The Uffington Church of England Primary School

SCHOOL

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 The Uffington Church of England Primary School - 2 - July 2004 This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated.

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SCHOOL

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. The Uffington Church of England Primary School - 3 - July 2004 INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

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SCHOOL

Type of school: Primary School category: Voluntary Controlled Age range of pupils: 4 to 11 Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 87

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SCHOOL

School address: School Lane Uffington Stamford Lincolnshire Postcode: PE9 4SU

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SCHOOL

Telephone number: 01780 756236 Fax number: 01780 756236

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SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The Governing Body Name of chair of governors: Mrs J B Priestley

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SCHOOL

Uffington Church of England Primary School is a small village school with 87 pupils on roll situated in Uffington two miles east of Stamford. The school serves the villages of Uffington and Tallington but attracts approximately 40 per cent of its pupils from other local towns and villages. Pupils are taught in mixed age classes apart from the reception year. In the juniors, three members of staff including the headteacher, teach the juniors according to subject specialisms. The majority of teachers in this school work part time. All pupils are of white British origin and there are no pupils with English as an additional language. There are no pupils known to be eligible for free school meals. The percentage of pupils identified as having special educational needs (8.5 per cent) is below the national average and there is only one pupil with a statement of special educational needs. The attainment of the annual intakes to the

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SCHOOL

school is broadly average overall but varies from one year to another, ranging from above average to average. This year it is average with strengths in speaking and listening. In 2003, the school received its Investors in People Award. The school benefits from donations made by benefactors, a thriving Parents’ and Friends’ Association and the Somes Trust. The Uffington Church of England Primary School - 4 - July 2004 INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

19938 B Matusiak-Varley Lead inspector Areas of learning for children in the foundation stage English History Art and design Music Provision for pupils with special educational needs English as an additional language 32676 N Power Lay inspector 19164 S Dobson Team inspector Mathematics Science Information and communication technology Geography Design and technology Physical education

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

Nord Anglia School Inspection Services Anglia House Carrs Road Cheadle Stockport SK8 2LA

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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 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 Uffington Church of England Primary School - 5 - July 2004

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 8

Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 8

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL 11

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

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS 35

The Uffington Church of England Primary School - 6 - July 2004

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OVERALL EVALUATION

This is a good school, with very good features . It provides a good quality of education for its pupils. Standards are above average overall and pupils’ achievements are good. Teaching is good overall; pupils learn well and are very well prepared for secondary school. The curriculum is good and is enriched with a good range of extra curricular activities. The school is well led and managed and governance of the school is good. The good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development results in pupils having very good attitudes to learning and behaving very well. The school provides good value for money.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are: • Standards overall are above average throughout the school. Pupils’ achievements are very good in speaking and listening, reading and number throughout the school and in mathematics, science and geography in the juniors. • Standards need to be improved in science and information and communication technology (ICT) in Year 2, and in writing and history throughout the school. • Higher attaining pupils could be challenged more with improved use of assessment and more focused teaching, especially in English. • Teaching is good overall and it is very good in the juniors. • Accommodation is unsatisfactory in the foundation stage. • Provision for pupils who have special educational needs is good and these pupils make good progress. Support staff make a good contribution to these pupils’ learning. • Whilst partnership with parents is satisfactory there is still room for improvement in ensuring

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OVERALL EVALUATION

that all parents are aware of the good work that goes on in the school.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school has made good improvements since it was last inspected in 1998. All key issues have been addressed and standards have risen substantially in mathematics and science at the end of Year 6 and are now well above average.

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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 C A C E mathematics A B C E science C A A B Key: A - well above average; B – above average; C – average; D – below average; E – well below average Similar schools are those whose pupils attained similarly at the end of Year 2. NB. National test results must be treated with caution as the number of pupils taking these tests is very small.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Pupils’ achievements are good and overall standards are above average. Pupils achieve well in Reception and in the Infants and very well in the Juniors. The 2003 national test results for Year 2 were well above average in comparison with all schools in reading and writing and were above average in mathematics. In the juniors, the results were average in English and mathematics and well above average in science. In comparison with those of similar schools, the Year 2 pupils’ results were above average in reading and writing, and The Uffington Church of England Primary School - 7 - July 2004 average in mathematics. In comparison with those of similar schools, as can be seen from the above table, the Year 6 pupils’ results were well below average in English and mathematics but above average in science. Because so few children are involved the annual test statistics are not wholly reliable but, taken over the past three years, they were above average. The

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

inspection findings differ from the 2003 results in English and mathematics. In both Year 2 and Year 6 current standards are above average in English. In mathematics, current standards are above average in Year 2 and are well above average in Year 6. These findings are broadly similar to the latest (2004) results for both English and mathematics, which are considerably higher than those of the previous year. Inspection findings show that In English, standards are high in reading and speaking and listening throughout the school; in writing standards are average and the quality of pupils’ of work is not good enough. In science, standards are average in Year 2 and could be improved; however, in Year 6, standards in science are well above average and pupils achieve very well in relation to their prior attainment. In ICT, standards have improved considerably since the previous inspection – they are now average

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

in Year 2 and above average in Year 6. In other subjects, standards are generally above average but are well above average in geography though should be higher in history. Higher attaining pupils could reach higher standards if they were challenged more. The very few pupils with special educational needs achieve well. Pupils’ personal development is good overall and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. They have very good attitudes to learning and behave very well; their attendance and punctuality are very good.

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The school provides a good quality of education for its pupils. Teaching and learning

are good overall. Teaching is good in the Reception Year and in the infants, and it is very good in the juniors. The use of subject specialist teachers in mathematics and science in the juniors is having a very positive effect on pupils’ learning because these teachers are passionate about their subjects and this motivates pupils to learn. The teaching of English is satisfactory overall. Although reading and speaking are taught well, the teaching of writing needs to be improved. The use of assessment to challenge higher attaining pupils also needs to be improved. Teaching of pupils with special educational needs is good. Teachers have very good relationships with their pupils and know their pupils’ strengths and areas for development well. Pupils generally learn well because the teachers explain clearly. The curriculum is well planned; it is broad, balanced, meets statutory requirements, and is enriched

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The school provides a good quality of education for its pupils. Teaching and learning

by a broad range of extracurricular activities. The accommodation is satisfactory overall, with the exception of the foundation stage where it is unsatisfactory. Resources are good. The school has satisfactory partnership with parents and good links with the community. Pupils are well cared for by a highly dedicated team of teachers and support staff.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management are good. Governance is good. The very hard-working headteacher is successfully implementing the school’s aims of “only the best is good enough”. The quality of leadership and management provided by key staff are satisfactory and improving. All statutory requirements are met.

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Most parents are happy with the school but a significant minority have concerns about several aspects of school life, such as their children’s progress and communication with teachers. The school is aware of this issue and plans are in place to rectify it. Inspection findings show that The Uffington Church of England Primary School - 8 - July 2004 communication with parents is satisfactory. Pupils thoroughly love the school and appreciate the very caring nature of all staff. Parents and pupils are consulted on most aspects of school life.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

The most important things the school should do to improve are: • Raise standards in writing and history across the school and science and ICT in Year 2. • Improve the teaching of writing throughout the school. • Ensure that higher attaining pupils are consistently challenged through rigorous use of assessment. • Improve the quality of accommodation in the foundation stage as and when funds allow. • Improve partnership with a minority of parents so that they are fully aware of the good quality of education provided for their children. The Uffington Church of England Primary School - 9 - July 2004

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED IN AREAS OF LEARNING, SUBJECTS AND COURSES

Pupils’ overall achievements are good and standards are above average. Pupils’ achievements are good in the infants and in the foundation stage and are very good in the juniors where pupils attain well above national standards in mathematics, science and geography. Pupils with special educational needs achieve well in relation to targets in their individual education plans. The achievement of higher attaining pupils is satisfactory but could be better.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils’ achievements in English, whilst satisfactory, are not as good as their achievements in mathematics or science. In mathematics, science and geography pupils achieve very well in the juniors. • Pupils throughout the school make very good gains in speaking and listening and reading, in part due to the high levels of parental support. • Pupils could be achieving more in writing and history throughout the school and science and ICT in the infants. • Higher attaining pupils could make quicker progress. • The lack of consistency in the use of assessment throughout the school slows down rates of progress. • Standards of presentation of written work are not good enough in English, history and religious education. • Pupils with special educational needs achieve well but spend too long word-processing their work, this hinders their progress.

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Commentary

1. Overall improvement since the last inspection has been good. High overall standards have been sustained, and standards have been raised in ICT. The good improvement has been brought about through effective performance management and rigorous monitoring of teaching, learning and achievement by the headteacher. Another contributory factor to the pupils’ very good progress in the Juniors is the parents’ valuable contribution to their children’s learning by supporting their children with their homework. 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 17.1 (20.1) 15.7 (15.8) Writing 16.1 (17.0) 14.6 (14.4) Mathematics 17.2 (19.1) 16.3 (16.5) There were 17 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 The Uffington Church of England Primary School - 10 - July 2004 Standards in: School results National results English 26.5 (29.0) 26.8 (27.0) Mathematics 27.0 (28.0) 26.8 (26.7) Science 30.5 (31.0) 28.6 (28.3) There were 12 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Commentary

2. The results of the 2003 national tests and teacher assessments at the end of Year 2 were well above average in reading and writing in comparison with all schools and were above average in mathematics. In comparison with similar schools, the results were above average in reading and writing and were average in mathematics. In science, the results of the teachers’ assessments standards were very high and in the top five per cent nationally.

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Commentary

3. In the Juniors, the 2003 Year 6 results were average in English and mathematics and were well above average in science in comparison with all schools, standards in English and mathematics were average were well above average in science. In comparison with similar schools, standards were well below average in English and mathematics and were above average in science.

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Commentary

4. The numbers of pupils taking the tests are very small and so the results are not wholly reliable. Many higher attaining pupils leave in Year 4 to go to local independent schools and several pupils who join the school at that time have special educational needs. Analysis of pupils’ records of progress who have been at the school since the reception class show that in relation to their prior attainment pupils generally make good progress.

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Commentary

5. The test results showed no important differences between the attainment of boys and girls; although boys tended to do slightly better than the girls this difference was not apparent in inspection findings. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress and achieve well in relation to targets identified in their individual education plans.

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Commentary

6. The trend in the school’s results was below the national trend in both the Infants and the Juniors. Although the school achieved its targets for English and mathematics in 2003, few pupils attained the higher levels in writing both in Year 2 and Year 6. The 2004 unvalidated test results are considerably better than those of 2003 and more pupils attained the higher levels in both English and mathematics.

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Commentary

7. Pupils’ attainment on entry to reception class is average overall with approximately one third of pupils demonstrating above average attainment in communication, language and literacy. Due to good provision in the foundation stage, pupils make good progress overall but higher attaining pupils make satisfactory progress and could be challenged even more, especially in the amount of written work that they do. By the end of the foundation stage, children exceed the expected standards in all areas of learning and their achievements are good in relation to their prior attainment, especially in the way they are capable of organising their learning.

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Commentary

8. Throughout the infants, overall standards are above average and pupils continue to make good progress. They attain well above average standards in speaking and listening and reading and above average standards in mathematics. In writing, science and ICT The Uffington Church of England Primary School - 11 - July 2004 standards are average and pupils’ achievements are satisfactory but they could be achieving even more. Too few pupils using cursive script and only the higher attaining pupils use a good range of connectives in their writing. However, all pupils know how to sequence their ideas in order and they have a good range of descriptive vocabulary, which they use well in their stories. In mathematics, pupils continue to achieve well but higher attaining pupils could be challenged further and their achievements are only satisfactory. In science, pupils have good scientific knowledge but they are not achieving

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Commentary

as well they can in setting up their own experiments, recording their findings in a variety of ways. Their achievements are satisfactory and they attain average standards in science overall. A significant minority of pupils struggle with evaluating their findings in relation to the initial hypothesis.

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Commentary

9. Inspection findings show that in Year 6 overall standards are well above average and pupils achieve very well, especially when taught by the headteacher and science specialist. These findings differ from the 2003 national test results in mathematics, in which the results were only average, but are consistent with the 2004 results which are considerably better than those of 2003 and more pupils achieved the higher levels in English, mathematics and science. This improvement has been brought about through more effective teaching which, thanks to the efforts of the headteacher, has concentrated on eliminating previous areas of weakness, such as the teaching of problem solving in mathematics. Due to very good teaching, pupils are now achieving very well.

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Commentary

10. Pupils are very well prepared for secondary school. They make very good progress in mathematics, science and geography and achieve very well in these subjects. In English, pupils’ achievements are satisfactory overall but very good achievement in speaking and listening, and in reading. Although overall standards in Year 6 are above average in English overall, they are only average in writing. This is because the quality of teaching of writing lacks consistency. It ranges from satisfactory with good features to unsatisfactory and insufficient use is made of assessment data to enable pupils to make faster progress, especially the higher attaining ones. Too often, written work is untidily presented. Pupils are not given sufficient opportunities to apply what they have learnt in their literacy sessions to their writing in other subjects and some aspects of writing are not covered in sufficient depth; for example, pupils do not have enough practice with

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Commentary

writing non-narrative accounts and there is too much emphasis on poetry, which does not interest the boys. Having said that, a scrutiny of written work showed that Year 6 pupils produced some good examples of creative writing and that they have sound skills of developing a story line. In science, as a result of the teacher’s insistence on high standards, the work in the pupils’ books is very neatly laid out and well presented, in direct contrast to some untidy work to be found in the same pupils’ English books.

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Commentary

11. Standards are generally above average in other subjects although in music, design and technology in the infants and physical education in both the infants and juniors, insufficient lessons were seen to make secure judgements of the standards achieved. In geography, Year 6 pupils’ achievements are very good because of the emphasis placed upon teaching geographical skills, as can be seen in the pupils’ written work and because of the very good quality of teaching. Opportunities for pupils to apply what they have learnt in English, to help them develop their writing skills, are missed in a number of subjects, such as religious education and history. Again, in a number of subjects, higher attaining pupils are not always sufficiently challenged. Standards could be higher in history with more independent, extended writing and pupils too often work from worksheets. The Uffington Church of England Primary School - 12 - July 2004

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Commentary

12. Standards have improved considerably in ICT. Pupils now attain average standards in the Infants and their achievements are satisfactory although ICT is still underused as a tool for learning in other subjects. However, standards are above average in Year 6 and pupils achieve well because staff ensure that pupils have access to computers.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES, VALUES AND OTHER PERSONAL QUALITIES

Attendance and punctuality are very good. Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour are very good. The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils is good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The school’s strategies to encourage responsible behaviour and mature attitudes work very well. • Children in the foundation stage show very responsible attitudes to learning. • There is a wide range of opportunities to ensure that pupils develop well spiritually, morally, socially and culturally. • Strategies to promote pupils’ independent learning skills are under-developed. • Attendance is very good and pupils love coming to school.

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Commentary

13. Pupils are encouraged to behave in a mature and responsible manner through a variety of strategies. There is a strong emphasis on teamwork within the school and all pupils have a role to play in helping the school to run smoothly. There are many opportunities for the older pupils to look after and help the younger ones. As a result pupils mature very well during their school years. However, in some lessons, especially in English, strategies to promote pupils’ independent learning skills are limited. Pupils are not given enough responsibility to organise their learning both in the infants and the juniors.

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Commentary

14. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is cultivated well. A strong Christian ethos permeates throughout the school. Pupils are given good opportunities to reflect upon the beauty of creation and several examples of well written prayers were seen in which pupils thanked God for the joy of nature. Pupils are constantly encouraged to develop strong moral values and acts of collective worship contribute well to their overall spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The pupils raise significant amounts of money to help those less fortunate than themselves, both in the UK and overseas. There is a good variety of school trips designed to enhance pupils’ understanding of their own and the cultures of others. Pupils develop a good understanding of other cultures, including contemporary multi-cultural society by learning about different faiths, customs and practices. A good range of visitors, such as the recent

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Commentary

visit of African musicians, come into the school.

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Commentary

15. The school provides good opportunities for pupils to distinguish right from wrong and strong Christian values permeate all aspects of school life. Pupils’ very good attitudes mean that they are receptive to new ideas and concepts. However, because the strategies of the school to promote pupils’ independent learning skills are not yet fully developed, pupils do not often question and explore these concepts further without significant help from staff. As a result, at times higher attaining pupils are not sufficiently well challenged. The Uffington Church of England Primary School - 13 - July 2004 16. Pupils’ attendance is well above the national average and is very good. The school’s strategies to promote good attendance are effective and most parents avoid taking holidays in term time. There were no exclusions in the last reporting year. Pupils behave very well, even when they find some of the lessons less exciting. They are polite,

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Commentary

courteous and genuinely care about one another. Parents are very pleased with the Christian values that the school promotes.

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Commentary

17. Children in the foundation stage exceed the expected standards in personal, social and emotional development because of the well structured routines, good opportunities to develop independence and very good relationships between the staff and pupils.

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Commentary

18. Improvement since the last inspection has been good. Behaviour has improved and the very good attitudes to learning have been maintained.

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Attendance

Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

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Attendance

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data: 3.7 School data : 0.0 National data: 5.4 National data: 0.4 The table gives the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.

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Attendance

QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

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Attendance

The school provides a good quality of education for its pupils. Teaching is good with very good features. The curriculum is well planned and accommodation is satisfactory overall with good resources. Pupils are well cared for by a highly dedicated team of teachers and support staff. Partnership with parents is satisfactory and there are good links with the community.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Teaching and learning are good overall. Teaching is good in the foundation stage and in the infants and very good in the juniors. As a result of good teaching, pupils achieve well in the infants and very well in the juniors. Assessment procedures are satisfactory overall. They are good in English, mathematics and science but their use in informing the next steps of pupils’ learning is only satisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The best teaching is in the juniors in mathematics, science and geography and pupils learn very well in these subjects. • Teaching of English is satisfactory with good features but there are weaknesses in the teaching of writing and too often teachers accept unsatisfactory presentation of written work. The Uffington Church of England Primary School - 14 - July 2004 • Teachers do not always provide enough challenge for the most capable pupils or make enough use of assessments to provide work at differing levels of difficulty, especially in English and in the infants in English, mathematics and science; this slows down rates of learning. • Children in the foundation stage are taught well and make good progress. • Support staff make a good contribution to pupils’ learning. • Teachers who are subject specialists in the juniors do not have the opportunity to share their skills with other staff, as a result, staff do not have sufficient opportunities to learn from

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Main strengths and weaknesses

the best practice in the school. • Teachers have good subject knowledge, relationships are very good and pupils like their teachers. • Too few opportunities are provided for independent learning and ICT is not sufficiently well used in the infants to support learning in all subjects.

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Commentary

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 25 lessons

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Commentary

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Commentary

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

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Commentary

19. At the last inspection, teaching was judged to be good. This has remained the case; the use of ICT in lessons has improved and is now satisfactory but there is still room for improvement in its use in the infants.

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Commentary

20. There are examples of good teaching in most subjects but there are also areas for development in the satisfactory teaching of English, which the school is aware of, that need addressing; there were some examples of unsatisfactory teaching seen in English where pupils were not sufficiently challenged and the pace of learning was too slow to fully engage all groups of pupils in learning. For example, in English, too few opportunities are provided for pupils to develop independence in learning. Sometimes explanations given by teachers are too long and the texts that pupils study in class are not sufficiently well used to model grammatical structures. Yet there are some positive features for example in the way that drama is used to enliven learning however, more opportunities could be provided for pupils to write in role. Reading skills are taught well and teachers provide good opportunities for pupils to develop their skills of comprehension and to

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Commentary

21. Teaching is very good in mathematics, science and geography in the juniors. Overall, assessment procedures are good. They provide an accurate record of what pupils have learnt and identify their weaknesses. They are regularly updated and areas for development are discussed with pupils.

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Commentary

22. The good quality of assessments provide an accurate record of what pupils know, understand and can do. Test results are regularly evaluated by the headteacher and weaknesses identified form part of the school’s action plan. However, assessment procedures are better in English, mathematics, science and ICT than they are in other subjects in these subjects assessments are good but their use to inform the next steps of The Uffington Church of England Primary School - 15 - July 2004 pupils’ learning is inconsistent. This results in pupils, who are higher attainers, being under-challenged in some lessons.

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Commentary

23. Teachers mark pupils’ work regularly and marking is satisfactory overall but too often comments given do not inform pupils as to how they can improve the quality of their work and pupils are not encouraged to rectify their mistakes. On occasions, comments such as “well done” when pupils have clearly not done their best does not provide pupils with a clear picture of what constitutes high quality work. On occasions, teachers re-visit skills that pupils have previously acquired; this slows down pupils’ rates of learning and they do not make the gains that they are capable of; this is particularly the case in writing. Teachers’ marking is good in the juniors in mathematics, science and geography. Pupils’ written work is not good enough in English; work is not neatly presented neither is it dated and too often pupils do not finish the work they started. In science and mathematics pupils’ work is clearly marked with constructive comments.

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Commentary

24. Teachers manage behaviour very well; some pupils have behaviour problems and the firm attitude of all staff is having a positive effect on creating a purposeful environment for learning.

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Commentary

25. Support staff make a good contribution to pupils’ learning, are well aware of their pupils’ learning difficulties and encourage them to do their best.

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Commentary

26. Overall, teachers have good subject knowledge and give good explanations but in some lessons where there were weaknesses teachers did not fully check pupils’ interpretation of what they had been taught. Pupils’ natural politeness is at times misinterpreted as an indicator of understanding when it is clearly not the case. Examples of this were seen in the juniors in English when pupils were studying poetry which they clearly find difficult.

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Commentary

27. Teachers plan well with clear objectives identified, and they share these well with pupils. In English, in both the infants and juniors, opportunities to use text as a focal point for teaching grammar and vocabulary extension are not sufficiently well developed and insufficient use is made of ICT as a tool for learning. Teachers do not always make the best use of recently installed whiteboards or use overhead projectors to help pupils access text. In the juniors teachers have very high expectations of their pupils, especially in mathematics, science, geography and music; they give good opportunities for pupils to work collaboratively in groups and at all times they encourage them to do their very best.

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Commentary

28. In the infants, teaching is good overall. The class teacher gives good explanations and makes learning fun; in a good science lesson pupils made good gains in developing their skills of observation and comparison identifying facial characteristics. However, higher attaining pupils are not always sufficiently challenged and, whilst consolidating learning, they could be achieving more.

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Commentary

29. Pupils with special educational needs are taught well, their individual education plans are well used in planning and overall they make good progress but at times they spend too long word-processing their work and this slows down their rates of progress. Teachers use homework well to support learning in lessons but a minority of parents commented that their children did not receive sufficient feedback on their homework. Inspection findings show that the school’s policy meets national recommendations and that homework is given out on a regular basis. The headteacher is aware of parental concerns and plans are in place to bring about consistency in the marking of homework. The Uffington Church of England Primary School - 16 - July 2004 30. The teaching of mathematics is good; it is good in the infants and very good in the juniors. Teaching of science is satisfactory in the infants and very good in the juniors.

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Commentary

Overall, the teaching in science is good and pupils acquire scientific concepts at a fast pace. No teaching of ICT was observed but judging by the above average standards attained at the end of Year 6, teachers are teaching basic skills well. However, as yet, not all staff are using ICT as an integral part of their classroom practice. The teaching of religious education is good throughout the school and pupils learn well. In most foundation subjects seen, the teaching is good but it is only satisfactory in history because there is insufficient emphasis placed upon development of historical skills and there is an overuse of worksheets preventing pupils from developing their writing skills and independence. Teaching in geography in the juniors is very good due to the good emphasis placed on the teaching of skills that pupils need as they move up the school. Teachers teach basic skills well and this has a positive effect on standards as evidenced

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Commentary

by the standards attained at the end of Year 6.

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Commentary

31. The teaching of children in the foundation stage is good. Basic skills are taught well and a high emphasis is placed upon developing their skills of independent learning. However, higher attaining children could be encouraged to write and record more. Good opportunities are provided for children to learn using their senses and, in spite of unsatisfactory accommodation, every effort is made to ensure that children have full access to the curriculum but difficulties do arise when children undertake collaborative work. For example, when learning number bonds whilst engaged in using skittles, children were clearly cramped in the very small mobile classroom and their access to resources was limited.

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Commentary

32. Overall pupils learn well but the headteacher, due to her heavy teaching commitment has not had the opportunity to ensure that there is consistency of practice across the school and pupils’ learning is uneven in some subjects. This has been identified as an issue to be addressed but in a small school setting the headteacher has done everything she can do to ensure that the pupils get a good quality of education. The use of subject specialism works well where the quality of teaching is very good such as in science and mathematics in the juniors but, teachers do not yet have access to see the examples of best practice so that they can learn from one another’s strengths. Overall, pupils’ achievements are good in relation to their prior attainment because teachers provide good opportunities for problem solving, reasoning and peer assessment; this has a positive effect on learning.

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Commentary

33. Improvement since the last inspection has been satisfactory. The quality of teaching has remained good.

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THE CURRICULUM

Overall the curriculum provision is good. It is enriched by a wide range of activities, including visits, clubs and sport and these support the curriculum well. Resources are good. Accommodation is satisfactory overall but unsatisfactory for children in the foundation stage.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The curriculum is interesting and well enriched with visits and visitors. The Uffington Church of England Primary School - 17 - July 2004 • The match of teachers to the curriculum is good. • Provision for special educational needs is good. • The school devotes slightly too much time to the teaching of reading skills at the expense of developing pupils’ writing skills. • Opportunities for participating in sport are very good. • Support for participation in other activities outside the school day is good. • Opportunities for developing pupils’ skills of literacy, numeracy and ICT across the curriculum, whilst satisfactory overall, are at an early stage of development. • In science in the infants and all other subjects, other than English and mathematics throughout the school, schemes of work do not identify the skills that pupils need to develop as they move up the school.

p.16

Commentary

34. The quality and range of learning opportunities overall are good. The curriculum is broad, balanced and vibrant. The pupils are provided with a stimulating, interesting and varied curriculum and are well prepared for the next stage of their education.

p.17

Commentary

35. The statutory requirements for all National Curriculum subjects are fully met. Provision for children in the foundation stage is good. The curriculum is well planned and good opportunities are provided for children to learn using their senses but the curriculum for development of physical abilities is restricted due to very limited space which is unsatisfactory overall.

p.17

Commentary

36. Very good use is made of teachers’ subject expertise in the junior school; specialist teaching takes place in English, mathematics, design and technology, geography, history and ICT. This ensures that teachers are well matched to the curriculum requirements. In addition, as pupils move classes for specialist teaching, the routine prepares them well for transition to the high school.

p.17

Commentary

37. The curriculum is enriched by a wide range of activities. Visitors include an artist and a person from Africa who teaches pupils about traditional African costume, dance and music. Pupils are taken on visits to museums and a farm park as well as participating in two residential courses, to support work in science and humanities, on the Norfolk coast. Curriculum planning enables pupils to learn skills that can be used outside the school. For example, in physical education, lessons in dance are organised so that pupils develop their skills towards putting on a performance for parents and the community at a local Arts Centre.

p.17

Commentary

38. Despite its restricted facilities for physical education due to the very small size of the Year 6 classroom which is used as an assembly hall, opportunities for pupils to participate in sport are very good. This is because staff encourage all pupils to participate from an early age in competitive sport. As a result, they gain confidence and join in a wide range of activities such as netball, athletics, rounders and football in which they develop their skills well. There is good use of the facilities of another school for teaching gymnastics and dance, and the staff work very hard at ensuring that the obstacle of limited accommodation does not impinge on pupils’ access to the curriculum.

p.17

Commentary

39. Good improvement has been made in curriculum planning since the last inspection. There are now clear plans in place to ensure full coverage of the National Curriculum. National planning guidance is used but, where appropriate, is modified to take into The Uffington Church of England Primary School - 18 - July 2004 account the learning needs of the pupils. The curriculum is regularly reviewed and amended. However, there is currently too rigid an adherence to the National Literacy Strategy in terms of the time spent, and methods used, in teaching reading. This time would be better spent in addressing areas of weakness such as pupils’ writing. The tracking of skills progression in foundation subjects is not yet fully developed and, apart from the headteacher, subject co-ordinators do not have sufficient overview of what skills different year groups have covered. The headteacher has recognised this as an area for

p.17

Commentary

development but taking into consideration that nearly all of the teachers work part time, they have worked very hard at establishing good learning opportunities for their pupils.

p.18

Commentary

40. The curriculum for pupils with special educational needs is good. The school is fully inclusive in all of its practices and pupils learn well. Their individual education plans clearly identify what help is needed and all pupils have full access to the curriculum.

p.18

Commentary

41. The programme for personal, social and health education is well established and the school ensures equality of access and opportunities for all pupils. The ICT suite now has sufficient number of computers and software to match the needs of the curriculum although the computers are becoming dated and are relatively slow. The school has plans to replace these with up-to-date machines and also to purchase laptops with wireless connection.

p.18

Commentary

42. The school has a satisfactory number of staff, including support staff, to meet the needs of the curriculum. Resources are good. Accommodation overall is satisfactory but the accommodation in the foundation stage is cramped and is unsatisfactory. The school has made good use of the available space, for example by building a mezzanine in the roof space for use as a library area.

p.18

Commentary

43. At present, the provision for pupils to develop their skills of literacy, numeracy and ICT in other subjects is satisfactory but could be better. Too few opportunities are provided for pupils to write and use ICT. The school has not yet undertaken a full review of how these opportunities can be developed to move pupils on in their learning and formal systems of planning have not yet been fully established. This is on the school development plan for the forthcoming year. The curriculum prepares pupils well for the next stages of learning.

p.18

Commentary

44. Parents are generally pleased with the curriculum but would like more after school clubs. Inspection findings show that there is a good range of extra curricular activities provided especially in view of the fact that most staff only work part time.

p.18

Commentary

45. Improvement since the previous inspection has been good and there is now consistency of planning throughout the school.

p.18

CARE, GUIDANCE AND SUPPORT

The school ensures the care, welfare, health and safety of its pupils well. The school gives its pupils good support, advice and guidance based on its monitoring of their progress. The school seeks, values and acts on pupils’ views well.

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Good systems of child protection are in place. The Uffington Church of England Primary School - 19 - July 2004 • The school has good systems for monitoring pupils’ academic development. Pupils who have special educational needs have good quality individual education plans. • The school celebrates pupils’ achievements well. • Pupils’ views are sought well through circle time. • Transfer arrangements to the local secondary schools are good. • The very good quality of relationships ensures that pupils feel very well cared for. • Very good induction procedures are in place in the reception class and this helps children feel secure when undertaking classroom routines.

p.18

Commentary

46. The care, guidance and support of pupils are good. All staff undertake regular training in Child Protection and First Aid and the school’s risk assessments are thorough and appropriate for the size and nature of the school. The staff know their pupils well and there are good systems in place for child protection which are known by all staff. The school has undertaken good and regular risk assessments and procedures for ensuring that pupils work in a healthy and safe environment are good. All policies are in place to identify and report any aspects of racial harassment and the governing body keeps a tight check on these issues. All statutory policies are in place and they are consistently reviewed.

p.19

Commentary

47. The school has good systems for monitoring pupils’ academic achievement and any pupils who are not making sufficient progress are quickly identified and help is given. Pupils who have special educational needs have clear targets set for them in their individual education plans and these are regularly monitored by the special educational needs co-ordinator. All paperwork is up to date and is regularly reviewed.

p.19

Commentary

48. The school’s strategies for celebrating achievement mean that pupils try hard and are pleased when their achievements are recognised. The school awards merits to each year group every week and these are recorded and displayed in pride-of-place in the school’s foyer. The pupils have significant input in deciding who should receive the merit awards. There is a system of house points and gold stars throughout the school and the pupils receive ‘one-in-a-million mugs’ for good conduct at lunchtime.

p.19

Commentary

49. The school listens to pupils’ points of view well, in particular, through their ‘circle time’ sessions. The school values what they say and has made changes as a result of their input. For example, changes to the lunch time arrangements have been as a direct result of pupils’ opinions.

p.19

Commentary

50. Very good systems are in place for induction in the reception class. Parents are made aware of routines and the class teacher undertakes home visits. This results in children feeling secure and valued. Parents are pleased that their children are well looked after. On transfer to secondary school, the school does all it can to ensure that good quality records of pupils’ achievements are sent up and that the schools have detailed information on their pupils’ achievements. Staff know their pupils very well and trusting relationships exist between them and their pupils.

p.19

Commentary

51. Improvement since the last inspection has been good. High standards of care have been maintained. The Uffington Church of England Primary School - 20 - July 2004

p.19

PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS, OTHER SCHOOLS AND THE COMMUNITY

The school’s links with parents are satisfactory. Links with the community and with other schools are good.

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Many parents are very supportive of the school but there is still some work to be done to improve relationships with a significant minority of parents. • The school has good links with parents whose children have special educational needs. • Links with the community to enhance pupils’ educational experiences are good. • The Parents’ and Friends’ Association raises substantial sums of money to supplement resources. • A small number of parents would welcome more information on their children’s progress and more workshops on the learning opportunities offered to their pupils.

p.20

Commentary

52. The school works hard to develop effective links with parents and many of them are very supportive. However, there is a significant minority of parents with whom the school has yet to build constructive relationships. There are a good number of opportunities for parents to visit the school and discuss their children’s progress, but not all parents are sufficiently well informed about the effective practices that take place within the school. This is due to the lack of opportunities for parents to visit the school during the working day as many of them are in full time employment. A small number of parents would welcome more information on their children’s progress and the learning opportunities offered to their children. The headteacher has taken this to heart and will be making this a priority for development in the new academic year. The school has good links with parents of pupils who have special educational needs. They are regularly informed about

p.20

Commentary

aspects of their children’s development although a very small minority of parents expressed concern that their children’s difficulties in learning were not diagnosed early enough. There is now a new special educational needs co-ordinator in place who is providing good leadership and management and pupils’ progress is now regularly monitored and any difficulties are identified quickly. Due to the good assessment procedures that are now in place, staff keep a very close eye on any elements of their pupils’ difficulties in learning.

p.20

Commentary

53. The school enjoys the support of the local community and this support substantially increases the pupils’ educational experiences. The Parents’ and Friends’ Association organises many worthwhile events, such as the Christmas Fayre and the duck race. It uses the funds it raises well to purchase equipment and subsidise educational visits. The Church is very involved in school life and this increases pupils’ spiritual and cultural awareness. The school hosts various community activities such as the village fete and rounders tournament. Partnership with the community is good.

p.20

Commentary

54. Pupils’ transition from small primary school to large secondary is managed well. The strategies the school has in place such as the ‘bridging project’, a visit to a secondary school early in Year 6 and the curriculum structure in Years 3 to 6 ensure that pupils are well prepared for the next steps of education in a much larger secondary school. The consultation with parents is satisfactory and parents’ views are sought on aspects of The Uffington Church of England Primary School - 21 - July 2004 school life but parents would welcome more workshops on aspects of the school curriculum.

p.20

Commentary

55. Improvement since the last inspection has been satisfactory but the school still needs to ensure that all parents are fully aware of the good practices the school operates.

p.21

Commentary

The leadership and management of the school are good. The leadership of the headteacher is good. Management of the school is effective and is good overall. The headteacher is a driving force within the school. The leadership and management provided by key staff are good. Governance of the school is good. Governors are very supportive of the school and they execute their duties well. All statutory requirements are met. The school provides good value for money.

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The headteacher is a very effective practitioner and provides a very good role model for her staff and pupils. She leads the school well. • The leadership and management of key staff is good overall. • Day to day administration and financial management are good. • Governors fulfil their statutory duties well and are very supportive of the school. • School self evaluation procedures are good and weaknesses identified are well acted upon.

p.21

Commentary

56. The headteacher provides good leadership. Since the last inspection she has provided a clear educational direction for the school, fully implementing the school aims of “only the best is good enough”, this she demonstrates by her very good classroom practice which is central to the above average standards that these pupils attain. The headteacher has a very heavy workload but she is purposeful, determined and totally devoted to her pupils and staff and has ensured that all key issues are addressed particularly in improving standards in ICT. The school has recognised that there is still work to be done in developing ICT in the infants and its use in English. School self evaluation procedures are good and have improved since the previous inspection. Weaknesses are quickly acted upon such as standards in writing which are presently being addressed through rigorous training.

p.21

Commentary

57. The headteacher is fully aware of some of the weaknesses identified in teaching and, together with her hard working staff who are very keen on improving, is already providing help, support and further training. The headteacher has been very busy since her appointment three years ago and due to her very heavy teaching commitment she has not had sufficient opportunity to communicate and demonstrate to parents how well their children are learning and further information about aspects of daily school life. This has led to certain valid misconceptions from the point of view of parents, which the headteacher accepts and to which staff and governors are giving their undivided attention. The Uffington Church of England Primary School - 22 - July 2004 58. All staff are involved in offering their contributions but the use of teachers as subject specialists in the juniors prevents them from having an overall view of standards across

p.21

Commentary

the school. Too few opportunities are provided for them to monitor curriculum planning to ensure that pupils have the opportunity to consistently build upon skills that they have acquired in foundation subjects. All staff are involved in contributing to the school development plan and appropriate training is provided to rectify weaknesses. School development planning is now good and has improved since the previous inspection where there were weaknesses identified. The leadership and management of subject co- ordinators is good overall but due to the part time nature of their work they are not fully involved in developing the best practice in their subject due to time constraints. The best examples of curriculum leadership and management are in mathematics, science, ICT and geography. The leadership and management of the foundation stage and special educational needs are good. Staff are knowledgeable, take their responsibilities

p.22

Commentary

seriously and ensure that all the necessary paperwork is well documented and good records are kept of pupils’ progress. All pupils are included in all aspects of school life and the school is inclusive in its practices.

p.22

Commentary

59. The headteacher monitors teaching and learning well and has implemented rigorous systems for performance management of staff; these are proving to be effective and standards are rising. She has not had the opportunity to rigorously monitor curriculum planning as her priority has been to monitor the quality of teaching and learning which she has done well. Data from assessments is analysed and as a consequence changes are made to curriculum planning. However, not all staff have access to examples of best practice and, as yet, do not have sufficient opportunities to learn from one another. The school is well managed on a day to day basis and the very hard working and committed administrator does all she can to ensure that the school runs smoothly.

p.22

Commentary

60. Governors fulfil their duties well. School policies, for example on race relations and disability access are well established. Governors are knowledgeable, hard working and committed to the life of the school. The chair of governors is a regular visitor to the school and all governors value the hard work of all staff. Governors understand clearly the strengths and weaknesses of the school and they manage finances well ensuring that the principles of best value are strongly adhered to. A genuine community ethos pervades the school resulting in pupils being proud to be part of the Uffington community.

p.22

Financial information

Financial information for the year April 2002 to March 2003

p.22

Financial information

Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 216, 314 Balance from previous year 12, 240 Total expenditure 206, 036 Balance carried forward to the next 22, 517 Expenditure per pupil 2, 215

p.22

Financial information

61. Financial planning is good. The budget is appropriately deployed to match the priorities of the school development plan and continuous professional development of staff is well underpinned by careful financial planning. Principles of best value are consistently applied to any spending decisions. Due to the good outcomes attained by pupils the school provides good value for money. The Uffington Church of England Primary School - 23 - July 2004 62. Improvement since the last inspection has been good. Good systems are in place and the headteacher has been successful in ensuring that there is consistency in management systems and planning throughout the school. She has created an effective team who are moving the school forward and raising standards. The Uffington Church of England Primary School - 24 - July 2004

p.22

SUBJECTS

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

p.24

SUBJECTS

63. Children enter the reception class in the September of the school year in which they are aged five. This academic year, there are fourteen children in the reception class. Children are taught in an outside, mobile classroom which, at present, is unsatisfactory because it is too small to ensure comfortable learning. Children are taught by one teacher and a classroom assistant.

p.24

SUBJECTS

64. Assessments are good. They are detailed and provide an accurate record of children’s learning. Planning is good; it covers all areas of learning with good opportunities for children to develop their personal skills. The outside area is not yet developed into a true learning environment and this is unsatisfactory. It is very cumbersome for staff to have to keep putting out equipment on a daily basis and in inclement weather there is no protection.

p.24

SUBJECTS

65. Children who have special educational needs and those with statements of special educational needs are well cared for and make good progress because the quality of teaching is good. Attainment on entry has altered since the last inspection and overall it is now average with a small minority of children having well developed communication skills.

p.24

SUBJECTS

66. Teaching is good with some very good features; children learn well and the vast majority of them exceed the expectations of children nationally in all areas of learning.

p.24

SUBJECTS

67. Provision is good in all areas of learning and the high standards identified in the last inspection have been maintained. Parents are kept well informed of their children’s learning.

p.24

SUBJECTS

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

p.24

SUBJECTS

Provision in personal, social and emotional development is good .

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The welcoming and caring atmosphere helps children to settle happily to develop confidence and form very good relationships with one another. • High expectations of children’s behaviour and attitudes mean that children learn quickly about what is acceptable an unacceptable behaviour. • Some activities that children choose for themselves do not challenge them sufficiently.

p.24

Commentary

The Uffington Church of England Primary School - 25 - July 2004 68. Children’s achievements are good and by the end of the foundation stage they exceed the standards expected nationally. The quality of teaching and learning is good and support staff do much to keep children at ease. Staff ensure that children are made to feel welcome and offer good levels of individual care and support. This is especially beneficial to the small number of children with special educational needs. This high level of care and support successfully helps to build all children’s confidence and self-esteem.

p.25

Commentary

69. Teachers and support staff have high expectations of children’s behaviour; children learn quickly what is expected of them and they respond well. Staff expect children to develop independence and provide situations in which they can do so. For example, children are taught to clear up after themselves so that they take responsibility well for tidying up both indoors and outdoors. Children make good gains in developing their skills of independence.

p.25

Commentary

70. Children make choices confidently because they are given many opportunities to do so. This has a positive effect on their emerging skills of independence. A wide range of play activities is provided for them encouraging co-operation and collaborative play as well as engaging their imagination. Children paint pictures in relation to where they will be going on holiday and which mode of transport they will use. There are occasions when some activities, particularly those that children choose for themselves from a good range provided, are not sufficiently structured. The lack of structure and clear purpose to the activities means that not enough challenge is given to the most capable children. Furthermore, the time spent on them is sometimes too long and the activities do not contribute as well as they should to children’s learning.

p.25

Commentary

Provision in communication, language and literacy is good .

p.25

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching is good, especially in the teaching of letter sounds, and children achieve well in relation to their prior attainment. • Too few opportunities are provided for higher attaining children to record their work. • The right level of attention is given to developing early reading, writing, speaking and listening skills.

p.25

Commentary

71. Children achieve well and exceed the expected standards at the end of the foundation stage due to good quality teaching and learning. Children with special educational needs are given good support and achieve well. The regular activities of letter and word games, reading of the days of the week and sharing daily news provide good opportunities for speaking and listening. Children identify the “sh” sound in “Shirley shops for shoes” and almost all children successfully name and sound the letters of the alphabet, linking the sounds with the letters. This is because the games and activities at the start of lessons provide good reinforcement of basic skills. Parents make a valuable contribution to children’s learning; they hear them read regularly and support the homework set by the class teacher. Children can write their own names and many can write simple sentences however, there are a few children who reverse their letters and this is not picked up

p.25

Commentary

The Uffington Church of England Primary School - 26 - July 2004 enough by staff. Furthermore there are, at times, missed opportunities for children to develop their writing skills especially for those children who are higher attainers.

p.26

Commentary

Provision in mathematical development is good .

p.26

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Higher attainers are not always acquiring new skills at a fast enough rate as on occasions too few opportunities are provided for them to formally record their work. • Teaching is good; children learn well and love the good range of games provided in lessons. • Good opportunities are provided in the outside play area for children to develop their mathematical language. • Too many children reverse their numbers.

p.26

Commentary

72. Children achieve well and exceed the national expectations for this age group. The quality of teaching and learning is good and a good range of practical activities covers the full range of mathematics including number, shapes and measures. These help children calculate with numbers to fifty and to name and recognise two and three dimensional shapes. The outside play area is used well to support learning of mathematical vocabulary. Staff take every opportunity to encourage children’s emerging mathematical language.

p.26

Commentary

73. Children capable of higher attainment, whilst making good gains in learning, could be achieving more and too often they spend too long consolidating learning rather than being challenged to learn new things. Too many children reverse their numbers and they are not always checked to put this right.

p.26

Commentary

74. Teaching is vibrant and exciting and good overall; children learn number rhymes to support their learning and staff give good explanations. When learning about telling the time, the teacher demonstrated how the minute hand worked and the children had plenty of opportunities to practise moving the hands; however, they did not have sufficient opportunities to record their work and this slowed down rates of progress, especially the progress of higher attaining children.

p.26

Commentary

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

p.26

Commentary

Provision in knowledge and understanding of the world is good .

p.26

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children are making good gains in developing their observational skills. • Parents make a valuable contribution to learning. • Good opportunities are provided for children to learn about different countries. • Children know a good range of stories from the Bible. The Uffington Church of England Primary School - 27 - July 2004 • Too few opportunities are provided for children to record their work.

p.26

Commentary

75. By the end of the reception year, children exceed the expected standards and make good gains in learning. ICT skills are developed adequately as children use computers to play games and to support their work in other areas of learning for example, in mathematical development when they are matching shapes. A good range of activities develops children’s early understanding of religious education such as how religious festivals are celebrated and how each one of us is special. Children have good knowledge of why their home-made boats float or sink and they know that plants need water and sunlight for healthy growth.

p.27

Commentary

76. The quality of teaching and learning is good. The class teacher offers good explanations and encourages children to find things out for themselves; this has a positive effect on learning but, as in mathematical development and communication, language and literacy, too few opportunities are provided for children to record their work and so develop their skills of communication. Parents make a valuable contribution to learning because they support the homework set by the teacher.

p.27

Commentary

No teaching was seen but observations were made in the classroom of children cutting, threading beads, manipulating small objects and playing outside. From these observations, it is clear that children are very well co-ordinated. They can run, skip, hop and develop good control of their bodies. A good range of activities ensures that children frequently use a broad range of equipment such as jigsaws, tools, large and small models. All adults sensitively support and encourage the children so that they work carefully and safely and develop control of hand-eye co-ordination. However, the lack of a hall prevents children from developing aspects of spatial awareness and early skills of gymnastics.

p.27

Commentary

Provision in creative development is good .

p.27

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching is good with very good features. • Children have very good observational skills and their drawings are well detailed. • Children have very good attitudes and really enjoy role play activities. • Children do not have sufficient opportunities to mix their own paints.

p.27

Commentary

77. By the end of the reception year children exceed the national expectations and achieve well. They have good skills of observation and their paintings and drawings are detailed. For example when drawing their friends they ensure that they use appropriate facial detail such as placing eyes close to the nose. Children achieve well when exploring a range of techniques and materials to make pictures. Their collage work is precise and shows a The Uffington Church of England Primary School - 28 - July 2004 good range of colour and precision used in arranging materials neatly. They sing well and can keep a steady rhythm and beat. The role play area is used successfully to book flights to go abroad and timetables, schedules and means of travel are discussed by children eager to be well informed travel agents, “You can’t take a pet gorilla to Spain on an aeroplane because the Captain does not like gorillas, but you can take a rabbit” said

p.27

Commentary

one child in role as a very official travel agent to the eager clients booking up for a safari.

p.28

Commentary

78. Teaching is good and behaviour is managed very well. Good explanations on how to make a fish tank are given and children are lively interested and learn well. Children love making a fish collage and the class teacher uses time effectively to make sure that all children have “a go” at undertaking a range of creative activities. However, too few opportunities are provided for children to mix their own paint.

p.28

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils in the infants have been achieving high standards as demonstrated by national test results and teacher assessments. • Pupils are clear, confident and articulate in speaking, listening and reading and standards are well above average in Year 2 and Year 6. • ICT is not sufficiently well used as a tool for teaching and learning. • Standards in writing whilst average are not high enough in both the infants and juniors and, too often, writing activities are not sufficiently well linked to reading activities. • Pupils’ written work is not as well presented in English as it is in science in the juniors. • Too much time is devoted to reading and not enough to writing but the teaching of letter sounds is good. • Data from good assessment procedures are not used sufficiently well to challenge above average attainers; these pupils make satisfactory rather than good progress. • Individual target setting for pupils is not yet fully in operation.

p.28

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils with special educational needs sometimes spend too long word-processing their work and this limits their progress.

p.28

Commentary

79. Standards in English by the end of Year 2 and Year 6 are above average and pupils’ achievements are satisfactory. The 2003 national test results and teacher assessments show that by the end of Year 2 in comparison with all schools, standards in reading and writing were well above average and, in the period 2000 – 2002, pupils attained standards that were in the top five per cent nationally. In 2003, in comparison with similar schools, standards in reading and writing were above national averages. In the juniors at the end of Year 6, in comparison with all schools, pupils attained average standards and in comparison with similar schools based upon pupils’ prior attainment, standards were well below average. It must be remembered that standards are affected by very small The Uffington Church of England Primary School - 29 - July 2004 groups of pupils taking the test and that in Year 4, several pupils leave to go to other

p.28

Commentary

schools and this affects test results. In the infants and juniors, boys performed slightly better than girls in the national tests. This goes against the national trend. Too few pupils attained the higher levels.

p.29

Commentary

80. Inspection findings show that by the end of Year 2 and Year 6, standards in speaking, listening and reading are well above average and pupils’ achievements are good. However, in writing, standards are no better than the level expected nationally and are average overall. Overall pupils’ achievements are satisfactory. Too few pupils are attaining the higher levels in both the infants and juniors. This is because:

p.29

Commentary

• the use of individual target setting is underdeveloped and pupils, especially in the juniors, are unclear as to what they need to do in order to improve; • data from assessment is not rigorously used to inform the next steps of pupils’ learning and, at times, teachers do not challenge higher attaining pupils sufficiently well to ensure that they are stretched to their full potential. This is because the school is at the early stages of setting individual targets for pupils but has implemented group target setting; • while the whole range of writing genres has been covered throughout the year, there are aspects of writing that have not been covered in sufficient depth such as non- narrative writing; • there are weaknesses in teaching; for example, writing activities are not sufficiently well linked to texts that pupils have read and, as a result, pupils do not have sufficient opportunities to write in styles of authors;

p.29

Commentary

• too much time is devoted to reading and not enough to writing.

p.29

Commentary

81. In test situations pupils’ in Year 2, show that they can do better than they are expected in their day-to-day work. This is evidenced by the discrepancy between teacher assessments and test results. Scrutiny of pupils’ work shows that too few pupils are joining their letters and pupils who are higher attainers are not being challenged enough in both the infants and juniors. Teachers do not give pupils sufficient opportunities to write in the style of authors of the texts that they have read and valuable opportunities are missed to enable pupils to write in a variety of contexts, such as writing in role and in developing their writing in other subjects.

p.29

Commentary

82. Teaching and learning are satisfactory with some good features but there are, nevertheless, examples of weaknesses. In the juniors, pupils who are average and below average attainers often do not complete their work. Their exercise books are untidy and are in direct contrast to the good standards of presentation seen in science and mathematics. Teachers’ marking does not always tell pupil how to improve their work and writing, which is clearly not the pupils’ best, is accepted. Teachers have good relationships with their pupils and create secure learning environments from within which, pupils can work comfortably. Teachers give good explanations, but at the expense of using time effectively, and insufficient time is allocated to writing with too much time devoted to reading. In lessons seen there have been missed opportunities for pupils to write about what they have read and this slows down the rates of pupils’ progress. Pupils

p.29

Commentary

with special educational needs generally make good progress but too often they spend too much time word-processing their work and they do not always finish their work. Generally, teachers have good subject knowledge; the co-ordinator has very good subject knowledge but the full range of teaching methods is not being used for example, the use of ICT as a teaching aid is underdeveloped and opportunities are missed for The Uffington Church of England Primary School - 30 - July 2004 pupils to learn about grammatical structures through the use of text. Teaching of phonics is good and pupils’ spelling is generally accurate. In the juniors, the teacher provides pupils with clear guidance as to how the style and format of writing should be adapted according to its intended audience. As a result, pupils are able to write at length but there is a tendency to over emphasise poetry writing at the expense of non-narrative writing.

p.29

Commentary

Although there are some good examples of ICT being used, it is not used sufficiently for presenting writing in different formats.

p.30

Commentary

83. On occasions, especially in the juniors, the teacher does not check pupils’ understanding and pupils are unclear as to what they need to do in order to improve their work. Good use is made of “talking partners” (when pupils discuss answers with one another) and peer evaluation (when pupils comment on one another’s work) and this has a positive effect on pupils’ self development.

p.30

Commentary

84. Good opportunities are provided for pupils to take part in debates resulting in high standards in speaking and listening. Pupils overall have good attitudes to learning and very good attitudes when they are set challenging work. They behave very well in lessons even at times when they are not sufficiently challenged. The leadership and management of English are satisfactory overall and, whilst assessment procedures are good, data from assessment is not sufficiently well used to move pupils on at a faster rate. The school has recognised that writing is an area for development due to good self evaluation procedures.

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Commentary

85. Improvement since the last inspection has been satisfactory overall.

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Language and literacy across the curriculum

86. Pupils use their good standards in language and literacy across the curriculum well. Good opportunities are provided for pupils to use and develop their language and literacy skills in other subjects. However, there are nevertheless occasions when opportunities are missed for pupils to consolidate what they have learnt in their English lessons in other subjects for example. In religious education in Year 1 and Year 2, pupils often undertake low level recording activities when they could develop their skills in writing for different purposes and audiences. However, good opportunities are provided for pupils to develop their speaking and listening skills in all subjects.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards at the end of Year 6 are well above average and pupils in the juniors achieve very well. • Pupils have very good attitudes to learning because teachers encourage all pupils through appropriate questioning. • In the infants there is an over-reliance on worksheets and this prevents pupils from recording their findings in a variety of ways. • Problem solving skills are well developed and pupils have an ability to explain their mathematical reasoning and throughout the school pupils have good skills of numeracy. • Target setting and provision for pupils with special educational needs are good. The Uffington Church of England Primary School - 31 - July 2004 • Teaching is good overall and very good in Years 3 to 6. • Above average attainers are not always challenged sufficiently in Year 1 and 2. • Leadership and management are good. • Pupils’ data handling skills are good.

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Commentary

87. Standards are above average by the end of Year 2 and well above average by the end of Year 6. Pupils’ achievements including those with special educational needs are good overall but they are very good in Years 3 to 6. Overall, achievement is good. The 2003 national tests and teacher assessments show that in Year 2 in comparison with all schools nationally, standards were above average. By the end of Year 6, standards were average. In comparison with similar schools by the end of Year 2, standards were average but in Year 6 they were well below average. The discrepancy between inspection findings and national test results is attributable to the very few pupils taking the national tests, several of whom were below average attainers, had special educational needs and a few of them had not started their education at the school. The school has consistently met its targets and, taken over three years, results are above average and

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Commentary

these pupils have been sustaining high standards. The headteacher has successfully raised standards as a result of her good systems of evaluating performance data. She has consistently challenged higher attaining pupils to achieve their full potential and, in lessons, all pupils were working on the higher levels of the National Curriculum such as cancelling to reduce a fraction to its simplest form and solving problems which involve ratio and direct proportion. Although national test results show that there were differences in the attainment of boys and girls with boys performing better, the inspection found no difference in their attainment in lessons or in their previous work. This is because the quality of teaching in the juniors is never less than very good.

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Commentary

88. In Year 6, good, accurate assessments enable the teacher to plan effectively to provide suitably challenging work for pupils of different capabilities. Also, the work is presented in practical contexts and the knowledge is therefore accessible to all pupils. For example, in an investigation about angles in polygons, some pupils in Year 6 were given the challenge of using protractors to measure and find the sum of the internal angles. The lower attaining pupils were asked to investigate the sum of the angles of a triangle. By tearing the corners off and sticking them next to each other on a straight line, they discovered that they always totalled 180 degrees. In the infants, the use of assessment data to inform the next steps of learning is not as rigorously used as it is in the juniors, this slows down the rates of progress. Furthermore, the use of worksheets prevents higher attaining pupils from being more effectively challenged and, at times, these pupils spend

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Commentary

too long consolidating learning rather than acquiring new skills. This prevents their overall achievements from being very good.

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Commentary

89. Examples of good data handling skills were seen during the inspection because pupils were involved in collecting and analysing data from the time they are in the infants. For example, pupils in Year 1 and Year 2 carry out an investigation to find the number of different coloured sweets in a tube. They plot their data as bar charts then interpret the charts by answering different questions. In Years 5 and 6 pupils continue to collect and process data and understand the different measures of average. They develop their concept of probability from their understanding of fractions, decimals and percentages. The Uffington Church of England Primary School - 32 - July 2004 90. In Year 2, pupils have a very good knowledge and understanding of number. They can add two 2 digit numbers written linearly. The can also mentally add together three numbers by looking for pairs of numbers to double or identifying near doubles. However,

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Commentary

much of the work set is the same for all pupils and there is an over-reliance on worksheets which prevents pupils from recording their work in a variety of ways. In one lesson, the pace was slow because some pupils did not understand the vocabulary on the worksheet.

p.32

Commentary

91. The quality of teaching overall is good with best examples seen in the juniors where teaching is very good. The pace is brisk and learning activities are varied. In the infants, whilst teachers’ subject knowledge is good, the pace of learning is not as fast as it is in the juniors because of the over-reliance on worksheets and under use of ICT. Very good questioning and support ensures that all pupils are included in the lesson and are encouraged to think about the mathematics. This interaction enables them to develop their mental reasoning skills with the result that pupils enjoy mathematics and achieve very well. ICT is well used to support learning for example, to produce pie charts from data which are then interpreted by the pupils. In addition, pupils are encouraged to be innovative when using ICT to solve mathematical problems, as seen for example, when set the task in Year 6 of finding the largest area that can be enclosed by a rectangle of 24

p.32

Commentary

cm perimeter. In the infants the quality of teaching is good overall but not all pupils are challenged at an appropriate level especially the higher attaining pupils. This is because the use of assessment to inform the next steps of learning is not fully used to challenge the different groups of pupils.

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Commentary

92. Assessment is good. Optional national tests are used, the results of which are analysed to provide information about pupils’ weaknesses which then inform planning. Marking is clear and shows pupils where to improve. Teachers have good subject knowledge and high expectations of their pupils who respond very well.

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Commentary

93. Pupils enjoy mathematics and have very good attitudes to learning because learning is fun. Teachers have a laugh and a joke with pupils and this produces a very positive atmosphere in classrooms. Good support by the adults in the classrooms ensure that all pupils are able to feel a sense of achievement. Pupils with special educational needs are given good help and guidance and make good progress.

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Commentary

94. Leadership and management of mathematics are good. The subject co-ordinator has very good subject knowledge and she has an infectious enthusiasm for teaching and learning mathematics. She is fully aware of the best practice in her subject. The standard of mathematics has risen since the last inspection and overall improvement has been good.

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Mathematics across the curriculum

95. Pupils use their good standards in mathematics well across the curriculum. The use of mathematics across the curriculum is good. Several good examples were seen in science, geography and history. As yet, there is no formalised policy for using mathematics in other subjects and much depends on the teachers’ individual knowledge of how to incorporate mathematics into other areas of the curriculum.

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Mathematics across the curriculum

SCIENCE The Uffington Church of England Primary School - 33 - July 2004 Provision in science is good .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• By the end of Year 6, standards are well above average and pupils’ achievements are very good in relation to their prior attainment. • The quality of teaching is good overall; it is satisfactory in the infants but very good in juniors. • Higher attaining pupils could be achieving more in Year 2 and too few opportunities are provided for pupils to evaluate their experiments and record their findings in a variety of ways. • Pupils have very good attitudes to learning and are keen to learn. • Too few opportunities are provided for independent learning in the infants. • In the juniors standards of presentation of pupils’ work are very good; all diagrams are very neatly labelled.

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Commentary

96. The 2003 national tests and teacher assessments show that by the end of Year 2, pupils attained very high standards and were in the top five per cent nationally in comparison with all schools. By the end of Year 6, the 2003 national tests show that pupils’ attainment was well above the national average and the percentage of pupils attaining the higher levels was very high. This is still the case, as identified by inspection findings. Although the 2003 national tests indicated that the performance of boys is better than girls, the inspection found that there were no apparent differences in attainment by gender. All pupils make good gains in learning. However, based on the work in their books and other evidence such as lessons, inspection findings are that the current Year 2 pupils have average levels of attainment and their achievements are satisfactory. This is because pupils’ work shows that at present, too few pupils who are higher attaining are

p.33

Commentary

undertaking challenging work and their progress is restricted by the overuse of worksheets. Teachers’ marking is good in the juniors but in the infants it is very generous and is at best satisfactory. Whilst marking is regular it does not fully inform pupils as to how best they can improve their work.

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Commentary

97. By the end of Year 2, pupils respond to suggestions about how to find things out and are able to collect data to answer questions. Pupils study all aspects of science and make satisfactory progress. They are beginning to recognise when tests are unfair for example, when comparing the distances that toys can travel from the end of a slope. They make good gains in observational skills for example, when comparing the features of each others’ faces and recording the information in a table. However, above average attaining pupils are not sufficiently challenged to carry out tasks independently and there is an overuse of worksheets that restricts pupils in developing their skills of independent writing and recording their findings in a variety of ways. Whilst the school has good assessment procedure, the use of assessment to inform the next steps in pupils’ learning is inconsistent and is not rigorous enough to move them on at a fast rate.

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Commentary

98. By the end of Year 6, all groups of pupils achieve very well in relation to their prior attainment. The reason for this is that teachers have higher expectations of their pupils than those seen in the infants as evidenced by the quality of presentation of pupils’ work. Pupils have very good knowledge of electricity, know how to set up circuits and they know how the heart works. They are knowledgeable about food cycles and seed dispersal. The The Uffington Church of England Primary School - 34 - July 2004 quality of presentation of their written work in books is very good. Diagrams are neatly labelled and scientific drawings are accurate.

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Commentary

99. The quality of teaching and learning is good overall. Teaching is satisfactory, with good features in the infants, and it is very good in the juniors. In a very good lesson in Year 6, pupils were set the task of solving a murder mystery story. Pupils suggested ideas and collaborated in devising an investigation to identify a white powder, using their prior knowledge and understanding. They carried out the investigation and explained their conclusions thereby consolidating their understanding of dissolving and reversible and irreversible changes. This strategy for teaching is used throughout the juniors and is highly effective in promoting good learning habits and enjoyment.

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Commentary

100. In the juniors, teachers’ subject knowledge is very good and a greater emphasis is placed on developing subject specific skills in the juniors than in the infants. In the juniors, pupils are given opportunities for extended writing as seen, for example, when studying the water cycle in their writing “my life as a water droplet”. In the infants, on occasions, subject knowledge is scientifically inaccurate. For example, pupils carry out a study of “minibeasts” but record all minibeasts (slugs, snails and earthworms) as “insects”.

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Commentary

101. Pupils are interested in science and have very good attitudes towards learning. They enjoy working together; they have very good collaborative skills and are keen to help one another. Much of the work is practical and “hands-on”, which develops their skills of scientific enquiry while enabling them to make good gains in scientific knowledge and understanding. For example, pupils are challenged to design and make a parachute that will take the longest time to fall. They write good explanations of their results which enable them to consolidate their understanding of forces. Good use is made of ICT for example, to process the results of scientific investigation and this further motivates the pupils. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress and they have full access to the curriculum. They are keen to learn because they are well supported in lessons by staff who are aware of their learning difficulties and do all that they can to help them achieve

p.34

Commentary

102. Leadership and management of science are good overall. The science co-ordinator is very knowledgeable, enthusiastic and leads the subject well. Improvement since the last inspection is good with improved standards at the end of Year 6.

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Commentary

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

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Commentary

Due to timetabling on inspection, no formal teaching of ICT was seen although, pupils were observed using ICT as part of other subjects. From the work seen and from talking to pupils it is clear that by the end of Year 2, pupils attain the national expectations of seven year olds and exceed them by the age of eleven. Pupils make good gains in their learning, particularly in the juniors, where dedicated lessons are timetabled for teaching subject specific skills. Pupils’ achievements are good overall but they are better in the juniors than they are in the infants where achievement is satisfactory. By the end of Year 2, pupils are confident in the basic skills of word-processing and entering data. Pupils in Year 1 have good control of the mouse to select and move items on screen. However, too few opportunities are provided for pupils to develop their skills in English and opportunities for independent learning are missed.

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Commentary

The Uffington Church of England Primary School - 35 - July 2004 By the end of Year 6, most pupils work independently and are confident in producing PowerPoint presentations as seen in geography when they combine pictures, text, animation and music to produce holiday brochures and accounts of their visits to a residential field study centre. Pupils are aware of their target audience and the need for quality in their presentations. Pupils use spreadsheets for a variety of purposes for example, to enter data to plot different types of graph and to solve mathematical problems such as, income generated from shop sales and to find the greatest area that can be enclosed by a rectangle within a given perimeter size. They use a word-processing package regularly to produce written work, such as poems, using a variety of fonts and incorporating pictures. They make good use of digital cameras to record their work. In the juniors, pupils had great fun using a software package to

p.35

Commentary

demonstrate the use of a protractor to measure angles. They thoroughly enjoyed the challenges set for them and made good progress. In a geography lesson, pupils used ICT to process relief data from maps to produce a three dimensional picture to show the contour shape of an area of land. In the infants, ICT is used to produce bar charts of data although occasionally the entering of data is too time consuming and slows the pace of learning.

p.35

Commentary

Pupils’ attitudes towards ICT are very good. Older pupils regularly spend their spare time creating their own presentations and games using the computers. The curriculum is good; it is broad and balanced. The school uses current national guidance as a basis for the planning and, through specific timetabled lessons in the juniors, ensures that all pupils experience the full range of aspects of ICT. At present, in the infants, ICT skills are taught as required within other topics and there is no formally identified way of ensuring progressive development of skills as a result. Leadership and management are good. The subject leader has raised standards very well. She has enabled all teachers to have access to several training courses to boost their confidence and skills and, although there are still some inconsistencies to be ironed out in the use of ICT across the curriculum, the school is well placed to raise standards due to

p.35

Commentary

the good systems of self evaluation. The school has a good development plan for continuous improvement and replacement of hardware as it becomes obsolete. The school has made very good improvement since the last inspection as standards are now above average by the end of Year 6.

p.35

Information and communication technology across the curriculum

Pupils’ sound standards in ICT are used satisfactorily across the curriculum but, at times, they are underused in the infants and in English across the school; this slows down pupils’ rates of progress. In the juniors, ICT is used well to support most subjects. As yet, no formal planning takes place and the school has not yet formalised a consistent approach to teaching ICT. The Uffington Church of England Primary School - 36 - July 2004 HUMANITIES

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Information and communication technology across the curriculum

In history no teaching was seen during the week of the inspection but from scrutiny of teachers’ plans, pupils’ work and interviews with pupils it is apparent that the subject leader has good subject knowledge but not enough emphasis is placed on developing skills of history progressively. As a result, there is some repetition of work among different year groups. Although pupils’ achievements are adequate they are no better than satisfactory. A contributory factor to this is that the satisfactory assessments of pupils’ work focus heavily on pupils’ knowledge rather than skills that they acquire. Pupils are keen on history and have good attitudes to learning. The standards of work of pupils in Year 2 and Year 6 are at the level expected nationally as they were at the last inspection. Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory but it could be better as, at present too few opportunities are provided for pupils to record and

p.36

Information and communication technology across the curriculum

present what they have learnt in a variety of ways as there is an over-reliance on work sheets which restrict pupils’ skills of writing and progress. Pupils successfully develop an increasing awareness of how people lived in the past for example, in the infants they know how sea-sides have changed and how Victorians used to live. In the juniors, pupils are fascinated with the Egyptian way of life, especially the life of Egyptian Gods and mummification. Work in history makes a good contribution to pupils’ social and cultural development. Good links are made with geography as pupils study the Nile. However, ICT is not used sufficiently well to support learning. The leadership and management of the subject are satisfactory but not enough emphasis is placed on ensuring that pupils of different capabilities incrementally build upon what they have previously learnt. Improvement since the last inspection has been satisfactory

p.36

Information and communication technology across the curriculum

and pupils follow a broad and balanced curriculum.

p.36

GEOGRAPHY

Provision in geography is satisfactory .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• In the infants too few opportunities are provided for higher attaining pupils to develop their extended writing skills. • In the mixed age class in the infants, planning does not take sufficient account of the different age groups and too often the oldest pupils follow the same work as the youngest pupils. • Geography skills are well developed in the juniors due to very good teaching.

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Commentary

103. As a result of timetabling, no lessons in geography were seen in Years 1 and 2. Scrutiny of pupils’ books revealed little written work although teachers’ planning files showed that there is adequate coverage of the national curriculum. Pupils are not given sufficient opportunity to use and develop their writing skills to communicate their geographical knowledge and understanding especially those who are higher attainers and this slows down their rates of progress. Pupils make use of maps as, for example, they track the class bear around the world. Pupils visit Sherwood Forest Farm Park and draw their own maps of the site. They contrast their homes in Uffington with a house in Ghana and gain an understanding of different life styles, for example, by estimating the amount of water they use in a day and comparing it with that used by a family in Ghana. However, all age The Uffington Church of England Primary School - 37 - July 2004

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Commentary

groups follow the same work and the oldest and most able pupils are not sufficiently challenged to develop their writing skills. Valuable opportunities are lost for them to practise different forms of writing and acquisition of knowledge, skills and understanding is no better than satisfactory. By the end of Year 2, pupils attain the national expectations of seven year olds and their achievements are satisfactory.

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Commentary

104. At the end of Year 6, standards are well above the national expectation and pupils achieve very well in relation to their prior attainment. This is because of the very good teaching and focused curriculum planning in which the development of pupils’ geographical skills is emphasised well. Pupils use maps to investigate why Uffington developed as a village in this part of Lincolnshire and find out about the origins of local place names. They begin to understand why Uffington developed and use their knowledge to explain why other places became settlements. By the time pupils reach the end of Year 6, they are confident in using grid references to read maps and understand many of the symbols. They have a good knowledge of the world climatic zones. Pupils demonstrate very good geographical skills. They are able to ask specific geographical questions and use appropriate secondary sources to find answers.

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Commentary

105. The quality of teaching in the juniors is very good due to the teachers’ very good subject knowledge, very effective use of time and very good teaching of subject specific skills and vocabulary, as a result, pupils learn very well. The curriculum is broad and balanced and all pupils have opportunities to go on residential field courses to study coastal features in Norfolk. The curriculum makes natural links to history, for example, a study of the River Nile is linked to Ancient Egypt and work on invaders and settlers is linked with local geography study. This enables pupils to develop an understanding of cause and effect and to appreciate how human activity can change the landscape and affect lives of others. Good use is made of ICT in geography in the juniors; to process data gathered on the field course, to produce three dimensional representations of the shape of the land from information gained from maps and to produce brochures to market different places

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Commentary

in the world as holiday destinations. Good use is made of assessment to inform Year 3 to Year 6 curriculum planning which is reviewed regularly. Leadership and management of geography is good. The co-ordinator knows what is required to raise standards. Improvement since the last inspection has been good as standards in Year 6 have improved and are now well above those expected of pupils aged eleven.

p.37

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Provision in religious education is satisfactory .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils have good knowledge of different faiths and make particularly good progress in understanding the use of symbolism in religion. • Assessments are not sufficiently well used to plan the next steps of pupils’ learning and higher attaining pupils at best make only satisfactory gains in learning. • The use of literacy skills to develop knowledge and understanding is inconsistent and pupils in Year 2 and Year 6 could be writing more. • Visits and visitors bring the subject to life and pupils have good knowledge of other faiths. • Not enough use is made of ICT for research or presentation of work. • Visits to the local church result in pupils having good knowledge of a place of worship. The Uffington Church of England Primary School - 38 - July 2004

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Commentary

106. Standards in Year 2 and Year 6 exceed the expectations set by the locally agreed syllabus and pupils achieve well. This is a similar picture to that of the last inspection. By the end of Year 6, pupils compare key aspects of world religions such as belief in God and rules for living. They explain how some beliefs and teachings are shared by different religions and make informed responses to questions of meaning and purpose in light of their learning. They make particularly good gains in understanding the meaning of symbolism and they immediately make the connection between a candle and Jesus being the light of the world. In Year 2 they have good knowledge of parables, Christian and Jewish festivals and they are particularly good at writing prayers to thank God for their friends, parents and the world we live in. However, they do not write enough about what they have learnt in lessons and too few opportunities are provided for them to

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Commentary

research facts on the Internet. Pupils visit the local church regularly and can name and explain the functions of the font, altar and lectern. They understand how faith binds a community together in worship and they are able to compare Christian practices with those of Judaism and Islam.

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Commentary

107. In both the infants and juniors, pupils have good knowledge of Christianity. The links with the local church and regular visits by the clergy ensure that they know about the main features of a church and what an act of worship means to the faithful. They have good knowledge of Judaism and know the importance of the Torah scrolls for Jews. Many pupils know the stories that Jesus told and understand the concept of forgiveness as demonstrated by the father in “The Prodigal Son”.

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Commentary

108. Pupils have very good attitudes to learning. In lessons, they are focused and alert and listen eagerly to their teachers. Teaching is good overall but too few opportunities are provided for pupils to write what they have learnt and not enough emphasis is placed on developing pupils’ writing and ICT skills. Teachers have good subject knowledge; for example, in a good lesson seen in Years 5 and 6, the teacher gave good explanations about the symbolic meaning of a loaf of bread, pupils listened attentively and made good gains in learning.

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Commentary

109. The leadership and management of the subject are good but, as yet, there is a lack of whole school overview of standards in different classes and whilst assessments are satisfactory, they are not sufficiently well used to plan the next steps of pupils’ learning and higher attaining pupils are not always sufficiently challenged. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress overall, their needs are fully met in class, they participate well in group discussions and receive help when it is needed from the support staff.

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Commentary

110. Improvement has been good since the previous inspection and above average standards have been maintained.

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Commentary

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS The Uffington Church of England Primary School - 39 - July 2004 Provision in the creative, practical and aesthetic subjects was sampled through limited lesson observations. Analysis of teachers’ planning, pupils’ work and interviews with pupils were undertaken.

p.38

Commentary

Standards are above average in art and design by the end of Year 2 and Year 6 and pupils’ achievements are good. The school places high emphasis on art and design and pupils have good opportunities to work alongside artists. They have worked with a sculptor, who helped them to develop their three-dimensional art work which were then exhibited in Vence, France. Pupils have participated in the Lincolnshire Schools’ Festival and produced an altar cloth with Pentecost flames of fire and a very well executed stained glass window. Collage work produce by the children from the reception year to Year 6 was exhibited on the county council stand at the Lincolnshire County Show.

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Commentary

Pupils in the juniors make good gains when designing tiles; their technical vocabulary develops well and they use terms such as ‘wedging’, ‘firing’, ‘incising’ and ‘stippling’ when designing and making environmental images. In both the infants and juniors, good use is made of sketch books but, as yet, there has not been a thorough analysis undertaken by the co-ordinator of skills progression throughout the school. Art and design is not on the timetable every term and this slows down the pupils’ rates of progress because they do not have regular opportunities to practise their skills. Pupils in Year 1 and Year 2 have good knowledge of artists and their styles for example, they talk at length about Van Gogh or Picasso and their styles of representing society. In Year 2, pupils have good paintbrush techniques and know how to use water colours. They have good observational skills and have produced some good paintings and drawings of

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Commentary

The curriculum is enriched by a range of good visits for example, to Burghley Sculpture Park. ICT is used to promote learning; pupils in both the infants and juniors use paint programs well. The co-ordination of art and design is satisfactory. The co-ordinator has done much to promote the use of artists in school and this has had a positive effect on learning but, as yet the tracking of how teachers plan for skills development has not been sufficiently well developed and there is insufficient formal liaison between the infants class and the juniors. Assessments are satisfactory overall and provide an accurate record of coverage but are not sufficiently informative enough of the progress pupils make in their development of skills. High standards in art and design have been maintained.

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Commentary

No teaching was available to make an overall judgement on the provision of design and technology . The teachers’ planning and photographic evidence of pupils’ work shows they follow a broad and balanced curriculum, based on national planning guidelines and integrated well with other curriculum subjects. Junior school pupils develop their skills and knowledge of cutting, joining, designing and making, using a range of materials and techniques. They use their skills to produce models often in relation to other parts of the curriculum. For example, they gain an understanding of design through disassembly of torches then making their own using card, paperclips, brass fasteners and reflective paper to reinforce and extend their knowledge and understanding of electricity and reflection. Pupils’ skills in design and construction are very good; two pupils have reached the finals of a national competition organised by the manufacturers of educational construction material. In Years 1 and 2, pupils

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Commentary

visit Peterborough Museum and look at moving toys, following which they make simple ones of their own. They also make bread and this helps their scientific understanding of changes. Leadership and management are good. The subject leader is knowledgeable and enthusiastic and has done much to revise and structure the curriculum since the last inspection. Overall The Uffington Church of England Primary School - 40 - July 2004 improvement since the last inspection has been satisfactory with good improvement seen in curriculum planning.

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Commentary

Too few lessons were seen in music to make an overall judgement on standards but, from the very few lessons seen, pupils’ achievements were good because of the very good quality of teaching. By the end of Year 2, pupils are able to talk about the work of famous composers and they understand the meaning of tempo, dynamics, timbre and beat. In assembly, they sing well and exude confidence when singing their favourite hymns. In Year 6, pupils achieve well in relation to their prior attainment, they have very good attitudes to music and can explain how music affects mood. One pupil said, “We can tell even before a word is sung what type of song it is going to be by the first few bars in the introduction.” Pupils have a very good sense of rhythm and have good skills of composition. In groups they compare music for various scenarios and describe the mood created as mysterious, spooky and exciting. The teaching of

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Commentary

music in the juniors in very good and all groups of pupils achieve well because of the very good subject knowledge and high expectations of the teacher, who clearly has a passion for this subject. Pupils sing well; they have a natural ability for rhythm and they know how to join in at the right time and breathe appropriately to hit the top notes. The leadership and management of the subject are good overall but better in the juniors than in the infants because of the expertise of the music teacher. ICT is used satisfactorily to support the teaching of music but, as yet, it is at the early stages of development. Improvement since the last inspection has been good and pupils’ achievements are much better in singing than those identified in the previous inspection report.

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Commentary

No lessons were observed in physical education . Although the school has no indoor facilities for physical education, good use is made of the adjacent field for games activities at appropriate times of the year. Innovative use of curriculum time, however, enables all pupils to have access to all parts of the curriculum using the facilities of another primary school and a public swimming pool. By the end of Year 6, all pupils can swim 25 metres with many swimming significantly further. Additional physical activities are provided at lunchtimes for example, football and netball. Pupils are keen to participate in these activities and show considerable skills. For example, the current pupils are Stamford and District Netball champions. They were runners up in the regional rounders tournament and pupils from Year 3 and 4 are champions of the local cross country running competitions. They also perform well in

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Commentary

school athletics competitions. Because of the small numbers in each year group, all pupils are encouraged to take part in games and other physical activities from an early age and they build progressively on their skills. The co-ordination of the subject is good. The subject leader is enthusiastic and this has a very positive effect on the pupils and the commitment that they show towards the subject. The good range of extra curricular activities and pupils good participation in sport is having a positive effect on their self esteem and confidence and subsequent good attitudes to learning.

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Commentary

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

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Commentary

Provision in this area was sampled with one lesson in Years 5 and 6 where the quality of teaching was very good because pupils were given very good opportunities to talk about any anxieties that they might be experiencing as a result of moving on to secondary school. The class teacher expertly enabled pupils to share their comments freely and openly and pupils looked relieved when the vast majority of them said that they were apprehensive about leaving their friends. The good care and support provided in lessons for pupils’ personal well being supports pupils’ personal development well. The range of the programme is good; it includes The Uffington Church of England Primary School - 41 - July 2004 work on healthy eating, diet, health, sex and relationship education and peer pressure, brought about by drugs, as well as personal safety. Pupils are high profile within the community and whenever there is an event at church, such as harvest or leavers’ assemblies the church is

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Commentary

packed with members of the community and parents. The school council provides a good opportunity to experience democracy at first hand and contributes well to developing pupils’ emerging skills of citizenship. The Uffington Church of England Primary School - 42 - July 2004

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Overall standards achieved 3 Pupils’ achievement 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities 2 Attendance 2 Attitudes 2 Behaviour, including the extent of exclusions 2 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The quality of education provided by the school 3 The quality of teaching 3 How well pupils learn 3 The quality of assessment 3 How well the curriculum meets pupils needs 3 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 3 How well the school seeks and acts on pupils’ views 3 The effectiveness of the school’s links with parents 4 The quality of the school’s links with the community 3 The school’s links with other schools and colleges 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

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