Wakefield Flanshaw Junior and Infant School

WAKEFIELD FLANSHAW JUNIOR AND INFANT SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 8 th -10 th March 2004

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WAKEFIELD FLANSHAW JUNIOR AND INFANT SCHOOL

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

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WAKEFIELD FLANSHAW JUNIOR AND INFANT 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. Wakefield Flanshaw Junior and Infant School - 1

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Primary School category: Community Age range of pupils: 3 - 11 Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 383 School address: Flanshaw Road Flanshaw Wakefield West Yorkshire Postcode: WF2 0AS Telephone number: (01924) 303 645 Fax number: (01924) 303 646 Appropriate authority: Governing body Name of chair of governors: Mrs A Capper Date of previous inspection: 22 nd June 1998

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

This is a large community primary school located in an area of significant social and economic disadvantage. There are 313 pupils on roll, rising to around 340 after Easter, plus 70 who attend part- time in the nursery class. Class sizes are smaller in Years 1 and 2 than they are in Years 3 to 6. The school draws its population mainly from a nearby estate of local authority housing. A significant majority of pupils are of white UK heritage background. There are a small number from a mixed heritage background. Over recent years, the ethnic balance has changed; there has been a slight decline in the number of children from the indigenous population, while the percentage of children of Asian heritage has increased. Around 50 pupils are from an Asian background, the vast majority of whom are from a Pakistani heritage background, with a very small number from an Indian heritage background. A small number are from families who are refugees and asylum seekers. Eighteen

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

pupils are at an early stage of English language acquisition. Eighty-eight pupils are identified as having special educational needs, mainly concerned with moderate learning difficulties; there are 11 pupils who have Statements of Special Educational Need. Both these proportions are above the national average. The proportion of pupils taking free school meals is well above the national average. The vast majority of pupils have experienced pre-school education through the school’s own nursery class. Even so, attainment on entry to the Reception Year is well below what could be expected, most notably in language and communication skills; some enter with little or no English. The school was given an ‘Investor in People’ award in 2003. Wakefield Flanshaw Junior and Infant School - 2

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

17531 Peter Allen Lead inspector Foundation Stage Physical education 11474 Peter Berry Lay inspector 17310 Ann McAskie Team inspector Science Design and technology History 32636 Gill Hepworth Team inspector Mathematics Information and communication technology Art and design 29686 Stefan Lord Team inspector Religious education English as an additional language 32180 David Sleightholme Team inspector English Geography Music Special educational needs

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Tribal PPI Barley House Oakfield Grove Clifton Bristol BS8 2BN

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be made initially to the inspection contractor. The procedures are set out in the leaflet ‘Complaining about Ofsted Inspections’ , which is available from Ofsted Publications Centre (telephone 07002 637 833) or Ofsted’s website (www.ofsted.gov.uk). Wakefield Flanshaw Junior and Infant School - 3

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 6 - 9

Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 6 - 9

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL 10 - 15

Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS 31

Wakefield Flanshaw Junior and Infant School - 4

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OVERALL EVALUATION

This is a satisfactory school, working in difficult circumstances, which has a number of significant strengths. Standards at the end of Year 2 and the end of Year 6 are well below national averages. Pupils’ achievement is good in Years 1 and 2 because of the good teaching they receive. In Years 3 to 6, where the teaching is satisfactory overall, pupils’ achievement is satisfactory. Leadership and management ,and the value for money the school gives, are satisfactory.

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The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

• The good teaching in Years 1 and 2 has a positive impact on the pupils’ achievement and on their personal development. • The quality of teaching at Years 3 to 6, although satisfactory overall, is not consistently high enough. • Children are given a good start to their school lives because of the high quality of work in the nursery class. • Standards in written work are insufficiently high across the school. • The good provision for pupils with special educational needs enables them to make good progress. • The school provides good opportunities for curriculum enrichment, including its good range of extra-curricular activities. • The school’s evaluation of its own performance and its plans for improvement are not sufficiently rigorous. • There is a need to improve the school’s partnership with parents.

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The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

The school has improved its effectiveness since its previous inspection in June 1998. The issues from that inspection have been partially addressed but more remains to be done. There is still a need to further raise standards in English, mathematics and science across the school. Standards in information and communication technology have improved. The monitoring of teaching and learning is still in need of significant development. The behaviour of pupils, particularly in the classrooms, has improved, with the vast majority now behaving well. School development planning has improved, but needs to provide a longer-term view.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

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

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Standards are low. Children start the nursery class with very low levels of attainment, especially in language and communication skills. They are given a good start in the Foundation Stage (the nursery and Reception classes), most notably in the nursery class, and they achieve well . In spite of this, they are unlikely to reach the goals children are expected to reach by the end of Reception. Pupils achieve well in Years 1 and 2 , even though standards at the end of Year 2 are well below national averages, but in line with those of similar schools . Pupils’ achievement in Years 3 to 6 is satisfactory . By the end of Year 6, standards are well below national averages for all and for similar schools. Standards in written work are very low across the school. There are no significant differences between the attainment of boys and girls and the attainment of different groups of pupils. Wakefield Flanshaw Junior and Infant School - 5

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Pupils with special educational needs are well supported, enabling them to make good progress. Pupils with English as an additional language make similar progress to their classmates. Standards in information and communication technology are broadly in line with what is expected at the end of Year 2 and Year 6. Standards in religious education meet the requirements of the locally agreed syllabus. Pupils, especially those in Years 3 to 6, need to achieve better in order to reach the highest levels of which they are capable. This needs to be the school’s main priority. Pupils’ personal

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development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is

satisfactory. The majority of pupils have positive attitudes and behave well. Most are punctual. Most pupils have good attendance records, but the progress of a minority is adversely affected through excessive absence. The school has worked hard to improve attendance and, as a consequence, the attendance level is now satisfactory.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The quality of education is satisfactory. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall. In the Foundation Stage, there is good quality teaching and learning, especially in the nursery class. The quality of teaching and learning in Years 1 and 2 is good. The quality in Years 3 to 6 is variable, but it is satisfactory overall. Where teaching is good, pupils achieve well and make good progress. Where teaching is less effective, teachers have insufficiently high expectations and pupils make less progress. There is a need for improved communication between teachers to ensure better continuity in learning for older pupils with English as an additional language when they are withdrawn from classes. The school assesses and monitors pupils’ attainment and progress effectively in English, mathematics and science, but not in information and communication technology, where much remains to be done. There is recognition of the need to further develop information and

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

communication technology to support learning across all curricular areas. The breadth of the curriculum is good. The provision for support, advice and guidance is good. The school’s partnership with parents and its community are satisfactory. There is a need to renew attempts to involve all parents in their children’s education.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership, management and governance are satisfactory. The headteacher is very committed to the school and its pupils. He is ably supported by the new deputy headteacher, who is bringing a clear vision for improvement and beginning to have a very positive impact on school improvement. There have been recent developments in self-evaluation which now need to be more rigorous. Governance meets statutory requirements. The chair of the governing body provides enthusiastic and knowledgeable leadership, but the governing body as a group needs to be more involved in monitoring the school’s work. Satisfactory use is normally made of time, but teaching time is below national recommendations.

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Most parents are happy with the school, although there are some concerns about bullying. The view of the inspection team is that the school is working effectively to reduce incidents of bullying and is mindful of parents’ concerns. The vast majority of pupils like coming to school; they speak highly of the help and support they receive from all the adults in school.

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

• Raise pupils’ achievement and attainment by improving the quality of teaching so that it is more consistently effective across the school. • Further develop strategies to raise standards in written work. • Significantly develop the rigour of its self-evaluation processes. • Renew efforts to engage all parents in supporting their children’s education. Wakefield Flanshaw Junior and Infant School - 6

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Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

Standards in English, mathematics and science are well below the national average. In relation to their prior attainment, most pupils’ achievement in Years 1 and 2 is good; pupils’ achievement in Years 3 to 6 is satisfactory. There is no significant difference between the attainment of boys and girls and between the attainment of pupils of different ethnicity.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children make a good start and achieve well in the Foundation Stage, most notably in the nursery class. • Pupils need to achieve better in Years 3 to 6. • Standards need to be higher across the school, notably in writing.

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Commentary

1. At the time of the previous inspection six years ago, the main issue from the report was to raise standards in English, mathematics and science. Standards have risen slightly, but more remains to be done, especially in Years 3 to 6.

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Commentary

2. Children are given a good start to their school lives because of the good teaching in the Foundation Stage. Overall attainment on entry to nursery is very low, especially in social, communication and language skills. At the time of the inspection, English was not the first language of a significant minority of children in the nursery and Reception; around a quarter of the morning group and around a third of the afternoon group started nursery with very little English. Although the good teaching and a good curriculum ensures that children make good progress in the nursery class, nevertheless, when they start their Reception Year, standards are still well below what could be expected for children of that age.

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Commentary

3. Children achieve well in the nursery and Reception classes. In spite of this, few children are likely to meet the national Early Learning Goals which children are expected to reach by the end of the Reception Year. This is the case in most of the areas of learning, although children do better in the physical and creative areas of learning, which are less dependent on competence in language.

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Commentary

4. Judgements on current standards are based on work seen in lessons, on an extensive review of pupils’ work and on discussions with pupils; judgements also take into account the school’s own data, which include predictions of future performance at the end of Year 2 and Year 6.

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Commentary

Standards in national tests at the end of Year 2 – average point scores in 2003 Standards in: School results National results reading 14.7 (15.4) 15.7 (15.8) writing 12.8 (13.7) 14.6 (14.4) mathematics 15.4 (17.7) 16.3 (16.5) There were 46 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year.

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Commentary

5. Standards at the end of Year 2 are well below average in reading, writing, mathematics and science. These standards are very clearly reflected in the 2003 results, when standards in reading, writing, mathematics and science were well below the national average, although standards in reading and mathematics were in line with those of similar schools. In 2001 and Wakefield Flanshaw Junior and Infant School - 7 2002, standards were slightly higher, comparing favourably with other schools. Notwithstanding the low results, pupils in Year 1 and Year 2 are well taught and most achieve well in relation to their capabilities. Standards have improved slightly with the trend in the school’s results between 1999 and 2003 being slightly above the national trend, but more remains to be done.

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Commentary

Standards in national tests at the end of Year 6 – average point scores in 2003 Standards in: School results National results English 25.3 (23.6) 27.0 (27.0) mathematics 24.8 (24.5) 26.7 (26.6) science 27.0 (15.4) 28.3 (28.3) There were 48 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year.

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Commentary

6. There is a trend, recognised by the school, of progress slowing down at Key Stage 2, with a lower rate of progress between Year 3 and Year 6. Standards at the end of Year 6 are well below average in English, mathematics and science. These standards are reflected in the 2003 results in English, mathematics and science, which were well below the national average for all and also for similar schools, which has been a trend over recent years. Overall, the 2003 results were an improvement on previous years, with a higher number of pupils reaching Level 4, the expected level for most 11-year-olds. The small numbers who reach the higher Level 5 in English, mathematics and science adversely affects the overall evaluations of standards. In spite of the low results, the trend in the school’s results has been slightly above the national trend, but there is scope for improvement. Overall, the quality of teaching and

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Commentary

learning is not as high in Years 3 to 6 and so the pupils achieve less well than the younger pupils.

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Commentary

7. In some lessons at Years 3 to 6, too little is expected of the pupils who are insufficiently productive. The work in the exercise books of some classes reflected this. Discussion with pupils sometimes indicated that a number of them had a higher level of understanding than was required in the work they had been set. In some classes, such as in Year 3, there are higher expectations of what the pupils can achieve than there are in most other classes. Some of the teaching in Year 6 is insufficiently challenging to enable the pupils to perform well in the end of year national tests. The school has, understandably, concentrated its efforts in supporting the lower attaining pupils, including those with special educational needs; this was seen in the ‘nurture groups’ for Year 3/ 4 pupils and Year 5/ 6 pupils. The school now needs to target the higher attainers, by providing more challenging work to promote higher achievement.

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Commentary

8. Standards in reading are below average, but improving partly through the better organisation of the teaching of reading. Pupils across the school attain better in reading than in writing, which is recognised by the school as a main priority for improvement. In literacy, a significant number of pupils have poor speaking skills. In writing, many pupils need help to develop the language skills needed to put their thoughts into words. Poor reading and writing ability has a negative impact on pupils’ attainment in most areas of the curriculum and in their use of literacy across the curriculum. The low standards in mathematics are due to the poor numeracy skills shown by many pupils; many pupils lack real understanding of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, and often have poor mental skills. Standards in science are rising, promoted by a stronger emphasis on practical work. The school is developing focused strategies to address

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Commentary

the weaknesses in literacy and numeracy. A more structured approach to the teaching of reading, writing and numeracy is beginning to have an impact.

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Commentary

9. The staff have worked hard to ensure that standards in information and communication technology have improved since the previous inspection. As a consequence, standards at the end of Year 2 and the end of Year 6 are in line with what could be expected. Standards in religious education meet the requirements of the locally agreed syllabus. Given the time Wakefield Flanshaw Junior and Infant School - 8 constraints of the inspection, it was not possible to make secure judgements about standards in other subjects.

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Commentary

10. Pupils with special educational needs attain well below the levels expected nationally for their age, but they make good progress, and achieve well, because their needs are identified early in their schooling and they benefit from good quality additional support as they progress through school. Individual education plans are put together carefully by teachers, and the special educational needs co-ordinator, to ensure they enable pupils to progress in small, well-defined stages, set against their individual learning targets. There is a good balance between the support provided for pupils in classrooms and time spent in the school’s ‘nurture groups’. In these short, focused sessions, pupils work on activities that link well to those undertaken by the rest of the class, ensuring they will be able to take part in whole class activities with greater confidence. As a result, they attain standards that represent good achievement, in relation to

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Commentary

their abilities. Pupils who are identified as gifted and talented achieve well in Years 1 and 2, but less well in Years 3 to 6 because the work set is not always sufficiently challenging.

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Commentary

11. The significant minority of pupils who are at an early stage of English language acquisition are usually well supported by the bilingual support staff, most of whom work alongside children in the Foundation Stage. As a consequence, most pupils make good progress in their English language acquisition and, as they work their way through school, they access the work as well as their classmates. The inspection team endorses the school’s analysis of performance in tests by pupils’ ethnicity, which shows that there are no significant differences in attainment by the different groups of pupils. Over time, test results at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 show no significant difference between the attainment of boys and girls. Inspection findings confirm this.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

Pupils’ personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is satisfactory. The majority of pupils have positive attitudes and behave well. Attendance and punctuality are, overall, satisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Most pupils behave well in classes and in the playground. • There is a small minority of pupils whose behaviour is at times unsatisfactory; there have been some fixed-term exclusions. • Relationships are generally good throughout the school. • Some parents perceive that bullying is a problem. • Pupils’ personal development is well supported by educational visits, residential visits and a wide range of extra-curricular activities. • The school has successfully worked hard to promote good attendance.

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Commentary

12. Pupils arrive at school keen to start their day, many arriving early to join in the breakfast club activities in the school hall; there is a small minority of regular latecomers. The pupils settle quickly and calmly into the school’s routines. The attitudes of pupils to their work, including those in the ‘nurture groups’, are generally positive, and most listen attentively to their teachers. There is good support by the pupils for the good range of extra-curricular activities.

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Commentary

13. The vast majority of pupils behave well both in and out of lessons. There were, however, a small number of occasions during the inspection when the observed behaviour was unsatisfactory; for example, some older boys were regularly ignoring the school’s rules and climbing on to the front wall. Whilst no bullying or oppressive behaviour was seen during the inspection, some parents are very concerned about bullying. Some pupils say that this happens on the way home at the end of the day. Although the school is working effectively to Wakefield Flanshaw Junior and Infant School - 9 reduce incidents of bullying, parents need more reassurance. Behaviour has improved since the previous inspection, but a small number of temporary exclusions remain each year.

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Commentary

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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Commentary

Categories used in the Annual School Census No. of pupils on roll Number of fixed period exclusions Number of permanent exclusions White – British 252 8 0 White – any other White background 1 0 0 Mixed – White and Black Caribbean 2 0 0 Mixed – White and Asian 2 0 0 Asian or Asian British – Indian 3 0 0 Asian or Asian British – Pakistani 47 0 0 Asian or Asian British – any other Asian background 3 0 0 Any other ethnic group 2 0 0 No ethnic group recorded 3 0 0 The table gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

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Commentary

14. Most pupils have good attendance levels and the school works hard with the Education Welfare Officer to promote attendance. There are a significant number of pupils, about ten per cent, whose attendance and punctuality has to be constantly monitored; some of these pupils have too much holiday absence, most notably the small number of pupils who travel abroad for extended holidays. The school’s initiatives are gradually showing some success, with the attendance level in the current school year rising towards the national average figure for primary schools.

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Attendance

Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%) Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data 5.6 School data 1.3 National data 5.4 National data 0.4 The table gives the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.

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Attendance

15. All aspects of personal, social and emotional development are well promoted in the nursery and Reception Years and the children respond well. The school makes good provision for the pupils’ personal development, with significant contributions from charity work, extra-curricular activities, educational visitors and the personal, social and health education and citizenship provision. Parents praised the school for its encouragement in helping their children to become mature. The older pupils readily accept responsibilities, such as being helpers in the dining room or working as ‘buddies’. The pupils’ spiritual, moral and cultural development is satisfactory and their social development is good.

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Attendance

16. The school has some difficulties with regard to the movement of pupils. The main corridor is narrow and, at times, crowded. Excessive noise was sometimes evident as some classes transferred to and from the hall. In the playground, teaching time is sometimes lost in waiting for the pupils to make orderly lines. Relationships are good throughout the school and pupils generally show appropriate respect for property and the views of others. Despite the mixture of ethnic backgrounds, no racial tensions are evident in the school. Wakefield Flanshaw Junior and Infant School - 10

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

The quality of education provided by the school is satisfactory. The quality of the curriculum is good. The school provides a high level of pastoral care and the support, advice and guidance given to the pupils is good. The quality of teaching, though variable, is satisfactory overall. The school’s partnership with parents and its links with the local community are satisfactory.

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Teaching and learning

The quality of teaching and learning in the Foundation Stage and in Years 1 and 2 is good. The quality of teaching in Years 3 to 6 is variable but is satisfactory overall. Assessment in information and communication technology and day-to-day assessment of attainment and progress across the curriculum are areas for further development. Support for pupils with special educational needs is good. Support for pupils for whom English is an additional language needs review.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Good teaching and learning in the Foundation Stage, notably in the nursery class, and in Years 1 and 2, bring about good achievement. • Teaching in Years 3 to 6 is inconsistent in quality. • Support staff work effectively, contributing well to the teaching and learning. • The monitoring of teaching and learning is not sufficiently rigorous. • The quality of day-to-day assessment and marking of pupils’ work is inconsistent. • Provision for pupils with special educational needs is good.

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Commentary

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in45 lessons

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Commentary

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very poor

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Commentary

1 (2%) 4 (9%) 18 (39%) 20 (43%) 3 (7%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%)

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Commentary

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

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Commentary

17. Overall, the quality of teaching and learning has improved since the last inspection. Teaching and learning are still more consistently good in the Foundation Stage and in Years 1 and 2. In Years 3 to 6, there is considerable variation, with teaching in Years 3 and 4 being better than that in Years 5 and 6. An excellent mathematics lesson was seen at Year 3, with high quality teaching enabling the pupils to achieve very well. There was a small amount of unsatisfactory teaching, usually characterised by inadequate management of pupils and low expectations.

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Commentary

18. Although a programme of regular monitoring of teaching and learning has begun, it is not yet rigorous enough to have sufficient impact on raising achievement. There is a need to share good practice across school. Assessment procedures have recently been improved and are good in English, mathematics and science. Further development is needed in other subjects. A beginning has been made to improve the use of day-to-day assessment, so that it effectively informs teachers’ planning, but there is still much to do.

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Commentary

19. In the nursery class, an attractive environment, together with effective planning and well established routines, is providing high quality learning experiences for the youngest children. The staff are effective in creating a warm, friendly environment, where parents and children feel welcome and valued. Assessment procedures are thorough and give a clear picture of how pupils are progressing. The teaching and learning in Reception enables this positive start to be maintained. This strong start for the children is helping to lay the foundations for the main focus of raising standards. Wakefield Flanshaw Junior and Infant School - 11 20. Teachers work hard and are committed to the school and its pupils. Where teaching is good, pupils are engrossed in their work and are making better progress than might be expected; achievement is high. Where teaching seen was particularly effective, the teachers’ very good

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Commentary

command of the subject, together with high expectations, resulted in a high level of involvement from the pupils and very good learning. In the lessons where teaching was less effective, the teachers did not have sufficiently high expectations of pupils’ achievement and behaviour, and pupils did not make the good progress typical of other lessons. In some lessons, there is insufficient difference between written tasks given to the various ability groups, resulting in insufficient challenge for the higher attainers.

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Commentary

21. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress in lessons because they undertake activities that are closely matched to their needs, and they receive good quality guidance from classroom assistants. Some pupils are withdrawn from lessons to work in the school’s ‘nurture groups’, where their skills and confidence are boosted through undertaking work in small, well-defined steps. For example, pupils in a Year 5 and 6 ‘nurture group’ benefited from intensive support as they practised handwriting skills from the school’s new handwriting scheme. Effective liaison between the special educational needs co-ordinator, class teachers and support staff ensures that there is appropriate support and challenge for these pupils in the classroom and, as a result, they achieve well. Pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties are usually well managed. The school is beginning to address the needs of pupils

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Commentary

who are gifted and talented but procedures are at an early stage of development. All pupils are equally valued.

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Commentary

22. The school has targeted bilingual support to the areas of most need so that the children in the nursery have full-time support and the pupils from Reception to Year 2 share full-time support. This ensures children at an early stage of English language acquisition are able to have the teacher’s instructions explained so that they understand what is being taught, and it also gives them an opportunity to express their ideas in their home language. This, along with good quality teaching, has a positive impact on their learning.

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Commentary

23. In Years 3 to 6, less bilingual support is provided, though some targeted pupils are withdrawn from classes, by a part-time teacher, to boost the pupils’ confidence in speaking, reading and writing in English. However, the teaching and learning planned by the teacher are not linked to what the class teacher has planned. For example, four Year 6 pupils worked on an activity based on the origin of words while their peers learned how to write a character description. This lack of communication does not develop pupils’ learning in an effective and co-ordinated way. There is a need for improved communication between teachers to ensure greater continuity in learning for older pupils with English as a second language.

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Commentary

24. The school’s current main priority is, appropriately, to improve speaking and listening, and writing, skills. Teachers make great efforts to develop pupils’ vocabulary across the curriculum, showing patience in discussions and steering those pupils who find difficulty in focusing on questions and making the appropriate response. Carefully focused questions, a very sympathetic attitude and good use of praise are helping to improve pupils’ achievements. Where teachers plan opportunities for pupils to work collaboratively, it is proving beneficial in developing both oral and social skills. Group talk is used effectively in many lessons to develop speaking and listening skills. Classroom assistants often make a valuable contribution to these sessions.

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Commentary

25. Most classrooms are adequately resourced and well organised. Some poorly organised and untidy classrooms do not reflect the school’s ethos of care. The quality and range of displays of pupils’ work and other artefacts is variable, but where they are well done, they make a significant contribution to the learning environment. Most pupils show interest in their work and concentrate well, although a few can be restless and chatter inappropriately. A small minority of older pupils are less well motivated. The school has good procedures for dealing with inappropriate behaviour but occasionally in lessons, strategies are not always carried out consistently, resulting in too much time being given to classroom control. Handwriting and Wakefield Flanshaw Junior and Infant School - 12 presentation of work need to improve. During the inspection, little routine use was made of classroom computers to extend learning.

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Commentary

26. Joint planning is helping to ensure that teachers have a consistent approach to teaching and learning. Planning for the use of information and communication technology across the curriculum needs further development. The results of national tests are thoroughly analysed and provide the school with useful information in decision-making about future developments. Recently introduced tracking procedures enable teachers to assess progress more accurately. Marking of pupils’ work is variable. Teachers give homework on a regular basis but there are some inconsistencies in the arrangements which need clarifying to parents. A homework club is available for pupils for whom working at home is difficult. Most parents express satisfaction with teaching. Where parents support learning at home, this makes a good contribution to pupils’ achievement, but this is not always the case.

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The curriculum

The breadth of the curriculum is good. There are good opportunities for curriculum enrichment, including a good range of extra-curricular activities. Accommodation and resources are satisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• There are good opportunities for pupils to take part in a wide range of activities, including good opportunities for enrichment and extra-curricular activities. • Pupils with special educational needs make good progress because they receive good help and guidance. • There are not enough non-fiction books in the library. • Teaching time is below national recommendations. • The school’s new laptops are unreliable, and the use of information and communication technology in the different subjects of the National Curriculum is underdeveloped.

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Commentary

27. The Foundation Stage curriculum is covered imaginatively in the Reception and nursery classes. All the subjects of the National Curriculum, along with the locally agreed syllabus for religious education, are taught. The curriculum therefore meets statutory requirements, including provision for sex and relationships education and drugs education. The quality and range of learning opportunities provided are good. There is a strong emphasis on pupils’ personal, social, health and citizenship education; it is taught as a discrete subject. The use of information and communication technology is underdeveloped because teachers rarely use computers to support learning in the different subjects. The new laptops have been so unreliable that the staff have hardly used them.

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Commentary

28. The school has not checked the amount of teaching time it has available and pupils spend less time in lessons than national recommendations. This clearly has an impact on curriculum coverage over time. Time is sometimes also lost within lessons; for example, pupils in a Year 3 class started their physical education lesson 15 minutes late and this limited the amount of new learning in that lesson. There has been good improvement in the curriculum since the previous inspection because the school has addressed the main issues relating to planning and assessment.

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Commentary

29. Pupils have very good opportunities to participate in a wide range of activities, including good opportunities to go on educational visits and to work with visitors. For example, pupils in Years 3 and 4 enjoyed residential experience at Haworth in ‘Bronte Country’, and those in Years 5 and 6 on the East coast at Hornsea. The school is committed to including all pupils in these trips. Visitors to school include poets, artists in residence, musicians, drama groups and astronomers. Pupils enjoy taking part in extra-curricular football, netball, choir, recorder, typing, tap dancing, art and cookery. Pupils in the art club featured in the local newspaper Wakefield Flanshaw Junior and Infant School - 13 recently when they had finished painting an underwater scene. The school’s themed weeks are very popular, such as the recent history week, when most lessons focused on developing pupils’ ability to locate events in time. The school is keen to give pupils a good start to the day

p.14

Commentary

by offering them breakfast and, at the same time, involving them in games to develop social skills. All these activities enrich the curriculum well, and contribute to pupils’ personal development.

p.15

Commentary

30. The school has sufficient teaching and support staff with appropriate qualifications and experience to meet the demands of the curriculum. It is well resourced to teach most areas of the curriculum and these resources reflect ethnic diversity well. However, there are not enough non-fiction books in the library to support the different subjects of the National Curriculum appropriately. Of those available, many are out-of date and of limited use in supporting pupils’ cross-curricular work. The accommodation mainly allows the curriculum to be taught efficiently, although the information and communication technology suite is located up a flight of stairs. In spite of the school’s best efforts, pupils with physical difficulties are unable to access the computers in this room when the rest of their class use them. Unavoidably, these pupils miss out on the social aspect of the lessons, although the school

p.15

Commentary

ensures that the pupils have access to the same information and work. With this exception, the curriculum is inclusive for all pupils, including those with special educational needs. Overall, pupils with English as an additional language have the same good opportunities as others to take a full part in the curriculum.

p.15

Care, guidance and support

The school has effective policies and procedures for the care, welfare and safety of the pupils. The school gives good guidance and support, and takes appropriate measures to involve the pupils in its work.

p.15

Main strengths and weaknesses

• There are suitable procedures for ensuring good pastoral care. • There are good strategies for promoting good attitudes and good behaviour. • Pupils’ views are sought and valued by the school. • Health and safety is satisfactory overall, but some procedures could be improved.

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Commentary

31. The school provides a high level of pastoral care within its friendly environment. The parents were virtually unanimous in their agreement that the induction of new pupils into the school is very good and that their children settle in quickly. The school promotes the care, safety and protection of all its pupils. First aid provision is very good, as are the child protection arrangements. Personal, heath and social development is an important part of the school’s provision.

p.15

Commentary

32. Encouragement and motivation of pupils is underpinned by a variety of reward systems, such as points, certificates and celebration assemblies. Positive attributes, such as friendship, are promoted well. The school benefits from good support from external agencies. Safety and citizenship matters are well covered within the curricular timetable. The school continues to develop new initiatives in order to improve pupils’ behaviour, such as the ‘positive playground scheme’, where the mid-day supervisors make particular note of good and bad behaviour. Friday assemblies celebrate pupils’ achievements and successes. ‘WOW’ photographs are displayed in the entrance hall for the pupils who have been chosen as ‘Workers of the Week’. Other reward systems include the ‘Attendance Raffle’ and the ‘Tidy Cloakroom Trophy’.

p.15

Commentary

33. The school has an appropriate health and safety policy, but there is lack of formality in some procedures; for example, there are no regular recorded inspections. Within the school, some housekeeping matters require some attention, such as trailing power cables to computers and Wakefield Flanshaw Junior and Infant School - 14 locking the caretaker’s room. Externally, the grounds suffer from the debris left by local youths and mounds of leaf mould accumulated in the playgrounds.

p.15

Commentary

34. The school provides effective support for all its pupils . Pupils who have special educational needs are well cared for and supported by school staff, and those from external agencies. The school values its work in the area of special needs, and is especially proud of the care and guidance it offers through its ‘nurture groups’ for some of the pupils in Years 3 to 6 . Pupils with English as an additional language are well supported in classes by the bilingual assistants.

p.16

Commentary

35. Pupils’ views are sought, mainly through the school council. The older pupils on the council showed pride when discussing their work and explained some of the decisions, such as spending part of the budget on soap dispensers for the washrooms. In their responses to the questionnaire, the pupils confirmed that their teachers are fair and the vast majority confirmed that they know of the adult(s) they are able to approach with any concerns. Pupils have good trusting relationships with the adults.

p.16

Commentary

36. The staff work hard in order that the school meets its aims to give suitable priority to pastoral matters. The high level of support and care enhances the quality of education provided.

p.16

Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

Links with parents, with the community and with other schools are satisfactory. The school has to work hard to overcome the limited interest that many parents have in their children’s education.

p.16

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Parents say that the school’s staff are easy to approach with any queries or concerns. • The involvement of parents in their children’s education is good for the younger children, but not for the older children. • The school provides good information and booklets for parents and a very comprehensive governing body annual report. • Information to parents in the pupils’ annual reports is good regarding progress, but has little detail on standards achieved.

p.16

Commentary

37. Parents’ views about the school in the pre-inspection meeting and questionnaire were largely positive, although several noted concerns about bullying. During the inspection, there was no evidence of bullying or other forms of harassment. The school needs to try to reassure parents over this issue. The school has plans to improve its communications in order to engage more parents, such as canvassing views through a questionnaire. The relatively low percentage return of the inspection questionnaires is indicative of many parents’ indifference on school matters. There is no formal parent association, but a small number of parents help in the organisation of events and on educational visits.

p.16

Commentary

38. During the inspection, parents spoken to indicated that they are happy to approach the school to discuss any concerns and say that the staff are friendly. The school’s events are generally well attended. However, the two formal parent evenings, in the autumn and spring terms, do not generate sufficient attendance, especially in the oldest classes, where only around half the parents attend. The information provided in the pupils’ end of year reports gives good descriptions of pupils’ progress in English and mathematics, but other subjects have very limited text and there is minimal information regarding standards. Support for children’s work at home is variable, some parents believing that no homework is necessary. Other parents are unclear about the school’s requirements.

p.16

Commentary

39. Teachers and the special educational needs co-ordinator support pupils well by discussing ways they can work in partnership to support a pupil’s needs. Although the provision is good Wakefield Flanshaw Junior and Infant School - 15 overall, there is insufficient contact with parents at this stage, however, and few parents are involved in contributing to pupils’ individual education plans, or in attending review meetings to discuss progress. The school should renew its efforts to link closely with the parents of pupils who have special educational needs.

p.16

Commentary

40. A good range of information about the school is provided to parents, including the brochure for new starters in the nursery class, newsletters and a very comprehensive governing body annual report. Outside the many classrooms, there are boards giving points of information regarding the curricular work. During the inspection, many parents were observed in the younger classes at the start of the day. Many parents come into the school yard to await collection of pupils at the end of the day, but some set a poor example by dropping litter in the playground.

p.17

Commentary

41. The school’s links with its community are satisfactory. There are visitors, such as fire officers, who help to widen the pupils’ awareness and knowledge of the world. The local neighbourhood does not lend itself to many opportunities for pupils to become involved in projects or environmental work. The school grounds suffer from out of hours access by local youths. Links to other primary schools and to the two local secondary schools are satisfactory. The Year 6 pupils are given appropriate opportunities to visit their chosen secondary school in the term prior to moving.

p.17

Commentary

42. The school has firm plans to increase parents’ involvement in the pupils’ learning. At present, a number of parents have little contact with the school and very little involvement in their children’s learning. Whilst the school cannot force parents to attend the formal evening sessions, it could renew its efforts to contact non-attenders in order to rearrange appointments. This would help to ensure that all parents fully understand the importance of their children’s education.

p.17

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Overall, the leadership and the management of the school are satisfactory. Leadership, including that of the headteacher, is satisfactory, and management is also satisfactory. The governance of the school is satisfactory.

p.17

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The headteacher is very committed to the school and its pupils. • The new deputy headteacher is bringing a clear vision for improvement and is beginning to have a very positive impact. • The school’s evaluation of its own performance and its plans for improvement are not sufficiently rigorous. • The chair of the governing body provides enthusiastic and knowledgeable leadership but the governing body as a group needs to be more involved in monitoring the school’s work.

p.17

Main strengths and weaknesses

43. The headteacher has a strong commitment to ensuring that the school meets the needs of all pupils. He has worked hard on establishing a positive climate for learning. Issues from the previous inspection have been partially addressed but more remains to be done, especially in raising pupils’ achievement and attainment. The school’s self-evaluation of its own performance has only recently gained momentum and its plans for improvement are not sufficiently rigorous; for example, the monitoring of teaching and learning is having an insufficient impact on improving the quality of teaching, which is variable across the school.

p.17

Main strengths and weaknesses

44. The newly appointed deputy headteacher is bringing a clear vision for improvement and is beginning to take a key role in analysing performance data to inform future steps for improvement. The deputy headteacher is also developing the role of the subject co-ordinators. Many co-ordinators are new to their roles and, in the main, they have not yet had the opportunity to have a positive impact on standards throughout the school. Wakefield Flanshaw Junior and Infant School - 16 45. The performance management of staff is satisfactory. Curriculum leadership and management in religious education is unsatisfactory as the co-ordinator has little or no involvement in the subject.

p.17

Main strengths and weaknesses

46. The management of the school is satisfactory. Routines are in place and the school is an orderly community that runs smoothly. Administrative staff work efficiently and effectively to support the teachers. The current school development planning has improved, and is up-to- date and informative, but lacks precision. For example, the number of tasks in each identified area are too many and lack definition, and this makes the setting of success criteria and their evaluation more difficult. To maintain a rise in standards, the school needs to have a longer- term view of improvement. This must include greater prioritisation of objectives and more focused success criteria.

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

47. The governors and headteacher have wisely invested in providing as much bilingual support as they can and targeted it in the areas of most need. However, there is a need for better links between the part-time support teacher and the class teachers to ensure continuity in the work with these pupils. The provision for pupils with special educational needs is well managed overall by the school’s special educational needs co-ordinator who ensures the school responds appropriately to pupils’ needs, advises colleagues, and checks on provision. She liases closely with outside agencies, and ensures that classroom assistants have opportunities to attend appropriate training either within school, or locally, but currently there is insufficient liaison with parents.

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

48. Governance meets statutory requirements. The chair of governors is a regular visitor to the school and has good insights into its strengths and weaknesses. She meets with the headteacher each week and regularly observes teaching. The governing body has re- organised its structure to help governors focus on specific issues and to increase their knowledge and understanding of school initiatives. However, there are no designated governors for numeracy and literacy. Governors are supportive of the school but few visit on a sufficiently regular basis to understand the impact of the initiatives discussed at governing body meetings. Governors need to be closely involved to help them to evaluate the school’s progress and to understand its strengths and weaknesses. Overall, the governing body does not sufficiently shape the vision and direction of the school.

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

Financial information for the year April 2002 to March 2003 Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 839,810 Balance from previous year 87,859 Total expenditure 762,062 Balance carried forward to the next 77,748 Expenditure per pupil 2,129

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

49. Financial planning, much of which is undertaken by the headteacher, is satisfactory. It is based on an understanding of the school’s priorities; for example, the funding for staff to teach the ‘nurture groups’ is having a positive impact on the quality of teaching and learning, and this is beginning to improve achievement. The school’s budget is appropriately managed and finances are in a relatively healthy condition. The school has a large underspend at the end of the last financial year; much of this money has been earmarked for supporting the ‘nurture groups’ and providing additional classroom assistants. This spending will have reduced the amount to an appropriate level by the end of the current financial year. The principles of best value underpin the financial planning processes. Wakefield Flanshaw Junior and Infant School - 17

p.18

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

50. The provision is good overall, which enables the children to have a good start to their school lives. The quality of the provision and the standards reached are similar to those described in the previous report. The current provision is slightly better for children in the nursery class than for children in the Reception, partly because of the better accommodation, better resources and the higher number of adults to support the teaching and learning.

p.19

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

51. Children are accommodated in a large nursery classroom and two smaller Reception classrooms with a shared area. Nursery children access an adequate outdoor play area, but there is no such provision for Reception children. Although the staff work hard to provide continuity in provision, this is adversely affected by the distance between nursery and Reception.

p.19

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

52. Most children attend the nursery class part-time for five terms, prior to starting in the Reception class at the beginning of the term they become five. At the time of the inspection, the staffing arrangements were adversely affected by staff on sickness leave. The absence of the Foundation Stage co-ordinator, who is the teacher in the nursery, meant that one of the nursery nurses assumed leadership of the work, and this she did very capably. In the Reception area, a teacher has oversight of the two groups (with a total of 34 children), with one group working under the supervision of a nursery nurse. On the second and also the final day of the inspection, the teacher was replaced by two different supply teachers.

p.19

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

53. On entry to nursery, standards are well below what could be expected and a significant number of children possess poor speaking, listening and communication skills, with a number having poor social skills. There are a growing number of children with English as an additional language, a number of whom are at an early stage of English language acquisition. At the time of the inspection, just under a quarter of the morning group and around a third of the afternoon group were children who had started with little or no English. The school places a growing emphasis on providing support for these children. Bilingual staff work in the nursery class and, to a lesser extent, in Reception, offering good learning support for these children. Assessments made on entry identify a low level of attainment in basic skills, which has an adverse effect on learning in most areas of experience.

p.19

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

54. Although children make good progress in the nursery class, on entry to Reception standards are still well below those expected nationally. Observations of the children and assessments undertaken indicate that, although they mainly achieve well in relation to their capabilities, few children are likely to meet the Early Learning Goals which children are expected to meet by the end of the Reception Year. This is the case in most areas of learning, although children do better in the physical and creative areas of learning, where language difficulties have less impact. The available evidence indicates that in these two areas children are likely to meet the expected goals.

p.19

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

55. Most children, including those with English as an additional language and those with special educational needs, achieve well because the quality of teaching and learning is good, and sometimes in the nursery, it is very good. There are good systems in place to track the progress of individual children through the ‘stepping stones’ which lead to the Early Learning Goals in the six areas of learning. The curriculum, with half-termly topics and ‘continuous’ provision, is appropriately planned to provide a wide range of interesting and relevant activities, which are well matched to children’s needs. The adults set good role models for the children and manage them well, showing a great deal of care. There is a good ratio of adults to children in the nursery class and an adequate ratio in the Reception classes, ensuring that the needs of all are well met. The staff work enthusiastically and effectively, carefully monitoring

p.19

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Wakefield Flanshaw Junior and Infant School - 18 the children’s progress. Although the co-ordinator provides overall good leadership and management, there needs to be opportunities for her to monitor the work in Reception more systematically. The only barrier to learning is that, for a small number of children, progress is adversely affected by excessive absence.

p.20

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in personal, social and emotional development is good .

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children achieve well, some making very significant progress in their social development, because of the good teaching and high expectations of the staff. • Members of staff provide very supportive relationships and give children good opportunities to work and play together. • This area of development is well promoted in all areas of learning.

p.20

Commentary

56. The staff see this area as a priority and most children achieve well, although few are likely to reach the expected goals. Some children enter the nursery with underdeveloped social skills and find it hard to consider anything but their own needs. However, high expectations, together with clear boundaries, ensure that children know what is expected of them, so that most quickly learn to behave appropriately, showing good attitudes to learning. They learn to select and use activities and resources independently; for example, when making choices from water and sand play, role play, construction, painting and writing. They are helped to develop a sense of belonging; they relate to and make attachments to members of their group. They learn to wait and take turns.

p.20

Commentary

57. This progress continues throughout the Reception Year. The children are enthusiastic about their learning, showing a positive approach to new experiences. They become well engaged, often staying on task for good periods of time. They co-operate well together as part of a group, becoming increasingly independent in choosing activities and materials. The adults treat the children with respect and friendliness, and help them to become independent. A very positive feature is the amount of praise given, which helps to promote the children’s self- esteem. The teaching in this area, much of which is incidental, is good.

p.20

COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Provision in communication, language and literacy is good .

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Bilingual staff make a significant contribution to children’s acquisition of spoken English. • In the Reception Year, children are given good opportunities to develop their early reading and writing skills. • There are good opportunities for developing speaking and listening skills through imaginative role play settings.

p.20

Commentary

58. On entry to nursery, attainment is well below that expected for children of this age. Even though standards are very low, children usually achieve well in this area because of the good teaching. A small number of children are likely to attain the expected goals for children at the end of the Reception Year. Few, if any, will exceed them. Wakefield Flanshaw Junior and Infant School - 19 59. Staff plan the work carefully in this area in order to support the children with English as an additional language and the significant number with speech and communication difficulties, and children make good progress. Many opportunities are given to promote speaking and listening through role play, through stories and rhymes, and through work with puppets and small world equipment. Work is most effective when it is in small groups. Speaking and listening are effectively encouraged early in each nursery session when children are split into

p.20

Commentary

three groups, focusing on literacy, numeracy, and knowledge and understanding of the world, with each group being led by one of the competent group of adults in the nursery. Children enjoy traditional stories such as ‘The Three Bears’, ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ and ‘The Gingerbread Man’. They are learning to follow instructions; for example, when playing shape recognition games. Children’s listening skills would benefit from access to ‘listening stations’ with taped stories. All staff take every opportunity during all activities to successfully develop the children’s vocabulary through clear, focused questioning.

p.21

Commentary

60. Children benefit from a wide range of imaginative provision to stimulate spoken language; for example, they enjoy playing together and talking together in the role play situations, such as ‘The Winter Wonderland’, the ‘fruit and vegetable stall’, an ‘estate agents’ and ‘a café’. Language and understanding are effectively developed through the work of all the adults, including the bilingual staff, who translate and model children’s language, enhancing their understanding.

p.21

Commentary

61. In the nursery class, children learn that print conveys meaning and become involved in mark- making work, often linked to role play; for example, using a clipboard and notebook to make shopping and appointment lists. Children copy adults’ writing and, often during the Reception Year, start to write independently. In Reception, children are able to improve their knowledge of the sounds and names of letters and improve their writing skills. A number are showing good word recognition skills. A good range of information and communication technology programs helps the children to reinforce and practise their skills. Examination of current planning indicates that there is a good emphasis on the development of early reading and writing skills throughout the time in Reception, partly through their introduction to the focused activities, which lead to the introduction of an adapted version of the literacy hour.

p.21

MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in mathematical development is good .

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teachers plan a wide range of activities to support learning which ensures that children achieve well. • Emphasis is placed on practical learning. • Every opportunity is taken in all activities to promote children’s mathematical development.

p.21

Commentary

62. Although children make good progress, they are unlikely to reach the expected goals. In nursery, children experience a good range of practical activities and this work is continued in Reception. They begin to use mathematical language and this is promoted all the time. They begin to count and compare in many different activities. They sort and match objects; they thread in sequence. They benefit from a good range of jigsaws. All children like to join in number rhymes such as ‘One, two three, four five, once I caught a fish alive’, and ‘Five Speckled Hens’. They recognise groups with one, two and three objects. They enjoy counting games and some learn to write numbers. They learn to sequence events, such as the times of the day and days of the week. A good range of mathematical experiences is given to children, including practical activities which promote discussion using vocabulary such as

p.21

Commentary

‘more than’ and ‘less than’. Very focused questioning helps to extend the children’s learning. Good support is provided by the bilingual staff. Wakefield Flanshaw Junior and Infant School - 20 63. The good teaching in this area enables the children to achieve well in the nursery class and in Reception, when mathematical understanding is further developed through practical experiences linked with language development. Reception children say and use number names in order up to ten. They can count reliably up to five objects, describe the characteristics of shapes, and confidently use mathematical and positional language, such as ‘bigger’, ‘smaller’, ‘heavier’, ‘lighter’, ‘above’, ‘below’ and ‘behind’, for example, when they are working with sand and water. Children are able to identify different shapes in the environment, to copy and make up patterns, and to solve simple problems by sharing, sorting and

p.21

Commentary

classifying. Over time, children in Reception benefit from more focused teaching as part of an introduction to more formal numeracy input and preparation for teaching of the National Strategy for Numeracy.

p.22

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in physical development is satisfactory .

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children achieve better in large physical activity than in the development of fine control. • Reception children have insufficient opportunities for outdoor play.

p.22

Commentary

64. Children attain better in this area of learning because of its lack of dependency on language development; most are likely to meet the expected goals by the end of the Reception Year. The quality of teaching is good, enabling the children to achieve well. Overall, this area is well resourced in the nursery class, partly through the quality of the outdoor play provision. The lack of this provision for Reception means that the children are disadvantaged. There is a need to review the timetabling of work to enable Reception children to access the nursery’s outdoor play area.

p.22

Commentary

65. In the case of many children, there is greater competency with large physical skills than there is with fine control. Nursery children learn to hold a pencil, use scissors and control a paintbrush effectively and can join pieces of construction kits. Fine motor skills are developed through a good range of activities, such as cutting and modelling. The children have daily access to the outdoor play area, which is adequately resourced. They enjoy using the equipment for outdoor play while developing their social skills. Children climb on apparatus, run, jump, and balance and ride on wheeled toys. They develop a good sense of balance and learn to use some toys co-operatively.

p.22

Commentary

66. In Reception, children continue to be given good opportunities to develop their fine skills with a good range of materials and, as a result, most control their fingers and hands well. They handle tools, objects and materials safely. They use the computer mouse with increasing control. They do not have regular access to outdoor play and, as a consequence, have fewer opportunities to develop their control of large muscle movements. However, Reception children gain valuable experience in physical education lessons in the school hall, where they learn to move with confidence and imagination, with control and co-ordination. The school could usefully review the use of the outdoor play area in order to maximise its effectiveness.

p.22

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD AND CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

67. During the inspection, very little teaching was seen in these two areas of learning. As a consequence, it was not possible to make secure overall judgements on provision in these areas, although the school’s record keeping and assessment procedures give clear indications of likely standards by the end of the Reception Year. Wakefield Flanshaw Junior and Infant School - 21 68. In knowledge and understanding of the world, the planning and the very good range of photographic evidence indicates that children are given a good range of experiences to help them to find out about the world and their place in it, with valuable opportunities for visits both locally and to places further afield such as ‘Tropical World’ (at Leeds), Cannon Hall Farm and Bridlington. In the creative areas of learning, children have good opportunities in music in recognising and exploring sounds, singing simple songs and matching movements to music.

p.22

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD AND CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

They develop imagination through role play and stories. Work on display and in booklets indicates that children have good opportunities to explore colour, texture, shape and form through a variety of media, including paint, clay and collage.

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards of attainment are well below national averages in reading, writing, and speaking and listening throughout the school. • A new approach to writing is contributing to improvements in the quality of pupils’ story writing in Years 1 and 2, but there are insufficient opportunities to develop extended writing skills in other year groups. • A good system of individual target setting is helping pupils understand what they need to do to improve the quality of their work in Years 1 and 2, but this is inconsistently applied in Years 3 to 6. • Pupils who have special educational needs are making good progress in learning because of good quality additional support. • There are not enough good quality non-fiction books in the library, and it is poorly organised.

p.23

Commentary

69. By the end of Year 2, pupils’ attainment is well below national expectations overall, but they are becoming more confident readers because of good teaching of reading skills in Years 1 and 2. As a result, standards in reading improve from a very low starting point, to be broadly in line with those found in similar schools. In the most recent national tests for Year 2 pupils, standards in writing were well below those expected nationally, and those of similar schools, although there had been improvement in the previous two years. Inspection evidence confirms pupils’ writing is showing evidence of gradual improvement in the current Year 2, following recent staff training and the introduction of a more structured approach to writing; but standards remain well below national averages because this is a very low attaining year group.

p.23

Commentary

70. In the most recent national tests for pupils at the end of Year 6, standards of attainment were well below national averages, and below those of similar schools. This is a similar picture to previous years. Inspection evidence indicates standards are well below national averages in the current Year 6, although speaking and listening skills are beginning to improve because greater emphasis is given to planning these opportunities across the curriculum. For example, teachers use ‘talking partners’ in a number of subjects so that pupils have opportunities to engage in short, focused discussions to promote their thinking and language skills. Inspection evidence indicates there are no significant differences in the attainment of girls and boys, or pupils of different ethnicity.

p.23

Commentary

71. Pupils who have special educational needs make good progress, and achieve well, because they have specific targets drawn from a careful assessment of their individual needs. Teachers and classroom assistants work together closely to ensure these pupils meet with success. For example, pupils who are a part of the school’s two ‘nurture groups’ for Years 3/4 and Years 5/6 have good opportunities to develop language and communication skills in small Wakefield Flanshaw Junior and Infant School - 22 groups, where progress is carefully monitored through activities that also promote their personal development. Two pupils received spontaneous applause when they read their stories to the rest of the group. This level of appreciation for speaking clearly, and reading with expression in front of an audience, reflects the positive learning climate that has been created in these groups.

p.23

Commentary

72. The quality of teaching is satisfactory, overall. In Years 1 and 2, the teaching is consistently good, and, as a result, pupils achieve well in relation to their capabilities. In these classes, pupils’ reading and writing, and speaking and listening skills are developing well through planned opportunities that give a purpose to these activities. For example, in a very good Year 2 lesson, pupils were learning how to use speech bubbles and speech sentences. Pupils copied the teacher’s very good modelling of reading by speaking clearly and expressively, and varying the volume of their voices. The teacher drew pupils’ attention to exclamation marks and question marks, and demonstrated their purpose by the use of symbolic gestures and sounds. Pupils’ reading demonstrated a good understanding of this punctuation as they gave greater emphasis to sentences ending in exclamation marks, or spoke inquisitively when

p.24

Commentary

asking a question. This lesson included an appropriate level of challenge for higher attaining pupils. The teacher and classroom assistant gave very good support and guidance to pupils at this time, including one group who were working at the computer. As a result of this very good teaching, all pupils achieved very well in this lesson.

p.24

Commentary

73. The quality of teaching and learning in Years 3 to 6 is variable, ranging from good to unsatisfactory. Sometimes, there are low expectations about standards of presentation and handwriting; marking is sometimes superficial because it does not identify what pupils need to do to improve; and pupils are sometimes given the same activities, and higher attaining pupils are not sufficiently challenged by these. Evidence in pupils’ books indicates that, overall, there are insufficient opportunities to develop their extended writing skills, and the new ‘story mountain’ approach to writing, working successfully in Year 2, is inconsistently used in these classes. As a result of these differences in the quality of teaching and learning, teaching is satisfactory, overall, in Years 3 to 6, and pupils achieve satisfactorily.

p.24

Commentary

74. Leadership and management of the subject are satisfactory and improving. The co-ordinator, who works in Year 2, is supported by a Year 6 teacher, so that whole school needs are reflected. Together, they have checked on performance in national and optional tests in order to identify pupils’ strengths and weaknesses, and advised colleagues on where pupils’ skills need most improvement. They have collected in exercise books to check on pupils’ progress and identified areas where greater attention is required. The lead co-ordinator has interviewed pupils to check on recent initiatives. As a result, several recommendations have been made to staff, including the need to do more ‘modelling’ of story writing and paying greater attention to correcting punctuation in pupils’ writing. There has been little monitoring and evaluating of teaching and therefore the co-ordinators have not formed a view about its quality, or where

p.24

Commentary

additional support and training is needed.

p.24

Commentary

75. There are good systems in place to record pupils’ progress, but teachers do not make enough use of this in planning the next steps in learning. In Years 1 and 2, pupils are very clear about what they need to do to improve their work. Discussions with pupils confirm they understand their personal targets well because teachers explain them clearly, and they are written in words they understand. Work in pupils’ books indicates that this recently introduced initiative may, in time, have a positive impact on pupils’ attainment. This system is not as effective, overall, in Years 3 to 6, but there are plans to address this.

p.24

Commentary

76. Resources are adequate to teach the subject, except for the quality and quantity of library books. Many of the books in the non-fiction section of the library are out-of-date. Discussions with pupils confirm their library skills are developing well in some classes. For example, pupils in Year 6 know how to refine a search for information within a non-fiction book, but because of the way the library is set out, and a lack of displayed information about categories of books, some pupils are unclear about how to find a book on a specific topic. There is too little Wakefield Flanshaw Junior and Infant School - 23 evidence of the use of information and communication technology, except for word- processing.

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Commentary

77. Strategies that have been put in place in order to raise standards are not yet rigorously self- evaluated, and consequently, there is insufficient impact of these at present because they are inconsistently applied. Overall, there has been satisfactory improvement since the previous inspection, but more remains to be done. The co-ordinator is developing clear strategies for the improvements which are necessary.

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Language and literacy across the curriculum

78. Language and literacy skills are developed satisfactorily in other areas of the curriculum. The National Literacy Strategy has been fully implemented and there are a number of planned activities for pupils to develop language and literacy skills in other subjects. For example, in a Year 1 class, pupils have been finding out about weather as part of work on geography. In a corner of the classroom, the teacher has set up a ‘travel agents’, where pupils use speaking and listening skills in discussions about holiday preferences; going to a hot or cold climate, for instance.

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MATHEMATICS

Provision for mathematics is satisfactory .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils in Years 1 and 2 achieve well because of the good teaching and learning. • The leadership and management of the subject is being developed but the co-ordinator needs more opportunity to monitor standards across the school. • Classroom assistants provide good support for the lower attaining pupils. • When marking work, not all teachers provide sufficient guidance for pupils to make better progress.

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Commentary

79. Standards at the end of Year 2 are well below national averages but in line with similar schools. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 achieve well. By the end of Year 6, standards are well below national averages for all and similar schools, and pupils’ achievement in Years 3 to 6 is satisfactory. These standards are similar to those found at the previous inspection. During the inspection, the evidence collected indicated that there are no significant differences in the attainment of boys and girls and the attainment of different groups of pupils. The low standards of attainment are mainly due to the poor numeracy skills shown by pupils. Throughout the school, too many pupils do not know simple number bonds and do not have a good understanding of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Many have poor mental skills. The school is addressing this, most successfully in Years 1 and 2, and standards are

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Commentary

80. Most pupils with special educational needs achieve well in relation to their capabilities. The two ‘nurture groups’ provide good opportunities for lower attaining pupils to receive individual focused support. These pupils are well challenged and teachers make the learning purposeful by putting activities into practical contexts; most respond well to this by showing good levels of motivation and interest in the work.

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Commentary

81. The quality of teaching is good in Years 1 and 2, but variable in Years 3 to 6. Excellent teaching was seen in a lesson in Year 3. However, the quality of teaching at Years 4 to 6 is not consistently high enough for the pupils to achieve as well as they can. The good support provided by the classroom assistants for lower attaining pupils enables most pupils to make Wakefield Flanshaw Junior and Infant School - 24 good progress. This is significantly so in Years 1 and 2, where teachers are confident in their own subject knowledge, resulting in clear planning appropriate to the capabilities of all pupils. Where teaching is good, teachers set a good pace and make lessons enjoyable; good use is made of the opening and closing of lessons to introduce and review work, and the majority of pupils have positive attitudes and behave well. Where teaching is less effective, the pace is slow, pupils are insufficiently on task, making them less productive, the work does not

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Commentary

challenge the higher attainers and, overall, the pupils do not achieve sufficiently well. When this happens, the quality of the work, including its presentation, deteriorates. Marking is not consistent across the school and not all teachers provide sufficient guidance for pupils to see how they can improve. A review of the pupils’ exercise books reflected this variation in the quality and amount of work.

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Commentary

82. In the excellent lesson observed, pupils were taught to solve multiplication problems using practical activities. The planning was well adapted to meet the needs of a wide range of attainment. Pupils were challenged and responded well to the skilful teaching, the good pace and the focused questioning by the teacher. This enabled all pupils to achieve very well by the end of the lesson, impacting on the standards they were reaching.

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Commentary

83. The subject is well resourced. The leadership and management of the subject are satisfactory. The co-ordinator is a leading teacher for mathematics in the local education authority. She has the expertise to help staff raise standards but has not had enough opportunities to do so. Overall, there are good systems in place to assess and monitor pupils’ attainment and progress, but in some classes, there is a need to make more use of this in planning the next steps in learning. Planning is monitored and teachers receive feedback. A regular pattern of monitoring of teaching and learning is not yet established. This is planned to start this year; it needs to be sufficiently rigorous to impact on raising the quality of teaching to better enable pupils across the school to achieve well and reach the highest levels of which they are capable.

p.26

Mathematics across the curriculum

84. Pupils use mathematics as part of their work in other subjects and are able to develop an appreciation of the practical use of these skills; for example, they use the organisation of shape and form in art and design to make two-dimensional drawings and their measuring skills in design and technology. There is need for more routine use of information and communication technology in mathematics lessons.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards of attainment need to be higher, especially those of the higher attainers. • The good teaching in Years 1 and 2 enables the pupils achieve well. • In some classes, pupils are now being given good opportunities to carry out investigations. • Classroom assistants make an important contribution to pupils’ learning. • Written work does not support the development of writing skills sufficiently well.

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Commentary

85. Standards are well below average at the end of Year 2 and Year 6, as they were at the time of the previous inspection. Nevertheless, standards are beginning to rise. In 2003, there was a significant rise in the number of Year 6 pupils reaching Level 4, the expected level for most 11- year-olds; this is likely to be maintained this year. Overall evaluation of standards is adversely affected by the small number of pupils reaching the higher Level 5. Too few pupils in Year 2 reach the higher Level 3 in the teacher assessments. For many, poor reading and writing Wakefield Flanshaw Junior and Infant School - 25 skills have a negative impact on standards. Year 1 and Year 2 pupils achieve well in relation to their abilities whilst in Years 3 to 6 pupils’ achievement is satisfactory. Pupils with special educational needs and those with English as an additional language achieve well because of the good support they receive in science.

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Commentary

86. Many pupils enter school with poor social skills and a well below average understanding of the world around them, which has a negative impact on the standards being reached. The school is very mindful of these factors when planning the curriculum. Teachers place great emphasis on developing scientific vocabulary, and create useful opportunities for talk in class discussions and when carrying out investigations. Pupils are aware of the need to control variables when devising a fair test but sometimes need help in selecting appropriate equipment for their work. The experimental skills of older pupils are not sufficiently well developed because of lack of suitable opportunities to carry out investigations in the past. There is insufficient emphasis on using scientific recording to develop writing skills in most classes, and standards of work and presentation are often insufficiently high.

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Commentary

87. The teaching is good in Years 1 and 2, but variable between Years 3 and 6. The good teaching observed enabled pupils to understand difficult concepts through very clear instruction, appropriate pace and constant reinforcement. Where teaching was less effective, some pupils were confused and learning was less effective because they were unclear about the task. This sometimes led to inappropriate behaviour . Most lessons were well organised with sufficient appropriate resources. Where extension activities were provided, pupils of all abilities were able to work at appropriate levels. Good support was given to lower attaining pupils.

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Commentary

88. The written responses were often less effective, especially for the higher attainers. Methods of recording work are variable. Where pupils recorded their work in books, it was often of a higher quality than that on the extensively used worksheets and teachers’ marking enabled pupils to improve their work. The best marking involved dialogue with pupils to clarify and extend their understanding. Over-reliance on the use of worksheets for recording experiments in some classes is resulting in insufficiently high expectations, especially for the higher attainers.

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Commentary

89. The work is well resourced. The science co-ordinator is leading and managing the subject effectively. She is well informed about standards and uses analysis of test results to highlight future needs. Although she has had the opportunity to monitor some work in classrooms, this is not yet sufficiently rigorous. Assessment procedures are good overall. Day-to-day assessment needs further development. The subject meets statutory requirements.

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Commentary

90. The work in science is supported by ‘science weeks’ held in school and by useful visits to places of scientific interest, which the pupils enjoy. Good links are made with design and technology, and geography. Some use is made of information and communication technology to support science investigations, but there was little evidence of this during the inspection.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Provision in information and communication technology is satisfactory .

p.27

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils are enthusiastic and enjoy their activities. • Classroom assistants provide good support for the lower attaining pupils. • The problems with the new laptops need addressing so that pupils’ needs can be more fully met in information and communication technology. • There is a need to further develop the use of information and communication technology to support learning across all areas of the curriculum. • There is insufficient routine use of computers in the classroom. Wakefield Flanshaw Junior and Infant School - 26

p.27

Commentary

91. Standards of attainment at the end of Year 2 are in line with those expected nationally. It was not possible to see any lessons for Year 3 to 6 during the inspection. However, a review of the work and discussions with staff and pupils indicate that standards at the end of Year 6 are in line with those typically seen. These standards are an improvement from the previous inspection. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 enjoy using computers and their achievement is satisfactory. They handle the keyboard and mouse confidently and can explain the various functions. In discussion with Year 6 pupils, they confidently described how to produce multi- media presentations, and how to organise and adapt information to make it interesting and exciting. They referred to images they had imported from other software and from a digital camera. They have a firm understanding of the use of spreadsheets and can create graphs to

p.28

Commentary

92. The quality of teaching and learning was satisfactory in the lessons seen. The teachers begin their lessons by revising previous work. They explain which new skills the pupils will learn, thereby providing a clear focus and purpose for the lesson. Classroom assistants are well deployed and give good support to pupils experiencing difficulties. This ensures satisfactory achievement by all pupils. Higher attaining pupils are set higher challenges. Pupils are enthusiastic and enjoy the visual approach to learning.

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Commentary

93. Using national guidance, teachers record pupils’ progress, but at present there is no agreed format for this, and therefore no clear evidence of monitoring of standards throughout the school. Teachers have received effective training and this has contributed towards their confidence when teaching skills to pupils. The co-ordinator has produced a very useful instruction booklet to help all staff improve their knowledge and understanding, and this is having a positive impact on the work.

p.28

Commentary

94. The work is well resourced, partly through the computer suite. There are plans to further develop the range of software. The school has recently purchased a number of laptop computers. Unfortunately, they have proved unreliable, and ongoing problems are not being solved by any of the outside agencies, including the manufacturer and installer. Whilst this continues, pupils are missing opportunities to develop further computer skills and the school is wasting a valuable resource. This needs urgent action.

p.28

Commentary

95. The leadership of information and communication technology is satisfactory. The knowledgeable subject manager shares his skills with other members of staff and teaches his own and two other classes. He has provided each year group with appropriate planning, but has had no opportunity to monitor teaching and learning, and standards, across the school. There is an action plan for future development of the subject which, when addressed, could have a positive impact on standards across the school. Standards are higher than previously.

p.28

Information and communication technology across the curriculum

96. During the inspection, insufficient use was made of classroom computers to support work in other subjects. This makes it harder for teachers to broaden pupils’ knowledge of the use and application of information and communication technology. However, there were two very good examples observed in a Year 2 class. Pupils used a ‘My World’ program to develop sorting skills in mathematics; they also wrote instructions in an English lesson on how to feed a cat. Overall, there is little evidence of work on display to indicate how information and communication technology supports other areas of the curriculum, and this is an important area for development. Wakefield Flanshaw Junior and Infant School - 27

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HUMANITIES AND CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

The work in geography and history, and in art and design, design and technology, music and physical education meets statutory requirements. These subjects were not specific areas of focus for the inspection and only a limited range of evidence was sampled. As a consequence, there is insufficient evidence to make overall judgements on the quality of the provision.

p.29

Geography

97. No lessons were seen in geography and therefore it is not possible to form overall judgements about provision in the subject. Evidence from work on display, and discussions with pupils, indicates they receive an appropriate curriculum.

p.29

Geography

98. The pupils in Year 2 are developing an awareness of seasons and weather. They know the sun can burn them, or melt ice, and that rain may be heavy or just ‘drizzle’. Pupils in Year 6 talk confidently about work on rivers, and recall features such as ox bow lakes, meanders and deltas. On some occasions, they have used information and communication technology to support geography work; for example, in searching the Internet for information about rivers. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 have used the local environment to increase their understanding of rivers, at first hand, through a field trip to Coxley Wood.

p.29

Geography

99. There has been little subject development in recent years because geography has not been a priority in the school improvement plan. Consequently, the co-ordinator does not have a clear view of standards or the quality of teaching and learning in the subject. A new scheme of work, based on national guidance, is being introduced over a two-year period, which should promote continuity and progression in learning. This is an improvement since the previous inspection.

p.29

History

100. No lessons were seen during the inspection, and as a consequence, there is insufficient evidence to make secure judgements about standards or the quality of teaching. Evidence from pupils’ work, displays and planning documents indicates that pupils are receiving an appropriate curriculum, but that history is not being used sufficiently well to develop writing skills. Assessment needs further development.

p.29

History

101. Some good links are made with other areas of the curriculum, such as art and design, geography and design and technology. Pupils make some use of information and communication technology to research projects, but this needs further development. There is a good range of resources and the school makes good use of visitors to the school and visits to places of historical interest, such as Sandal Castle, the Royal Armouries in Leeds, Eden Camp and the Elsecar Heritage Centre, in order to widen the pupils’ experiences. During the inspection, a Greek theatre company performed to Year 3 and 4 pupils.

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Religious education

Provision for religious education is satisfactory .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils have good opportunities to learn world faiths. • Good use is made of religious artefacts. • Pupils’ literacy skills are insufficiently developed in the work set. Wakefield Flanshaw Junior and Infant School - 28

p.29

Commentary

102. Evidence from the two lessons seen, from a review of pupils’ work and from teachers’ planning indicates that standards are broadly in line with the requirements of the locally-agreed syllabus, as they were at the time of the previous inspection. Achievement is satisfactory overall, though some pupils could sometimes achieve more. In the work seen, there were occasions when only a limited response was expected from the pupils and more could have been expected of the higher attainers.

p.30

Commentary

103. The pupils in Years 1 and 2 are helped to gain an understanding of Christian and Muslim traditions and festivals by learning about how Christians are christened in church and the importance of fasting to a Muslim during Ramadan prior to the celebration of Eid. In Years 3 to 6, the curriculum widens to promote understanding of Hindu and Sikh faiths. Pupils are learning to value each other’s ideas and appreciate the similarities and differences in the religions studied. The curriculum is enriched through visitors who talk to the pupils about their different faiths.

p.30

Commentary

104. During the inspection, only two lessons were seen and, in both, the quality of teaching and learning was satisfactory. Both lessons made good use of church artefacts, with pupils discussing the use and meaning of, for example, a chalice. There were missed opportunities in the activities given to the pupils to challenge the higher attaining pupils and, consequently, they did not achieve as well as they might. The work can benefit from pupils having more opportunities to develop their writing skills in religious education.

p.30

Commentary

105. Curriculum leadership is unsatisfactory. The part-time teacher who manages the subject does not have an opportunity to teach the subject, and does not check teacher’s planning and pupils’ work, nor does she have any opportunity to monitor teaching and learning in the classrooms. However, she has improved the policy and the scheme of work; there is better provision of artefacts than previously and a programme of visitors from different faiths has been introduced.

p.30

Design and technology

106. No teaching was seen during the inspection so no judgements can be made about standards or the quality of teaching. Evidence from the small amount of pupils’ work on display, photographs and planning documents indicates that pupils are receiving an appropriate curriculum. Assessment needs development.

p.30

Design and technology

107. The school is keen to raise the profile of design and technology. A new policy and scheme have been introduced aimed at providing more challenge. Examples were seen of continuity in learning through ‘house construction’ in Year 1 and Year 5. In both projects, good links were being made with history lessons. In Year 1, pupils compared old and new houses, and in Year 5, they made well-constructed houses and gardens to be used as a 1940s street for a project on World War 2. Other cross-curricular links include making musical instruments, producing healthy foods and designs for ‘Joseph’s coat’. There was some evidence of designs and evaluations of work undertaken.

p.30

Art and design

108. No lessons were observed during the inspection. As a consequence, no judgements can be made about teaching and learning. However, a scrutiny of work on display indicates that standards are satisfactory overall in art and design across the school, although the standards in Years 1 and 2 are good. The examples of good work are carefully displayed and show a variety of media used. These include paint, pastels, chalk and textiles. There are plans to significantly develop the subject, led by its enthusiastic co-ordinator. These include the organisation of an arts week with a particular focus on developing art and design skills. This will hopefully generate confidence and enthusiasm throughout the school. Wakefield Flanshaw Junior and Infant School - 29 109. There is a thriving art club, where pupils have opportunities to further develop their art skills. One very successful project is the decoration of a Year 1 classroom corner to create a three-

p.30

Art and design

dimensional underwater area. Older pupils enjoyed painting this and the pupils in Year 1 now have the opportunity to use this for role play.

p.31

Music

110. Only one lesson was seen during the inspection and so no judgements can be made on standards or the quality of teaching and learning. The subject is led by a new co-ordinator, who is keen to give music a higher profile by implementing a new commercial scheme to support non-specialists, and by extending the range of musical opportunities for pupils. She recognises the school needs to do more to assess pupils’ progress in music and to develop the composing strand through the use of computers. The co-ordinator has checked on the quality of teaching in three classes and found that teachers are confident about teaching music since the introduction of the new scheme, and pupils are enthusiastic about music lessons. Inspection evidence suggests the new scheme supports music teaching well. However, some of the suggested activities are not appropriate when teachers have not taken account of pupils’

p.31

Music

prior attainment. For example, in a satisfactory lesson in Year 2, pupils were asked to count the number of times a tune was repeated in a short, recorded passage. They found this task too difficult because their musical skills were insufficiently developed.

p.31

Music

111. There are good opportunities for pupils to develop musical skills in recorder and choir clubs through extra-curricular activities, and for pupils to learn to play instruments, such as clarinet, violin and guitar, when specialist teachers visit the school. Pupils’ singing in assembly lacks sparkle, although they mostly sing in tune. Music is playing as pupils enter and leave the hall, but they do not know the name of the piece, or the composer, because these are not displayed.

p.31

Physical education

112. It was possible to see just two lessons during the inspection. In a good lesson in Year 2, pupils used a large parachute to promote movement and co-operation. Pupils enjoyed running and swapping places when the parachute ‘mushrooms’. ‘It doesn’t work if we don’t work as a team’, the teacher observed appropriately. In a satisfactory lesson in the playground, Year 3 pupils explored basic skills when they worked with bats and balls, and took part in an ‘invasion’ game.

p.31

Physical education

113. The scheme of work, which makes use of national guidance, ensures that pupils have an appropriate curriculum, in spite of the disadvantage of having a field which is virtually unusable. Although good use is made of the large hall, which is equipped for gymnastic work, there is barely enough time to fit in all the lessons.

p.31

Physical education

114. The enthusiastic co-ordinator is taking part in a physical education co-ordinator initiative with other local schools with plans to develop assessment practices. Years 5 and 6 pupils benefit from weekly swimming lessons. There is a good range of activities provided outside the school day, such as football, netball and tap dancing, together with school tournaments in football and swimming; these give pupils good opportunities to extend and develop their sporting interests.

p.31

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

115. This area was not a focus of the inspection and, as a consequence, there is insufficient evidence to make firm judgements about overall provision. Nevertheless the picture is positive; it is clear that the school sees personal development as an important part of its work, as seen by the way that each class is allocated time for the work. Wakefield Flanshaw Junior and Infant School - 30 116. During the inspection, just one lesson was observed, and that was at Year 5 and involved pupils in a number of interactive activities to promote co-operation; for example, two pupils did complementary actions, with others progressively joining in. Pupils took the opportunity to create a ‘friendship machine’. The pupils were responsive to the activities, and were willing to co-operate sensibly.

p.31

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

117. The enthusiastic co-ordinator has developed a scheme of work to guide the work. Good use is made of ‘circle time’, especially with younger pupils, to promote self-esteem, co-operation and listening skills. Pupils consider bullying, racism, healthy eating and personal safety, including road safety. Older pupils learn about the use and abuse of drugs, including alcohol and sex and relationships education.

p.32

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

118. Older pupils are trained as ‘buddies’ to provide support in the infant playground. The school council gives pupils insights into the democratic process, helping them to make their views known. Each of the classes from Year 3 to Year 6 are represented on the council, which meets weekly, working with a budget enhanced by money the pupils raise. This has led to the installation of soap dispensers and mirrors in the toilets, with plans to buy a bench for the junior playground. The school helps pupils to develop an awareness of how to behave in a community and the vast majority of pupils work together in a supportive and caring way. Wakefield Flanshaw Junior and Infant School - 31

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Overall standards achieved 5 Pupils’ achievement 4

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The quality of education provided by the school 4 The quality of teaching 4 How well pupils learn 4 The quality of assessment 4 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 4 The school’s links with other schools and colleges 4

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The leadership and management of the school 4 The governance of the school 4 The leadership of the headteacher 4 The leadership of other key staff 4 The effectiveness of management 4 Inspectors make judgements on a scale: excellent (grade 1); very good (2); good (3); satisfactory (4); unsatisfactory (5); poor (6); very poor (7).

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