Moorlands Primary School

Moorlands Primary School

Dates of inspection: 3 rd - 6 th November 2003

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Moorlands Primary School

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

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Moorlands Primary School

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Primary School category: Community Age range of pupils: 4-11 Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 209

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Winchester Road West Bromwich

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Telephone number: 0121 5560352 Fax number: 0121 5052677

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: Governing body Name of chair of governors: Mr Steve Dale

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

Moorlands Community Primary School is located in an urban area and is of average size. It lies within an Education Action Zone and significant numbers of pupils come from disadvantaged backgrounds, entering the school with standards that are well below expectations. A higher than average proportion of pupils has special educational needs. The number of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds or who speak any other language apart from English as their mother tongue is relatively low. Few pupils join or leave the school at times other than the normal for enrolment or transfer. The school is actively involved in partnership with other local school and learning communities. Moorlands Primary School - 4

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities 15064 Paul Bamber Lead inspector English, geography, history, physical education. 13746 David Russell Lay inspector 22434 Sandra Bradshaw Team inspector Mathematics, citizenship, music religious education. 31801 Yvonne Bacchetta Team inspector Science, information and communication technology, art and design and design and technology.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Altecq Education 102 Bath Road Cheltenham Gloucestershire GL53 7JX

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

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

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 8-11

Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 8-11

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL 11-15

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

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school is fairly effective, improving and provides satisfactory value for money. There are strengths in pupils’ attitudes and their relationships and in aspects of the curriculum. Test results are improving.

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The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

 Governors do not ensure that the curriculum for ICT meets requirements and as a result, pupils’ standards are below expectations in those aspects that are not taught.  Teachers use resources and homework effectively to encourage pupils’ interest in learning and to promote their ability to work well together and independently.  Pupils’ curriculum is enriched well because of the effective way in which learning in different subjects is combined and through the wide variety of out-of-class activities offered to them.  Pupils have very good attitudes, they get on very well together and most behave sensibly, as a result of their effective social and moral development.  The school’s arrangements for settling children into the reception class ensure that they make a happy and productive start to their schooling.  More-able pupils do not always achieve well enough.  The school’s procedures, to identify strengths and weaknesses, although satisfactory overall,

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The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

are not used widely enough.  Key subject co-ordinators do not have enough time to monitor the quality of teaching and learning.

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The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

Improvement since the last inspection has been satisfactory . Standards have improved in Year 6 recently. The curriculum, apart from ICT, is better balanced than previously and, through its recently introduced thematic approach, enthuses pupils to learn. Attendance is not as good as at the time of the last inspection.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

all schools similar schools Results in National Curriculum tests at the end of Year 6, compared with: 2001 2002 2003 2003 English E E D B Mathematics E E D B science E E D C 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 satisfactory overall. Pupils enter the school with well below average standards and achieve satisfactorily in the reception class and in Years 1 and 2. There is underachievement in ICT in Years 3 to 6 because the full curriculum is not presently taught. Standards in the Year 6 2003 national tests improved well as a result of well-focussed teaching. In the present Year 6 there is a much higher proportion of pupils with special educational needs and as a result average standards are well below expectation. Standards in Years 3 to 5 better reflect the school’s successful drive to raise achievement. Moorlands Primary School - 7 Pupils’ personal, spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good overall , with a particular strength in their moral development. Pupils have very good attitudes to learning and enthusiastically join in the variety of out-of-class activities on offer. Behaviour is good overall. It is

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

very good in Years R to 5, but in Year 6 a few pupils, particularly boys, do not maintain the same high standards found in other classes. Attendance is unsatisfactory, but most pupils are punctual.

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The quality of education is satisfactory. The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is

satisfactory overall. Good teaching of literacy across the curriculum is promoting higher writing standards, especially amongst boys. Teachers do not always ensure that more-able pupils work at sufficient pace. The teaching of pupils with special educational needs is satisfactory overall. The curriculum is unsatisfactory overall, because the full National Curriculum is not taught. However, the way in which learning in different subjects is combined is a strength of the school. Pupils’ care is good and the school has established effective partnerships with parents, other schools and the community. These are making a good contribution to improvements in pupils’ standards and especially in aspects of the curriculum.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management are satisfactory overall . The headteacher and key staff have taken effective action to raise standards in Year 6. The deputy headteacher has made a significant contribution to the implementation of an integrated approach to learning. Key subject co-ordinators do not have enough time to monitor the quality of teaching and learning. Governance is unsatisfactory because governors have not ensured that the full curriculum for ICT is taught, causing standards to be lower than they should be. Otherwise governors satisfactorily carry out their responsibilities and exercise sound financial management.

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Parents are particularly pleased about how hard their children are expected to work, how well they settle into the reception class, how they generally enjoy school and how they are encouraged to become mature and take responsibility. Pupils are positive about the school, appreciate how many new things they learn in lessons and that the staff are approachable and help them when they have difficulties in or out of the classroom. A significant minority would like a minority of the pupils to behave better.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

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

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

 Ensure that standards at least meet national expectations in Years 3 to 6 in ICT.  To extend the use of the effective assessment systems presently used in English and mathematics to other subjects in order to help provide teachers with a clearer knowledge of what they need to do to help pupils improve.  To enable more-able pupils to achieve higher standards in the Year 6 national tests.  To provide more time for key subject co-ordinators to monitor teaching and learning.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

and, to meet statutory requirements: Moorlands Primary School - 8  Ensure that the full National Curriculum for ICT is taught. Moorlands Primary School - 9

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Standards achieved in areas of learning, subjects and courses

Children in the reception class achieve satisfactorily and about two-thirds of them are likely to reach the goals set for them nationally by the time they enter Year 1. Although in the current Year 2 and Year 6 standards in English, mathematics and science are well below average, in other year groups standards are higher. Achievement and standards are below expectations in ICT in Year 6. In other subjects, about which it was possible to make a judgement, standards are in line with expectations.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

 Achievement in Years 3 to 6 in ICT is too low.  There was good improvement, compared with the previous two years, in Year 6 pupils’ achievements in the 2003 national tests.  Pupils in Years 3 to 6 often achieve well in history.  More-able pupils do not achieve as well as they might.

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Commentary

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

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Commentary

Standards in: School results National results Reading 14.8 (14.6) 15.9 (15.8) Writing 12.8 (13.4) 14.8 (14.4) mathematics 15.0 (15.0) 16.4 (16.4) There were 30 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Commentary

1. Standards in the 2003 national tests in Year 2 improved slightly in reading, fell back in writing but were maintained in mathematics. Writing standards dipped despite the school’s best efforts to address specific weaknesses in pupils’ spelling and punctuation. The present Year 2 has nearly two in five pupils with special educational needs and as a result, standards in writing, mathematics and science are well below average. In reading, standards are higher, but still below expectations. When set against pupils’ standards on entry to the school, pupils’ achievement is satisfactory. In the other subjects inspected pupils attained standards in line with expectation.

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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 25.8 (25.4) 27.0 (27.0) mathematics 25.7 (25.3) 27.0 (26.7) Science 27.6 (25.7) 28.8 (28.3) There were 33 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Commentary

2. In 2003 national tests, the Year 6 results improved in all three subjects, but still indicated standards below the average. Compared to schools in similar circumstances, standards were average in all three subjects. Pupils’ achievements as measured against their Year 2 test results were good in English and mathematics and in line with expectations in science. The Moorlands Primary School - 10 school’s better use of its analysis of test data and the provision of effective booster classes made significant contributions to improvements in the 2003 standards. However, the proportion of pupils attaining the higher Level 5 in the tests was well below average. Nearly half the pupils in the present Year 6 have special educational needs and average standards are depressed in the three core subjects as a result. In English, mathematics and science standards are presently well below expectations. However, data indicates that pupils are

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Commentary

achieving satisfactorily apart from in ICT, in which standards and achievement are too low because presently pupils are not taught how to use e-mail, sensors or control equipment which is required by the National Curriculum. Year 6 boys’ writing continues to improve because they are provided with relevant tasks, which interest them and encourage them to write for many different purposes.

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Commentary

3. Standards in English, mathematics and science are higher in Years 3 to 5. This is because there are fewer pupils who find learning difficult in these year groups. As a result, the strategies for improving pupils’ achievement are more productive, especially those put in place to improve the quality of pupils’ writing.

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Commentary

4. The introduction of a thematic approach to teaching subjects, especially in Years 3 to 6 is having a marked effect upon the standards pupils achieve and their commitment to learning. Pupils’ achievements in writing and history are currently improving well because they enjoy the approach to the subjects so much. Pupils in Year 4 and 6, for example, have a good understanding of journalistic style of writing and apply it well to illustrate their knowledge of historical events and significant people.

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Commentary

5. Pupils’ good use of their literacy skills across subjects is making a significant contribution to raising standards. They apply their numeracy skills satisfactorily to help illustrate data in science lessons and to estimate and measure in their design and technology work. Pupils use aspects of their ICT skills well in other lessons, notably English, but because of their restricted curriculum, there are shortcomings in its use in other subjects, for example, when measuring in science.

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Commentary

6. More-able pupils do not always achieve as well as they might. Sometimes in lessons these pupils are not always made to work at sufficient pace at the tasks they are set and as a result do not finish them. In other instances, the tasks they are given are not sufficiently difficult to extend their knowledge and understanding.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development are good . Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good overall. The school has concentrated successfully on creating a climate where the social and moral development of pupils is flourishing.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

 The behaviour management system works well and ensures that the majority of pupils have very good attitudes to learning.  Good personal, social and very good moral development leads to very positive relationships between pupils, a very well-developed sense of right and wrong and pupils enjoying taking responsibility.  There are too few opportunities for pupils to develop their spiritual awareness or to learn about cultures other than their own. Moorlands Primary School - 11  The school actively promotes good attendance. It has effective monitoring systems and is well supported by the Education Welfare Officer. However, a large proportion of absences is due to families taking holidays during term time and these contribute significantly to the lower than average attendance figures.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

Commentary 7. Pupils in Year R to Year 5 behave very well in and around the school, but there is a small minority of pupils in Year 6, mostly boys, whose behaviour falls below the standards of the rest of the school. Pupils value their surroundings and develop good personal qualities. In lessons, pupils listen carefully to others, work well in pairs and in small groups and share resources appropriately. Teachers and teaching assistants have high expectations of good behaviour and the pupils respond well to this.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

8. Provision for pupils’ personal and social development is good. There are suitable opportunities for pupils to take responsibility in the classroom and around the school. They respond to these opportunities enthusiastically and through the tasks they carry out help with the smooth running of the school and contribute well to the local community.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

9. There are too few opportunities planned to develop pupils’ spiritual awareness. Although during daily acts of worship, pupils are often invited to reflect and think about various issues, there are no planned opportunities across the curriculum for teachers to foster pupils’ self- awareness and understanding of the world. The curriculum lacks opportunities for pupils to develop a sense of wonder, for example, when making observations in science, when working with large numbers in mathematics, or looking at the work of artists and authors.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

10. Pupils’ cultural development is promoted satisfactorily through country dancing, using percussion instruments that represent cultures from other countries and from the visits they make to places of interest, such as Bewdley museum and the Severn valley museum. They learn about other cultures and beliefs in their religious education lessons. However, the school does not take advantage of the resources in the community to enhance pupils’ learning by arranging visits to different places of worship, or by inviting people with different beliefs into the school, to talk to pupils.

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Attendance

Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

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Attendance

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data 6.6 School data 0.4 National data 5.4 National data 0.5 The table gives the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.

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Attendance

11. Attendance levels are below the national average and are unsatisfactory . Pupils’ punctuality is satisfactory .

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Attendance

12. Currently, attendance is below the national average and over the last three years there has been a downward trend. However, the school puts a lot of effort into promoting the importance of good attendance. Registration procedures are efficient and meet statutory requirements. Monitoring systems are robust and enable the school to identify difficulties as it strives to achieve better attendance. Year 6 pupils actively record latecomers and inform the headteacher about pupils arriving late more than once in any week. Moorlands Primary School - 12 Exclusions

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Attendance

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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Attendance

Categories used in the Annual School Census No of pupils on roll Number of fixed period exclusions Number of permanent exclusions White – British 179 2 0 White – any other White background 1 0 0 Mixed – White and Black Caribbean 4 0 0 Mixed – White and Asian 1 0 0 Asian or Asian British – Indian 11 0 0 Black or Black British – Caribbean 3 0 0 The table gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

The quality of education is satisfactory overall. There are examples of good teaching in English, art and design and in the reception class, but there are weaknesses in the teaching for more-able pupils. Although the full National Curriculum is not taught in ICT, there are good opportunities for curricular enrichment. The quality of care is good and pupils are well provided for . Effective links with parents contribute well to pupils’ achievement.

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Teaching and learning

The quality of teaching and learning and that of teachers’ assessments is satisfactory overall. The quality of teaching is similar to that found at the time of the last inspection, but assessment has improved in English and mathematics.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

 Teachers have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and relationships, which are generally well met.  More-able pupils are not always made to work at sufficient pace nor set difficult enough work in some lessons.  Resources are used well by staff to both interest pupils and clarify ideas.  The staff carefully assess children’s development in the reception class.  Because most pupils work so well together, they help each other learn when they tackle tasks in pairs or groups.  Teachers skilfully help pupils to understand that much of what they learn in different subjects is closely linked.

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Commentary

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 31 lessons

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Commentary

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Commentary

0 1 (3%) 8 (26 %) 19 (61%) 3 (10 %) 0 0 Moorlands Primary School - 13 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

13. A significant strength in teaching and learning is the way in which the teachers combine learning in subjects to make what pupils do in lessons more relevant to them. For instance, in a Year 4 literacy lesson about the style of writing in newspapers, pupils were required to apply their knowledge of the Tudors, which they were presently studying in history lessons. In a Year 6 ICT lesson, the teacher used pupils’ present history topic of World War 2 as a basis for editing text. The evidence from lessons and from pupils’ enthusiastic response to this way of learning, indicates that their motivation to learn and the quality of their work is enhanced by this approach to teaching, especially in supporting the school’s drive to improve writing.

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Commentary

14. The unsatisfactory teaching observed was due to the needs of more-able pupils not being met. In a few lessons, teachers become distracted by the demands of pupils who have more difficulty understanding their work and do not pay enough attention to the needs of compliant, more-able pupils. As a result, the pace of these brighter pupils’ work sometimes slows and they do not complete as much work as they should. In other lessons, teachers miss opportunities to extend more-able pupils either by varying the complexity of questions or by setting more difficult tasks. In an otherwise satisfactory Year 6 English lesson, for instance, opportunities were missed to promote more-able pupils’ understanding and use of alliteration, metaphor and bias. There is a link between this weakness in teaching and the relatively low proportion of pupils who reach the higher Level 5 in the Year 6 national tests.

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Commentary

15. In all lessons, teachers have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and relationships and express these firmly but positively to pupils, who respond by behaving very well in the main. As a result, in most lessons, pupils work in a calm atmosphere and concentrate well on the instructions they receive and the tasks they are set. Pupils respect each other’s achievements because teachers encourage them to value polite conduct.

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Commentary

16. Teachers make good use of resources to motivate pupils’ interest in lessons and to clarify more complex ideas. For instance in a Year 2 art and design lesson, pupils’ ability to carefully draw a mini- beast was enhanced as a result of the teacher’s use of an excellent example. In a Year 3 mathematics lesson, the teacher’s effective use of resources enabled pupils to understand the passage of time much better than at the beginning of the lesson. The homework tasks set by the teachers often promote pupils’ learning well, stimulating a few pupils to go beyond the set task and research independently.

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Commentary

17. In the reception class, the teacher and teaching assistants carefully assess the children’s progress. This means they are able to plan subsequent lessons, which both match the children’s needs well and ensure that their development in all areas of their learning is at least satisfactory. In a lesson observed, activities were planned to help children listen more attentively, because it was clear from observations in previous lessons that this was an area in which several children were deficient. As a result, there was an improvement in the class’ ability to listen to adults and to each other with better concentration and understanding.

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Commentary

18. Teachers provide pupils with frequent opportunities to work collaboratively in pairs or groups. As a result, pupils gain from each other’s ideas and develop the ability to negotiate and to make decisions by concensus. In a Year 5 geography lesson, pupils took responsibility for aspects of a presentation about the water cycle, working happily and productively together to achieve an acceptable outcome. In many lessons, pupils worked constructively in pairs to agree upon a strategy for finding the solution to a problem. Such opportunities promote pupils’ personal, moral and social development well.

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Commentary

19. Teachers assess pupils’ learning needs by analysing pupils’ class work and their responses to school and national tests in English and mathematics. The system of setting group targets, which are shared with pupils, their parents at parents’ evenings and receiving teachers informs further learning and contributes very well to how well pupils do in the school. However, it is only in English and Moorlands Primary School - 14 mathematics that effective assessment takes place. The lack of similar, rigorous systems for assessing pupils’ attainment and progress in science and ICT contribute to some underachievement. Pupils with learning difficulties on entry to the school are supported immediately. In all classes, pupils with special educational needs have a relevant individual education plan, which is used well by class teachers to monitor pupils’ progress. All ability groups know what they need to do to raise their

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Commentary

standards in English and mathematics from the good developmental marking and discussions held with teachers and teaching assistants.

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The curriculum

The curriculum provides a broad range of experiences and opportunities, but is unsatisfactory overall. It caters for the interests, aptitudes and needs of pupils, including those with special educational needs. Opportunities for enrichment, including extra-curricular activities, are good. The quality of accommodation is satisfactory overall and the quality and quantity of resources are good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

 Although the curriculum is broad and balanced there are gaps in the ICT curriculum for older pupils.  The school’s new approach to teaching the curriculum is resulting in improving standards and pupils’ increased enthusiasm for learning.  There is good provision for extra-curricular activities.

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Commentary

20. All subjects of the National Curriculum are taught, but the curriculum for ICT does not meet statutory requirements. The school does not have the equipment for pupils to experience controlling devices or for monitoring the environment. Additionally, pupils are unable to extend their understanding of communication because, at the moment, the school has no e- mail facilities. Information and communication technology supports pupils’ learning in a few subjects, but this is an area that needs to be developed. The national strategies for numeracy and literacy are used effectively to develop pupils’ learning in some other subjects.

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Commentary

21. The school has recently adopted a new approach to teaching the curriculum that links subjects to a common topic. This approach ensures that links between subjects are planned for in a more structured way and pupils report that they are thoroughly enjoying learning in this way. Inspection findings are that standards in subjects such as history and in pupils’ writing are improving as a result. The school’s effective partnership within a network of local schools, which has been nurtured by the headteacher, is providing good support for the introduction of this positive initiative. The deputy headteacher has worked successfully with teaching and support staff to implement the different ways of planning and teaching in order to introduce this new approach to the curriculum.

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Commentary

22. There is a good range of after-school activities and clubs that are well attended by both girls and boys. These include a range of sports, drama and music. The school’s Arts Week enables pupils to experience a range of activities with local artists and musicians and this makes a positive contribution to their learning in these subjects. Educational visits are well planned and support learning well in history and geography. Moorlands Primary School - 15 23. Lessons are generally well planned to include the needs of all pupils and the less-able pupils are given effective support from a good number of teaching assistants. Tasks set for more- able pupils, however, do not always match their needs and, as a result, some do not achieve the standards of which they are capable.

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Commentary

24. Provision in literacy and numeracy is well matched to the needs of pupils with special educational needs and as a result they make satisfactory progress. Teaching assistants successfully find ways in which to capture these pupils’ interest. They work closely with class teachers to plan work relevant to the pupils’ needs. Pupils with special educational needs respond well to the practical curriculum and in lessons where pupils were involved in ‘hands on’ investigations such as science and art and design, they achieve as well as other pupils. However, in these lessons and in ICT lessons, more-able pupils are not challenged enough because they are all given the same level of work.

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Commentary

25. The quality and quantity of resources are good and they are used well to enhance learning. Overall, accommodation is satisfactory, although there is no dedicated area for children in the Foundation Stage.

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Care, guidance and support

The manner in which the school ensures pupils’ care, welfare, health and safety is good . Provision for pupils’ support and guidance is good. The involvement of pupils, as a result of the school seeking, valuing and acting on their views, is satisfactory . Main strengths and weaknesses

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Care, guidance and support

 As a result of the very good relationships between pupils and adults, pupils’ achievements and personal development are well known and understood by staff.  Pupils receive good support and guidance for their academic and personal development.

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Commentary

26. Staff know their pupils well and as a result provide them with good support, advice and guidance. The very good relationships between adults and pupils contribute significantly to the very good ethos in the school and to pupils’ positive attitudes. In a school in which a small minority of pupils finds it difficult to behave well, the effective systems for positive behaviour management make a good contribution to the often very good behaviour found.

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Commentary

27. The use of English and mathematics optional tests in Years 3, 4 and 5 effectively monitor the pupils’ achievements in these subjects. “Pupils Progress Sheets” show the attainment level of each pupil. Well-defined targets, clearly displayed at the front of each pupil’s book in the core subjects of mathematics and English, successfully encourage pupils to reach their goals. However, the fact that the effective assessment systems used in English and mathematics are not extended to other subjects, plays a part in underachievement by more-able pupils, for instance in science. The formal monitoring records used to track children’s progress in the reception class, contribute well to the satisfactory progress these children make.

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Commentary

28. The school encourages pupils to share their views and become involved in school life. From returned pupils’ questionnaires it is clear they have positive views of the school. Pupils know that the school listens to them when they talk about various aspects that affect their learning. As yet, the school council is not fully operational so it is not able to obtain pupils’ views and ideas across the whole school.

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Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

The school’s links with parents and with the local community are good . The school also forges good links with other schools and other providers. Moorlands Primary School - 16 Main strengths and weaknesses

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Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

 Parents respond positively towards the school. They are pleased their children are expected to work hard.  The school responds well to the full range of external initiatives and services. These services, and other community links, greatly enrich pupils’ learning.  The school is proactive in developing strong links with other schools. Commentary

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Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

29. The school actively seeks parents’ opinions to which they respond positively. The relatively high percentage return of the questionnaires sent to parents before the inspection is a genuine reflection of this approach. The school appreciates this positive exchange of ideas and uses it to further develop parental involvement and commitment. There is a mutual respect between school and parents. Parents are pleased their children are working hard in a caring and enriching environment. 30. Good links have been established with nurseries and playgroups in the area and induction procedures for very young children coming into school are good. Effective transfer and induction arrangements have been established with the local secondary school, which means that when pupils in Year 6 move on to their new school, they have met a few of the teachers and have an understanding of the routines and expectations.

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Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

31. The school uses its effective links with other schools and organisations well to promote pupils’ learning. For example, the school’s partnership with the Wednesbury Education Action Zone (WEAZ) and its involvement the Sandwell Triad (a network of schools working together) has resulted in improved resources and a successful new approach to teaching the curriculum.

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Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

32. Facilities within the local community are particularly well used to enhance pupils’ learning and to enrich the curriculum. Visits to Bewley Museum and the Severn Valley Railway help to broaden pupils’ learning in specific subjects. Visitors, such as a local librarian and a museum curator, enrich the curriculum well.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The quality of leadership and management is satisfactory . A failure to comply with National Curriculum requirements in ICT means that governance is unsatisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

 Governors do not ensure that the full National Curriculum in ICT is taught.  The implementation of the school’s new approach to teaching the curriculum and an initiative to work with the feeder playgroup to improve children’s attainment on entry to the reception class have been well led and managed.  Managers’ increasingly effective use of test data is contributing well to raising standards in English and mathematics.  Key subject co-ordinators are not given regular opportunities to monitor the quality of teaching and learning, or to follow up those observations that do take place.

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Commentary

33. At the time of the last inspection it was reported that governors were insufficiently involved in reviewing the school’s performance. Although the governing body has made improvements in this area, the fact that an aspect of the curriculum for ICT is not fully taught means that governance is unsatisfactory. The result of this weakness is that older pupils do not reach the standards expected of Moorlands Primary School - 17 them in controlling, modelling and monitoring. A lack of software to support these aspects contributes to these weaknesses in pupils’ attainment.

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Commentary

34. A significant development in the way in which the curriculum is taught has been the greater integration of learning across subjects. This has been embraced enthusiastically by staff and pupils. The deputy headteacher has managed the implementation of this initiative well, with the headteacher and other key staff providing effective leadership in supporting the staff in planning the themes for pupils to follow. This positive example of the way in which the school is open to innovation and change, and to working in close partnership with other schools, the education action zone and the local education authority, provides evidence of its status as an improving school, in which there is a shared purpose to raise standards and to enhance the quality of education for all.

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Commentary

35. Further evidence of the school’s commitment to improvement is the governors’ decision to provide time for the foundation stage co-ordinator to work closely with staff in the feeder playgroup in order to raise the level of children’s attainment on entry to the reception class. This initiative has been implemented by the school’s management because the children’s low attainment on entry to the school had been identified as an important barrier to learning and to improving standards. Because this initiative only began in September of this year it is still too early to judge its impact on children’s attainment on entry. However, early indications are that the school and the playgroup are working in close harmony to achieve improvements.

p.17

Commentary

36. The headteacher and other key subject co-ordinators now analyse test data in depth, which has provided useful information about strengths and weaknesses in pupils’ attainment, especially in English and mathematics. The information has been used effectively to modify the focus of what is taught and as a result of the extra emphasis in lessons and booster classes upon those areas of weakness identified, higher standards were achieved in the 2003, Year 6 national tests.

p.17

Commentary

37. The school’s present system for providing time for co-ordinators to monitor and evaluate provision in their subject is sensibly linked to priorities for improvement in the school’s development plan. However, the system does not allow key subject co-ordinators enough regular opportunity to observe lessons or to evaluate pupils’ learning. As a result, relative weaknesses in planning and teaching, for instance, for the more-able older pupils, remain unidentified. The areas for improvement identified in those lessons which are observed, are not sufficiently followed up. Consequently, the school has no means of knowing whether improvements have been made.

p.17

Financial information for the year April 2002 to March 2003

Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 585,360 Balance from previous year 66,326 Total expenditure 528,276 Balance carried forward to 2003/4 27,593 Expenditure per pupil 2,528 Moorlands Primary School - 18

p.17

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Provision for children in the Foundation Stage is satisfactory . This is a similar finding to that of the last inspection. Children enter the reception class in the September before they are five. The majority of children have received some form of pre-school education. The quality of the curriculum ensures that there is a satisfactory balance between adult-focused activities and those that children choose for themselves and the careful way in which children are prepared for entry into the class is a strength of the school. All children achieve satisfactorily and the curriculum provides a wide range of interesting and appropriate activities. Children respond well in this stimulating and caring environment. The timetable is well-structured on most days and all adults contribute successfully to planning. The creative imagination that goes into the planning of inside activities is not fully extended to the outside learning environment.

p.18

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in personal, social and emotional development is satisfactory.

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

 High expectations by staff ensure that children behave well.  There are missed opportunities to develop children’s independence.  The caring and stimulating environment enables children to develop good relationships with each other and with adults.  Although opportunities are taken to enhance children’s development less than two-thirds of the children will reach the expected goals by the end of the reception year.

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

38. Many of the children have underdeveloped social skills when they first start school and find it hard to conform to the high expectations of staff. Even though children have attended school for only a few weeks, most now know what is expected of them and behave well in lessons. Overall, the quality of teaching is satisfactory and teachers assess children’s progress effectively. Children’s skills of independence have developed and they undress and dress for physical education, and put on their own coats to go outside. However, there are too few opportunities provided for children to make choices about the activities in which they wish to take part, or to choose the equipment and materials they need. Children are unaware of the activities they must complete every day and have few opportunities to exercise independence, for instance, when they go to the cloakroom. The good quality of personal relationships

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

established with adults underpins all the learning that takes place in the Foundation Stage. The continual reinforcement of rules by adults has ensured that the children have already made gains in their learning and are beginning to play co-operatively together. When children enter the reception class, their level of personal, social, and emotional development is well below expectations for their age group. Teachers provide a wide range of activities and experiences throughout the year.

p.18

COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Provision in communication, language literacy is satisfactory . Moorlands Primary School - 19

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

 Teachers and support assistants take every opportunity to develop children’s language skills.  Many children are making satisfactory progress learning phonics (letter sounds and their names) and handwriting.

p.19

Commentary

39. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Teachers and support assistants encourage and support the development of children’s language skills at all times. They engage the children in conversation, helping them to express their ideas and to listen to others. Many children have very immature speech and find difficulty in describing events. Although the children behave well and appear to listen, they frequently have to be told things several times before they understand. Good opportunities are provided for children to retell stories. For example, the children delighted in putting on bear outfits in the Story Castle to act out the story of Goldilocks and The Three Bears. A new initiative enables children to work in small groups with their teacher, focusing on learning letters and their sounds. They benefit from this structured approach that develops their listening skills as well as their knowledge of letters.

p.19

Commentary

Children achieve satisfactorily. However, early indications are that by the end of the year, less than two-thirds of the class will meet the expectations in this area of learning.

p.19

MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision for mathematical development is satisfactory .

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

 Teachers plan a wide range of activities to develop children’s understanding of mathematics.

p.19

Commentary

40. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Several children count, write and use the numbers one to nine with confidence. A few children count confidently to twenty. They are familiar with number rhymes and enjoy using their counting skills to build towers with blocks and to try to identify the smallest and tallest tower. Teachers extend children’s understanding of mathematical terms by using a wide range of interesting activities to enable them to understand the order and relative quantity of number. Learning takes place through relevant play and games, which motivates the children to join in activities and to achieve satisfactorily. If present progress continues slightly less than two-thirds of the children are likely to reach the targets set for them to achieve by the time they enter Year 1.

p.19

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Provision in knowledge and understanding of the world is satisfactory .

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

 Teachers use questions effectively to help children understand the world around them.  Children have too few opportunities to extend their computer skills.

p.19

Commentary

Moorlands Primary School - 20 41. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Children’s achievement is satisfactory in this area and indications are that over half the children are on course to meet the expected standards by the end of the reception year. Teachers use a good variety of appropriate activities and effective questioning to stimulate children’s curiosity and fire their imagination. For example, children were very eager to make porridge after they had listened to the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears . They carefully measured the oats and milk and waited patiently for the mixture to cook in the microwave oven. Although most children had difficulty in understanding the changes that had taken place, they enjoyed adding other ingredients. Children’s experiences are very limited and the teachers work very hard to introduce them to new foods such as brown sugar and raisins that they often do not

p.20

Commentary

recognise. Many children had difficulty in remembering the names of these products later in the lesson. Because the children have the use of only one computer in the classroom, the opportunities for its use are very limited and skills are underdeveloped. About two-thirds of the children will achieve the targets set for them nationally by the time they enter Year 1.

p.20

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision for physical development is unsatisfactory.

p.20

Strengths and weaknesses

 There is no secure outside area so opportunities for physical development are limited.  A wide range of activities is provided for children to develop their manipulative skills.  Children have access to a large well-equipped hall for structured lessons.

p.20

Commentary

42. Since the last inspection the school has built up an interesting and attractive range of outdoor equipment. However, there is no secure area where the children can use this equipment and they do not have continuous access to the outside area. Therefore, there are restricted opportunities for their physical development. Teaching and learning are satisfactory. Good opportunities for physical development are provided when children are engaged in structured activities in the hall. The majority will reach expected standards in large physical activity by the end of the reception year. However, the time allocated for use of the hall is inappropriate and children waste valuable time getting changed at either end of the lesson. Although many opportunities are provided for children to develop their manipulative skills, few children use scissors and brushes with dexterity and indications are that by the end of the reception year few

p.20

Commentary

children will meet the expected standards in this area.

p.20

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Provision for creative development is satisfactory.

p.20

Strengths and weaknesses

 Structured play activities give children a wide range of opportunities to experiment with paint and other materials.  Children have stimulating experiences of role-play opportunities that are relevant to their learning. Moorlands Primary School - 21

p.20

Commentary

43. The quality of teaching and learning are satisfactory. Children are encouraged to experiment with paint and enjoy creating pictures of their teacher and of each other. In connection with the class story, children were encouraged to stitch pictures of bears. The learning support assistant displayed endless patience as she helped children to punch holes in the card and thread wool through them. The opportunity to play with the furniture found in the house of the three bears provided good experiences for them to develop their imaginations. Although pupils achieve satisfactorily only around two-thirds are likely to attain the targets set for them by the time they enter Year 1. Moorlands Primary School - 22

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

 Standards in national tests have improved.  Pupils do not read, spell or use punctuation well enough.  More-able pupils in Year 6 do not always achieve well enough.  Pupils use their literacy skills well to support learning in other subjects.

p.22

Commentary

44. Year 2 and Year 6 national test results in 2003 showed that pupils had achieved well in reading and satisfactorily in writing compared with their standards on entry to the school. Overall, the improvement in test results has matched those of schools nationally. In Year 2, pupils of all abilities achieved similarly. However, in Year 6, although pupils who find learning more difficult and those of average ability achieved well, the achievements of more-able pupils has not been high enough over the last two years. This is because these pupils have not always been given work that is well matched to their needs. Pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds achieve as well as other pupils.

p.22

Commentary

45. Presently standards in Year 2 are below average in reading, but well below average in writing. Pupils’ speaking skills in Year 2 are below average, but they listen well. In Year 6, standards are well below average in writing and below average in reading. Standards are also below average in speaking and listening. The main weaknesses in writing are an inability to write complex sentences, to punctuate and spell correctly, and inconsistencies in the quality of pupils’ handwriting and presentation. Handwriting in Year 2, even for comparatively more-able pupils, tends to stray from lines and varies between joined and printed script. In other year groups, standards are higher in reading, writing and speaking, especially in Years 3, 4 and 5.

p.22

Commentary

46. Pupils’ speaking skills are below average in Year 6. The main weaknesses are in their inability to articulate their thoughts concisely, or in finding the breadth of vocabulary to enable them to express themselves in an interesting way. In Year 6, pupils’ listening skills are below average. In other classes, pupils’ listening skills are good, which promotes good learning on many occasions. Pupils do not read fluently or with sufficient expression - many read words mechanically but successfully use their knowledge of letter sounds to read words correctly, but their delivery is often hesitant and lacks sufficient response to punctuation to convey expression. A significant minority of pupils finds difficulty in interpreting the meaning of what they read or to summarise the plot of a book.

p.22

Commentary

47. Pupils with special educational needs and the more-able achieve satisfactorily. However, in Year 6, more-able pupils are not always given sufficient opportunities to extend the depth of their literacy skills.

p.22

Commentary

48. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory overall. Where it is at its best, pupils are set high expectations of their oral responses and of the range and accuracy of their writing. Within these lessons, pupils are given ample opportunities to practise and extend their reading skills. In addition, the subject of pupils’ writing is relevant to, and extends their learning, in other curriculum areas. Many of these good features were observed in a good Year 4 lesson designed to improve pupils’ understanding and use of journalistic style. Pupils used the events in the reign of Henry Vlll to write headlines, bylines, captions and leads. The teacher’s good use of ICT resources enabled pupils to extend their vocabulary and to write creatively, an example being more-able pupils’ use of rhyme to add humour and interest to their ‘headline’. Where lessons have shortcomings, teachers are not rigorous enough about ensuring that pupils’ handwriting is consistently of the best quality or that

p.22

Commentary

Moorlands Primary School - 23 these writing tasks are completed. Because pupils are not encouraged to respond to questions in well- formed sentences, rather than with one word or short phrases, their vocabulary and ability to synthesise their thoughts are limited.

p.23

Commentary

49. Assessment is used satisfactorily to identify weaknesses in pupils’ attainment. As a result, improvements in handwriting and in pupils’ awareness of the need to construct their sentences more logically have occurred. However, the recognised weaknesses in spelling, punctuation, the inability to write more complex sentences and to derive meaning from what pupils read still exist despite the recent strategies implemented to improve these aspects.

p.23

Commentary

50. Leadership and management are satisfactory. The staff are well supported by the experienced co- ordinator, especially in resourcing and training. A strength in the leadership is the openness with which the staff, through the encouragement of the co-ordinator, embrace new ideas and advice from the local education authority, education action zone staff and partner schools. This has ensured that progress has been made in improving approaches to teaching and in those aspects of pupils’ writing already referred to in this section of the report. A relative weakness in the leadership of the subject is the recent lack of opportunities available to the co-ordinator to systematically evaluate, through classroom observations, the quality of teaching and learning. This means that weaknesses in the teaching for more-able pupils has not been fully analysed or addressed.

p.23

Language and literacy across the curriculum

Because literacy is a focus within the newly introduced thematic curriculum, pupils’ writing to support other subjects is a strength. The writing tasks in lessons such as history and science, require more note taking, summarising and other non-fiction styles, the boys show a keener interest in their tasks and good improvements in their standards. The effective use of ICT to promote pupils’ literacy skills is also having a positive impact on improving standards and pupils’ interest in different styles of writing. The school could do more to encourage pupils to speak more formally and publicly in lessons in order to extend their speaking skills.

p.23

MATHEMATICS

Provision in mathematics is satisfactory .

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

 Lessons are interesting and pupils work well together.  More-able pupils do not always achieve well enough.  Teachers use resources and homework well to help pupils to learn.

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

51. National test results in mathematics have been improving steadily over the last few years. Because the school’s proportion of pupils with special educational needs is considerably higher than the average, standards have often remained below or well below average when compared with all schools. However, when results in the Year 6 2003 tests are compared with similar schools, pupils attained above average standards, indicating at least satisfactory achievement. However, the number of pupils in Year 6 reaching the higher levels of attainment was well below national expectations. Although improving, test results in Year 2 remain well below average compared with all schools and below the average for similar schools. However, these standards represent satisfactory progress given the pupils’ low attainment when they enter the school. Standards appear to have fallen since the last inspection when they were judged to be average. However, the national test results for that

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

same year revealed well below average standards in mathematics. Moorlands Primary School - 24 52. Most pupils make satisfactory progress throughout the school and the results in the national tests reflect the high number of pupils with special educational needs in all classes. This is illustrated in the current Year 6 where nearly fifty per cent of the pupils have special educational needs. Although standards are low at this time, there are clear indications of higher standards in Years 3, 4 and 5, in which classes there are considerably fewer pupils with learning difficulties. Pupils with special educational needs and those from minority ethnic backgrounds achieve as well as their classmates.

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

53. Overall, the quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory, with examples of good teaching and learning observed. Teachers use questions skilfully to involve and challenge all pupils. Pupils respond well to the lively approach at the beginning of lessons and are keen to learn and to explain their work to others. In a good Year 3 lesson, pupils responded well to the challenges set by the teacher and were keen to calculate the passage of time using a variety of methods. More-able pupils tried very hard to work out the age of Sid in years, months, days, hours, minutes and seconds. Because the teacher made the task interesting and provided very good encouragement and support, pupils maintained their interest and showed perseverance and determination. Most pupils work well together in small groups and in pairs and behave well in lessons. Marking is consistent and usually indicates how pupils can improve their

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

54. The quality of leadership and management is satisfactory overall. The co-ordinator has incorporated effective new systems for tracking pupils’ progress as they move through the school, which are providing useful information to help teachers plan work specifically for individual pupils and to set targets to help them improve. However, these procedures have not yet had time to have a positive effect and as a result, in a few classes, more-able pupils are not given sufficiently challenging work to enable them to reach the standards of which they are capable.

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

55. The co-ordinator and the school’s senior management have ensured that resources for mathematics are good. Teachers use them effectively to help pupils learn. Learning support assistants use a variety of resources to inspire and make the work more interesting for pupils with special educational needs. Pupils in Year 2, found ways of sorting and organising articles into groups with specific qualities. They enjoyed using sets of mini-beasts to help them with this task. Pupils are given homework regularly in order to practise the skills they have learned in lessons. Although the co-ordinator has had opportunities to observe teaching and to analyse pupils’ work, this has not occurred often enough to provide a systematic analysis of the quality of teaching and learning.

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

The use of mathematics across the curriculum is satisfactory . Pupils use mathematics as part of their work, for example, they use graphs and tables well to record data in both science and history. However, opportunities tend to occur co-incidentally rather than as a part of systematic planning.

p.24

SCIENCE

Provision in science is unsatisfactory .

p.24

SCIENCE

 Practical tasks are used well to develop pupils’ knowledge and understanding of science. Moorlands Primary School - 25  Assessment procedures are not effective enough.  There is no follow up to classroom observations.  Too little use is made of ICT to support science.

p.24

Commentary

56. Standards of work in Year 2 indicate that the pupils achieve well in their knowledge of plants and where habitats of living things can be found in the school grounds. Teachers’ assessments in 2003 indicate that the number of pupils who achieved the above average Level 3, was in line with the national average, but a lower than average proportion of pupils reached the expected Level 2. Standards improved in the 2003 Year 6 tests with more pupils reaching the higher Level 5. Pupils in the present Year 6 are in line to achieve standards that are well below those expected. However, it is the high proportion of pupils with special educational needs, which is likely to depress overall standards. In lessons, all pupils carry out the same tasks, which partly accounts for some underachievement amongst the more-able pupils. No difference was observed between the achievement of boys and girls. However, the lack of an assessment system to help teachers build upon

p.25

Commentary

previous learning, means that the more-able pupils do not achieve as well as they could.

p.25

Commentary

57. Overall, the quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Lessons observed included a good balance between discussion and practical tasks. In good lessons, teachers explored pupils’ ideas and the practical tasks they set challenged the pupils’ ability to carry out tests scientifically and to correctly use relevant technical terms. In an unsatisfactory lesson, on forces, pupils were required to use a Newton meter to measure gravitational pull and to record their findings. However, they were not required to draw conclusions from their findings, or given sufficient opportunity to raise their own questions. Analysis of pupils’ work indicated that most of the observations Year 6 pupils record, are descriptive rather than analytical and this further contributes to underachievement amongst more- able pupils.

p.25

Commentary

58. Assessment procedures are unsatisfactory. The school does not have an overview of pupils’ progress in relation to national expectations as they move through the school. As a result, more-able pupils do not achieve as well as they should. Teachers’ marking does not always sufficiently indicate to pupils how they can improve their work.

p.25

Commentary

60. The quality of leadership is satisfactory overall, but there are weaknesses in the management of the subject. At the beginning of last year the subject co-ordinator observed teaching and learning in all year groups, alongside a local education authority adviser and this helped raise the profile of science in the school. However, these observations have not been followed up to ascertain whether any of the areas for improvement identified have been addressed. No analysis of national tests is carried out to identify strengths and weaknesses in pupils’ attainment, which could then inform provision. Work on display in the school indicates that pupils of different abilities currently use enquiry skills at an appropriate level to gain satisfactory knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas. Information and communication technology is insufficiently used to enable pupils to enter measurements from

p.25

Commentary

their own investigations or to use sensor equipment to help them look for patterns of change.

p.25

Main strengths and weaknesses

 Statutory requirements are not met and as a result older pupils’ standards are below average overall.  Present assessments systems are ineffective.  ICT is used well to enhance learning in history and literacy. Moorlands Primary School - 26  Partnership with other institutions is raising teachers’ confidence and expertise.

p.25

Commentary

61. In Years 3 to 6, pupils’ skills in ICT and their achievement are not as high as they should be in certain aspects of the subject. It was not possible to make a secure judgement about standards and achievement in Years 1 and 2. At the time of the last inspection standards were judged to be satisfactory. Several teachers work in partnership with specialist personnel from the Wednesbury Education Action Zone (WEAZ) which has led to good improvements in their confidence and competence in using equipment. Opportunities to meet the specific requirement to teach communication through e-mail, as well as other means, are not met. Presently the school has no sensors or control equipment available for use and there are limited opportunities for pupils to develop their ideas and ‘make things happen’. As a result, standards are too low in these aspects of ICT.

p.26

Commentary

62. Teachers use the national guidance to plan lessons, but there is no assessment system to give an overview of how well pupils progress, or how to improve the quality of pupils’ learning and therefore, raise pupils’ achievement. In the lessons observed, all pupils carried out the same activity. From this observation, discussion with pupils and analysis of lesson plans, standards in word processing and in pupils’ ability to find answers from stored information meet expectations. In a Year 5 lesson, the quality of pupils’ learning was unsatisfactory, partly because the computers were not checked before the lesson and were not working properly. In a Year 4 lesson, pupils had to stand in front of computers to maximise the time because of the location of chairs in the suite. It was not possible to make a judgement about standards in other year groups as no use of ICT was observed.

p.26

Information and communication technology across the curriculum

The quality of teaching is enhanced by the expertise of an advisory teacher to identify applications for ICT across the curriculum. Instructions are crisp and pupils are quick to respond appropriately. In lessons in which there was direct teaching of skills in the ICT suite, literacy skills and a combination of stored digital photographs were used well to enhance pupils’ learning in history.

p.26

HUMANITIES

Whilst it was possible to make judgements about provision in history and religious education, it was not possible to inspect geography.

p.26

Main strengths and weaknesses

 Many pupils in Years 3 to 6 have a good recall of historical facts and often achieve well.  The curriculum is well integrated with other subjects, especially literacy.  There are no assessment procedures and no monitoring of teaching and learning.

p.26

Commentary

Moorlands Primary School - 27 63. Standards of attainment observed during the inspection were in line with expectations and similar to those reported at the time of the last inspection. In Years 3 to 6, evidence from pupils’ work and from their responses in lessons, showed that they often achieve well when recalling historical facts. Year 6 pupils, for instance, spoke knowledgeably about the events which led to the outbreak of the Second World War, and of the main events and political and military leaders of the time.

p.27

Commentary

64. Learning in history is used well to promote skills in other areas of the curriculum. The links between learning in history and literacy are particularly effective in promoting pupils’ interest and understanding. In the Year 4 lesson referred to in a previous paragraph, pupils wrote interesting headlines, bylines and captions as part of a newspaper article about events in Tudor times. This effectively improved their ability to write for different purposes and reinforced their historical knowledge.

p.27

Commentary

65. Whilst the curriculum is strong, leadership and management are presently weak. The humanities co-ordinator is fairly recently appointed and has spent most of her time focussing on developing religious education. As a result, there has been no monitoring of teaching and learning and no development of an assessment system in history. This means that there has been no opportunity to disseminate good practice in the way the curriculum is delivered or to identify any strengths and weaknesses in pupils’ attainment and progress. For instance, that the more-able, older pupils are unable to determine the relative reliability of different historical sources or to identify possible bias in historical accounts or paintings.

p.27

Religious education

Provision in religious education is satisfactory .

p.27

Religious education

 The study of different religions contributes well to pupils’ learning.  There are no assessment procedures and there has not been any monitoring of teaching and learning.

p.27

Commentary

66. Leadership and management are satisfactory overall. The co-ordinator has made sure that pupils study all the major religions in line with the locally agreed syllabus. A new teaching programme has been introduced this term that is closely linked to other subjects across the curriculum. Standards are in line with those expected throughout the school and pupils achieve satisfactorily. This is a similar judgement to that made at the time of the previous inspection.

p.27

Commentary

67. Pupils develop a satisfactory understanding of other faith groups. Pupils in Year 2 enjoyed learning about other festivals and celebrations and understand the significance of Divali to the Hindu people. Pupils in Year 6 are beginning to draw comparisons between places of worship. They have learned about the structures and artefacts to be found in a mosque and are developing their understanding of the religious practices of Muslims.

p.27

Commentary

68. It is planned to closely monitor the new curriculum this year as part of the school’s rolling programme for evaluating provision across the curriculum. Although the co-ordinator carefully monitors teachers’ plans she has had no opportunities to monitor teaching and learning in the subject to enable her to have a clear picture of standards across the school. Assessment procedures are weak.

p.27

No lessons were observed in design and technology or in music, and these subjects were not

Only three lessons were observed in physical education and two in art and design. It is not possible, therefore, to make a firm judgement about provision. In addition to observing lessons, inspectors spoke to co-ordinators about their work, talked to pupils about what they had learnt in art and design and physical education and looked at pupils’ work.

p.28

No lessons were observed in design and technology or in music, and these subjects were not

69. In art and design , teaching was observed only in Year 2. Since the last inspection there has been an improvement in pupils’ ability to create three-dimensional designs and there are strengths in pupils’ printing skills. In a Year 2 lesson, pupils had a good understanding of tone and texture, making effective use of autumn tones for leaf prints. Year 4 pupils have good designing skills, undertake research to inform detailed fabric designs and construction of a throne for Henry VlII. Art and design is used well across the curriculum to stimulate pupils’ celebration of their learning, such as the use of novel paper folding and colourful ways of presenting their writing. During Arts Week last year, pupils created imaginative, sensitively decorated, good quality silk screen prints. During the inspection good teaching in Year 5 extended pupils’ techniques for overlaying their North American Indian style

p.28

No lessons were observed in design and technology or in music, and these subjects were not

block prints with different colours. Painting techniques using different brushes or the style of other artists is under represented.

p.28

No lessons were observed in design and technology or in music, and these subjects were not

70. In the physical education lessons observed, pupils in Years 5 and 6 attained the expected standard in dance and in games in Year 4. Notable features in the dance lesson in Year 5 and the games lesson in Year 4 was the enthusiasm with which pupils participated and how well they worked together. These resulted in improvements in their ability to work in sequence and synchrony in the dance lesson, and to increase the pace of their passing of a netball in the games lesson. Pupils benefit from opportunities to take part in coaching sessions from members of the local professional football club, from after- school netball, cricket and athletics clubs and from visiting a local outdoor centre where they canoe, climb, abseil and take part in archery. The co-ordinator is pro-active in organising such activities, arranging fixtures against local schools and seeking ways of improving resources in the subject.

p.28

No lessons were observed in design and technology or in music, and these subjects were not

Pupils swim once a term from Year 2 to Year 6 and at least meet expected standards by the time they leave the school. There are no formal assessment procedures and the co-ordinator has had no time to observe lessons in order to evaluate the quality of teaching and learning.

p.28

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

71. Only one personal, social and health education lesson was observed and so it was not possible to make a secure judgement about provision. However, analysis of policies and teachers’ plans indicates that weaknesses identified at the time of the last inspection have been addressed. For instance, in ensuring that pupils are made aware of the dangers of drug misuse. The newly formed school council and the opportunities for pupils to exercise responsibility also provide good opportunities for pupils to develop personally and socially. Moorlands Primary School - 29

p.28

PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

p.29

PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Overall standards achieved 5 Pupils’ achievement 4

p.29

PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities 3 Attendance 5 Attitudes 2 Behaviour, including the extent of exclusions 3 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 3

p.29

PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The quality of education provided by the school 4 The quality of teaching 4 How well pupils learn 4 The quality of assessment 4 How well the curriculum meets pupils needs 5 Enrichment of the curriculum, including out-of-school activities 3 Accommodation and resources 4 Pupils’ care, welfare, health and safety 3 Support, advice and guidance for pupils 3 How well the school seeks and acts on pupils’ views 4 The effectiveness of the school’s links with parents 3 The quality of the school’s links with the community 3 The school’s links with other schools and colleges 3

p.29

PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

p.29

PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

p.29