Lantern Lane Primary and Nursery School

LANTERN LANE PRIMARY AND NURSERY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 30 th September – 2 nd October 2003

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LANTERN LANE PRIMARY AND NURSERY SCHOOL

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 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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LANTERN LANE PRIMARY AND NURSERY 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. Lantern Lane Primary School i

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Number on roll: 305 full-time 71 part-time (Nursery)

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Lantern Lane East Leake Loughborough Leicestershire

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mr Dennis Fox

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 27 th April 1998

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

Lantern Lane Primary School is located in the village of East Leake, to the south of Nottingham. It is larger than most primary schools, and almost all of its 376 pupils are of white, UK heritage. The school occupies new premises on a site shared with a new leisure centre and a newly rebuilt comprehensive school on the outskirts of the village. This project is the first privately-funded school development in Nottinghamshire. As part of the project, the day-to-day arrangements for running and maintaining the school are contracted to a private company.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

The home circumstances of most of its pupils are generally more favourable than the national average, and very few are entitled to free school meals. The proportion of pupils identified as having special educational needs is lower than in most schools, and there are no pupils with statements of special educational need. However, there are eight pupils with either more severe learning difficulties or social, emotional and behavioural needs. The attainment of pupils on entry to the school is about average.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

Overall, the movement of pupils into or out of the school is lower than the national average, but the amount of movement in Year 6 is higher than average as parents make choices about their children’s secondary education. Lantern Lane Primary School ii

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

25372 Mike Thompson Lead inspector Art and design; Physical education. 9388 Anthony Mundy Lay inspector 14785 Stephen Hopkins Team inspector English; Geography; History; Religious education. 32168 Ann Keen Team inspector Mathematics; Information and communication technology; Citizenship. 26292 Helen Mundy Team inspector Foundation Stage curriculum; Special educational needs; Science; Design and technology; Music.

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

VT Education Ltd Old Garden House The Lanterns Bridge Lane London SW11 3AD

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

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

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 3

Standards achieved in areas of learning, subjects and courses

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 3

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL 6

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

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OVERALL EVALUATION

Lantern Lane Primary is a good and effective school. Its success is built on the very good leadership provided at all levels, but particularly by the headteacher, the good quality of its teaching and the curriculum, and the effectiveness of its assessment of pupils, which ensures that they receive the help that they need. As a result, pupils achieve well, and develop into mature, responsible, articulate and confident individuals. Throughout the school, there is a clear commitment to continuous improvement and to raising standards. The school provides good value for money.

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The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

• Overall, standards are above average and pupils make good progress. • Teachers are good at making their lessons interesting, and pupils learn well. • The headteacher leads by example. He provides very clear educational direction for the school. • The curriculum is broad and balanced, and is enriched through a very good range of extra- curricular activities. • Pupils flourish within the school’s caring environment.

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The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

• Opportunities to link work in different subjects and make learning even more relevant to pupils are not always clearly identified. • Not enough emphasis is placed on developing pupils’ awareness of non-western cultural influences.

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The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

Improvement since the last inspection has been good. The key issues for improvement identified at the time of the previous inspection have all been successfully addressed. These related to the need to improve standards in information and communication technology (ICT), the need to improve the length of the school day and make better use of teaching time, and the need to provide qualified support staff for children under five. Standards have improved in English, science, ICT, design and technology and history. Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour are better than they were, and the good quality of teaching and care for pupils has been sustained.

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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

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

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

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Pupils of all ages and levels of prior attainment achieve well and make good progress . They enter school with standards that are broadly average and, by the end of the Foundation Stage, most children reach or exceed the goals expected of them. In 2002, test results at the end of Year 2 were above average in reading and mathematics and average in writing. In the 2003 tests, results were similar in reading and mathematics, but showed a significant improvement in writing. At the end of Year 6, test results for 2002 and 2003 were well above average in English and science and above average in mathematics. Inspection findings broadly confirm the results of the tests in Years 2 and 6. In addition, standards in ICT, design and technology and history are above average. In previous years, data has shown that girls have generally outperformed boys. The school has successfully Lantern Lane Primary School 2

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

addressed this issue in Years 1 and 2 and is now working to improve boys’ attainment in Years 3 to 6. During the course of the inspection, boys and girls generally achieved equally well, although the performance of a small number of boys within the Year 3 and 4 age range was not as good as it might have been.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Overall, pupils’ personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is good. Their attitudes towards school and their learning are very good. Standards of behaviour are very good, and as pupils move around the school, their behaviour is often impeccable. The relationships they form are excellent. Their attendance is good.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The quality of education provided by the school is good.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

Lessons are well planned, skilfully delivered and captivate the interests of pupils. Teachers assess their pupils well and are good at ensuring that their needs are properly met, and so learning is good.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The curriculum is good. It is well planned and is developed creatively, with a very good range of extra-curricular activities. Pupils benefit from the high quality of the new building and the facilities it provides. The quality of resources is very good.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

Good support and guidance is provided for pupils. Pupils’ involvement in their own education is excellent. Procedures for ensuring that the school is safe for its pupils are good.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

Relationships with parents are excellent. Links with the community are good, and there are very good links with other schools.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management at all levels are very good . The headteacher provides very clear direction for the school, and governors are actively involved in its work. The management of the school is very good.

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Parents hold all aspects of the school’s work in very high regard , and their children agree. Their views are fully justified.

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The most important things the school should do to improve are:

• Draw up an overview of the way in which all elements of the curriculum develop pupils’ skills, knowledge and understanding as they move through the school, so that possible links between subjects can be clearly identified. • Ensure that greater emphasis is placed on raising pupils’ awareness of the richness and diversity of our multi-cultural society. Lantern Lane Primary School 3

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS

Standards achieved in areas of learning, subjects and courses.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS

Throughout the school, pupils achieve well . Standards are well above average in English and science and above average in mathematics. In the national tests in Year 6, girls do much better than boys.

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Main strengths and weaknesses:

• Most children in the Reception class achieve or exceed nationally expected targets for their learning by the time that they move to Year 1. • Standards in reading, handwriting, and speaking and listening are well above average at the end of Year 2 and Year 6. Standards in writing are not quite as good, but are nonetheless above average. • Pupils are particularly adept at working with, and manipulating, numbers. • In science, standards are well above average in Year 6 and above average in Year 2. • Pupils’ very good skills in literacy help them to make progress in other subjects. However, greater use could be made of their skills in numeracy and ICT.

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Commentary

1. Over the past five years, the school’s performance in the national tests for pupils in Year 6 has generally been above or well above average. There have been some slight variations in year-on- year performance in mathematics and science, but more pronounced fluctuations in performance in English.

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Commentary

2. The high turnover of pupils, which occurs annually in Year 6 and which the school manages well, makes ‘value added’ judgements, based on pupils’ performance in Year 2, unreliable. However, in comparison with schools from similar social contexts, the schools’ performance in the tests for both 2002 and 2003 was above average overall. The results of the 2003 national tests are similar to those of 2002. The fact that results were not affected by the major building work is a tribute to the management of the school and the hard work of the teachers.

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

Standards in: School results 2003 National results 2002 English 28.4 (29.0) 27.0 (27.0) Mathematics 27.9 (28.2) 26.7 (26.6) Science 30.4 (29.9) 28.3 (28.3) There were 53 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year.

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

3. The very good quality of provision in the Foundation Stage , and particularly in the Nursery, ensures that children are given a very good start to their education. On entry to the Nursery, children’s attainment is about average. They make good progress and achieve well because their individual needs are quickly identified, and they receive good quality teaching and help. By the time that they move to Year 1, most children reach or exceed the nationally recommended targets for this age group.

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

4. In Years 1 to 6, pupils achieve well because of the good systems put into place by the leadership of the school. Their attainment is regularly and carefully assessed and, because teachers use this information well when planning their lessons, teachers’ expectations of them are Lantern Lane Primary School 4 very well informed. They make good progress as they move through the school because the curriculum ensures that their skills are developed progressively, and they are given good quality help whenever they need it. This is made possible because of the school’s very clear commitment to the professional development of all staff.

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

5. Inspection findings are that, at the end of Year 2, standards are well above average in English, and above average in mathematics, science, ICT, design and technology and history . In all other subjects, standards are average, with the exception of religious education, where no judgement could be made. By the end of Year 6 , standards have improved in science. Standards at this point are well above average in English and science , and above average in mathematics, ICT, design and technology and history . As in Year 2, standards are average in all other subjects except religious education where, again, no judgement could be made. This occurred because the way in which the subject is taught meant that little recorded evidence was available for an inspection which took place early in the school year, and the way in which the timetable was arranged meant that there were limited opportunities to observe religious education lessons during

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

6. The school’s careful monitoring and detailed analysis of test results has shown that girls have been outperforming boys, and it is now starting to look at this issue. Overall, little discernable difference was identified during the period of the inspection, although the performance of a small number of boys within the Year 3 and 4 age range was not as good as it might have been. The school’s monitoring has also identified specific areas for improvement, such as the attainment of higher-attaining pupils in writing. Its response has been effective, with an improvement of 23 percentage points seen in the results for these pupils in the most recent national tests at the end of Year 2.

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

7. The school has identified the need to provide greater opportunities for pupils to practise their skills in numeracy in their work in other subjects. At present, possible links between subjects are made wherever possible, but are not strategically identified through long-term planning. The school’s excellent new resources for ICT, including laptop computers which have radio linkage to the Internet, provide the opportunity for pupils’ skills in ICT to be used on a wider and more regular basis than has previously been the case.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

Pupils’ behaviour is very good, and they have very good attitudes to learning.

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Main strengths and weaknesses:

• Attendance is good, and punctuality is very good. • Pupils enjoy lessons, informal activities and a wide variety of clubs. • Pupils are trusted to work independently, without close supervision. • Behaviour is often excellent.

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Commentary

8. Pupils’ regular attendance contributes to the high quality of their work. Each day they keenly anticipate a variety of interesting activities, and their enthusiasm rarely wavers. During the inspection, excellent attitudes were seen in a Year 4 art lesson where pupils quickly learned and applied advanced painting techniques. Working in confined space, amicably sharing paints and opinions, they all achieved good results. Lantern Lane Primary School 5 9. Consistently good behaviour contributes to pupils' good progress because, without frequent pauses or distractions, teachers move lessons ahead at good pace. However, in a very small number of lessons seen during the inspection where behaviour was satisfactory, teachers had inadequate behaviour management skills to counter low-level disruption by a few boys. Pupils are thoughtful and mutually respectful: they have no concerns about bullying, and they know that

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Commentary

occasional incidents of aggressive behaviour are managed promptly and effectively.

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Commentary

10. The school provides good spiritual, moral, social and cultural education , and pupils’ personal development is very good.

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Commentary

• Relationships are very good between pupils, and between pupils and staff. • The school has very good relationships with local religious leaders. • Pupils’ multicultural and multi-ethnic experiences are very limited.

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Commentary

11. The school very successfully develops pupils’ personal qualities and social achievements. In Years 5 and 6, many boys and girls are strikingly mature, independent and articulate, and they confidently anticipate transfer to secondary school. Pupils are attentive and reverential in assemblies, participating fully to the extent required of them. However, in assemblies seen during the inspection, pupils had few opportunities to participate by speaking or by influencing the choice of music. In a very good religious education lesson in Years 5 and 6, pupils defined the nature of God in the Islamic manner, through their own two-word attributions. Even though working in an open-plan building, the teacher skilfully created a perfect atmosphere for a thoughtful and reverential lesson. As pupils began their written work, he reminded them of handwriting targets. Consequently, examples were neatly written, and some higher attaining pupils listed more than 30 attributions.

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Commentary

12. Staff are very good role models, and consistently good relationships between staff and pupils promote strong moral values in all year groups. All pupils understand and apply concepts of right and wrong. During the inspection, a visiting theatre group illustrated the difficulties of asylum seekers adjusting to life in a foreign country, and led Year 6 pupils in discussion of moral values within themes of friendship and difference. Pupils demonstrated very good understanding of the issues, and very good speaking and listening skills.

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Commentary

13. Pupils accept a variety of everyday duties in their classrooms, but have limited opportunities to undertake whole-school responsibilities. However, pupils from Years 2 to 6 take part in classroom councils, and elected classmates to represent their views as members of the school council. Pupils know that the school council makes important decisions about aspects of school life and, in some areas, has accepted delegated responsibility from the headteacher. For example, the council’s decision to prohibit large footballs in the playground at morning break and at lunchtime is being contested by a number of pupils. They understand that appeals to the headteacher for executive action are likely to be futile, since he will refer them to the next meeting of the school council.

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Commentary

14. Clear school rules and playground rules reinforce good behaviour. When working in small or large groups, pupils happily exchange ideas and share materials. They are co-operative, friendly and respectful to their peers and teachers, and are relaxed and adept with visitors. No pupil has been excluded from school within the previous five years.

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Commentary

15. In all year groups, boys’ and girls’ interest in a wide range of dance, performance, sport, and other activities enables them to work and play amicably together, without tension or embarrassment. Pupils have good understanding of western culture, and some understanding of other faiths and cultures. Visitors are warmly welcomed, but they are generally unrepresentative of the cultural diversity of our society. Lantern Lane Primary School 6

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Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data 5.0 School data 0.1 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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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Categories used in the Annual School Census No of pupils on roll Number of fixed period exclusions Number of permanent exclusions White – British 362 0 0 White – Irish 2 0 0 White – any other White background 4 0 0 Mixed – White and Black Caribbean 2 0 0 Mixed – White and Black African 2 0 0 Asian or Asian British – Indian 2 0 0 Chinese 2 0 0 The table gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

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Teaching and Learning

The quality of teaching is good , and as a result, pupils learn well.

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Main strengths and weaknesses:

• Teachers’ planning is thorough. • Levels of expectations and challenge are good. • Teachers and teaching assistants insist on high standards of behaviour, and are good at encouraging and engaging pupils in their learning. • Teachers’ assess pupils’ progress very thoroughly and set clear targets for improvement. • In some lessons, the level of expectation and challenge for specific ability groups is a weakness.

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Commentary

16. The quality of teaching was good at the previous inspection. This has been maintained. The strongest teaching is generally found in the Nursery, the two Year 2 classes and the Year 5 and 6 classes.

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 45 lessons

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very poor 3 (7%) 13 (29%) 14 (31%) 12 (27%) 3 (7%) 0 0 The table gives the number of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons; figures in brackets show percentages where 30 or more lessons are seen. Lantern Lane Primary School 7 17. Overall, the quality of teaching in the Foundation Stage is good. All staff have good knowledge of the development of young children, and very good expertise in the nationally recommended Early Learning Goals 1 . Teachers plan very well together, and ensure that all children have full access to the curriculum.

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 45 lessons

18. Teaching is also good overall in Years 3 to 6. Teachers plan lessons very thoroughly and ensure that the wide range of pupils’ needs in the mixed-age classes is met. They have high expectations of pupils in lessons and provide appropriate levels of challenge through skilful questioning and carefully designed learning activities. Teachers use a variety of resources and methods to engage and motivate pupils. Teaching assistants play an important role in teaching and make a positive impact on pupils’ achievement. Teachers and teaching assistants encourage pupils to do their best, and insist on high standards of behaviour.

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 45 lessons

19. English and mathematics is being taught well throughout the school and teachers have a secure understanding of what should be taught in order to develop pupils' skills. The pupils achieve well in both these areas because they are taught systematically. The school analyses results of tests effectively so that it can identify areas of teaching and learning that need improving. Teachers assess pupils’ work very thoroughly and use this information to set improvement targets for individuals. They use these to give feedback to pupils and to inform their teaching. Assessment is good overall, and very good in English and science.

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 45 lessons

20. There are no significant weaknesses in teaching or assessment. The only unsatisfactory teaching was due to lack of challenge for particular ability groups of pupils and lack of effective management of the behaviour of a small number of pupils.

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 45 lessons

21. Teaching for pupils with special educational needs (SEN) is good overall. Work is matched closely to the targets contained in pupils’ individual education plans (IEPs). The early identification of SEN allows very good help to be given to the children as soon as they join the Foundation Stage.

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Main strengths and weaknesses:

• The curriculum for English, mathematics, ICT and physical education is good. • The curriculum provided in the Foundation Stage is broad and balanced, providing children with a good start to their education. • Provision for pupils with SEN is good. • The school provides a very good range of extra-curricular activities to enrich the pupils' learning. • The staff are well trained and their expertise is used effectively. • The school is very well resourced, and the accommodation is very good, but the available work space is not always used as well as it could be. • There is no whole-school overview of the curriculum.

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Main strengths and weaknesses:

22. The curriculum provided in the Nursery and Reception class is good, and is securely based on the national recommendations for children of this age. In the rest of the school, the quality and range of opportunities, and the breadth and balance of the whole curriculum offered to the pupils are good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses:

23. The curriculum provided for pupils with SEN is good. Pupils’ IEPs contain very clear targets for improvement.

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Main strengths and weaknesses:

1 The Early Learning Goals are the standards expected of children by the time they reach the end of the Foundation Stage. Lantern Lane Primary School 8 24. The school provides a very good range of after-school activities to enrich pupils' learning. Pupils have opportunities to participate in sports, such as hockey and football, and activities such as dance and choir. School productions such as ‘Joseph and his Amazing Technicoloured Dream Coat’ broaden the curriculum and provide good opportunities for pupils’ personal and social development, as do activities such as the annual residential trip to Derbyshire for pupils in Year 6.

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Main strengths and weaknesses:

25. There is evidence of good links between subjects, and ICT is satisfactorily integrated into other curriculum areas. However, the lack of an overview of the curriculum for the whole school means that potential links between subjects, and the opportunities to make better use of time, are sometimes missed.

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Main strengths and weaknesses:

26. The headteacher and governors have a very strong commitment to the development of the expertise of staff, which has been recognised through the school’s ‘Investors in People’ award in 2002. Effective systems are in place to enable teachers to increase their skills and to benefit from the support available from more experienced staff when planning their work. Other initiatives, such as the help provided by a physical education specialist from a local college and the employment of an ICT technician, help to improve the school’s provision for its pupils.

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Main strengths and weaknesses:

27. The privately-funded building initiative has provided the school with high quality accommodation, which provides very good access for all and is very well equipped to meet the needs of the curriculum. In the Nursery, for example, the rooms are bright, cheerful and well organised, and there are very good outside facilities for the youngest children. However, the space in some areas of the school is not always used as effectively as it could be. To some extent, this shortcoming may be due to the fact that the inspection took place at an early stage in the term and that teachers and pupils were getting used to the new accommodation.

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Main strengths and weaknesses:

Example of outstanding practice Curriculum planning helps pupils to progress within the school and helps them in their transfer to the adjacent secondary school by providing fresh momentum at the end of each summer term. An innovative feature of the curriculum is the way in which the academic years have been organised. During the second half of each summer term, once National Curriculum tests have been completed, pupils are taught by the teacher designated to take them during the following year. This means, for example, that pupils in Year 2 are taught within their Year 3 setting during this period. To accommodate this move, Year 6 pupils spend most of their time at the adjacent comprehensive school, taught by a member of the Lantern Lane staff. Parents greatly appreciate this arrangement, since their children quickly settle in to their new classes before the long summer holiday and those moving on to secondary education are able to become

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Main strengths and weaknesses:

used to their new surroundings within the security provided by their teacher and classmates. A ‘bridging curriculum’ is now being developed to ensure that this period provides the pupils with a very clear focus. Owing to the major re-building project for both schools, it was difficult to implement this arrangement fully during the last summer term.

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Care, guidance and support

The school has good procedures for child protection, health and safety . The caring environment has a positive effect on the standards pupils achieve.

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Main strengths and weaknesses:

• The headteacher, who is the responsible officer for child protection, is conscientious and well informed. • All staff are responsive to pupils’ needs. • Staff have not received recent formal training in child protection. • Some aspects of health and safety practice require clarification. Lantern Lane Primary School 9

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Commentary

28. All staff, including teaching and midday assistants, have good understanding of child protection procedures. They are provided with a printed summary of the school’s arrangements, but have not recently received formal training. Midday assistants are conscientious and attentive, and are interested in pupils' activities. Three members of staff are fully qualified in first aid, and all staff have received some training. The school is implementing the local authority’s health and safety policy, including risk assessments and procedures for ensuring the safety of pupils on site, and during out of school visits. However, the parties involved in financing and building the school have not yet clearly defined all areas of responsibility for health and safety. A particularly noteworthy feature of the school’s provision is the good use of two-way radios to enable staff on duty at break or at lunchtime to

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Commentary

communicate with one another in the event of accidents to pupils.

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Commentary

29. The school provides very good support, advice and guidance for pupils , and closely monitors their achievements and personal development.

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Main strengths and weaknesses:

• Teachers and other adults know the pupils well, and are skilled in responding to their needs. • Pupils of all attainments are included fully in all activities. • The school values pupils’ views, and often acts upon their suggestions.

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Main strengths and weaknesses:

30. Pupils receive very good individual care and support from class teachers and from the headteacher, who is friendly, accessible and reassuring. Teaching assistants develop very good relationships with pupils, and are skilled in curriculum and personal support. Each term, class teachers formally assess their pupils’ personal and social development, compiling an extended record of pupils’ attainment and progress. Pupils confirm that the school actively seeks their views and, as far as possible, involves them in decision making. In addition to the excellent forum provided by the school council, pupils in all year groups are occasionally given the opportunity to record their views on questionnaires.

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Main strengths and weaknesses:

31. A very good induction system enables children to settle quickly into the Foundation Stage. Pupils joining other year groups adapt easily and happily to the school’s routines. Pupils in all year groups are relaxed and happy in the school community, and younger pupils look forward with some excitement to their future years at Lantern Lane. The innovative way in which the curriculum is planned in the second part of the summer term, together with good procedures in Year 6 and close contact with the adjacent secondary school, prepares pupils very well for their transfer to secondary education.

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Main strengths and weaknesses:

32. The school gives very good support and guidance to pupils with SEN. Consistent procedures ensure that they move up or down through the stages of the Code of Practice, and come off the register when progress allows.

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Main strengths and weaknesses:

33. Pupils in all year groups avidly collect merit stickers acknowledging achievement, effort and good behaviour. Outstanding achievement is recorded in a ‘Golden Book’, and further acknowledged at lunchtimes in a display projected on to the wall of the dining hall. Samples of pupils’ best work are included in individual profiles presented in Year 6 before they leave for secondary school. Lantern Lane Primary School 10

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Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

The school has excellent links with parents , good links with the local community , and very good links with other schools and providers of early years’ education.

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Main strengths and weaknesses:

• The school provides excellent information for parents, and seeks to involve them fully in their children’s education. • Parents are welcomed as visitors and classroom helpers. • The community greatly values the school’s excellent, on-site parent and toddler group. • A very good, increasingly valuable, relationship has been established with the adjacent secondary school. • Although very good local links are established, links with the wider community are underdeveloped.

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Main strengths and weaknesses:

34. Parents' views were exceptionally positive at the pre-inspection meeting, and were confirmed by most responses to the pre-inspection questionnaire. During the inspection, parents confirmed their own excellent relationships with the headteacher and staff, and their children’s delight in coming to school each day. One mother said ‘We can’t keep them away!’ Some parents and friends provide consistent, valuable help in lessons to groups of pupils and to individuals. Wherever possible, the school uses their special skills and interests to broaden the curriculum.

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Main strengths and weaknesses:

35. Parents receive a very warm welcome and an excellent ‘Welcome Pack’ when their children enter the Foundation Stage, or join other year groups. Termly curriculum outlines provide valuable over-views of their children’s work in class. At termly consultation evenings, parents have ample time to review their children’s progress, and discuss future targets. During each half-term, parents are invited to an ‘open forum’, where discussion of a specific topic precedes an opportunity to question the headteacher on any school-related issue. Annual written reports to parents are of good quality, showing in some detail what children know and can do in the core subjects of English, mathematics and science, and suggesting how attainment may be improved. However, the current report format provides inadequate space for teachers to write fully about other subjects. Stylish, regular newsletters are informative about events and important dates. The 2003 prospectus and the

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Main strengths and weaknesses:

governors’ annual report to parents conform with legal requirements.

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Main strengths and weaknesses:

36. The way in which the school involves parents of pupils with SEN in their children’s education is excellent. They are kept fully aware of outside agencies liaising with the school to provide additional services for their children.

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Main strengths and weaknesses:

37. The school makes satisfactory use of community resources. Pupils in all year groups visit places of interest in the locality, including a steam railway, a nature trail and a mosque. In Years 3 to 6, they enjoy residential visits. Recent visitors from the community have included a theatre group and several ministers of religion. A small number of community groups meet regularly in the school hall.

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Main strengths and weaknesses:

38. Very good links are maintained with the adjacent secondary school, and developments are planned in cross-phase teaching and curriculum co-ordination. Each year, secondary school students are welcomed for work experience in childcare. Student teachers are carefully inducted and mentored, and make a valuable contribution to school life. Lantern Lane Primary School 11

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The quality of leadership and management is very good .

p.16

Main strengths and weaknesses:

• The headteacher provides high quality leadership and has developed a good partnership with his committed deputy. • The governors are knowledgeable, and are fully involved in shaping the direction of the school. • There is effective teamwork and a shared sense of purpose among staff. • There is a very clear commitment to continual improvement, and practice is regularly and rigorously evaluated. • Inconsistencies in the quality of teaching, identified through monitoring, have yet to be resolved.

p.16

Commentary

39. The headteacher, who is experienced, provides high quality leadership and is well supported by an effective senior management team. He is totally committed to the school and the community in which it is set, and provides the strong driving force behind every aspect of the school's work. His vision and enterprise have been important in the success of the new building project and the benefits which it is now bringing to pupils’ education. He has a clear vision of how he would like the school to develop, and his energy and enthusiasm provide an excellent role model for staff and pupils.

p.16

Commentary

40. The success of the school’s very good commitment to developing the potential of all of its staff has resulted in a relatively high turnover of teachers, as they often move on to more senior positions in other schools. This situation is being very well managed, through a system of ‘apprenticeships’ as new teachers are prepared for future roles as subject co-ordinators, and through the willingness of the deputy headteacher to take on a wide range of responsibilities.

p.16

Commentary

41. The quality of the school’s provision, including the quality of teaching and learning, is regularly monitored and evaluated, and this information is carefully considered when important decisions, such as the deployment of teaching staff, are made. The performance management system is used effectively to improve the skills of all teachers. There are very good arrangements for the induction of staff new to the school, including newly-qualified teachers. The latter receive very good support from other staff, particularly those teaching in the same age group. The effectiveness of the school’s monitoring systems was borne out by the fact that the headteacher and deputy had already identified the weaknesses in the quality of teaching which became evident during the course of the inspection. However, a programme of support to address these weaknesses had not been put into place.

p.16

Commentary

42. The very good strategic management also ensures that the high level of movement of Year 6 pupils, which occurs annually, is accommodated by ensuring that classes are below capacity at the beginning of the school year.

p.16

Commentary

43. Governance of the school is very good. The governors know the school well, visit regularly, and have a very good understanding of its strengths and weaknesses. Governors successfully fulfil their role as ‘critical friend’ to the school through their monitoring of its work, which includes links between individual governors and teachers. They carefully scrutinize performance data, and apply the principles of ‘best value’ very well when making decisions. For example, the benefits of their commitment to the professional development of staff are regularly evaluated. The views of parents are valued as part of the decision-making process. For instance, the decision to move pupils to their new classes at Whitsun was only taken after parents had been consulted. Lantern Lane Primary School 12

p.16

Financial information for the year April [year] to March [year]

Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 767,290.00 Balance from previous year 38,946.00 Total expenditure 770,156.00 Balance carried forward to the next -2,866.00 Expenditure per pupil 2,383.00

p.17

Financial information for the year April [year] to March [year]

44. In previous years, the school has managed its finances very well to achieve its educational priorities. However, as a result of its involvement in the private funding initiative (PFI), some of the areas of expenditure for which it was previously directly responsible, such as cleaning, caretaking and maintenance, are now arranged by the board of East Leake Schools Ltd. The effectiveness of this new arrangement and the benefits it brings to the pupils cannot yet be evaluated. The school’s involvement in the PFI project has made enormous demands on the time of the headteacher. The fact that this considerable commitment has not deflected the school from its clear focus on raising standards and ensuring that pupils achieve well is testimony to the very good teamwork, shared sense of purpose and very good leadership at all levels. Lantern Lane Primary School 13

p.17

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

45. Provision in the Foundation Stage is very good in all areas of learning. Children’s achievement is good , and they make good progress . By the time that they move from the Reception class into Year 1, most children reach or exceed the nationally expected goals in all areas of learning. The improvement made since the previous inspection has been good .

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses in all areas of learning:

• Good teaching is underpinned by careful, collaborative planning. • Leadership of the Foundation Stage is very good. The co-ordinator delegates confidently, and encourages all staff to be fully involved in all aspects of the children’s welfare and development. • Children’s attitudes and behaviour are very good. • The early identification and inclusion of children with SEN helps them to achieve well. • Resources are used imaginatively in the outdoor area. • Sometimes, mistakes in children’s written work are not corrected promptly enough. • Opportunities to develop children’s multicultural and multi-ethnic awareness are limited.

p.18

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

46. Provision for personal, social and emotional development is very good . The school’s very good induction programme welcomes and involves parents, and quickly settles children into the Nursery and Reception classes. Children are keen to attend, and they have very good attitudes to learning. They are very polite and friendly to adults and to each other, and their behaviour is always very good. During the inspection, a good Reception class wall display on the topic of ‘Wishes’ showed that children have learned to differentiate between material values and moral values. Local events are celebrated, and western culture and religion are acknowledged, but other cultures and faiths receive little attention. The work and attitudes of all children are constantly monitored, and children with SEN are fully involved in all activities.

p.18

COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

47. Provision for communication, language and literacy is very good. When children enter the Nursery class, their speaking and listening skills are below average for their age, but are quickly developed by good teaching. Their vocabulary quickly develops through listening carefully to instructions from their teachers, and exchanging information when working and playing together. For example, in a lesson in the Reception class, children used and understood the words ‘camouflage’ and ‘hibernation’ .

p.18

COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

48. The teaching of letter sounds is good, and is fully integrated with all areas of learning. Children in the Nursery can interpret a story by looking at pictures, and make good guesses at the meanings of printed words. For example, when discussing the story of the ‘Three Bears’, a child of average attainment suggested that words in the smallest print were those spoken by the smallest bear . Most children in the Nursery and Reception classes consistently practise writing their names. They write neatly, but sometimes use capital and lower case letters indiscriminately, and without correction. In the Reception class, children make good attempts at writing words. For example, a higher-attaining child wrote ‘fbal’ (football). Lantern Lane Primary School 14

p.18

MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

49. Provision for mathematical development is very good. Mathematics teaching by all staff is integrated with all areas of learning, including outdoor play. During the inspection, in a good outdoor lesson led by a Nursery nurse, children selected paper cut into small, medium and large sizes related to the sizes of flower pots they were to draw. In the Reception class, children of average attainment count accurately to ten. However, children’s understanding of some concepts needs to be developed further. For example, they understand the meaning of ‘ more than’ but are less secure in dealing with quantities that are ‘less than’ . An attractive display of work showed good achievement in mathematical development, and children’s increasing understanding of complex repetition of patterns.

p.19

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

50. Provision for knowledge and understanding of the world is very good. Nursery children have good understanding of the function of simple maps. For instance, they drew imaginative maps showing Goldilocks’ route through the wood and, when questioned, explained the location of each event on her journey. Children in the Reception class have good observational skills. For example, very good, probing questions by the teacher developed their understanding of autumn. Children in both classes have satisfactory understanding of techniques for joining materials, using hole- punches, wool and adhesives. At the time of the inspection, recently installed computers in the Reception class were not fully operational. However, in the Nursery, children showed that they could use a mouse competently to control images on screen when using a computer program related to their topic about ‘Goldilocks’.

p.19

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

51. Provision for physical development is very good. No physical education lessons were observed during the inspection, but children demonstrated good co-ordination and skills of balance and movement when riding bicycles in the outdoor area. They understood the importance of road safety rules: wearing crash helmets when riding, and taking care as ‘pedestrians’ not to walk on the painted ‘road’. Children in both classes have very good fine-motor skills. They confidently use scissors, gardening equipment and glue spreaders.

p.19

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

52. Provision for creative development is very good. All wall displays in the Foundation Stage are of excellent quality, combining work by staff and children. Displays contribute greatly to children’s spiritual development. Children's drawings are satisfactory for their ages, and good teaching in both classes develops their skills. In the Nursery, children’s imaginative play is highly developed. In a good lesson in which a small group re-enacted the story of ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’, skilful interventions by the Nursery nurse moved the story ahead at good pace, and fully involved all participants. She instantly created additional roles for two children who were keen to join the group. Lantern Lane Primary School 15

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses:

• Teaching assistants make a significant contribution to pupils' achievements. • Teaching is effectively matched to pupils' learning needs. • Pupils' progress is assessed very thoroughly and is linked to specific targets for improvement. • Highly effective monitoring and evaluation by the subject co-ordinator ensures that good practice is shared and that development points are identified and addressed. • Literacy skills are developed well in other subjects. • The range of reading books does not include enough multi-cultural texts. • Teachers' marking and written feedback to individual pupils does not always relate to their targets for improvement. • Planning for the progressive development of pupils' speaking and listening skills, and for the enrichment of the English curriculum through links with the creative arts, is generally absent.

p.20

Commentary

53. Standards attained by pupils at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 are above average. National test results and the work seen during the inspection indicate that pupils' attainment is well above average in reading, handwriting and speaking and listening. Pupils' attainment in writing is above average. Overall, standards in English have improved since the last inspection.

p.20

Commentary

54. Younger pupils delight in reading aloud. They read fluently and with expression, and talk about the feelings of the characters at different points in a story. They are confidently able to use a range of strategies to read unfamiliar words. Pupils practise reading regularly, make good progress, and take books home to show parents what they can do. Throughout the school, a reading record booklet accompanies the books taken home, and teachers and parents add comments on the child's effort and attainment.

p.20

Commentary

55. Younger pupils take care with handwriting, and practise joining letters. They construct simple sentences accurately, and use a range of connectives. Pupils listen carefully and respond well to what others say, using a wide range of vocabulary.

p.20

Commentary

56. Older pupils read fluently and are able to ‘skim’ and ‘scan’ texts to extract relevant information. A structured reading programme ensures that they read, and respond to, a wide range of styles. Pupils' handwriting is of a very high standard. Most write fluently and confidently in a mature, cursive style. They spell accurately and use dictionaries confidently. Their writing is well structured and includes complex sentences with subordinate clauses, and they are able to incorporate indirect speech into writing in a journalistic style. Pupils contribute effectively to discussion in pairs and in larger groups. They listen carefully, making contributions and asking questions that are responsive to each other's ideas and views.

p.20

Commentary

57. Pupils' achievement is good overall. Throughout the school, they make very good progress in reading and handwriting, and good progress in writing and speaking and listening.

p.20

Commentary

58. Overall, the quality of teaching is good. Of the eight lessons observed during the inspection, one was excellent, two were very good, two were good, one was satisfactory and two were unsatisfactory. Teachers use the format of the National Literacy Strategy to advantage, and learning objectives are always shared with pupils. Texts for work in reading and writing are carefully selected to ensure that coherent links are made with work in other subjects. Planning is very thorough and Lantern Lane Primary School 16 detailed. It ensures that all pupils are properly challenged, in line with their learning needs. Where teaching was unsatisfactory, it was because the learning needs of specific groups of pupils – on one occasion higher-attainers, and on another lower-attainers - were not being met adequately. Where teaching was excellent, the teacher worked closely with a teaching assistant to provide an excellent

p.20

Commentary

level of challenge and pace to pupils' learning. Pupils received feedback on their progress and were clearly told what they needed to do to improve further. In all lessons observed, teaching assistants provided good teaching and very good support for pupils' learning. Teachers work in close partnership with teaching assistants, and this has a positive impact on pupils' achievement.

p.21

Commentary

59. Opportunities for pupils to engage in speaking and listening in pairs, in small groups, in ‘hot- seat’ activities and in whole class discussion are built into most lessons. However, planning for the progressive development of pupils' speaking and listening skills in a wide range of contexts and for a range of purposes is not currently in place. The curriculum in English is not enriched enough by links with art, music, dance and drama.

p.21

Commentary

60. Teachers make effective use of a range of teaching methods and resources. There is widespread use of whiteboards and overhead projectors for shared texts. The best lessons incorporate modelling, effective questioning and clear explanations by the teacher and learning support assistants. Pupils achieve well in these lessons. All pupils have specific literacy targets that they are working towards. These targets are written on bookmark cards which pupils and teachers refer to when literacy activities are being undertaken and the outcomes assessed. Pupils make very good progress in writing when teachers provide them with written feedback on the progress they are making in relation to their targets. Progress is not so apparent when pupils have too many targets or when feedback from the teacher does not link clearly to them. A good range of high quality books for group and individual reading are available. The range does not, however, include sufficient multi-

p.21

Commentary

61. Assessment of pupils' progress is very good. Progress in reading and writing is assessed on a regular basis using a range of strategies. The outcomes are used to identify, and plan for, pupils who are not meeting expectations. This has a positive impact on pupils' achievement.

p.21

Commentary

62. Leadership and management are very good. The subject leader provides the drive and direction that has resulted in the improvements in the provision since the last inspection. The monitoring and evaluation of planning, pupils' progress, and teaching and learning in lessons have had a marked impact on the development of provision. ‘Best practice’ has been shared, practice has been refined, policy has been adjusted, and teachers and learning support assistants have undertaken a range of professional development activities.

p.21

Commentary

Language and literacy across the curriculum.

p.21

Commentary

63. Literacy is used well to support other curriculum areas. In other subjects, teachers make good use of opportunities to make links to literacy skills being taught in English. For example, spelling strategies are emphasized when pupils learn to spell key words in history, ‘skimming’ and ‘scanning’ the text on a website enables pupils quickly to extract information in geography, and a strong emphasis is placed on the importance of maintaining a high standard of handwriting in all subjects. Lantern Lane Primary School 17

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses:

• Pupils have good skills in working with number. • Pupils' behaviour and their attitudes towards their work are good. • Teachers plan well for different ability groups in the lessons. • The leadership of the subject is good. • Staff analyse data well, to ensure improvements in teaching. • Pupils are not taught sufficiently well how to use and apply their mathematical knowledge to 'real' situations. • Targets for individual pupils are not used well enough to improve their day-to-day learning.

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses:

64. Standards attained by pupils in Year 2 and Year 6 are above what is expected nationally, and pupils achieve well. This is a similar situation to that reported at the time of the last inspection.

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses:

65. Throughout the school, pupils have good opportunities to develop their skills of calculation. Emphasis is now being placed on pupils working out calculations in their heads and without the use of other aids. The school has identified this as an area for improvement, and ensures that pupils have sufficient opportunities to improve their skills. Teachers are good at encouraging their pupils to improve; they make them aware of mistakes that have been made, help them to improve and draw their attention to their achievements. In Year 2, pupils play games and work with practical equipment to develop a good understanding of the 'place value' of numbers. By the end of Year 6, they are used to working quickly in tasks such as converting decimals to percentages. The teaching is lively and holds the pupils’ interest, consequently the pupils behave well and respond enthusiastically to the teaching.

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses:

66. The teaching and learning of pupils in mathematics, including that of pupils with SEN, is good. Six mathematics lessons were observed, and of these, two were very good, three were good and one was satisfactory. Teachers plan well for pupils of all abilities within classes. Teaching assistants support teachers well and help pupils to achieve as well as they can. Teachers make good use of correct mathematical vocabulary in their lessons, and this helps to improve pupils’ knowledge and understanding. The very good relationships between pupils, teachers and teaching assistants make a significant contribution to pupils' achievement.

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses:

67. The National Numeracy Strategy is well established. Teachers have a thorough understanding of the guidance within the strategy and use this well to plan their lessons. They clearly outline their objectives at the beginning of lessons, and as a result, pupils know precisely what they have to do and what is expected from them. In the best teaching, skilled questioning and discussions were used well to develop pupils' learning. Further improvements are planned to ensure that pupils’ individual targets are used more effectively to improve their learning on a daily basis within lessons.

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses:

68. The leadership and management of mathematics are good. Assessment and test results are carefully analysed to identify areas where the pupils are not achieving as well as they could. The school is aware that they need to incorporate more 'real life' situations into both mathematics lessons and other subjects so that pupils can apply their mathematical knowledge. Overall, ICT is used satisfactorily to help develop pupils’ mathematical skills. Lantern Lane Primary School 18

p.22

Mathematics across the curriculum

69. The use of mathematics in other subjects is satisfactory. For example, pupils used their knowledge to take readings from thermometers and sensors in science lessons, and as part of a history project about rationing during World War II, they applied their skills in solving problems. However, the school is aware of the need to make greater use of mathematics in other subjects so that pupils are given more opportunities to put their learning into practice.

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses:

• Teachers plan in detail and match work closely to the needs of all pupils. • Teachers have good subject knowledge and use a wide variety of teaching methods. • Assessment is very good. • Subject leadership is good; however, variations in the quality of teaching and learning need to be addressed.

p.23

Commentary

70. Overall, standards in science have improved since the previous inspection. They are well above average in Year 6 and above average in Year 2.

p.23

Commentary

71. Overall, the quality of teaching is good. Four science lessons were observed, two of which were very good, one was satisfactory and one was unsatisfactory. In a sound lesson in Year 2, pupils’ experiments confirmed their view that sound fades as it travels from its source. In the playground, they backed away from the teacher until they could not hear the sound of her drum. She asked good questions to test their understanding, and pupils of average attainment responded thoughtfully and accurately. However, in a subsequent classroom experiment to demonstrate wave movements in water, outcomes were unclear because resources were too limited to create the required effects. In this lesson, the teacher made some good links with sound studies in a previous music lesson.

p.23

Commentary

72. In lessons in two different classes of pupils in Years 3 and 4, where teachers had planned together, there were significant differences in the quality of teaching and learning. In one lesson the teacher used numerous teaching methods to retain pupils’ interest. In this lesson, behaviour was very good, achievement was good, and higher attaining pupils made good progress in understanding thermometer scales. In the other lesson, the teacher’s lack of skills in managing the behaviour of a group of boys resulted in frequent disruption of pupils’ learning.

p.23

Commentary

73. In Year 6, pupils display very good scientific knowledge. They have good independent investigative skills and quickly relate new learning to their previous knowledge. For instance, in a very good lesson, pupils’ use and understanding of terminology was very good. They explained the meanings of ‘pitch’, ‘resonance’ and ‘supersonic’, understood how bats use their hearing to locate prey and knew about the effects of variable volumes of air on a musical reed. In this lesson, the achievement of all pupils, including those with SEN, was very good. Behaviour was very good, even though space in the classroom was limited and the ventilation inadequate. In a lesson of similar quality, taught to a class of pupils in Years 3 and 4, a teaching assistant simultaneously re-phrased the teacher’s explanations to help the understanding of a pupil with SEN. At the close of the day, her detailed record of his achievement and progress in science enabled the teacher to adapt her

p.23

Commentary

planning for the next science lesson. Lantern Lane Primary School 19 74. In both very good lessons, teachers’ use of resources added a spiritual dimension to the scientific investigations. Overall, teachers’ planning is good, and their use of support staff is very good.

p.23

Commentary

75. Teachers’ skills in assessing their pupils are very good, and their marking often includes good use of scientific language. Annual reports to parents are very detailed and include easily understandable targets.

p.24

Commentary

76. The subject co-ordinator provides good leadership. She has very good subject knowledge and is enthusiastic and creative. For example, in co-operation with pupils and teachers, she has implemented changes in science teaching to meet the needs of boys who have previously been underachieving in the subject.

p.24

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

Provision in ICT is good and has improved significantly since the last inspection.

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses:

• Teachers assess their pupils’ learning well. • The technician provides very good support to teachers and pupils. • Resources are excellent. • Information and communication technology (ICT) is not integrated into other curriculum areas as well as it could be.

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses:

77. Overall, standards in ICT at the end of Year 6 are above average and most pupils are achieving well. The ratio of computers to pupils is very high. The school has two very well equipped computer suites, and laptops, as well as other equipment such as a digital camera, sensing equipment. Interactive white boards are available for use in lessons. The pupils enjoy working on the computers, and classes are regularly time-tabled to use them. Pupils are very aware of the use of technology, as the equipment is readily available. The school is in the enviable position of employing a full-time technician to help both the staff and pupils. This significantly enhances pupils’ learning because the amount of time wasted due to technical faults is minimal, and because the technician gives pupils good quality help.

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses:

78. Pupils learn a wide range of skills. For instance, in Year 2 they competently used a graphics program to experiment with lines and colour, eventually creating pictures resembling those of Mondrian. In Year 5 and 6 pupils use computers effectively to word-process and present information. They are making good gains in their learning about the use of the Internet to send and receive e-mail. Overall, pupils are enthusiastic and well motivated to use the computers, and their behaviour is generally good.

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses:

79. The quality of teaching is good. Four lessons were observed, two of which were good and two of which were satisfactory. The curriculum is based on national guidelines. Tasks are planned well and staff are familiar with the software used. An effective system to assess pupils’ attainment and progress has been developed, which is constantly being revised. Teachers often use the beginning of lessons effectively to remind pupils about previous work, which is used as a basis for new learning. At the end of lessons teachers are good at reviewing what has been learned to make sure that pupils gain benefit from the lesson. Using interactive whiteboards 2 the teachers can show pupils' work to the class or demonstrate techniques. For instance, in a lesson using a graphics program, the teacher demonstrated how to add colour to designs by using a 'spray’ facility.

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses:

2 These are large boards on which the screen display from a computer is projected. The technology enables the user to control the images on the screen by touching it. Lantern Lane Primary School 20

p.24

Information and communication technology across the curriculum

80. The use of ICT across the curriculum is satisfactory. During ICT lessons in the computer suites, pupils learn about other subjects, such as art and music. However, the wealth of good quality equipment is not used as much as it could be during lessons based in classrooms, particularly in literacy and numeracy lessons. For instance, the laptop computers, which have radio links to the school’s computer network, are not yet used often enough to develop children's skills.

p.25

Geography and History

The provision made for the teaching of geography and history is satisfactory .

p.25

Geography and History

81. Two geography lessons and two history lessons were seen during the inspection. Judgements are based on the lesson observations, teachers' planning and discussions with staff and pupils.

p.25

Main strengths and weaknesses:

• Teachers' planning makes good links to the development of pupils' literacy skills and to opportunities for cross-curricular work in art, personal, social and health education (PSHE) and ICT. • Teachers make effective use of a wide range of resources and activities, including drama and ICT activities, to motivate pupils and to help them to learn effectively. • Sometimes teaching focuses too much on the cross-curricular aspects of the lesson and not enough on the history or the geography.

p.25

Commentary

82. The evidence available in geography indicates that the standards attained by pupils are satisfactory and that they make satisfactory progress. The evidence available in history indicates that standards are good and that they make good progress. Since the previous inspection, standards in geography have remained the same, but standards in history have improved. Teachers' planning in both geography and history includes clear learning outcomes, which are being worked towards, and the key questions and activities which will be used in the lessons. This level of planning is likely to ensure consistency and good teaching throughout the school.

p.25

Commentary

83. In geography, younger pupils are able to compare and contrast their own village settlement with that of an island settlement that is the setting for a story they are reading. They also satisfactorily compare and contrast the occupations of adults in both settlements. These activities contribute positively to pupils' geographical understanding and to the development of their speaking and listening skills. Teachers make good use of opportunities to make links with art - through map drawing, and with PSHE - through talking about pupils' extended families and the occupations of individuals. In one case the geographical focus of the lesson was lost through over-emphasis on the discussion about families.

p.25

Commentary

84. In geography, older pupils are given good opportunities to use and develop their skills in ICT. For example, they access web pages on the Internet to find the information to answer questions about weather conditions in mountain regions and the hazards these are likely to pose for tourists.

p.25

Commentary

85. In history, pupils talked with interest about photographs of rationing queues in Britain during World War II. They talked about what they knew already about rationing and produced a list of questions they wanted to answer. The teacher provided a range of activities supported by high quality resources, including original ration books and access, via laptop computers, to CD-ROM Lantern Lane Primary School 21 based information. Pupils responded very well to these activities and were able to achieve well. The use of drama, such as role play linked to evacuee experiences, provided good opportunities for pupils to develop their speaking and listening skills and to build on their historical knowledge and understanding.

p.25

Religious education

The provision made for the teaching of religious education is satisfactory .

p.26

Religious education

86. No judgement can be made about the standards attained by pupils, their achievement, or the quality of teaching, since only one religious education lesson was seen and there were few examples of pupils’ completed work available because the inspection took place early in the academic year.

p.26

Main strengths and weaknesses:

• Teachers' planning is detailed. It successfully provides a framework for the progressive development of pupils' skills, knowledge and understanding, and makes good links to the development of pupils' literacy skills and to work in PSHE. • There are no significant weaknesses.

p.26

Commentary

87. The school's planning for religious education is very detailed and conforms to the requirements of the locally Agreed Syllabus. It provides clear guidance for teachers on the learning outcomes they are working towards, together with key questions and activities to use in lessons. The planning also helps teachers to make links to aspects of PSHE and to skills being developed in English lessons. This level of planning is likely to promote consistency and good teaching throughout the school.

p.26

Commentary

88. Teachers' planning and the displays of pictures and artefacts in some classrooms demonstrate that pupils are able to extend their knowledge of world religions and consider the significance of symbols in the story of Noah's Ark. This contributes well to pupils' spiritual development and their knowledge of the wider world.

p.26

Commentary

89. Older pupils were able to talk confidently about Islam and were developing an understanding of the term ‘sacred’. They were able to talk about the claim that Jesus made that he was the Son of God, and how they felt about this. In the single lesson observed, pupils were able to reflect and then write about an event of great significance to them.

p.26

Art and design

Provision in art and design is satisfactory.

p.26

Main strengths and weaknesses:

• Pupils are very attentive and well behaved, and are keen to learn. • Teachers make the subject interesting and skillfully teach techniques; as a result, pupils learn well. • Not enough opportunities are taken to develop pupils’ awareness of the artistic traditions of other cultures. Lantern Lane Primary School 22

p.26

Commentary

90. Standards in Years 2 and 6 are average, and are at about the same level as reported at the time of the previous inspection. However, in some aspects of the subject, such as observational drawings of flowers in Year 2 and the use of texture and shading in Year 4 paintings, standards are high, and have improved. Standards are not higher overall because, in previous years, not enough emphasis was placed on the subject. Overall, pupils achieve satisfactorily and make steady progress as they move through the school.

p.27

Commentary

91. Observations of lessons and evidence from a scrutiny of pupils’ previously completed work show that the quality of teaching is good. Of the three lessons observed during the inspection, one was excellent and two were good. Pupils learn well in lessons because teachers are good at making the work interesting, and make sure that their pupils have a clear appreciation of the skills that they have to develop. For example, pupils in Year 5 and 6 responded well to a challenging task in which they were asked to convey a sense of movement by positioning a sequence of silhouettes which they had drawn and cut out. During his introduction, the teacher skilfully held pupils’ attention by sharing with them the difficulties that he had when attempting the same task. In this way, he ensured that pupils had a clear idea of what they had to do and an understanding that, sometimes, more than one attempt would be needed to achieve their desired effect. Information and

p.27

Commentary

communication technology (ICT) is well used. For instance, pupils in Year 2 had a good understanding of the difference between two- and three-dimensional work as a result of their computer research into the work of Barbara Hepworth, while others used a graphics program to create designs in the style of Piet Mondrian. Teaching themes are developed carefully over a series of lessons – each building on previously learned techniques. For example, in the excellent lesson seen in Year 4, the teacher gave a high quality demonstration of the way in which pupils could create images of depth and texture through brush techniques and a careful choice of colour. Her expectations were extremely high, and her pupils had a clear understanding of the discipline required to achieve high-quality results. Pupils then effectively used their knowledge of colour mixing, gained in earlier lessons, as they set to work.

p.27

Commentary

92. In the new building, in Years 3 to 6, teachers are not yet making best use of the space available, and the practice of keeping pupils within the teaching ‘bays’ for practical activities sometimes leads to unnecessarily cramped conditions. The success of teaching in these conditions is partly due to the very good behaviour of pupils and the quality of relationships evident throughout the school. Pupils with SEN are fully included in all activities and achieve well.

p.27

Commentary

93. Owing to staff changes, the headteacher has temporary responsibility for art and design. Within the time available to him, he manages the subject satisfactorily and shows a clear understanding of what needs to be done to develop the subject further and to raise standards. The good focus now placed on the teaching of skills is a reflection of good leadership, since this was an area for improvement identified in an audit of provision. This subject, together with music and physical education, is one of the school’s focuses for improvement over the next year.

p.27

Design and technology

94. Overall, there is not enough evidence to enable a judgement to be made about the quality of provision.

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Design and technology

95. Owing to the way in which the timetable was arranged, only one design and technology lesson was observed. However, a well presented display of work from all classes indicated that standards are now better than they were at the time of the previous inspection and are above average in Years 2 and 6. Included in the display was a Year 2 investigation of fastenings used in making puppets to allow free movements of limbs. Pupils in Years 3 and 4 designed and built Victorian-style toy prams, using a variety of tools and materials. Additionally, with their parents’ co- Lantern Lane Primary School 23 operation, they made clothing in the style of the 1950’s, including convincing ‘Teddy Boy’ suits and fashionable ‘A-line’ dresses. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 constructed wheeled robots the materials for which are accurately measured, cut and joined, and controlled their models with motors and radio transmitter/receiver sets brought from home.

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Design and technology

96. Teachers’ planning is good, and contains many cross-curricular elements, including some ICT. Assessment is good, and provides a clear basis for pupils’ targets. Work for pupils with SEN is carefully matched to their capabilities. The recently appointed co-ordinator is dynamic and very talented. Last year, the school management ensured that she was well prepared for her role by giving her increasing responsibility as ‘apprentice coordinator’. She has produced a clear policy statement, and has worked with staff to agree criteria for the display of pupils’ work. The subject is generously resourced.

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Main strengths and weaknesses:

• Pupils enjoy their music lessons. • The range of instruments available for pupils is very good; they are well stored and easily accessible. • There are no significant weaknesses.

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Main strengths and weaknesses:

97. Overall, standards in music are satisfactory and pupils make satisfactory progress. This is a similar position to that reported at the time of the last inspection.

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Main strengths and weaknesses:

98. The quality of teaching is satisfactory. Three music lessons were observed, one of which was excellent, while two were satisfactory. In the excellent lesson, pupils in Year 6 composed short pieces of music and, in groups, first listened carefully to pitch in a wide variety of tuned instruments, before experimenting with variations in pitch. They used simple musical notation correctly, recorded their performance and, using good vocabulary, critically evaluated their work when it was replayed. At the close of the lesson, all pupils had good understanding of the difference between beat and rhythm. Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour were excellent, and did not vary when part of the lesson was conducted in the playground. The teacher’s excellent subject knowledge helped to move pupils’ learning on at a fast pace. She rapidly questioned pupils to check their understanding, and made excellent use of playground space and resources. Where teaching was not of the highest quality,

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Main strengths and weaknesses:

pupils did not fully benefit from their teachers’ good subject knowledge because teachers did not make their expectations clear enough as they prepared pupils for work in groups.

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Main strengths and weaknesses:

99. In all music lessons, pupils with special educational needs are very well supported by their peers and by support staff. Overall, these pupils make good progress and achieve well.

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Main strengths and weaknesses:

100. Some good use is made of ICT in music. For instance, pupils from Years 3 and 4 created their own musical phrases on computers by selecting from an array of icons displayed on screen. Assessment is good, and pupils are aware of their targets. Overall, resources for music are very good. The music room is potentially a good resource, but is inadequately ventilated. Lantern Lane Primary School 24

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Physical education

Provision in physical education is satisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses:

• Teachers’ skills in managing their pupils and in correctly teaching techniques in a range of disciplines. • The range of extra-curricular activities offered to pupils. • The positive attitudes displayed by pupils towards their work. • Lesson planning is sometimes over-ambitious.

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Main strengths and weaknesses:

101. Standards in physical education are average at the end of Year 2 and Year 6. This is a similar situation to that reported at the time of the previous inspection. All pupils, including those with SEN, achieve satisfactorily and make steady progress as they move through the school.

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Main strengths and weaknesses:

102. The quality of teaching is good, and pupils learn well. Of the five lessons observed, two were very good, two were good and one was satisfactory. Teachers are generally good at teaching the skills required in all elements of the curriculum. For instance, in a lesson for Year 3 pupils which focused on the skills of dribbling, passing and receiving a basketball, the teacher’s good ‘modelling’ of techniques ensured that all pupils improved their control of a ball because they were able to copy her movements. Where ICT is used, it is a very effective aid to learning. For example, in a Year 2 lesson, the teacher’s very good use of a large, projected image showing correct racquet grip enabled all pupils to improve their accuracy in hitting small balls. The storage of equipment in the hall limits the amount of space available, particularly in lessons for older and larger pupils. Therefore, teachers’ very good skills in managing their pupils and the very good levels of concentration and

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Main strengths and weaknesses:

awareness of one another shown by pupils are important factors in the success of lessons. A particularly noteworthy feature of lessons is the way in which all pupils are involved in learning, even those who are unable to participate because they have forgotten to bring their physical education kit. This is achieved through the use of a lesson recording sheet which is used by non-participants and which requires them to note down the key features of the lesson.

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Main strengths and weaknesses:

103. A weakness of teaching is that, in some lessons, teachers’ planning is too ambitious. Where this occurs, there are sometimes too many activities and, therefore, there is not enough time to develop any of them in enough depth. On other occasions, the consequence can be that the lesson fails to achieve a good balance between direct teaching, concentrated effort by pupils, and time for a review of learning.

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Main strengths and weaknesses:

104. The physical education co-ordinator provides sound leadership. The plan for the future development of provision shows a clear commitment to improve the ways in which connections are made between physical education and other areas of the curriculum, so that pupils can better understand the relevance of their learning, and an awareness of the need to address gender issues in physical education. For example, boys show a marked lack of enthusiasm for activities such as dance while girls are often not interested in competitive sport.

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Main strengths and weaknesses:

105. A particular strength of the school’s provision is the very good range of extra-curricular activities of a sporting nature that are available to pupils, thanks to the commitment of members of staff. Lantern Lane Primary School 25

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

106. The pupils are successfully learning to play an active role as citizens. They are well informed about the need for rules in school and the community. They are able to make decisions and discuss their ideas on issues relevant to their own lives. The school council is particularly active in making decisions, such as the use of ball games in the playground. Pupils have a good grasp of the consequences of anti-social behaviour and the need for laws in the wider world. They are also very aware of a variety of religious and ethnic groups and the need for tolerance. Lantern Lane Primary School 26

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Inspection judgement Grade

The overall effectiveness of the school 3 How inclusive the school is 2 How the school’s effectiveness has changed since its last inspection 3 Value for money provided by the school 3

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Inspection judgement Grade

Overall standards achieved 3 Pupils’ achievement 3

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Inspection judgement Grade

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

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Inspection judgement Grade

The quality of education provided by the school 3 The quality of teaching 3 How well pupils learn 3 The quality of assessment 3 How well the curriculum meets pupils needs 3 Enrichment of the curriculum, including out-of-school activities 2 Accommodation and resources 2 Pupils’ care, welfare, health and safety 3 Support, advice and guidance for pupils 2 How well the school seeks and acts on pupils’ views 1 The effectiveness of the school’s links with parents 1 The quality of the school’s links with the community 3 The school’s links with other schools and colleges 2

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Inspection judgement Grade

The leadership and management of the school 2 The governance of the school 2 The leadership of the headteacher 2 The leadership of other key staff 2 The effectiveness of management 2 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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