Park Primary School

PARK PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 28 th June – 1 st July 2004

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PARK PRIMARY SCHOOL

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 Park Primary School - 2 Crown copyright 2004

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PARK PRIMARY SCHOOL

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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PARK 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. Park Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Primary School category: Community Age range of pupils: 3 – 11 Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 376

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Monmouth Road Wheatley Doncaster South Yorkshire

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Telephone number: 01302 344 659 Fax number: 01302 761 553

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body Name of chair of governors: Mr S Pynegar

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 18 th May 1998

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

This large school is situated in an urban area about two miles from the centre of Doncaster. Most pupils walk to school from homes in one of the large surrounding council estates. The area suffers much social and economic deprivation, and it has been granted pioneer status through the Community Partnership Scheme. There are 376 pupils on roll (199 girls and 177 boys), but the school is not full because of a falling birth rate in the area. Fifty children attend the nursery class (Foundation Stage 1) part-time. The proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals is above the national average. Most pupils are white British, although about 50 pupils are from a wide variety of other ethnic family backgrounds, the largest of these groups being Pakistani. The proportion of pupils whose first language is believed not to be English is high and rising, and the school has started to take a few pupils from families seeking asylum. The proportion of pupils with special educational

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

needs, including formal statements, is about average. When children start nursery, their attainment is well below what is typical, especially in social and talking skills. The proportion of pupils who start or leave the school in the middle of this phase of their education is high, and in some year groups, it is very high. Pupils’ attendance is about average, and there are very few exclusions for poor behaviour. The refurbished Foundation Stage Unit only opened recently, following a period in temporary accommodation in an adjacent part of the building. The school received a Healthy Schools Award in 2003 and is involved in an initiative to link with a new Children’s Centre in the future. The local education authority provides intensive support to raise achievement in English and mathematics. The headteacher and many staff were at the school at the time of the previous inspection. Park Primary School - 4

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

18101 J Ann Sharpe Lead inspector Foundation Stage English Art and design Design and technology Music 14404 Alan Rolfe Lay inspector 30823 Brenda Clarke Team inspector Mathematics Information and communication technology Religious education 17681 Roger Sharples Team inspector Science Geography History Physical education

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

BPS Business Centre Brake Lane Boughton Newark Nottinghamshire NG22 9HQ

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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). Park Primary School - 5

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 9

Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 9

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL 12

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

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS 30

Park Primary School - 6 Park Primary School - 7

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This is a satisfactory school that provides a caring, friendly and welcoming place for pupils

to learn. They come happily, behave well and achieve about as well as pupils in schools serving similar areas. Satisfactory leadership and management ensure satisfactory teaching and learning. The good provision for children in the Foundation Stage Unit gives them a successful start to their education. Good and very good links with the community and with other schools enrich pupils’ education. The school provides satisfactory value for money.

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This is a satisfactory school that provides a caring, friendly and welcoming place for pupils

The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

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This is a satisfactory school that provides a caring, friendly and welcoming place for pupils

• Pupils’ good attitudes and behaviour provide a firm foundation for their learning. • Children in the Foundation Stage Unit achieve well. • Arrangements for making certain that standards improve quickly are not rigorous enough. • Teachers do not always plan work that takes full account of what pupils can or cannot already do. • Pupils achieve good standards in information and communication technology (ICT). • Links with the community and other schools improve the quality of pupils’ education.

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This is a satisfactory school that provides a caring, friendly and welcoming place for pupils

Since May 1998, the school has made satisfactory improvement. It has largely maintained the quality of education and the standards achieved by pupils. Provision for the education of children in the Foundation Stage, provision for pupils with special educational needs, achievement in ICT and attendance have all improved. The school has moved forward steadily in response to national changes, and also extended its links with the community and with other schools. National test results in Year 6 have improved a little better than the national trend, despite an increasing amount of mobility of pupils. Results in Year 2, however, are not improving as quickly, even with the recent successful efforts to improve teaching. Governors and staff addressed the key issues from the previous inspection, but they need to go even further with checking the quality of teaching and making sure that initiatives and spending always lead to improved standards, especially in English,

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Year 6 results

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 C Mathematics E E D D Science D 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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Year 6 results

Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory, overall. When taking account of the very high mobility of the pupils tested in 2003, results were about the same as results for all schools and better than results for schools serving similar areas. Children start in the Foundation Stage Unit with poor social and talking skills. Although they do not meet all the goals set nationally for children by the end of the reception year, they do well to make such good progress. Pupils’ work by Years 2 and 6 is below the national average, but their achievement is satisfactory in English, mathematics, science and religious education. The standard of work achieved by all pupils in ICT is high because of improving Park Primary School - 8 teaching and good quality resources. The most capable pupils would sometimes do better in most subjects if teachers gave them harder work. Pupils with special educational needs achieve well

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Year 6 results

owing to the help of well-trained classroom assistants. Pupils who speak English as an additional language usually do as well as other pupils in their classes. There are occasions, however, when all pupils could do even better if teachers took more account of what they can or cannot already do.

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Year 6 results

Pupils’ personal development is good because of the good provision for their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Good relationships help pupils to have good attitudes to school. Pupils’ behaviour is good. Attendance is satisfactory, and the school has worked hard to reduce the number of absences.

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The school provides a satisfactory quality of education. Teaching, learning and assessment,

although satisfactory overall, are good in the Foundation Stage. The satisfactory curriculum provides good opportunities for enrichment, including extra-curricular activities. Teachers involve pupils well in the work of the school, but they do not take enough advantage of pupils’ good attitudes by giving them challenging learning targets to aim for over time. The partnership with parents is satisfactory. The good links with the community and very good links with other schools have a positive effect on many aspects of pupils’ achievement, particularly their personal development.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership, management and governance are satisfactory. The school runs smoothly on a daily basis. The headteacher gives a satisfactory lead by making sure that senior staff and governors share his determination for the school to cater for pupils’ personal and social development, as a chief priority. Senior staff and subject co-ordinators focus on helping to bring about improvements aimed at raising academic achievement. They are not always totally successful, however, because they do not check rigorously how well they are doing with initiatives, or make sure that things improve consistently well in all classes. The Foundation Stage Unit is managed well, and achievement is improving in ICT because of the co-ordinator’s influence. Governors meet the majority of their requirements satisfactorily. The information given to parents about national test and teacher assessment results does not comply fully with statutory requirements.

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Parents and pupils are very satisfied with their school. Parents are pleased that their children like school, and most pupils confirm that they like coming. A few parents and pupils have concerns about behaviour and bullying, but the school has good procedures for dealing with the occasional instances.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

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

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

• Raise standards of achievement in English, mathematics and science by matching pupils’ work closely to what they can or cannot already do in relation to the National Curriculum. • Focus rigorously on finding out what the strengths and weaknesses in teaching and standards are, and ensure that planned improvements happen consistently throughout the school.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

• Provide complete information for parents, in respect of national test results and teachers’ assessments. Park Primary School - 9 Park Primary School - 10

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Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

Pupils’ achievement in Years 1 to 6 is satisfactory overall, although their work in English, mathematics and science is below the national average by Years 2 and 6. Children in the Foundation Stage and those with special educational needs achieve well. The more capable pupils, however, are not always achieving as well as they should.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children in the Foundation Stage achieve well, owing to good teaching and provision. • National test results in Year 2 are not improving quickly enough. • The achievement of all groups of pupils, but particularly the more capable pupils, is sometimes hindered because their work does not build closely on what they can already do or cannot do. • Standards are improving in ICT, as a result of good leadership and management. • Pupils with special educational needs achieve well, especially when they work with the well- trained classroom assistants.

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Commentary

1. When children start nursery, their attainment is well below what is typical for children of their age. They achieve well in Foundation Stage 1 (nursery) and Foundation Stage 2 (reception), owing to almost consistently good or very good provision, especially the good teaching and learning. Children of all capabilities make good progress, so that, at the end of the reception year, they do about as well as children in schools serving similar areas. Few children meet all the early learning goals (national standards for children at the end of the reception year), but many are well towards meeting most of them. This gives children a good start to their formal work in the National Curriculum in Year 1.

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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 13.0 (12.9) 15.7 (15.8) Writing 12.9 (11.1) 14.6 (14.4) Mathematics 14.3 (15.3) 16.3 (16.5) There were 60 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Commentary

2. Pupils’ achievement in Years 1 to 6 is satisfactory, although the standard of their work is below national average by Years 2 and 6 in English, mathematics and science. Pupils’ performance in the Year 2 national tests in reading, writing and mathematics has been well below the national average and below that of pupils in schools serving similar areas for the last two years. Although performance has fluctuated since 1999, improvement has been below the national trend, overall. The school has tried to rectify this by improving teaching in English and mathematics, and there are clear signs of some success. Improvements are unlikely to show up in the recent 2004 test results, however. This is partly because there has not been enough time for improvements in teaching to make much difference, and also because almost a third of the pupils tested have special educational needs. Park Primary School - 11 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 26.3 (24.2) 26.8 (27.0) Mathematics 25.8 (23.8) 26.8 (26.7) Science 28.3 (26.6) 28.6 (28.3) There were 55 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Commentary

3. Pupils’ performance in the Year 6 national tests in English, mathematics and science improved in 2003. Although results were below the national average and below schools with similar results at the end of Year 2, other test information indicates that the pupils tested had made at least satisfactory progress since they were tested in Year 2. From 1999 to 2003, test results improved greater than the national trend in all subjects, but especially in science. The school broadly met its targets in 2003. Targets for 2004 have been set considerably lower, however, because the year group includes about a quarter of pupils with special educational needs and a large proportion receiving help to improve their behaviour. The school’s predictions for the forthcoming results indicate that teachers are not expecting the school to meet its targets.

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Commentary

4. Pupils with special educational needs achieve well, especially when they work with trained and skilled classroom assistants, for example when learning to read in Years 1 and 2. The achievement of pupils who speak English as an additional language, although variable, is satisfactory overall. The headteacher knows that all pupils should sometimes achieve more academically. Staff are only now coming to a clear understanding, however, that the key to raising achievement further is using assessment information more robustly and systematically to plan work that leads pupils towards reaching the next National Curriculum level. Staff and governors believe, rightly, that pupils’ personal development is fundamental to their future academic achievement, and they have worked hard to secure pupils’ good attitudes towards their learning. They do not build on this well enough, however, to set pupils challenging National

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Commentary

Curriculum targets to aim for, and it is not only the more capable pupils who could sometimes do better. There are fluctuating patterns of achievement by girls and boys, for example, which are not being looked into robustly in order to explain them and to take action if necessary.

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Commentary

5. Pupils’ achievement in Years 1 to 6 in religious education is satisfactory. Achievement in ICT is improving, owing to the good teaching now taking place when pupils work in the computer suite. Although pupils do not yet apply their ICT skills regularly to work in other subjects when working in their own classrooms, they achieve well when learning the skills they need in order to do so. The standard of pupils’ work is typical for pupils in all schools by Years 2 and 6. Pupils’ good achievement is partly a result of their good attitudes and enjoyment of the subject, and partly a result of the school’s efforts to improve teaching and provision.

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Commentary

6. Governors, the headteacher and staff want standards to improve, and have put satisfactory plans into place to raise achievement. A barrier to success is the high, and sometimes very high, level of mobility of pupils, along with the changing social and economic context of the school. Nevertheless, improvements are not always as great as anticipated, because neither staff nor governors are sufficiently and consistently focused on seeing initiatives through to a measurable conclusion.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour are good. The school’s provision for pupils’ personal development, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is good. Attendance and punctuality are satisfactory. Park Primary School - 12

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils’ good attitudes and behaviour make a strong contribution to the progress they make. • Pupils enjoy school and get along well with adults and other pupils. • Good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development makes a strong contribution to their personal development.

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Commentary

7. The school has maintained the good provision reported at the previous inspection, and pupils’ personal development remains one of the school’s main strengths, including that of children in the Foundation Stage Unit. Pupils think highly of their school. Almost all say that they enjoy coming to school, and that they have favourite subjects. Many pupils take part in the wide range of extra-curricular activities provided by the school. Those in the drama club, for example, attend every day after school during the weeks prior to their formal performances. The majority of pupils are interested in what they are doing and take an active part in their learning. They listen attentively to teachers’ instructions, concentrate for long periods and are eager to offer answers to questions. In a Year 6 science lesson, for example, pupils were totally engrossed in their investigation on colour. They thoroughly enjoyed using equipment and recording their

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Commentary

8. In most lessons, pupils’ behaviour was good, and in some it was very good. Most pupils know what is, and is not, acceptable behaviour. They have a good understanding of school and class rules, like the school’s systems for rewarding them and accept the sanctions for inappropriate behaviour. There are, however, a very small minority of pupils who behave inappropriately in lessons. Their behaviour is not always managed well, and this sometimes disrupts the learning of other pupils. Staff do not always take full account of the individual education plans for pupils with special educational needs for behavioural reasons. Outside lesson times, pupils interact well together, although behaviour sometimes becomes boisterous at lunchtimes. Pupils treat the accommodation and equipment with care and respect, and there is no evidence of vandalism or litter created by pupils from this school. The school’s good anti-bullying policy is

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Commentary

appreciated by parents, and ensures that bullying occurs only occasionally. In the last academic year there have been four justifiable fixed-term exclusions.

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Commentary

9. The school promotes pupils’ spiritual development satisfactorily through religious education lessons and assemblies, and through the curriculum for personal, social and health education, particularly circle times (lessons in which all the pupils in the class sit in a circle with the teacher and talk about matters that influence their personal development). Pupils are encouraged to explore their feelings and emotions as well as their relationships with friends and family. Owing to the good provision for pupils’ moral and social development, pupils have a clear understanding of the differences between right and wrong, and are aware of the code of conduct that encourages them to be responsible for their own actions and to consider the impact on others. Pupils work amicably together in pairs and small groups. The recent introduction of the school council gives pupils opportunities to learn to take responsibilities and

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Commentary

to participate in making decisions that affect the school community. Pupils’ social development is enhanced well by visitors to the school, by taking part in educational visits and by attending extra-curricular activities. Although pupils’ cultural development is satisfactory, their understanding of the culture in which they live is better than their understanding of the range of cultures represented in our wider society. This was a weaker area of provision at the previous inspection. Park Primary School - 13

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Attendance

Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

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Attendance

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data 5.0 School data 0.9 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

10. Attendance in the current academic year is broadly in line with the national average. Unauthorised absence is now below the national average, representing a notable improvement on previous years. A significant minority of parents or carers take their children on holiday during term times, and some holidays are taken for extended periods. This adversely impacts on the school’s attendance statistics. Staff check attendance registers on a regular basis, so that they can spot problems and contact parents to discuss any concerns. Most pupils are punctual, but a significant minority regularly arrive late.

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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 269 4 0 White – Irish 1 0 0 White – any other White background 5 0 0 Mixed – White and Black Caribbean 2 0 0 Mixed – White and Black African 4 0 0 Mixed – White and Asian 4 0 0 Asian or Asian British – Indian 6 0 0 Asian or Asian British – Pakistani 24 0 0 Black or Black British – Caribbean 1 0 0 Black or Black British – African 2 0 0 No ethnic group recorded 1 0 0 The table gives the number of exclusions, which may be differen0t from the number of pupils excluded.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

The quality of education, whilst satisfactory overall, is good in the Foundation Stage. Good links with the community and very good links with other schools and educational establishments help to raise pupils’ achievement in a wide variety of ways. Assessment procedures are improving, but do not have a full impact on driving up academic standards in Years 1 to 6.

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Teaching and learning

Teaching and learning, although satisfactory overall, are good in the Foundation Stage and in ICT. Assessment is satisfactory with some improving procedures, but teachers do not always use information to match pupils’ work closely to their differing learning needs. Park Primary School - 14 Park Primary School - 15

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Good teaching and learning in the Foundation Stage help children to achieve well. • The school works closely with local education authority consultants in order to raise achievement in English and mathematics. • Teachers do not make full use of assessment information to plan pupils’ work. • Early reading and handwriting skills are taught well in Years 1 and 2. • Good teaching and learning of ICT skills in the suite are helping to raise pupils’ achievement. • Pupils are not well informed about what they have to do to improve their work. • Teachers ensure that pupils’ learning is not disrupted by poor behaviour.

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Commentary

Owing to inspection priorities, overall judgements about teaching and learning were restricted to the Foundation Stage, English, mathematics, science, ICT and religious education.

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Commentary

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 36 lessons

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Commentary

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very poor

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Commentary

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

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Commentary

11. The good teaching and learning in the Foundation Stage are one of the school’s main strengths. Teachers and other staff work together as a strong team to give children a successful start to their education. They present the newly refurbished premises and resources to a high standard, and provide a good range of activities that encourage children to join in. The teaching of early reading, writing and mathematics is good because teachers have a thorough understanding of how young children learn best, and what to do to prepare children successfully for formal school work. As a result of almost consistently good or better teaching and learning, children achieve well. This is confirmed by the outcome of the good procedures for assessing children’s attainment across all the areas of learning. Achievement suffers occasionally when adults are tidying up and children do not have enough guidance about where

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Commentary

they should be and what they should be doing.

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Commentary

12. Teaching and learning in English, mathematics, science and religious education are satisfactory overall between Years 1 and 6. The school has enlisted the help of local education authority consultants, and there are clear signs of improving teaching in English and mathematics. Early reading and handwriting skills are now well taught in Years 1 and 2, giving pupils a firmer footing with improving their writing skills. Teachers usually make it clear to pupils what they are going to be learning in each lesson (W. A. L. T. – W e A re L earning T o). The strong focus on improving pupils’ speaking and listening skills is paying dividends. This was seen during many lessons across the subjects when teachers gave clear explanations, questioned pupils skilfully and gave them opportunities to discuss their work in groups of various sizes. Pupils’ reading and writing skills are improving as a result of taking part in

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Commentary

interesting literacy lessons. Pupils are extending the range of styles in which they write, such as postcards, letters, diaries, recipes and poems. They work more closely with teachers in groups to improve their ability to read and discuss books in detail. Teachers are good at transferring the improvements in their teaching from one subject to another, so that improvements in English and mathematics teaching influence teaching in other subjects.

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Commentary

13. Teaching and learning in ICT are improving, and good overall between Years 1 and 6. This is because teachers have increased their confidence to use the well-equipped suite to teach the skills of the subject during timetabled weekly lessons. Pupils are very enthusiastic learners, who are getting better at applying new skills to their work in other subjects. Teachers do not use Park Primary School - 16 the computers in their classrooms often enough, however, to build on pupils’ good achievement by providing more opportunities for them to use ICT as a vehicle for extending learning across all subjects.

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Commentary

14. Teachers have collected a lot of information about pupils’ achievement in the National Curriculum in English and mathematics, and some information about science. Procedures for assessing pupils in ICT are improving, although procedures in other subjects are in the very early stages of development. Teachers use assessment information in a variety of ways, such as when deciding how to group pupils for teaching purposes. They use it to allocate targets for pupils to aim for over time, but the targets are often too vague or not measurable by either teachers or pupils. Teachers do not use information in a consistent and rigorous way to plan what pupils of differing prior attainment in the National Curriculum need to focus on learning next in order to reach the next level. This weakness, also highlighted in the previous inspection, means that the most capable pupils are sometimes under-challenged. Marking work by

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Commentary

teachers varies in quality too, and these two features together mean that pupils do not know much about what they need to do to improve.

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Commentary

15. Pupils with special educational needs often benefit from good teaching by trained classroom assistants, and they do well. The satisfactory teaching of pupils who speak English as an additional language helps them to achieve about as well as other pupils in their classes. Teachers are not always sure about the best way to help the pupils to overcome any difficulties they encounter in lessons.

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Commentary

16. Teachers give high priority to forging positive and encouraging relationships with their pupils. They insist on high standards of behaviour and manage lessons successfully, so that a minimum of time is wasted dealing with problems. In a minority of lessons, the individual education plans for pupils with special educational needs for behavioural problems were not followed consistently by staff, and the attention-seeking behaviour of these pupils restricted the learning of the whole class. Nevertheless, teaching contributes well to pupils’ personal development because they learn to listen attentively to adults, engage in their tasks, work collaboratively with others and try hard.

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The curriculum

The school provides a satisfactory curriculum with good opportunities to extend pupils’ learning outside classroom lessons. The accommodation and learning resources are satisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The curriculum for children in the Foundation Stage Unit gives them a good start to their education. • The national strategies for teaching literacy and numeracy are embedded in teaching. • Provision for pupils with special educational needs is mainly good. • A good range of extra-curricular activities improves the quality of pupils’ education. • Curriculum links with the local secondary school are very good. • There are few planned curriculum links between subjects.

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Commentary

17. The satisfactory curriculum meets statutory requirements in all subjects, including the Doncaster Agreed Syllabus for religious education. As a result of very good links with local education authority consultants, teachers now use the national guidance about teaching literacy and numeracy as a good basis for planning lessons in English and mathematics. A good programme for personal, social, health and citizenship education contributes well to pupils’ personal development. A range of thought-provoking topics encourages pupils to have increasingly mature attitudes towards school and try to play their part in making the school a Park Primary School - 17 happy place to be. The good range of extra-curricular activities, including sporting activities, enriches the curriculum and contributes well to pupils’ social development. 18. The curriculum in the Foundation Stage Unit takes good account of national guidance by giving

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Commentary

priority to personal, social and emotional development, followed by language and literacy and mathematical development. There is a strong focus on learning by playing and by talking with adults, and staff work together to provide a host of stimulating activities. The recently refurbished accommodation is a good place for children to learn. The outdoor curriculum, however, is not yet fully established and resources are incomplete. Nevertheless, provision leads children successfully into the National Curriculum, including learning to take part in literacy and numeracy lessons.

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Commentary

19. Pupils with special educational needs usually achieve well because of the good quality of support they receive from trained and skilled classroom assistants. The fairly new co-ordinator of provision is very keen to improve the quality of individual education plans and to ensure that pupils’ work always takes full account of them. Targets in the plans are sometimes vague, and there is not much checking to see how well pupils are doing, so that the targets can be reviewed quickly. Pupils who speak English as an additional language have equal access to the curriculum. This is sometimes achieved as a result of links with external agencies that provide extra support for pupils, such as explaining work in their mother tongue.

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Commentary

20. A major strength of the curriculum is the very positive and well-organised activities that have been planned jointly by teachers from Park Primary and teachers from the local secondary school. This provision ensures the smooth transfer of pupils when they move school at the end of Year 6. Pupils increase their confidence to move on to another school by making numerous visits to their new school and by getting to know many of their new teachers beforehand.

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Commentary

21. There are examples of increasing links between the subjects of the curriculum, such as the links between geography and history in Year 6, and the links between geography and religious education in Year 4. Such links are not yet planned formally, however, and the recent good improvement in the curriculum for ICT does not include developing links between ICT and other subjects. Similarly, opportunities for pupils to practise and improve their English and mathematics skills through work in other subjects are not extensive enough to help much with driving up standards.

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Commentary

22. The accommodation and resources are satisfactory, overall. The lack of corridors in the two main teaching blocks means that lessons are frequently disrupted as pupils and staff must use classrooms as a thoroughfare. The good orderly organisation and ethos of the school, however, means that disruption is kept to a minimum.

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Care, guidance and support

The school provides a satisfactory standard of care, welfare, health and safety, together with satisfactory support and guidance based on monitoring of pupils’ achievements and personal development. The school actively seeks pupils’ views of the school and takes good account of them when making decisions.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Very positive relationships between staff and pupils ensure a good standard of pastoral care. • The school actively seeks and acts upon pupils’ views. • Not all staff have received formal training in child protection procedures. • Teachers do not use information about pupils’ progress systematically to help pupils to achieve more.

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Commentary

Park Primary School - 18 23. The school is committed to providing a safe working environment for staff and pupils. The health and safety policy meets requirements and is largely implemented by the headteacher. Regular risk assessments take place, but the outcomes are not recorded and fire risk assessments have not been undertaken. Arrangements for first aid are good, including good records of accidents and injuries. Overall, arrangements for child protection are satisfactory. The headteacher is the designated and trained teacher, but there has been insufficient recent training for other staff.

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Commentary

24. As a result of very good relationships, staff know pupils well, and they provide a good level of personal support and guidance. The warm and welcoming environment encourages pupils of all ages to socialise together and to want to get involved in activities. The breakfast club, which a significant number of pupils attend, is an example of the school’s caring approach. Pupils with special educational needs usually benefit from good quality support to be able to take a full part in class lessons. Pupils say that they are confident to approach teachers with problems and that they would receive appropriate help. Although the school has collected a great deal of information about pupils’ attainment, staff do not always use this to inform pupils what they have to do to improve their academic work, or to give pupils realistically challenging targets to aim for in lessons or through homework. Satisfactory procedures for inducting children into the

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Commentary

Foundation Stage Unit help them to settle quickly into the school environment. Parents receive appropriate information and guidance about how to help to prepare their children for school life. Parents and children have opportunities to visit the unit and to meet staff prior to the admission date.

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Commentary

25. The school actively seeks pupils’ views of the school, mainly through the new school council, circle times and a pupils’ suggestion box. Governors and staff value pupils’ contributions and, where applicable, take them into consideration when reviewing policies and making decisions about the future. At the request of school council members, for example, fruit is now available to all pupils at playtimes and lunchtimes.

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Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

The school has developed satisfactory links with parents and good links with the wider community. Very good links with other schools make a very good contribution to pupils’ achievement.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Very good links with other schools improve the quality of pupils’ education. • The school actively seeks the views of parents. • There are good arrangements to involve parents of pupils with special educational needs. • Parental involvement in their children’s learning is often limited. • Good links with the wider community enhance pupils’ learning. • Information in the school brochure and governors’ annual report does not meet statutory requirements.

p.18

Commentary

26. Almost all parents are pleased with all aspects of the life and work of the school, particularly that their children are happy at school. The inspection largely confirms parents’ positive views. Governors actively seek parental views, so that they can take them into account when making important decisions about the development of the school. The school keeps parents satisfactorily informed about their children’s education through regular newsletters, information about topics being covered and letters to notify them about specific events taking place. The information about national test and teacher assessment results in the brochure and governors’ annual report, however, does not meet statutory requirements. Also, the quality of information in pupils’ annual reports is variable, and reports do not always give parents a clear picture of how their children need to improve. Although very few parents attended the inspection meetings,

p.18

Commentary

Park Primary School - 19 attendance at the three annual parents’ meetings to discuss pupils’ progress is said to be very good. Parents of pupils with special educational needs are offered good opportunities to be involved in reviewing their children’s progress and setting targets for the future, and many accept.

p.19

Commentary

27. Parental involvement in children’s learning is variable, but satisfactory overall. Governors and staff would like more parents to take an interest in their children’s learning at school and in their homework, and believe that lack of involvement often contributes to low achievement. Very few parents help in school on a regular basis, although a small group are involved in preparing resources for helping pupils to learn to read at home. The parent and teacher association is dependent on a very small number of parents and is not very active, although they have contributed to raising fairly large sums of money to buy additional resources. The school seeks ways to communicate with parents who require language translation services, including enlisting the help of the local education authority multi-cultural team.

p.19

Commentary

28. A good range of visitors to the school, including artists, musicians, theatre companies and representatives of local churches, makes a significant contribution to pupils’ learning in several subjects. Teachers make good use of the locality, for example by organising visits to the museum, churches and library, as well as visits to places further afield. Such visits and visitors make a good contribution to pupils’ personal development. Links with local sports clubs ensure that pupils have opportunities to take part in healthy exercise by playing tennis, rugby and football. Links with two local businesses make learning more exciting in design and technology – an improvement since the previous inspection.

p.19

Commentary

29. The very good links with other educational establishments are mainly as a result of the school’s involvement with the local ‘pyramid of schools’. These links impact positively on many aspects of pupils’ education, and this is one of the school’s main strengths. Curriculum links with the secondary school to which most pupils transfer, for example, help pupils to have a sense of continuity about their work. This was seen in Year 6 when pupils started an English project to be completed in September when they transfer to secondary school. Pupils have opportunities to use the facilities at the secondary school, for example in science and physical education, and a few more able and talented pupils visit to take part in work to extend their learning. The school has developed many such very good arrangements for pupils to transfer smoothly to their next stage of education. Very good links with the local education authority are helping to

p.19

Commentary

improve teaching in English and mathematics, and there are signs that these are beginning to raise pupils’ achievement.

p.19

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The school’s performance is generally as good as that of schools serving similar areas because leadership, management and governance are satisfactory. Parents and pupils have confidence in the school, and the headteacher and governors meet their main aim of working closely with other schools for the benefit of the pupils.

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

• There is a happy, friendly and welcoming ethos, and the school runs smoothly on a daily basis. • Procedures for checking how well the school is doing with improving teaching and raising achievement are not always rigorous enough to have the desired effect. • Children in the Foundation Stage Unit achieve well because provision is well led and managed. • Improving co-ordination of provision for ICT is helping to raise standards.

p.19

Commentary

30. Parents and pupils rarely have complaints about their school, and the good organisational procedures ensure that it runs smoothly. Governors and the headteacher work hard to ensure that the school is a focal point of the local community, and that it plays an important part in Park Primary School - 20 working with other organisations to overcome disadvantages and to raise aspirations. They seek ways of extending provision, for example the recent plans to participate in the development of a new Children’s Centre in Wheatley. They forge good links with community members and groups and very good links with other schools and the local education authority. These links contribute significantly to the quality of pupils’ education, as well as helping to meet one of the school’s primary stated aims. The high level of mobility of pupils is a significant barrier to raising achievement, and the school does well to ensure that pupils achieve a good

p.19

Commentary

31. Satisfactory leadership and management have ensured satisfactory improvement since the previous inspection. The committed and approachable headteacher is often seen around the school by staff, pupils and visitors. He has widened the range of the school development plan and defined the roles and responsibilities of the senior management team in recent years. Along with governors, senior teachers share the headteacher’s vision for increasing pupils’ confidence and social skills and extending their horizons, and the school is successful in this quest. The school also focuses on pupils’ academic achievement, but efforts are not always totally successful. This is because monitoring the progress and evaluating the outcomes of initiatives are not sufficiently consistent and rigorous.

p.20

Commentary

32. Several good initiatives to use assessment information to track and analyse pupils’ achievements and to identify strengths and weaknesses in the school’s provision are fairly new, and there is further work to do. As a result, national test results in Year 2 are showing little sign of sustained improvement, and the school does not expect that improvements in results in Year 6 last year will be maintained this year. Also, arrangements for checking and improving the quality of teaching have variable effects. Whilst there have been some notable good recent improvements in the teaching of English and mathematics, not all teachers respond to initiatives equally well, and problems are not always spotted and dealt with quickly and effectively. Most teachers hold responsibilities for co-ordinating subjects and other areas of the work of the school. The effect of this work is satisfactory, owing to a satisfactory commitment

p.20

Commentary

to raising achievement and satisfactory teamwork.

p.20

Commentary

33. Co-ordinators in the Foundation Stage Unit inspire and motivate staff to work together as a team very well. The unit has opened only fairly recently and, although there are still a few teething problems, provision ensures that children achieve well. Improvements to the building, teaching and the curriculum are being managed well, because of the strong and shared commitment of teachers to getting children off to a flying start with their education. Good subject leadership and management in ICT are helping to raise pupils’ achievement. The new co-ordinator for overseeing provision for pupils who speak English as an additional language has not had an opportunity to find out about the strengths and weaknesses in the school’s provision.

p.20

Commentary

34. Governors meet the majority of their statutory duties satisfactorily, but the information for parents in the school brochure and annual report to parents does not meet statutory requirements fully. Governors are very supportive and have a good overview of the general life of the school. They are well aware of the need to balance the declining budget, and their long- term financial planning is good. Governors know, for example, that a falling school roll needs careful financial management, and the unusually large carry-forward budget includes funds set aside to deal with this, and also to complete the new Foundation Stage Unit. Governors hold the school to account satisfactorily. They do not, as a matter of course, find out whether or not spending in relation to the school development plan represents good value for money in terms of improving the quality of education and the school’s performance. Governors apply best value

p.20

Commentary

principles satisfactorily, overall, and the school provides satisfactory value for money.

p.20

Financial information

Financial information for the year April 2003 to March 2004 Park Primary School - 21 Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 1,049,500 Balance from previous year 152,383 Total expenditure 1,074,896 Balance carried forward to the next 126,987 Expenditure per pupil 2,863 Park Primary School - 22

p.20

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

35. The school has recently opened a refurbished section of the building as a Foundation Stage Unit. Nursery and reception age children have been taught, temporarily, in a school hall. The outdoor accommodation is incomplete, and opportunities for learning outdoors in all areas of learning are restricted. When children start nursery, their attainment is well below what is typical for their age, especially in social and communication skills. Owing to good teaching and learning in the areas reported fully below, children’s achievement is good. Children with special educational needs make good progress because of the high quality of support they receive. Children who speak English as an additional language often make good progress. Although most children do not meet all the goals set nationally for children by the end of the reception year (early learning goals), they make good progress towards them.

p.22

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in personal, social and emotional development is good .

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Staff give a lot of time and attention to this area of learning as part of all their work. • Adults work together as a team to meet the needs of the children. • The progress of children occasionally suffers when staff do not know where they are and what they are doing.

p.22

Commentary

36. The unit is a happy, friendly and welcoming place where children love to come. The purposeful atmosphere helps them to feel secure, and they quickly settle to the routines and expectations of school life. Children enjoy trying out all the new activities and finding out about the world around them. Staff work well together as a team to give children a very wide range of good quality experiences that excite children and encourage them to want to find things out. As a result, children become interested and enthusiastic learners, with confidence to work with a lot of different adults and children. They can make choices about what to do and when to do it, for example when they make simple plans at the start of sessions to show what they intend to do that day. As a result, by the end of the reception year, children’s behaviour is good, and they can concentrate for fairly long periods, take pleasure in learning new things and are well

p.22

Commentary

prepared for a formal type of learning, as in their literacy and numeracy lessons. Staff have only had a few weeks to establish routines for teaching and learning in the new building, and there are a few teething problems. Tidying up times are sometimes too hectic, and not all children help well enough. Some leave their play areas untidy throughout the session too, and staff do not always notice and encourage better attitudes. In this large unit, children find it easy to escape the notice of adults, and a few take pleasure in doing so. There were times when the behaviour of a few children deteriorated when they went far from the view and attention of adults. One or two older children still find it hard to get along with others at times, and there are occasional squabbles about toys and equipment. Park Primary School - 23

p.22

COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Provision in communication, language and literacy is good .

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The teaching of early literacy skills is good. • Children have good opportunities for talking across all areas of learning. • The progress of children who speak English as an additional language is inconsistent.

p.23

Commentary

37. Staff put a lot of emphasis on providing many good activities to encourage children to talk about what they are doing and to increase their vocabulary in all areas of learning. The attractive and stimulating unit contains a wealth of print to read and things to talk about. Adults ask questions skilfully, so that children must think and explain their ideas more fully. When reception children looked at pictures of printed signs and notices in their locality, for example, the teacher kept on asking them why the symbols and words might be there and who might read them. The increasing proportion of children who speak English as an additional language often have extra help from visiting adults to improve their talking or to help them to understand their work better. The quality of this support varies, however, and there are times when it adds little to children’s measurable achievement because it is not clearly focused and rigorous. Reception age

p.23

Commentary

children take part in formal literacy lessons that help them to make good progress with learning to read and write. They have regular opportunities to read books with the teacher or other adults at school, and do well with learning how to handle books and finding out how to use them. Children learn to recognise the letters of the alphabet and to write many of them, and some children can read whole words or sentences in simple books. One very capable child spotted when another child wrote the letter ‘s’ the wrong way round. Even with this good teaching and mainly good progress, however, very few children read and write to the standard that is typical for their age by the end of the reception year. Staff encourage parents to help at home with reading, and this benefits some children, but not all.

p.23

MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in mathematical development is good .

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The teaching of early numeracy skills is good. • Adults seize each opportunity to further children’s mathematical learning. • The progress of children who speak English as an additional language is inconsistent.

p.23

Commentary

38. Staff provide a wealth of opportunities for children to learn that mathematics is a major part of our lives. When finding out about stories from the Bible, for example, the reception teacher took the opportunity to encourage children to use mathematical words correctly, such as ‘higher’, ‘under’ and ‘inside’. Similarly, the nursery teacher used registration and an activity with a number line to help children to improve their counting. A nursery nurse asked, “How many plates will we need?” and “Will that be enough?”, while setting out a pretend picnic with the children. This kind of questioning is regular and normal practice, so that by the time reception children take part in formal numeracy lessons, they are well prepared for their work. Teaching in these lessons is good because it focuses on work that leads children successfully into the National Curriculum. By the end of the reception year, most children can count beyond ten,

p.23

Commentary

recognise and write smaller numbers and have a good knowledge of geometric shapes. Many children still find it difficult, however, to use mathematics to solve practical problems by Park Primary School - 24 themselves, but adults give them a lot of opportunities to learn to do so. A formal activity to help children who speak English as an additional language to learn about shapes went on too long, with too few examples of learning mathematics in a meaningful practical setting. Children lost interest and they did not achieve as much as they could have.

p.23

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Provision in knowledge and understanding of the world is good .

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Activities provide a lot of good opportunities for children to learn to investigate ideas and materials. • ICT equipment is under-used.

p.24

Commentary

39. Teachers plan a lot of activities to encourage children to ask questions and to want to find out more about how and why things happen. During the inspection, for example, children experimented with materials to find out about why things float or sink in water. The teacher questioned them very skilfully, for example, “What happens when..?”, and “What would make a good lilo?”. Children showed interest and tried hard to answer the questions by experimenting with the materials. Children in the nursery have become familiar with looking at the weather outside and talking about what it is like. They enjoy experimenting with musical instruments to find out what sounds they make. When children paint, they mix their own paint from powders, and are curious about what new colours they can make. Children enjoy many such activities and make good progress. Although there are several computers available, children rarely

p.24

Commentary

turned to them or to other technological equipment as part of their day-to-day play, and resources were under-used.

p.24

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

40. Owing to inspection priorities, no overall judgements were made. Children have a lot of good opportunities to increase their ability to handle and use equipment and materials, such as scissors, paint brushes, construction kits and pencils. They move with confidence and reasonable safety around the unit, although occasionally too boisterously. This is because the outdoor curriculum is not yet fully in place, and opportunities to learn to use large equipment safely and with increasing control are restricted. Reception children join older children for formal playtimes, however, when they increase their awareness of space, themselves and others. Children can sometimes chose to play outdoors with small games equipment, but the narrow range of resources for physical development currently available inhibits their progress. The school has plans to rectify this in the near future.

p.24

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

41. Owing to inspection priorities, no overall judgements were made. Children regularly have good opportunities to explore materials and to express their own ideas creatively. When they design and make things, for example, they select from a good range of carefully and attractively presented resources, so that their pictures and models often reflect their individuality. Children regularly take part in role-play by dressing up and making up their own stories, and they enjoy looking at books and listening to stories. Reception children enjoyed hearing the parable of ‘The wise man and a foolish man’, and their lesson helped them to begin to know something about Christian religious beliefs. The multi-cultural aspects of the creative curriculum are not overtly evident in provision. Park Primary School - 25

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The teaching of reading and handwriting in Years 1 and 2 is good. • Standards are starting to improve as a result of very good links with the local education authority. • Teachers do not use National Curriculum assessment information well enough to drive up standards. • Monitoring and evaluating of how well the school is doing are not sufficiently robust to drive up standards quickly. • Teachers ensure that pupils behave well in lessons and have good attitudes towards learning.

p.25

Commentary

42. Although the standard of pupils’ work is below the national average by Years 2 and 6, their achievement is satisfactory in all year groups in speaking, listening, reading and writing. This is reflected in the 2003 Year 6 national test results, which were an improvement on previous years, and represent at least satisfactory progress since pupils were tested in Year 2. Since 1999, test results in Year 6 have improved more than the national trend. Test results by themselves in reading and writing in Year 2 suggest unsatisfactory achievement in Years 1 and 2. The pupils tested this year, however, include a very large proportion with special educational needs, and results are influenced greatly by the number of pupils who started or left the school during this two-year period. In all year groups, the recent improvements in teaching have not had much time to impact on national test results. The school’s records show that pupils with

p.25

Commentary

special educational needs make good progress over time.

p.25

Commentary

43. Teaching and learning are satisfactory overall across the school. Subject co-ordinators give a good lead to other teachers, and their lessons during the inspection were good. They have forged very good links with the local educational authority consultant and with a local ‘beacon’ school. As a result of the work undertaken, there are clear signs of improving teaching and achievement in daily literacy lessons. Teachers now provide more good opportunities for pupils to improve their speaking skills during English lessons as well as at other times, especially circle times. Teachers give clear explanations to pupils and their questioning skills are good. They manage pupils’ behaviour well and, as a result, most pupils listen well to adults and to one another and are becoming confident to express their own ideas. The pupils who attend the drama group are very confident to speak to an audience.

p.25

Commentary

44. The recent strong focus on improving writing is beginning to pay dividends too. Pupils now write in a wider range of styles and in most subjects, and their handwriting and presentation are improving. Reading skills are taught well in Years 1 and 2 because teachers put a lot of emphasis on making sure that pupils learn about the different ways of attempting to read new words. Pupils are good at looking at the sounds represented by letters in order to work out what words say (phonics), and they enjoy reading. Classroom assistants often play an important part because they are skilled at talking to pupils about books and know how to help them to improve their reading. Pupils’ handwriting is improving because it is taught systematically.

p.25

Commentary

45. For a few years, teachers have been collecting a lot of information about the standard of pupils’ work and the progress they are making. Senior teachers have started to look more closely at this data in order to spot trends and to identify strengths and weaknesses in standards and teaching. There is further work to do, however, to make sure that information influences teaching and learning in ways most likely to drive up standards and to improve test results. Teachers do not always focus rigorously enough on teaching the specific knowledge, skills and Park Primary School - 26 understanding that pupils need to learn in order to reach the next National Curriculum level. Teachers often give their pupils targets to aim for, such as to read the next ten books in the reading scheme. Such targets, however, do little to improve pupils’ aspirations or to involve them in their own learning and progress. As a result, the more capable pupils sometimes

p.25

Commentary

underachieve. Similarly, the school has not yet identified any differences in the achievement of the groups of pupils that make up the school population. Teachers have had very little training in helping pupils who speak English as an additional language, and they are unsure about the best way to overcome pupils’ learning difficulties when they arise.

p.26

Commentary

46. Improvement since the previous inspection is satisfactory. Improving standards, especially in writing is, rightly, a whole-school priority. Leadership and management are satisfactory, although co-ordinators are working very hard to support other teachers. There has been some checking of the quality of teaching, but not enough to ensure the consistent approaches throughout the school that are needed to drive up standards quickly. The impact of the school development plan has still to be measured closely, for example the school’s success in raising the achievement of boys.

p.26

Language and literacy across the curriculum

47. Provision is satisfactory. Teachers have increased the number of good opportunities they provide for speaking, listening and writing across the subjects, although there is further work to do to capitalise fully on these. Now that provision for ICT is improving, pupils have good opportunities to read and write using computers in the suite, but they rarely used computers as part of their class literacy lessons during the inspection.

p.26

MATHEMATICS

Provision in mathematics is satisfactory .

p.26

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Very good links with the local education authority are helping to improve teaching. • National test results in Year 6 have improved more than the national trend since 1999. • Assessment information is not used well enough to raise achievement. • Teachers ensure that lessons are orderly and purposeful. • Pupils have limited opportunities to apply mathematics skills to their work in other subjects.

p.26

Commentary

48. Whilst the standard of pupils’ work is below the national average by Years 2 and 6, pupils do as well as pupils in schools serving similar areas, and their achievement is satisfactory. The performance of Year 6 pupils in the 2003 national tests was a notable improvement on performance the previous year, and improvement from 1999 to 2003 has been better than the national trend. Performance in tests fluctuates from year to year, however, and the school’s predictions suggest a dip in results this year. Pupils’ below average speaking and literacy skills have a negative impact on their performance in national tests. In Year 6, for example, pupils have difficulty verbalising the steps they have used to make calculations, and this limits their mental agility when solving written problems in tests.

p.26

Commentary

49. As a result of close involvement with the local education authority numeracy consultant, standards are showing signs of improving. This includes Year 2, where test results have been disappointing in recent years. The school now knows more about the strengths and weaknesses in teaching than previously, and teachers have worked hard to improve their practice. They now involve their pupils in their own learning by making it very clear what each lesson is about and what pupils are going to learn. By analysing test results, they are beginning to close the gaps in pupils’ learning. Park Primary School - 27 50. Teaching and learning, although satisfactory overall, have good features. Teachers now have a good command of using the National Numeracy Strategy as a basis for planning lessons. Well- chosen practical activities often grab pupils’ attention and engage them in their learning. Teachers manage pupils’ behaviour well, so that pupils have good attitudes towards

p.26

Commentary

mathematics. Lessons are orderly and most pupils listen attentively. Teachers give clear explanations and instructions, so that pupils know what to do and lessons are purposeful. In Years 1 and 2, teachers assess their pupils’ attainment regularly to help them to provide different levels of work to match pupils’ capabilities. In Years 4 to 6, pupils are taught in sets (classes of pupils of broadly similar capability). This reduces the number of levels of work that each teacher needs to focus their teaching upon. Most teachers, however, still sometimes plan work that does not meet the needs of all pupils fully. This can mean that the most capable pupils have too little challenge to their thinking and learning skills. It also means that average pupils sometimes struggle to complete work that is too hard. Pupils with special educational needs usually make good progress because of the good quality additional help they receive.

p.27

Commentary

Teachers ensure that all pupils are included in lessons and treated equally.

p.27

Commentary

51. Teachers provide few opportunities for pupils to learn to solve problems, to organise their own work, to work independently or to choose the equipment they require. Marking of pupils’ work varies in the extent to which it keeps pupils in touch with how well they are doing and how they need to improve. This, combined with the lack of setting clear National Curriculum related targets for pupils to aim for, limits the effectiveness of the improved teaching on pupils’ achievement. As a consequence, standards are not improving as quickly as they should. Also, because pupils do not know much about what they have to do to reach the next level, their enthusiasm is not taken full advantage of.

p.27

Commentary

52. Satisfactory leadership and management have resulted in a satisfactory amount of improvement since the previous inspection. Senior teachers have put systems into place to enable them to track pupils’ progress as they move from class to class. They are starting to use the information to find out how well the school is doing with raising achievement. The information is not updated regularly enough, however, and it is not yet used by teachers systematically to plan work that leads pupils of differing capabilities towards achieving the next level within the National Curriculum.

p.27

Mathematics across the curriculum

53. Provision is satisfactory. Pupils have some opportunities to apply numeracy and mathematical skills to work in other subjects, such as when they weigh and measure in design and technology lessons. There is room for further improvement, however, for example by providing more opportunities for pupils to record their ideas in tables and graphs in subjects such as ICT, science and geography.

p.27

Main strengths and weaknesses

• In 2003, the performance of Year 6 pupils in national tests showed good improvement from the previous year. • Teachers take too little account of National Curriculum assessments when planning lessons. • There is insufficient monitoring of teaching and pupils’ achievement by subject co-ordinators. • Teachers now provide more opportunities for pupils to carry out practical investigations in lessons.

p.27

Commentary

Park Primary School - 28 54. Although the standard of pupils’ work by Years 2 and 6 is below the national average, their achievement is satisfactory, and they do about as well as pupils in schools in similar circumstances. Since the previous inspection, pupils’ performance in the Year 6 national tests has fluctuated, owing to differences in the year groups tested. Performance in 2003 improved notably, although the school’s predictions for the 2004 test results suggest that standards could dip again. Nevertheless, improvement overall since 1999 has been much greater than the national trend. Since 2001, pupils with special educational needs have shown a good level of progress and achievement.

p.28

Commentary

55. Teaching and learning, although variable between classes, are satisfactory across the school. The increased use of well-planned practical investigations in lessons has resulted in a range of interesting work that stimulates pupils’ interest. In a good Year 4 lesson, pupils were fascinated when they found woodlice in the school grounds, and they increased their understanding of the habitats preferred by these creatures. In a very good Year 6 lesson, pupils work very well together as they explored the effects of water and the colour made by felt tip pens. They talked enthusiastically to one another when the teacher asked them to predict what might happen in their practical investigation. These examples of good practical work, however, are not found consistently in all classes, and subject co-ordinators know that this is the case.

p.28

Commentary

56. Satisfactory leadership and management have resulted in satisfactory improvement since the previous inspection. Some inconsistencies between classes are found in relation to how effectively teachers collect assessment information, track how well pupils are doing over time and record the standards they achieve. This means that teachers do not always use accurate information to plan future work for their pupils to match what they need to learn next. This weakness, at times, leads to underachievement by some of the more capable pupils, and it was a weakness at the time of the previous inspection. Part of the problem is that subject co- ordinators do not have enough opportunities to find out directly about the strengths and weaknesses in teaching and learning. This makes it difficult for them to evaluate the success of initiatives, such as the increased focus in lessons on practical investigations.

p.28

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

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

p.28

Main strengths and weaknesses

• A well-equipped computer suite enables good teaching of computer skills. • Provision is improving because of good leadership and management. • Pupils’ enthusiasm has a good effect on their learning and helps them to achieve well. • Pupils have few opportunities to use computers in classrooms to practise applying their skills to work in other subjects.

p.28

Commentary

57. The standard of pupils’ work by Years 2 and 6 is in line with national expectations for pupils of their age. Pupils’ achievement is good, however, because they are doing better than pupils in schools serving similar areas. Standards are improving because teachers have recently received training that has increased their expertise, and they now have a high level of confidence to teach the subject. This means that they demonstrate and explain new skills well when they teach whole classes of pupils together in the computer suite. The enthusiastic and knowledgeable co-ordinator gives good support to other teachers, so that all pupils benefit from good weekly lessons when they learn and refine computing skills. This, along with the well- equipped computer suite, is accelerating pupils’ learning and improving the standards they achieve. Park Primary School - 29 58. Key features of the good teaching and learning in Years 1 to 6 are:

p.28

Commentary

- good relationships and management of pupils’ behaviour; - clarity of explanations and instructions; - pupils settle quickly to work with purpose and confidence; - the increasing expertise of teachers; - good preparation for lessons.

p.29

Commentary

59. In a good Year 1 lesson on completing computer-generated graphs, for example, pupils had already collected information about methods of transport before they came to the suite. This enabled them to start working on computers quickly, and the teacher taught the skills needed to complete the task systematically, by building carefully on pupils’ prior learning. There are minor weaknesses in some of the teaching when teachers plan too much work so that pupils have insufficient time to complete it all, or when explanations are not detailed enough. Classroom assistants support teachers very well by helping pupils to learn new skills quickly and accurately.

p.29

Commentary

60. Pupils are enthusiastic learners who enjoy their lessons. They rise to the challenge of new learning, persevere and are willing to try again if things go wrong. They take turns and share equipment fairly and amicably. Teachers are skilled at managing pupils’ behaviour; consequently, pupils listen attentively to instructions and behave well.

p.29

Commentary

61. Provision is well led and managed, and there has been good improvement since the previous inspection. The co-ordinator provides weekly ‘drop in’ sessions for teachers to find out about new programs, as well as leading training sessions to introduce new equipment. This helps teachers to plan good lessons. Pupils have individual record booklets to record their ongoing achievements. The co-ordinator checks the booklets to spot any gaps in the school’s provision so that any problems may be rectified. These initiatives are steadily improving teaching and the standards achieved by pupils. The school has ensured the safety of pupils when using the Internet.

p.29

Information and communication technology across the curriculum

62. Provision is satisfactory. When using the computer suite, teachers plan interesting work that enriches provision in other subjects. In Year 3, for example, pupils accessed a database on materials to support their work in science. The additional computers in classrooms, however, are not used regularly enough, and pupils miss opportunities to practise and improve their skills in all subjects, including in English and mathematics lessons.

p.29

Geography and History

63. Owing to inspection priorities, no judgements were made. One geography lesson was seen and pupils’ work was looked at in both subjects. A discussion with Year 6 pupils took place, along with a brief observation of Year 6 pupils learning to use four-figure grid references to locate places on maps. In the satisfactory Year 5 geography lesson, pupils learned to compare living conditions in India with Great Britain. They showed amazement about some of the facts they discovered. Pupils’ previous work in both subjects indicates that they cover an appropriate range of topics. Year 6 pupils spoke confidently about their recent history work. They remembered their visit to Eden Camp as part of a study of World War II, and showed good recall of facts about the Victorians, Tudors and Ancient Egyptians. They could talk about their geography project on rivers, but found it difficult to recall any other areas of study. The school

p.29

Geography and History

promotes history positively through displays, such as the interesting display of historical artefacts for the younger pupils in the school. Park Primary School - 30

p.29

Religious education

Provision in religious education is satisfactory .

p.30

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Good links with local Christian churches increase pupils’ understanding. • Teachers plan interesting work. • There are insufficient resources to support teaching in classrooms. • Pupils do not extend their appreciation of religions other than Christianity sufficiently.

p.30

Commentary

64. The standard of pupils’ work by Years 2 and 6 meets the requirements of the Doncaster Agreed Syllabus, and their achievement is satisfactory. Teachers consistently build on pupils’ knowledge and understanding of Christianity. They plan enriching visits from local clergy and other neighbourhood Christian churches. This enables pupils to gain a good understanding of religious practices, and they sometimes achieve well. Year 6 pupils, for example, visited the Baptist church and learned about how people who attend the church worship. They asked searching and thoughtful questions, and later explained the importance of faith to believers and how this affects their daily lives. Such lessons make a good contribution to pupils’ spiritual development. Pupils have a satisfactory understanding of the religions covered in the agreed syllabus.

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Commentary

65. Teaching and learning are satisfactory. Teachers plan some stimulating activities to interest and engage pupils. In Year 2, for example, pupils observed the vicar explaining baptism by baptising the dolls and teddies they had excitedly brought to school for that purpose. As a result of the good first-hand teaching, most pupils could explain the significance of water in infant baptism. Teachers encourage pupils to discuss their understanding of complex ideas, such as religious symbolism. This enables pupils to verbalise their thoughts and gain deeper insight. Not all teachers follow the school’s curriculum plans consistently, however, and this results in gaps in pupils’ learning. In Years 3 to 6, there is insufficient curriculum time available for written work, and opportunities for pupils to reflect upon and record their own ideas on paper are missed.

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Commentary

66. Satisfactory leadership and management have ensured satisfactory improvement since the previous inspection. The lack of resources remains a weakness, however, and there is still little direct checking on the quality of teaching. The curriculum plan meets requirements, although there are lengthy periods of time without specific teaching about religions other than Christianity. This sometimes means that pupils forget what they have learned previously. The school does not take fullest advantage of pupils’ positive attitudes or to the widening range of cultural diversity in and around the school in order to extend pupils’ multi-cultural understanding. Pupils have not visited nearby local places of worship relating to religions other than Christianity.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

67. Owing to inspection priorities, too little evidence was collected to make overall judgements in any of the subjects reported below. Only one lesson was seen in art and design, one in design and technology, none in music and two in physical education. Pupils’ previous work was looked at and discussions with Year 6 pupils took place.

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Art and design

68. Pupils’ previous work on display and in folders and sketchbooks indicates that pupils in all year groups have opportunities to work with a satisfactory range of art and design materials. Older pupils have a few pieces of work in their sketchbooks, but they do not use their books to Park Primary School - 31 practise an increasingly wide range of new skills and techniques, or to experiment with applying them to other types of work and materials. In a satisfactory lesson, Year 6 pupils looked closely at pictures of moving human bodies. They used sketching pencils to represent movements, and the standard of their work was typical for Year 6 pupils in similar schools. Each pupil was given only one type of sketching pencil, however, and this limited their achievement in terms of experimenting with materials in order to improve the quality of their work. Two pupils who are considered to be more able and talented visit the local secondary school to extend their

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Art and design

learning, as part of a shared school project. Their class lesson, however, provided few chances for them to show what they are capable of. Not all teachers feel confident about teaching art and design, and the school development plan focuses on improving the teaching of basic art skills, especially observational work. The Year 6 observational paintings of a tree in the school grounds suggest that this provision is improving. In a discussion with Year 6 pupils, they said how much they had enjoyed the school ‘art week’. They added that that they have not done much art and design work recently because they have been getting ready for their national tests. Pupils have had occasional opportunities to use computers as part of their art and design work, although their ability to talk about the work of artists and craftspeople is very limited.

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Design and technology

69. Pupils’ previous work on display and a portfolio of photographs indicate that pupils in all year groups design and make things using a satisfactory range of materials and techniques. They usually record their ideas by writing in different ways, and occasionally apply mathematics skills, such as measuring. In a Year 2 lesson about textiles, pupils’ achievement was mainly satisfactory when they joined fabrics by sewing, and created repeating patterns, including using computers. Very good links with the local business community have provided good opportunities for older pupils to respond to the challenge of designing and making objects, such as board games, moneyboxes and pencil cases. The finished products are of a standard that is typical for pupils in schools serving similar areas. Although pupils have fewer opportunities for evaluating their finished pieces, Year 6 pupils have adequate knowledge and understanding of

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Design and technology

how to see projects through to a good conclusion. Opportunities for pupils to work in groups make a good contribution to their personal and social development, as do educational visits to local businesses.

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Music

70. Pupils in Years 3 to 6 sing songs of worship together with great confidence and enthusiasm. They tackle complex rhythms well and can sing in two parts. The music co-ordinator selects songs that pupils enjoy learning and singing, and the very good piano accompaniment provided by a visitor from the community encourages pupils to join in. Pupils’ enthusiasm sometimes results in shouting, however, and this detracts from the quality of their performance. Although pupils practised familiar songs, the teacher did not address this weakness in their performance. Nevertheless, pupils’ achievement in singing is good, when compared with what is typical in schools serving similar areas. Pupils who attend the extra-curricular drama club sing with equal enthusiasm and confidence when practising for the forthcoming production of Jack and the Beanstalk . Pupils in Year 6 talked about class music lessons when they enjoyed

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Music

working in groups to compose their own music. They recorded their ideas using symbols and performed their pieces for the class. They know the names of some musical instruments, but find it difficult to talk about different types of music or famous composers and musicians. They have not used yet computers as part of their work in music, although they do use electronic keyboards. A small number of pupils learn to play musical instruments at school during lessons with visiting specialist musicians.

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Physical education

71. The school makes very good use of visiting specialists to extend pupils’ learning and to increase their awareness of the need for a healthy lifestyle. In Year 3, for example, pupils Park Primary School - 32 responded with great enthusiasm and developed good ball skills in response to the high expectations of a visiting basketball coach. A very good athletics lesson in Year 6, taught by two teachers from the local secondary school, helped pupils to achieve a good standard of performance in their jumping and relay skills. Pupils in both lessons took part eagerly in energetic physical activity. Teachers in the Year 6 lesson encouraged pupils to evaluate their own performances, as well as the performances of other pupils. This session provided a good opportunity for pupils to get to know staff from the secondary school prior to their forthcoming transfer. Teachers’ planning indicates that pupils in all classes receive a good balance of work

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Physical education

in gymnastics, games and dance, and this is extended further through a good range of extra- curricular sporting activities. Pupils take part in adventurous activities during their residential visit to the Earth Centre, and they learn to swim in Year 5.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

72. Owing to inspection priorities, no overall judgements were made. Governors and staff put a lot of emphasis on this aspect of pupils’ learning, and provision makes a good contribution to their personal development. Regular lessons often take the form of circle times, when pupils discuss thoughtful topics as a whole class. In Year 4, for example, the teacher’s very good questioning helped pupils to focus their thinking on ‘playing fair’, and they explained their views in a mature and sensible way. They achieved well, and the work also improved pupils’ speaking and listening skills. The school’s Healthy School’s Award is a measure of its success with encouraging a healthy lifestyle, for example by providing many opportunities for pupils to learn to eat healthily and to engage in energetic sporting activity. Strong community links help pupils to appreciate the citizenship role played in society by people from different walks of life, and

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

they begin to develop a sense of their own place within the world outside school. Park Primary School - 33

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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

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Overall standards achieved 4 Pupils’ achievement 4

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

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