The Leys Primary School

THE LEYS PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 8 th - 11 th December 2003

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THE LEYS PRIMARY SCHOOL

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 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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THE LEYS 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. The Leys Primary School - 1

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Primary School category: Community Age range of pupils: 3 - 11 Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 363 School address: Leys Avenue Dagenham Postcode: RM10 9YR Telephone number: (0208) 270 6470 Fax number: (0208) 270 6471 E-mail: headteacher@the-leys.bardaglea.org.uk Appropriate authority: The governing body Name of chair of governors: Mrs M Elmore Date of previous inspection: 29 th June 1998

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

This large primary school is situated in Village Ward in East Dagenham and most pupils are from the immediate area. About 72 per cent of pupils are from a White, British background and some 28 per cent are drawn from a wide range of other ethnic groups of which those from a Black African history form the largest. The school includes on its roll a number of refugees and asylum seekers. An above average proportion of pupils speak English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is well above average and the socio-economic circumstances of the community are well below the national average. Children’s attainment and learning skills when they enter the Nursery are well below average.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

There are 363 pupils on the school’s roll. Of these, 40 attend the Nursery part-time and a further 32 are in the Reception Year. There are two classes in each year group from the Reception Year to Year 6. An average proportion of pupils is on the school’s register of special educational needs and an average proportion of pupils has statements of special educational needs. The nature of special educational needs includes moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and behavioural difficulties and speech and communication difficulties. However, very few pupils are identified as having special educational needs in the Foundation Stage and Years 1 and 2. The school received an Investors in People status in 2001 and a School Achievement Award in 2002.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

The area has a concentration of social housing and there is a high turnover of families. As a result, the proportion of pupils leaving and joining the school during the course of the year is well above average. For example, during the school year 2002-03, over one third of pupils left or joined the school. This has an adverse effect on standards of attainment. A very high turnover of teachers is a further characteristic of the school. This adds to the difficulty in raising pupils’ attainment. The Leys Primary School - 2

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

10373 Mr A J Dobell Lead inspector English, Music, Physical education 19374 Mrs W Sheehan Lay inspector 29688 Mr M Brammer Team inspector Special educational needs, Science, Information and communication technology, Design and technology, Religious education 20951 Mr P Littlejohn Team inspector English as an additional language, Mathematics, Geography, History 30669 Mrs M Sandercock Team inspector The Foundation Stage, Art and design

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

The inspection contractor was: Tribal PPI Barley House Oakfield Grove Clifton Bristol BS8 2BN

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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). The Leys Primary School - 3

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 6 - 9

Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 6 - 9

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL 9 - 14

Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

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OTHER SPECIFIED FEATURES 16 -17

What is the effectiveness of community links?

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school is providing a satisfactory standard of education and gives satisfactory value for money. The school has some significant strengths. However, the headteacher’s attempts to improve attainment in the school have been frustrated by an unusually high turnover of pupils and teachers. Crucially, standards of attainment and pupils’ achievement are too low. This is an underachieving school.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

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OVERALL EVALUATION

• Standards of attainment and pupils’ achievement are not high enough. • Teaching and learning in the Foundation Stage are good. • Pupils are cared for well throughout the school. • The headteacher, very ably supported by her deputy, is providing good leadership. • There are good opportunities for learning to be enriched by activities outside class. • Pupils have good attitudes to learning overall. • The school has good links with parents and the community.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school’s improvement since the previous inspection has been satisfactory. The key issues identified in that inspection have been met successfully. The headteacher has developed a number of initiatives to improve attainment and pupils’ progress. A rapid turnover of teachers has meant that these are not sufficiently embedded throughout the school to have had a significant effect on standards. The evidence from this inspection is that standards of attainment are improving, but that improvement is patchy. The school is in a sound position to improve further if it retains its teaching staff more successfully.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

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

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Pupils do not achieve as well as they should. Pupils’ progress is improving and is now good in the Foundation Stage and satisfactory in Years 1 and 2. However, progress is unsatisfactory overall in Years 3 to 6 because it is inconsistent. Some teachers do not expect enough of pupils. For example, pupils who have the potential to attain above average standards are not sufficiently challenged. The achievement of pupils with special educational needs or of those who speak English as an additional language is good in the Foundation Stage, satisfactory in Years 1 and 2 and unsatisfactory in Years 3 to 6.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Pupils’ personal development is good overall. Pupils’ attitudes to learning are good overall but vary between classes. For example, attitudes and behaviour are exemplary in Year 6; in some other classes in Years 3 to 6, they are unsatisfactory. Attendance is below average and each day a number of pupils arrive late. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is satisfactory. The school’s ethos is to fully include all pupils, but this is not achieved because not all pupils are provided with learning activities which will enable them to achieve well. The Leys Primary School - 5

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The quality of education provided by the school is satisfactory. The quality of teaching is

satisfactory overall but ranges from very good to unsatisfactory. The school’s systems for monitoring pupils’ attainment and progress are relatively new and have not yet had a significant impact on standards. Areas of weakness in pupils’ learning are not identified quickly enough for their standards of attainment to be improved. Teaching assistants are effective.

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The quality of education provided by the school is satisfactory. The quality of teaching is

The quality of the curriculum is satisfactory overall and good in the Foundation Stage. Where learning activities are interesting, pupils work with interest and sometimes with enthusiasm. Where activities are routine and the pace of learning is slow, pupils become distracted and lose concentration. Pupils are well cared for. The school has good links with parents and the community.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The quality of leadership and management is satisfactory overall.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The leadership of the headteacher is good and she is very well supported by her deputy. The headteacher has clear ideas for improving the school, but has been continually frustrated by the high turnover of teachers and pupils which means that initiatives rarely have the intended impact. Many subject managers have not had sufficient time in their roles to have had any significant effect on standards in their subjects.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Management is satisfactory. Necessarily, management has had to concentrate on maintaining continuity in teaching and learning in a very turbulent situation. In this, it has been successful, but it has not succeeded in raising standards. Financial management is efficient and the school observes the principles of best value satisfactorily.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The governing body is satisfactory. There have been a number of recent changes to the governing body, but the remaining governors have a secure appreciation of the school’s strengths and areas for development. Governors ensure that the school complies with legal requirements.

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Parents are supportive of the school and appreciate the secure environment that it provides for their children. Pupils largely enjoy school, but many would like the behaviour of a minority of pupils to improve.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

The most important thing that the school should do to improve is:

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

• Raise standards of attainment and the rate of pupils’ progress by: - raising expectations for pupils’ attainment; - ensuring that pupils of all abilities, but particularly potentially higher attaining pupils, are provided with work which challenges them appropriately so that they achieve well and make good progress; - ensuring that when work is marked, pupils are told how to improve so that they make progress towards their agreed targets; - giving pupils systematic opportunities to practise literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology skills in other subjects; - identifying pupils with special educational needs quickly so that they are given focused support; - improving assessment practices so that pupils’ progress can be tracked and their future progress managed; and The Leys Primary School - 6 - enabling subject managers to raise standards of attainment in their subjects.

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Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

Standards of attainment are below average overall and have not improved sufficiently since the school was inspected previously. Pupils are achieving well in the Foundation Stage, satisfactorily in Years 1 and 2 and unsatisfactorily overall in Years 3 to 6.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Results in the National Curriculum tests at the end of Years 2 and 6 have been well below the national average since the school’s previous inspection. • Children in the Foundation Stage make good progress and achieve well overall. • Pupils’ achievement is unsatisfactory overall in Years 3 to 6. • Standards in the core subjects of English, mathematics and science are too low. • There are too few opportunities to develop literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology skills in other subjects. • Pupils with special educational needs and those who are gifted and talented make unsatisfactory progress overall.

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Commentary

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

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Commentary

Standards in: School results National results reading 12.8 (13.1) 15.7 (15.8) writing 12.6 (12.2) 14.6 (14.4) mathematics 13.8 (15.0) 16.3 (16.5) There were 43 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year.

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Commentary

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

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Commentary

Standards in: School results National results English 24.9 (25.6) 26.8 (27.0) mathematics 22.7 (25.9) 26.8 (26.7) science 26.6 (28.0) 28.6 (28.3) There were 56 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year.

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Commentary

1. In 2003, in the national tests at the end of Year 2, attainment in reading, writing and mathematics was well below the national average as it had been overall for the previous three years. Attainment was well below average in reading and mathematics and below average in writing when compared with schools in which pupils come from similar backgrounds. In the national tests at the end of Year 6 in 2003, attainment was well below the national average in English and science. In mathematics, the school was in the bottom five per cent of all schools. When compared to schools where pupils attained similar results at the end of Year 2, these results were average in English, below average in science and well below average in mathematics. The Leys Primary School - 7 2. The school is disadvantaged by a high turnover of pupils and teachers. Even so, pupils do not achieve well enough. Attainment in the core subjects of English, mathematics and science is

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Commentary

too low. Too few pupils attain the national expectations of Level 2 at the end of Year 2 and Level 4 at the end of Year 6. Further, too few pupils attain the higher grades of Level 3 at the end of Year 2 and Level 5 at the end of Year 6. In too many classes, the same work is set for all pupils. This work is insufficiently challenging for higher attaining pupils and this holds back their progress. Too little attention is paid to the needs of pupils at different stages of learning.

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Commentary

3. One reason for underachievement in English and mathematics is that opportunities to develop literacy and numeracy skills in other subjects are not planned systematically. As a result, opportunities are missed. There is too little extended writing in subjects such as geography and history for writing skills to improve. Occasional planned opportunities to practise numeracy, for example in a good science lesson in Year 4, are effective, but they are too few because they are not planned routinely. The creation of the computer suite has meant that there are few computers in classrooms. As a result, while computer skills are taught well, the use of information and communication technology to support learning in other subjects is unsatisfactory. Pupils do not see information and communication technology as a source of information for learning in other subjects.

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Commentary

4. The achievement of the very few pupils identified as having special educational needs in Year 2 is satisfactory. However, the achievement of these pupils in Years 3 to 6 is unsatisfactory because the targets in their individual education plans are insufficiently precise for their progress to be monitored effectively. Pupils who are particularly gifted or talented are not identified, so there are no arrangements to promote their learning so that they reach their potential. Pupils who speak English as an additional language achieve satisfactorily because of the sound support given by their teachers and teaching assistants.

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Commentary

5. The analysis of pupils’ work from this year shows that standards are improving although they are still below average. This improvement is partly because teaching and learning are now good in the Foundation Stage so that children are achieving well by the end of the Reception Year and developing good work habits. Their good progress means that they are now better placed to begin working on the National Curriculum.

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Commentary

6. The headteacher acknowledges that attainment is too low. During her headship, the rapid turnover of pupils and teachers has meant that her efforts have been concentrated in continuity of provision. Strategies for raising attainment feature strongly in the school improvement plan, but have not yet had a significant impact on standards. If the school is to enable pupils to achieve the standards of which they are capable, the headteacher accepts that the school needs to continue to focus on raising standards of attainment. With improved stability in staffing, the school is in a position to achieve this.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

The majority of pupils have positive attitudes to school and to learning. Relationships are good. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is satisfactory. Attendance is improving but is still well below the national average. Pupils’ personal development is satisfactory overall.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The attitudes of pupils and relationships are generally good. • Pupils’ behaviour in lessons varies considerably between classes. • The attendance of pupils has continued to improve and is carefully monitored. • Children in the Foundation Stage have settled in well and are becoming increasingly confident.

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Commentary

The Leys Primary School - 8 7. In most lessons and around the school, the attitudes of pupils are good. Pupils of different ethnic backgrounds show respect for each other. Pupils with special educational needs have good attitudes to learning overall. They respond well to learning activities which match their needs. Pupils generally try hard in lessons and, on occasions, higher attaining pupils will do more work than asked by their teachers. However, in some lessons, pupils take too long to settle down to work. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 and in the Year 6 classes are attentive in lessons and mostly listen well to teachers and to each other. In a Year 2 English lesson, for example, pupils loved listening to the story of ‘The Rainbow Fish’ which was read by the teacher with great animation and enthusiasm. This had a positive effect on their achievement. In some lessons however, where teachers’ expectations are too low, pupils are restless, call out and

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Commentary

act immaturely. This adversely affects the learning of others who want to learn. Around the school, pupils are keen to take on responsibilities and carry them out proudly, for example, ensuring that equipment is prepared for assemblies. However, there are insufficient opportunities for pupils to take responsibility for their learning, for example, through independent research.

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Commentary

8. In lessons, the behaviour of pupils varies considerably and is satisfactory overall. In the best lessons, usually in Years 1 and 2 and Year 6, teachers set high expectations of behaviour and they are met. However, in some classes, expectations are not high enough resulting in pupils calling out or talking at inappropriate times and this disrupts the learning of others. The school’s strategy of using ‘time out’ in other classrooms is not effective in ensuring these pupils reflect appropriately on their behaviour or complete the required learning objectives for the lesson. There have been a large number of exclusions in the past year generally relating to aggressive behaviour against staff or other pupils. This year, exclusions are lower and the headteacher and staff monitor pupils’ behaviour continuously. Bullying is a concern of both staff and pupils and in discussion pupils in Years 2 and 6 felt that the staff deal effectively with

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Commentary

any instances. Incidences of racial abuse are carefully logged and have declined this year.

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Commentary

9. Relationships between staff and pupils and between pupils are generally good even though there has been a considerable staff turnover in recent years. In many classes, pupils co- operate well and respect each other’s ideas and contributions. In a Year 5 art and design lesson for example, one boy when reflecting on a piece of work by another pupil, said ‘I think it is really good because he has chosen a few colours and stuck to them’. However, pupils have few opportunities to study art from cultures outside the western tradition so that they do not become aware of the multicultural nature of our society. Pupils with special educational needs and those who speak English as an additional language participate eagerly in the life of the school and are well motivated to learning.

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Commentary

10. Children in the Foundation Stage quickly settle into the school and learn the classroom routines. By the end of the Foundation Stage, children have progressed very well in all aspects of personal, social and emotional development and are on course to attain the level expected in this area of learning by the end of the Reception Year.

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Commentary

11. Attendance has continued to improve steadily since the last inspection but is still well below the national average. The school has established firm procedures for contacting parents on the first day of absence to promote the welfare of pupils. The local authority’s access and attendance officer works closely with the school in its quest to promote good attendance. A substantial number of pupils are a few minutes late each morning, which adversely affects their learning.

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Commentary

Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%) Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data 7.0 School data 1.6 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. The Leys Primary School - 9 Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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Commentary

Categories used in the Annual School Census No. of pupils on roll Number of fixed period exclusions Number of permanent exclusions White – British 263 27 1 White – any other White background 11 0 0 Mixed – White and Black Caribbean 1 0 0 Mixed – White and Black African 10 0 0 Mixed – any other mixed background 3 0 0 Asian or Asian British – Indian 2 0 0 Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 2 0 0 Black or Black British – Caribbean 8 0 0 Black or Black British – African 43 4 0 Black or Black British – any other Black background 2 0 0 Chinese 4 0 0 Any other ethnic group 13 1 0 No ethnic group recorded 1 0 0 The table gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

The quality of education provided by the school is satisfactory .

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Teaching and learning

The quality of teaching is now satisfactory overall but is inconsistent. These inconsistencies mean that pupils’ learning is satisfactory overall. The use of assessment to promote pupils’ progress is unsatisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching and learning are good in the Foundation Stage with a significant proportion of very good teaching. • There is a significant amount of good teaching in Years 1 and 2, but work is not consistently provided to challenge pupils of different levels of attainment. • Teaching and learning are good overall in Year 6, but are inconsistent in Years 3, 4 and 5. • Throughout the school, teachers’ planning of lessons does not identify different tasks sufficiently to challenge pupils at different stages of learning. • Homework is not used systematically to enable all pupils to achieve well. • The school’s ethos promotes full inclusion for all pupils in learning, but this is frustrated by a failure to set work which consistently challenges pupils with different levels of attainment. • Assessment systems to monitor pupils’ progress have been created, but are not yet sufficiently embedded to promote progress in learning throughout the school.

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Commentary

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 52 lessons Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very poor

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Commentary

0 (0%) 7 (13%) 23 (44%) 17 (33%) 5 (10%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%)

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Commentary

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

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Commentary

12. Teaching and learning are good overall in the Nursery and Reception classes with about four lessons in every ten being very good. As a result, children in the Foundation Stage are making good progress in their learning and achieving well. This is because teachers and teaching assistants work well together and prompt and question children constantly to clarify and extend their knowledge, skills and understanding. Teachers provide a wide range of stimulating learning opportunities which engage the children's attention so that they put a good deal of effort into their learning. One lesson observed during the inspection was unsatisfactory because the learning activity did not sufficiently challenge all children.

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Commentary

13. The quality of teaching is generally good in Years 1 and 2. About seven lessons in ten are good or better, but only one of those was very good. In this lesson, the pace of learning was good so that pupils were focused on learning and achieved well. In satisfactory lessons, the pace of learning slackens so that pupils lose concentration and achievement is only satisfactory. There is insufficient matching of work to the needs of individual pupils overall.

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Commentary

14. The quality of teaching and learning in Year 6 is good overall because there are high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and effort. Pupils respond well to these expectations and concentrate well over the whole lesson. As a result, they are making good progress and achieving well overall. Even in these classes, however, there is insufficient matching of work to the needs of individual pupils and this is adversely affecting the progress of higher attaining pupils particularly. In Years 3, 4 and 5, the quality of teaching and learning is inconsistent. It is satisfactory overall with about seven lessons in 20 being good, but four out of 20 being unsatisfactory. In these lessons, the pace of learning is slow because strategies for managing behaviour are unsatisfactory, so that pupils lose concentration and distract others. In these lessons, pupils’ progress and achievement are unsatisfactory because teachers’ expectations

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Commentary

15. Overall, the teaching of pupils with special educational needs is unsatisfactory. This is because their needs are not identified at an early enough stage for appropriate provision to be made for them. Older pupils have individual education plans, but the targets in these plans are not precise enough for pupils’ progress to be monitored effectively. Pupils are supported well by dedicated teaching assistants. Pupils who speak English as an additional language are assessed shortly after joining the school. They are then tracked through the school. However, they are not routinely given short-term targets for improvement which would focus on their learning needs and enable their progress to be tracked more precisely.

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Commentary

16. Throughout the school, there is insufficient attention to planning work to match the needs of individual pupils. A major reason for this is the high turnover of teachers in recent years. This has meant that fairly simple lesson plans have been available to maintain continuity in teaching and learning and teachers new to the school have used these without adapting them to the needs of different pupils. This is affecting equality of access to learning, particularly for higher attaining pupils. For example, two high attaining pupils in Year 6 get the same mathematics homework as the rest of the class. This adversely affects their rate of progress and achievement and means that, overall, homework is not used effectively to promote learning. The fact that pupils are not consistently challenged to make maximum progress means that they do not develop satisfactory skills as independent learners. There is very little independent

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Commentary

The Leys Primary School - 11 use of the library or computer suite for individual pupils to do research or find out information for themselves. 17. The headteacher and her deputy are keen to improve teaching and learning and so raise standards of attainment. They have established systems for assessing and monitoring pupils’ attainment and progress. However, the rapid turnover of staff means that these systems are not thoroughly embedded in the school’s routines. Since some one third of teachers are new to the school this term, there has not been sufficient time for these systems to be used consistently to monitor the progress of all pupils and to underpin future progress. At this stage, assessment is not used satisfactorily to support pupils’ achievement.

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Commentary

18. An analysis of pupils’ work from 2002-03 and during this school year indicates that standards of attainment are improving and work is now more carefully marked. If the school can retain most of its current teachers, there is good potential to improve the quality of teaching and learning in the school and so to improve standards of attainment and pupils’ achievement.

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The curriculum

Overall, the curriculum provided is satisfactory. The school offers good opportunities for pupils' learning outside the school day and for the development of a range of interests. Good accommodation and satisfactory resources support the implementation of the curriculum appropriately.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children in the Foundation Stage make a good start and progress well because of the range of curricular activities organised for them. • The school’s accommodation, including a spacious suite for the teaching of information and communication technology, is good. • The curriculum does not provide equality of access and opportunity for all pupils particularly for higher attaining pupils. • Provision for pupils with special educational needs is unsatisfactory as their needs are not established early enough to ensure that their achievement matches that of other pupils. • Pupils’ learning is enriched successfully by a wide range of extra-curricular activities, educational visits and visitors to the school.

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Commentary

19. The school keeps the effectiveness of its curricular provision under review and implements changes when necessary. The headteacher and her senior colleagues monitor planning across the curriculum and carry out the monitoring of teaching and learning on a regular basis. They ensure that all lessons have a clear learning objective and where necessary, use support from the local education authority’s advisory team for extra guidance. The curriculum provides sufficient time for the study of each subject. However, an analysis of pupils' books has shown that coverage in some subjects, for example, history and geography, has been very limited. A major reason for this is the high level of changes in the teaching staff which has made continuity of teaching and learning difficult to achieve. The headteacher and her deputy have worked hard to achieve this and with some success. However, learning activities are not

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Commentary

always sufficiently challenging for all pupils.

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Commentary

20. The curriculum for children in the Foundation Stage is varied and interesting. Their learning includes a good balance of teacher led activities and independent learning. The programme of activities leads systematically to the six early learning goals. Careful planning and sensitive support ensure that children achieve well.

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Commentary

21. The school provides a number of activities outside lessons to enhance the curriculum including English, dance (keep fit), art club, football, choir, homework and an early morning breakfast club. Visitors to the school, including local clergy and a local dance troupe, have The Leys Primary School - 12 strengthened links with the community. Day visits have included a whole-school visit to the London Eye, together with a residential visit to North Wales for Year 6 pupils. These activities enrich learning well.

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Commentary

22. The provision for pupils with special educational needs is unsatisfactory, as they are not identified early enough, with the result that these pupils do not receive the support they need to achieve as well as other pupils. The school has a number of teaching assistants which enables classes to be organised satisfactorily to support the needs of pupils identified as having special educational needs. As a result, the achievement of these pupils matches that of pupils of average ability. The needs of higher attaining pupils are not being met through teachers' planning. The school has yet to develop a policy for, or draw up a register of, 'gifted and talented' pupils.

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Commentary

23. Higher attaining pupils are not consistently being given work that is sufficiently challenging for their ability. For example, pupils who passed World Class Tests in mathematics are generally provided with the same lesson and homework as the rest of the class. This was evident in the analysis of work of higher attaining pupils, when compared to work given to pupils of different ability.

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Commentary

24. Opportunities to develop the use of literacy in other subjects have not been used well. For example when Year 6 pupils studied life in Britain since 1940, opportunities could have been used to develop pupils' extended writing. However, an analysis of pupils' work for the previous year revealed that the overuse of worksheets and undemanding questions had restricted the development of pupils’ writing. Few examples were seen of pupils making use of numeracy in other subjects. For example, during the inspection, pupils in Year 6 received lessons on how to find the statistical range and mean from a set of data. However no opportunity was given to pupils to collect their own data or use data from other subject areas.

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Commentary

25. Good links have been established with local secondary schools and an exchange of information together with induction days, ensures that pupils’ transition to the next stage of education is as smooth as possible. Pupils benefit by participating in sport such as football against other local schools.

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Commentary

26. The school has good accommodation, part of which is an attractive modern building, housing the school library. A spacious suite for the teaching of information and communication technology has been added since the previous inspection. However, information and communication technology is not being used satisfactorily to support the curriculum in other subject areas because many classrooms do not have a computer.

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Care, guidance and support

The care and support given to pupils is satisfactory overall with good arrangements for their welfare, health and safety. The involvement of pupils in the life of the school is satisfactory. However, guidance on how to improve their work is unsatisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• There are good procedures for ensuring the welfare, health and safety of pupils. • Pupils have a good relationship with the adults in the school and this helps their personal development. • There are good procedures to help pupils settle well into school when they join the Nursery, as well as at other times during the rest of the year. • The school does not monitor the pupils’ progress closely enough to help them to learn as effectively as they should. The Leys Primary School - 13

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Commentary

27. Child protection procedures are in place. The headteacher is the designated person but, in practice, this responsibility is shared with the deputy headteacher. Staff are trained but those who have been appointed recently have had only basic training. Routines for dealing with first aid and accidents are well established. The changes that the school has made to its lunchtime arrangements have led to a reduction in accidents in the playground. There is a health and safety policy in place and risk assessments are carried out well.

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Commentary

28. Discussions with pupils indicate that they have good relationships with the adults in the school. They know who they would turn to for help with a personal problem. Teachers and learning support assistants show a real concern for the pupils’ welfare and pupils feel secure and safe in the school. There are satisfactory procedures for involving pupils in making decisions about the work and development of the school.

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Commentary

29. Pupils settle well into the Nursery because visits are made to each child’s home and a meeting for parents takes place in school. This helps to establish and to explain routines for the benefit of the child. The Foundation Stage curriculum is explained to parents so that they are given good help to support their children’s learning. Arrangements to help the many pupils who join the school during the course of the year to settle successfully are good.

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Commentary

30. The school does not have a tracking system to monitor pupils’ progress with sufficient rigour to support their progress well. The school cannot measure accurately the progress made by pupils with special educational needs or assess the success of its provision for them. This adversely affects the quality of the advice available to all pupils on how to improve their work. The quality of this guidance is unsatisfactory. The headteacher is aware of this and plans are in place to offer pupils support to promote their progress more systematically.

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Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

The school’s commitment to involving parents has improved since the previous inspection and is good. There are good links with the community and with other schools.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The overwhelming majority of parents have positive views about the school. • The school is constantly creating opportunities to involve parents. • Some parents do not ensure that their children attend regularly or punctually. • Community links are good.

p.15

Commentary

31. An analysis of the return of parents’ questionnaires shows that all parents who expressed an opinion agreed that their children like school, benefit from a good introduction to the school and are expected to do their best. Parents believe that teaching is good and that staff encourage maturity and independence. Inspection findings do not fully support these views. Some parents feel that pupils’ behaviour is not good and that there are instances of bullying. The inspection found that pupils’ behaviour was on the whole satisfactory although there were variations in the behaviour of pupils in lessons due to different teachers’ expectations. In discussion, pupils felt that instances of bullying are dealt with well by staff and carefully monitored.

p.15

Commentary

32. The previous inspection identified shortcomings in parents’ involvement with their children’s learning. This has now improved considerably because the headteacher has given it a high priority and parents’ involvement in learning is now good overall. Examples of opportunities for parents to be involved include curriculum meetings on reading, the Foundation Stage and the The Leys Primary School - 14 National Curriculum tests for Years 2 and 6. The school further promotes links with parents through family numeracy and literacy courses. Parents have opportunities to comment in reading diaries which include helpful advice on how to help their children with reading. The school has also held useful meetings with parents of pupils whose first language is not English to plan ways in which to support them. The school tries to promote good attendance at these events by providing crèche facilities and timing the meetings to meet the needs of parents.

p.15

Commentary

33. However, some parents are still not sufficiently supportive in ensuring that their children attend regularly and on time and this has an adverse impact on learning for these children. Too many children are late each morning and this disrupts learning. Parents of pupils with special educational needs are invited to meetings when their children’s progress is being reviewed, but a significant number do not attend even though the school emphasises their importance. Parents of pupils who speak English as an additional language are invited to parents’ evenings where staff who can communicate in a number of languages are available to translate where this is helpful. However, more could be done to involve the parents of these pupils more actively in supporting their children’s education.

p.16

Commentary

34. The quality of information for parents is good and this helps provide a close partnership between the school and parents. Newsletters are sent out frequently and provide a useful mix of future dates and curriculum information. Parents are asked their opinions of the school and their views are taken into account as part of the school’s development planning process. Pupils’ annual reports are good overall and include individual targets for improvement. The school prospectus and the governors’ annual report to parents are both informative and are helpful documents to inform parents about the school.

p.16

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The quality of leadership and management is satisfactory overall.

p.16

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The headteacher provides good leadership and is very well supported by her deputy. Governors provide satisfactory support and ensure that the school meets legal requirements. The management of the school is satisfactory.

p.16

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The headteacher has a clear vision for the school, but rapid turnover of staff and pupils has frustrated her attempts to achieve this fully. • Leadership and management are good in the Foundation Stage. • Pupils with special educational needs are not identified early enough which means that the leadership and management of special educational needs are unsatisfactory. • Pupils’ progress is not managed effectively which means that all pupils do not have equality of access to learning. • The headteacher manages the curriculum well, but subject leaders have not yet had an impact on standards. • There are good arrangements for settling new staff and pupils into the school.

p.16

Commentary

35. The headteacher has a clear vision for the school. Essentially this is to enable pupils to achieve well in a secure and stimulating learning environment. The school is successful in providing a secure environment in which pupils feel safe and valued. As a result, most pupils become confident and develop a sense of their own worth. The headteacher and her senior colleagues set a good example to the rest of the school. During her time in the school, the headteacher, supported very effectively by her deputy, has brought about a number of improvements. For example, links with parents and the local community are now good and support pupils’ attainment and progress well. Pupils from a wide range of backgrounds have a The Leys Primary School - 15 positive experience in the school. The curriculum is now balanced and meets national expectations and there is a good range of activities outside class. The school is managed well

p.16

Commentary

on a day-to-day basis. Finances are managed effectively by the school’s very effective secretary and the principles of best value are observed satisfactorily overall.

p.17

Commentary

36. However, the headteacher has been frustrated in her attempts to improve standards of attainment and pupils’ achievement. A major reason for this has been the rapid turnover of pupils and teachers. In the school year 2002-03, over one third of pupils either joined or left the school. Similarly, over the last two school years, over 20 teachers have left the school and been replaced. At the start of the current term, over one third of teachers were newly appointed to the school. In these circumstances of rapid and continuing change, it is very difficult to plan to raise attainment systematically. As soon as an initiative to raise attainment has been introduced, it has to be redeveloped because of changes in personnel.

p.17

Commentary

37. An example of this is the management of pupils’ learning and progress. Because teachers leave and are replaced so rapidly, the priority has had to be to maintain continuity in learning. In this, the school has been successful. However, systems have not been embedded sufficiently throughout the school to enable the attainment and progress of all pupils to be managed rigorously so that they achieve well. There is insufficient planning for the learning needs of individual pupils to enable them to make good progress. The school does not analyse attainment data sufficiently well and then use the information from this data to plan future learning so that pupils’ progress is planned systematically.

p.17

Commentary

38. An example of unsatisfactory use of data is the lack of early identification of pupils with special educational needs. Although pupils come into the school with standards of attainment and learning skills which are well below average, no pupils in the Nursery, the Reception classes or Year 1 are identified as having special educational needs and only two pupils in Year 2 are on the special educational needs register. This failure to identify these pupils early denies them access to focused support so that they make good progress. The progress of pupils on the special educational needs register is not monitored sufficiently closely. Relationships with outside agencies are good and this does benefit pupils and support their attainment and progress. The governor with responsibility for special educational needs does not have an active role. These weaknesses mean that the management of special educational needs is

p.17

Commentary

39. The school’s ethos is fully inclusive and the headteacher and her colleagues fully intend to include all pupils in the school’s activities. However, the lack of early identification of pupils with special educational needs and the failure to plan for the needs of pupils at different stages of learning frustrate this intention. For example, two able mathematicians in Year 6 are given the same homework as their classmates. This is not sufficiently challenging for them to make the progress of which they are capable. These are instances of pupils not having equality of opportunity to achieve their potential. In the light of increasing numbers of pupils who speak English as an additional language, the management of their learning is shared between the headteacher and another member of staff with responsibilities in this area. They are fully committed to giving these pupils equality of access to learning. As a result, they make

p.17

Commentary

satisfactory progress overall and often make good progress in English, often from a low base.

p.17

Commentary

40. The headteacher and her deputy manage the curriculum well and ensure that the school meets the requirements of the National Curriculum and the locally agreed syllabus for religious education. However, many subject leaders are new to their roles and have not yet had a positive effect on standards in their subjects. Opportunities to develop the skills of literacy and numeracy in other subjects and to use information and communication technology to support learning in other subjects are unsatisfactory.

p.17

Commentary

41. The Foundation Stage is led and managed well. There are good arrangements for settling children into the Nursery and managing their progress into the main school. Teachers plan learning well in the Nursery and Reception classes and children benefit from a wide range of The Leys Primary School - 16 stimulating and interesting learning activities. As a result, they make good progress and achieve well from a very low base. However, the provision for higher attaining children to learn to read and write is restricted.

p.17

Commentary

42. Since her appointment, the headteacher has had to manage a school in a state of continuing turbulence because of the rapid turnover of teachers and pupils. In addition there have been changes to the governing body so that no members were in place at the time of the school’s previous inspection and the chair is newly appointed. Governors have a satisfactory understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. They recognise the need for stability to enable the school to move forward and raise attainment and have a sensible vision for the school’s future. The governing body ensures that the school meets statutory requirements.

p.18

Commentary

43. There are signs that stability among staff is improving. This will put the school in a better position to raise attainment and improve pupils’ achievement. The headteacher remains positive and optimistic in spite of the difficulties that she has had to face. If the school can retain most of its teachers more effectively, it is in a good position to reverse its recent record of underachievement and to raise standards of attainment and the rate of pupils’ progress.

p.18

Financial information

Financial information for the year April 2002 to March 2003 Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 1,139,803 Balance from previous year 65,020 Total expenditure 1,090,211 Balance carried forward to the next 49,592 Expenditure per pupil 3,016

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

• There is a good range of visits and visitors. • Strong links exist with a local college to support the training of child-care students. • Literacy and numeracy courses in the ‘Family Village’ help parents to support learning. • There are good work experience links. • The curriculum is enhanced by Education-Business Partnerships.

p.18

Commentary

44. The headteacher and her staff have worked hard to establish a good range of community links in order to enhance learning and enrich curricular opportunities. The school is creating a ‘Family Village’ to help parents to support learning. The headteacher sees the establishment of the 'Family Village' as:

p.18

Commentary

• Meeting the needs of a highly mobile community. • Using the school as a focus. • Raising parents’ self-esteem. • Providing out of school care. • Giving parents access to the local authority. • Being a social centre for the community. • Supporting parents with English as an additional language. The Leys Primary School - 17 • Supporting parents with parenting skills and behaviour management skills.

p.18

Commentary

In this way, the 'Family Village' would put parents in stronger position to support their children's learning.

p.19

Commentary

45. The following activities develop community links and benefit the school and its pupils:

p.19

Commentary

• Barking and Dagenham Adult College has provided courses in family literacy and reading enhancement in the school. • Links with secondary schools include good induction procedures and summer schools for prospective pupils. • Good work experience links have been established trough 'Trident' which co-ordinates work experience for the Borough. This enables the school to benefit from students being placed in school so that learning is enhanced. • The school has established strong links with Barking College to support the training of child-care students. • An Education-Business Partnership provides first aid training for older pupils and has subsidised a whole-school visit to 'The London Eye'. • Initial teacher training links with the University of East London, London Metropolitan University and the Urban Learning Foundation give students valuable training and this supports learning in school well. • The school is working with another local school to develop a scheme of work in science.

p.19

Commentary

• Pupils became confident and capable dancers after working with Bode Lawal and the Sakoba Dance Group to turn traditional West African stories into dance. • Pupils in Year 2 visited Valence House to investigate local history. Pupils from Years 5 and 6 travelled to the Royal Festival Hall to listen to a concert by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. • Pupils in Year 2 pupils made a trip to Southend to study seaside resorts in geography. • The curate of Dagenham Parish Church conducted a harvest festival assembly and received donations of food from the pupils. • Pupils in Year 6 have the opportunity to take part in a residential journey to an outdoor adventurous activities centre in North Wales run by Barking and Dagenham. The journey takes place in September, which is a good opportunity for bonding and team building in Year 6. However, despite the trip being heavily subsidised for those parents requiring

p.19

Commentary

support, only 50 per cent of pupils took up this opportunity in September this year.

p.19

Commentary

46. The school has put considerable thought and effort into developing a range of community links and these are still being developed. Pupils’ learning is being supported well by these links. The school is in a good position to develop them further. The Leys Primary School - 18

p.19

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

47. The provision in the Foundation Stage remains good and overall, ensures a good start to children’s primary education. Children enter the Nursery at levels well below those usually found but they achieve well. By the end of the Reception Year, attainment is still below the nationally expected levels. In the area of personal, social and emotional development, because of the very good teaching, they reach average standards and achieve very well. In physical development, they enter below national standards and reach national levels by the end of the Foundation Stage. However, there are areas of provision that are less strong. In communication, language and literacy, although opportunities for speaking and listening are good and children achieve well, the provision in reading and writing is unsatisfactory. There is insufficient challenge and children, particularly those who are more capable, are restricted in

p.20

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

48. The quality of teaching has improved since the previous inspection, when it was satisfactory with some good teaching. Teaching is now good with some very good teaching observed. Staff are knowledgeable about the curricular requirements for these young children and planning now provides a similar programme in both Nursery and Reception. Usually, activities are well planned to meet children’s needs. The nursery nurse currently manages the Nursery and the provision is good. Throughout the Foundation Stage, adults work very closely with each other to ensure this generally good provision. However, the lack of support staff in Reception inhibits the progress of some children in some areas of learning.

p.20

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

49. Children start Nursery at the beginning of the year in which they will be four and attend part- time for a year. They move to the Reception classes at the beginning of the academic year in which they will be five and attend full-time. Links with parents and carers are positively encouraged and this is a strong feature of the provision. The classrooms are always open at the beginning of the day and children currently take picture books home to share. Many parents give their time to support their children’s learning.

p.20

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

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

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Very good teaching ensures that personal and social development is promoted in all activities. • Children are very positively encouraged to respect each other, to share and to behave well. • Adults provide very good role models so that very good relationships are promoted.

p.20

Commentary

50. Children starting Nursery have low levels of attainment compared to those usually found across the wide range of personal, social and emotional skills. For many children, the skills of working independently, their sense of being part of a community with rules and their ability to share attention are underdeveloped. Throughout the Foundation Stage, staff work very hard to nurture these important and all-pervading personal skills. Staff strongly encourage consideration for the needs of others. Nursery staff encourage children to look after their hygiene needs, to organise themselves, for example, by hanging coats up and to co-operate when working alongside each other. Children respond very well and many children in the Reception class have successfully achieved these goals. Staff use encouragement to inspire children and praise to acknowledge good responses. As a result, children in the Reception

p.20

Commentary

classes are beginning to work together pleasantly and to share resources. Very good teaching The Leys Primary School - 19 in this area of learning should ensure that the vast majority achieve the early learning goals by the end of the Reception Year.

p.20

COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Provision in communication, language and literacy is unsatisfactory .

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teachers talk to children with respect and use a good range of vocabulary. • The teaching to develop reading and writing skills, particularly for higher attaining children is insufficiently challenging.

p.21

Commentary

51. Teaching across this area of learning is satisfactory but greater attention to what children already know is needed in the planning of some tasks. There is good encouragement for children to communicate and they are spoken to with respect. Adults provide good role models; they speak to children using a good range of vocabulary and encourage politeness in response. A range of ‘play’ activities provides suitably for children to try out their own ideas in words so that they gain confidence in speaking and listening. However, whereas in the Nursery, there are usually two or three adults to share the teaching of speaking skills, there are no teaching assistants in the Reception classes. This means that the opportunities for children to speak with other children in small groups with adult guidance are limited. In whole- class sessions, children are encouraged to join in well-known rhymes and to listen politely

p.21

Commentary

when teachers read or give instructions and this empathetic approach ensures that they respond appropriately.

p.21

Commentary

52. Teachers read to children with expression and humour and this extends the children’s love of stories and books well. The provision of ‘big books’ for the whole class lessons enables children in the Reception classes to identify the author and illustrator. In these classes, the current provision of reading books and writing materials supports the learning of lower attaining children appropriately. Attention to their needs in learning single letter sounds and making marks ensures that they are suitably provided for and their achievement is satisfactory. However, higher attaining children and those who have already reached the higher expectations in this area of learning are held back by undue emphasis on reiterating what they already know. They already hold books correctly and can recognise sounds; some recognise familiar words; some form recognisable letters and copy simple words reasonably. These

p.21

Commentary

children need further challenges. The rigidity in the organisation does not allow for each child’s needs to be met accurately and opportunities to challenge children in their reading, or to refine their writing techniques are missed. As a result, some children are not currently on course to achieve the early learning goals in this area by the end of the Reception Year.

p.21

MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in mathematical development is satisfactory .

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching about numbers as labels is good.

p.21

Commentary

53. Opportunities relating to simple counting and simple calculations are incorporated into the everyday routines of both the Nursery and Reception classes, giving this area of learning a satisfactory profile. Mathematical development is well below that usually found when children The Leys Primary School - 20 enter the Nursery and standards in the Reception classes are currently lower than those found nationally. Teaching in mathematics is good and teachers work hard to reinforce early skills. In the Nursery, some children can sort and name simple shapes like squares and circles and, in the Reception classes, many children can count aloud to ten and some count beyond. The short, regular whole-class sessions are well focused. Teaching is systematic, ensuring that children always point to numbers and achieve a one-to-one match when counting. Assessments ensure that teaching meets most children’s needs appropriately so that overall

p.21

Commentary

they achieve well. However, when children make choices, opportunities to provide stimulating and challenging investigative activities for groups, particularly higher attaining children, are not promoted as well as they could be. By the end of the Reception Year, it is likely that some children will not attain the early learning goals.

p.22

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Provision in knowledge and understanding of the world is good .

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching is invariably good. • Teaching holds the interest of children, enabling them to make up many shortfalls in their learning.

p.22

Commentary

54. Most children enter the Foundation Stage with a level of general knowledge well below that which is usually found and with shortfalls in many aspects of this area of learning. A very good range of activities in both the Nursery and the Reception classes ensures that achievement is good and that learning in this area is interesting. Good intervention skills when children are working with adults supports learning well. In the Nursery, sufficient adult support ensures that children working individually or in pairs on computers with the program ‘ Paint Magic’, can be taught how to use the mouse, draw lines and infill areas with colour. Whilst making salt dough, a small group working with the support assistant was able to watch with fascination as the salt disappeared into the flour and the mixture became sticky as water was added. This fascination was also seen in a Reception class, when children were making peppermint

p.22

Commentary

creams. Very good teaching challenged children’s thinking and encouraged good opportunities for extending vocabulary when using a recipe for instructions and reference. Watching the mixture change from powder to a sticky mess, then putting in too much water and adjusting the icing sugar gave a very good introduction to early science activities. Teaching is invariably good in this area of learning and some very good teaching was observed. This will ensure that many of the shortfalls in children’s learning will be addressed. However, some children will not reach the early learning goals before the end of the Reception Year as the area of learning is so wide.

p.22

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in physical development is good .

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Good teaching ensures that children’s physical skills develop well.

p.22

Commentary

55. Teaching and provision in this area of learning are good. There are daily opportunities for children to use a range of wheeled toys to improve their skills. Many children in the Reception classes can already ride a tricycle and steer without bumping and most are considerate when The Leys Primary School - 21 using space. The outdoor play sessions are shared. Children in the Nursery and Reception Year play together and this ensures good provision of adult support to assess these physical skills. When using the hall, children in the Reception Year use a good range of small apparatus like quoits and balls. Good teaching, modelling the skills of throwing, catching and rolling ensures good achievement in physical development. Children reach the levels usually found and many are on target to reach the early learning goals. The assessment of children’s hand-eye co-ordination skills is secure but is not so routinely used to ensure that children are

p.22

Commentary

challenged well. Tasks like cutting and sticking are regularly incorporated into learning. However, in the Reception classes these are usually independent tasks due to the lack of support assistants, so that children do not always have the supervision that they need in order to improve. Although their achievement is satisfactory, their control of pencils and fine tools is not so well developed as it could be and is lower than is usually found so that some children will not reach the expected goal by the end of the Foundation Stage.

p.23

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Provision in creative development is good .

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching provides good opportunities to experiment with colour. • Children have a range of opportunities to sing and play musical instruments and are good performers.

p.23

Commentary

56. Children enter the Nursery with a low level of knowledge in this area of learning. Teaching is good and planning ensures that children have a good range of opportunities in music, art and imaginative work. There is a good supply of materials to promote children’s development and this has a positive impact on their learning so that they achieve well. Good planning provides opportunities for colour mixing when painting and children use a range of techniques for creating pictures, like sponge printing, collage and colouring. Simple songs are a regular part of the programme and children in the Reception classes sing tunefully and perform with more confidence than is usually found. A good selection of musical instruments is available and good teaching ensures that children can keep the rhythm reasonably for their age. Imaginative opportunities are provided in music, with children using paper to create the sounds of the

p.23

Commentary

weather by tapping, shaking and ‘scrunching’ it. Speaking and listening skills are appropriately developed in these lessons and children are enthusiastic and achieve well. Across this area of learning several will attain the early learning goals, but overall, the levels will be below those found nationally.

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

• In six lessons out of ten, teaching is good or better. • Most pupils have good attitudes to learning. • Attainment is improving but remains below average. • Work is not consistently planned to match the needs of different pupils. • Teaching assistants support learning well. • Other subjects are not used sufficiently to develop literacy skills. The Leys Primary School - 22

p.23

Commentary

57. In recent years, attainment as measured in the National Curriculum tests at the end of Years 2 and 6, has been consistently well below average when compared with all schools nationally. However, attainment at the end of Year 6 in 2003 matched that of schools which draw their pupils from similar backgrounds. Evidence from the inspection is that attainment levels are improving and, in most lessons, pupils achieve satisfactorily and make sound progress. In some classes, for example, in Year 6, achievement is now good. Standards of attainment remain below average, but the school is on course to attain improved results in English in the National Curriculum tests at the end of Years 2 and 6 in 2004.

p.24

Commentary

58. Pupils’ speaking and listening skills vary considerably. When learning activities are interesting and lessons move at a good pace, most pupils listen well and with interest. However, when the pace of learning slackens, pupils become distracted and do not listen well. Speaking skills are average in Years 1 and 2, below average in Year 3 and average in Years 4, 5 and 6. Reading skills are generally average for higher attaining and average pupils, but below the level expected for lower attaining pupils. The quality of writing is average for average and higher attaining pupils in Years 1 and 2, but below average for lower attaining pupils. Writing is below average in Years 3 and 4, and average in Year 5. In Year 6, the quality of writing in the lesson observed was above average, and an analysis of pupils’ work confirms this. However, in most classes, teachers do not have high enough expectations of what pupils can achieve and this is

p.24

Commentary

depressing attainment for higher attaining pupils.

p.24

Commentary

59. In most lessons, pupils have good attitudes to learning and this promotes their progress and achievement well. For example, in a very good lesson in Year 6, pupils worked with a very high level of interest and enthusiasm and sustained their concentration for the whole lesson. The teacher regularly reminded them of the lesson’s learning objective and challenged them to produce work of good quality. This continuing encouragement resulted in very good progress and achievement. In less successful lessons, lower expectations for pupils’ efforts and behaviour reduces the pace of lessons and the effort that pupils make. In these lessons, attainment is below average and pupils’ achievement is only satisfactory.

p.24

Commentary

60. This means that overall, while standards of attainment are improving, they remain unacceptably low in some year groups. This is because the rapid turnover of teachers has prevented the school from putting systems into place throughout the school to enable pupils to make effective progress. In particular, work is not routinely planned for individual pupils to challenge them to make progress systematically from their current level of attainment. For example, some pupils were heard reading books which were too easy for them and did not enable them to improve their reading. There is a lack of rigour in keeping track of the standards of attainment of pupils so that their future learning can be planned. Overall, the quality of teaching is satisfactory. There is a lack of systems to ensure that teaching promotes good progress throughout the school and the impact of teaching on learning is satisfactory

p.24

Commentary

overall. The subject leader only took over this role at the start of the present term and has not yet had time to have an impact on standards or to plan for pupils’ progress to be tracked and managed.

p.24

Commentary

61. Teaching assistants are effective in lessons in supporting the learning of lower attaining pupils. They contribute well to whole class sessions and to group work and paired discussions in helping pupils to maintain concentration and in encouraging them to respond to questions. This helps their confidence and sense of their own worth. Where pupils are withdrawn from classes for individual support, they are often just expected to pick up learning in the lesson when they return without support and this does not promote systematic progress.

p.24

Commentary

62. The evidence is that standards of attainment have improved this term. The headteacher understands that they are still not high enough and that greater rigour is needed in raising attainment systematically throughout the school. The Leys Primary School - 23

p.24

Language and literacy across the curriculum

63. The development of literacy skills in other subjects is unsatisfactory. It is not planned systematically and opportunities are missed for pupils to develop the skills of writing at length in subjects such as history and geography. The use of computers to word-process pieces of writing and to improve first drafts is underdeveloped. The school is more successful in developing pupils’ speaking and listening skills in other subjects through discussion and questioning.

p.25

MATHEMATICS

Provision in mathematics is unsatisfactory .

p.25

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards are low in comparison to similar schools. • Pupils up to the end of Year 2 show positive attitudes to mathematics. • The quality of teaching seen in Years 1 and 2 is good or very good. • There is a lack of challenge for higher attaining pupils. • Teachers’ planning does not take account of pupils' differing abilities. • In the majority of classes, teachers manage and control classes well and this results in good behaviour and attitudes from pupils. • The subject leader has not been in post long enough to improve provision. • Marking is inconsistent and lacks suggestions on how pupils can improve. • Numeracy is not developed sufficiently in other subjects. • Pupils have had success in world class tests.

p.25

Commentary

64. Standards of attainment are below average in Year 2. This is similar to the 2003 National Curriculum test results where the number of pupils attaining the expected Level 2 was well below average. Pupils' achievement, taking into account their capabilities and previous levels of attainment, is satisfactory. Results in the National Curriculum tests in mathematics improved from 2000 to 2002, but worsened in 2003 to a level lower than 1999.

p.25

Commentary

65. The quality of teaching and learning in the lessons observed was satisfactory overall in Years 1 and 2 although there were examples of good and very good teaching. Pupils worked at satisfactory levels in Year 1. However, an analysis of work showed that, over time, the levels attained by pupils by the end of Year 2 are below average. There is satisfactory coverage of all aspects of the National Numeracy Strategy.

p.25

Commentary

66. Most work is based on local authority programmes of study, which concentrate on whole class teaching. These programmes do not match tasks to the ability of all pupils, particularly higher attaining pupils. In a very good Year 1 lesson, pupils’ learning was very good as a result of the teacher’s very good subject knowledge, use of vocabulary and the successful linking of the development of literacy skills to mathematics teaching.

p.25

Commentary

67. Standards of attainment are below average in Year 6. In the 2003 National Curriculum tests, the number of pupils attaining the expected level was well below average. An analysis of work shows that pupils' achievement over time is unsatisfactory. The trend in results since 2000 had been slightly upward. However, in 2003, results dropped to one of their lowest points. Care should be taken in interpreting the results of any single year as factors such as the high mobility of pupils and a high turnover of teaching staff can have a significant effect.

p.25

Commentary

68. The quality of teaching and learning in Years 3 to 6 is unsatisfactory overall with some satisfactory lessons and one good lesson, observed in Year 6. In those classes where The Leys Primary School - 24 teachers have established good classroom routines and expectations, pupils behave well and work hard. For example, in a Year 6 class, rewards were used effectively to encourage pupils with special educational needs to make a full contribution to the lesson.

p.25

Commentary

69. Many pupils have difficulty in identifying the key information required to solve problems, due to their unsatisfactory literacy skills. This severely limits their ability to tackle the higher order questions. In a good Year 6 lesson, an audio-visual presentation was used effectively to demonstrate how to find the median in a set of data. During this lesson two higher attaining pupils used information and communication technology to challenge themselves by using a spreadsheet program for their data. However, this was the only example of pupils being encouraged towards independent learning seen during the inspection.

p.26

Commentary

70. The marking of pupils’ work is a weakness and does not give pupils enough guidance. Teachers tend to use praise, such as 'well done' often when work is poorly presented, rather than to offer suggestions on how the work could be improved.

p.26

Commentary

71. There is insufficient challenge for high ability pupils. The programme of study used by the school concentrates on a whole class approach and, while pupils with special educational needs and those with English as an additional language make satisfactory progress as a result of the support they receive, higher attaining pupils are insufficiently challenged. Despite the fact that five per cent of pupils (all boys) in Year 5 and Year 6 were successful in world class maths tests, conversation with these pupils and an analysis of their books showed that they receive the same class and homework as other pupils. This lack of challenge is holding back their achievement.

p.26

Commentary

72. Leadership in the subject is unsatisfactory. The subject leader, who was appointed in September 2003, has had insufficient time to have had an impact on raising standards. She has plans to carry out an extensive analysis of pupils’ strengths and weaknesses in mathematics and to monitor teaching in order to raise standards. She is aware of the need to develop literacy skills, particularly for problem solving and to increase the use of information and communication technology to support learning in mathematics.

p.26

Commentary

73. Standards at the time of the previous inspection were reported as average at the end of Year 2 and below average at the end of Year 6. Standards have not improved sufficiently since that inspection and, even when taking into account the high pupil mobility and high staff turnover, there has been an unsatisfactory improvement since the previous report.

p.26

Mathematics across the curriculum

74. There is a little use of mathematics in other subjects, for example, when creating a time line in history. However, the use of other subjects to develop numeracy skills is unsatisfactory because opportunities are not planned systematically. Information and communication technology skills are not used sufficiently to support learning in mathematics. Very few classrooms have computers and the computer suite is mostly used for teaching computer skills.

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SCIENCE

Provision in science is unsatisfactory .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The work done by pupils in the current school year is an improvement on the previous year. • Teaching and learning in the best lesson seen was good. • The leadership and management of the subject are unsatisfactory. • There are too few opportunities for pupils to carry out investigations. • There is insufficient challenge for higher attaining pupils. The Leys Primary School - 25

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Commentary

75. Inspection evidence is consistent with the results obtained by pupils in the National Curriculum tests. At the end of Years 2 and 6, pupils attain standards that are below the national average. An analysis of pupils’ work shows some improvement in standards in the present school year. All aspects of the programmes of study of the National Curriculum are taught. However, older pupils do not have enough opportunities to make good use of practical work to understand concepts from the whole range of the curriculum. There is insufficient challenge for higher attaining pupils. All pupils do the same tasks and this limits the opportunities for these pupils to achieve the better levels of which they are capable. Pupils achieve satisfactorily by the end of Year 2. They entered school with an understanding of the world that is well below average. By the end of Year 6, pupils’ achievement is unsatisfactory because their work does challenge

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Commentary

them enough. There has been satisfactory improvement since the previous inspection.

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Commentary

76. Overall, the quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Teaching and learning in the best lesson seen were good. The pupils used Newton meters to extend their understanding of forces. They carried out experiments to test the force needed to move a block over different surfaces. Pupils measured carefully and there was a good link to mathematics when they recorded their results in bar charts; they also demonstrated their learning when they talked about different types of force. One referred to Isaac Newton and the discovery of gravity. Pupils’ poor speaking skills meant that they struggled to express their ideas. Good teaching insisted on the correct technical vocabulary and learning was well supported by both the teacher and the teaching assistant.

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Commentary

77. Younger pupils have had more opportunities to carry out investigations than older ones. Pupils in Year 2 have used ice cubes to discover the hottest place in the classroom and have predicted whether the dough will change during cooking. There is a good emphasis on health and safety when pupils think about electrical appliances. There is not enough challenge for higher attaining pupils and nothing to indicate that a significant number of them will attain the higher level in the national tests. Older pupils do too little investigative work and this is confirmed by an analysis of their books and in discussion with them. When they do practical work, it tends to be firmly controlled by the teacher. This restricts pupils’ ability to become more independent in their learning and to consolidate and confirm what they have been taught. There is insufficient use of information and communication technology to support learning in

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Commentary

78. The leadership and management of the subject are unsatisfactory because the role of the subject leader is not sufficiently developed. She does not monitor the quality of teaching and learning or sample work in pupils’ books. Procedures to assess pupils’ work are unsatisfactory. This means that they do not have clear targets for improvement and this restricts their achievement.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Provision in information and communication technology is satisfactory .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The direct teaching of skills in information and communication technology is good. • Pupils’ attitudes to the subject are good. • Resources in the information and communication technology suite are good. • The information and communication technology technician supports pupils’ learning well. • Not all aspects of the programmes of study are taught. • Information and communication technology is not used consistently to support learning in other subjects. • There is a lack of challenge for higher attaining pupils. The Leys Primary School - 26

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Commentary

79. By Year 6, pupils’ skills in information and communication technology are below expectations. This is because they have not used e-mail or recorded data with sensing equipment. In Year 2, pupils’ attainment is in line with expectations. They have used the ‘tile tool’ confidently to create a pattern for their Christmas wrapping paper and have previously used a web cam to take a digital photograph of themselves which they will wrap to take home for their parents. The school is well placed to make further improvements. Since its previous inspection, the computer suite has been opened and pupils are increasingly benefiting from the direct teaching that this makes possible.

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Commentary

80. The teaching of skills in information and communication technology is good. Even when teaching over the whole lesson is only satisfactory, teachers have good subject knowledge and demonstrate clearly what pupils need to do to achieve the objectives for the lesson. Pupils’ responses show that they recall their prior learning. This was seen in Year 1, for example, when pupils explained how to log on and knew that the icon they needed to use was the ‘paintbrush’. In Year 6, pupils have used their skills to produce PowerPoint presentations. However, opportunities are missed to increase the challenge for higher attaining pupils. The learning of all pupils is supported well by the recently appointed technician in partnership with class teachers. The school is aware of the need to develop procedures to assess pupils’ progress more effectively.

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Commentary

81. Discussions with pupils and lesson observations show that they have good attitudes to the subject. They co-operate well when sharing a computer and this contributes to their social development. Older pupils understand how the computer can be used for research and as a source of information.

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Information and communication technology across the curriculum

82. All pupils have a short lesson in the suite each week to practise their skills and support their learning in other areas of the curriculum. Some good examples of this were seen. A good instance of this was when pupils in Year 4 used ‘colour-magic’ to produce patterns for Islamic prayer mats. However, pupils sometimes arrive to these short sessions late and this reduces their value. There are very few computers in classrooms and this means that many opportunities are lost for pupils to use information and communication technology to support learning in other subjects in class.

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HUMANITIES

Work was sampled in geography while the provision for history and religious education was inspected in detail.

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HUMANITIES

83. Only one lesson was observed in geography while three lessons were seen in history and two lessons in religious education. Inspectors spoke to groups of pupils, analysed teachers’ planning documents and held discussions with subject leaders. Very little work has been completed in either geography or history. In geography there is insufficient evidence to make judgements about provision or the quality of teaching and learning.

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HUMANITIES

84. The time allocated to geography throughout the year is sufficient to meet the requirements of the National Curriculum and planning documents and an analysis of pupils’ work show that pupils’ achievement in the understanding of geographical concepts by the end of Year 2 is satisfactory. However, by the end of Year 6, standards and pupils’ achievement are too low, the teaching of some aspects of the curriculum is patchy and too little use is made of extended writing, numeracy and information and communication technology for attainment to be satisfactory. The Leys Primary School - 27

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History

Provision in history is unsatisfactory .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Leadership of the subject area is unsatisfactory. • Good use is made of the local environment as a resource. • Pupils’ attitudes to the subject are positive. • The use of extended writing, numeracy and information and communication technology is underdeveloped. • Marking is inconsistent and lacks guidance to pupils on how their work can be improved.

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Commentary

85. Pupils' attainment is below expectations. The quality of teaching and learning in the lessons observed during the inspection ranged from satisfactory to good. However, an analysis of pupils’ work over time showed clearly that pupils, particularly higher attaining pupils, were not doing as well as they could because of unchallenging teaching. This resulted in unsatisfactory achievement by the end of Year 6.

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Commentary

86. In a good Year 1 lesson, pupils examined artefacts from the past including a washing dolly, a flat iron and a creamer and made comparisons with their present day equivalents. In conversation, pupils were able to define history as ‘what happened a long time ago’. Pupils’ speaking skills were well developed in the lesson when they were encouraged to describe how each object was used. Learning was reinforced well by handling the artefacts and recording their details in the subject books with pictures of their present day equivalents.

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Commentary

87. In a good Year 2 lesson, pupils were able to place the Tudors, the Victorians and the present day on a time line and give an accurate estimate of the dates associated with each era. They were also able to place pictures of objects related to the celebration of Christmas in the era with which they were most associated. Higher attaining pupils were able to give reasons for their choices. Visits to a local museum of Victorian life had reinforced their learning about that period effectively.

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Commentary

88. An analysis of pupils' work over time shows pupils of all abilities were given identical work. Inadequate assessment prevented work being set to challenge pupils at different stages of learning. Work was often too easy for higher attaining pupils and too hard for lower attaining pupils who often did not complete it. Pupils' ability to use their writing skills is restricted by the use of undemanding questions often requiring a single sentence answer. There was little evidence that pupils used their numeracy or information and communication technology skills to help develop their historical understanding. All these factors restrict the development of pupils' historical enquiry skills.

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Commentary

89. The subject leader is newly appointed to the role but has clarity of vision and a sense of purpose to develop the subject satisfactorily throughout the school. However, she has had insufficient time to rectify the weaknesses in provision for the subject and co-ordination is therefore unsatisfactory at this stage.

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Religious education

Provision in religious education is satisfactory .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards in Year 6 are below those laid down in the locally agreed syllabus. The Leys Primary School - 28 • Pupils have some knowledge of Islam and Sikhism. • Pupils are encouraged to reflect on what they have learned. • There are no assessment procedures and no monitoring of teaching and learning.

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Commentary

90. Standards in Year 6 are below those laid down in the locally agreed syllabus for religious education. This is the same judgement as at the previous inspection and so progress since then has been unsatisfactory. There is not enough evidence to make a secure judgement about standards in Year 2. At the previous inspection these were in line with expectations. The work available for analysis was of limited relevance because of changes in the teaching staff. The evidence from lessons observed is that the pupils’ achievement is satisfactory given their well below average understanding of the world when they enter the school.

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Commentary

91. Discussion with pupils in Year 6 shows that they have some knowledge of Islam and Sikhism but that this is at a superficial level. They know about the observance of Ramadan and talk about the way that Sikhs dress and about their holy book. They have benefited from listening to a visitor from the Sikh community. During their time in school, they have had few visits and have not been taken to places of worship of different faiths on a regular basis. This will be addressed when the new scheme of work is fully implemented.

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Commentary

92. Pupils are encouraged to reflect on what they have learned. This was seen in a good lesson in Year 2 when pupils wrote about the choices that the characters in the Christmas story had to make. It was also seen in Year 6 when a good link was made to literacy, as pupils wrote a formal letter to a newspaper editor saying what St Nicholas might think of a modern Christmas. Pupils in Year 5 reflected on the Nativity when they looked at the ‘Adoration of the Shepherds’ by Guido Renni and explained how the artist had emphasised the importance of Jesus.

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Commentary

93. The leadership and management of the subject are unsatisfactory because the role of the subject manager is not developed sufficiently to include the monitoring of standards and teaching. Assessment procedures are weak. Links to information and communication technology are underdeveloped. As a result, teaching and learning in the subject are not sufficiently developed although pupils’ understanding is satisfactory by the time that they leave the school.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

Only a few lessons were seen in these subjects so it is not possible to make a firm overall judgement about provision.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

94. Only two art and design lessons were observed during the inspection. It is therefore not possible to make a firm judgement about standards or the quality of teaching and learning. However, discussions with pupils and the subject manager and an analysis of resources, displays and school documents reveal a generally satisfactory picture.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

95. Around the school, prints illustrating the work of mainly western artists contribute significantly to the good quality display in the subject. These enhance the displays of pupils’ work, which indicate the teaching of a good range of techniques. There are good opportunities to experiment with colour and texture. The scheme of work is currently being revised to support teaching and learning more effectively.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

96. As only two lessons were observed in design and technology during the inspection, it is not possible to judge standards or the quality of teaching. However, in one lesson, the quality of teaching and learning was good and average standards were being attained. In the second lesson, the quality of teaching and learning was unsatisfactory and the standards being attained were below average. The Leys Primary School - 29 97. In one music lesson in Year 6, good teaching produced a good response from pupils so that they achieved well and standards were above average. Whole-school singing is satisfactory. Pupils have good opportunities to learn instruments and to experience performing in public. Visits and visitors give pupils opportunities to hear different types of music.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

98. Attainment is average in physical education , including swimming. Pupils have good opportunities to experience competition in sports in a range of teams. In the few lessons observed, satisfactory learning was enhanced by pupils’ good attitudes and behaviour.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

Provision in personal, social and health education and citizenship is good .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The curriculum for personal, social and health education encourages social skills throughout the school. • Early experiences in citizenship are being developed through the ‘playground squad’.

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Commentary

99. The school gives a high priority to personal, social and health education and citizenship. With its high turnover of pupils, the school needs to establish good standards of behaviour and responsibility quickly and the personal, social and health education programme successfully promotes positive attitudes to school and to learning. Pupils are taught about the dangers of drugs and other substances, but the governors’ policy is not to provide sex and relationships education. Visits from the emergency services emphasise fire and road safety.

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Commentary

100. The school’s policy for personal, social and health education is rooted in the need for all members of the school community to care for each other. For example, visiting theatre groups have dealt with issues such as bullying. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 are given early experiences in the responsibilities of citizenship when they become members of the ‘playground squad’ which supports pupils at play and for which training has been provided. The school improvement plan includes proposals for the development of a school council which will give pupils further opportunities to exercise citizenship. The Leys Primary School - 30

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The overall effectiveness of the school 4 How inclusive the school is 5 How the school’s effectiveness has changed since its last inspection 4 Value for money provided by the school 4

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Overall standards achieved 5 Pupils’ achievement 5

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities 4 Attendance 5 Attitudes 3 Behaviour, including the extent of exclusions 4 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 4

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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