Malden Manor Primary and Nursery School

MALDEN MANOR PRIMARY AND NURSERY SCHOOL

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

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MALDEN MANOR 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. Malden Manor Primary and Nursery School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Primary School category: Community Age range of pupils: 3 – 11 years Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 388

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Lawrence Avenue New Malden Surrey Postcode: KT3 5NB

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Telephone number: 02083 379620 Fax number: 02082 556513

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: Governing body Name of chair of governors: Mr. Ron Gill

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 14 September 1998

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

Malden Manor is a community primary school with 362 pupils on roll, which is much bigger than other schools compared with the average size nationally. In addition it has a nursery with places for 26 children part-time, mornings or afternoons. The school has an ethnically diverse intake and one third of the school’s population comes from a wide variety of ethnic minority groups, the largest group coming from Korea. Twenty different languages are spoken. One quarter of the children are at an early stage of English acquisition, which is very high, and the level of mobility amongst the pupils is high, both of which act as significant barriers to learning. Overall, the socio-economic circumstances of the families with children at the school are broadly average and the percentage of pupils known to be entitled to free school meals is average. There is a wide range of attainment amongst the children on entering the nursery; some have well-developed skills but, overall,

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

attainment is below average. The school has identified around one fifth of pupils as having special educational needs, which is broadly average, seven of whom have a Statement of Special Educational Need. These are related to moderate learning and social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. The school has valuable partnerships with local schools and is involved in the leadership development strategy in primary schools. The school gained the Basic Skills Quality Mark in 2001, a Schools Achievement Award in 2002 and the sports Activemark in 2003. Malden Manor Primary and Nursery School - 4

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

8798 Dennis Maxwell Lead inspector Mathematics Personal, social and health education Physical education 9472 John Edmond Lay inspector 10270 Sandra Teacher Team inspector Foundation Stage Science Music Religious education 32560 Miriam Rinsler Team inspector Art and design Design and technology Information and communication technology Special educational needs 32702 Anna Savva Team inspector English Geography History English as an additional language

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

Demeter House Station Road Cambridge CB1 2RS

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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.ofsted.gov.uk). Malden Manor Primary and Nursery School - 5

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 8

Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 8

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL 11

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

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS 34

Malden Manor Primary and Nursery School - 6

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OVERALL EVALUATION

This is a good, successful school that provides a good quality of education as a result of strong leadership by the headteacher. The school translates its aim of putting magic into learning by creating a vibrant environment in which children feel secure and can achieve. Standards are above average by Year 6, notably in English and mathematics, because teaching is good. Pupils make better progress and achieve well because they are challenged by interesting tasks. Pupils’ very good behaviour and interest in the activities are reflected in their good level of attendance. The headteacher and deputy work in effective partnership to create a strong team amongst all staff so that pupils receive an excellent level of care and consideration. Standards and provision show good improvement since the last inspection and the school provides good value for money.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are: • Pupils achieve well as a result of good teaching and their very good attitudes and behaviour. • Standards are above average overall by the end of Year 6, although standards in religious education are below expectations. • The management and provision for children with English as an additional language are excellent. • The headteacher and key staff have an excellent vision and sense of purpose for the school. • Pupils’ subject knowledge and understanding are better than their enquiry skills. • The good practice of the subject leaders for English and mathematics now needs to be extended to the foundation subjects, such as history. • The partnership with parents and the community is very good.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school has made good improvements in its effectiveness since the last inspection. Standards in English have improved. Standards have also improved in information and communication technology (ICT), which was a weakness at the time of the last inspection. Standards in religious education have declined because less time is given to pupils’ knowledge of religions. Pupils’ attitudes to work and their behaviour have improved further. The good quality of teaching and learning has been maintained. Provision for pupils with learning difficulties is good so that they achieve well. The high level of purposeful leadership and management by the headteacher and senior staff are the most significant factors in the school’s improvement. This has resulted in many strong features in the work of the school that are recognised through the Basic Skills Quality Mark in 2001, the School’s Achievement Award in 2002 and the sports Activemark in 2003.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

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

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Achievement is good. Children achieve well from below average attainment on entry to the nursery because provision is good. Most children are on course to reach the goals children are expected to reach by the time they enter Year 1. Good teaching in Years 1 - 2 reinforces and extends pupils’ learning well. Their achievement and standards are satisfactory by the end of Year 2. Further good teaching in Years 3 - 6 brings to fruition the good provision through the school; pupils achieve well and standards in the work seen by the end of Year 6 are above average overall. Standards in the 2003 national tests for Year 6 were well above average in comparison with similar schools in English and mathematics but below average in science. Standards in the work seen for the current Year 6 are above average in English and mathematics. Standards are average in science, which shows an Malden Manor Primary and Nursery School - 7

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

improvement over the results of the 2003 tests and the effectiveness of the school’s action. Provision in religious education is satisfactory but standards are below the expectations of the Locally Agreed Syllabus because pupils lack knowledge of specific religions. Several other areas of the curriculum, such as art, are planned to contribute to pupils’ understanding about religion. Pupils’ enquiry skills are not always extended.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Many pupils enter the school with low communication and literacy skills. By the end of Year 2, standards in the work seen in reading, writing, mathematics and science are average, indicating good achievement. In the 2003 national tests for Year 2, pupils’ standards in reading were at the national average and in writing were just below. For mathematics standards were above average and more pupils than usual exceeded the expectation.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Pupils have excellent relationships with others and their personal qualities are very good. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good. Their very good behaviour and attitudes to work have a strong impact on their achievement. Attendance is good and children skip happily into school.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The excellent ethos of consideration, challenge and inclusion for all pupils is the hallmark of the school. It provides a good quality of education. The quality of teaching is good throughout the school. Teaching promotes good learning in the Foundation Stage because activities challenge children. In the rest of the school, good teaching and very good planning are matched well to pupils’ learning needs although they are less strong in science, religious education and in promoting enquiry skills. The school offers a good, interesting curriculum and very good opportunities for enrichment through clubs and other activities. The limitations of the buildings impose considerable constraints on the quality of provision.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

Provision for pupils with learning difficulties is good and is managed very well by the co-ordinator. Provision for pupils with English as an additional language is excellent, promoted by the excellent leadership of the co-ordinator. Provision for pupils’ care and welfare is excellent. There are very good partnerships with parents and the community, and links with other schools are excellent, all of which enhance pupils’ quality of learning.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The headteacher has an excellent vision and sense of purpose that are having a highly significant impact on school improvement and pupils’ achievements. Leadership and management are very good overall . The governors provide strong strategic direction, instanced by the substantial grant approved for building development. The present buildings are unsatisfactory and restrict pupils’ learning. Governors ensure that the school meets statutory requirements. Subject leaders are very committed to providing support although in some subjects their monitoring role is less developed.

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Parents have a very good opinion of the school. Children value all the school offers, including the many clubs and activities.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

The most important things the school should do to improve are: • Raise standards in religious education to meet the expectations of the Locally Agreed Syllabus. • Extend opportunities to develop pupils’ enquiry skills, for example by exploring the potential of ICT. • Strengthen opportunities for subject leaders to monitor provision, particularly in foundation subjects. Malden Manor Primary and Nursery School - 8

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Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

Pupils’ achievement is good. Pupils reach above average standards by the end of Year 6. The achievement of pupils learning English as an additional language is very good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards in English and mathematics are above average by the end of Year 6; standards in science are average and have improved since 2003. • Pupils with English as an additional language have very good achievement and pupils with special educational needs achieve well. • Children achieve well in the Foundation Stage. • Standards in religious education are below the expectations of the Locally Agreed Syllabus. • The pupils in Year 6 in 2003 demonstrated very good achievement in the national tests for English and mathematics from when they were in Year 2. Their subject knowledge is better than their enquiry skills.

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Commentary

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

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Commentary

Standards in: School results National results Reading 15.5 (15.0 ) 15.7 (15.8 )

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Commentary

There were 52 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Commentary

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

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Commentary

Standards in: School results National results English 28.2 (25.9 ) 26.8 (27.0 ) Mathematics 28.1 (27.3 ) 26.8 (26.7 ) Science 28.4 (27.4 ) 28.6 (28.3 ) There were 68 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Commentary

1. Pupils achieve well because the school has an excellent climate for learning and teaching is challenging. Teachers promote good relationships and have a very good way of encouraging pupils to learn so that they try hard to do their best. Standards in the national tests at Year 2 for 2003 were average in reading, below average in writing and above average in mathematics. In comparison with schools having a similar proportion of free school meals, standards were below average in reading and writing and above average in mathematics. The actual differences between the school’s results and national figures are small. However, the proportion of pupils in the school reaching the national averages in each of reading, writing and mathematics was the same as the national proportion or was one or two per cent above. The trend in the school’s results at Year 2 is below the national trend over the past five years but

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Commentary

shows encouraging signs of improvement over the past three years since the appointment of the new headteacher. Malden Manor Primary and Nursery School - 9 2. Standards in the national tests at Year 6 for 2003 were above the national average in English and mathematics and below average in science, where fewer pupils than the national average gained the higher Level 5. These results are presented after the results of the six refugees admitted recently to the school are taken out of the totals. In comparison with schools where the pupils attained similarly when they were in Year 2, standards were well above average in English and mathematics and below average in science. The trend in standards is in line with the national trend, using the school’s validated data, over the past five years. Nearly 40 per cent of pupils arrived at the school during Years 3 - 6, most of whom were learning English as an additional language, which has a lowering effect upon standards. The school met its target

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Commentary

for the percentage of pupils expected to achieve Level 4 or above in English but not quite the target for mathematics. It exceeded the targets comfortably for English and mathematics in the percentage of pupils gaining Level 5, demonstrating the good impact of teaching for the higher attaining pupils.

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Commentary

3. Pupils enter the school with below average attainment, particularly in their communication, language and literacy skills. They achieve well through the Foundation Stage because good teaching and provision provide a good basis for purposeful learning. Most children are on course to meet the goals children are expected to reach by the end of reception. Standards in the work seen are average in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 2, where substantial consolidation of pupils’ understanding and skills has taken place as a result of thoughtful and effective teaching.

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Commentary

4. Standards in the work seen are above average in English, mathematics and pupils’ personal, social and health education by the end of Year 6, indicating good achievement from Year 2. This is because teachers generally provide interesting and challenging tasks that help pupils to develop a good range of basic skills as well as imaginative writing in English, for example. Standards are broadly average in the other subjects, where there was sufficient evidence to form a judgement, except in religious education where standards are below the expectations of the Locally Agreed Syllabus. This is because there is often limited time to cover the subject content thoroughly and pupils’ knowledge of religions is limited. In ICT, pupils in Year 6 produced a good PowerPoint presentation on the theme of World War II, demonstrating a good range of skills. In mathematics, and at times in science, pupils are not expected to write about

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Commentary

their findings of investigations into a well-presented piece of written work. This, and some lack of opportunity to develop their enquiry skills through subjects such as ICT, leads to satisfactory rather than good skills.

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Commentary

5. Pupils with English as an additional language achieve very well because they work hard and often receive good support from home. Two thirds of the minority ethnic population have good English language skills and in many instances attain high standards, particularly in English and mathematics. The pupils at an early stage of English language acquisition make very good progress because of the excellent support provided, particularly in literacy. Pupils with learning difficulties achieve well because the support in class is directed well to specific learning needs identified through their well-targeted education plans. There is no significant variation in the standards achieved by boys and girls. The school’s assessment and tracking systems are effective in informing planning and teaching about areas of weakness.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

Attendance is above the national median. Punctuality is good. Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour are very good. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Attendance is above the national average and there is no unauthorised absence. Pupils arrive promptly and lessons start on time. • Attitudes and behaviour are good in the Foundation Stage and very good in the rest of the school. Relationships are excellent. Exclusions are minimal. Malden Manor Primary and Nursery School - 10 • Pupils willingly accept the many opportunities offered to take on extra responsibility. • Pupils’ spiritual and cultural development is very good. Their moral and social development is excellent.

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Commentary

6. The friendly atmosphere encourages in pupils a real enthusiasm to learn and to take part in the range of activities provided. The school’s highly positive ethos and its high expectations of pupils ensure that behaviour in the classroom and round the school continues to be very good. Pupils from ethnic minorities have very good attitudes to their work. They try very hard and are motivated to learn by all the adults in the school. Pupils are trusted to be indoors during the lunch hour, indicating the strength of relationships through the school. Pupils who have special educational needs have positive attitudes to learning. They respond well as they gain confidence and feel secure. They collaborate well with each other and they are happy to share their experiences and learning with each other. They also relate well to the special needs teaching staff and classroom assistants. Despite their difficulties, most pupils with special

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Commentary

needs in Year 6 are likely to gain Level 4 by the end of the year. This represents good, and in some individual cases, very good progress.

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Attendance

Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

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Attendance

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data 5.6 School data 0.0 National data 5.4 National data 0.4 The table gives the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.

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Attendance

7. During the current year attendance has improved to 95.2 per cent, which is highly commendable given the considerable levels of pupil mobility. The measures in place to promote good attendance are excellent and parents are mostly assiduous in ensuring that their children attend regularly and on time. There was no unauthorised absence. There were only three fixed period exclusions last year.

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Exclusions

Categories used in the Annual School Census No of pupils on roll Number of fixed period exclusions Number of permanent exclusions White – British 311 3 0 The table gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

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Exclusions

8. During the inspection there was no evidence of bullying, racism or other harassment and, though pupils are confident that the school deals immediately with any such untoward occurrences, their perception is that occasionally the problem is not necessarily eliminated. However, the school is exceptionally successful in ensuring that all races and creeds work and mix well together, which leads to excellent relationships all round. Pupils’ self-esteem is high by the upper junior years, reflecting the considerable concentration upon this by all adults in the earlier years. Those pupils selected for interview were mostly articulate and confident and were positive about their lives at school.

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Exclusions

9. The school makes very good provision for pupils’ spiritual development: assemblies are carefully planned and contain moments of spiritual uplift. The school meets the statutory requirement for a daily act of worship and opportunities for reflection are deliberately introduced Malden Manor Primary and Nursery School - 11 into many lessons, for example through the use of poetry or study of the butterfly’s lifecycle. Moral teaching is firmly in place and pupils are given the chance in lessons to reflect on moral issues. Pupils are absolutely clear about the difference between right and wrong and about the importance of respecting other people’s feelings, values and beliefs. The school nurtures pupils’ social development with great success, through lessons, playtime and the example set by staff. Cultural development is very strong, with many visits to places of interest. Members of staff are very conscious of the needs of the pupils to explore other cultures and make very

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Exclusions

good provision in this area, though this has not quite reached all pupils. In the Foundation Stage, children demonstrate good gains in their personal development through the good example of all adults who treat each other and the children with courtesy and respect. Children in reception show many signs of maturity, for example when they eat their lunch or play with the older pupils in the playground.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

The school provides a good quality of education, with a high level of inclusion for all pupils. Teaching and learning are good, promoted by a caring and thoughtful ethos which encourages pupils to do their best. The curriculum is planned well and innovative, although some aspects of time allocation are tight for the amount of subject matter to be covered. Provision for pupils with special educational needs and for those with English as an additional language are strengths of the school. The school cares for its pupils exceptionally well and provides outstanding support. Links with parents and the local community are very good, and with other schools are excellent.

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Teaching and learning

The quality of teaching and learning is good throughout the school. There are good assessment procedures to support planning and further teaching.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teachers’ lesson planning is very good. • Teachers have an encouraging way of working with pupils and there is excellent promotion of pupils’ equality of opportunity. • Pupils learn well because teachers use good strategies matched to their needs although at times there is not enough emphasis on developing enquiry skills. • Support for pupils with English as an additional language has a significant impact on the quality and pace of their learning.

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Commentary

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 55 lessons

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Commentary

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Commentary

4 (7 %) 11 (20 %) 26( 48 %) 14 (25 %) 0(0 %) 0(0 %) 0(0 %)

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Commentary

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

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Commentary

10. The overall quality of teaching in English and mathematics is good so that pupils learn and achieve well. In English, teachers use a good range of texts to provide pupils with a structure or style for their writing. They also provide helpful writing frameworks which support the work of weaker pupils particularly and encourage the development of good writing styles. In mathematics, thorough teaching of basic skills builds pupils’ confidence with number so that they develop the skills for numeracy and mental calculation. While teachers sometimes employ a problem-solving approach to challenge pupils in their learning, the methods and Malden Manor Primary and Nursery School - 12 results are not written up as a well-presented piece of work. In science, pupils were engaged quickly in several lessons and questions were used to encourage learning, although on occasions pupils’ ideas were not sought and they were not encouraged to explain their ideas. A

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Commentary

greater emphasis on promoting pupils’ enquiry skills, including the use of ICT for independent learning, is an area for further development.

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Commentary

11. In general, teachers prepare interesting and worthwhile tasks that challenge pupils well to reinforce their learning and to open their minds to poetry or historical characters. For example, the presentations by pupils in Years 5 and 6 who are identified as gifted were of a very high order. The quality of writing showed very good insights into the motivation famous people had for their work, and was as a result of considerable individual research. Lessons are generally structured well, allowing time for new ideas to be introduced and for pupils to work collaboratively. Several teachers are highly skilled in their questioning style and help to bring out pupils’ reasoning and explanations. However, at times lessons are firmly directed by the teacher and opportunities for pupils to develop their independent enquiry skills are missed. Most teachers set high expectations of the pupils, for both quality of work and behaviour, and

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Commentary

use very effective strategies to maintain good attention and discipline. Their usual very good relationships act as a positive encouragement to pupils because they want to do well for their teachers.

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Commentary

12. Teachers have good subject knowledge that has a positive impact on pupils’ learning through clear exposition and discussion. This usually prepares pupils well for their tasks, which are suitably adapted for differing prior attainments. On a few occasions pupils are expected to sit for too long during the introductory session, so that they become restless and there is insufficient time to complete any written task. On these occasions the pace slips and learning is less productive.

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Commentary

13. The teaching of pupils with special educational needs is closely matched to their learning, language and social needs, particularly in small groups. Specialist teachers have good background knowledge which they use effectively to help pupils build on their earlier learning, acquire new knowledge and deepen their understanding. Teaching in small groups is generally good, especially in English. Teachers apply the pupils’ education plans well by providing effective challenges coupled with very high expectations of behaviour and standards of work. These are usually communicated to the pupils by very clear targets at the beginning of and throughout lessons. Good teaching and support are provided for pupils with special educational needs. This is a good improvement since the previous inspection.

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Commentary

14. Assessment procedures to track pupils’ progress through the school are very good, having been instituted successfully by the headteacher. They provide a good way to set high expectations through the school as well as being sensitive to individual needs. There are good procedures to set medium-term targets for pupils, although there is a place for setting sharper targets to indicate the next steps in pupils’ learning. Pupils with learning difficulties are assessed regularly, and the information is used productively to place realistic targets on them.

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Commentary

15. Teaching for pupils learning English as an additional language is excellent so that they achieve very well. The leader for pupils acquiring English rigorously monitors pupils’ progress and uses this information to plan a flexible programme of support to meet pupils’ needs. She also supports in class at agreed times. For example, in an excellent Year 2 lesson dressed as Florence Nightingale, she entered the class telling the pupils that she ‘Florence Nightingale’ had received their questions in the ‘Time Travel Post Box’ and had arrived to answer them. Group and individual targets for pupils with EAL are also set using this information to target specific areas for development. There is some variation in achievement between ethnic groups and this is due to the differences in the level of education that pupils have had before entering the English school system. There is a high mobility rate amongst the pupils. The EAL

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Commentary

leader has detailed records of pupil mobility and tracks their rate of progress on a regular basis. Planning clearly indicates how the needs of these pupils will be met and appropriate resources are provided. Very good use is made of teaching assistants who provide valuable Malden Manor Primary and Nursery School - 13 support. Excellent assessment systems ensure that planning meets individual needs. Pupils are encouraged to understand how they can improve.

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The curriculum

Provision is good and there is good curriculum development and innovation. There is excellent equality and access for all pupils. There are very good opportunities for enrichment through the many clubs and out of school activities. The quality of resources is satisfactory but accommodation is unsatisfactory and restricts learning.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• SEN provision is good and support for pupils acquiring English is excellent. • There are very good opportunities for enrichment. • All adults place a very good emphasis on developing speaking and listening skills across the school. • The evolving cross-curricular links are not yet formalised in medium-term plans. • There are currently limited books and ICT facilities to develop independent and research skills in the junior library. • Accommodation is currently unsatisfactory and constrains pupils’ development of investigational skills in some classes.

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Commentary

16. The school offers a good curriculum. It is broad and balanced and is based on the national recommended schemes. There is good consistency in the development of speaking and listening skills. The teaching of technical vocabulary and number skills are applied well. The school fulfils the statutory requirements for the teaching of sex education and the drug awareness programme. It is an inclusive school and ensures good progress in learning. There are very good opportunities for enrichment. The quality of accommodation and resources are unsatisfactory overall because the school building places constraints on how teachers work. The school has recently received notification of a substantial buildings programme, however, to overcome the limitations.

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Commentary

17. The leadership team works very well together and monitors and evaluates the impact of curriculum developments and innovative practice. For example, during discussions the team could clearly explain the impact of the various teaching styles, the use of drama and various strategies used to develop speaking and listening skills across the school. The progress of individual achievements against personal targets for all pupils, including those with SEN and those acquiring English, is monitored systematically. These are shared with pupils and referred to in lessons and are beginning to have a good impact on learning and behaviour.

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Commentary

18. Daily planning identifies cross-curricular opportunities for learning suitably but is not yet set out formally in medium-term plans. The school is aware of this issue. Planning has improved since the previous inspection and clearly identifies opportunities for learning for pupils of varying abilities, including higher attaining pupils. Teachers and assistants are trained effectively, they know their pupils well, have good relationships with them and provide good support for them, in and out of class.

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Commentary

19. The experience of the special educational needs co-ordinator( SENCO) ensures that the targets in pupils’ education plans are achievable and can be closely monitored to support good achievement and standards for these children. The teaching assistants make a sound contribution to pupils’ learning, working closely with pupils: guiding, encouraging and challenging throughout the lesson. During whole-class discussion, teaching assistants usually sit with pupils and help them to take a full part in lessons. The school has established a much stronger connection between management and intentions for the pupils so that procedures, target-setting and provision show very good progress since the last inspection. Malden Manor Primary and Nursery School - 14 20. Provision for pupils with English as an additional language (EAL) is excellent. The welcome and induction pack is comprehensive and is shared with staff. It enables pupils to settle well.

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Commentary

The EAL leader monitors and evaluates progress rigorously and maintains excellent records of pupils who join and leave the school during the year. This information is used extremely well to offer a highly developed, flexible approach to meeting pupils’ needs and to set personal targets which are reviewed regularly. The EAL leader works hard to meet all the pupils’ needs. However, more support is needed and the school is aware of this and plans to increase support. The EAL leader works very closely with class teachers and this is reflected in the organisation of groupings and in the planning. There is also good liaison with the special educational needs co-ordinator and there is a clear distinction between pupils with special educational needs and those pupils acquiring English. The planning is meticulous and has a strong impact on learning. Members of staff make sure that pupils know essential vocabulary

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Commentary

and ideas before whole-class activities start. A wide range of collaborative teaching methods is used to enhance pupils’ speaking and listening, reading and writing skills.

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Commentary

21. The school has excellent equality of access and opportunity. Every pupil is fully involved in the life of the school. There are very good opportunities for enrichment. This is shown in particular by celebrating the diversity of each individual culture, and finding ways for pupils to tell each other about their different countries. There are very good opportunities to enrich learning through pupils and their parents speaking in their home languages. For example, pupils interpret for each other and help explain the work. They read stories in their mother tongue and books, displays and support materials are in a variety of languages which values their backgrounds. Taken together, the resources are excellent in a range of languages which ensure good access to the curriculum and help parents to understand how to support their children. There are excellent induction procedures which make every family feel very welcome.

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Commentary

Every effort is made to cater for individual needs.

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Commentary

22. There is a wide range of extra-curricular activities. For example, gymnastics, ICT, girls’ football, dance, art, basketball, pottery, choir, tag rugby, hockey and football for all. The school uses its own expertise as well as outside support from Kingston School of Basketball, Fulham FC and Teddington Rugby club. The school has also gained recognition for its sports programme and has been presented with the Activemark Award for sports provision in 2003. During the inspection, the choir club sang songs in a variety of styles and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. They are currently working towards a performance at the Royal Albert Hall. Good quality displays by the art club provide good evidence of range of skills being developed, such as printing, mask making and observational drawings – Aborigine masks and pond life display.

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Commentary

23. The school encourages a range of learning outside the school day such as visits to Sayer’s Croft for three days in Year 5, where pupils have the opportunity to participate in team challenges, country walks and orienteering. Year 6 also visit the Isle of Wight for a residential stay which has a strong impact on pupils’ personal development.

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Commentary

24. Focus days and weeks in the arts, science and mathematics enable the school to share and focus expertise further for pupils to learn subjects or areas in depth. Visitors such as John Docherty (a children’s author) came into school during arts week and supported pupils in Year 2 and Year 4 to develop poetry about feelings. Pupils wrote: ‘When I feel funny I turn into an amusing clown. When I feel sad, I turn into a miserable lonely turtle walking on a cold beach on a stormy night.’ Other visiting groups have been invited to bring learning to life and make it enjoyable, such as Mexico Lore for work on the Aztecs for the history project. The school is effective in its evolving work on motivating and inspiring pupils through the creative arts. Some pupils have experiences of working with a wider range of media, such as clay, dye and pastels. They explore art from other cultures, such as the work of aboriginal artists. Displays around

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Commentary

the school celebrate different cultures, both contemporary and from the past. A significant contribution to the pupils’ experiences across the arts is made by the yearly Arts Malden Manor Primary and Nursery School - 15 Week. Within its theme of ‘emotions’, pupils across the age range made masks and considered the relationship of colour and mood. The event also made significant contributions to the pupils’ personal, social and emotional development.

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Commentary

25. Transfer arrangements for children into Year 1 are good and also good for pupils in Year 6 into secondary school. They participate in a learning programme devised by the LEA, covering a range of relevant issues. The headteacher takes a lead role in ensuring that pupils receive a good programme and is currently involved in the National Transition Project to further develop transition arrangements.

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Commentary

26. The school has a sound balance of staff expertise and experience. Teachers speak highly of the school’s induction programme and support: ‘The senior management team are friends and colleagues, who are approachable. The school is very welcoming.’ Leading teachers in English and the Foundation Stage and teachers specializing in drama, music, art and PE contribute well to the school’s emphasis on learning and enjoyment.

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Commentary

27. Accommodation and resources are unsatisfactory overall. This is due to the impact the separate buildings and the size of some of the classrooms have on learning opportunities. For example, there is insufficient space in some of the classrooms for pupils to investigate in science and to carry out design and technology investigations. The school has developed a partnership link with a specialist secondary school in order to share facilities in design and technology. The headteacher has worked hard to improve the condition of the buildings. There are also some good improvements to ICT with the additional new resources. However, the junior library has insufficient good quality books and ICT facilities for pupils to develop their independent research and enquiry skills. The outdoor field area supports learning of a wide range of curricular and extra-curricular activities and the good quality displays around the

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Commentary

school positively enhance the school environment. The school has also successfully gained a bid for a major building programme and has many exciting suggestions for developing and improving the accommodation.

p.15

Care, guidance and support

The school cares for its pupils exceptionally well and ensures their health and safety. It provides outstanding levels of support, advice and guidance, which are firmly based on the monitoring of personal progress. The school consults pupils and acts on their views.

p.15

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The school’s child protection measures are wholly appropriate and the school has close and very effective relations with outside agencies. • The school is clean and proper health and safety procedures are firmly in place. • Members of staff provide loving care and excellent well-informed support, advice and guidance to all pupils from many diverse backgrounds. • The induction arrangements for pupils in both the nursery and the main school are excellent. • The school is very good at consulting pupils through the school council and acts on their suggestions, carrying out pupil surveys to take account of their views.

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Commentary

28. All proper child protection procedures are in place and practices are up to date. New members of staff are trained on arrival and there is a child protection governor. Pupils and staff work in a clean, litter-free environment, which is healthy and safe. The school has good systems for maintaining and reviewing health and safety practices and the governing body is actively involved. Risks have been properly assessed. Medical arrangements are appropriate. All equipment is regularly tested and fire drills are carried out at least once a term. Access to the Internet is strictly controlled. The school has taken action on one or two minor health and safety deficiencies noted during the inspection. Malden Manor Primary and Nursery School - 16 29. Pupils are highly valued, whatever their background. Pupils and parents are satisfied with the induction arrangements, which include home visits and excellent documentation. There are

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Commentary

many ways in which the school promotes pupils’ personal development, and pupils know they have first class access to support and guidance, based on close monitoring of their progress. The headteacher has established assessment procedures successfully which track pupils’ academic and personal progress through the school. The records are sensitive to pupils’ individual needs and help inform decisions about pupil management. Pupils with learning difficulties are assessed regularly, and the information is used productively to place realistic targets on them. This results in happy pupils, who consider that teachers treat them fairly. The school has introduced excellent measures to help the vulnerable, under-performers and those who have difficulty in conforming.

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Commentary

30. All members of staff know the children well and the ‘yellow card’ system ensures there is always at least one member, often several, with whom pupils feel they can develop a thoroughly trusting relationship. Older pupils take their responsibilities seriously: the ‘buddy’ and prefect systems enable them to help staff run the school and support younger pupils. They also run discos and organise charity work. The school actively promotes healthy eating and monitors pupils’ diets.

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Commentary

31. There is excellent care, support and guidance for pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds based on monitoring. Each pupil is given the opportunity to build up a trusting relationship with an adult in the school. The additional support services are used very well. They help to deal with a variety of issues to enable each pupil to settle as quickly as possible and begin to learn.

p.16

Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

Links with parents and the local community are very good; those with other schools, excellent.

p.16

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Parents are kept exceptionally well informed about their children’s progress and about the school’s activities. • The school is very good at seeking and acting on parents’ views. • An overwhelming majority of parental responses to the questionnaire were positive. • The contribution of parents to promote pupils’ learning is very good. • Links with the local community are extensive, varied and very valuable to pupils. • Links with other schools are excellent.

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Commentary

32. The prospectus is very comprehensive, well produced and meets statutory requirements. The governors’ annual report to parents is also very informative and meets statutory requirements. Parents appreciate the bright monthly newsletter, which is supplemented by a class newsletter and an outline of each term’s curriculum. The annual reports on pupils meet statutory requirements and are of exceptional quality, setting out in considerable detail what pupils know, can do and understand. The interim spring term report summarises effort and attainment. The induction documentation for new pupils is also of exceptional quality. Further strong features of reporting are the effort the school makes to produce its literature in several relevant foreign languages and the information evenings it provides on specific topics. The school’s Internet website is still at the preparatory stage. The school consults parents as necessary on specific

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Commentary

matters, such as uniform or homework. The headteacher and class teachers are available for consultation each day and parents are happy that the school deals very effectively with concerns and complaints.

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Commentary

33. Parents contribute very well to their children’s learning at school and at home and many keep a close eye on progress through the homework diary. A thriving parent-teacher association runs many social and fund-raising events, which provide substantial sums for the pupils’ benefit. A Malden Manor Primary and Nursery School - 17 large number of parents support the school in many ways and attend its social events. There are very strong links with parents from ethnic minorities and the school works hard to build up trusting relationships with different culture groups. The school is constantly seeking ways to involve the parents of these pupils so that they can understand the English school system and help their children to become integrated into the school community.

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Commentary

34. Links with the community are very strong. The school works closely with professionals in the local education authority and uses it effectively as a critical friend. Pupils gain substantially from the school’s wide range of cultural, artistic and sporting connections and from taking part in local festivals. Older pupils sometimes attend educational seminars at the local university. A nearby church helps promote pupils’ spiritual and moral development and the school encourages pupils to give of themselves through charity work and links with local senior citizens. Close contacts with the press ensure that the school receives frequent favourable coverage, but links with local industry and commerce are underdeveloped.

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Commentary

35. The school has very good relations with other toddler and early years organisations. There are successful arrangements to develop joint arrangements for training and curricular development with other schools in its cluster, such as paired observations in other primary schools. Transfer arrangements for pupils moving to partner secondary schools, of which there are over twelve, are as effective as can be expected with such a large number. The school is involved in some excellent developmental work with other schools on the transition to secondary education, for example where pupils take part in a day’s experience with design and technology. It also works closely in partnership with a local special school to make joint provision. The school plays an important role in training new teachers and support staff and in providing work experience to secondary school pupils and is involved in the Kingston Business

p.17

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The leadership and management of the school are very good. The headteacher and senior staff give very good leadership. Governance is very good. Management of the school is very effective. There is an excellent commitment by all staff to the inclusion of all pupils, demonstrated by the excellent level of care and consideration.

p.17

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The headteacher and deputy give very successful leadership for school developments. • The leadership and management of provision for pupils with English as an additional language and with special educational needs are very good. • The effectiveness of the subject leaders’ role in monitoring provision and giving support varies between subjects. • Governors provide very good strategic direction for the school, based on good knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses. • The school has made good improvement since the last inspection through the drive and determination of the headteacher.

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Commentary

36. The senior members of staff have very good qualities of leadership and management, bringing a common sense of purpose to school developments. As a result, pupils achieve well and standards in English and mathematics are above average by the end of Year 6. The senior members of staff have good procedures to support teaching and the induction arrangements for new members of staff are very good. Performance management is well established. These arrangements help to bring a good degree of consistency to the approach to learning through the school, although there are a few areas for further development, such as extending the monitoring role of subject leaders to strengthen their knowledge of strengths and weaknesses. Malden Manor Primary and Nursery School - 18 37. The headteacher has an excellent sense of purpose to provide the highest possible experiences for all pupils. She has an excellent vision for the school, evidenced by the

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Commentary

successful approval for funding building development. This vision is highly inclusive of all pupils, is shared by all members of staff and is reflected in the excellent ethos of the school as a vibrant community. As a result of her insights and drive the school has addressed all the weaknesses identified at the time of the last inspection well and has made further significant improvements. Standards in ICT have improved. The management of special needs ensures that pupils are withdrawn from lessons in a carefully selected way. The use of classroom space has improved within the limitations of the buildings. The strong sense of teamwork amongst the staff has contributed well to improvement.

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Commentary

38. The headteacher has introduced several good monitoring procedures to help evaluate the work of the school. All subject leaders monitor lesson planning and sample pupils’ work, providing constructive feedback on areas for improvement. The senior members of staff have good arrangements to observe lessons as a part of performance management. For some subject leaders this practice is much less frequent, making it difficult to monitor provision fully and hence to inform their action plans for future targets. The headteacher has introduced very good whole-school assessment procedures for English, mathematics and science which enable senior staff to track the progress of differing groups of pupils. These identify, for example, that Korean pupils generally make good progress, often through good home support, whereas some other groups of pupils may have experienced difficult home or social circumstances.

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Commentary

The school is very responsive to the needs of all groups of pupils and makes very good provision.

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Commentary

39. Leadership of the Foundation Stage is very good and ensures that children receive a wide range of appropriate experience and achieve well. This is despite the current limitations of the building, which staff work hard to overcome. The co-ordinator for special educational needs gives very good leadership and management so that pupils receive well-targeted support. As a result pupils achieve well. The school makes good use of its SEN funding to draw in extra support from the local authority teams. It also makes very good links with local special schools to support inclusion, for example with a local school for pupils with severe learning difficulties to support a child with autism. The strong commitment of the headteacher to inclusion supports this leadership and is behind the school’s impressively visible and effective approach.

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Commentary

40. The frequent arrival of pupils who are at an early stage of English acquisition causes a considerable challenge to the school to ensure provision matches their needs. The EAL leader’s leadership and management abilities are excellent and, as a result, pupils quickly become settled and enabled to learn. She is knowledgeable and enthusiastic and has made a major impact on the work of the school and the lives of these pupils. There is a clear strategic plan in place with identified targets in the school development plan that has very good criteria for success outlining the expected impact on pupils. The school has a wide range of effective systems in place, such as the induction programme for pupils and the monitoring for special needs, which are shared with staff so that they operate consistently. This includes a buddy system for pupils to enable them to settle into school easily. In addition to this, there is a

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Commentary

welcome pack and a teacher’s support pack and a ‘beginners into the classroom’ booklet which was written by some of the pupils, showing very good practice. Booklets have also been produced to support pupils in mathematics and science with key words translated in various languages. The EAL leader plans to develop training for all class teachers and teaching support staff. She has also produced comprehensive aims and guidelines for minority ethnic pupils and those who are learning English, outlining the various aspects of EAL support and integration, such as admission and assessment, new EAL children and EAL and the curriculum. This committed and diligent approach has had an excellent impact on teaching and learning. Malden Manor Primary and Nursery School - 19 41. Members of the governing body give very good strategic direction for school improvements. They share the vision of the headteacher for the school and act very well in the role of critical

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Commentary

friend. Governors have generally good arrangement to visit the school, with useful links to key subject leaders. There are good procedures to check policies and governors are careful to ensure that the school complies with statutory requirements. They contribute well to agreeing priorities within the school development plan. The plan gives clear strategic intents and provides a good overview of school targets, although the layout of areas for development does not provide a clear overview of all the areas of the school’s work. The governors evaluate the effects of spending decisions carefully in relation to the benefit to pupils’ learning. They set a balanced budget with educational priorities and standards in mind. Governors take good account of the principles of obtaining best value in their decisions. With the headteacher, they have taken the very good decision to employ a financial adviser, who provides very good

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Commentary

oversight and guidance. The carry forward figure for the last financial year was a little over the recommended amount because the school is holding funds in contingency for planned building developments.

p.19

Financial information

Financial information for the year April 2002 to March 2003.

p.19

Financial information

Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 1,123,828 Balance from previous year 58,088 Total expenditure 1,085,719 Balance carried forward to the next 96,017 Expenditure per pupil 2,524 Malden Manor Primary and Nursery School - 20

p.19

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Provision for children in the Foundation Stage is good and the children are given a successful start to their life in school. The children enter the nursery with attainment that is below average overall but covers the full range of attainment. They make good progress and firmly develop and consolidate their skills. They achieve well in all the areas of learning in the nursery because the quality of teaching is good. This, coupled with the good curriculum where teachers emphasise the development of language, social and independence skills, means that children are well prepared for reception. Children continue to do well in reception because the teaching is good and activities are well matched to their needs. The provision is managed well overall and children’s progress is carefully monitored. However, the co-ordinator would benefit from more time to monitor the teaching and learning because she seldom sees the reception class working. The previous inspection judged

p.20

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

that provision was good so there has been good improvement. Standards are similar to those identified then. Accommodation is unsatisfactory. For example, reception classes have to share the middle areas and children do not have continuous free access to the outside play area. This restricts the learning at times. However, there are exciting plans for new accommodation.

p.20

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in personal, social and emotional development is good.

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children easily reach the standards expected for their age at the end of reception because of good teaching and the very good emphasis placed on children’s personal development, particularly for those children with special educational needs. • All children respond very well to the expectation that they will behave sensibly and attitudes and behaviour are good.

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Commentary

42. The children in the nursery have settled in quickly. The clear boundaries, and the consistent role models set by the adults ensure that the children know what is expected of them, so that they quickly learn the correct way to behave. Children already know the routines well, settle to tasks with a minimum of fuss, and behave sensibly. The very good teamwork of the adults in all classes gives the children clear role models for co-operation, and a calm but rigorous approach to work. The majority of children show interest in what they are doing, concentrate well, even when not directly supervised, and are eager to learn.

p.20

Commentary

43. Teachers continually encourage children to feel confident about what they achieve and remind them of the high standards that the adults expect. The children are friendly and take a pride in their work. They are encouraged to share and take turns amicably, and put up their hands when answering a question. There is great emphasis on ‘good listening’ skills. Children are expected to clear up after themselves, which they do without much prompting. The very supportive relationships ensure that children feel secure and confident to seek help when required. The gains in learning already evident in this area are as a result of the continual reinforcement of rules by the adults, and treating each other and the children with courtesy and respect. This leads to trusting relationships, and helps the children succeed. Children in reception show mature attitudes when they eat their lunch or play with the older pupils in the

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Commentary

playground. Malden Manor Primary and Nursery School - 21

p.20

COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Provision in communication, language and literacy is good.

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching and learning are good overall and staff provide many opportunities for children to develop their speaking and early literacy skills, particularly for those children for whom English is an additional language. • There are many opportunities to develop children’s speaking and listening skills. • Children are encouraged to try out their knowledge in writing at a very early stage.

p.21

Commentary

44. Most children are on course to fulfil the goals they are expected to reach by the end of reception. They achieve well. Emphasis is placed on speaking and listening from an early age and this contributes positively to the standards attained, although many children enter the nursery with underdeveloped skills. Children in the nursery share books together, listening to each other’s ideas. They talk about the stories they have heard. Older children in the reception have ample opportunities to share books and most recognise initial sounds and talk about their favourite texts. They can sequence pictures to make a story and read simple texts.

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Commentary

45. Children develop their skills when visiting the writing area with a wide range of mark-making tools, blackboards and the use of word processing. The ethos of the area leads to much imaginative play - for example, children were setting up their own ideas for play about Red Riding Hood or The Hungry Caterpillar. Children are encouraged to take books home and share them with their families.

p.21

MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in mathematical development is good.

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Adults take every opportunity to develop mathematical understanding and, as a result, children achieve well and reach the goals they are expected to reach by the end of reception. • Children achieve above average standards in their understanding of number.

p.21

Commentary

46. Teaching and learning are good overall. Adults take every opportunity to develop the children’s mathematical skills and children gain much good experience and understanding through the incidental references that are made. Adults question them whilst they are engaged in a variety of activities, always trying to draw out and encourage mathematical understanding. For example, during registration sessions, children count the number present by touching each person on the head. Children learn to identify shapes when looking at books as adults question them. They learn to sequence the days of the week as they complete the calendar each day. A student teacher encouraged number recognition in a way that motivated the children by asking them to move a robot over a number line related to the story of The Hungry Caterpillar.

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Commentary

47. In reception, children make good progress in number recognition because staff work with them in a small group to play a game to reinforce this aspect of learning. The high quality of this adult support helps them to recognise numbers in an enjoyable game.

p.21

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Malden Manor Primary and Nursery School - 22 Provision in knowledge and understanding of the world is good.

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• First-hand experiences and good teaching mean that children enjoy finding out for themselves in this area of learning; as a result, they achieve well and are on course to reach the goals expected by the end of reception. • Provision for ICT is good and children reach high standards in technological skills. • The planning for religious education does not follow the Locally Agreed Syllabus closely enough.

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Commentary

48. A wide variety of activities help children to learn about the natural world. In reception, the story of The Hungry Caterpillar taught the children much about the life cycle of a butterfly, counting, and the names of different fruit. Nursery children enjoy and learn about camping out in the woods. They take care of plants in the garden. They develop knowledge of the characteristics of different materials through their play with sand, water and play dough. They learn the best materials to use for building. They have ample opportunities to use construction materials.

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Commentary

49. Good use is made of the ICT resources and children easily manipulate the mouse and draw pictures of caterpillars and butterflies. They achieve high standards and are confident computer users.

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Commentary

50. Children learn about different festivals but planning for religious education does not clearly relate to the requirements of the Locally Agreed Syllabus for the older children.

p.22

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in physical development is satisfactory.

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children achieve well and are on course to reach the goals expected by the end of reception because the teaching is good. • The limitations of the outside area and lack of time spent on large-scale movement and physical activity affects learning in reception classes. • There are too few wheeled vehicles for the reception classes.

p.22

Commentary

51. Children develop their manipulative skills well by handling dough, scissors and brushes, and manipulate small construction equipment with dexterity. Teachers ensure there is a wide range of materials that encourage children’s skills, often linking these to creative activities or where there is free choice. For example, nursery children used plastic spades to build and shape a bear’s house in the outside sandpit. There is, however, limited use of the stimulating large construction equipment or sufficient wheeled vehicles to enhance further children’s physical development.

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Commentary

52. Children in reception were learning to throw and catch. They followed instructions, showing a good understanding of space and control of the ball. The teacher demonstrated the skills she expected the children to gain clearly so that they copied her actions confidently and with enthusiasm.

p.22

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Malden Manor Primary and Nursery School - 23 Provision for creative development is good.

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

• There are good opportunities for imaginative role play. • Teaching is good and teachers give a very good emphasis to the use of language for speaking.

p.23

Commentary

53. Children’s development is strengthened through stimulation in art and design, music, dance and imaginative role play. They achieve well and are likely to reach the expected early learning goal by the end of the year.

p.23

Commentary

54. The classroom and outside areas make full use of a wide range of experiences and resources to enrich the children’s learning. For example, role play areas based on Red Riding Hood or a conservation area setting all help to stimulate the imagination. Teachers extend children’s language well by relating ideas and relevant words to their activities and play. For example, children learn phrases such as ‘Deep Water’, ‘Do not throw litter’ to enrich both their language and personal development. The teachers’ good planning ensures there is a wide range of activities on offer day by day that the children can respond to by using different senses.

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teachers develop pupils’ speaking and listening skills through a good range of challenging questions matched well to pupils’ learning needs and supported by good planning and the use of personal targets in reading and writing. • Teaching is good overall and achievement is good by the end of Year 6, supported by the enthusiastic leadership of the subject leader who gives an excellent role model for teaching and learning. • There is excellent support for pupils acquiring English as an additional language. • The library facilities are underdeveloped in providing challenge for pupils to do research and independent work. • There is good evolving cross-curricular practice in medium-term planning although it is not formalised yet. • A good range of forms of writing are covered and there is a good emphasis on extended writing. There is a need to continue to develop writing skills in Years 4, 5 and 6. • There is an improved marking and handwriting system since the previous inspection. However,

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

this needs to be monitored for consistency of application by all staff. • There is a need to continue the development of the application of writing skills, including spelling across other subjects.

p.23

Commentary

55. Standards in current work are average by the end of Year 2 and above average by the end of Year 6. These standards match the results of the 2003 national tests and are likely to be the same for the current Year 2 and Year 6 cohorts. Overall, there has been a good improvement in standards since the previous inspection where standards were in line with the national averages by the end of Year 2 and the end of Year 6. There are no significant variations in the performance of boys and girls. There is some variation in attainment between ethnic groups and this is due to the level of education they had before entering the English school system. Malden Manor Primary and Nursery School - 24 Overall, all pupils achieve well. There are several reasons why standards have improved since the last inspection. The school has taken specific steps to improve speaking and listening, reading and writing skills. There is a strong focus on using a wide range of teaching

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Commentary

styles, including the use of drama to encourage speaking, listening and thinking skills actively. The school has established specific guided reading and writing groups. These are based on good planning for pupils of varying abilities and have clear learning intentions, varied texts and specific questions to enable pupils to develop basic writing skills. They also help to develop reading for understanding and to develop pupils’ knowledge and understanding of reading strategies. Additionally, time has been allocated for extended writing opportunities enabling pupils to develop forms of writing in depth, such as poetry in Years 3 and 4. There has also been a good improvement in the quality of teaching and learning. There is excellent support for pupils acquiring English and improved support and access for pupils with special educational needs.

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Commentary

56. There is a strong emphasis on developing speaking and listening skills both within English and across other subjects. This is having a good impact on confidence and achievement. For example, in an excellent Year 3 geography lesson, pupils were fully engrossed in their final preparations to present a weather report and took great delight in reporting whilst the class teacher videoed them. In Year 5, pupils were researching information on the Ancient Greeks using ICT facilities within the school as well as books and worksheets. They needed support in applying their skimming and scanning skills.

p.24

Commentary

57. Improved planning and organisation for guided group reading and the focus on home-school reading from nursery onwards are having a good impact. The home-school contact book provides a useful dialogue that helps pupils to make progress. The subject leader has also reviewed the book schemes and banded all of them according to level of difficulty. This is an improvement since the previous inspection. Pupils have been inspired by visiting authors such as Jacqueline Wilson. The development of pupils’ research and enquiry skills is hindered by the limited quantity of good quality books and ICT facilities. The subject leader is aware of this and is working towards remedying the position.

p.24

Commentary

58. Members of staff have worked hard and successfully to improve standards in writing. The focused activities during guided group writing and the opportunities to develop writing forms are having a good impact on attainment and achievement. Teachers encourage pupils to write in a good range of forms, such as reports, instructions, narratives, poetry, recounts and biographies and they teach these well. The extended writing sessions enable pupils to develop a particular form of writing in depth. For example, in Year 4, pupils were challenged to write a poem from another point of view and to finish a poem with their own ending.

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Commentary

59. A good range of texts is used to motivate pupils and to provide them with a structure or style for their writing. The repetition in a text, such as found in the style of ‘The Shopping Basket’ provides the pupils with a clear structure. The school invites authors such as John Docherty to talk about their work, so that pupils are inspired to extend their own writing: ‘Jealousy is a green emerald. It tastes like sour lemon.’ Drama activities are also used to help pupils to communicate effectively, for example by making facial expressions. Pupils are provided with a writing framework to support their writing, which is particularly useful for weaker pupils and supports the development of various writing styles. One of the pupils wrote: ‘Happiness is like the moon talking to the stars.’ The school also targets boys and covers genres such as science fiction. One pupil wrote: ‘I could not believe my eyes as I drove through the misty gas

p.24

Commentary

and saw hundreds of stars floating in the air.’

p.24

Commentary

60. The whole-school agreements for handwriting are beginning to have an impact, particularly in Year 2 where handwriting is monitored and practice is regular. This aspect needs to be monitored further to ensure that pupils benefit from practice where it is required. The improved marking system affirms good work and identifies clear steps for further improvements, as noted in Year 5 for example. However, the marking practice is inconsistent at present. Malden Manor Primary and Nursery School - 25 Personal targets cover a range of reading and writing skills. These result in a clear focus for improvement for pupils. Not all year groups had the targets in the front of their books.

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Commentary

61. The quality of teaching and learning ranged from excellent to satisfactory and was good overall. In several lessons strong attributes included: • Inspiring and enthusiastic teaching • Excellent pace • Pupils involved in self-evaluation – ‘How will that improve your story? What will it do for the reader? • Very good opportunities for clarifying thoughts and developing speaking and listening skills • Visual resources enabled good access for pupils with SEN and pupils acquiring English • Excellent knowledge and understanding and explanations of technical terms • Questions were clearly focused on learning objectives and challenged pupils at a higher level.

p.25

Commentary

62. On a few occasions the pace is slow, explanations are not always clear and time management slips. Pupils with SEN receive sound support from teaching assistants. Pupils who are learning English as an additional language receive excellent support from the EAL teacher. These and the following factors have been instrumental in raising standards. There is a good emphasis on helping pupils to develop their literacy skills through purposeful and enjoyable activities and this enables pupils to achieve well overall. A good feature of all the lessons seen was the way in which the teachers shared the learning intention at the start of each lesson. Pupils were very clear about the focus of each lesson.

p.25

Commentary

63. Leadership and management of the subject are very good. The subject leader is very aware of the strengths and weaknesses and has suggestions for improvements. She has been instrumental in leading and training staff to improve speaking and listening, reading and writing across the school and is an excellent role model in her classroom teaching. Pupils’ progress is tracked and there is monitoring and evaluation of pupils’ work and teaching. Evidence is used to set group and personal targets. These are shared with pupils and good practice is developing for pupil self-assessment.

p.25

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Good teaching leads to good learning and achievement. • Standards are above average by the end of Year 6. • The subject leadership and management are very good so that the subject shows good improvement since the last inspection.

p.25

Commentary

64. Good teaching in the Foundation Stage enables children to make good progress from a low start. This good teaching continues in Years 1 and 2, where the good choice of tasks challenges pupils and promotes good learning. For example, in Year 2, lower attaining pupils were motivated to build their numeracy skills by working out a way to go from the Bear’s house to see the wolf in less than thirty minutes. Several pupils lacked confidence in counting on in order to find a total, but with help, most pupils found a solution. Their achievement was lower than their learning because many relied on adult help to apply their skills. In another Year 2 class, the higher attaining pupils responded well to the challenge of finding how many ways odd numbers of fruits may be placed in five baskets, totalling 25 pieces altogether. The class teacher’s good questioning style prompted pupils to explain their ideas and methods. However,

p.25

Commentary

the opportunity to help pupils to write out their findings to show patterns in the results was Malden Manor Primary and Nursery School - 26 missed. Standards by the end of Year 2 are broadly average, indicating a lowering in standards since the last inspection. This is explained by the increased number of pupils with low attainment entering the school and the larger number of pupils entering the school during the year with little English. Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory overall because several pupils rely on adult support and do not yet have confidence and independence with number. The higher attaining pupils have good knowledge and understanding, and are on course to exceed the expectation.

p.25

Commentary

65. The quality of teaching and learning in Years 3 - 6 is good, with several examples of very good teaching, and as a result achievement is good. Pupils with special educational needs achieve well and those with English as an additional language achieve very well because support and provision are directed very closely to their needs through effective management. Most pupils take an active interest in their tasks, which promotes good learning. Teachers give lively and thoughtful presentations at the start of lessons. They give good attention to building mental number patterns so that by Year 6 most pupils have good numeracy skills. In Year 4, for example, pupils demonstrated a good understanding of near doubles when they were challenged to find links within a set of numbers. In Year 5, the higher attaining pupils showed good skills in matching fraction and decimal equivalents. They then enjoyed making up their

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Commentary

own questions using fraction values, although a few pupils could not answer their own questions. By Year 6, the lower attaining pupils have an early idea of how to draw an angle to a given size, and know the terms. The higher attaining pupils demonstrate good understanding of coordinates and describe the position correctly of a shape after a translation. A gifted pupil explained very clearly the pattern she had found for the numbers of triangles that would fit inside a given square, taking great delight in it. Standards are above average by the end of Year 6, maintaining the position at the time of the last inspection, although this represents good progress because the high turnover of pupils requires provision that is responsive to their needs.

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Commentary

66. The quality of teaching and learning is good overall through the school and draws upon pupils’ very good interest, attitudes and behaviour in creating a good working atmosphere. Teachers have good subject knowledge and use this well in their explanations and questioning. There is a good sense of purpose in lessons and most pupils try hard to do well. On a few occasions pupils are not strongly motivated, and this is associated with lack of pace in the lesson. The planning for the subject meets statutory requirements. Planning and tasks are generally pitched well to provide good interest and challenge so that pupils may reach the higher standards. There are a few examples of worthwhile investigations but pupils do not write up their findings so that some of the value and interpretation in building up pupils’ enquiry skills are missed. There is some good use of ICT facilities which also encourage pupils’ social

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Commentary

67. The subject leader provides very good leadership and management, and is active in supporting colleagues. She has good arrangements to monitor provision, by checking planning, carrying out a work sample and observing selected lessons, although this could be developed in conjunction with further opportunities in some other subjects. There are good assessment procedures, and teachers keep their own on-going records, using these well to plan further teaching. The strong commitment of the staff to inclusion supports pupils’ achievement and ensures the school’s visible and effective approach is translated into the classroom. The subject leader provides a very good analysis of national tests results which are used constructively to direct whole-school effort. Malden Manor Primary and Nursery School - 27

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Mathematics across the curriculum

68. There are many examples, in science and design and technology for example, of mathematics being used across the curriculum to communicate ideas or provide information. In physical education, teachers draw upon ideas of shape and space when discussing games tactics and in forming good positions during dance.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils achieve satisfactorily; most will reach, and some exceed, the expected standards by the end of Year 2 and Year 6. • Teachers give a very good emphasis to scientific vocabulary, particularly to support those pupils for whom English is an additional language. • Pupils are keen, behave well and enjoy the practical activities. • Older and higher attaining pupils do not have enough opportunities to plan their own investigations or challenging extension work to develop their investigational skills. • Marking does not tell pupils how to improve their work. • There is limited use of ICT.

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Commentary

69. Achievement is satisfactory in science and it is a subject that the school has identified as an area for improvement. Standards are rising and there has been satisfactory improvement since the previous inspection. The emphasis on practical activities to enhance knowledge and skills was evident in lessons on the properties of materials, looking at the sky and shadows, and searching for minibeasts in different habitats.

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Commentary

70. Pupils are keen to learn about science and to get involved with practical activities. This means that pupils behave well and make good strides in their learning. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. In several lessons, teachers engaged pupils quickly and used a good style of questioning to encourage learning. Pupils with English as an additional language are particularly well catered for and even have small group support sessions to enable them to achieve as well as their peers. Even on the occasions where the teacher was mainly responsible for carrying out the practical work, children made sensible suggestions in response to the teacher’s queries. Weaknesses in some lessons were that neither pupils’ own ideas were sought with enough vigour nor were they encouraged to explain the reasons for their ideas and suggestions. As a result opportunities to extend speaking and listening, and

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Commentary

their enquiry skills were missed. Assessment at a whole-school level is effective and pupils’ progress is followed well. Marking, however, is not consistent. Some marking is detailed and helpful, but most does not help pupils understand how they can improve or set future targets.

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Commentary

71. Suitable use is made of pupils’ writing skills and good use of mathematical skills, such as creating and analysing tables of data. Although pupils develop a good range of skills, not enough opportunities are available for the higher attaining pupils to plan their own scientific investigations. Co-ordination is satisfactory. The subject manager monitors the planning and books but as yet has not had sufficient non-contact time to monitor the teaching and learning fully so that focused advice to teachers on raising standards is not always available. There is good enrichment to the curriculum through environmental studies in the school grounds, visits to museums and residential trips. There was very good contribution to spiritual development in the excitement and wonder of observing the behaviour of a woodlouse in a Year 2 walkabout. There is limited use of the library and ICT to support the learning in science even further.

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Commentary

Displays are insufficiently interactive and ‘hands–on’. Malden Manor Primary and Nursery School - 28

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Provision in information and communication technology (ICT) is good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The acquisition of new equipment and software since the last inspection is having a positive impact on learning. • Teachers’ subject knowledge is good. • Opportunities for data-logging are limited. • The use of e-files to keep children’s work is good practice although their work is not marked through this procedure. • Opportunities for cross-curricular applications are good in English and art but patchy across the rest of the curriculum which limit pupils’ enquiry skills.

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Commentary

72. Standards in current work at the end of Year 6 are above average and pupils’ achievement is good. In Year 2, standards are above average and pupils’ achievement is good. This represents an improvement since the last inspection, especially for older pupils. In Year 6, pupils demonstrate their skills by bringing a range of elements together to produce a brief but effective PowerPoint presentation on the theme of World War II. In Year 1, pupils use Word to produce labels for a science display back in their classroom. They use the icons well to produce text in different sizes and colours, and erase electronically any work with which they are not satisfied. The achievement of pupils in other classes in such applications as drawing and word-processing, is good overall. Pupils with special needs or learning English as an additional language achieve well because teachers ensure they receive appropriate support

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Commentary

73. When working in the ICT suite or explaining tasks in classrooms, teachers show a good personal knowledge and control of the technology overall, and of applications which are being used. Teaching is good. Teachers’ planning for lessons is good and they provide clear explanations of how ICT tasks are to be completed. In the ICT suite, teachers organise the resources well, ably switching from control of all computers in order to demonstrate applications, to individual support for pupils once they are managing their own screens. Movement of pupils to and from the suite is exemplary and no time is lost in settling pupils, which leads to very good use of time. Younger pupils show very good stamina in completing tasks and teachers can therefore plan for them to achieve a good deal in one lesson. Because of this, and extra computer access available at home, some pupils’ skills by the end of Year 2 are very good. The quality of the final part of lessons, when the strengths and weaknesses of

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Commentary

work are evaluated, is good. This allows both pupils and teacher to understand their progress against clearly set targets for each session.

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Commentary

74. The co-ordinator is providing good, enthusiastic leadership and management. She is given time to monitor her subject, including monitoring of lessons. She does not see herself as an expert but is able to access expert advice for staff as necessary.

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Information and communication technology across the curriculum

75. Although the use of ICT for English and art work is good, sometimes very imaginative, there has been little progress since the last inspection in developing the use of ICT in science or most other areas of the curriculum. The co-ordinator has worked on links with a local secondary school to allow the more technical aspects of the curriculum to be available to Year 6 pupils, such as data-logging, but this is still undeveloped. Malden Manor Primary and Nursery School - 29

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Religious Education

Provision for religious education is satisfactory. The subject meets the statutory requirements of the Locally Agreed Syllabus.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils’ achievement is unsatisfactory and their standards are below those expected for their age. • Assemblies encourage spiritual development in an ethos in which all pupils can grow, flourish and respect others and be respected. • There is good promotion of self-esteem and care for others. • There are examples of pupils’ work in their books but at times not much is recorded. • Work is not assessed regularly to help pupils know how to improve their work. • There are few visits to or visitors from faith communities other than Christianity.

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Commentary

76. The curriculum is broad and balanced so that the religions studied are given equal emphasis, an important consideration in a school where different religious faiths are represented. Religious education and the good contribution from several other subjects are having a positive impact on the very good relationships that are highly visible within the school between pupils, adults and parents and with the local community. These experiences also contribute well to pupils’ understanding about religions.

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Commentary

77. However, standards in religious education have fallen since the last inspection from satisfactory to below expectations, and improvement is unsatisfactory. This is because although religious education is taught weekly, the time spent on knowledge and understanding of religions is not always sufficient to cover the subject content with the reinforcement the pupils require. Additional related teaching and learning takes place in assemblies, in the PSHE programme and other subjects such as music, where pupils wrote the lyrics and composed the music for a song related to the Hindu god Ganesh before singing it, showing understanding of the symbols and background. However, this does not always allow pupils to build up their learning in a systematic way so that, for example, pupils in Year 4 learn similar facts about the Easter story to pupils in Year 5, although here the level of interpretation and understanding is

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Commentary

78. The subject coverage in pupils’ books is satisfactory in Years 1 - 2, with a few examples of good, sustained writing such as that about Joseph. However, there is little recorded work in pupils’ books and standards are below the expectation overall. Work in Years 3 - 4 indicates better evidence of progress and that pupils’ standards meet the requirements of the Agreed Syllabus. Within Years 5 and 6, pupils’ work indicates satisfactory attention to the content of the Agreed Syllabus but the quality and quantity of pupils’ recorded work are below the expectation, and standards are also below. Some work in pupils’ books and on display show some inappropriate and incorrect facts. The quality of marking is poor and does not tell pupils how to improve their work or correct inconsistencies. In a discussion with Year 6 and other pupils, it was clear that pupils’ knowledge and understanding of their own faiths are good but

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Commentary

knowledge of other religions is more limited. They only know very basic facts and are often confused between the different religions.

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Commentary

79. The quality of teaching and learning in the lessons seen was satisfactory. In a lesson in Year 6, pupils were learning about The Life of Jesus. The skilful use of questions enabled pupils to empathise with how Jesus felt during his time in the wilderness or when he was betrayed in the Easter story. English language vocabulary such as ‘temptation, resurrection, messiah’ was emphasised well to support those pupils for whom English is an additional language Malden Manor Primary and Nursery School - 30 particularly. However, few resources, books or artefacts were available to help enrich the learning and there were limited opportunities for the pupils to write independently. Teachers have given more attention recently to promoting pupils’ speaking and listening skills through discussions so that less work is recorded.

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Commentary

80. The co-ordination is satisfactory. Resources, artefacts and the topics to be taught have been organised but the implementation of the curriculum, developing teaching and learning, require review and further work so that achievement and standards improve evenly through the school. There is no clear strategic plan and opportunities to monitor provision are currently limited.

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Commentary

81. Geography was sampled during this inspection and two lessons were observed. However, there is every indication from the evidence gathered during the inspection that standards are broadly average by Years 2 and 6, and that provision in geography is satisfactory. Pupils in Year 2 recognise the difference between physical and human features. Pupils in Year 6 have the skills to identify physical and human features on a map and to explain the water cycle, including condensation and evaporation. They recognise and identify features of a river. There are some good links with ICT where pupils have collected information from the Internet on New Zealand and on the Mississippi river. Displays in Year 6 provide evidence of learning about similarities and differences between places - locally in Kingston and in New Zealand. Displays around the school, such as the display on Korea, provide detailed information about the Korean

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Commentary

community. They show the school’s emphasis on valuing all pupils’ beliefs and attitudes. A corridor display shows pupils engaging in fieldwork activities such as orienteering whilst on a visit to Sayers’ Croft. A stimulating display in Year 4 on India was used as a point for discussion with pupils. This revealed pupils’ ability to offer reasons for their observations and for their views and judgements about the similarities and differences between India and Great Britain. Evidence from pupils’ work and the lessons seen indicate that the quality of teaching is good overall. Teachers are gaining confidence in the use of the video camera, and in one excellent lesson this was used to video pupils’ weather reports, which stimulated pupils’ enthusiasm. The subject leader for geography provides satisfactory support and direction and is aware of the need to monitor planning and provision further, and to track skills for

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Commentary

assessment. There is a need to develop English and ICT links further. Resources are currently satisfactory.

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Commentary

82. History was sampled during this inspection and two lessons were observed. In addition the headteacher was interviewed about the provision for history and pupils’ work by Year 2 and Year 6 was analysed. There is every indication that standards are broadly average by Years 2 and 6. In an excellent lesson in Year 2, the teacher for pupils acquiring English as an additional language entered the class dressed as Florence Nightingale and played the role very well. Pupils learnt about the conditions in Crimea and hospitals in Scutari. They even addressed equal opportunity issues, such as attitudes to women nurses and how Florence Nightingale was expected to marry at an early age. In a further, satisfactory, lesson the pace was slow and pupils required support in their enquiry skills when using their ICT and text sources of evidence to find answers. In a separate whole-school project, gifted pupils showed high quality research

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Commentary

and enquiry skills when asked to produce a presentation on a famous person, such as Sir Winston Churchill. The range of visitors plays an important part in making work interesting and memorable, such as the Mexico Lore Company. Work in Year 6 shows that pupils have satisfactory understanding and skills to explain when and where World War II took place, and its key events. In a stimulating Aztecs Antics display, there were model masks, the use of ICT and diaries explaining life in Aztec times. There is evidence of good links with ICT. There is no current evidence of monitoring and evaluation of teaching by the subject co-ordinator. The school is aware of the need to develop further the quality of teaching, learning and assessment of enquiry skills. The improvement since the previous inspection is satisfactory.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

Malden Manor Primary and Nursery School - 31 83. Only two lessons in art and design and two in design and technology were observed so it is not possible to give an overall judgement on provision. Evidence from the lesson observations and scrutiny of pupils’ work indicates that teaching in art and design is good. Teachers plan and prepare for lessons well, and introduce topics and techniques clearly. However, only a limited range of techniques are attempted by class teachers and standards remain average across the age range. This represents satisfactory progress since the last inspection. The evidence also indicates that some pupils have experiences of working with a wider range of media, such as clay, dye and pastels. Pupils explore art from other cultures; for example, pupils in the Year 5 Art Club studied the work of aboriginal artists and created their own pictures using appropriate earth colours and brush techniques. Displays around the school celebrate

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

different cultures both contemporary and from the past. A significant contribution to the pupils’ experiences across the arts is made by the yearly Arts Week. Within its theme of ‘emotions’, pupils across the age range made masks and considered the relationship of colour and mood. The event also made significant contributions to the pupils’ personal, social and emotional development. ICT is used effectively Although the co-ordinator for art and design offers good, enthusiastic leadership and has organised effective training for staff, she has little time to monitor teaching in the subject.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

84. In design and technology , pupils gain a sound understanding of a range of techniques and materials. However, the cramped conditions in many classrooms limit the range of techniques. Teaching is good overall and very good in Key Stage 1. Evidence from lesson observations and work scrutiny indicates that standards are above average by the end of Year 2 and average by the end of Year 6. This represents satisfactory progress since the last inspection. From early on, pupils learn the whole design process and how to evaluate and improve their designs. A very good emphasis is placed on accurate planning, measuring and completion of a task with continuous evaluation. Some teachers demonstrate good practice where pupils’ written evaluations are marked effectively to deepen pupils’ thinking about their products. Year 2 pupils enthusiastically investigated a range of puppets, and evaluated techniques of joining by their fitness for the task. They then used all the knowledge gained to

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

make their own puppet. Year 6 pupils designed and made slippers. Evaluation during the initial steps led to redesigning toe caps which had proved tricky to construct. Their final products were completed neatly and pupils recalled the process with humour and pride. Although the co-ordinator offers enthusiastic leadership and has organised resources effectively, he has little time to monitor teaching in the subject. However, in a short time he has successfully encouraged members of staff to attempt more food technology, and has evaluated new ICT software in the subject.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

85. Evidence from discussions with the co-cordinator, talking to the pupils, scrutiny of work and displays indicates that provision in music is good. However, it was not possible to observe any lessons in music in order to judge the quality of teaching and learning overall. There has been good improvement since the previous inspection and music has a high profile within the school through the enthusiasm of the very good subject leader. Pupils are given a wide range of opportunities for singing and performing in lessons, assemblies, concerts and shows. Pupils in Year 5 each learn a brass instrument. There is a wide range of extra-curricular activities including the choir, which enables individual pupils, including those with special educational needs, to fulfil their personal interest in music. There are strong cross-curricular links with other subjects such as art and design and drama. Music makes a good contribution to cultural

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

development and pupils sing Indian songs and are entertained by Japanese drummers. However, assessment procedures are underdeveloped. Music is used well to develop the school’s positive image in the community and the school participates extensively in local musical events.

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Physical education

Malden Manor Primary and Nursery School - 32 Provision in physical education is good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The school promotes pupils’ physical education well through many out of school clubs and special training sessions. • The subject leader gives a good lead, and is supported well by members of staff. • The quality of teaching and learning is good.

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Commentary

86. Standards in physical education are broadly average by the end of Years 2 and 6 and achievement is satisfactory by all groups of pupils overall. There are, however, many good opportunities for pupils to take part in sports clubs and activities and, as a result, many of these pupils are developing good skills and understanding of games tactics. By the end of Year 2 pupils have experienced a good range of activities, for example to develop the skills to travel in a controlled way. In a very good lesson in Year 2, for example, the teacher explained very clearly how pupils were to explore their own ideas, setting very high expectations for behaviour and effort. As a result, pupils worked collaboratively with their partners, most trying out their ideas repeatedly to improve their sequence of two or three jumps. Their very good attitudes and behaviour contributed well to their performance as they refined and developed their

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Commentary

sequence. This was significant since several pupils have low self-esteem, but worked hard to improve through the teacher’s encouragement. The class teacher used many very good, inclusive strategies, such as having pupils demonstrate their work to others, who watched and evaluated sympathetically. A few pupils in Year 3 demonstrated good control and co-ordination as they walked round the school hall balancing a table-tennis ball on a bat. An unusual activity in primary schools, the lesson provided good opportunities for pupils to experience a very different form of ball control and skill from those required with larger, heavier balls. The teacher demonstrated good class control so that pupils actively practised skills in a suitably developing sequence.

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Commentary

87. By Year 6, pupils have gained a very good range of experience through participation in a wide selection of sports, in lessons and through out of school activities. Several pupils reach standards that exceed the expectation through the dedicated efforts of the subject leader and other members of staff, and visiting sports specialists. This experience has a significant impact on pupils’ learning. In a good lesson in Year 6, pupils built on earlier work to create an expression of how raindrops fall, splash and spread. Several pupils performed good, imaginative sequences with dramatic jumps and gestures to convey their ideas. The teacher’s good strategy of having half the class evaluate the performance of the others helped pupils to reflect on how they might improve and where the expression was effective.

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Commentary

88. Overall, pupils demonstrated very good interest in the tasks in the lessons observed. They mostly work hard, collaborate well and are responsive to the teachers’ expectations showing very good personal development through the school. Most pupils reach the expected standard in their swimming by the end of Year 6. The quality of teaching and learning is good, with a good choice of activity that keeps pupils active. There is a good shape to lessons and teachers use good strategies to promote pupils’ development of skill. The subject meets statutory requirements. There are satisfactory formal assessment procedures but on-going assessments in lessons are good since teachers are observant of the pupils. The subject leader provides good leadership and management. She has

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Commentary

high aspirations and a significant influence, through her experience and commitment for the pupils, on the quality of provision, which shows good improvement since the last inspection.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP (PSHE)

Provision in personal, social and health education is good. Malden Manor Primary and Nursery School - 33

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The PSHE programme is integral to the school’s curriculum and ethos of care for the pupils. • The quality of teaching and learning is good so that standards are above average by Years 2 and 6. • The subject leader provides very thoughtful direction and support.

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Commentary

89. The approach to pupils’ PSHE development combines a well-structured programme through the school with a good emphasis on pupils’ personal development. The approach is reflected in how teachers and other adults work with pupils daily. Pupils achieve well in PSHE and reach above average standards by the end of Years 2 and 6 because the quality of teaching is good. In Year 1, the teacher sustained good attention through skilled questioning as pupils discussed people that were important in their lives. The pupils talked easily together, thinking positively about friends and other people and showing a good appreciation of what it means to be a friend. Some sessions challenge pupils’ views well about gender or other aspects that imply stereotypes. In a good lesson in Year 4, for example, the teacher read a poem ‘The Dream Keeper’ which portrays ambitions for playing football that turn out to be those of a girl. The

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Commentary

group discussions enabled pupils to express their feelings about behaviour in the school and prompted pupils to reflect on their own stand.

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Commentary

90. A further good lesson in Year 5 challenged pupils to consider the desperate lifestyle and poverty of some children in India. Many pupils recognised how their lives and comforts were so very different, although finding it hard to put themselves much in the place of those children. In Year 6, a very appreciative atmosphere was established when each pupil brought an item that was precious to them, to share with the class. The class teacher led the session with warm relationships so that the pupils felt comfortable in sharing their items. These were highly significant in representing the range of cultural backgrounds of the pupils. The pupils took great interest and delight in what was shown, indicating a strong appreciation and valuing of others’ possessions and that they had made good progress through the school in their personal development.

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Commentary

91. The quality of teaching and learning is good. Teachers choose activities very carefully to bring out issues and to help pupils understand matters that affect their lives or the lives of others. They use sensitive questioning to encourage pupils to talk about their ideas and experiences and are highly inclusive. They also choose activities well that are relevant to pupils’ lives so that their personal development is enhanced. Teachers set a good level of challenge in some lessons to prompt pupils to think, whereas in other lessons there is a good emphasis on ensuring that pupils listen to others. Teachers have high expectations of the pupils, particularly in consideration for others, and in this they are effective. On-going assessment is very good since teachers know their pupils very well and there are good procedures to track progress. The curriculum is well structured and has a strong impact on pupils’ understanding and

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Commentary

personal development. The subject leader provides very thoughtful and well-considered leadership so that the subject has a central position in the life of the school. This has a positive impact on pupils’ achievement and standards in the school generally. Malden Manor Primary and Nursery School - 34

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The overall effectiveness of the school 3 How inclusive the school is 1 How the school’s effectiveness has changed since its last inspection 3 Value for money provided by the school 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Overall standards achieved 3 Pupils’ achievement 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities 1 Attendance 3 Attitudes 2 Behaviour, including the extent of exclusions 2 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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 5 Pupils’ care, welfare, health and safety 1 Support, advice and guidance for pupils 1 How well the school seeks and acts on pupils’ views 2 The effectiveness of the school’s links with parents 2 The quality of the school’s links with the community 2 The school’s links with other schools and colleges 1

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

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