Smallwood Primary School and Language Unit

SMALLWOOD PRIMARY SCHOOL AND LANGUAGE UNIT

Dates of inspection: 9 – 12 February 2004

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SMALLWOOD PRIMARY SCHOOL AND LANGUAGE UNIT

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 Smallwood Primary School & Language Unit 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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SMALLWOOD PRIMARY SCHOOL AND LANGUAGE UNIT

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. Smallwood Primary School & Language Unit

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Primary School category: Community Age range of pupils: 3 - 11 Sex of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 242

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Smallwood Road Garratt Lane Tooting London Postcode SW17 0TW Telephone number: 020 8672 6024 Fax number: 020 8682 2065

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: Governing body Name of chair of governors: Mrs Christine Lizzimore

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 16 – 20 March 1998

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

There are 242 pupils on roll, including 24 children in the nursery, and 32 places in the Language Unit for pupils with speech and communication disorders. The number on roll has fallen in the past four years, with a drop from one and a half to one form entry. Most pupils come from local housing estates. Pupils in the Language Unit come from within Wandsworth local education authority and from other local education authorities. The proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals is above average. Pupils’ attainment on entry to the school is well below average. There are 18 pupils for whom English is an additional language, who are supported by the local authority’s ethnic minority achievement service. The main home languages other than English are Urdu, Twi and French. Mobility is average for an inner-London school, with 14 pupils joining and 27 leaving the school in the last year at other than the usual times. Staff mobility is now low after a period of instability three

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

years ago when several experienced teachers moved on. There are 95 pupils on the special educational needs register, of whom 36 have Statements of Special Educational Need. The proportions of pupils with special educational needs and with statements are well above the national average. Pupils in the Language Unit are taught in three, separate classes within the school building. They are also integrated into many aspects of the school’s life. Smallwood Primary School & Language Unit

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

31525 Sue O’Sullivan Lead inspector Science, History, English as an additional language 9619 Bob Miller Lay inspector 19827 Mary Henderson Team inspector Special educational needs including the Language Unit, Geography, Religious education, Citizenship 21372 Ken Hobday Team inspector Foundation Stage, English, Design and technology, Physical education 28200 Paul Stevens Team inspector Mathematics, Information and communication technology, Art and design, Music

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

Altecq Education Ltd 102 Bath Road Cheltenham Gloucestershire GL53 7JX

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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). Smallwood Primary School & Language Unit

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 8

Standards achieved in areas of learning, subjects and courses

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 8

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL 11

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

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS 28

Smallwood Primary School & Language Unit

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school provides a satisfactory education for its pupils. It is very inclusive and its care for pupils’ welfare is good. Parents are very satisfied with the school and pupils enjoy being there. Standards are generally below average but pupils’ achievement and progress are satisfactory . It provides satisfactory value for money.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are: • The governors, headteacher and staff have a very strong commitment to including all pupils in the school’s work. • Standards are well below average in the Foundation Stage and below average in Years 1-6. • Provision for pupils in the Language Unit is very good. • Provision for pupils with special educational needs across the school is good. • Attendance is poor and punctuality is unsatisfactory. • Teaching is generally satisfactory and much is good. It is unsatisfactory in information and communication technology (ICT) across the school, and overall in Years 1 and 2. • Assessment of pupils’ standards and progress is unsatisfactory and teachers do not plan work well enough to challenge pupils of different levels of ability. • Relationships in the school are trusting and behaviour is good.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

Since the previous inspection, the attainment of pupils on entry to the school has declined to well below the national average. The proportion of pupils in the whole school with special educational needs has risen substantially. Standards have also gone down, but pupils’ achievement is satisfactory because they make satisfactory progress overall. In 2003, pupils’ standards in national tests at age eleven improved significantly, although standards overall remain below average. The school has maintained satisfactory improvement.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

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

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

The results include those of all pupils taking the tests at the age of eleven, including those in the Language Unit who represent 20 per cent. Care should be taken when making comparisons with other schools.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Achievement overall is satisfactory. Many children enter the nursery with very low attainment in language and mathematical development. They make good progress in the Foundation Stage although they are unlikely to meet the goals children are expected to reach by the end of reception, except in personal, social and emotional development. The results of national tests in 2003 for pupils at the ages of seven and eleven show that standards in English and mathematics are well below average. The evidence of inspection confirms this. It also shows that standards in science by the age of eleven are average. Standards in almost all other subjects are below average at both ages, except in religious education, but pupils’ achievement is satisfactory because of the progress they make. In subjects where speaking, reading and writing play an important part pupils’ achievement is hampered by their low levels of literacy. Achievement in ICT and design technology is unsatisfactory

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Smallwood Primary School & Language Unit at seven and eleven. In science and history achievement is good by eleven. Pupils with special educational needs achieve well and make good progress. Pupils for whom English is an additional language make satisfactory progress.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Pupils’ attitudes are satisfactor y and their behaviour is good . Pupils’ personal development is satisfactory. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is satisfactory. Pupils develop good self-knowledge and respect for the feelings and values of others. They know right from wrong. They are developing spiritual awareness and are learning to appreciate their own and others’ cultural traditions. Attendance has improved since the previous inspection but remains well below the national average. There is some significant unpunctuality.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The school provides a satisfactory quality of education in a friendly and caring environment. Most teaching is at least satisfactory and much is good. The teaching of ICT varies from unsatisfactory to poor and this contributes to pupils’ unsatisfactory achievement in this subject. Teaching is good in the Foundation Stage and in Years 5 and 6. It is unsatisfactory overall in Years 1 and 2. It is very good in the Language Unit. Teachers have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and most pupils respond well. Teaching assistants make a good contribution to helping pupils learn, particularly in English and mathematics, and for those who have special educational needs. In some subjects, there is insufficient support available to meet all needs.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The lack of regular assessment of pupils’ standards in all subjects, except English and mathematics, in terms of the National Curriculum for each subject, makes it difficult to track pupils’ continuing progress satisfactorily and ensure that pupils achieve as well as they can. Teachers do not use assessment of pupils’ work to plan effectively for the individual needs of pupils with differing levels of ability.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The curriculum is satisfactory overall but there is too little time for some subjects, such as design and technology, geography and music, to enable pupils to gain the knowledge and skills expected. There is a satisfactory range of extra-curricular activities, especially in sport. The school’s accommodation is satisfactory overall but is unsatisfactory in the Foundation Stage. The school does not provide a daily act of collective worship.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management are satisfactory. The headteacher and senior teachers are strongly committed to the school’s inclusive ethos and provide good role models to staff and pupils. Management of the school ensures that it runs smoothly. The governors support the school well but do not challenge it sufficiently to improve. Strategic planning does not give enough priority to improving teaching and to assessment of pupils’ progress. The headteacher and senior managers monitor the teaching of literacy and mathematics and this has contributed to improvement. There is no monitoring of planning or teaching in other subjects. Financial management is good.

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Parents are very satisfied with the education provided by the school, in particular the care of their children. Parents of pupils in the Language Unit praise its work highly. Pupils like the school and feel secure. They feel that they are valued and listened to.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

The most important things the school should do to improve are: • raise the quality of teaching, especially in ICT and in Years 1 and 2; • assess pupils’ work in all subjects in relation to National Curriculum standards and use the results of assessment to match work to all pupils’ needs; • plan work for pupils at differing levels of challenge; • improve attendance; and, to meet statutory requirements: • provide a daily act of collective worship. Smallwood Primary School & Language Unit

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Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

The achievement of pupils as they progress through the school is satisfactory. Standards are generally below average.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards are well below average in English, mathematics and information and communication technology (ICT) at the ages of seven and eleven. • Standards in science are average and achievement is good by eleven. • Children in the Foundation Stage make good progress towards the early learning goals 1 . • Pupils with special educational needs achieve well. • Standards in most other subjects are below average at seven and eleven. In religious education they are average at both ages, in history they are average at eleven and in aspects of physical education they are above average at eleven.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

Standards in national tests at the end of Year 2 – average point scores in 2003 Standards in: School results National results reading 10.8 (10.3) 15.7 (15.8) writing 9.8 (8.3) 14.6 (14.4) mathematics 11.3 (11.3) 16.3 (16.3) There were 25 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Main strengths and weaknesses

Standards in national tests at the end of Year 6 – average point scores in 2003 2 Standards in: School results National results English 25.5 (23.0) 26.8 (27.0) mathematics 24.1 (23.5) 26.8 (26.7) science 25.7 (24.6) 28.6 (28.3) There were 46 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Main strengths and weaknesses

The results include those of all pupils taking the tests at the age of eleven, including those in the Language Unit who represent 20 per cent . Care should be taken when making comparisons with other schools.

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Commentary

1. Since the previous inspection, the attainment of pupils on entry to the school has declined to well below the national average. The proportion of pupils in the whole school with special educational needs has risen substantially. Standards have also gone down but pupils’ achievement is satisfactory because they make satisfactory progress overall. In 2003, pupils’ standards in national tests at age eleven improved significantly, although standards overall remain below average. Many pupils enter the nursery with well below average attainment in language and mathematical development. They make good progress in the Foundation Stage,

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Commentary

1 The Early Learning Goals are a set of skills, knowledge and understanding that children might be expected to achieve by the age of five in the six areas of learning: personal, social and emotional development; communication, language and literacy; mathematical development; knowledge and understanding of the world; physical development; creative development. 2 All levels of the National Curriculum are awarded a point score. The average score for all pupils taking the test is used to grade schools in each year. The expected average point score at age eleven is 27. Tables are adjusted to reflect the national average score before grading. Comparative grades are shown in the Summary. Smallwood Primary School & Language Unit even though they are likely to meet the early learning goals only for personal, social and emotional development by the time they leave the reception class.

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Commentary

2. The results in the 2003 national tests for eleven year olds are well below average in English mathematics and science. When these results are compared with similar schools, based on pupils’ prior attainment at seven, they are well below average in English and very low in mathematics and science. The results of the 2003 tests for seven year olds, and of teacher assessments in science, are well below average in reading, writing, mathematics and science. The school’s results show significant improvement on those of the previous year in reading and writing at the age of seven, and in English, mathematics and science at the age of eleven. The inclusion in the school’s figures of the results of the full range of pupils aged seven and eleven, including pupils of these ages in the Language Unit, needs to be borne in mind when comparing the school’s results with those of other schools.

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Commentary

3. Inspection findings confirm that standards are well below average in English and mathematics at the ages of seven and eleven. They are average in science by eleven. Standards are below average in all other subjects at seven and eleven with the exception of history at eleven, when they are average, and in games skills in physical education at eleven when they are above average. In religious education standards are in line with the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus at both ages. Pupils achieve satisfactorily in all subjects except in ICT and design and technology by the ages of seven and eleven, but their achievement in subjects where language is an important tool is constrained by the low level of their speaking, reading and writing skills. In ICT and design and technology, achievement is unsatisfactory at both ages because the teaching of ICT is unsatisfactory and there is too little time allocated to design and technology

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Commentary

for pupils to make the expected progress. In science and history, pupils’ achievement is good by eleven. Both subjects are well taught in Years 5 and 6.

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Commentary

4. By the time pupils leave the school at the age of eleven the majority have made satisfactory progress in most subjects. Some pupils who have the potential for higher attainment do not achieve as well as they should. This is because they are often not given suitably challenging work, beyond that of the rest of the class. The results of national tests in 2003 show that the proportion of pupils achieving higher than the expected Level 2 at the age of seven was very low in reading, writing and mathematics. At the age of eleven, the proportion achieving the higher Level 5 in mathematics and science was very low but in English was close to the national average. There is no significant difference between the achievement of boys and girls. Pupils with special educational needs achieve well in relation to their prior attainment in each key stage.

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Commentary

5. Standards have fallen since the previous inspection. The results of national tests in 2003 show that standards are now rising, even though they remain low. The trend over the previous three years has shown a slow rise although it remains below the national trend. Achievement remains satisfactory.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

Attendance is poor and punctuality is unsatisfactory . Pupils’ attitudes are satisfactory and behaviour is good . Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is satisfactory .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The rate of pupils’ attendance is well below that of similar schools nationally. • A significant number of pupils arrive late for school. • The school sets very high expectations for pupils’ conduct, and behaviour is good overall. • Principles are set in school that enable pupils to distinguish right from wrong. • There are good relationships in the school. • The provision for pupils’ social and moral development is good. Smallwood Primary School & Language Unit

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Commentary

6. Pupils’ attendance is poor. The level of both authorised and unauthorised absences is very high. This is due in the main to sickness, medical reasons and family holidays taken in term time. These absences are having a negative impact on the achievement of the pupils concerned. A number of pupils often arrive late and this disrupts the start of the school day. Registers are now kept in accordance with statutory requirements and this is an improvement since the previous inspection.

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Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data 8.6 School data 1.1 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 in the latest complete reporting year (%)

7. Most pupils are successful in meeting the very high expectations of behaviour that are set for them. They enjoy school. They maintain good relationships, built on trust, with most teachers and support staff. Teachers act as good role models. Pupils distinguish right from wrong and understand what is acceptable and unacceptable in terms of attitudes and behaviour. This makes a valuable contribution to their moral development.

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Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

8. Most pupils with special educational needs have a positive attitude to their work. On entry they frequently lack social skills and concentration. During their time in school many require additional support to develop these qualities. The school provides equal access to all pupils to opportunities to extend their personal and social skills. Pupils with emotional or behavioural difficulties make good progress in acquiring socially acceptable standards of behaviour.

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Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

9. Behaviour in and around the school is good. It is very good in the nursery and reception classes. Elsewhere in the school, where teaching is unsatisfactory or the pace of the lesson is slow, pupils become restless. There has been a significant reduction of incidents of bad behaviour recorded over the past three years. Two pupils were excluded in the past academic year for short fixed periods.

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Categories used in the Annual School Census No of pupils on roll Number of fixed period exclusions Number of permanent exclusions White – British 101 2 White – any other White background 8 Mixed – White and Black Caribbean 10 Mixed – White and Black African 1 Mixed – any other mixed background 4 Asian or Asian British - Indian 1 Asian or Asian British - Pakistani 10 Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 1

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – any other Asian background 5 Black or Black British - Caribbean 44 Black or Black British - African 32 Smallwood Primary School & Language Unit Black or Black British – any other Black background 2 The table gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

10. Pupils’ social and moral development is good. Their cultural and spiritual development is satisfactory. Pupils develop good self-knowledge and respect for the feelings and values of others. They know right from wrong. They are developing satisfactory spiritual awareness and are learning to appreciate their own and others’ cultural traditions. The school provides some opportunities for pupils to explore values and the beliefs of others, through religious education. There are fewer occasions offered to pupils for them to experience and appreciate within the curriculum moments of beauty and mystery, through music and art for example. Assemblies encourage time for reflection on themes connected with human feelings, emotions and deeper issues, but are not acts of collective worship.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

The school provides a satisfactory quality of education. It is a very inclusive school in that it makes all pupils feel part of the school and valued as individuals. It cares well for its pupils. Teaching, learning and curricular provision are satisfactory overall. It has a satisfactory partnership with parents and good links with the community and other schools.

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Teaching and learning

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory overall. The quality of assessment is unsatisfactory .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching is good in the Foundation Stage, in Years 5 and 6 and in the Language Unit. • Most teachers manage pupils’ behaviour well. • Assessment is not thorough enough in most subjects and does not help pupils to understand how they can improve their work. • The teaching of pupils with special educational needs is good and assistants provide good support for learning. • Teachers’ subject knowledge is generally good but is unsatisfactory in ICT. • Teachers do not plan work of sufficient challenge for pupils with potential for higher attainment.

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Commentary

11. Most teaching and learning are at least satisfactory. In over half of lessons they are good and in 20 per cent they are very good. The teaching of English and science is better than that of mathematics and in ICT it is unsatisfactory. Teaching is strongest in the Foundation Stage, in Years 5 and 6 and in the Language Unit and pupils make good progress. In Years 3 and 4 it is satisfactory and in Years 1 and 2 it is unsatisfactory overall because the proportion of unsatisfactory teaching is too high. Overall, the proportion of teaching that is satisfactory or good has fallen slightly since the previous inspection.

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Commentary

12. Teachers have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Most teachers set firm guidelines and pupils respond well. Where behaviour and learning are unsatisfactory, this results from poorly organised teaching and a lack of clear objectives for learning. In well-taught lessons teachers set clear objectives and have good strategies to help pupils achieve them and to consolidate their knowledge and skills. Pupils enjoy practical activities and learn well through investigative work, for example in science. These lessons are well paced and much is achieved. Pupils work well with their teachers and with other pupils and their good behaviour enhances their learning. Teachers’ subject knowledge is generally good, except in ICT where teachers lack confidence and awareness of the standards expected. The teaching of pupils with special educational needs is good and these pupils are included well in lessons, partly through the help of teaching

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Commentary

assistants who support learning and behaviour well. Smallwood Primary School & Language Unit 13. Where teaching is weak, teachers do not have enough strategies to vary the way pupils learn, and do not use the support of assistants effectively. Support for the small number of pupils who are at an early stage of learning English is satisfactory in its quality, but it is unsatisfactory to group these pupils with others with special educational needs. Their language needs are not met well in these mixed groups. Teachers do not plan systematically to provide work of higher challenge for pupils who are potentially higher-attainers. These pupils sometimes under- achieve because the work given them is not demanding enough.

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Commentary

14. Teachers mark pupils’ written work regularly but there is little guidance on how pupils can improve their work. The assessment of pupils’ progress is satisfactory in English but unsatisfactory in all other subjects. This is because pupils’ work is not regularly assessed against National Curriculum criteria, so that it is difficult to track pupils’ progress from level to level. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress towards the targets set in their individual education plans. The teaching of pupils in the Language Unit is good and sometimes it is very good. Teachers use their substantial expertise to match teaching closely to pupils’ needs.

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 50 lessons

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very poor

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 50 lessons

0 (0%) 10 (20%) 18(36%) 17(34%) 4 (8%) 1 (2%) 0 (0%)

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 50 lessons

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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The curriculum

The school provides a satisfactory curriculum that meets statutory requirements. The range of additional activities that enrich the curriculum is satisfactory. Accommodation and resources are satisfactory overall. Accommodation for the Foundation Stage is unsatisfactory

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The strong focus on English and mathematics meets pupils’ needs for basic skills. • The curricular time for some subjects is too little to enable pupils to develop the knowledge, understanding and skills expected. • The accommodation for the Foundation Stage adversely affects the quality of provision. • Provision for personal, social, health and citizenship education is unsatisfactory.

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Commentary

15. The school's curriculum covers all the required subjects and is designed to meet the particular needs of its pupils. Many pupils enter the school with very limited skills in literacy and numeracy, and analysis of test results shows that this weakness persists across the school. The school has allocated extra time to literacy, in particular to reading and writing. The additional focus on reading has raised reading skills as shown in improved performance in tests at the ages of seven and eleven in 2003. Additional time has been allocated for spelling and writing. As yet there has been little evaluation of the effectiveness of this provision. Some pupils in Years 5 and 6, who already have good handwriting skills, lose valuable time by being given further lessons in handwriting . In science there is a good emphasis on scientific enquiry. In mathematics there is little investigative work. The curriculum in the Foundation Stage covers

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Commentary

all the required areas of learning. There is insufficient time for children to explore, investigate and make their own choices about how they work.

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Commentary

16. The concentration on literacy and numeracy has left little time for work in geography, history, music and design and technology. The programme in design and technology is particularly Smallwood Primary School & Language Unit sparse. There is insufficient time to build up pupils' knowledge, skills and understanding in a progressive way as they move up the school and this affects their achievement. The curriculum for pupils with special educational needs is satisfactory. There is a good specialist physical education programme for pupils with limited motor skills. The curriculum in the Language Unit is well matched to pupils’ complex learning needs. Provision for pupils for whom English is an additional language is satisfactory but for the small number at an early stage of learning English there is too little specialist teaching for them to make good progress.

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Commentary

17. The school's planning for personal, social and health education, including citizenship, is inadequate. There is no overall scheme of work through the school. There is some good provision for this area, including programmes of sex education and drugs awareness. Local police and social services provide an effective programme in aspects of citizenship for pupils in Year 5. The headteacher makes a very positive contribution in assemblies to social and moral development. The school does not provide a daily act of collective worship.

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Commentary

18. There is a satisfactory number and range of extra activities, open to all pupils. Opportunities to participate in sport are good. Visiting coaches teach rugby and cricket, and clubs are run by the school's own staff. There are regular musical and dramatic productions, visits to places of interest and a productive relationship with a theatre company based in one of the school's surplus buildings.

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Commentary

19. There are sufficient teachers to meet the requirements of the curriculum. As a result of the budget deficit in this financial year, the school has reduced by 20 per cent the number of hours of support staff. While pupils with special educational needs are generally well supported, in some lessons, particularly in the afternoons, the lack of support staff means that pupils cannot always receive the extra support they need. Accommodation in the main school is spacious and the school makes good use of spare classrooms. Teachers and assistants work hard to make classrooms and corridors attractive. The accommodation for the reception class is unsatisfactory. The small size of the classroom inhibits the range of activities. The outside play area is satisfactory but access from the classroom is difficult. The provision of resources for learning is satisfactory except in the library. Most reading resources are kept in classrooms.

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Care, guidance and support

The provision for pupils’ care, welfare, health and safety is good. The provision of support, advice and guidance based on monitoring of personal development is satisfactory . It is unsatisfactory in terms of academic monitoring. Procedures for gathering pupils’ views are good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The school council provides a valuable opportunity for pupils to be involved in school improvement. • Peer mentoring allows pupils to care for each other. • Induction arrangements for new pupils are good. • Procedures to ensure that pupils work in a safe and healthy environment are good. • There are good and trusting relationships between most staff and most pupils. • The monitoring of pupils’ personal development is good but the monitoring of their academic progress is unsatisfactory.

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Commentary

20. This is a caring and friendly school where teachers and support staff know their pupils’ personal needs well. Parents are happy with the care given to their children. Pupils, including those with special educational needs, are well supported by the good relationships that exist. Pupils feel that teachers treat them fairly and with respect. The induction process for new pupils is of a high quality and leads to most pupils being able to settle quickly into school routines. All statutory requirements relating to child protection and health and safety are in place and some provision is made for those users who have disabilities. Child protection procedures Smallwood Primary School & Language Unit are secure. The policy is implemented effectively and is in line with that of local child care procedures.

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Commentary

21. The school considers pupils’ views mostly through the school council, on a number of topical issues. Pupils approve of this and feel they are valued and listened to and that their views are taken seriously. Peer mentors have recently been appointed. These older pupils take responsibility for younger pupils who may be experiencing difficulties or need a friendly face to talk to. This is a good initiative that is liked by those pupils concerned with it. Although the school monitors pupils’ personal development and reports to parents on this, the lack of assessment in most subjects makes it difficult to provide well-informed guidance about their academic progress. For pupils with special educational needs advice and guidance are good because their progress towards the targets of their individual education plans is monitored well The learning mentor makes a significant contribution and works with families to support pupils

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Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

The school has a satisfactory partnership with parents. It has good links with the community and other schools and colleges.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Parents are very satisfied with the school and what it provides. • Relations with the parents of pupils in the Language Unit are very good. • The school has productive links with the community and these continue to be developed. • The good links with other schools ensure that pupils transfer happily into their next stage of education, and also help to enhance the curriculum. • Some parents feel insufficiently informed about their child’s progress.

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Commentary

22. Parents are very satisfied with the work of the school, and they praise the Language Unit in particular. Parents of pupils in the Unit have very good relations with the teachers. They attend all annual reviews of the progress of their children. Links with parents of pupils with special educational needs in the main school are unsatisfactory. Few parents attend termly reviews on individual education plans, apart from parents of pupils with statements.

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Commentary

23. Parents agree that their children are expected to work hard. Parents consider the school to be well led and managed and agree that it runs smoothly. A small number of parents would like to receive more regular information about their child’s progress and for the two formal meetings to be spread more evenly across the academic year. Some would appreciate a third formal meeting. The end-of-year progress report lacks targets for improvement in English, mathematics and science. There is insufficient information, in reporting on the other subjects of the curriculum, about what pupils know, understand and can do. The school recognises the need to address these concerns.

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Commentary

24. The school has effective involvement with the local community. Pupils make visits to places of educational interest, such as local museums and a nearby hospital, and the school takes part in a harvest festival at the local church. Visitors to the school include representatives from the police, fire services and drama students from Kingston University. Local residents and volunteers come into school to talk to the children about events in history. All of these visits and visitors have a positive impact on pupils’ achievement. The school’s premises are used for after-school and community activities during the week and at weekends.

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Commentary

25. Links with other schools in the area are good and serve to raise awareness of pupil issues before they transfer to secondary school and identify those children coming into the nursery from pre-school groups. Students from the nearby university attend the school to carry out teaching practice. Smallwood Primary School & Language Unit Smallwood Primary School & Language Unit

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The leadership, management and governance of the school are satisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The headteacher, governors and key staff share a very strong commitment to creating an inclusive school. • The leadership and management of the Language Unit are very good. • Strategic planning draws well on analysis of data to identify priorities for learning but does not give sufficient priority to improving the quality of teaching. • Governors support the school well but do not challenge it sufficiently to improve. • Senior managers form an effective management team and ensure that the school runs smoothly. • The monitoring of teaching has improved performance in literacy and numeracy but has not extended to other subjects. • Subject leaders do not sufficiently monitor teachers’ planning, teaching or pupils’ progress. • Financial management is good.

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Commentary

26. The governors support the school well in helping to shape its vision. They have a satisfactory understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. The governors do not have a clearly defined role in evaluating the effectiveness of the school. Their visits to the school and observation of lessons are supportive to teachers but lack criteria to enable them to monitor progress in relation to school improvement. The governing body carries out its statutory duties effectively, except that it does not ensure that there is a daily act of collective worship.

p.16

Commentary

27. The leadership of the headteacher has successfully guided the school through significant changes since the previous inspection. These have included changes in staffing and the replacement of experienced teachers with those more recently qualified, as well as the recent re-organisation of classes from mixed-age into year group classes in order to adjust to a falling roll. This has been effective and has contributed well to good financial management. Performance management is in place and personal targets are set for teachers that relate to school improvement as well as professional development. This process has helped to improve the teaching of English and mathematics but has not yet been applied to teaching in other subjects, or succeeded in improving the 10 per cent of unsatisfactory teaching.

p.16

Commentary

28. The headteacher and senior staff ensure that all pupils in the school are valued and share fully in its life and work. Pupils across the school with special educational needs and those in the Language Unit are well involved in many aspects of the school’s work, including lessons, daily routines and extra-curricular activities. This strong commitment to inclusion is shared and supported by governors. It contributes well to the personal development of all pupils.

p.16

Commentary

29. The recent inclusion of the teacher in charge of the Language Unit in the senior management team is helping to create a strong senior management team. The leadership and management of the Unit are very good, and are good generally of special needs. Senior managers provide good role models for staff and pupils, and their leadership ensures an atmosphere in which pupils feel secure and valued.

p.16

Commentary

30. Strategic planning is satisfactory and draws well on analysis of data from national tests to identify priorities for learning. The priority given to raising the achievement of pupils in reading, and the action taken, have led to improved results in 2003 tests. The school improvement plan does not give enough priority to raising the quality of teaching across the curriculum.

p.16

Commentary

31. In the last year senior managers have monitored the teaching of literacy and numeracy. The findings from this monitoring, and from analysis of the results of national tests, have informed Smallwood Primary School & Language Unit strategic planning and this has helped to raise standards in reading in 2003. There has been no monitoring by senior managers of teaching in other subjects.

p.16

Commentary

32. The leadership and management of mathematics, ICT, religious education, the arts and humanities are unsatisfactory. Curriculum leaders do not adequately monitor planning for each subject nor have they developed satisfactory assessment procedures. This results in unsatisfactory tracking of pupils’ progress in all subjects as they move up the school. It also leads to parents’ concerns that they are not well enough informed of their children’s progress through oral and annual written reports.

p.17

Commentary

33. Financial management is good. The headteacher and governors have acted promptly and responsibly to eliminate the unexpected deficit incurred in the current financial year. This has involved a reduction in staffing of 2.5 teachers and of 20 per cent of support staff hours. The reduction in hours has resulted in the concentration of support in the mornings and, on occasion, there is inadequate support in the afternoons to meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs. The school applies the principles of best value where it is able to do so. The lack of financial information provided by the local education authority in respect of the funding for the Language Unit prevents the school from applying best value principles when reviewing this provision. This is unsatisfactory for the school.

p.17

Financial information for the year April 2002 to March 2003

Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 1,311057 Balance from previous year 14,774 Total expenditure 1,310757 Balance carried forward to the next 0 Expenditure per pupil 4,443

p.17

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils in the Language Unit achieve well. • Assessment is very good. • Pupils are included very well in the work of the school. • Teaching is well matched to the pace of pupils’ development, understanding, and speech and language difficulties. • The learning support staff team supports pupils’ development very effectively. • Leadership and management of the Language Unit are very good. • Curriculum planning within the Unit is good but it is sometimes unsatisfactory in lessons taught by other teachers.

p.17

Commentary

34. Achievement is good. Pupils make good progress against prior attainment. Frequently this progress is very good and pupils become increasingly confident in communicating, making sense of what they hear and expressing themselves. During their time in the Language Unit they make good progress in developing personal and social skills and are well involved in setting their own targets and reviewing them. Pupils from the Unit are very well integrated into the school. They join mainstream classes where this meets their social and educational needs and achieve well. They join in extra-curricular activities such as school productions and visits. Relationships with other pupils are good. Smallwood Primary School & Language Unit 35. Teaching is good overall. Sometimes it is very good. The very good teaching includes a range of communication aids to enable all pupils to develop speaking and listening and communication skills. The school has developed the use of Paget-Gorman signed speech,

p.17

Commentary

cued articulation and picture symbols to respond to a wide range of language and communication needs. The learning support team are very effective in supporting pupils’ learning and development. Potentially difficult behaviour is very well managed and this contributes to the good progress pupils make. The wide range of teaching methods used is also effective in supporting pupils who do not have English as a first language. Occasionally teaching lacks sufficient opportunities for higher attaining pupils to go at a faster pace. Some lesson planning is inadequate in this respect. There is insufficient monitoring of the use of ICT.

p.18

Commentary

36. Assessment practice is very good. Preparation for annual reviews is thorough and all parents attend. Therapists as well as the school staff contribute and reports are of a high quality. Feedback and praise is used well in lessons to motivate pupils and weekly assessment of progress has a good influence on teaching. Portage assessment helps with the assessment of pupils at very early stages of development.

p.18

Commentary

37. The development of the curriculum to match pupils’ special educational needs is good. These have become increasingly complex in recent years. A significant number have social communication disorders and behaviour that lies on the autistic spectrum. The teachers in the Unit have developed a highly differentiated, developmental curriculum that meets their needs well. This has also benefited pupils in mainstream classes when they work with pupils in the Unit. Occasionally, when pupils from the Unit are taught by other teachers, the curriculum has not been satisfactorily adapted to provide a sound base for learning. The Unit curriculum does not provide a sufficient basis for planning over the long term as each class has a mixed age group, usually spanning three years. Older pupils at Key Stage 2 do not receive their full teaching entitlement as they leave school 15 minutes early every day. This is due to the

p.18

Commentary

demands of the bus company but over a school year the total time lost is significant.

p.18

Commentary

38. Leadership of the Unit is very good. The teacher in charge is very experienced and has a very good knowledge of the needs of the pupils. She has recently become a member of the senior management team, where her role in relation to the whole school has been enlarged, and this supports well the school’s inclusive aims. The expectation of the local education authority that she spend time on other duties outside the school restricts the time she can give to the school. This is unsatisfactory. The whole team in the Unit are dedicated and show a high standard of professionalism. There is very low staff turnover. Management is also very good. Systems for assessment and liaison with other professionals and outside agencies work well. Relationships with parents are good.

p.18

Commentary

39. There are good levels of staffing and satisfactory resources. The allocated budget to the school does not identify the cost of the Unit. This lack of information about the funding restricts the school’s ability to apply best value principles when evaluating the provision. Smallwood Primary School & Language Unit

p.18

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Provision for children in the Foundation Stage is satisfactory .

p.19

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

40. The quality of provision is similar to that reported at the time of the previous inspection. Most children enter the nursery with well below average levels of attainment, although a few are at average or above average levels. By the end of the reception year, most children are on course to meet the early learning goals in personal, social and emotional development but are unlikely to meet them in all other areas of learning.

p.19

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

41. The nursery and reception classes are both managed efficiently and prepare children well for the next stage of education. The curriculum in the nursery is good and in the reception class it is satisfactory. Teaching is good and many of the strengths in teaching reported in the previous inspection have been maintained, particularly in the nursery. Some areas of learning are under- emphasised in the reception class, and the change in style from nursery to reception is too abrupt. Recent changes in leadership and management have not yet led to adequate monitoring to ensure that work in each area of learning continues into the reception class. The accommodation for the Foundation Stage is unsatisfactory.

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Most children are on course to reach the expected goals by the end of the reception year. • There are very good opportunities for children in the nursery to become independent but fewer in the reception class. • All staff in both classes have high and consistent expectations about children's behaviour, and children behave well.

p.19

Commentary

42. Personal development is strongly emphasised in both classes and children achieve well. Children are familiar with nursery routines and move confidently between activities, mostly playing on their own but increasingly relating to other children. They behave well, responding positively to all the adults present because very good relationships have been built up. They express their enjoyment openly, often reacting with delight or wonder as they explore new skills.

p.19

Commentary

43. In the reception class, staff build well upon this beginning. Adults make their expectations clear and enforce basic rules consistently. Children work hard and usually concentrate well. They are taught to value the opinions of others. Those with more substantial special educational needs are very well supported, but occasionally are not sufficiently encouraged to relate to the other children in the class. Children in the reception class do not have enough opportunities to learn through play, to organise their own time, and to make their own decisions about how they will carry out tasks. Most are on course to meet the expected goals by the end of the year.

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

• There is good teaching in the reception class of the basic skills of reading and writing. • Opportunities are missed to extend children's spoken language. Smallwood Primary School & Language Unit • There are good opportunities for children in the nursery to write.

p.19

Commentary

44. There is extensive, well-planned provision for this area of learning. In the nursery, children learn how to handle books and develop a love of stories, especially in the daily story time. Staff use questioning well to develop language and many children are able to respond in full sentences. There are good opportunities for children to practise writing and mark making but they need more active adult involvement in their role-play so as to encourage their speaking. Some of the higher-attaining children are making good progress in learning to write their own names.

p.20

Commentary

45. In the reception class, reading and writing skills are developed well through systematic teaching in daily lessons. Most children write with well-formed letters, although the size of letters and spacing between words may be inconsistent. Children's listening skills are developed well through a good programme using musical instruments, led by a well-trained teaching assistant. Opportunities to speak, especially in small groups or to partners, are less frequent. Consequently, children mostly speak hesitantly and quietly, rather than extending their ideas confidently in a series of sentences. Most children are unlikely to meet all the goals in this area by the end of the reception year.

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

• In the nursery, mathematical skills are developed well. • There is a good emphasis on learning through practical activities.

p.20

Commentary

46. Children make good progress in this area of learning but are unlikely to meet all the relevant goals by the end of the reception year. In the nursery, children are very well taught. They encounter numbers and shapes in a wide range of carefully planned situations. Children count as they eat their snacks or sing action and counting songs. Most children recognise and name circles and triangles, though rarely squares, and count up to five.

p.20

Commentary

47. Reception children are taught basic mathematical concepts well, using practical methods where possible. They extend their knowledge of numbers, shape and size through activities such as placing five triangles in order of size or creating pictures from mathematical shapes. Children count to twelve and usually beyond. Lower-attaining children have not grasped the principle of matching numbers exactly with objects. Most understand one more than and know the names of common two-dimensional shapes, though not of solid shapes.

p.20

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

48. There is insufficient evidence to make a judgement about provision in this area of learning. There is adequate planning in the nursery for each of this area's early learning goals. The programme for this area does not cover all the requirements. Children have too few opportunities to investigate using a wide range of resources. Role-play areas are insufficiently used, for example to serve as everyday environment functions, such as offices, garages or shops.

p.20

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

49. There is not enough evidence to make a judgement about overall provision in this area. The nursery outdoor area is used to provide a very good range of activities, including many to promote physical development, such as balancing and climbing activities, and riding cycles. As a result, children undertake these activities with confidence. Indoors, children regularly use Smallwood Primary School & Language Unit scissors, glue, pencils or brushes to develop their control of tools. These activities are continued in the reception class.

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

• There is good teaching of skills in this area of learning. • Opportunities for imaginative play are too limited. • Teachers do not plan for children regularly to select creative activities independently.

p.21

Commentary

50. Most children enter the nursery with particularly low levels of skill in this area. They are unfamiliar with play as a way of learning and have little experience of creative activities. Nursery staff plan an extensive range of activities, teaching skills such as finger painting and printing. The children often respond with delight as they discover what they can achieve. There are regular music sessions led by a specialist music teacher. In the reception class, children build a good repertoire of ways of representing the world around them. There are too few opportunities for children to make their own selection of techniques and media, or to choose their own subject matter. The physical limitations of the classroom make it difficult to work at length on creative ideas. Role-play areas in the reception class contain unexciting and often poor quality resources. Although overall progress is satisfactory, children are not on course to

p.21

Commentary

meet all the targets in this area of learning.

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards are well below average by the ages of seven and eleven. • In most classes the quality of teaching and learning is good. • In some classes, teachers' expectations about the standards of writing are too low. • Teachers do not use assessment to plan for different levels of challenge for pupils of differing abilities. • The subject co-ordinator provides good leadership. • The school does not evaluate adequately the effectiveness of action taken to address weaknesses, such as in writing.

p.21

Commentary

51. At ages seven and eleven, standards in English are well below average and are much lower than at the time of the previous inspection. The standards of pupils’ attainment in language and literacy when they enter the school are now well below average and have declined since the previous inspection. In the 2003 national tests for pupils aged seven, standards in English were very low, with only just over a half reaching the expected levels in reading and writing. In the tests for pupils at the age of 11, standards were below average when compared with those of pupils nationally and in schools with a broadly similar intake. However, test results are misleading in this school. They include a substantial number of pupils in the Language Unit whose difficulties with learning depress their attainment. When these pupils are discounted, standards in reading in the present Year 6 cohort are at average levels, although standards in

p.21

Commentary

speaking and writing remain below average. The proportion of pupils who achieved the higher Level 5 in the 2003 tests was close to the national average. Smallwood Primary School & Language Unit 52. The overall achievement of pupils, including those with special educational needs, is satisfactory by the end of Year 6. Pupils for whom English is an additional language achieve as well as their peers once they have reached a level of competence in the English language. The small number of pupils at an early stage of learning English do not achieve as well because there is insufficient support for them. All pupils are very well included in the work of their classes. When pupils enter the school their attainment in English is well below average. By the end of Year 2 they have achieved well, although their attainment in speaking, listening and reading is below expectations, and in writing it is well below. There is a dip in progress through

p.21

Commentary

Years 3 and 4, where teaching is less strong, but there is much better progress through Years 5 and 6 where teaching is good.

p.22

Commentary

53. Listening skills are satisfactory in Year 2. Pupils’ replies to questions indicate attentive listening and good understanding, but they are less attentive to contributions from other pupils. Speaking skills are considerably weaker. Speaking skills develop well in Year 5 because pupils often discuss with their partners and speak at length on subjects of interest to them. Both speaking and listening are weak in Year 6. Many pupils are reluctant to contribute to discussions. Some pupils have difficulties in completing tasks, despite clear instructions, because they have not listened. There are some good extra-curricular opportunities for pupils to speak confidently to an audience, such as performances, productions and the weekly drama club. The school has not yet planned a programme to develop progressively all pupils' skills in speaking and listening

p.22

Commentary

54. Standards in reading are below average in Year 2. All pupils are keen to read and take their books home regularly to practise. However, reading is sometimes inaccurate because pupils pay too little attention to the meaning of the text and fail to correct mistakes. The school's concentration on reading has been effective because pupils in Year 6 achieve average standards. Most read accurately, fluently and with good comprehension, although some inaccuracies that radically alter the meaning of the text are not corrected. Library skills are below average. This is because there is too little teaching of these skills, the school library is poor and is little used.

p.22

Commentary

55. The school has begun to take action to raise standards in writing, but improvement is not yet evident. Standards remain well below average in both Year 2 and Year 6. Punctuation and grammar are the weakest elements, particularly in Year 6. The main strategies have been to increase the time allocation and to improve teaching, but the effectiveness of these actions has not been evaluated to discover if extra time spent on writing is effective. Some time could be used more productively.

p.22

Commentary

56. The quality of teaching in most classes is good. In Year 1 and Year 5 it is very good. In Year 4 it is satisfactory. No unsatisfactory teaching of English was seen. In all classes teachers teach basic skills well. They insist upon high standards of behaviour and pupils learn well. In the Year 1 and 2 class, the teacher uses very effective methods to extend pupils' writing, discussing the progress of the story and then writing a question to prompt the pupils to continue the writing. In Year 2, there is good intervention by the teacher to share good practice. In Year 3 the teacher uses questioning well to involve all pupils. Examination of pupils’ work shows that in some classes, teachers expect too little of their pupils and accept poor presentation of work. Teachers tell pupils what they need to do to improve but do not insist that improvements are actually made. In other classes, too much written work is based upon worksheets that give

p.22

Commentary

pupils insufficient practice in writing at length. As a result, pupils have no opportunity to punctuate a sequence of sentences. Teaching is strongest in Years 5 and 6. In Year 5, lessons are very well structured to provide interesting input and opportunities to work creatively, so pupils are eager to participate. The teacher's expectations about work and behaviour are very high and pupils respond by working diligently.

p.22

Commentary

57. Although teachers assess the writing that pupils complete, the results of these assessments are rarely used to vary the tasks given to pupils with differing levels of attainment. Higher- attaining pupils, who are often capable of more advanced work, achieve less than they could. On occasion, pupils with lower levels of attainment, including those with special educational Smallwood Primary School & Language Unit needs, occasionally struggle to complete tasks that are beyond their capabilities, although they are well supported by assistants. In general, the teaching and support for pupils with special educational needs is good.

p.22

Commentary

58. Improvement since the previous inspection is satisfactory. Although standards have fallen, pupils’ attainment on entry has also fallen. Achievement is satisfactory. The school's efforts to improve standards are slowly bearing fruit. The leadership and management of the subject co- ordinator are good. She contributes well by monitoring teaching in all classes alongside other senior staff, but this is carried out too infrequently to ensure consistency between classes, for example in marking. The co-ordinator is aware of strengths and areas for development, including speaking and listening, and has produced a good action plan. The school has not yet evaluated the effectiveness of the action it has taken to improve writing. Teachers and support staff have benefited from training. This enables support staff to contribute well to pupils' learning.

p.23

Language and literacy across the curriculum

59. Some subjects provide good opportunities for pupils to use their literacy skills. For example, Year 2 pupils wrote questions to ask elderly people about the toys they played with as children. Year 6 pupils have completed some lively writing about life in Ancient Greek cities. Teachers do not take advantage of literacy lessons to teach specific vocabulary for other subjects, although specialist terms are taught in other subjects, such as mathematics and science. Teachers do not draw on a wide range of non-fiction texts. Pupils' understanding of work in subjects such as religious education is sometimes limited because of their weak skills in literacy. In science, their understanding is better than their ability to express it.

p.23

MATHEMATICS

Provision in mathematics is satisfactory

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards of attainment are well below average. • Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory. • Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour are good. • Systems for assessment are inadequate and are not used to inform planning. • Leadership and management are unsatisfactory.

p.23

Commentary

60. Pupils’ knowledge and understanding of number and shapes at the age of seven are well below average. The majority of pupils add and subtract to 100 and measure objects using centimetres. They redraw shapes from different sides and handle money to 20p with accuracy. Pupils with special educational needs are included effectively in whole-class sessions although they find this level of work difficult without support. The few more able pupils do not reach a higher level of work because teachers do not plan systematically to provide them with more challenging work.

p.23

Commentary

61. By the age of 11, pupils’ attainment remains well below average. Most pupils multiply hundreds of pounds and pence, calculate perimeters and areas and use co-ordinates to record rotating shapes using four quadrants at a level below that expected. The action taken to improve pupils’ skills of mental calculation has resulted in more confident performance by pupils. This was a key issue at the previous inspection. These skills have improved but are still below average. In spite of standards that remain well below average, achievement is satisfactory because most pupils enter the school with well below average attainment in mathematical development. Pupils of differing abilities are well included in lessons and work well together. Pupils from the Language Unit sometimes join lessons and work well with the class. They achieve well. Smallwood Primary School & Language Unit 62. Overall, the quality of teaching is satisfactory. Two thirds of teaching and learning seen on

p.23

Commentary

inspection were good. No unsatisfactory teaching was seen but there are weaknesses in the way some teachers plan and in the assessment of pupils’ attainment and progress. Teaching is strongest in Years 2, 5 and 6. All teachers use the National Numeracy Strategy satisfactorily. In some cases they use it well to teach well-paced and well-structured lessons in which pupils learn well. Most teachers present explanations and examples clearly so that pupils learn by listening carefully to what is being explained and develop a good understanding of mathematical concepts. Teachers use mathematical terms well and pupils are familiar with their meaning. This is a useful contribution to the development of their literacy skills. Pupils behave well and most have good, sometimes very good, attitudes to the subject. They collaborate effectively in group work as they are familiar with class routines and know what to do. Learning assistants

p.24

Commentary

provide good support for pupils with special educational needs and this produces an enthusiastic attitude to learning. Teachers’ planning overall is satisfactory but does not meet the learning needs of pupils of differing ability, especially those of more able pupils. The systems for assessing pupils’ work provide an overview of progress over time but are not specific enough to provide detailed information about individual pupils’ needs. This makes it harder for teachers to provide more challenging work for those pupils with the potential for higher attainment. The progress of pupils with special educational needs is tracked well because progress is matched to the targets in their individual education plans. Pupils rarely use computers to help them learn but teachers use learning aids well in lessons to help pupils understand abstract concepts such as time.

p.24

Commentary

63. The leadership and management of the subject are unsatisfactory. Teachers, led by the co- ordinator, have been effective in improving pupils’ skills of mental calculation. They have not been effective in devising strategies to raise standards overall. For example, there is no portfolio of work that teachers can use to moderate pupils’ standards in relation to National Curriculum levels of attainment in order to plan work that is suitably challenging. Senior managers monitor teaching through classroom observations, but there is no regular monitoring of teachers’ planning or of pupils’ work. Teachers and teaching assistants generally work well together but there is no formal system for teachers to plan with teaching assistants in order to develop strategies for improving pupils’ learning. The curriculum in mathematics matches the requirements of the National Curriculum satisfactorily. There is little emphasis on making

p.24

Commentary

investigations where pupils learn to solve problems by thinking independently. The quality of provision and standards has declined since the previous inspection.

p.24

Mathematics across the curriculum

64. There are very few instances of pupils using mathematics in other subjects. Consequently, pupils neither develop their mathematical skills in other contexts nor learn to use mathematics to communicate what they have learned.

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching is good. • Achievement by the age of eleven is good. • Assessment is unsatisfactory. • The teaching of scientific enquiry is good. • The monitoring of teaching and planning is unsatisfactory.

p.24

Commentary

65. Standards by the age of seven are below average. By the age of eleven they are average. Standards have fallen since the previous inspection. In the 2003 national test for pupils aged eleven, standards were below average but showed a 15 per cent improvement since the previous year. Achievement is satisfactory by the age of seven and good by the age of eleven. Smallwood Primary School & Language Unit Pupils with special educational needs achieve well and are very well included in the work. Once pupils for whom English is an additional language reach a satisfactory level of competence in the English language, they achieve as well as their peers. The small number of pupils at an early stage of learning English do not achieve satisfactorily.

p.24

Commentary

66. Teaching is good in Years 1 and 2 and in Years 5 and 6. It is satisfactory in Years 3 and 4. Teachers use National Curriculum planning effectively to guide their work and this allows pupils to make sound progress in acquiring knowledge and skills. By Year 6, pupils have studied a satisfactory range of topics about living things and how they grow, materials and how they change, and physical processes including forces, magnetism and electricity.

p.25

Commentary

67. There is a strong emphasis on scientific enquiry. Pupils are taught to think carefully about the investigations they carry out and this helps to develop their scientific understanding. In a Year 1/2 class, pupils enjoyed finding out which materials were waterproof and carried out their investigation sensibly and thoughtfully. In Years 5 and 6, pupils learn well how to carry out a fair test and how to record their findings systematically. The ability of many pupils to explain their findings, in speaking and in writing, is often hampered by their weakness in literacy, but their understanding is good. In investigative work, pupils with the potential for higher-attainment achieve well and work to their own capabilities.

p.25

Commentary

68. There is no regular assessment of pupils’ work in terms of National Curriculum levels. This makes it difficult for teachers to track pupils’ progress adequately and for pupils to understand what they need to do to improve their work.

p.25

Commentary

69. The leadership and management of science are satisfactory overall. They are stronger in terms of curricular planning than of assessment and of monitoring teaching and planning to support less experienced teachers.

p.25

Commentary

70. Although standards have declined since the previous inspection, this, in part, reflects the lower level of attainment of pupils on entry to the school as a result of changes to the intake of the school. In 2003 standards at eleven rose in comparison with the previous year. The school has maintained its good teaching and its good emphasis on scientific enquiry. Improvement is satisfactory.

p.25

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Provision for information and communication technology (ICT) is unsatisfactory.

p.25

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils’ standards of attainment are below average. • The quality of teaching and learning is unsatisfactory. • Pupils’ attitudes in lessons are unsatisfactory. • Leadership and management of the subject are unsatisfactory. • Systems for assessment and use to inform planning are not in place.

p.25

Commentary

71. There was no evidence of pupils’ work available for inspection. In lessons, pupils aged seven were still learning basic keyboard skills, while pupils aged 11 were beginning to use spreadsheets to calculate perimeters and areas. This level of work is below expectations but represents satisfactory achievement for most pupils’ levels of prior attainment.

p.25

Commentary

72. The quality of teaching ranges from unsatisfactory to poor. Lack of confident subject knowledge leads to inadequate planning to meet pupils’ needs. Consequently, pupils do not acquire sufficient knowledge and skills to make good enough progress in their learning. Lesson planning sometimes does not include extension activities to cater for either higher-attaining pupils or for those who finish their task quickly. This leads to time being lost when pupils could Smallwood Primary School & Language Unit be learning, as well as to unsatisfactory behaviour. Teachers pay too little attention to pupils, so that their difficulties go unnoticed for long periods.

p.25

Commentary

73. Leadership and management of the subject do not provide what teachers need to improve pupils’ achievement. There is no system of assessment for teachers to know what to plan for individual pupils. Teachers are also unaware of differences between the performance of boys and girls and that of pupils from different ethnic backgrounds. Training has taught teachers new skills but not shown them how to help pupils learn them. No-one takes responsibility for monitoring teachers’ planning or the quality of classroom teaching. This means that action planned for the subject is not meeting teachers’ needs. Provision for ICT has declined since the previous inspection.

p.26

Information and communication technology across the curriculum

74. Pupils rarely use ICT in other subjects. When learning to alter text, Year 2 pupils develop their punctuation skills in literacy. However, such work is not carried out as part of classroom learning, being reserved for lessons dedicated to ICT. Consequently, pupils do not see ICT as an everyday tool for investigation and communication.

p.26

Geography and history

75. There is insufficient evidence to make an overall judgement of the provision in geography and history. One history and two geography lessons were seen. A discussion was held with the subject co-ordinator and samples of pupils’ work on display and in books were analysed. Standards in geography are below average by the age of seven and eleven. Standards in history are below average by the age of seven and average by the age of eleven. Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory in both subjects, and it is good in history by the age of eleven. There has been some cross-curricular work between history and geography but, overall, the allocation of time to both subjects is not enough to enable pupils to make the progress expected in acquiring knowledge, understanding and skills. Assessment is unsatisfactory due to the lack of any grading against National Curriculum criteria.

p.26

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards are in line with expectations and achievement is satisfactory. • Teaching and learning are good overall. • Religious education makes a satisfactory contribution to the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils. • Leadership and management are unsatisfactory.

p.26

Commentary

76. By the ages of seven and 11 standards are in line with the expectations of the locally-agreed syllabus. The achievement of all pupils is satisfactory, including those with special educational needs and of pupils for whom English is an additional language. The quality of teaching and learning in the lessons seen ranged from very good to satisfactory. In the best lessons, teachers showed insight and understanding of the subject, whether that was about Divali or parables in the New Testament. Teachers regularly checked that pupils were listening and understanding key concepts such as righteousness, wealth and power. Achievement and learning are sometimes limited by pupils’ weak language skills. There were too few examples of work being varied according to individual needs, so that higher-attaining pupils did not achieve as well as they could. Smallwood Primary School & Language Unit 77. Religious education makes a satisfactory contribution to the spiritual, moral, social and cultural

p.26

Commentary

development of pupils. Pupils showed considerable interest in many aspects of their work. Picture displays of a Divali celebration and a harvest festival celebration in a local Anglican church conveyed pupils’ enjoyment and awareness of the significance of these occasions. Pupils’ work showed perception and sensitivity when writing, for example, about poverty and it showed self-awareness when drawing up personal rules to live by.

p.27

Commentary

78. Leadership and management of the subject are unsatisfactory. There is not enough monitoring of curriculum planning across the school to ensure that the width and depth of work is adequate. Resources are inadequate to support learning. Standards, leadership and management have declined since the previous inspection. Teaching remains of a similar quality.

p.27

Art and design

79. It was not possible to observe any lessons in art and design. A range of pupils’ work was scrutinised and interviews held with pupils and the co-ordinator. The curriculum provides a satisfactory range of opportunities to explore and use a variety of media. However, the final results are below expectations at the ages of seven and eleven. The work shows a lack of challenge by teachers and little opportunity for pupils to learn by progressively developing skills or by refining their work.

p.27

Design and technology

80. There was no teaching of design and technology during the inspection and very little work completed by pupils was available for examination. It is therefore not possible to make an overall judgement about provision. However, it is clear from planning documents that the allocation of time for the subject is well below that nationally recommended. The profile of the subject is extremely low. Work that has been completed was mostly undertaken in art lessons and is below average. Subject leadership is poor. There is uncertainty about who is responsible for co-ordination and no monitoring of lessons or pupils' work has been carried out in recent months.

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Physical education

81. There was insufficient evidence to make an overall judgement about provision in physical education. Three lessons were observed and these ranged from very good to unsatisfactory, as at the previous inspection. Standards in games skills in the Year 6 class are above average as a result of very good teaching, with detailed attention given to the techniques needed to play volleyball successfully. A very good lesson was also observed for pupils in Years 2, 3 and 4 from the Language Unit. The curriculum was very well adapted for this group to enable them to achieve well. In the unsatisfactory lesson, too much time was taken controlling behaviour and there was little attention to improving the quality of dance movements. Standards were below average.

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Physical education

82. The school has good accommodation to teach physical education, including two large halls, a playground of adequate size and a small field for football. Good use is made of visiting coaches to teach pupils a range of games and there are good opportunities, open to all boys and girls, to take part in after-school activities in sport.

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Music

Provision for music is satisfactory. Smallwood Primary School & Language Unit

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards of attainment are below national expectations. • There is no system for assessment of pupils’ progress. • Leadership and management are unsatisfactory.

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Commentary

83. The standards of pupils’ singing at the ages of seven and 11 are below national expectations. At both ages, pupils do not strike percussion instruments with sensitivity and skill. In a practical session with pupils aged 11 they showed average ability to improvise against a repeated rhythmic phrase while maintaining a steady beat. There was not enough evidence of their instrumental playing to make a secure judgement overall. Assemblies give all pupils the opportunity to sing together. In assemblies their singing is satisfactory. Overall, achievement is satisfactory.

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Commentary

84. The quality of the specialist’s teaching is satisfactory. He uses his good subject knowledge to provide the expected range of activities in an enjoyable way and this stimulates pupils’ enthusiasm to learn. The activities include good games to help pupils learn musical words and to listen hard so that they learn to discriminate between tone, timbre and pitch. His lessons include good opportunities for pupils to collaborate for group performances such as when creating an atmospheric piece based on a picture. Pupils do not have enough time in music lessons to evaluate their work in order to refine and improve singing or their performance on instruments.

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Commentary

85. Leadership and management of the subject are unsatisfactory. The post combines responsibility for a number of arts subjects and this has not helped the teacher to focus on what is needed to develop each discrete subject. There is no system for assessing pupils’ standards, even though the classroom teacher remains in the classroom while the specialist is teaching. There is no in-service training for teachers to take over if the specialist were not available. There are limited opportunities for pupils to use their performing skills in school productions and performances and pupils benefit from visits of musical groups to the school. There is no use of computers in music.

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Commentary

86. The school has maintained satisfactory achievement in music since the previous inspection.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

87. Only one lesson was seen in this area of the school’s work The school places a satisfactory emphasis on pupils’ personal development and there is a good range of opportunities to develop personal and social skills. However, there is as yet no formal whole-school programme for personal, social and health education. Overall provision is unsatisfactory. Work displayed around the school includes work on health and personal safety. In the very good lesson seen pupils gained a good understanding of what inclusion means and what being left out means. They showed considerable maturity in talking about their own feelings and trusted each other. The school council is already working well and pupils give their views in class to their representatives. The learning support mentor contributes well to this area of the school’s work as she helps pupils to understand the impact behaviour has on others. Pupils become involved

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

in peer mentoring and are encouraged to be supportive to each other. Smallwood Primary School & Language Unit

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The overall effectiveness of the school 4

How inclusive the school is 2 How the school’s effectiveness has changed since its last inspection 4 Value for money provided by the school 4

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities 4

Attendance 6 Attitudes 4 Behaviour, including the extent of exclusions 3 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 4

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The quality of education provided by the school 4

The quality of teaching 4 How well pupils learn 4 The quality of assessment 5 How well the curriculum meets pupils’ needs 4 Enrichment of the curriculum, including out-of-school activities 4 Accommodation and resources 4 Pupils’ care, welfare, health and safety 3 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 3

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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 5 The effectiveness of management 4

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The leadership and management of the school 4

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

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