St Katharine's Knockholt Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

School

Dates of inspection: 7 th – 10 th June 2004

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School

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 St. Katharine’s Knockholt C of E 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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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. St. Katharine’s Knockholt C of E Primary School

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Primary School category: Voluntary Aided Age range of pupils: 4 – 11 Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 113

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Main Road Knockholt Sevenoaks Kent Postcode: TN14 7LS

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Telephone number: 01959 532237 Fax number: 01959 533432

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: Governing body Name of chair of governors: Mr Andrew Miller

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

St. Katharine’s Knockholt Church of England Primary School is a small primary school providing education for 113 children, 53 girls and 60 boys, aged 4 to 11 years. Children who attend the school live within Knockholt and other surrounding villages. However, due to its popularity this year the school is over subscribed and only children living within the immediate locality can be accepted. The socio-economic features of the area are above average. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below the national average. There are no pupils in the school for whom English is not their first language. The number of children on the school’s special educational needs register is above the national average, although the proportion of pupils with a Statement of Special Educational Need is broadly in line with the national average. These special educational needs do not fall significantly into any particular areas. Attainment on entry to the school is above average.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

St. Katharine’s Knockholt C of E Primary School

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

20737 Mr Paul Evans Lead inspector Special educational needs English Information and communication technology Geography History Modern foreign language 8991 Mrs Pamela Goldsack Lay inspector 32218 Mr Andrew Mumford Team inspector Foundation Stage curriculum English as an additional language Mathematics Science Art and design Design and technology Music Physical education

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

Altecq Education Ltd 102 Bath Road Cheltenham 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). St. Katharine’s Knockholt C of E Primary School

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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 26

St. Katharine’s Knockholt C of E Primary School

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OVERALL EVALUATION

St. Katharine’s Knockholt Church of England Primary School is a very good school. It is a very happy school in which pupils achieve very well. Children in the Foundation Stage are given a very good start to their education. The quality of teaching in Years 1 to 6 is very good. Pupils are very well prepared for the next stages of their education. The leadership of the headteacher is excellent and leadership is very good overall. The role of subject co-ordinators in monitoring standards and achievement in their subjects is very good. Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour are very good. The provision for their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good. The school provides very good value for money and offers a very good education to all its pupils.

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The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

• The leadership and educational vision of the headteacher is excellent. • Pupils’ competence in the use of ICT by the end of Year 6 is excellent. • Provision for extra curricular activities is excellent. • Standards in science at the end of Year 2 are not high enough. However, the school has taken measures to correct this. • The school’s links with parents and the community are excellent. • The school’s commitment to the full inclusion of all pupils is excellent. • The ethos of the school is excellent. • Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour are very good. • The quality of teaching and learning are very good throughout the school. • The school does not have a consistent whole school format for the setting of targets for individual pupils or the recording of targets when achieved.

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The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

Since the last inspection, the school has made very good improvement. Standards have been raised or maintained at above average levels. All the issues raised in the last inspection report have been dealt with well or very well. The leadership and management have improved even further. Information and communication technology is now very well used in the teaching and learning of other subjects. The quality of teaching and learning is now very good in all key stages.

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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 B D B B Mathematics C E C C Science B B A A Key: A* - very high; 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

From the time that they join the school until they leave, pupils’ overall achievement is very good. In the Foundation Stage achievement is good. In Years 1 and 2 this is built upon successfully and this continues in Years 3 to 6. Pupils achieve well in each area of the school and their overall achievement when they leave is very good. Pupils with special educational needs and those who have high levels of ability also achieve very well. The attainment of children joining the school fluctuates from year to year but is usually above what is expected for children of this age. Children in the Foundation Stage reach standards which are above expectations by the time they reach the end of reception class in all areas of learning . In national tests in 2003, at the end of Year 2 standards in English were well above average and standards in mathematics were above average, when compared to all schools. Teacher assessments showed that standards in science were well

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

St. Katharine’s Knockholt C of E Primary School above average. When compared to the results of similar schools, the end of Year 2 results were average in reading, well above average in writing and below average in mathematics. When compared to the results for all schools, standards at the end of Year 6 were well above average in science, above average in English and average in mathematics. When compared to the results of similar schools these results were above average in English, average in mathematics and well above average in science. Inspection evidence shows that standards in English and mathematics are well above expectations at the end of Years 2 and 6. Standards in science are well above average at the end of Year 6. Standards in science at the end of Year 2 are in line with national expectations, but this is not high enough for these pupils. The school has introduced strategies aimed at correcting this from September. Standards in information and communication technology

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

(ICT) are well above expectations throughout the school. Art and design, design and technology, music, physical education, history and geography were sampled during the inspection and standards are not judged. Religious education was inspected under a different authority.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour are very good throughout the school and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good . Levels of attendance are well above the national average.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The quality of education provided by the school is very good . The quality of teaching and learning is very good throughout the school, except in science for some pupils in Years 1 and 2 . Targets are set for all pupils; however, the format used differs between teachers. Some show very clearly which targets have been attained and this helps pupils to make progress. Consistency in this format would raise pupils’ awareness of what they have to do to improve further.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The quality of the curriculum offered to pupils is very good . There is an excellent range of extra- curricular activities. Pupils are very well cared for and receive very good support and guidance . Procedures for child protection, health and safety are very good . The school has excellent links with parents and the community .

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The quality of the leadership and management of the school are very good . The leadership of the headteacher is excellent . She has an excellent educational vision for the school. Financial management is very good. Governance of the school is good and the governors have a very good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. They have a very good working partnership with the headteacher.

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Parents have very positive views of the school. In questionnaires, at their meeting with the lead inspector and when spoken to during the inspection, they were very complimentary about all aspects of the school. Pupils are very pleased with their school. They have total confidence in all adults working in the school. Inspection evidence fully supports the very positive views of both parents and pupils.

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

• raise standards in science at the end of Year 2; • develop a whole school format for the setting of targets for individual pupils and the recording of the achievement of these targets. St. Katharine’s Knockholt C of E Primary School

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Standards achieved in areas of learning, subjects and courses

The standards of work seen were very good throughout the school. The achievement of children in the Foundation Stage is good. In Years 1and 2 and in Years 3 to 6 the achievement of all pupils is good. Because achievement is built upon so successfully, pupils’ overall achievement is very good by the time that they leave the school.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• At the end of Year 2, in the 2003 national tests, the school’s results were well above the national average in reading and writing and above average in mathematics. • Inspection evidence shows that current standards are well above average in English, mathematics and science at the end of Years 2 and 6. • Children in the Foundation Stage exceed the goals expected for their age in all areas of learning (Early Learning Goals or ELGs) and achieve well in all areas of learning 1 . • There are high expectations of pupils’ attitudes to work and of their behaviour. The effect is that the school has an effective learning environment which enables all pupils to achieve well.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

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

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Main strengths and weaknesses

Standards in: School results National results Reading 17.0 (16.0) 15.7 (15.8) Writing 16.5 (13.6) 14.6 (14.4) Mathematics 16.9 (18.3) 16.3 (16.5) There were 17 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

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Main strengths and weaknesses

Standards in: School results National results English 27.5 (25.9) 26.8 (27.0) Mathematics 27.0 (25.2) 26.8 (26.7) Science 30.0 (29.5) 28.6 (28.3) There were 12 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year.

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Commentary

1. When children join the school their attainment is above that expected for groups of children of this age. Children in the Foundation Stage exceed the expectations of the Early Learning Goals for children of this age in all areas of learning by the time that they join Year 1. This is because of the very good curriculum they are offered and because the quality of teaching and learning are consistently very good. This is good achievement.

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Commentary

2. The 2003 national test results show that by the end of Year 2 standards in reading and writing were well above the national average. In mathematics, pupils’ standards were above the national average. In comparison to those in schools with a similar entitlement to free school meals, these results were average in reading, well above average in writing and below average in mathematics. Teacher assessments in science showed that the proportion of pupils

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Commentary

1 Areas for learning in the Foundation Stage are personal, social and emotional development, communication, language and literacy, mathematical development, knowledge and understanding of the world, physical development and creative development. St. Katharine’s Knockholt C of E Primary School reaching Level 2 2 and above was in the top 5 per cent nationally. Pupils with above average abilities achieved well and many of them attained the higher Level 3 in writing, mathematics and science.

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Commentary

3. In the 2003 tests, standards in English by the end of Year 6 were above the national average. In science standards were well above average and in mathematics, standards were average. In 2003, the school met its target for the percentage of pupils reaching Level 4 and above although it was slightly below the proportion of pupils reaching Level 5 in both English and mathematics.

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Commentary

4. An analysis of results shows how well different groups of pupils achieve. Assessment information is used very well to track pupils’ progress in core subjects as they move through the school. The school uses this information well to raise standards to the highest level possible. Inspection evidence confirms that all pupils achieve well in the Foundation Stage, in Years 1 and 2 and in Years 3 to 6. Because each year pupils progress well against their prior attainment, by the time that they leave the school their overall achievement is very good. However, because there is such a small number of pupils in each year group the results of national tests can be severely affected by the results of one pupil and, consequently, should be regarded with care.

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Commentary

5. Pupils with special educational needs make the same progress as their classmates because of the very good work of the co-ordinator for special educational needs (SENCO), the very good support offered by teachers and learning support assistants and the use of the well-written individual education plans in lessons. Pupils of higher ability are well extended and they too achieve very well overall. The exception to this is in science for some pupils in Years 1 and 2. Inspection evidence shows that standards at the end of Year 2 are in line with the national expectation. However, this is not high enough for pupils who attain much higher standards in English and mathematics. Achievement in English and mathematics is very well promoted through the practice of teaching pupils in special groups. This is not done in science and there is some insecure teacher knowledge and understanding of the subject. The school has

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Commentary

developed strategies which are aimed at raising standards in science to the same high levels as those reached in other subjects.

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Commentary

6. Inspection evidence shows that in English and mathematics, standards are well above average at the end of Year 2 and Year 6. The use and development of pupils’ language and literacy skills in other subjects is very good. In mathematics, there are very effective links with other subjects, for example science, which help to consolidate pupils’ knowledge and understanding. In science, standards are average in Year 2 and well above average in Year 6. Standards in information and communication technology (ICT) are well above expectations at the end of Year 2 and Year 6, and ICT is very well used in the teaching and learning of other subjects. Pupils’ personal and social development is very good at the end of Year 2 and Year 6. This level of achievement throughout the school is due to very good teaching and learning.

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Commentary

7. The standards in the school represent a very good improvement over those seen at the last inspection when standards at the end of the Foundation Stage and those in Years 2 and 6 were judged to be in line with national expectations and pupils were judged to make sound progress.

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Commentary

8. During the inspection, art and design, design and technology, music, physical education, history and geography were sampled and standards were not judged. Improvement since the last inspection has been very good overall. The school is closely attached to the church and religious education was inspected by a different authority under Section 23 of the School Inspection Act of 1996.

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Commentary

2 The National Curriculum has been written on the basis that pupils, by the end of Key Stage 1, are expected to reach Level 2. If a pupil is attaining Level 3 then he or she is reaching standards above that expected for a child of his or her age. At Key Stage 2 the nationally expected level for pupils to reach by the end of Year 6 is Level 4. If a pupil is attaining Level 5 then he or she is reaching standards above that expected for a child of his or her age. St. Katharine’s Knockholt C of E Primary School

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour are very good . Their personal development, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is very good . Pupils’ attendance and punctuality are very good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Attendance and punctuality are very good and contribute well to pupils’ achievement. • Pupils are enthusiastic, hard working participants in lessons and in extra activities. • Pupils are self-disciplined and share the school’s high expectations of behaviour. • Personal development is promoted very well and pupils grow in confidence as they progress through the school. • Spiritual awareness is developed very well and pupils have a very good awareness of others. • Pupils have a very good appreciation of their own culture and have an extended view of non- western cultures.

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Commentary

9. Pupils look forward to school and they arrive promptly each morning. Parents support prompt, regular attendance and the school’s procedures regarding absences.

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Commentary

Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (94.7%)

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Commentary

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data 5.0 School data 0.3 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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Commentary

10. The school very successfully stimulates pupils’ desire to learn and to do their best. Pupils enjoy working hard and willingly ask and answer questions and engage in discussions. Throughout the inspection pupils were concentrating well and classrooms were buzzing with activity. Pupils’ excellent skills in ICT enable them to make use of computers as necessary with very little prompting from their teachers. Pupils’ very positive attitudes reflect good improvement since the last inspection and contribute significantly to their very high achievement and attainment.

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Commentary

11. Pupils’ very good moral development is reflected by their very good behaviour. The importance of good behaviour and awareness of bullying are discussed regularly in assemblies and during circle time in personal, social and health education (PSHE) lessons. Pupils’ very good relationships enable them to work independently and in groups and thus extend learning activities. For example, during an English lesson a group of Year 6 pupils listened to an audio tape of a novel while seated on their own in the school hall. Behaviour has improved since the last inspection and parents are very pleased with the quality of discipline in the school. Pupils and parents agree that bullying is not an issue. There have been no exclusions during the last reporting year.

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Commentary

12. Pupils’ very good social development is very well supported by the interesting range of activities in the school. Pupils are enthusiastic supporters of the different extra-curricular clubs. They are very well aware of the responsibilities of living in a community. Older pupils make sure younger ones have someone to play with. Teamwork and independence are promoted for pupils in Years 5 and 6 during their annual residential trip. Pupils are very good ambassadors for the school during class trips and activities within the community. Parents who expressed their opinions are unanimous in the view that the school encourages their children to become mature. St. Katharine’s Knockholt C of E Primary School 13. Since the last inspection the school has improved spiritual provision significantly and it is now very good. There are many planned opportunities to reflect in lessons. For example, in art pupils in Years 3 and 4 painted perceptive watercolours about the aftermath of the blitz. Pupils

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Commentary

display empathy for others by fundraising for local and national charities. This impacts well on their personal and social development.

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Commentary

14. Cultural development has also improved and pupils have a very good understanding of British and western culture. The very good range of visits and visitors helps to raise the pupils’ awareness of the historical significance of their locale. The school promotes pupils’ awareness of different cultures very well through subjects such as religious education, history, geography, music and in assemblies. The school is pro-active in its successful approach to promoting pupils’ awareness about diversity within modern UK society.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

The quality of education provided by the school is very good . The quality of teaching and learning in the Foundation Stage is very good and this is built upon by very good teaching and learning throughout the rest of the school. The curriculum is very good. The care, welfare and guidance offered to all pupils is very good and the links with parents and the community are excellent.

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Teaching and learning

The quality of teaching and learning is very good overall . Assessment of pupils’ progress is very good throughout the school.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The quality of teaching and learning is very good throughout the school. • Teachers make good use of a wide range of resources. ICT is very well used to teach other subjects. The school’s high quality web site is very well used to support homework. • The ‘setting’ of pupils in Years 1 and 2 for English and mathematics has a very positive effect on their achievement. However, this is not so in science. • Staff have warm and positive relationships with pupils and all pupils are very well included in all lessons. • Pupils’ progress is very well monitored. • There is no standard format for the setting of individual targets or the recording of targets which are met. • Subject co-ordinators contribute significantly to pupils’ achievement through their monitoring of the quality of teaching and the support that they provide for their colleagues.

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Commentary

15. The quality of teaching and learning throughout the school is very good. In lesson observations, the quality of teaching was excellent in three lessons. In thirteen lessons it was very good and was good in another two. In one lesson teaching was satisfactory. In only one lesson teaching was unsatisfactory. In the Foundation Stage, Years 1 and 2 and Years 3 to 6, there is an even spread of very good teaching. Pupils’ learning closely matches the quality of teaching in all lessons. Evidence from a scrutiny of pupils’ work confirms the very good quality of teaching seen in almost all lessons. Teachers plan very well. They use assessment information to closely match all work to pupils’ different levels of attainment and ability. The marking of pupils’ work is high quality and written comments are regularly used to explain how pupils can improve further, give praise and acknowledge pupils’ success.

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Commentary

16. Teachers have very good training to keep their knowledge and skills up to date. Subject co- ordinators are very effective in sharing their knowledge with staff and guiding teachers’ lesson planning. Their role in monitoring the quality of teaching and learning in lessons is very well developed and they can judge pupils’ progress and achievement in their subjects very accurately. There is an leading literacy teacher, a very good Foundation Stage practitioner and St. Katharine’s Knockholt C of E Primary School an excellent leader of ICT. When the school identifies a weakness in staff knowledge and understanding of a subject they often employ specialists to overcome this. This contributes to the very good teaching seen in the school and promotes pupils’ learning and achievement very well. .

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Commentary

17. Teachers plan their lessons with well-focused aims clearly in mind. These aims show precisely what pupils are expected to learn during the lesson. A major aid to learning is teachers’ good use of a well-selected range of equipment, books and apparatus for pupils to use in their studies, investigations and games. Teachers use equipment such as the inter-active whiteboard and overhead projectors effectively in lessons to demonstrate and explain to pupils what they have to do. Teachers are good at using different approaches and asking probing questions to prompt pupils’ thinking. Pupils’ learning, achievement and the standards that they reach are very well promoted by the very good quality of teaching.

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Commentary

18. Staff and pupils enjoy positive and secure relationships. Behaviour management is usually good. Teachers run their lessons at a good pace. In the great majority of lessons teachers are lively and demanding, involving all pupils in the different parts of lessons, such as the teacher- led ‘question and answer’ starters, the main individual and group activities, and the reviews at the end of lessons. Pupils are usually interested and concentrate on their work. Their classroom talk is almost always about the task in hand. The quality of relationships increases pupils’ confidence, which in turn improves their achievement.

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Commentary

19. The school is very committed to including all pupils in all lessons, regardless of their background or level of ability. Although there is an imbalance between girls and boys in some classes, all are treated absolutely equally. Pupils who have learning difficulties are very well supported by teachers, who provide additional resources for them, explain things more simply and give extra help when needed. Classroom assistants also give good support to pupils who have special needs and to others who may be having difficulties with their work. When appropriate, pupils are withdrawn from class for specialist support provided by the very good co-ordinator for special educational needs. The school changes the times that this happens and has very good strategies to ensure that these pupils do not miss anything that takes place in their classrooms. The individual education plans written for these pupils are very good and

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Commentary

the targets in them are very well used by teachers and learning support assistants and by the co-ordinator for special educational needs.

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Commentary

20. Each morning the pupils in Years 1 and 2 are taught in Year groups for literacy and numeracy, not in their usual mixed age classes. Science is not taught in this way and because of some insecure teacher knowledge and understanding of the teaching of science, pupils do not reach the standards that they are capable of at the end of Year 2. The school has recognised this and has provided support and guidance. Strategies are in place to correct this from September.

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Commentary

21. Through good systems teachers regularly record how well pupils are making progress. The information gained is always used effectively to develop what should be taught in the future and how. Teachers’ setting of targets for individual pupils is undertaken in all classes. However, each teacher has a different way of doing this and the targets that pupils have reached are not always clear. This is somewhat confusing for pupils as they move from class to class, and a whole-school format for showing individual targets and when they are reached would further aid pupils’ knowledge and understanding of their own learning.

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Commentary

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 20 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. St. Katharine’s Knockholt C of E Primary School St. Katharine’s Knockholt C of E Primary School

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The curriculum

Provision for the curriculum is very good . There are excellent opportunities provided for enrichment. The accommodation is satisfactory and resources very good .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The school provides many varied enrichment opportunities which contribute to pupils’ learning and personal development. • Teachers are increasingly planning to make meaningful connections between subjects. • Very good use is made of specialists to ensure pupils benefit from their subject knowledge.

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Commentary

22. The curriculum offered to all pupils fully meets the requirements of the National Curriculum. The school is committed to giving its pupils a broad range of experiences. Teachers plan very well to ensure there is good balance between subjects. They are planning lessons in such a way as to make meaningful connections between different subject areas. For example, at times history and literacy are taught together and mathematics with science. This enables pupils to see the connections between different areas of learning and to apply skills learnt in one subject to their study of another. This represents very good improvement since the last inspection when the curriculum was judged to be in need of improvement.

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Commentary

23. There are excellent opportunities for pupils to enjoy enrichment activities. Pupils in all classes have some experience of learning French, from simple phrases in the reception class to role play conversations in Years 5 and 6. Very good use is made of a specialist to ensure the pupils are receiving high quality teaching. Music is also taught by a specialist, which contributes significantly to the pupils’ experiences. A consultant works periodically with pupils on areas to do with personal, social and health education. The excellent school website offers pupils opportunities to continue their learning outside the school day, with, for instance, the ‘maths challenge’ feature.

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Commentary

24. A very good range of educational trips and visitors make learning more interesting and contribute to children’s personal development. These include a whole school trip to the theatre as well as visits related to the work of different classes. A residential visit is offered to all pupils in Years 5 and 6.

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Commentary

25. There is a wide range of activities planned outside lesson times. The school provides an excellent range of clubs that meet at lunchtime or after school, including a number for sport and music, but also Philosophers’ Club and Latin. The gardens are well maintained by parents with pupils from the Gardening Club, whilst each class has responsibility for a flower bed.

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Commentary

26. The quality of the accommodation of the school is variable. For instance, whilst the reception class has good facilities with its small but well used outdoor area, the hall is inadequate for physical education and some other buildings are very old. However, these issues will be rectified in the building programme due to start in the summer. Resources are very good and this helps teachers meet the needs of all pupils.

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Care, guidance and support

The provision for pupils’ care, welfare, health and safety is very good . The provision of support, advice and guidance based on the monitoring of pupils achievement is very good . The involvement of pupils through seeking, valuing and acting on their views is very good .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Very good procedures are followed to ensure a safe and supportive school day. • Very good use is made of assessment information to provide support. • Pupils’ ideas are very highly valued and they are fully involved in the life of the school. St. Katharine’s Knockholt C of E Primary School • The school has very close links with the Rainbow pre-school group.

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Commentary

27. This is a vibrant, welcoming school where pupils are very happy. Risk assessments are up to date and health and safety is reviewed at every meeting of the governing body. The arrangements to provide for child protection are very good. The headteacher is the named teacher responsible for child protection. She is very experienced in this area and makes sure that all staff members are well informed about procedures and their responsibilities. The well being of pupils is promoted in a variety of ways, including an emphasis on healthy eating, easy access to drinking water and baseball hats for playing in the sunshine. Although there is no medical room, pupils who become ill at school are cared for sympathetically in the administration area. This shows good improvement since the last inspection.

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Commentary

28. The school’s wide range of assessment procedures goes beyond statutory requirements. Day- to-day information gathered on pupils’ progress helps to update their targets very effectively. Pupils are very well known not only by their class teachers but by other members of the staff as well. Their personal development is monitored carefully and shared with parents at consultation meetings and in their end of year reports. There has been improvement in this area since the last inspection. Displays highlight pupils’ own work and assemblies celebrate their best efforts. The headteacher maintains a friendly, high profile throughout the day and pupils are chatty and keep her up to date with their individual activities. This has a positive impact on pupils’ personal and social development.

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Commentary

29. The very good relationships within the school are based upon mutual trust between adults and pupils. Pupils have at least one adult that they can talk to if they have a concern. The results of the pupils’ questionnaire and conversations with pupils during the inspection confirm this. Similarly, the parents’ questionnaire confirms that pupils like school. The school values pupils’ ideas and there are regular surveys of their views. An increase in the number of clubs resulted from a survey on what they would like to improve. Pupils exchange ideas freely during Circle Time and a group of older pupils meet at lunchtime to discuss issues in the Philosopher’s Club. These provisions raise pupils’ self-esteem and self-confidence and this impacts positively on their attitudes to learning and the standards that they reach.

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Commentary

30. The Rainbow pre-school group shares the school site. The headteacher is on the management committee and works very closely with the group to ensure that children’s transfer into the school is as smooth as possible. This includes frequent visits to the school, consultations about curriculum links and the sharing of information about each child. This supports children very well as they transfer into the Foundation Stage and has a significant impact on their learning and achievement.

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Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

The school’s links with parents and the community are excellen t. Links with other schools are very good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Parents are very highly valued as essential partners in the education of all pupils. • The quality of information provided for parents is excellent. • The school makes highly productive use of the skills and resources found within the community. • Ongoing links with secondary schools ensure a smooth transition for Year 6 pupils. • There are close links between the school and the Rainbow pre-school group.

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Commentary

31. The school is very highly regarded by its parents and is one of the cornerstones of the village and parish. The quality of education that pupils receive is very highly enhanced because of these excellent links. The headteacher plays a leading role in supporting the exceptional St. Katharine’s Knockholt C of E Primary School partnership between home and school. Parents are encouraged to help in school and many do so, along with members of the community. Volunteers help run a number of clubs, sometimes lead assemblies and add their names to the school’s audit of parental talents. The success of the swimming programme relies on the practical and reliable help of the parents. This represents good improvement since the last inspection.

p.15

Commentary

32. The parent teacher association is very active and organises a number of social and fundraising activities in the school and within the village. They contribute a significant amount of funding each year. Working parties of parents provide practical help and the refurbishment of the derelict caretaker’s house is a testament to their efforts. Local businesses also contributed their time and materials to make this project a success. The range and quality of information for parents is extensive and of the highest quality. Parents are particularly pleased with the school’s high quality web site which provides comprehensive information and gives high quality support for working at home with their children.

p.16

Commentary

33. The prospectus and governors’ annual report to parents contain all of the required information in an attractive and parent-friendly format. Pupils’ end-of-year reports are excellent; they clearly inform parents about pupils’ progress in each subject and identify targets for improvement. Consultation meetings are held regularly and parents are encouraged to come forward with any concerns. The views of parents are surveyed regularly and the results are included in the school development plan. Information about the curriculum is distributed each term and there have been workshops for parents in mathematics and literacy so they can help their children with homework. These meetings are well attended by parents. Working parents value the usefulness of the school’s website to keep them fully informed about school events.

p.16

Commentary

34. There are very close links with the Rainbow Pre-school group as outlined earlier. These links also extend to parents who have not had children join the group before. They are given access to the school with their children. They have high quality information provided and this reduces the anxiety that they and their children feel about joining a new school. This in turn enables a smooth transition into the school and has a positive impact on children’s early learning and achievement.

p.16

Commentary

35. The headteacher knows the community very well and encourages residents to join in school events. Similarly, pupils take part in village events such as the Knockholt Carnival. Articles about the school appear regularly in the Parish Magazine.

p.16

Commentary

36. At the end of Year 6 pupils move on to about a dozen different secondary schools. The school maintains good links with the secondary schools by providing parents with written information and maintaining a program of visits to the schools for pupils and their families. There is very good sharing of information about pupils to make sure they settle happily in their new schools. Pupils benefit from extended learning activities that take place with the cluster of local primary schools.

p.16

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Overall, leadership is very good , whilst the headteacher’s leadership is outstanding . Management is very good . Governance is good .

p.16

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The headteacher provides dynamic and inspirational leadership. • She is well supported by other senior members of staff. • Regular monitoring of teaching and pupils’ work contributes well to the raising of standards. • Because they are well informed, governors know the school’s strengths and weaknesses. • Evaluation is informal rather than planned, so governors are not so well placed to be certain of the effectiveness of decisions made. St. Katharine’s Knockholt C of E Primary School

p.16

Commentary

37. The headteacher provides outstanding leadership and is the driving force behind the recent progress made. She has a clear vision for the school, with high aspirations for the pupils. She leads by example, both in her role as leader and as a teacher and inspires everyone in the school community. Her commitment to pupils achieving their potential is instrumental in bringing about change. Her ability to successfully seek grant funding has enabled a number of initiatives to be financially viable. This represents very good improvement since the last inspection when areas of the leadership and management of the school required improvement.

p.17

Commentary

38. Other senior members of staff provide very good support and also contribute significantly to the leadership of the school. Together they provide very good role models for adults and pupils, not least in the quality of their teaching. They have led curriculum innovations which have enhanced pupils’ experiences. Strategic planning is very good and provides a clear structure for improvement.

p.17

Commentary

39. The school is very well managed. Very good use is made of self-evaluation, and performance data is very well used to look for areas that need improvement. Since the last inspection the role of the co-ordinator has been developed very well. This is particularly evident in information and communication technology, where the leadership and management are excellent. Co- ordinators now contribute very effectively to school improvement. The quality of teaching and the quality of pupils’ work are monitored on a regular basis. As a result, senior staff have been able to bring about improvements and ensure consistency of practice throughout the school. Performance management of teachers is well embedded and has now been extended to include teaching assistants, who value it. The school improvement plan is devised by senior staff, teachers and governors, so they all have ownership of the finished product. The quality of

p.17

Commentary

the plan is very good and it is a strong driving force for improvement.

p.17

Commentary

40. Co-ordination of provision for pupils with special educational needs is very good. This ensures these pupils achieve very well. The co-ordinator manages the teaching assistants and provides very good guidance and support for their work.

p.17

Commentary

41. Governors perform their role well. They are very supportive of the school, but are not afraid to challenge senior staff to ensure correct decisions are made. They share the vision for the school and know the school’s strengths and weaknesses. They fulfil all their statutory duties. Their structure enables them to monitor the school’s developments. However, their evaluation of initiatives is informal rather than planned and so they are less well placed to be certain of the effectiveness of decisions made.

p.17

Commentary

42. Financial administration is very good. Money has been saved to ensure that the school has the funds necessary to contribute towards the cost of the new buildings planned for the summer break. There are clear systems in place that ensure that spending is in line with the budget. Goods and services are chosen carefully to ensure good value for money.

p.17

Commentary

Financial information for the year April2003 to March 2004

p.17

Commentary

Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 335,439 Balance from previous year 15,145 Total expenditure 337,499 Balance carried forward to the next 7,384 Expenditure per pupil 3,040 St. Katharine’s Knockholt C of E Primary School

p.17

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Provision in the Foundation Stage is very good .

p.18

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

43. The reception age children share a class with the youngest Year 1 pupils. Curriculum planning is very good, so both age-groups enjoy appropriate provision. The class teacher and the teaching assistant work very well together as an effective team. The quality of teaching is very good in every area of learning. Many exciting learning opportunities are created for pupils. This helps to develop very positive attitudes to learning and to school.

p.18

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

44. There are very good induction procedures for children starting school. Most come from the on- site pre-school, with which there are very close links. Events and visitors are frequently shared and the teacher visits the pre-school to ensure the children feel confident and secure when they arrive in school. Most children have above average knowledge and understanding when they start. They make good progress in the reception class and most will reach the early learning goals, with many going beyond them. As a result, standards are above average when children move into Year 1.

p.18

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

45. Very clear and effective assessment systems ensure adults know the next steps in learning for all pupils. These are well used to inform planning subsequently. The accommodation is good, with the small but well planned outdoor area used very effectively. Leadership and management of the Foundation Stage are very good. The vision and clarity of thinking about how to effectively manage a mixed age class has led to there being high quality provision for all. There is a very good balance between activities chosen by children and those directed by teachers. The improvement since the last inspection has been very good.

p.18

Personal, social and emotional development

Provision for personal, social and emotional development is very good .

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Very good relationships between adults and children create an effective climate for learning.

p.18

Commentary

46. Children’s personal, social and emotional development is planned for very clearly. As a result, the children achieve well in this area and most will be at or beyond the early learning goals by the time they enter Year 1. Very good relationships between adults and children are central to the positive ethos of the class and the progress children make in their learning. Children play happily together and take turns. They know the ‘rules’ of the class, such as putting on aprons for playing with the water, and understand why they are there. Adults provide very good role models for the children.

p.18

Communication, language and literacy

Provision for communication, language and literacy is very good .

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Speaking and listening skills are very well developed. • Children achieve high standards because of the good teaching they receive.

p.18

Commentary

St. Katharine’s Knockholt C of E Primary School 47. The children are very articulate and converse confidently in sentences, usually listening to one another as well as contributing themselves. They participate fully in discussions, which are well led by the adults. Reading skills are good and most children can read simple words correctly. They do this with confidence. Some can read fluently and know how to tackle complex words. Similarly, in their writing all children understand that writing is a way of conveying ideas and some construct sentences and use capital letters and full stops correctly. Many of their spellings are plausible or use some of the letters from the words they want to write. Adults take opportunities well to develop language skills both in class or group sessions or incidentally whilst the children are at play. As a result, most children are beyond the early learning goals by the end of their time in the reception class.

p.19

Mathematical development

Provision for mathematical development is very good .

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Adult modelling of mathematical language helps children use it naturally. • Counting skills are very good.

p.19

Commentary

48. Well planned activities ensure that children’s differing needs are met. By the judicious use of questions and modelling of language, children are given structures for their learning. As a result they use mathematical terms freely at work and at play. They were able, for instance, to refine their ideas of estimates of length by the experiences they had with the teacher. More able children were introduced to more complex ideas and terminology, such as ‘longest’, so all were challenged. Children confidently count to over 50 and some can count to much higher numbers. They subtract numbers under 10 independently. As a result, they are above average by the time they leave the reception class.

p.19

Knowledge and understanding of the world

Provision for knowledge and understanding of the world is very good .

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children have highly developed ICT skills. • Very well planned lessons lead to children developing very good observation skills.

p.19

Commentary

49. Children have very good opportunities to use ICT for a wide variety of tasks. They confidently use draw or paint programs and most write text as a caption. They print their work independently. They use a digital microscope to view mini-beasts and with support can use it to create photographs. Their achievement in this area is very good and standards are well above average. Through good encouragement and modelling by the adults, children use good observation skills. They are able to discuss the attributes of different creatures, such as insects and spiders. Very good teaching in this area of learning leads to high standards and most children are beyond the early learning goals by the time they leave the reception class.

p.19

Physical development

Provision for physical development is very good .

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Very good opportunities are planned to develop children’s physical skills.

p.19

Commentary

St. Katharine’s Knockholt C of E Primary School 50. The outside play area is small, but it has been developed to the best advantage, including providing a safety surface. This enables adults to provide very good opportunities to develop children’s physical skills. The resources provided, such as pouring utensils, co-ordination activities and soft balls, focus on different physical skills. Children successfully throw balls into a small netball ring, make a small ball follow a maze and build tracks with blocks for the toy lorries. Within the classroom, children are encouraged to hold pencils and paintbrushes correctly, which they manage successfully. Their co-ordination skills are, as a result, well developed. They all meet the early learning goals in this area and most have exceeded them.

p.20

Creative development

Provision for creative development is very good .

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children have very good drawing skills as a result of the good opportunities planned for them.

p.20

Commentary

51. Teachers plan very good opportunities to develop children’s creativity. They are encouraged to observe carefully when doing drawings of tadpoles and use magnifying glasses to see the detail. However, when they designed their own seed packets, they used their own ideas, developed from their knowledge and understanding of commercial packets. They use paint to create butterfly designs, which they try to make symmetrical. They use recycled materials to make models of their own designs. They sing tunefully and confidently. In the role play areas they make up their own stories and act out events. In all aspects their work is of a high standard and most are working beyond the level expected at this age.

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards in reading, writing, speaking and listening are very good. • Pupils with special educational needs achieve very well. • The marking of pupils’ work and the assessment of their progress are very good. • The monitoring of teaching and learning and the leadership and management of English are very good. • The ‘setting’ of Years 1 and 2 for English lessons promotes very good standards. • There is no common format for the setting of individual targets and the recording of targets which are achieved.

p.20

Commentary

52. By the end of Year 2, standards are well above average and pupils’ overall achievement is good. Standards have risen significantly since the last inspection. This is because the quality of teaching has improved and pupils are being given work that is closely matched to their abilities. By the end of Year 6, results in the national tests in 2003 were above the national average and the average results of similar schools. However, the school has done well to raise standards in 2003 from the below average levels achieved in 2002. This is because teachers have focused upon raising standards in writing, for example by giving pupils more opportunities to write in other subjects, which successfully extends their learning and achievement. The range and quality of pupils’ writing in Year 6 is very good. It is important to note that the small number of St. Katharine’s Knockholt C of E Primary School pupils in each year group can distort comparisons. Inspection findings show that in the present

p.20

Commentary

Year 6 standards are well above average.

p.21

Commentary

53. Each morning the Years 1 and 2 pupils from mixed age classes are taught in year groups for literacy. The quality of teaching in these lessons is often very good and is sometimes excellent. There are very high expectations for pupils’ speaking and listening, reading and writing. All pupils are fully extended and all make good or very good progress. This has a significant impact on their learning and the standards that they reach.

p.21

Commentary

54. Throughout the school, in almost all lessons teachers ensure that pupils have many opportunities to develop speaking and listening skills. As a result, standards are well above average. For example, one young pupil was working with the headteacher to clarify a minor problem that had occurred. The headteacher offered her the opportunity to express her feelings using a computer. Without discussion she decided to write from the point of view of an inspector and produced the following as her first draft.

p.21

Commentary

I’m writing to you to say that your school is excellent.

p.21

Commentary

Over the past few days I have really enjoyed myself! Everything I have looked at this week I have really enjoyed! From every grain of carpet to every subject book as well. Everything here is positive nothing is negative. You have a perfect school the best in Kent. All of the children are very intelligent and polite. Their behaviour is outstanding. Further more the things you have are so extraordinary and make me smile when I use them.

p.21

Commentary

Yours sincerely Mr P. L. Evans (Ofsted member)

p.21

Commentary

THIS CERTIFICATE IS AWARDED TO ST. KATHERINES KNOCKHOLT CHURCH OF ENGLAND PRIMARY SCHOOL WEDNESDAY 9 TH JUNE 2004

p.21

Commentary

55. Pupils with special educational needs make the same progress and achieve as well as their classmates. In classrooms, both teachers and learning support assistants give very good support to pupils focusing on the targets in their very well written individual education plans. The very good co-ordinator for special educational needs withdraws pupils who need extra, specialist tuition and the quality of her teaching is very good. The times that these pupils are withdrawn is carefully managed so that they do not miss anything taught in their classrooms and teachers have good strategies for making sure that if anything is missed then they are able to catch up quickly. This promotes their learning and achievement very well.

p.21

Commentary

56. Teachers’ marking of pupils’ work is very good. All work is marked and a great deal has written comments which praise pupils for reaching the lesson objective or give clear guidance towards further improvement. Assessment of progress is a regular event during and after lessons, involving both teachers and learning support assistants. Assessment information is regularly fed into the school’s system for tracking pupils’ progress throughout the school and this enables the identification of any pupils who are under or over-performing. Targets are then modified or extra provision enables them to catch up. All teachers set individual targets for pupils but each does this in a different way. Some post targets in exercise books and mark off targets as they are achieved. Others use different systems and while all are successful, a whole school format would make it easier for pupils to understand as they change classes. The

p.21

Commentary

marking and assessment of progress promote pupils’ learning and achievement very well. St. Katharine’s Knockholt C of E Primary School 57. The quality of teaching and learning in English is thorough and regular. The leading literacy teacher, who is the co-ordinator, and the headteacher monitor lessons and the work that pupils do. They feedback strengths and weaknesses to staff and build in support if this is needed. The co-ordinator also works alongside teachers in lessons and provides exemplar lessons for teachers to observe. This promotes the quality of teaching and learning very well and has the effect of raising pupils’ standards and their achievement.

p.21

Language and literacy across the curriculum

58. The use and development of pupils’ language and literacy skills in other subjects is very good. Very good use is made of all other subjects such as geography, history, music, religious education, and personal and social education to develop pupils’ vocabulary. There is a very good structure for promoting all aspects of language through all subjects and this is a feature of teachers’ planning. The use of computers to develop pupils’ reading and writing is very well developed.

p.22

Modern Foreign Language (French)

59. The school employs a specialist French teacher who visits the school one day each week and teaches each class for 30 minutes. During lunchtime she runs a ‘French ICT Club’ which often touches on areas which are parts of other subjects such as science: ‘Animals in French’. The quality of her teaching is very good and consequently pupils’ learning and achievement in French are well above expectations for primary school pupils. For example, when the teacher was developing pupils’ ability to talk about food and drink, she gave them two ways to ask for food. ‘Je voudrais’ (I would like) or ‘Un coca s’il vous plait’ (A coke please). When working in pairs pupils combined the two and asked each other for the food item they wanted and added ‘S’il vous plait’ (please).

p.22

MATHEMATICS

Provision for mathematics is very good .

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards are very high. • Very good teaching leads directly to high achievement. • The subject is very well led and managed.

p.22

Commentary

60. Information from the 2003 national curriculum tests shows that all pupils achieved the expected Level 2 at the end of Year 2. Most attained Level 4 by the end of Year 6. However, fewer pupils attained higher levels than might have been expected. Inspection evidence, gathered from lessons and pupils’ work, indicates that a greater proportion of pupils will attain higher levels in the 2004 national tests. As a result, standards in both Years 2 and 6 are very high. Using and applying mathematics is central to the thinking and planning of teachers, so standards here are particularly high. Because of the progress pupils have made, achievement in Year 2 is very good and it continues to be good in Years 3 to 6. This represents very good improvement since the last inspection when standards were judged to be in line with national expectations.

p.22

Commentary

61. The main reason for this high achievement is the very high quality of teaching found throughout most of the school. Teachers’ high expectations ensure pupils are challenged. Lessons are conducted with good pace and pupils are given work matched to their differing needs. Lessons are well planned and take good account of previous learning. As a result, pupils’ attitudes to mathematics are very positive. Pupils have individual targets for mathematics, but there is no consistent format for these. Where teaching is not as good, there is insufficient challenge and work is not related well to pupils’ previous learning. St. Katharine’s Knockholt C of E Primary School 62. The school website features an excellent section that provides a mathematical challenge for pupils to access and work on at home. These challenges are changed on a regular basis and are related to the different age-groups in the school. This provides pupils with ongoing activities

p.22

Commentary

that enhance their learning. Pupils of all ages use the website in this way and the result is that, by the time that they reach Year 6, they spontaneously use ICT as a learning tool when it is appropriate.

p.23

Commentary

63. The subject co-ordinator leads and manages very well. By analysing where there have been relative weaknesses, such as amongst the boys in previous years, very good support has been given to ensure they do not recur. The progress of pupils is tracked to identify any who are not developing as anticipated. The quality of teaching is monitored and pupils’ work reviewed, so the co-ordinator is very knowledgeable about what the pupils experience. All the issues identified in the last inspection have been thoroughly addressed. Recently, the co-ordinator has been leading the staff in considering how mathematics can be taught alongside other subjects. As a result of rising standards and the high achievement of pupils, the progress since the last inspection has been very good.

p.23

Mathematics across the curriculum

64. Good opportunities are taken to use skills learnt in mathematics in other subjects. However, teachers are increasingly planning for learning different subjects together so that pupils learn about topics holistically irrespective of the curriculum subjects involved. This raises the quality of their learning and promotes their achievement very well. Mathematics is most frequently found in science and ICT.

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards and achievement by the end of Year 6 are high due to very good teaching. • Expectations are too low in Year 2 so pupils do not reach their potential. • Scientific thinking skills are given a high profile. • Very good links are made with other subjects.

p.23

Commentary

65. In the 2003 national tests, all pupils in Year 2 attained the expected Level 2. However, less than a quarter achieved higher levels, which is below similar schools. In Year 6 all pupils attained Level 4 and half were at the higher Level 5, which was better than most schools. Inspection evidence indicates that results will be similar in the 2004 tests in Year 6. As a result, pupils’ achievement is very good in Years 3 to 6. However, for pupils in Year 2 achievement is unsatisfactory as they leave the reception class with above average knowledge and skills and do not make the progress expected. At the end of Year 6, this represents very good improvement since the last inspection when standards were judged to be in line with national expectations. However, this is not the case at the end of Year 2.

p.23

Commentary

66. The quality of teaching is very good for some Year 1 pupils and in Years 3 to 6. This leads directly to the pupils’ high achievement. It is also responsible for the enthusiasm for the subject shown by pupils and the sustained concentration on tasks they have been given. Features of this teaching are very good questioning, high quality planning and very well led discussions. Support is provided at different levels to meet the needs of all pupils. Very good use is made of ICT during lessons. For pupils in Year 2, and some in Year 1, teaching is satisfactory. As a result, although most pupils reach the expected levels by the end of Year 2, the more able are insufficiently challenged to encourage them to strive towards achieving higher standards. However, the school has introduced strategies aimed at correcting this in the coming year. St. Katharine’s Knockholt C of E Primary School 67. Whenever possible teachers plan lessons that involve pupils in designing and carrying out their

p.23

Commentary

own investigations. Pupils work well together on these tasks and have a good understanding of what makes a fair test. They write up their own accounts of the investigations and draw conclusions. As a result, their skills of scientific thinking are very good. They know that when experimenting only one variable should be changed at a time in order to be able to identify the cause of any change in their results. They are also very careful to measure timings or distances for the same reason.

p.24

Commentary

68. Good links are made with other subjects. In some cases it is incidental, such as applying the mathematical knowledge of the pupils, but, increasingly, it is planned as a way of delivering two or more subjects together. An example of this was the linking of art with science in Years 5 and 6, when the teacher used a very good ‘PowerPoint’ presentation, using ICT, to show famous scientists she expected pupils to write in a particular style about their findings.

p.24

Commentary

69. The subject is very well led and managed. Information from tests is analysed, the quality of teaching monitored and the progress of pupils tracked. The co-ordinator leads by example and provides an enthusiastic model for colleagues. Weaknesses identified in the last inspection have been fully addressed, so improvement since then has been very good.

p.24

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Provision for information and communication technology (ICT) is very good .

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teachers plan a very good range of activities that help to make learning purposeful. • ICT is very well used to teach other subjects. • The leadership and management of ICT are excellent. Provision has been improved very well since the last inspection. • The school has a very good web site.

p.24

Commentary

70. Only a small number of lessons were seen during the inspection but ICT was seen being used in a number of contexts. Other evidence was gathered by sampling pupils’ work and talking to them and members of staff.

p.24

Commentary

71. Standards of attainment in ICT are well above national expectations by the end of Year 2 and Year 6. Pupils apply their good range of basic skills in many lessons. They have a good understanding of the many applications of ICT, with teachers acting as very good role models by making very good use of ICT as a teaching aid. This represents excellent improvement since the last inspection when standards were below expectations and pupils’ progress was restricted by unreliable and out of date equipment.

p.24

Commentary

72. All pupils have equal access to computers. Teachers know what each pupil can do and what they need to learn next.

p.24

Commentary

73. Overall, the quality of teaching is very good and sometimes excellent. The school does not have an ICT suite but has chosen instead to have a very good number of rechargeable laptop computers which are accessible to all classes. This has a very good impact on pupils’ learning and achievement as they move through the school. Older pupils in St. Katherine’s make choices about using computers for particular tasks as they see them as the best tool for the job. Teachers promote this understanding of the use of computers very well and pupils’ skills develop accordingly.

p.24

Commentary

74. All pupils, including those with special educational needs, learn very well through the use of ICT in almost all subjects. All aspects of the subject are taught very well and the school is set to advance further as it introduces its new equipment for monitoring the outside environment. St. Katharine’s Knockholt C of E Primary School 75. The co-ordinator is an outstanding expert in the field of development of ICT as a tool for teaching and learning and provides excellent leadership and management in the subject. He has developed a very high quality school website which is often used to promote learning and also used by parents to gather information from the school and to assist them with pupils’ work at home. In one excellent lesson the co-ordinator used a simulation that he had prepared regarding a hypothetical sale of some of the school’s land to a supermarket chain. Pupils were prompted to argue the case both for and against the proposal, using very good language and

p.24

Commentary

very good skills in thinking and reasoning. This promoted very good learning in ICT, geography and literacy.

p.25

Commentary

76. The outcomes of this very good provision are that pupils learn to use computers as a tool for learning at a high level. Some older pupils design their own web sites using computer code, which is a very advanced skill.

p.25

Commentary

77. The headteacher has worked through a carefully considered plan for the improvement of provision, with funds allocated wisely. Training of staff has been a key factor in the improvements that have taken place. Pupils are beginning to benefit from the improved provision. Assessment procedures and the use of the information gathered to promote pupils’ achievement are both very good.

p.25

Information and communication technology across the curriculum

78. The school promotes the use of ICT in teaching and learning to a high level. Teachers use the school’s web site in their teaching and it is also very well used by parents and pupils. The use of ICT in the teaching and learning of English, mathematics, science, history, geography and many other subjects is very good.

p.25

Religious education

79. The school is closely linked to the Church of England and inspection of Religious education took place under Section 23 of the Schools Inspection Act of 1996

p.25

History and geography

80. No lessons were observed in history and geography because of the way the inspection was focused, therefore no judgements have been made on the quality of teaching and provision. Work in both history and geography was seen when looking at pupils’ work in ICT and indications are that standards are at least in line with expectations throughout the school. Pupils follow the required programmes of study for both subjects and very good links are made with other subjects. Writing is promoted well through both subjects and ICT is used well in the teaching and learning of both.

p.25

Art and design and design and technology

81. No lessons were seen in art and design or in design and technology. Displays indicate comprehensive coverage of the art curriculum, with standards at least in line with expectations. A display of good watercolours based on the Second World War indicated good links are made with other subjects such as history. Design and technology work seen in other lessons indicates good links made with other subjects. Indications are that standards in Key Stage 2 are at least in line with expectations.

p.25

Music

St. Katharine’s Knockholt C of E Primary School 82. Music was sampled during the inspection. The school employs a specialist teacher to teach the subject throughout the school. She was observed teaching singing to the whole school and a music lesson to a class in Years 1 and 2. The quality of both these lessons was very good. Pupils sing tunefully and rhythmically. They play instruments carefully following the scores that they have previously written. Provision for music is good and from the limited evidence standards appear to be at least satisfactory.

p.26

Physical education

83. No lessons were seen in physical education. The field and swimming pool provide good facilities for physical education, although the current hall is inadequate. Extra-curricular sporting activities provide an excellent enhancement to provision in lessons.

p.26

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

84. No direct teaching of citizenship was seen, but the school does have a scheme of work and teaches the subject in a variety of ways including the use of ‘Circle time’. The headteacher leads the whole staff in this area and is very keen that all pupils leave the school with a strong sense of self-esteem, self-confidence and a deep knowledge and understanding of what constitutes a good citizen. Inspection evidence contained elsewhere in this report shows that the school is successful in this. The school’s plan shows that it provides a suitable curriculum covering sex education and develops in its pupils an appropriate awareness of the dangers of the abuse of alcohol and drugs. Personal development, including pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is strong. St. Katharine’s Knockholt C of E Primary School

p.26

PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

p.27

PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Overall standards achieved 2 Pupils’ achievement 2

p.27

PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

p.27

PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The quality of education provided by the school 2 The quality of teaching 2 How well pupils learn 2 The quality of assessment 2 How well the curriculum meets pupils’ needs 2 Enrichment of the curriculum, including out-of-school activities 1 Accommodation and resources 4 Pupils’ care, welfare, health and safety 2 Support, advice and guidance for pupils 2 How well the school seeks and acts on pupils’ views 2 The effectiveness of the school’s links with parents 1 The quality of the school’s links with the community 1 The school’s links with other schools and colleges 2

p.27

PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The leadership and management of the school 2 The governance of the school 3 The leadership of the headteacher 1 The leadership of other key staff 2 The effectiveness of management 2

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

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