesson planning support more consistent approaches to teaching and learning and these are backed up with regular reports on the findings from pupils’ assessments, the scrutiny of planning or general findings from classroom observations. Planning is routinely monitored and commented on to promote consistency. The headteacher’s performance management targets are effectively linked to school targets.

p.17

Commentary

Most remaining staff do not qualify for this process and arrangements for the one teacher who does are in hand.

p.17

Commentary

35. The headteacher produced the school’s improvement plan without the benefit of an established staff to help define needs or sift priorities. The plan sets out school needs across all subjects in an accessible format and has a few criteria that are useful for measuring the success of the school’s actions. It is linked to the school’s budget and refers to timescales. The accommodation section shows how well the school has made incremental improvements. However, the plan has too many routine maintenance items that overshadow the focus on improvement and has too many priorities that can be managed well over one year. Lamberhurst St Mary’s CE (VC) Primary School - 18

p.17

Financial information

Financial information for the year April 2002 to March 2003

p.18

Financial information

Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 254,772 Balance from previous year 25517 Total expenditure 229,235 Balance carried forward to the next 25537 Expenditure per pupil 2163 Lamberhurst St Mary’s CE (VC) Primary School - 19

p.18

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Provision for the Foundation Stage is good . This is because teaching and learning are good and teachers make effective use of limited space.

p.19

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Of the ten children in the Foundation Stage, one attends full-time. The rest leave after lunch and will stay all day from January. Children are well prepared for starting school and have a good start in the Reception class. Their attainment on entry to the school covers a wide ability range and is above that generally found. They make good progress in all of the areas of learning. They achieve well and most will reach the Early Learning Goals by the end of the Foundation Stage. A few are on target to achieve some goals by the end of their first term. Teaching and leadership are good, assessment is thorough but the accommodation is unsatisfactory. There was no reference to Foundation Stage children in the previous report so a comment on progress since the previous inspection is not possible.

p.19

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision for personal, social and emotional development is good .

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teachers ensure a good balance between teacher directed and child-initiated activities. • Teaching assistants support teachers well.

p.19

Commentary

36. Teachers quickly get to know the children and plan an appropriate range of activities. There is a good balance between those the teacher or teaching assistant direct and those the children choose themselves. As a result, children make good progress and most achieve the Early Learning Goals by the end of the Foundation Stage. The children quickly gain confidence in trying out new activities and initiating interactions with other children and adults. They understand the behaviour expected of them and operate within those boundaries. Activities encourage them to share and co-operate with others. Each morning, they part confidently from their carers and are developing independence in caring for their property and clothing and in clearing up after themselves. Most can persist in activities for a sustained period. For example, one child stayed with a difficult jigsaw for five minutes before moving on to the

p.19

Commentary

whiteboard to write for several minutes. The lack of space constrains the organisation of some of the activities, thus limiting children’s independence because they cannot, for example, always access the equipment they might need.

p.19

COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Provision in communication, language and literacy is good .

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teachers’ planning, assessment and use of resources are good. • Teaching assistants and parents support groups of children well. Lamberhurst St Mary’s CE (VC) Primary School - 20

p.19

Commentary

37. Teachers make good use of the information passed to them by previous settings (such as play groups) to plan appropriate work for the children. On entering the classroom in the morning the children are helped by the teaching assistant and a parent in selecting literacy activities, practising sounds and sharing books. The teaching assistant and parent note down the achievements of the pupils to share with the teacher. The quality of teaching is good and this enables children to achieve well so as to reach the Early Learning Goals by the end of the Foundation Stage. About a third already know many initial sounds, can write their own names and are on target to reach some Early Learning Goals by the end of the first term. More able children already use talk politely to gain attention and show they can take into account the views of others. Some more able children are very confident and articulate. They readily

p.20

Commentary

volunteer information to the class and visitors about their homes and their families. Imaginative play is stimulated by ‘small world’ toys and by the role-play area.

p.20

MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in mathematical development is good .

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The classroom displays support mathematical development. • Teachers use TV programmes effectively and assess children’s progress accurately.

p.20

Commentary

38. Most children start school with good mathematical skills for their age. They reach at least the standards expected of children of this age and achieve well. The quality of teaching is good and the teacher quickly assesses their skills and then plans activities to develop them further. In the classroom there are good mathematical displays such as number lines and mathematical vocabulary to support and challenge the children’s mathematical thinking. Being in the same room as the Year 1 pupils and listening to some lesson introductions for this older group gives the Reception children the chance to respond to some of the mathematics, and this proves an advantage to them. As a consequence, one able child could double four to make eight when the teacher was working out with the whole class how many children were present. A television programme also supports mathematical learning by encouraging pupils

p.20

Commentary

to sing mathematical number songs and develop their number recognition.

p.20

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Provision for knowledge and understanding of the world is good.

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The teachers plan an interesting range of activities and resources to support learning well. • Teaching assistants support children well.

p.20

Commentary

39. Children have many and varied opportunities to explore the environment in which they live. The quality of teaching is good and children achieve well. The activities chosen by the teachers help them to make good progress in their knowledge and understanding of the world and most reach the Early Learning Goals by the end of the Foundation Stage. In sharing the story of ‘Moses and the Burning Bush’, the teacher showed sensitivity to what the children already knew. In a joint activity with Year 1 pupils, all the Reception children were spellbound by the short video, which showed the expressions on Moses’ face as he saw the flames. They Lamberhurst St Mary’s CE (VC) Primary School - 21 responded with interest to the teacher’s questions about God. There are also many activities, which develop the children’s skills across the range of knowledge and understanding. They rapidly develop skills associated with computers and programmable

p.20

Commentary

toys and have plenty of opportunities for modelling and exploring how things work. For example, in an activity associated with Bonfire Night, children used a computer ‘paint’ program to create a bonfire picture, selected colours and backgrounds from the ‘menu’, and drew lines of differing thickness.

p.21

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

The provision for physical development is good.

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teachers make effective use of limited accommodation and good resources.

p.21

Commentary

40. Most children are well co-ordinated, demonstrate good dexterity, and achieve well to attain the Early Learning Goals by the end of the Foundation Stage. The quality of teaching is good. The accommodation limits the way children can use the outside space. However, the teacher makes good use of the hall, the playground and the outside area to develop children’s physical skills. They show good dexterity when using a computer mouse or painting equipment. They show an awareness of space when using wheeled toys in the playground and when exploring movements associated with a ‘Bear Hunt’ in the hall. The teacher used her good subject knowledge in this lesson, asking questions about heart rate and exercise as the children warmed up and cooled down.

p.21

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

The provision for creative development is good.

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teachers have good subject knowledge and direct the work of teaching assistants well. • Unsatisfactory accommodation restricts creative activities.

p.21

Commentary

41. Most children achieve well and reach the Early Learning Goals by the end of the Foundation Stage. This is because teachers provide an interesting range of activities which stimulate the children. The quality of teaching is good. The teachers have arranged the room well to include as many creative activities as possible and ensure that children have regular access to creative play outside. However, the classroom is small and does not provide sufficient free play space for children to express themselves fully without the prospect of interrupting others. Children enjoy mixing colours. Most know the names of primary colours, and higher-attaining children know that mixing them creates new colours and they can predict what they might be. They show imagination and dexterity in using rollers to distribute paint and create flame effects. They become engrossed in making up stories associated with their ‘small world’ play and the

p.21

Commentary

role-play area. Staff encourage the children to develop their ideas by talking with them and by asking general questions to small groups so that they can all respond. Lamberhurst St Mary’s CE (VC) Primary School - 22

p.21

ENGLISH

The provision for English is satisfactory.

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Achievement of higher-attaining pupils in speaking and listening is good. • Attainment in spelling and handwriting is good. • Very good provision for pupils with special educational needs. • Teaching has some good features. • The co-ordinator leads the subject well and has developed good resources. • Good planning of the literacy hour. • Pupils have insufficient opportunities to practise library skills. • Marking is thorough but does not routinely lead to improvement. • The work set for some pupils is either too difficult or too easy.

p.22

Commentary

42. Most pupils reach average standards, by the end of Year 6 and about one fifth achieve beyond this. In Year 2, most pupils reach average standards with about a quarter achieving beyond this. This is worse than the previous inspection, where standards in Year 2 were good, and represents unsatisfactory progress against a key issue. Pupils with special educational needs achieve well in English because of good support from teaching assistants.

p.22

Commentary

43. Teaching and learning are satisfactory in most lessons. Teachers plan lessons well. At the beginning of lessons, teachers tell the pupils what they are going to learn in the lesson and at the end they recap on that learning. This improves pupils’ focus in each lesson. In addition, pupils have their learning targets recorded in the front of their books as a reminder of the aspects of their work they need to improve. These are also shared with parents and discussed regularly. Teachers mark work conscientiously, but there is little time given to the pupils to read, or respond to the teachers’ marking comments. As a result, the marking has little impact on progress. In a Year 3 lesson, the teacher was skilled in asking questions, which made the pupils think hard about their work. She was careful to focus on specific pupils and give them time to think about their answers. Although teachers set different tasks for pupils

p.22

Commentary

of different abilities, the work is not always well matched, so in a Year 2 lesson some pupils were given a writing activity that was too difficult for them.

p.22

Commentary

44. Eleven-year-old pupils listen thoughtfully, explain their opinions clearly and reach above average standards in speaking and listening. Seven-year-old pupils are encouraged to express their ideas and to listen to the opinions of others. Able pupils are articulate and speak and listen with confidence. All pupils are given opportunities to practise their speaking skills and become more confident through assemblies and school performances. Teaching assistants help less able pupils by working with them in small groups and encouraging them to talk and listen to other pupils. Teachers give opportunities for discussion in a number of lessons. For example, in a design lesson, pupils were asked to work in pairs, to evaluate their own work, and then to discuss their findings with another pair. As a result, they made good progress in speaking and listening.

p.22

Commentary

45. Able pupils in Year 6 read confidently and with good understanding of the subtleties of the texts. Some are avid readers who enjoy a wide range of authors. Many lower-attaining pupils and pupils with special educational needs are also enthusiastic readers because they are given good support and experience a wide range of good books and other reading material. Younger pupils use books from a range of reading schemes. These support the development of their reading skills. The ‘banding system’ the school has adopted to categorise books is supportive Lamberhurst St Mary’s CE (VC) Primary School - 23 of lower and average attaining pupils, but higher-attaining pupils are sometimes reading books that are insufficiently challenging and interesting for them. This slows their progress. However, pupils are given plenty of opportunities to practise reading through guided reading sessions in addition to the Literacy Hour. Most pupils in Years 3 to 6 understand there are different sorts of

p.22

Commentary

books. Some average and lower attaining pupils in Year 3 compare fact and fiction books and categorise them according to features such as glossary, index and context. The library is well resourced, but is not used sufficiently for research because of its size and relative inaccessibility.

p.23

Commentary

46. The standard of handwriting and spelling is good, which is an improvement since the previous inspection. Most pupils reach average standards overall in writing. Most eleven-year-olds use a range of punctuation and organise their work into paragraphs. Higher-attaining pupils use idioms and apostrophes correctly and all pupils have studied a range of different kinds of writing. Most seven-year-old pupils can write in coherent sentences, and higher-attaining pupils can punctuate direct speech correctly.

p.23

Commentary

47. The English co-ordinator has a clear view of strengths and weaknesses and standards and leads the subject well. She has bought resources and organised training for staff. Staff mobility has reduced the impact of this training.

p.23

Language and literacy across the curriculum

48. These skills are taught soundly across the curriculum and pupils have reasonable, planned opportunities to apply and improve them, in history and design and technology for example.

p.23

MATHEMATICS

Provision in mathematics is satisfactory .

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils achieve well in number work and make good use of ICT. • Pupils’ attainment is below average in using and applying mathematics. • Standards are below those seen at the previous inspection. • The subject is well led and resourced. • Pupils’ progress is assessed accurately and the information used to set targets for improvement. • Pupils with special educational needs are supported well.

p.23

Commentary

49. Standards in Year 2 and Year 6 are broadly average and most pupils achieve satisfactorily. Standards are below those seen at the previous inspection. Pupils’ progress in number work is faster than that in other aspects because of two factors: the mental and oral parts of lessons stimulate recall and use of number facts, and pupils regularly use an ICT program. This gives them routine practice at their level and charts their progress to enable teachers to set appropriate work. Pupils manage this aspect of their learning independently and confidently, and numeracy skills are taught well. Pupils are less certain when they are asked to solve problems and lack the strategies for this. Their work in measuring and weighing is at the level expected, but Year 6 work in data handling is currently below the level expected. This is partly because this aspect is not emphasised as much as other aspects of mathematics.

p.23

Commentary

50. Year 2 pupils have a well-established concept of addition and subtraction, and higher-attaining pupils are beginning to see the connection between addition and multiplication. They are confident in explaining how they worked out their answers. Year 4 pupils make reasonable estimates of length using standard measures and then check their answers for accuracy. They are making good progress in finding quicker ways to calculate the perimeters of straight- sided shapes. Year 6 pupils can recognise different kinds of angles and have a sound Lamberhurst St Mary’s CE (VC) Primary School - 24 knowledge of associated mathematical terms such as ‘bisect’ and ‘diagonal’. They are beginning to understand the relationship between fractions, decimals and percentages. Pupils have good attitudes to the subject and want to learn. Pupils with special educational needs are supported well by teaching assistants. They sit alongside them in lessons and help to focus

p.23

Commentary

their attention and work in partnership with the class teachers by routinely leading groups. This enables the pupils to make good progress.

p.24

Commentary

51. The quality of teaching is satisfactory. Teachers plan their work well and routinely explain to pupils what they are to learn during the lesson and get them to see where their current work fits in with what they have learned previously. Teachers have made a concerted effort to include comments for improvement in their marking of pupils’ work. When pupils follow up these suggestions, they make good progress, but more often there is too little time allowed for this and the potential for improvement is lost. However, teachers do give pupils time to explain how they got their answers, and the rest of the class would benefit more if the different ways of working out were displayed as well as discussed. Teachers use the school’s analysis of pupils’ performance to set targets for them or to set additional work. The targets are useful for the teachers to help them set different levels of work in each class. This is an improving area

p.24

Commentary

of the school’s work. However, most pupils are not clear how to use the targets to improve their work because they are not written in child-friendly language. Teachers set homework regularly. Parents support this well and this is helping to improve pupils’ progress.

p.24

Commentary

52. Although the subject co-ordinator is on maternity leave, her influence on the subject’s management is supporting improvement because the fundamental systems are in place. Pupils’ progress is closely tracked and test results analysed to focus the school’s improvement on problem-solving, which is the weakest area of the subject. This led to staff training and the purchase of additional resources. The co-ordinator has regularly monitored teachers’ planning and analysed pupils’ work to develop a clear view of standards of attainment and the quality of teaching. She has ensured that the subject is well resourced with sufficient material to cater for the needs of two age groups in one class in Years 3 to 6. Although there has been a full programme of staff training, its effect has been limited by staff changes.

p.24

Mathematics across the curriculum

53. This is unsatisfactory. Teachers take incidental opportunities for pupils to practise their mathematics skills in other subjects. Good examples of this are in science in calculating, tabulating and displaying results. However, teachers do not plan to develop mathematics skills systematically in other subjects and so pupils do not get enough opportunities to use and apply their skills in real situations.

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teachers’ lesson planning is good, but until recently not enough work was set at different levels to cater for individual needs. • Pupils with special educational needs are well supported. • The subject is well resourced but there is limited use of ICT. • Homework is supporting pupils’ progress well because teachers make use of it in lessons. • The subject is well led and important systems for improvement are in place. Lamberhurst St Mary’s CE (VC) Primary School - 25

p.24

Commentary

54. Pupils’ standards in Year 2 and Year 6 are average and they achieve soundly. The position in Year 2 is the same as at the previous inspection, but Year 6 attainment was previously above average. Pupils are making satisfactory progress in all aspects of science except in investigations in Years 3 to 6, where their progress is slow. This is because teachers emphasise a standard layout for the findings of their experiments at the expense of stimulating enquiry and greater creativity in presenting work. As a result, pupils have a sound grasp of scientific knowledge, but higher-attaining Year 6 pupils, for instance, are not devising experiments to answer questions they have raised.

p.25

Commentary

55. By Year 2, pupils are deepening their understanding of the concepts of pushing and pulling through experiments, and then tabulating their results, making use of their numeracy skills. Lower-attaining pupils and those with special educational needs who have difficulties with recording are well supported by teaching assistants so that their science progress keeps pace with that of their classmates. Recent work in class made good use of a homework diary pupils kept of their diet. In class they began to learn about food categories and of the benefits each type of food gives us. Year 6 pupils have a sound understanding of changes to materials that can be reversed and those that cannot. They are currently working on the ways animals adapt to different habitats. Their work in science investigations contains predictions for what may happen and then what they observed as an outcome. More often than not, the links between

p.25

Commentary

predictions and observations were very close, indicating little emphasis on setting up a range of hypotheses as an important scientific skill.

p.25

Commentary

56. One Year 6 lesson was satisfactory, although one Year 2 lesson taught by a temporary teacher, unfamiliar with the year group, was unsatisfactory. Although the planning was good and there was a good range of resources, it was unsatisfactory because the teacher made too many assumptions about pupils’ prior experience and level of understanding and so they made little progress. In the other lesson on habitats, pupils behaved very well and played a good part in the initial discussion about how creatures use their physical features to control their environment. Pupils consolidated a good understanding of food chains and a few higher attainers later went onto developing these into a more complex idea of food webs. However, the lesson lacked pace partly because the teacher (new to the school and age group) was uncertain how quickly to proceed.

p.25

Commentary

57. The co-ordinator has worked hard to modify lesson plans for each age group in an effort to maintain teaching consistency and expectations. She has led training and ensured a good level of resourcing. Her accurate analysis of pupils’ progress has resulted in the current focus on improving pupils’ investigative work and improving the use of ICT in experiments and in presentations. She has produced targets for pupils’ improvement that are useful to teachers in setting work at different levels. The targets now need working through with the pupils so that they have a better understanding of how to improve their work.

p.25

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Provision in information and communication technology (ICT) is unsatisfactory because the school has not done enough since the previous inspection to raise pupils’ achievement by Year 6.

p.25

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The overall school planning now covers the statutory requirements for ICT. • Teaching in Year 1 is very good. • ICT is used well to support numeracy in mathematics but there is insufficient use of ICT in other subjects. • Pupils enjoy using ICT. • There are limited resources. • Subject leadership is unsatisfactory. Lamberhurst St Mary’s CE (VC) Primary School - 26 • Standards in Years 2 and 6 are below average, and most pupils make slow progress.

p.25

Commentary

58. Pupils throughout the school enjoy using ICT but their achievement is unsatisfactory. They use computers regularly to assess their progress in mathematics. By the end of Year 6, most pupils can rotate, flip, drag and resize shapes using a graphic modelling program. They can use the Internet to find information. They have limited understanding of data handling programs and controlling devices but most are proficient in using word processing packages. Curriculum coverage and teaching of ICT in the past has been unsatisfactory and standards and progress by the current Year 6 are still unsatisfactory as a result of this. Pupils in Year 2 have used clip art to write party invitations and have secure knowledge of word processing skills. They can change fonts, save and print their work. However, they have limited understanding of the use of ICT outside school. This is unsatisfactory progress since the

p.26

Commentary

previous inspection, when attainment in ICT was average in Years 2 and 6.

p.26

Commentary

59. Prior to this year, teaching has not enabled the pupils to make enough progress. Currently, teaching is satisfactory overall, with some very good teaching in Year 1. In that lesson the teacher developed pupils’ ability to click and drag words and prices onto a menu for use in the role-play area. The pupils made very good progress in this activity because the teacher had good knowledge of what they could already do. In the other lesson seen in Year 5/6, the pupils made less progress because the teacher was unclear about the previous knowledge of the pupils, and some of them were covering work they had already done. This happened because of lack of assessment and monitoring of ICT in the past. Resources in the school are still limited. Although there are computers in all classrooms, this arrangement makes the discrete teaching of ICT difficult. The subject co-ordinator has only just taken over the subject and has

p.26

Commentary

not yet had time to monitor attainment and progress or consider the training needs of the staff.

p.26

Information and communication technology across the curriculum

60. There is some ICT used in other subjects such as art and design, English and mathematics, but pupils are not systematically helped to see the links between ICT and most other subjects. They do not routinely see their teachers using ICT innovatively to help them teach other subjects. Most pupils view ICT only as a word processing tool and a means of practice and assessment in mathematics.

p.26

HUMANITIES

In humanities, work was sampled in geography and history. No lessons were seen in geography and only two in history and so it is not possible to form an overall judgement about provision in these subjects. From pupils’ work, there are indications that standards are broadly average in Years 2 and 6. At the time of the previous inspection, standards were average in history, but were above average in geography.

p.26

Commentary

61. The school makes good use of local visits and visitors to the school to encourage the development of skills in both subjects. During the inspection, as part of the theme of remembrance, Year 2 pupils studied the war memorial opposite the school and later listened to local war veterans as part of a special assembly. Year 6 pupils analysed village census returns from the 19 th century as part of their Victorian studies. In both cases, discussion with pupils showed that their work was deepening their grasp of historical skills and concepts. However, generally, teachers tend to concentrate on teaching historical knowledge rather than skills.

p.26

Commentary

62. Staff also use the village as a resource in geography. Year 6 pupils make comparisons between Lamberhurst and Godstone and have a good awareness of some of the benefits and drawbacks to the building of a bypass. Lamberhurst St Mary’s CE (VC) Primary School - 27 63. The subject co-ordinator is new to the school this term and under the direction of the headteacher has audited the subjects and produced an action plan for their development. This is a good start but co-ordination of the subjects is unsatisfactory because assessment of pupils’ progress is weak and monitoring of the quality of teaching and learning is unsatisfactory.

p.26

Religious education

Provision in religious education is satisfactory .

p.27

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Most pupils achieve soundly and develop a good knowledge of different faiths. • Good new resources have been introduced. • There are good links with literacy and art. • There is a good contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education. • Assemblies make a good contribution to the subject. • There is unsatisfactory assessment and recording of pupils’ progress.

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Commentary

64. By Year 2 and Year 6, most pupils reach standards in line with the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus. This is the same as in the previous inspection and represents satisfactory progress. Teaching and learning overall are satisfactory. Year 6 pupils have a developing understanding of the major world faiths and can discuss similarities and differences between them. In an introductory lesson on the Muslim faith, pupils talked about the main features of a mosque and compared it with the Christian church they had recently studied. Pupils in Year 2 learnt about the way different families celebrate religious or family events. Teachers show sensitivity to pupils’ different family circumstances and are sensitive in their use of language. The subject makes a good contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education. The teacher in Year 1 carefully linked the story of Moses and the Burning Bush to the emotions

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Commentary

the pupils have felt when they are specially chosen for something. There are good links with literacy and artwork. Pupils in Year 5 and 6 produced detailed and careful pencil sketches of the local church. Pupils in Year 2 were supported in their literacy by careful reinforcing of key words and reading of instructions.

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Commentary

65. Pupils with special educational needs are supported well and make sound progress. The resources recently introduced by the co-ordinator have enabled teachers to develop the multicultural aspects of the subject and they link well with the locally Agreed Syllabus. Co- ordination of the subject is satisfactory. The school is awaiting the development of the Kent scheme of work criteria for assessment. As yet there is no formal assessment of pupils’ progress. As a result, pupils occasionally cover work they have already done, which restricts their progress. There has been little monitoring of standards or the quality of teaching. Assemblies make a good contribution to teaching and learning in religious education by introducing or developing themes for later study but there is limited use of ICT.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

Only four lessons were seen altogether in the following subjects: art and design, design and technology, music and physical education. Therefore it is not possible to make a firm judgement about provision. Inspectors examined pupils’ work, interviewed the subject co-ordinators and held discussions with pupils, in addition to the lesson observations. Lamberhurst St Mary’s CE (VC) Primary School - 28

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Commentary

66. Pupils enjoy their work in art and design and have a satisfactory range of techniques, with strengths in painting in Year 2 and pencil sketching in Years 5 and 6. The pupils in Year 2 developed their painting techniques by studying the work of Henri Rousseau, using a digital camera to focus on the fine detail. The well-attended art club has a positive impact on the quality of artwork on display around the school and in promoting the profile of art and design. In the satisfactory lesson observed, the teacher was familiar with the techniques of Magritte and the pupils made satisfactory progress in evaluating and interpreting his work. The subject co- ordination is satisfactory. There are recording systems in place for pupils to evaluate their work, although these have not yet had an impact on progress.

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Commentary

67. In design and technology, pupils are given a sound range of opportunities to design, make and evaluate various products. In the good lesson observed, pupils made good progress in evaluating their design of a torch. The teacher controlled the pace of the lesson well, allowing good opportunities for discussion and thus the development of speaking and listening skills. A pupil with special educational needs was supported well by a teaching assistant in this lesson and made good progress. There is some recording of pupils’ attainment in design and technology. However, subject leadership is unsatisfactory, as the co-ordinator has not yet had time to consider assessment information or monitor standards and teaching as part of her monitoring role.

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Commentary

68. In music, there are very good opportunities for pupils to play musical instruments, to sing in the school choir and to take part in school productions. Musically talented pupils have the opportunity to learn brass instruments and to play in a local band. The school is successful in encouraging both boys and girls to take part in music activities. A published scheme of work has been purchased to address weaknesses in composition highlighted in the previous inspection. This has not yet impacted on standards. Unsatisfactory teaching occurred when the teacher was unfamiliar with the new scheme and failed to plan in enough detail. A lack of resources for using ICT in music also affects teaching. Leadership and management of music are unsatisfactory, as the subject co-ordinator has not yet had time to monitor standards or teaching in music and there is no assessment and recording of pupils’ progress.

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Commentary

69. The school is well resourced for physical education and parents have recently helped to buy new gymnastics equipment. To supplement staff skills, the governors employ a local specialist to teach an aspect of the curriculum called invasion games skills (team games that have a territorial dimension), and pupils in Years 3 to 6 practise swimming at a local school’s community leisure centre. Staff ensure that the school plays an active role in local schools’ sports activities such as football and netball, and lead a number of after school clubs, thus making this part of the school’s provision good. All pupils of the appropriate age can take part, and parents support the travel to different venues very well. Governors have improved the accommodation by leasing a small field that accommodates a five a side soccer pitch.

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Commentary

70. However, teachers are not planning all aspects of the subject from the National Curriculum Programmes of Study and coverage of outdoor and adventurous activities depends on a Year 6 residential visit that does not always take place. To this extent the subject does not meet statutory requirements. The co-ordination of the subject is held temporarily by one of the staff, who has audited resources and produced an action plan for improvement. However, co- ordination of the subject is unsatisfactory because pupils’ progress is not systematically assessed and subject monitoring is unsatisfactory. Lamberhurst St Mary’s CE (VC) Primary School - 29

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Commentary

71. Personal, social and health education (PSHE) and citizenship are a developing aspect of the school’s work. Assemblies foster a sense of community and the newly established School Council enables all pupils to feel their views are valued and can have an impact on the running of the school. A PSHE curriculum is being developed through circle time. This enables pupils to discuss their thoughts and feelings. For instance, Year 5 and 6 pupils are asked to consider their responsibilities as citizens and their responses to issues such as vandalism and bullying. Lamberhurst St Mary’s CE (VC) Primary School - 30

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Overall standards achieved 4 Pupils’ achievement 4

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities 3 Attendance 4 Attitudes 3 Behaviour, including the extent of exclusions 2 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

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