Appleshaw St Peter's CofE Primary School

ST. PETER’S C of E PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 12 th –15 th January 2004

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ST. PETER’S C of E PRIMARY SCHOOL

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 St. Peter’s 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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ST. PETER’S C of E PRIMARY SCHOOL

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. St. Peter’s 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: 98

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Ragged Appleshaw Andover Hampshire Postcode: SP11 9HR Telephone number: 01264 772210 Fax number: 01264 772210

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: Governing body Name of chair of governors: Rev. Ian Tomlinson

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: March 4 th 2002

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

St. Peter’s is a Church of England voluntary aided school, which serves the village of Ragged Apppleshaw and surrounding hamlets. A minority of the pupils come from the village but most pupils come from the nearby towns of Luggershall and Andover. Seven pupils come from armed services’ families. The school is smaller than most primary schools and has four classes. The number of pupils entitled to free schools meals is below the national average. The percentage of pupils with special educational needs is in line with the national average and two pupils have a statement of special education need. Almost all the pupils are of white ethnic heritage and no pupil is at an early stage of learning English. The children’s attainment on entry to the school is similar to that of others of their age. However, the attainment of many of the present reception class is below that of other four year olds, because a third of the children have identified special educational needs, primarily

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

emotional and behavioural needs. St. Peter’s C of E Primary School

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

25074 Joyce Cox Lead inspector English, science, information and communication technology, geography 19693 Sally Hall Lay inspector 26945 Sylvia Gatehouse Team inspector Mathematics, design and technology, Foundation Stage, special educational needs

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

Altecq Education Limited 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). St. Peter’s 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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OVERALL EVALUATION

This is an improving school, which provides a satisfactory quality of education within a supportive, caring ethos that succeeds in including every pupil in all aspects of school life. Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory overall and good in the Foundation Stage. Standards are above average in speaking and listening and reading but below average in mathematics. The school no longer has serious weaknesses and the headteacher provides good leadership. Teaching is good in the reception class and satisfactory overall in the infants and juniors. The school provides satisfactory value for money.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are: • Pupils attain above average standards in speaking, listening and reading. • Standards are below average in mathematics and pupils’ achievement is unsatisfactory. • The headteacher provides good leadership and has a very clear vision for future improvements, although not all staff are fully committed to school improvement which impedes the rate of progress. • The governance of the school is unsatisfactory and senior mangers and subject co-ordinators are not directly involved in monitoring their areas of responsibility. • Assessment is good and means that the school can track pupils’ progress but higher attaining pupils are not always sufficiently challenged. • Good support for pupils’ personal development ensures that pupils have good attitudes and behave well. • Children in the reception class receive a good start to their education and achieve well. • Although pupils’ information and communication technology (ICT) skills are much improved, the

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OVERALL EVALUATION

opportunities to apply these skills in other subjects are too limited.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school has made good improvement since the last inspection, particularly in the last year since the appointment of the present headteacher. The issues raised in the previous report have been effectively tackled. Strong, purposeful leadership by the headteacher is focusing the school on the correct range of measures to improve the school further.

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Year 6 results

All schools Similar schools Results in National Curriculum tests at the end of Year 6, compared with: 2001 2002 2003 2003 English D E A A* Mathematics D E D B Science E D A A* 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 Care is needed in interpreting this data, as the number of pupils taking the tests in 2003 was small. The pupils’ achievement is satisfactory. The reception children achieve well and are on course to meet the goals they are expected to attain by the time they start in Year 1. Infant and junior pupils attain above average standards in speaking, listening and reading and below average standards in mathematics. They attain average standards in writing, science, ICT, design technology and geography. In 2003 the Year 6 pupils’ attainment in national tests was well above average in

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Year 6 results

English and science and below average in mathematics. The 2003 national test results indicate that the fifteen Year 6 pupils had made particularly good progress in English and science between Year 2 and Year 6 with almost half of the pupils attaining the higher level. However, this was not the case in mathematics with only two pupils attaining the higher level and five pupils attaining below the St. Peter’s C of E Primary School expected level. This underachievement is due to low expectations, inaccurate assessment and weak leadership by the co-ordinator.

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Year 6 results

Pupils' personal development is good. Provision for their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils' attitudes to learning and behaviour are good. Relationships between pupils, and between pupils and adults, in the school are good. The attendance rate and punctuality are satisfactory.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The school provides a satisfactory quality of education. Teaching and learning are good in the reception class. Teaching is satisfactory in Years 1 to 4 and good in many lessons in Year 5/6. Teaching assistants make an invaluable contribution to pupils’ learning. Assessment is good but teachers do not consistently set work that challenges the higher attaining pupils. The curriculum is satisfactory and there is good provision for extra-curricular activities. The school provides good support, advice and guidance to its pupils. There are satisfactory links with pupils’ parents and the community and good links with other schools.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management are satisfactory. The headteacher is a good leader. He provides a very clear steer for school improvement. Management is satisfactory. Senior managers and subject co-ordinators do not yet play a full role in managing their areas of responsibility. School funds are targeted where they are most needed and the headteacher and the finance officer monitor spending carefully. Governance is unsatisfactory. Governors do not have a sufficiently accurate view of standards, finance or the school’s strengths and weaknesses. This means that they are unable to question what the school is doing to bring about improvements. They are in breach of statutory requirements, as they did not produce an annual report for parents in 2002/3.

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Most parents are generally pleased with the school and the quality of experiences provided for their children. However, a small number of parents expressed concern regarding the behaviour of the reception children. The inspection team found that the above average number of reception children with emotional and behavioural difficulties is handled skilfully and sensitively and that all children achieve well in the class. Pupils have positive views of the school. They feel they are treated fairly, that teachers help them to learn and that they enjoy coming to school.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

The most important things the school should do to improve are: • raise attainment and achievement in mathematics; • ensure that the governing body fulfils all its duties effectively; • clearly define the roles and responsibilities of senior managers and subject co-ordinators so that they play a fuller part in school improvement; • improve teaching so that all pupils are engaged, stimulated and interested in their learning and higher attaining pupils are sufficiently challenged; • give pupils more opportunities to apply their developing skills in information and communication technology in other subjects;

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

and, to meet statutory requirements: • ensure that the governors’ report to parents is published annually and, together with the prospectus, contains all the required statutory information. St. Peter’s C of E Primary School

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Standards achieved in areas of learning, subjects and courses

Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory in Years 1 to 6 and good in the reception class.

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Standards achieved in areas of learning, subjects and courses

Reception children attain the Early Learning Goals in all areas of learning by the time they start in the Year 1/2 class. Year 2 and Year 6 pupils attain above average standards in speaking, listening and reading and below average standards in mathematics. Pupils attain average standards in writing and science and in all the other subjects inspected.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Reception children achieve well and attain the expected levels on entry to Year 1. • Pupils’ skills in the computer suite are close to the national expectations but their application of skills to work in other subjects requires improvement. • Standards are below average in mathematics and pupils underachieve. • Year 3 and 4 pupils do not achieve as well as they could due to low expectations.

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Foundation Stage

1. Normally, the children enter the school with attainment similar to that of others of their age. However, the attainment of the present reception class is below the expected levels as over one third of the children have significant special educational needs, primarily emotional and behavioural needs. The provision in the Foundation Stage has improved significantly since the previous inspection. Reception children achieve well in all the areas of learning and attain the expected levels on entry to the Year 1/2 class.

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Key Stage 1

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

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Key Stage 1

Standards in: School results National results Reading 17.2 (16.6) 15.7 (15.8) Writing 15.5 (14.7) 14.6 (14.4) Mathematics 16.8 (16.1) 16.3 (16.5) There were 10 children in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Key Stage 1

2. A small number of pupils take the national tests each year so pupils’ results can vary considerably from year to year and require careful interpretation. However, the improvement in the school’s average points score for reading and writing has been greater than the national trend since 1999. This stems from improved lesson planning and teaching. In 2003, girls did better than boys in reading, writing and mathematics. This does not reflect the trend over the previous three years when boys and girls performed equally. Teachers judged that the percentage of children reaching the expected level in science was below the national average. Inspection findings show that standards of attainment are above average in speaking, listening and reading. Pupils attain average standards in writing, science, ICT and geography. Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory in all subjects apart from mathematics where standards are below

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Key Stage 1

average and pupils underachieve. Standards are improving in most subjects but there is still more to be done to raise the attainment of the more able pupils. No differences were noted between the attainment of boys and girls during the inspection. St. Peter’s C of E Primary School

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Key Stage 2

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

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Key Stage 2

Standards in: School results National results English 28.6 (24.8) 26.8 (27.0) Mathematics 25.8 (25.5) 26.8 (26.7) Science 30.2 (28.6) 28.6 (28.3) There were 15 children in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Key Stage 2

3. The school’s average points scores have been improving at a greater rate than nationally because of more precise assessment systems and good leadership in recent years, which has resulted in improved teaching and learning in the Year 5/6 class. The one subject which has not improved is mathematics. Inspection findings are that pupils attain above average standards in speaking, listening and reading, average in writing and science and below average in mathematics. Standards in design and technology and geography are in line with national expectations by the age of eleven. Standards are just below national expectations in ICT and too little is done to develop pupils’ ICT skills in other subjects.

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Key Stage 2

4. The recently appointed headteacher is building on these improvements by making better use of performance statistics and assessments to identify where developments and improvements are necessary. For instance, the school has used assessment data to set accurate targets for Year 6 pupils to achieve in national tests. He has considerably improved how the school tracks pupils’ progress.

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Key Stage 2

5. The Year 5/6 teacher’s good strategies help pupils to achieve well in reading and speaking and listening. Pupils’ reading is better than their writing, because the writing shows weaknesses in some pupils’ spelling and punctuation. Work sampling reveals that pupils’ progress dips in Years 3 and 4 where work is not marked regularly and comments do not clearly tell pupils how to improve. As a result, pupils’ work is poorly presented because mediocre work is accepted and praised and pupils do not achieve as well as they could.

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Key Stage 2

6. The previous inspection stated that attainment and achievement required improving in mathematics, but standards have not risen swiftly enough in spite of the focus that this subject has had for some years. Most pupils are not being set work that matches their needs and abilities. Consequently their progress is not rapid enough and they are underachieving.

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Key Stage 2

7. A small number of higher attaining Year 6 pupils achieve above the expected level in science as a result of challenging teaching.

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Key Stage 2

8. The school has improved standards in ICT as all pupils now have regular use of the computer suite. Many pupils reach standards close to the average in the computer suite. However, they are less able to apply their skills in other subjects because they have been given too few opportunities to do so. A shortage of programmable toys and sensing equipment means that pupils are not able to further their skills in modelling and control technology.

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Key Stage 2

9. Pupils with special educational needs reach good standards in their work because the targets in their individual education plans are manageable and because teachers and their assistants are aware of pupils’ needs and provide good support in lessons. No difference was noted between the performance of boys and girls during the inspection. St. Peter’s C of E Primary School

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

10. Pupils have good attitudes. They behave well and the school has high expectations that they should. The school makes good provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Attendance is satisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The school places a heavy emphasis on the development of pupils’ personal skills. • Behaviour and attitudes in class and around school are good. • Teachers provide many good opportunities for the development of pupils’ social skills.

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Attendance

Attendance in the latest complete reporting year 2002/3 (%)

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Attendance

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data: 5.8 School data: 0.1 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

11. Attendance is satisfactory, but has declined since the last inspection when it was very good. There is no apparent reason for this decline. Pupils enjoy coming to school and attend regularly. The school’s procedures for monitoring and promoting good attendance are satisfactory. Registers are marked correctly and the school works closely with the educational welfare officer when attendance is a cause for concern. Punctuality is satisfactory. Nearly all parents ensure that their children arrive at school on time and the school day starts promptly.

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Attendance

12. Pupils throughout the school are polite and tolerant of each other’s needs. They show empathy and consideration for each other in class and around school. Behaviour is good, because pupils have a clear understanding of right and wrong and understand that living in a community involves having some rules for the well being of everyone. In these ways, the school is introducing the elements of citizenship. For instance the school and class rules are displayed and referred to as necessary. Pupils with special educational needs have good attitudes and behave well in lessons when these capture their attention and their concentration is harnessed. They listen hard to others and make sensible contributions themselves.

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Attendance

13. Pupils have a developing sense of responsibility and service. For instance they clear away furniture after assembly and undertake other duties around school, such as taking registers and other items to the school office. All pupils, including those with special educational needs, have these privileges and they perform them with a strong sense of duty.

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Attendance

14. All classes have time set aside for personal and social education. Worthwhile discussions take place, for instance about the possible hazards in the environment. Good opportunities are provided in the Year 5/6 class for pupils to make use of their speaking and listening skills.

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Attendance

15. The school has a warm and caring ethos. Pupils’ spiritual development is fostered well in assemblies and in lessons. In Year 5/6, pupils’ moral development is especially well enriched through a lively debate about the use of animals for experiments or for food. Pupils show a very mature attitude and the teacher is sensitive and listens with genuine interest to their opinions. Resources to support the further improvement of pupils’ cultural development have recently been purchased, and the school has a satisfactory supply of resources in art and music to enrich pupils’ experience of artists and music from other times and cultures.

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Attendance

16. Pupils with special educational needs have good attitudes and behave well in lessons when these capture their attention and their concentration is harnessed. The three temporary exclusions were fully justified and all the correct procedures were followed. St. Peter’s C of E Primary School

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Exclusions

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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Exclusions

Categories used in the Annual School Census No of pupils on roll Number of fixed period exclusions Number of permanent exclusions White – British 98 3 0 The table gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

17. The school provides a satisfactory quality of education. Teaching and learning are satisfactory overall. Assessment is good and means that the school can track pupils’ progress but higher attaining pupils are not always challenged sufficiently. The curriculum is satisfactory and there are a good number of extra-curricular activities. The school takes good care of its pupils and has satisfactory links with its parents and the community and good links with other schools.

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Teaching and learning

Teaching is satisfactory overall and ensures that pupils’ learning is sound. Teaching and learning are good in the reception class and in many lessons in the Year 5/6 class.

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Teaching and learning

Assessment is good and used to track pupils’ progress. Assessment is not always used effectively to set work for higher attaining pupils.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching assistants provide good support to all pupils and especially those with special educational needs. • There is insufficient provision for pupils with different levels of attainment, in particular the more able pupils. • Teachers make limited use of assessment information to match work to pupils’ needs. • Some pupils are not always sufficiently engaged or interested in lessons. • Teaching of maths is satisfactory overall but teachers’ expectations of what pupils can achieve are not high enough.

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Commentary

18. Teaching has improved since the last inspection. Teaching and learning are good in the reception class. Overall teaching is satisfactory, including the teaching of English and mathematics, and teaching is better in the Year 5/6 class. The quality of teaching varies across subjects and classes and, where teaching is not as good, it restricts pupils’ overall achievement.

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Commentary

19. Teachers and support staff have established good relationships with pupils, which ensure that most pupils have good attitudes to learning. When given challenging tasks, such as devising their own experiments in science, pupils enjoy their work and apply themselves well. On some occasions the higher attaining pupils in all classes throughout the school are not sufficiently challenged and receive the same work as other pupils, which restricts their attainment and achievement.

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Commentary

20. Where teaching is at its best, the teacher has precise learning objectives which are shared with all pupils to keep them engaged and interested. However, in some lessons the learning objectives are too broad and not referred to so it is difficult for pupils to make connections with previous learning. The way in which teachers ask questions and engage the pupils in the St. Peter’s C of E Primary School lesson also varies. Some teachers are very skilled at this and encourage pupils to respond to questions in detail and to explain their thinking, whilst others accept one-word answers.

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Commentary

21. In the Year 5/6 class, the teacher has high expectation of pupils’ achievement, but in other classes, where expectations are too low, the presentation of pupils’ work varies considerably. Marking is another area for improvement, as it does not always clearly tell pupils how they can improve their work.

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Commentary

22. Teachers plan carefully for pupils with special educational needs. Pupils with special needs are cared for well by teachers and their assistants. Special support assistants make an important contribution to pupils’ progress and well-being. The overall quality of support they provide is good. It is very good in the Year 1/2 class because of close liaison between staff and the assistant uses a range of good teaching strategies complementing the teacher’s style very effectively.

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Commentary

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 22 lessons

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Commentary

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very poor

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Commentary

0 2 9 9 2 0 0 The table gives the number of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

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Assessment

23. The school has good procedures for assessment and teachers have a lot of information about what pupils know, can do and understand. This is usually used to group pupils of the same ability together in lessons. However, this is not always done with sufficient rigour and a few pupils in the same group find themselves with work that is too easy or too hard for them. This adversely affects the progress they make in some lessons. Also, higher attaining pupils are not often given enough work that is hard enough for them to make sufficient progress. This again slows down their progress over time. For example, in Year 3 and 4 pupils of all abilities had the same target for achievement in literacy and completed the same work. Teachers are not always clear of how well they expect pupils to achieve, particularly the higher attaining pupils. This means that pupils do not always achieve as well as they might in some subjects.

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The curriculum

The school provides its pupils with a satisfactory curriculum. It enriches pupils’ learning by a good range of activities, including sports, the arts, visits and visitors. The good accommodation and resources meet the needs of the curriculum apart from ICT.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Planning of the curriculum does not take sufficient account of the more able pupils. • The curriculum for children in the Foundation Stage is lively and exciting. • The curriculum is enriched by a good range of activities and events, visitors and visits. • There are insufficient resources in ICT.

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Commentary

24. The curriculum is good for children in the Foundation Stage and satisfactory in Years 1 to 6. Although the curriculum meets statutory requirements it lacks excitement and does not consistently provide a range of stimulating experiences for pupils. This has been recognised by the headteacher who has plans in hand to overhaul and improve the curriculum.

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Commentary

25. Sufficient time is now allocated to each subject, ensuring balance, and emphasis is rightly given to English and mathematics. In response to issues identified in the previous inspection, the school has given special attention to particular areas, for example English. This emphasis has produced better results in the national tests. Similarly, mathematics has now been St. Peter’s C of E Primary School identified as a weaker area throughout the school and is to receive special attention through teacher in-service training and more rigorous monitoring of planning, teaching and learning by the co-ordinator.

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Commentary

26. The curriculum for pupils with special educational needs is well matched to their particular needs identified in their individual education plans.

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Commentary

27. The range of extra-curricular events is good. Pupils enjoy an unusually wide range of sporting, musical and dramatic events and activities for a school of this size. The school contributes locally with its dance and drama groups on occasions like the village summer barbeque and fete. The range of sporting events is impressive: football, rugby, netball, rounders and cricket, both in school and beyond, in local tournaments. Residential study visits and day trips to local places of interest are carefully planned to enrich pupils’ experiences in class and bring the curriculum to life, for example visits to Highclere Castle.

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Commentary

28. Immediate aids to further improvement are the vision of the headteacher and his determination to enliven the curriculum to provide more exciting experiences for pupils. Barriers to the further development are the lack of monitoring by subject leaders, especially in mathematics, and the governors’ inconsistency in acquiring knowledge and understanding of the curriculum.

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Commentary

29. The long-term development of the curriculum depends on the skills and competence of co- ordinators in regularly monitoring their subject areas rigorously. Although the governors have attached themselves to particular subjects and occasionally visit school to share pupils’ experience and learning, the school could do more to help them gain a deeper understanding of the curriculum. For instance, governors do not regularly receive reports from subject co- ordinators at their meetings to ensure that they are fully informed about the curriculum and its development. There is some way to go before the school is in a position to benefit from the flexibility offered by the National Primary Strategy.

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Commentary

30. The school has sufficient teachers and a good number of support staff. The accommodation has improved considerably since the last inspection with a new ICT suite, a refurbished library and a medical room. The headteacher has good plans in place to develop the accommodation even further. Learning resources are satisfactory, apart from ICT where there are insufficient resources to teach the control and modelling element of ICT.

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Care, guidance and support

The school’s provision for the care, welfare, health and safety of its pupils is good. It provides good support, advice and guidance to pupils. It makes satisfactory attempts to involve pupils in its work.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Staff know and support the pupils well. • The school pays good attention to pupils’ welfare, health and safety. • Pupils feel safe and secure in school and say that they can turn to any adult for help. • Induction procedures for new pupils are good.

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Commentary

31. The school’s procedures to ensure pupils’ care, welfare, health and safety are good and have improved since the last inspection when certain aspects were judged to be unsatisfactory. The school works closely with outside agencies and support staff to ensure that pupils with particular medical needs are given very good care, whilst encouraging them to become more independent. The school cook talks with parents of new pupils about their children’s dietary needs. The staff and governors ensure that pupils work in a healthy and safe environment and risk assessments are in place. The arrangements for first aid are good and the school has addressed the criticisms raised in the last inspection report and now has a medical room. The assistant head teacher has received training in child protection and staff are aware of the school procedures. The school recognises the need for the headteacher to receive training in

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Commentary

St. Peter’s C of E Primary School child protection in order to improve coverage. Satisfactory procedures for pupils in public care are in place.

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Commentary

32. The school provides good support and guidance for its pupils. This is an inclusive school and the school works hard to ensure that the needs of all pupils, including those with physical, behavioural and emotional difficulties are met. Staff know the pupils well and track their personal, social and emotional development through listening to pupils, for example in circle time (whole class discussions). Support staff also make valuable contribution in caring for pupils. The school celebrates the pupils’ achievements and teachers make valuable comments about the pupils’ personal development in their annual reports. Pupils say that they can turn to any member of staff if they need help. Induction procedures are very good. They are planned carefully and involve school visits which ensure that new children and parents are welcomed into the school.

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Commentary

33. The involvement of the pupils in the work of the school is satisfactory. The school has recently consulted pupils about their attitudes to school and the aims and values of the school, but the opportunities for all pupils to regularly put forward suggestions about the work of the school are limited.

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Commentary

Partnership with parents, other schools and the community.

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Commentary

Links with parents and the community are satisfactory. Links with other schools are good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The school works hard to reach out to parents and provides them with good information about pupils’ progress. • The school has good procedures to deal with complaints. • The links with other schools are good.

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Commentary

34. The school’s links with its parents and carers are satisfactory. The school has a good reputation in the community as a small, caring school. The majority of the pupils live outside the village and their parents have made a positive decision to send their children to St Peter’s. The school has worked hard to reach out to parents and welcome them into the school. Relationships are good with most parents although a small group of vociferous parents remains dissatisfied with the school’s efforts to forge closer links with them. There are good arrangements for the headteacher and staff to talk to parents informally and more formally through termly consultation evenings. The school provides good information to parents about their children’s progress.

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Commentary

35. The school’s links with the community are satisfactory. There are close links with the village church and the vicar is a regular visitor in school. Members of the local community volunteer to play the piano and help the pupils learn to play hand bells. A satisfactory range of visits and visitors enriches the curriculum.

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Commentary

36. The school’s partnership with other local schools is good. The staff work closely with other small primary schools to share resources, discuss the curriculum and give mutual support. Through close links with the local secondary schools, teachers ensure that the transfer from one stage of education to the next is as smooth as possible. There are useful links with the local pre-school groups and staff make visits and share expertise. St. Peter’s C of E Primary School

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

37. Leadership and management are satisfactory. The headteacher’s leadership is good. Leadership and management by the senior management team and subject co-ordinators are satisfactory. The governance of the school is unsatisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The headteacher has a clear vision and is passionate about improving the performance of the school through developing the quality of teaching and learning. • He has not yet successfully inspired all staff to be similarly committed. • The performance of the governing body is unsatisfactory. • The management of the school by the administrative staff is good. • The mathematics co-ordinator provides unsatisfactory leadership and management.

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Commentary

38. The headteacher has been in post less than one year but has already achieved a great deal in putting the school back on its feet after an unsettled period. He has sensitively consulted widely to seek a consensus in establishing the school’s aims and values, and is working tirelessly to establish a hitherto missing spirit of teamwork amongst staff and governors. He has successfully enlisted most staff in giving their whole-hearted support in putting their agreed aims into practice. A few staff have yet to embrace the school’s agreed aims and are resistant to change.

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Commentary

39. The headteacher has conducted a detailed audit of all aspects of the school in order to assess what needs doing to raise standards, improve the quality of teaching and learning, and develop the curriculum and the environment. He has monitored the quality of teaching and learning and put in place long-overdue performance management systems for all staff to identify agreed training needs. He has established a comprehensive but manageable tracking system to record and predict individual pupils’ progress and attainment as they move through the school. This system enables staff to monitor how well their pupils are doing at a glance, and provides the senior management team and governing body with the means of evaluating the performance of groups of pupils year by year. He has improved the environment for staff and pupils to make the school and its grounds a more attractive place to work in. Members of staff

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Commentary

who are in charge of subjects have received budgets enabling them to manage and improve resources in their subject areas effectively.

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Commentary

40. The subject co-ordinators have not had opportunities to oversee their subjects. They have not observed lessons or devised action plans to bring about improvements. The literacy and science co-ordinators have evaluated the national test results to identify areas for improvement. The mathematics co-ordinator provides unsatisfactory leadership and management. Teachers’ planning in mathematics has not been regularly monitored to ensure that pupils receive work that matches their needs. Nor has planning been checked to ensure that pupils in different year groups are given work that builds on previously acquired knowledge and understanding. The special needs co-ordinator does not regularly provide formal reports to the whole governing body so that they are fully informed about the effectiveness of the school’s provision for these pupils and the support they receive.

p.15

Commentary

41. There are serious long-standing shortcomings in governance. The meetings of the governing body and sub-committees are not sufficiently well organised and meetings are often poorly attended. Although some individual governors have first hand knowledge of what happens in school through visits and attendance at assemblies and concerts, the governing body as a whole does not have adequate procedures to make sure it is well informed about what is going on in school. Some governors are aware that they are not fully effective and governors have recently undertaken training to help them to be more aware of their responsibilities as governors. The finance committee is not involved sufficiently with the school’s finances. The school is looking at managing a considerably smaller budget than ever before for 2004-05 and St. Peter’s C of E Primary School the governing body will need to take a much more active interest in the school’s finances to

p.15

Commentary

ensure that the budget is set and managed efficiently.

p.16

Financial information

Financial information for the year April 2002 to March 2003

p.16

Financial information

Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 338,615 Balance from previous year 58,995 Total expenditure 359,649 Balance carried forward to the next 37,961 Expenditure per pupil 3,458.16

p.16

Financial information

42. Governors fulfil most of their statutory duties, but there are serious deficiencies, for example with regard to the management of special educational needs and drugs awareness. They have failed to provide an annual report for parents for 2002-2003. The governing body has recently undertaken training to help them become a more cohesive and effective team in holding the school accountable. They are seeking to find the right balance in their role of being critical friends, and are becoming more aware of their responsibilities. For instance, they have reviewed the number of committees in order to ensure more regular attendance at meetings. Attention to the negative points above should now be given high priority.

p.16

Financial information

43. The school takes a strong stance on educational inclusion and equality of opportunity. All staff and governors are fully committed to the policies. The further development of the school in raising achievement depends on all staff and governors working together with the headteacher in establishing a positive, professional ethos that will serve the best interests of all the pupils. It will be necessary for the curriculum co-ordinators and the governors to have the training and opportunities to fulfil their roles in raising achievement and standards. Further aids to raising achievement depend on sensitive monitoring of the quality of teaching and learning, and the evaluation of the curriculum to see that it meets the needs of all pupils. Barriers to enhancing the ethos of the school include the lack of teamwork amongst staff and the governing body. St. Peter’s C of E Primary School

p.16

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

44. Provision for children in the Foundation Stage is good and has improved since the last inspection. The attainment on entry of the children currently in the reception class is below average, especially in the area of personal and social development. A third of the children have special educational needs Since the last inspection there have been some important improvements in staffing, planning and in the relationships with parents.

p.17

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

45. Children are now making good progress and the reception class is well managed by the present teacher. She has very good behaviour management strategies and has a secure knowledge and understanding of how children of this age learn best. She has developed a lively and imaginative curriculum and plans many exciting and stimulating activities for the children, which they find interesting and fun. A particular strength of her planning is the way she links different areas of learning together and the special attention she gives to matching children’s needs so that each achieves well.

p.17

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

46. Regular assessments of how children are progressing are recorded and good use is being made of the children’s individual profiles, but frequent brief assessments during the day are just beginning to be established. Individual education plans are in place for children with special educational needs, but these do not comply fully with the requirements because parents and children are not sufficiently involved in agreeing and evaluating targets. At the parents’ meeting, concern was expressed about standards of behaviour in this class. The inspection finds that the standard of behaviour is good, and sometimes very good, because of very good management by the teacher.

p.17

Personal, social, and emotional development

Provision in personal social and emotional development is very good .

p.17

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The teacher seizes every chance to promote children’s development of personal and social skills. • She manages children’s behaviour very well and there is a positive ethos in the class. • Children with special needs receive good support and make good progress.

p.17

Commentary

47. A good feature of the reception class is the way the teacher encourages children to develop their independence and self-confidence. As they arrive in class they put their own names beside their photographs and quickly settle down ready to work. They put on their own coats and wellingtons and help clear away their toys at the end of the lesson. They are beginning to take turns in discussions and pay attention when their teacher is talking or reading to them, showing courtesy and respect. Children with special needs have good routines to help them manage their own behaviour. For example, they know they can go to their own special workstation when they need to calm down and do so independently without fuss. Behaviour is good. There is a calm atmosphere and no incidents of unacceptable behaviour were observed during the inspection. Most children are well on course to reach the early learning goal by the

p.17

Commentary

end of the year because of the good teaching. St. Peter’s C of E Primary School

p.17

Communication, language and literacy

Provision in communication, language and literacy is very good.

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The teacher plans many chances for children to use their speaking, listening and writing skills during the day. • The school makes good links with parents to engage them in helping their children at home.

p.18

Commentary

48. The quality of teaching is very good and children make very good progress. The teacher plans exciting activities, such as a walk in the rain, to stimulate interest and language development. Children listen attentively to stories and instructions and are keen to join in discussions, especially when they are very interested in the subject. For example, they enjoy listening to a story about a little polar bear’s adventures, showing concern when he gets lost out in the snow and predicting what might happen next. The teacher makes very good use of a cuddly toy to focus attention and bring the story to life. They willingly practise their early reading skills, following the text in a Big Book about the weather and use their experiences of walking in the rain to offer words to describe their discoveries, such as ‘prickly’ and ‘pattering’. The children have opportunities to take books home to share and writing is also encouraged through the

p.18

Commentary

use of their own word book, including drawings. They are beginning to recognise individual letters and enjoy practising their shapes and writing patterns. Some children write their names using computer keyboards accurately. Most children are well on course to reach the early learning goal by the end of the year. The more able children are likely to exceed the early learning goal because they are achieving very well and making rapid progress.

p.18

Mathematical development

Provision in mathematical development is good.

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The teacher has very good behaviour management strategies. • Children with special educational needs are fully included and receive a high level of attention. • The teacher makes good links with literacy and plans different work to match children’s needs.

p.18

Commentary

49. Children make good progress because the quality of teaching is good and there are interesting activities that capture their interest. For example, in studying the properties of two-dimensional shapes, the teacher engages children’s attention with an exciting and intriguing game at the start of the lesson. This encourages children to think, match and identify a range of shapes such as triangles, squares and rectangles. The activity connects very successfully with literacy because children have to listen very attentively to her description. They enjoy becoming shape detectives and set off around the school to find and identify shapes. Others use string to make large triangles and circles on the hall floor. This activity enables children to work together and fosters their social and personal development. Behaviour is very good because children like their work and find it fun. They concentrate well and try hard to do their best so their

p.18

Commentary

achievement is good. Most children are well on course to reach the early learning goal by the end of the year. The more able children are likely to exceed the early learning goal because they are achieving well and making rapid progress. St. Peter’s C of E Primary School

p.18

Knowledge and understanding of the world

Provision in knowledge and understanding of the world is good.

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The teacher provides a very wide range of interesting activities across many areas of learning including science, information and communication technology, geography and religious education. • The classroom is alive with displays and tabletop activities reflecting children’s achievements and providing many opportunities for learning to take place.

p.19

Commentary

50. All children make good progress because they receive a vibrant curriculum that stimulates their curiosity in the world around them. For example, they plant bulbs and observe how they grow outdoors compared with bulbs grown in water in class. They are fascinated by the way white flowers suck up ink of different colours and explore the properties of water and sand. A walk in the rain helps them to develop their vocabulary and they use words effectively to describe their experiences: ‘the raindrops felt prickly on my face’. They confidently illustrate their knowledge of their activities in discussions. For example, they know that the coldest part of the world is the North Pole ‘at the top of the world’, and in assembly are confident in telling everyone that the name of this part of the year is Epiphany. In the computer suite they show unusual dexterity in managing the mouse and controlling the cursor, logging on, scrolling and clicking

p.19

Commentary

accurately as they follow up their work on weather by drawing a snowman. Good links with mathematics are made because they talk about the shapes they are using, such as circles, triangles and squares. Most children are securely on course to reach the early learning goal by the end of the year. In ICT the more able children are likely to exceed the expected level.

p.19

Physical development

Provision in physical development is good .

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children make good progress in developing their dexterity through a wide range of activities using scissors, pencils, glue-sticks and interlocking building bricks. • Access to the outdoor play area is awkward and restricts the opportunities for children to improve their physical skills.

p.19

Commentary

51. Children enjoy displaying their increasing nimbleness when playing in the water and sand trays, or when assembling a large set of railway tracks. They make good progress in writing letter shapes, tracing and copying, and in following patterns accurately. Many attempt to write the letters of their names, using pencils with care. They use their skills particularly well in the computer suite, demonstrating an unusually high level of accuracy when controlling the cursor to select their programs, names and colours by clicking on icons or tool bars. Outdoors, they have access to a small but safely enclosed paved area as well as the large level school playground and field and they have regular use of the adjacent school hall for music and movement and work on larger apparatus. However, access to the outdoor play area is awkward and prevents the free use of large-wheeled and other apparatus on an informal basis,

p.19

Commentary

hindering development. Most children are on course to reach the early learning goal by the end of the year. St. Peter’s C of E Primary School

p.19

Creative development

Provision in creative development is good .

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

• There are good opportunities for children to express themselves through movement, drama, art and music. • All children’s achievement is celebrated, including that of those with special educational needs.

p.20

Commentary

52. The quality of teaching is very good so children make very good progress, and evidence of their achievement makes the classroom an exciting and stimulating learning environment. They use paint and wool, fabric and pencil to good effect in making weather pictures and have already experienced a broad range of techniques such as printing using leaves and observational drawing using pencil. The role-play area provides good opportunities for children to put themselves in other people’s shoes, for example when they take the part of patients, nurses and doctors in a hospital. They all have good opportunities to take part in the Christmas nativity performed for their parents. The teacher makes good use of music to encourage children’s individual response in movement and uses her skills on the guitar to accompany singing. All children enjoy story time because the teacher uses her voice expressively and

p.20

Commentary

captures their attention. Most children are on course to reach the early learning goal by the end of the year. In art, the more able children are likely to exceed the early learning goal because they make good progress and achieve well.

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards are above average in speaking, listening and reading and have improved considerably since the last inspection. • The quality of teaching and learning is good in the Year 5/6 class and pupils achieve well. • Work is not always planned to meet pupils’ different ages and abilities. • Year 3 and 4 pupils are not sufficiently challenged and the way they present their work is poor. • Marking does not always give pupils a clear picture of what they are doing or what they have to do to improve.

p.20

Commentary

53. Standards in English have risen because of the school’s focus on improvement in this subject. This is evident in national test results over the last few years. There have been some variations year by year because of the make-up of particular year groups and because the number of pupils taking the tests is very small. In 2003 national tests Year 2 pupils attained well above average in reading and above average in writing, whilst Year 6 pupils attained well above average results in English. The current Year 2 and Year 6 pupils attain above average standards in speaking, listening and reading and average standards in writing. Year 2 and Year 6 pupils’ achievement is good in speaking, listening and reading and satisfactory in writing.

p.20

Commentary

54. Standards in speaking and listening are above average because teachers encourage pupils to express their thoughts and opinions. Most pupils speak confidently and clearly articulate their views. Older junior pupils enjoy learning new vocabulary as their teacher ensures that they understand new or unfamiliar vocabulary. In addition, pupils are encouraged to discuss their views with a partner, which helps to clarify their thinking. Most pupils listen attentively to their teachers and to each other. St. Peter’s C of E Primary School 55. Pupils achieve well in reading. They enjoy books. There are many opportunities during the day for pupils to engage in group, paired and silent reading. Pupils are clear about the strategies they need to improve their reading and attempt new books with confidence and enthusiasm. Books in the classroom are organised and displayed well and the newly created library provides an attractive and stimulating setting for group work.

p.20

Commentary

56. Standards in writing have risen since the last inspection because of improved lesson planning, good support from the literacy adviser, in-service training and increase opportunities for pupils to write in a range of different genres. The school is continuing to target writing as an area for improvement. In the Year 3 and 4 class the teacher does not have high enough expectations of pupils’ handwriting and too many worksheets are used. The marking is not helpful in showing pupils what they need to do to improve their work.

p.21

Commentary

57. Teaching is good in the Year 5/6 class and satisfactory in the other two classes. The Year 5/6 teacher is skilled at encouraging pupils to discuss their learning and he ensures that pupils substantiate their opinions with explicit references to the text they are studying. It is evident from work sampling that the Year 5/6 teacher has high expectations of pupils’ work and presentation. In other classes, work is not always planned for different ages and abilities, and higher attaining pupils are not sufficiently challenged. The co-ordinator provides satisfactory leadership and management and has a clear view of what needs to be improved. She has only been in post for one term but has already worked hard to improve the library. She has analysed test results to identify strengths and weaknesses in pupils’ achievement but has not yet monitored work in classes.

p.21

Language and literacy across the curriculum

58. Teachers provide satisfactory opportunities for pupils to develop their language and literacy skills in other subjects. Some are adept at devising interesting and unusual ways to link subjects. For instance, Year 5/6 pupils have written interesting accounts of life in Ancient Greece in the ‘Athens Echo’. However, the overuse of work sheets in the Year 3 and 4 class restricts pupils’ language and literacy skills.

p.21

MATHEMATICS

The school’s provision for mathematics is unsatisfactory .

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards are not high enough and pupils are not reaching their potential. • The leadership and management of the subject are unsatisfactory. • Assessment of pupils’ performance has not been accurate enough. • Teachers’ expectations are too low. • Standards in number are better than in other areas of the curriculum and ICT is not used enough to support pupils’ mathematical work.

p.21

Commentary

59. Mathematics was identified at the time of the last inspection as a key issue, but standards are not rising swiftly enough in spite of the focus that this subject has had for some years. Most pupils are not being set work that matches their needs and abilities. Consequently their progress is not rapid enough and they are underachieving. Because of the small numbers of pupils taking the standard tests in Year 2 and Year 6, it is not helpful to compare the school’s performance of groups of pupils year by year. However, the performance of the more able pupils reflects a high level of under-achievement. Compared with national averages, not enough pupils are reaching the higher levels.

p.21

Commentary

60. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall. Good teaching features clear lesson goals, a strong sense of purpose and an effective ending to the lesson, evaluating what has or has not been learnt. This is typical of teaching in the Year 5/6 class. However, some lessons do not St. Peter’s C of E Primary School feature a sense of purpose that is strong enough to push pupils’ learning on at a pace to stretch their abilities. Initial quick-fire warm-up mental arithmetic introductions to lessons are not always as effective as they could be. Too often they are sluggish, over-repetitive and fail to engage every pupil because pupils do not use suitable individual resources. Progress decelerates, especially when teachers’ questioning is aimed at one pupil, which lets all the rest off the hook. As a result, the development of pupils’ mental recall and calculation skills has stalled and most pupils are underachieving. The teaching in Years 5 and 6 is currently having

p.21

Commentary

a positive impact on pupils’ progress but, owing to the previous under-achievement, attainment is still below the expected levels. However, the teacher’s good pace in lessons and high expectations is beginning to make a difference, although there is much ground to make up.

p.22

Commentary

61. The unsatisfactory leadership and management of the subject are having an adverse affect on standards in teaching and learning. Teachers’ planning has not been regularly monitored to ensure that pupils receive work that matches their needs. Nor has planning been checked to ensure that pupils in different year groups are given work that builds on previously acquired knowledge and understanding. Work scrutiny reveals that Year 3 and 4 pupils are given the same task whatever their age or aptitude, and there is little evidence that higher attaining pupils are receiving the sort of task that really challenges them frequently enough. However, in the Year 5/6 class this is improving and there are clear indications that the teacher takes pupils’ abilities into account when setting work, especially with regard to the Year 6 pupils.

p.22

Commentary

62. Accurate assessment of pupils’ performance in mathematics has been a weakness but is improving as a result of new systems established by the headteacher. This is an improvement since the time of the last inspection. The scrutiny of work indicates a heavy emphasis on number and little work in shape, space and measures or data handling and little use of practical work to make lessons livelier. The use of information and communication technology is similarly under-developed. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress in lessons and achieve well as a result of the high level of support provided by class teachers and their assistants.

p.22

Mathematics across the curriculum

63. Teachers provide satisfactory opportunities for pupils to use their mathematical skills in other subjects. This is not always evident in teachers’ planning but nonetheless teachers take opportunities as they arise and do this well. All teachers involve mathematics in the day-to-day class routines.

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching and pupils’ achievement are good in the Year 5/6 class because the teacher has high expectations and expects pupils to devise their own experiments. • Assessment information is not used thoroughly enough to match tasks to pupils’ needs. • Too little use is made of ICT to support science.

p.22

Commentary

64. Results in national tests for Year 6 pupils have been improving since 2001 and in 2003 pupils attained well above average results. The proportion of pupils achieving the higher Level 5 has improved substantially because of high expectations and challenging teaching by the Year 5/6 teacher. Teacher assessment for Year 2 pupils indicated that attainment was below average and no pupils attained the higher Level 3. Inspection evidence shows that standards are average at the end of Year 2 and Year 6. Higher attaining Year 6 pupils are on course to attain above the expected level in 2004 national tests. However, there are a number of pupils with special educational needs in the current Year 5/6 class who, though achieving well in science, St. Peter’s C of E Primary School will not attain the expected levels so test results are expected to be average in 2004 and not well above as in 2003.

p.22

Commentary

65. Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory in the Year 1 and 2 class. Pupils have too few opportunities to carry out practical investigations and higher attaining pupils are not challenged sufficiently to record their own work. This is also the case in the Year 3 and 4 class where too many worksheets are used to record pupils’ scientific work. As a result, pupils’ achievement is not as high as it could be. In addition, the work provided is not always matched to pupils’ abilities. Year 5 and 6 pupils achieve well as a result of good teaching and insistence on the correct use of technical vocabulary.

p.23

Commentary

66. The overall quality of teaching is satisfactory, which ensures that pupils learn soundly. Teaching is good in the Year 5/6 class because the teacher challenges pupils to plan, carry out and record their own investigations. The teacher’s explanations are clear and precise and related to pupils’ previous science work, which ensures that they achieve well. Pupils with special educational needs achieve well because the skilled teaching assistant provides good support with recording. In other classes, teachers do not yet make consistent and effective use of assessment data to plan activities for pupils of different levels of attainment.

p.23

Commentary

67. The co-ordinator provides satisfactory leadership and management. He does not yet play a full role in monitoring teaching and learning and the standards achieved by pupils. However, he has identified the need for infant and Year 3 and 4 pupils to be more involved in planning and carrying out their own investigations and for more challenging work to be provided for higher attaining pupils. ICT is not used to support learning in the subject.

p.23

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

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

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

• There has been good improvement in resources and staff expertise and confidence. • Pupils’ skills in the computer suite are close to national expectations and much improved since the time of the last inspection. • ICT is not used consistently to support learning in other subjects. • Additional resources are required.

p.23

Commentary

68. By the end of Year 2 and Year 6 pupils’ ICT skills are close to national expectations and their achievement is satisfactory.

p.23

Commentary

69. The school has made good progress in addressing the substantial weaknesses in ICT identified in the last report. Good management has identified those areas of weaknesses in teachers’ knowledge and understanding and introduced appropriate training and support to improve teaching. The quality and range of resources are much improved but additional resources such as programmable robots are still required. Some good teaching in Year 5/6 made effective use of databases. The present co-ordinator has only had responsibility for the subject for one term but has clear views that provision should be further improved by additional resources and greater use of ICT in classroom lessons.

p.23

Commentary

70. The overall quality of teaching is satisfactory and teachers plan lessons well to teach clearly Identified skills. They use their good relationships and effective classroom management to ensure that lessons in the ICT suit run smoothly and pupils behave well. Many pupils help each other sensibly as they work together at their computers. A skilful teaching assistant works very effectively with Year 1 and 2 pupils in the suite. Only when teachers’ confidence is low, for example when using a programmable toy, does the pace of the lesson slacken, leading to inattention by some pupils. St. Peter’s C of E Primary School 71. Year 6 pupils are confident in accessing the Internet for research, using databases and word- processing text. Assessment procedures have been revised and will provide a good overview of coverage and indicate the next step in learning. A portfolio of pupils’ work is being assembled which will provide all teachers with clear exemplification of standards. Monitoring of

p.23

Commentary

teaching and learning are not developed to make sure that the best use is made of resources.

p.24

Information and communication technology across the curriculum

72. Pupils develop a secure range of skills through lessons in the computer suite but their opportunities to apply these skills in other subjects are limited. Teachers make only limited use of computers in their classrooms and few pupils, when questioned, can explain how they would apply their learning. As a result, pupils do not have enough chances to develop their skills further or contribute to their learning in other subjects.

p.24

HUMANITIES

73. Religious education was not inspected as this is a Voluntary Aided school and has a Section 23 inspection. No lessons were seen in history and only three lessons in geography. It is not possible to form an overall judgement about provision in this curriculum area. There is every indication from pupils’ work that standards in history and geography are in line with national expectations and their achievement is satisfactory. These findings are similar to those made during the last inspection.

p.24

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

74. No art and design lessons were timetabled during the inspection. Scrutiny of available documents and displays indicates that standards are in line with national expectations. The co- ordinator monitors planning but has not had the opportunities to monitor teaching and learning in her subject. Assessment is satisfactory and is recorded each half term for individual pupils, linked to the focus in planning. The use of information and communication technology is under- developed. Resources are satisfactory. The co-ordinator has separate budgets for classroom supplies, display and festivals such as Christmas.

p.24

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

75. Only two design and technology lessons were timetabled during the inspection, in the classes for Year 1/2 and Year 5/6. Standards in both are judged to be in line with national expectations. This is an improvement since the time of the last inspection. The quality of teaching is good, with lively introductions and a clear sense of purpose. Teachers make good use of pupils’ literacy skills in discussions, and foster their personal development through encouraging paired and group work. Assessment linked to the focus for each half term is conducted periodically and recorded for individual pupils in a simple but manageable form. Pupils do not have planning books, however, and the subject has not been monitored by the co-ordinator. Links with information and communication technology are under-developed. Resources are satisfactory and are centrally kept.

p.24

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

76. Since no music lessons were observed and no work was available for scrutiny, it is not possible to make secure judgements on the aspects of music such as performing, listening and evaluating. Pupils have opportunities to listen to music such as Barber’s Adagio as they enter and leave the hall, although they are not provided with any information about when it was composed or by whom. The quality of singing in assemblies is satisfactory. The co-ordinator has had no opportunities to monitor the quality of teaching and learning. Recently he has used a budget to buy good quality instruments and compact discs of music from Africa and India. Resources are satisfactory but there is only one CD player in the school, which is not enough to serve four classes. The use of information and communication technology is under- developed.

p.24

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

77. It was not possible to observe any lessons in physical education during the inspection, so no secure judgements about teaching and learning can be made. Pupils in Year 6 spoke enthusiastically about after-school activities, which are good. The school provides St. Peter’s C of E Primary School opportunities for both boys and girls in football, rugby, netball and cricket. Older pupils go swimming every week. Out-of-school activities involve contemporary dance, and the school takes part in local festivals and tournaments. The co-ordinator is enthusiastic and serves the school well in organising the wide range of activities after school hours. He has not had the chance to monitor the teaching and learning in other age groups. Accommodation is satisfactory. Although there is a good level playing field and a playground with a good surface, the hall is still cramped when whole classes use large apparatus. Some apparatus is out of use

p.24

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

because of health and safety concerns, for example, the ropes. Resources are satisfactory. In accordance with the school’s strong stance on educational inclusion and equality of opportunity; all pupils have access to these subjects, including those with special educational needs.

p.25

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

Provision for pupils’ personal, social and health education is good .

p.25

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The school sees pupils’ personal development as an important part of its work. • A good programme is in place for personal, social and health education, which includes work on diet, health, sex and personal safety.

p.25

Commentary

78. Personal, social and health education is well provided for in weekly lessons in all classes. These lessons are planned well so that pupils can express their thoughts and feelings. St. Peter’s C of E Primary School

p.25

PART D SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The overall effectiveness of the school 4 How inclusive the school is 3 How the school’s effectiveness has changed since its last inspection 3 Value for money provided by the school 4

p.26

PART D SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Overall standards achieved 4 Pupils’ achievement 4

p.26

PART D SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

p.26

PART D SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

p.26

PART D SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The leadership and management of the school 4 The governance of the school 5 The leadership of the headteacher 3 The leadership of other key staff 4 The effectiveness of management 4

p.26

PART D SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

p.26