Wakefield Pinders Primary (JIN) School

WAKEFIELD PINDERS PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 9 th - 11 th February 2004

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WAKEFIELD PINDERS PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

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WAKEFIELD PINDERS PRIMARY SCHOOL

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. Wakefield Pinders Primary School - 1

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Primary School category: Community Age range of pupils: 3½ - 11 Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 228

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Eastmoor Rd Wakefield West Yorkshire Postcode: WF1 3SQ

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Telephone number: (01924) 303 700 Fax number: (01924) 303 701

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body Name of chair of governors: Mr R Hayward

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

This is an average-sized primary school for pupils aged three-and-a-half to 11, where the number on roll has fallen from 299 in 1999. Around 60 per cent are from backgrounds that are not white British, mainly Pakistani, but also with small numbers from a wide range of ethnic groups, including some recently arrived refugees and asylum seekers. Around half the school population are at an early stage of learning English and the main community language is Punjabi. Most pupils come from homes with incomes below the national average and the school receives extra funding because it is a partner in the Wakefield Education Action Zone. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs has risen in recent years and is now well above the national average, covering mainly severe and complex learning difficulties. Children start in the nursery when they are three-and-a-half with generally very low average attainment. Around ten per cent of pupils leave and the same number join

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

other than at normal times, including a few with little previous schooling who have no English. There has been a high turnover of staff recently, mostly as a result of promotion. Wakefield Pinders Primary School - 2

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

22246 Geoff Cresswell Lead inspector Science Music Physical education Personal, social and emotional education 11566 Hilary Smyth Lay inspector 22967 Muriel Griffiths Team inspector Foundation stage Geography History Religious education 23245 Alan Farrage Team inspector Special educational needs Mathematics Information and communication technology Art and design Design and technology 18605 Fred Ward Team inspector English English as an additional language

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

Tribal PPI Barley House Oakfield Grove Clifton Bristol BS8 2BN

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

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

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 6 - 9

Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 6 - 9

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL 10 - 14

Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

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OVERALL EVALUATION

This is a good school. Overall, pupils achieve well, especially in speaking and listening, and enjoy school very much as a result of good teaching. Pupils are well looked after, feel safe and are well supported. The leadership has created a highly inclusive school providing good value for money.

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The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

• From a very low attainment level on starting school, under-five children and infant pupils achieve well. • There are not enough opportunities for junior pupils to use reading and writing skills. • Standards for 11-year-olds are below average, although overall progress through school is good. • Pupils with special educational needs make good progress and those acquiring English as an additional language do particularly well in developing speaking and listening skills. • Plans for how to improve the school further are not sufficiently thought through in detail. • The governing body is under strength and struggling to meet its responsibilities. • Although sometimes individuals behave inappropriately at lunchtimes, pupils from a wide range of ethnic groups work well together and behave very well in class. • Pupils new to the school are helped to settle in quickly. • Attendance is very low despite the school’s best efforts.

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The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

• Teachers know their pupils very well, helping them know what they need to do to improve. • Despite limited enrichment opportunities outside of lessons, the curriculum overall is good. • Many parents are not very involved in their child’s learning but social events are supported well.

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The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

Since the school was inspected in 1999, improvement has been satisfactory, with most of the key issues tackled successfully; however, governors are still not fully involved in school development and plans for improvement are not clearly focused on the most important things that need to be done. The number of pupils in the early stages of learning English as an additional language has increased, including refugees and asylum seekers; there has been considerable staff turnover.

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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* D B mathematics E E C A science D E D B Key: A - well above average; B – above average; C – average; D – below average; E – well below average; E* - very low. Similar schools are those whose pupils attained similarly at the end of Year 2.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Pupils achieve well. Children enter the nursery with very low attainment and nearly half have very few English language skills. They make good progress, continuing to achieve well in the Reception Year and nearly all are likely to reach the goals expected by the end of reception in personal, social and emotional development, but not in other areas. In Years 1 and 2, a strong focus on speaking and listening helps children from different ethnic backgrounds acquire better fluency in English, but despite good progress overall, standards in Year 2 in reading are still well below average and those in writing, mathematics and science are below average, a similar picture to the 2003 national tests. Achievement overall for Years 3 to 6 is satisfactory, with continued good gains in oracy, but under- developed reading and writing skills. Standards for the current Year 6 are well below average in reading and writing and below average in mathematics and science, lower than in 2003 Year 6 tests,

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

when there were fewer less able pupils than is usual for a school of this type, but better than in 2001 and 2002, when results in English were very low in comparison with the national average (E*). Pupils of all ages achieve well in science investigations and those with special educational needs Wakefield Pinders Primary School - 5 make good progress. Standards in information and communication technology and religious education are in line with those expected in Years 2 and 6. In other subjects, it was not possible to make this judgement, but from the work seen, pupils are achieving broadly as expected for their age.

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Pupils’ personal qualities, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, are

well developed. They are keen to learn and clearly enjoy school experiences, acquiring good moral values. Pupils from different ethnic groups work happily and effectively together with a good appreciation of their own and others’ cultural traditions. Behaviour is very good in lessons, but not always at lunchtimes. Attendance is low, many pupils having extended holidays during term time.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The school provides a good quality of education and teaching overall is good. Arrangements for pupils starting school are very good and the youngest quickly settle because of good teaching in the nursery and the Reception Year. In Years 1 and 2, teachers choose good activities that meet the individual needs of all pupils, including those whose home language is not English, asylum seekers, late joiners and pupils with special educational needs. This inclusivity continues throughout the juniors and pupils work hard with high expectation of achieving something. High expectation placed on pupils’ behaviour results in ordered, calm classrooms where pupils concentrate well. Teachers know pupils very well and keep a close check on what they are achieving, but lessons do not include enough opportunities for pupils to develop their reading and writing skills in the juniors.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The curriculum meets requirements and has a good emphasis on pupils’ personal development. It meets the needs of pupils acquiring English as an additional language and develops pupils’ science investigation skills well. There are limited additional activities outside the classroom. Pupils from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds are well cared for, although their views are not sufficiently taken into account. Apart from in the nursery, few parents actively support their children’s learning. Links and transfer arrangements with other schools are very effective.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management are satisfactory. There is excellent management of inclusion in realisation of the school’s aims and pupils and staff are developed well. The leadership of English and science and the shared leadership of the Foundation Stage are also strengths, but the headteacher and governing body do not always make sure that the school works at what is most important to improve pupils’ learning.

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Only about ten per cent of parents responded to the parents’ questionnaire or meeting. These parents thought that their children liked school. Both parents and pupils viewed the teaching as good and pupils agreed with parents that they worked hard. The parents were concerned at some inappropriate behaviour of a few pupils, a concern shared by many of the pupils.

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

• Provide more opportunities for junior pupils to use reading and writing in support of their learning in all subjects. • Consider how to recruit and organise the governing body to carry out their responsibilities effectively. • Use information about pupil performance to find overall strengths and weaknesses, drawing up detailed whole-school development plans that tackle the weaknesses, clearly stating how success is to be measured. • Provide more guidance during lunchtimes to help pupils play happily together. • Explore ways of interesting and involving more parents in their children’s learning. Wakefield Pinders Primary School - 6

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Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

Overall, pupils achieve well from a very low starting point. Standards in the core subjects are below average at the end of Year 2 and Year 6, apart from English in Year 6 where standards are well below average.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Under-five children make very good progress in personal, social and emotional development and achieve well in developing communication, language and literacy as well as mathematical skills. • There is good achievement by pupils throughout Years 1 and 2. • Pupils with special educational needs make good progress, although a few more able pupils are not given enough challenge in mathematics. • Pupils throughout the school achieve well in speaking and listening, especially those for whom English is an additional language. • From Year 1 right through to Year 6, pupils make good progress developing skills for conducting science investigations. • Achievement in reading and writing in the juniors is limited by a lack of opportunity to develop these skills, both within English lessons and in other subjects. • Standards seen in other subjects overall are as expected in Year 2 and Year 6, although pupils’ attainment in Year 6 in dance was below average and well below average in aspects of music.

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Commentary

1. The overall trend of results over the last five years in national tests for seven-year-olds in reading, writing and mathematics shows a slight drop, strongly influenced by the high number of late joiners who have to learn English as an additional language. Since over 80 per cent of pupils from ethnic minority backgrounds are acquiring English as an additional language, the weakness in performance due to pupils still learning English is also generally true of those from ethnic minorities. The results over the last five years tend to show below average performance, similar to that found for the current Year 2 pupils. When the recent test results are compared with those from similar schools, the trend is the same, with the latest results being below the average.

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Commentary

2. The national test results over the last five years for 11-year-olds in English, mathematics and science have fluctuated between average and below average performance, again with the number of late joiners and those acquiring English as an additional language depressing overall results. The same fluctuation in performance emerges when the results are compared with those attained by similar schools.

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Commentary

3. Over the last five years, seven and 11-year-olds girls have achieved better national test results than boys in English, mathematics and science. In English and science, the lower achievement of boys is very close to that occurring for the whole country. In mathematics, the boys have tended to be further behind the girls than the national picture at seven, but closer to the girls than the national picture at 11. During the inspection, no significant difference was found between the progress being made by boys and that being made by girls.

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Commentary

4. Children enter the nursery at the age of three-and-a-half with very low levels of attainment. Nearly half have very little English language skills. The nursery provides well for these needs and children make good progress in learning English in an environment where they also make rapid gains in personal, social and emotional development and good progress in mathematical Wakefield Pinders Primary School - 7 development. Despite the continuing good progress of children in the different areas of learning through the Reception year, almost all are not likely to reach the goals expected at the end of Reception, apart from in personal, social and emotional development. In this latter area, very good progress means that almost all who do not join late will reach the expected goals.

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Commentary

5. Good achievement is a feature of lessons in Years 1 and 2. Pupils who are learning English as an additional language are included in this achievement due to the strong emphasis on developing language skills. On reaching seven-years-old, the good progress is not enough to make pupils catch up to expected standards in reading, where performance is well below average, and in writing, mathematics and science, where standards are below average. Pupils in Year 2 in 2003 were at a very similar level of performance, although results were lowered by the performance of the high number of pupils joining late with little or no English. Standards when compared to all schools and similar schools were well below average in reading and writing and very low in mathematics.

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Commentary

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

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Commentary

Standards in: School results National results reading 13.3 (14.7) 16.3 (16.4) writing 12.0 (14.0) 15.2 (14.9) mathematics 12.8 (14.9) 16.8 (17.0) There were 34 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year.

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Commentary

6. Standards in information and communication technology are as expected for seven-year-olds. Standards for seven-year-olds in religious education are as expected in the locally agreed syllabus.

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Commentary

7. Pupils continue to make good progress in speaking and listening throughout the junior years as a consequence of consistently good teaching in this aspect. Pupils also make good progress in learning to do science investigations. This aspect is being taught in well-ordered steps that allow pupils to pick up important skills as they move through the school. Steady gains are made in mathematics, with progress being limited by the difficulty many pupils have in understanding the meaning of problems given in writing. The school has identified this issue and begun measures to tackle it. Achievement is limited because pupils are not given enough opportunities to develop skills in reading and writing, both within English lessons and in other subjects. This issue has not been tackled effectively because the overall leadership of the school has not being looking at pupils’ achievement in enough detail and plans for

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Commentary

improvement are not completely thought through.

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Commentary

8. Consequently, standards in reading and writing for the current Year 6 are well below average, whilst those in speaking and listening, science and mathematics are below average. Year 6 pupils did better than this in 2003 because there were fewer less able pupils. In comparison with all schools, standards in the 2003 national tests were average in mathematics and below average in English and science. However, when compared with similar schools, these standards were well above average in mathematics and average in English and science, representing well above average progress in mathematics from the test results when these pupils were seven and above average progress in English and science. The targets set for the pupils in the 2003 tests were exceeded. Wakefield Pinders Primary School - 8 Standards in national tests at the end of Year 6 – average point scores in 2003

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Commentary

Standards in: School results National results English 25.7 (22.6) 27.5 (27.7) mathematics 27.0 (24.0) 27.5 (27.6) science 27.9 (26.6) 29.3 (29.1) T here were 28 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year.

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Commentary

9. Standards for 11-years-olds are as expected in information and communication technology and standards are broadly in line with the expectations of the locally agreed religious education syllabus.

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Commentary

10. It is not possible to make overall judgements about standards in other subjects, but from the work seen, pupils are achieving as expected, except in dance and singing in Year 6. The school is very good at identifying the specific needs of pupils with special educational needs. The progress of these pupils is carefully checked and these pupils achieve well throughout the school. There were a few instances when more able pupils were not given work that was challenging enough in mathematics.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

Pupils enjoy coming to school very much and their attitude is very good. Behaviour overall is good. Pupils get on well with each other no matter what their background and their personal development is good; their moral, social and cultural development is good and their spiritual development is satisfactory. Attendance is well below average.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils enjoy learning in school and respond well to the teachers. • The school ensures that pupils from different ethnic groups work happily together. • Generally, pupils are very well behaved in classes. • The school places great importance on the personal development of the pupils and is successful in this aspect. Spiritual awareness is less well developed. • Pupils are taken out of school by parents for extended holidays. • A few pupils behave inappropriately at lunchtime.

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Commentary

11. Pupils enjoy coming to school, as confirmed by discussions with them and the recent pupil survey. The poor attendance rate is of great concern to the school because of the impact on pupils’ learning. A major factor in the high level of unauthorised absence (compared with the national average) is the number of pupils taking extended holidays during term time. The school works very closely with outside agencies and families to improve attendance, although at present, many parents continue to take their children on extended holidays. There was an improvement in the autumn term 2003 when the attendance rate showed a slight increase and the unauthorised absence went down. Punctuality is generally good. Wakefield Pinders Primary School - 9 Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

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Commentary

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data 8.6 School data 2.9 National data 5.4 National data 0.4 The table gives the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.

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Commentary

12. The school is a friendly and welcoming place for pupils, making them feel happy and secure. Pupils from different backgrounds are fully involved and included in school activities, working very well together in lessons. Pupils with little or no English, including refugees, who enter school other than at the start of a school year, settle quickly and happily into school life because of the very effective partnership between class teachers, support staff and pupil mentors. Staff expect pupils to behave well and the behaviour in lessons is very good. Some behaviour at lunchtimes is unacceptable and there have been recent exclusions. At times, the management of pupils’ behaviour during the lunch break is inconsistent and ineffective.

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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 Number of pupils on roll Number of fixed period exclusions Number of permanent exclusions White – British 72 5 0 White – any other White background 6 0 0 Mixed – White and Black Caribbean 2 0 0 Mixed – White and Black African 1 0 0 Mixed – White and Asian 5 0 0 Asian or Asian British – Indian 104 0 0 Asian or Asian British – any other Asian background 4 0 0 Black or Black British – African 2 0 0 Black or Black British – any other Black background 1 0 0 No Ethnic Group Recorded 1 0 0

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Commentary

13. The youngest children entering nursery, including those with little English, easily settle into good learning habits. Staff successfully help them develop positive attitudes to learning by providing an interesting range of exciting activities. Throughout their school life, nearly all pupils remain enthusiastic learners and eagerly carry out tasks and monitor duties. Pupils work well in class, in groups and on their own. When they leave, aged 11, they are confident and looking forward to the next stage of their education.

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Commentary

14. Pupils’ personal development is given a high priority, although spiritual awareness is under- developed. The presence of a large number of pupils from different faiths enables all pupils to experience and value the beliefs of others. Moral values are present throughout the life of the school and pupils have a clear understanding of right and wrong and the impact of rules on their lives. Their social development is good as there are many opportunities for them to work in small and large groups, understand the consequences of their actions, and play a full part in school life. Pupils coming from a wide range of backgrounds enjoy learning about their own and others’ cultures and have developed good knowledge and understanding as a result. Almost all the children in nursery and reception classes are on course to achieve the early Wakefield Pinders Primary School - 10 learning goals in personal, social and emotional development by the end of the Foundation

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

The quality of education is good overall as teaching is generally good, the curriculum is appropriate for all pupils, including those who are acquiring English as an additional language, and pupils from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds are well cared for.

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Teaching and learning

The teaching and learning are good overall, and assessment is used well to help all pupils achieve.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The consistently good and very good teaching in the Foundation Stage means that children settle quickly into the habit of learning from the varied and appropriate activities available. • The predominantly good teaching in Years 1 and 2 is characterised by a good emphasis on language acquisition that enables the many pupils with English as an additional language to progress well. • The predominantly good teaching continues into the juniors, where pupils respond well to high expectations of their behaviour that enables them to concentrate well in lessons. • The effective emphasis on speaking and listening skills extends into the juniors, but insufficient opportunities are planned for these pupils to develop reading and writing skills. • Staff are very good at making sure that all pupils, regardless of their capabilities, backgrounds and their use of English as an additional language, are fully involved in learning.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Staff develop very good relationships with their pupils, who respond by working hard and co- operating well with each other. • Although a few of the more able pupils in mathematics are not always given sufficiently challenging work, staff generally know the pupils well and choose appropriate activities in lessons, based on a good knowledge of what pupils have already achieved. • The progress of pupils in a small number of lessons is limited by some uncertainties in teachers’ subject knowledge of science and music.

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Commentary

15. The teaching in 15 of the lessons observed in the Foundation Stage was good and very good in the other three. In Years 1 and 2, the teaching was very good in three lessons, good in eight and satisfactory in three. In Years 3 to 6, the teaching was very good in three lessons, good in 22 and satisfactory in six. This is an improvement since the last inspection when one in three lessons was satisfactory.

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Commentary

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 63 lessons

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Commentary

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very poor

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Commentary

0 (0%) 9 (14%) 45 (72%) 9 (14%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 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

16. The consistently good and very good teaching in the Foundation Stage is based around well- ordered routines that are quickly taken up by the children in a positive, encouraging atmosphere. A good range of activities are thoughtfully prepared, engaging children’s interests at the right level of difficulty. The staff are well led and work well together in an orally rich environment where adults encourage and model good practice. Wakefield Pinders Primary School - 11 17. In Years 1 and 2, teachers skilfully continue to develop pupils’ oracy with a high demand on pupils to respond. Teaching consistently reinforces new words that are included in the lesson. All pupils, especially those for whom English is an additional language, benefit from this approach. In this environment, pupils display a healthy expectation that they are going to learn and this is reflected in the good effort they make with the tasks set for them.

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Commentary

18. The same strength in the teaching of oracy is displayed in Years 3 to 6. By Year 6, pupils speak enthusiastically and confidently, unafraid to express their ideas and showing a good respect for the opinions of others. This breadth of experience is not extended to reading and writing and teachers are not giving enough opportunities for pupils to apply their skills in subjects other than English. The headteacher and governing body have not analysed or tackled this issue with detailed plans. The high expectations of behaviour in lessons means that classrooms are places where it is easy for pupils to talk and listen during whole-class sessions and to concentrate when working on individual tasks.

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Commentary

19. Staff are very sensitive to the needs of individuals and are very successful in making sure that all pupils, whether an asylum seeker, a pupil with special educational needs, or a pupil for whom English is an additional language, can take a full part in the lesson and achieve. The only exception to this generally positive picture is in mathematics, where some of the more able pupils are not always given challenging work. The good teamwork between teachers and support staff plays a big part in the sensitivity to individual needs. For example, the bilingual teaching assistant in the Foundation Stage is effective in enabling the 50 per cent of children whose first language is Punjabi to take part in all the activities taking place. The Education Action Zone funds learning support assistants for the older juniors, enabling pupils to be taught effectively in smaller groups.

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Commentary

20. The needs of individual pupils are also taken into account in the way pupils’ progress during lessons is frequently checked and appropriate changes made to how they are taught. Teachers are involved in agreeing individual termly targets for pupils in English and mathematics that are increasingly giving pupils a good understanding of what they need to do to improve. Individual education plans for pupils with special educational needs are used well in this respect.

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Commentary

21. Very good relationships between staff and pupils are a feature of the school and staff know the pupils very well. Pupils respond by working hard at the tasks set, being eager to please the teacher and achieve something for themselves. The positive role models set by staff in the way that they treat each other and work together in the classroom are imitated by the pupils when working in groups. They co-operate well with each other and all contribute harmoniously when taking on a joint task.

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Commentary

22. The teachers’ sound subject knowledge of English and mathematics results in good explanations to pupils of key concepts. This does not always happen in some science and music lessons, where some uncertainty from the teachers means that sometimes pupils do not get a good understanding of the key ideas. The new computer suite is being used well to support pupils’ learning and is broadening pupils’ experiences across a wide range of subjects.

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The curriculum

The school provides a good curriculum that caters well, for pupils’ interests and needs. The strong emphasis on speaking and listening ensures that pupils, whatever their background, are included in all areas of the broad and balanced curriculum. The accommodation and resources are good. Although there are very few extra-curricular activities, good opportunities are created during school time to enrich the curriculum.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

Wakefield Pinders Primary School - 12 • The curriculum is good and includes all pupils very well but there are insufficient opportunities to use reading and writing in the juniors in subjects other than English. • The science curriculum is very good, particularly scientific enquiry. • There is a very strong emphasis on subject-specific vocabulary and a good match in appropriateness for pupils with English as an additional language, those with special educational needs, asylum seekers and late joiners. • The curriculum for mathematics and speaking and listening in English is good. • There is very good emphasis on personal development, but there is only a limited number of extra-curricular activities.

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Commentary

23. The school offers its pupils a broad and balanced curriculum that meets statutory requirements and prepares them well for the next step up to secondary school. The good curriculum is an improvement on the previous inspection, when the curriculum in the infants and juniors was satisfactory. All children, including those with English as an additional language, special educational needs, asylum seekers and late joiners, are generally given appropriate work that focuses on the development of speaking and listening skills, particularly in English lessons. As a result, these children achieve well. There are, however, insufficient opportunities for children to use reading and writing in the juniors in subjects other than English. The mathematics curriculum covers the subject well, giving pupils valuable skills that are used effectively to help them in other subjects. The science leadership has instigated a

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Commentary

thoughtful, thorough development of scientific enquiry that has added greatly to the quality of the science curriculum where, for example, Year 2 children investigate what happens to ice as it melts. These children can observe the process very closely and record their findings systematically. The curriculum for all subjects includes a good emphasis on the need for pupils to learn the vocabulary specific to each subject.

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Commentary

24. There is very good emphasis on personal development. The leadership has made this a priority in practice and, as a result, all children take part in a good programme of personal, social and health education that helps them develop care and respect for others. The school offers a good range of additional learning opportunities for pupils during school time. They are given many opportunities to take part in educational visits to places such as Ryedale Folk Museum and Eden Camp as part of their history studies or a mosque as part of religious education. These visits enhance the curriculum and stimulate some good work, as do the good opportunities taken by the school to participate in the arts. Outside of school hours, there are few school clubs for boys and girls. At present, there is an after-school football club run by the caretaker.

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Commentary

25. The provision for pupils with special educational needs is good. Pupils’ needs are identified effectively and strategies and support to meet them is well organised. Effective individual plans are written for pupils, reflecting curriculum requirements at an appropriate level of difficulty. Parents are kept well informed about these plans and resources for pupils with special educational needs are good.

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Commentary

26. Staffing levels are good. Teachers and classroom assistants work together well to ensure that the learning needs of the pupils throughout the school are met.

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Commentary

27. The accommodation is good. Classrooms are clean and spacious and provide an attractive learning environment. There are designated rooms for information and communication technology and a library, both of which are well resourced. Resources in classrooms are good and contribute to the predominantly good teaching observed.

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Care, guidance and support

Overall, pupils are well looked after and receive good support, advice and guidance, although their views are not sufficiently taken into account. Wakefield Pinders Primary School - 13

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The staff know individual pupils well. • There are efficient procedures to ensure pupils’ health and safety. • Induction for new pupils, whenever they start, is very good. • The school works very well in partnership with various care agencies. • Staff take good account of pupils’ backgrounds, including those who start with little or no English and those from different ethnic groups. • There are few formal opportunities for pupils to express their views on school development. • Some lunchtime supervision is ineffective.

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Commentary

28. The school is a friendly, caring community that works hard at doing all it reasonably can to keep pupils safe. This is an improvement on the findings of the previous inspection because the leadership has tackled the relevant issues. Efficient procedures for ensuring pupils’ health and safety are now in place. Staff know pupils well and are aware of their needs, responding in a positive and supportive way. Pupils know who to go to when they need help. The very close working relationship with care agencies provides additional support where needed. Lunchtime supervision in the playground is not always effective in controlling the poor behaviour of a few pupils. There is very little for pupils to do constructively during the lunchtime break. Staff have to deal with some aggressive conflict between pupils with little time being spent helping children to play happily together.

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Commentary

29. The school provides effective support for those with special educational needs and gives good bilingual support for those entering with little or no English. A recently introduced initiative to promote discussion is proving successful in supporting pupils’ personal development.

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Commentary

30. The induction procedures for all children, from the very young starting in the nursery and for those starting at other times, are very good. Children are quickly integrated into this highly inclusive community.

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Commentary

31. The school is keen to make all pupils feel valued. Their work, attitudes and behaviour are rewarded in class, and staff give very frequent praise to acknowledge and sustain pupils’ very positive attitudes to learning.

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Commentary

32. Pupils are encouraged to contribute their ideas and views in lessons. The school does not regularly seek pupils’ views in a formal way, although it has recently carried out a survey and has acted on the suggestion for more playtime equipment.

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Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

Apart from the nursery, few parents actively support their children’s learning; there are some productive links with the local community and very good links with other schools - transfer arrangements are very effective.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Very good links with local schools and very smooth transfer arrangements. • A number of parents of nursery children provide valuable support. • There is little support from parents to help pupils with homework or study at school. • Parents receive regular information letters, but the end of year reports on pupils’ progress are not helpful enough.

p.15

Commentary

Wakefield Pinders Primary School - 14 33. Parents are kept well informed about school events through regular letters and there are information boards in school entrances. The school has no regular formal way of seeking the views of parents and consequently is not able to take parental views into account consistently when making decisions. In most subjects, the end of year reports on pupils’ progress do not tell parents what their child does well and lack clear guidance on what the pupil needs to do to improve. This aspect was commented on by the parents who came to the parents’ meeting. Only a few parents actively support their children’s learning in school and at home; for some parents, the lack of English acts as a barrier. As a result, pupils’ learning, especially in helping extend their confidence in reading and writing, is not reinforced. Effective use is made of the community liaison officer to guide families with little or no English on how to help their children

p.16

Commentary

34. The use of the local and wider community is planned into the curriculum. There are visitors to the school, such as the community liaison officer taking a richly resourced assembly on one of the major world faiths, and visits out, for example, to local museums, the water works and the British Museum in London. These experiences effectively enrich pupils’ learning.

p.16

Commentary

35. The leadership of the school has been effective in ensuring that the liaison between local primary schools and the main secondary school is very good. There are very effective curriculum bridging links for Year 6 pupils, and the very smooth transfer arrangements ensure that when pupils change school they know what to expect and there is very little disruption to their learning. The picture overall is very similar to the previous inspection.

p.16

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management are satisfactory. The leadership of the headteacher is satisfactory overall and the leadership given by other staff with responsibilities is good. The school is managed effectively through a departmental structure. The governance of the school is poor.

p.16

Main strengths and weaknesses

• There is excellent management of inclusion, ensuring that the school’s aims in this area are being met. • The good leadership of the headteacher with respect to pupils with special educational needs and those acquiring English as an additional language ensures that these pupils achieve well. • Staff with responsibility for leadership and management of the Foundation Stage, English and science are effective in improving provision for pupils. • Staff development is managed well through effective induction and professional development strategies. • The governing body and headteacher give insufficient attention to driving through important actions to raise standards further. • Despite the hard work of a few committed governors, the governing body is struggling to keep track of what goes on in the school.

p.16

Commentary

36. The governing body, headteacher and staff with leadership responsibility are united in their determination to make sure that every child in the school can have the same opportunity to learn from lessons. They have been singularly successful in turning intention into reality. With about half the pupils needing to learn English as an additional language in order to progress, the school has been made into a rich environment for developing oracy. Classrooms are accepting places where the contribution of all pupils is valued. Pupils who join the school after the majority, such as asylum seekers, enthusiastically take full part in all the school has to offer. The headteacher, as the co-ordinator for looking after pupils with special educational Wakefield Pinders Primary School - 15 needs, has ensured that thorough and workable systems are in place for helping these pupils. As a consequence, these pupils achieve well throughout the school.

p.16

Commentary

37. A feature of the school is the capable leadership and management of teachers given responsibility for particular aspects of the school. The Foundation Stage is managed well, ensuring that all pupils get a balanced curriculum, despite difficulties caused by the accommodation in providing outdoor play for Reception pupils. The systems put in place for settling in new pupils are very effective and appreciated by new parents. The two science co- ordinators in the last year have driven forward a detailed, progressive scheme for developing pupils’ skills in investigating that is resulting in good achievement in this aspect of the subject. The English co-ordinator has a clear vision for how the subject should develop and those with this responsibility in the last year have played a big part in driving the good gains in speaking and listening throughout the school. These co-ordinators, along with the mathematics co-

p.17

Commentary

ordinator, have begun to make good use of information gained from checking the teaching and learning in their subjects, such as the focus on improving problem-solving that arose from a weakness highlighted from an analysis of the national tests. This good practice of checking teaching and learning is an improvement since the last inspection, but it has not been extended to other subjects in the curriculum.

p.17

Commentary

38. The assistant headteacher has managed resources so that the professional development of teachers is supported well by relevant training. The performance management process is well organised and is progressing as planned. This is an improvement since the last inspection, when the need for appraisal of teachers was a key issue. The school’s support for initial teacher training is good, and the fact that some of the current staff were trained in the school is testimony to its effectiveness. The headteacher skilfully manages the deployment of teachers, despite the high staff turnover, and this ensures that the quality of teaching remains good. New staff are inducted very effectively with established staff offering good help to newcomers.

p.17

Commentary

39. The deputy headteacher has made good strides in her role as assessment co-ordinator in setting up a system for using performance data to track the progress made by every pupil. Teachers have used this information well in setting individual targets for pupils. However, the headteacher has not made enough use of this information to get an overview of what needs to be done to improve pupil performance from a whole-school perspective. The development plan for the school is not based on thorough self-evaluation, lacks precision, and often does not focus on what difference improvements are intended to make to pupil performance. As a result, whilst there is good leadership of the infant, Year 3/4 and Year 5/6 units of the school, the headteacher is not providing a coherent overview that drives through important improvements that are needed, such as the development of reading and writing skills in the

p.17

Commentary

40. The governing body is managing to fulfil its statutory duties and its inclusive policies have been particularly effective. However, despite the sterling work of a few individuals, it does not have a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. Many meetings are not quorate and the committee structure has broken down, leaving all business to be run from the main meeting. Consequently, the governing body is in a weak position to challenge and support the senior management of the school. The need for effective action to improve reading and writing in the school has not been clearly understood and some of the actions from the last inspection have not been followed through successfully, such as the need to improve the quality of the school’s development plan. The governing body receives regular updates on income and expenditure and the financial management of the school is sound.

p.17

Commentary

Extra money provided for the support of pupils who are learning English as an additional language has been used well and these pupils’ achievement is good.

p.17

Commentary

Financial information for the year April 2002 to March 2003

p.17

Commentary

Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Wakefield Pinders Primary School - 16 Total income 714,681 Balance from previous year 4,368 Total expenditure 695,025 Balance carried forward to the next 24,024 Expenditure per pupil 2,914

p.17

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

The inspection focused on children’s personal, social and emotional development, communication, language and literacy skills and mathematical development. In other areas of learning, there was insufficient evidence to form an overall judgement on provision. The strengths of the provision are the rich curriculum, relationships with parents, keeping records to check children’s progress and teachers’ and support staff’s detailed knowledge of the children that enables staff to provide very appropriate learning opportunities that interest and fully involve all children. The leadership team work well together, providing positive direction for developing the quality of the provision and managing the Foundation Stage well. The children enter the nursery class with very low attainment and most have poorly developed speaking and listening skills. They achieve well in both the nursery and the Reception classes because the teaching is good. Particular strengths are the positive, purposeful

p.18

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

relationships between staff and children and the stimulating activities provided. Children come to school confidently and enjoy these activities. The adults are particularly sensitive to the language needs of those learning English as an additional language, to whom they offer good support. The quality of education was good in the previous inspection, but since then the level of adult support has improved for Reception children and this includes a bilingual teaching assistant. The school has also made a start at improving outdoor play provision for Reception children. The standards described below are very similar to the last inspection.

p.18

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

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

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The children achieve very well because of very good teaching. Children are learning to be independent and are generally learning to work and play happily together. • The daily routines offer security and lead children towards increasing independence.

p.18

Commentary

41. All children are well cared for and supported. As a result, they come into their classes happily and are given a warm welcome. Children who speak English as an additional language are welcomed in their first language, helping them to feel confident about coming to school. In nursery, children are beginning to know the daily routines and, although many of them are still lacking in confidence about answering their names when the register is called, they know that they have to sit still and listen to the teacher. Older children in Reception answer their names confidently. They are used to class routines and put up their hands to answer questions, listening carefully to other children.

p.18

Commentary

42. Children in the nursery are beginning to concentrate on their various activities and to learn the correct way to behave. When necessary, adults correct the children firmly but gently, supporting self-esteem. They expect the children to be responsible and take every opportunity to encourage this. Children in the nursery are beginning to understand that they must tidy away after their activities. By the time that children are in the Reception classes, they know that they must tidy away for themselves and do this sensibly. Wakefield Pinders Primary School - 17 43. All adults encourage the development of social skills in a variety of ways. The secure, caring environment, provided in both nursery and Reception, means that children learn to be independent. Children with special educational needs and English as an additional language are well integrated and receive good support. Pupils are helped to concentrate by the

p.18

Commentary

stimulating nature of the activities offered. As a result, most children in the Reception are able to maintain attention and sit quietly, and are confident to try new activities. The learning is very good and almost all the children are likely to reach the goals expected by the end of Reception.

p.19

COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Provision in communication, language and literacy is good .

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teachers and support staff take every opportunity to develop the children’s language skills, and teaching is good overall. • There is a very good emphasis on improving the children’s speaking and listening skills.

p.19

Commentary

44. Most children start school with poorly developed language skills, for example, speaking single words or using body language to communicate. Very good emphasis is placed on improving the children’s speaking and listening skills by encouraging them to answer in sentences and by asking them to repeat words about which they are unsure. Achievement is good, even though standards are low with many children developing insufficient language to express themselves clearly by the end of the Foundation Stage. Almost all are not likely to reach the goals expected at the end of Reception.

p.19

Commentary

45. The good teaching is characterised by a good understanding of the needs of young children. Sessions are very well organised with exciting activities that motivate pupils. For example, in a very good lesson in the nursery, the children enjoyed the story of ‘The Gingerbread Man’ and this was made more exciting for the children with the use of models of the characters in the story. This was especially helpful to the children who spoke English as an additional language. This was followed with the children acting out the story and being given good opportunities for learning and practising new words, although the children’s language skills were limited and they needed a lot of sensitive help from the teaching assistant. In a good lesson in Reception, children enjoyed the story of ‘Elmer the Elephant’ and more able children thought of words to describe an elephant such as ‘big’ and ‘it has round ears’. The range of activities following the

p.19

Commentary

story gave lots of good opportunities for talking about it. A group who were telling the story, by putting the pictures in the correct order, were encouraged to talk in sentences rather than in one word answers by the teaching assistant. The learning that arises from this good teaching is also good.

p.19

Commentary

46. All adults reinforce early writing skills and there is a good supply of paper, pencils and crayons available for children to enjoy using in writing activities. As part of a religious education lesson, more able children in Reception wrote simple sentences such as ‘They went to Makkah for Hajj’.

p.19

MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in mathematical development is good .

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Adults question children very well and use a wide variety of activities to support learning. • There is a strong emphasis on making mathematics meaningful. Wakefield Pinders Primary School - 18

p.19

Commentary

47. Many opportunities are used for counting activities. In the nursery, children practise counting how many are in the class when the register has been called. In a very good lesson when the children were enjoying a story with their teacher, more able children carefully counted how many creatures there were on each page up to 10. In a good lesson in Reception, the teacher provided a good range of counting activities and ensured that children touched each object as they counted. More able children in Reception are able to do simple addition sums using numbers up to 10 and recognise some simple shapes, such as circle, square, triangle and rectangle.

p.20

Commentary

48. There is a good emphasis on practical activities that give children opportunities to learn about number in a meaningful way. Teaching and learning overall are good. Children in the nursery count how many buttons there are on the Gingerbread Man in the story and more able children in Reception thread the correct number of beads and follow a pattern carefully. Although achieving well in the Foundation Stage, almost all the children are unlikely to reach the goals expected by the end of Reception.

p.20

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

49. Many opportunities are used to develop children’s knowledge and understanding of the world . Children in the nursery talked about how many legs a spider should have when they were looking at a book with their teacher. Children in Reception used a mouse confidently when they were drawing a picture on the computer and understood how to open the program that they wanted to use. In a music lesson, they were confident to try to make loud and soft sounds on different musical instruments.

p.20

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

50. Classroom activities consistently develop children’s co-ordination through a wide range of experiences, such as cutting and sticking, colouring and threading beads to help with their physical development . Children in Reception learnt a simple folk dance and were enthusiastic, making a good physical effort and developing co-ordination. Outdoor play activities provided opportunities for children to be increasingly aware of others while moving around.

p.20

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

51. The good range of activities, such as painting, colouring opportunities, music making and acting out stories, provides children with good opportunities for developing their creative skills . There are opportunities for role-play in the ‘home corner’ and during the inspection, children in the nursery enjoyed acting out imaginatively the story of ‘The Gingerbread Man’. Children in Reception enjoyed making Humpty Dumpty out of modelling materials.

p.20

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

52. The limited evidence seen during the inspection indicates that almost all the children are unlikely to reach the goals expected in knowledge and understanding of the world, physical development and creative development.

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils, especially those learning English as an additional language, achieve well, but juniors do not use reading and writing confidently. Wakefield Pinders Primary School - 19 • Overall, teaching and learning are good. • Pupils’ performance is systematically tracked, shortcomings identified and pupils helped to improve. • Leadership and management are good, but insufficient opportunities are provided to check and develop teaching and learning.

p.20

Commentary

53. Pupils, particularly those whose home language is not English, achieve well in speaking and listening. This is a strength of the teaching and learning in all subjects. The good achievement is equally true of boys and girls, more able pupils and those with special educational needs. When pupils start Year 1, nearly all have English language skills well below those expected for their age. Throughout the infants, many opportunities are provided where pupils want to talk and listen, as activities are interesting and, wherever possible, based around useful, practical experiences, such as shopping, visits to museums and cooking. For younger pupils with very little English, confidence is further boosted by having very sensitive and encouraging support from a bilingual assistant using their first language where appropriate. This is an improvement since the previous inspection, when the youngest pupils were often unsupported.

p.21

Commentary

54. By the time they are seven, standards in speaking and listening have risen to below average. Nearly all can express their thoughts about what is happening around them and listen and respond to questions, although often not in complete sentences. They speak confidently, although sometimes hesitantly, not being afraid to make mistakes. White British pupils are more able to extend their ideas and answer more quickly than those from different ethnic backgrounds for whom English is an additional language.

p.21

Commentary

55. Pupils continue to make good progress through the juniors, responding well to the more complex demands in using English to support their learning. Staff are very good at making sure pupils know, understand and use appropriate words and language construction when discussing new ideas and experiences. Classrooms displays are rich in words and frequently referred to when reinforcing learning. Pupils with a different home language become increasingly adept at explaining their thinking in English because of this approach.

p.21

Commentary

56. By the time they are aged 11, nearly all white British pupils and half those for whom English is an additional language speak and listen appropriately for their age. The current Year 6 has a higher proportion of pupils who learn at a slower rate, including some with special educational needs, and they lack confidence in developing ideas and expressing themselves clearly. As a result, standards overall are below average.

p.21

Commentary

57. In the infants, pupils acquire the basic skills of reading well as they follow an appropriately structured programme and are given plenty of individual and class support. However, many pupils receive little help at home and this learning is not reinforced to any degree outside of lessons. White British pupils make better progress than pupils whose home language is not English as their speaking skills are more advanced. Overall standards are below average.

p.21

Commentary

58. In the juniors, the focus on learning and using basic skills continues and generally pupils become fluent readers, able to read independently and work out meaning in different ways. However, they are not very good at using reading to find out information or absorbing and responding to a wide range of fiction and non-fiction. Even the most able Year 6 pupils from a range of backgrounds have undeveloped library skills, struggling to use indexes and catalogues. Consequently, standards overall are well below average.

p.21

Commentary

59. There is a similar picture with the development of writing. In the infants, pupils generally have a good foundation in the basic skills, learning to spell common words, use full stops and capital letters and write letters clearly. However, pupils using English as an additional language have more difficulty using sounds to write unfamiliar words and then struggle to read their own writing. Generally, pupils achieve satisfactorily but standards in Year 2 are below average. Wakefield Pinders Primary School - 20 60. Again in the juniors, pupils continue to make satisfactory gains in understanding the structure of writing and learn how to use these skills for different purposes. They become more able to write in sequenced sentences but need considerable guidance to extend their ideas and bring variety and interest in their choice of words. Pupils whose home language is not English find this particularly challenging, especially when trying to communicate complex thoughts.

p.21

Commentary

However, all pupils do not use writing easily as part of their learning or in life generally. So by the time they are 11-years-old, standards in writing are well below average.

p.22

Commentary

61. Overall, the teaching and learning are good. Teachers plan very well to make sure that all pupils, particularly those using English as an additional language, recently joined asylum seekers and refugees and those with special educational needs, have learning opportunities that match their learning requirements. In addition, there is a high ratio of staff to pupils and these teams work very well together giving very effective support to individuals and small groups; this especially benefits pupils learning at a slower rate. Teachers set and achieve high standards of behaviour and classrooms are orderly and calm. Together, these strengths make sure pupils work hard, are productive and generally enjoy learning in a very inclusive atmosphere. Whilst pupils are given homework and most diligently complete assignments, many receive little help at home and their learning is not always reinforced sufficiently. Staff

p.22

Commentary

are making more effective use of new technologies in their teaching and learning.

p.22

Commentary

62. Staff know pupils very well and are very good at checking their progress in class and through tests. Teachers use this information very well in planning lessons and agreeing individual targets with pupils to help them improve. However, the systematic tracking and prediction of individuals’ performance have not been assimilated to produce realistic school targets for English, which are far too high for the current Year 6.

p.22

Commentary

63. The co-ordinator is new but receives valuable help from the former post holder and the subject is well led. She was aware of the need to look at ways of helping juniors be more proficient at using reading and writing to support their learning. She has worked hard to understand the scope of her role and has the commitment, experience and enthusiasm to lead and manage the developments necessary to raise achievement further. Overall, the school has made steady progress since the previous inspection.

p.22

Language and literacy across the curriculum

64. As reported, speaking and listening are very well promoted in all lessons but opportunities for using reading and writing in the juniors are limited. There is much use of worksheets and structured activities for recording work in many subject lessons. Whilst this is helpful initially for the many pupils learning English as an additional language, they become over-reliant and less confident and their reading and writing skills are not developed sufficiently.

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The quality of teaching and learning is good, but higher attaining pupils do not always have sufficient extension work. • Standards are below average, but pupils achieve well overall. • Pupils throughout the school have difficulty answering word problems. This has already been identified as a priority for action this year. • The mathematics curriculum is broad and balanced. Pupils enjoy their lessons and work hard.

p.22

Commentary

Wakefield Pinders Primary School - 21 65. The pupils, regardless of their backgrounds and including those with special educational needs and those for whom English is an additional language, achieve well overall. Despite the good progress made by both boys and girls, inspection findings confirm the school’s assessment that current standards are below average throughout the school. This is because of the generally low levels of performance on entry to the school. The pupils are receiving a broad curriculum. At present, subject leadership is satisfactory. The subject leader has recently been given responsibility throughout the school, after some time being co-ordinator of mathematics in the juniors. There are plans for her to monitor the subject more actively across the school and this should help provide a clearer picture and identify further areas for development. Good records have been set up that track the progress of individual pupils.

p.23

Commentary

Although this information has not been fully exploited to find areas that need improvement, the national tests have been analysed in this way.

p.23

Commentary

66. Overall, the quality of teaching is good; it was very good in one lesson and good in the other six observed. Teachers are good at matching the work to the pupils’ abilities, resulting in good achievement. Pupils’ work is checked frequently during the lesson so that pupils’ problems are quickly addressed. The National Numeracy Strategy is successfully established throughout the school. Teachers’ subject knowledge is secure and they are clear about what they want pupils to learn. They share these aims with the pupils at the beginning of lessons so that teaching has a sharp focus, the main points are clearly made and reinforced, and pupils make progress in learning. Teachers use the appropriate mathematical vocabulary consistently well and this ensures that pupils can also use it when discussing their findings. This is an improvement since the previous inspection and is particularly successful for pupils with

p.23

Commentary

English as an additional language, those with special educational needs, asylum seekers and children who have only recently joined the school. One very good example of this was with the older pupils when they were able to describe angles as acute, right angle, obtuse or reflex when measuring them with protractors.

p.23

Commentary

67. Pupils are actively involved in their learning and know what they must do to improve. Their attitudes and behaviour are very good. They have appropriate, individual targets that are set by the teachers based on test data. Pupils know they will be helped by teachers and teaching assistants to achieve them. Pupils’ work is marked regularly, but the quality of some marking does not help them, as teachers’ comments do not always offer suggestions for improvement. The quality of pupils’ learning is good. They listen attentively to class teaching and work hard in groups and on their own. Generally, pupils enjoy mathematics and are eager to take part in lessons, but some of the higher attaining pupils do not always have sufficient extension work. These pupils complete their tasks within the time allocated but are not given sufficiently challenging work to extend this learning further.

p.23

Commentary

68. Pupils make good progress in the infant classes and maintain steady progress in the juniors. They are enthusiastic about mathematics, for instance, when a group of older pupils explore the relationship between 9, 90 and 900 when multiplying and dividing, but have particular difficulty answering word problems. This applies to pupils from all backgrounds and limits the performance in all aspects of the subject. The school has identified this issue as a priority. Pupils work at a good pace and are excited by their successes, raising self-esteem and increasing their involvement in learning. They enjoy applying their skills when exploring shape, measurements and data-handling, increasingly making effective use of new technologies to present work, for example, when drawing charts and pie graphs to represent their findings from an investigation.

p.23

Mathematics across the curriculum

69. Pupils’ mathematical skills are well used to support their learning in other subjects. For example, in science, pupils are expected to measure and record accurately when conducting experiments and observations; and in geography, they use line graphs and bar charts to present information. Younger pupils use two-dimensional shapes in art and ICT to make Wakefield Pinders Primary School - 22 pictures and patterns. These opportunities help children strengthen their mathematical understanding. Wakefield Pinders Primary School - 23

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils achieve well throughout the school due to good teaching. • Teachers’ planning for investigational work is very well thought through and pupils are progressing well in this aspect. • A good emphasis is placed on the learning of scientific vocabulary so that pupils for whom English is an additional language can take a full part in science lessons. • Pupils enter the school with a very low level of knowledge and understanding and, despite the good achievement overall, standards in Year 2 and Year 6 are below average. • The science co-ordinator is improving provision and developing good practice in checking on pupils’ learning. • The effectiveness of a few teachers is limited by a need to develop more subject knowledge. • Pupils’ attitudes to the subject are very good.

p.25

Commentary

70. Pupils’ knowledge and understanding develops well as they move through Years 1 and 2. Year 1 pupils gain a good understanding of the different sources of sound through imaginative practical activities and games that get an enthusiastic response. They learn to name parts of the body and to sequence the different stages of human growth. A strong feature of pupils’ achievement is the way that those who are learning English as an additional language are beginning to pick up the specific science vocabulary needed to progress. Another strength is the good progress in beginning to predict what will happen and record observations during investigations.

p.25

Commentary

71. Despite good achievement in Years 1 and 2, the low starting point in Year 1 means that standards in Year 2 are below average. Some can describe what is happening and think of adjectives to describe ice as it melts, but pupils for whom English is an additional language, whilst making good gains in acquiring vocabulary, are dependent on others to describe what is happening. Pupils are beginning to use simple tables when recording observations, but many are very dependant on the teacher to do this successfully. Although they can recognise different sources of sound, they are not yet able to compare sounds with any clear criteria. There were many good observations recorded in pictures on the way exercise affects the body.

p.25

Commentary

72. The strengths of pupils’ achievement in Years 1 and 2 continue through the juniors. Pupils develop skills in how to carry out investigations in well-ordered steps. In Year 3, pupils record their observation of rock differences in a table and estimate weights of rock samples. This recording becomes more individual and less teacher-directed in Year 4 and good use is made of mathematical skills in recording the temperature of cooling water using line graphs. Pupils acquiring English as an additional language continue to make good gains in scientific vocabulary, but lack of English skills is still a hindrance to learning, such as the difficulty faced by pupils in Year 4 when trying to plan an investigation to find the best material to keep things warm. As pupils move into Years 5 and 6, the lack of development of writing skills is particularly noticeable. Pupils develop well in using the guidance given by teachers for carrying

p.25

Commentary

out an experiment, but many struggle to write effectively when the teachers’ framework is taken away. Throughout the school, the pupils’ very good attitudes to learning make sure that they get the most out of the activities given to them.

p.25

Commentary

73. The good achievement through the infants and juniors is common to boys and girls and applies to pupils of all backgrounds and capabilities. Wakefield Pinders Primary School - 24 74. For pupils in Year 6, although there has been good achievement in the junior years, standards overall are still below average. When led by the teacher, many can come up with a suitable fair test to a question, but many struggle to do this independently. Many of the achievements are typical of performance expected before Year 6, such as the choice of circuits that would make a bulb work, the categorisation of materials as conductors or insulators, and drawing a simple conclusion from an experiment dissolving material.

p.25

Commentary

75. Teaching overall is good - the teaching observed was good in seven sessions and satisfactory in two. The good emphasis on language development and the very helpful guidance given on how to conduct an experiment were consistent strengths. The teachers have good relationships with the pupils, who respond by working hard, paying good attention and working well together. High expectations are placed on pupils’ behaviour and the teachers have created a very inclusive atmosphere in lessons. In a few sessions, some insecurity in teachers’ subject knowledge limits the gains that pupils could make. Good use is made of new technologies to support the learning taking place.

p.26

Commentary

76. The two co-ordinators over the last year have been successful in creating a broad curriculum that has an effective emphasis on teaching pupils how to conduct investigations. The co- ordinators have given good guidance to teachers, improving their expertise and this typifies good leadership and management. Some good procedures are in place for keeping track on what the pupils are being taught, but information from tests is not being analysed to identify specific strengths and weaknesses. The situation is very similar to the previous inspection. This year’s Year 6 are weaker than the Year 6 of the last inspection, but there is now better teaching about how to conduct science investigations and the co-ordinator keeps track of what is being taught.

p.26

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Provision in information and communication technology is good .

p.26

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Inspectors saw only two information and communication technology (ICT) lessons. These, along with examples of pupils’ completed work and discussions with pupils, form the basis of judgements on provision and overall standards. However, there is insufficient evidence to make a judgement about the overall quality of teaching and learning.

p.26

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Significant improvement in facilities, resources and staff confidence has taken place since the previous inspection. • Pupils lack opportunities to study higher skills in control and monitoring, but have very positive attitudes to their work. • New technologies are increasingly being used to support pupils’ learning in other subjects, but there is room for this to be developed further.

p.26

Commentary

77. Standards at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 are typical of those expected nationally for the age of the pupils. By the end of Year 2, pupils have sufficient confidence and experience to use a word processor, store and retrieve information, use a painting program and handle equipment safely. By the end of Year 6, pupils know how to assemble information on a spreadsheet, can control a floor robot and use the Internet. The school has a scheme of work that provides a framework for the curriculum, highlighting the areas to be taught in each year group. This is effective in most cases, but the control and monitoring strand of the subject is under represented. Pupils do not have opportunities to use sensors to monitor light, sound or temperature, and this restricts overall attainment. Wakefield Pinders Primary School - 25 78. Teaching and learning were good in the two lessons seen and pupils achieved well as they

p.26

Commentary

learnt to experiment with the computer program’s controls when “painting” designs and pictures. In both lessons seen, pupils from all backgrounds made sound progress. When some pupils with special educational needs and those who have English as an additional language had difficulties reading the instructions, they were helped effectively by staff and the other pupils, so making good progress. Achievement overall in the infants and juniors is good. Pupils have very positive attitudes and apply themselves well to their work. Teachers have improved their subject knowledge through a national training scheme and this has been a significant factor in improving overall provision.

p.27

Commentary

79. The leadership of the subject is sound and the provision has improved since the previous inspection. The suite contains good quality computers and an interactive whiteboard that teachers use effectively to teach skills. There are computers in classrooms for pupils to practise their new skills by applying them in other subjects. Older pupils practised their skills in measuring angles when working with a teaching assistant. There are no arrangements for the subject leaders to monitor aspects of teaching, and the assessment of pupils’ progress, whilst being undertaken by individual teachers in order to move pupils on, lacks a whole-school system. The school has already identified these issues as areas for further work.

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Information and communication technology across the curriculum

80. Pupils are gaining much from the greater use of new technologies in other subjects. Younger pupils use computers confidently to draw pictures and write captions for displays. The older pupils have used the Internet to develop information sheets for younger pupils on a range of topics, such as animals and birds. In these examples, the pupils showed sensitivity to the needs of the audience by carefully considering the content and illustrations. Examples of pupils’ work using ICT were also seen in mathematics, science, geography and art. In all cases, these activities had helped pupils have a better idea of the topics being studied, but there is room for this aspect to be developed further.

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Religious education

Provision in religious education is satisfactory .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The curriculum covers distinctive features of religious traditions in major world faiths and their application to everyday life for believers. • There are strong links with personal and social education, and with the ethos of the school. • Opportunities for speaking and listening are used well.

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Commentary

81. Two lessons in religious education (RE) were seen. It is not possible, therefore, to make an overall judgement on the quality of teaching and learning. However, this evidence, taken together with that from an analysis of pupils’ work, displays and discussions with pupils and teachers, shows that overall provision for the subject is satisfactory and pupils’ attainment in Years 2 and 6 is broadly in line with the standards expected in the locally agreed syllabus. This is a similar picture to that found in the previous inspection. Pupils throughout the school talked knowledgeably about the different religions that they had studied and pupils in the juniors make sound progress. In discussion, Year 6 pupils showed that they had a satisfactory knowledge of some of the main religions in the world, and could make links between religious ideas of different faiths. For example, they were aware that there are similarities between faiths, such

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Commentary

Wakefield Pinders Primary School - 26 as ‘holy writings’, and they know that prayer and worship are a feature of all religions that they have studied. 82. Year 6 pupils show a good awareness of the importance of respecting each other’s faiths and know that the mix of pupils from different faiths contributes to an understanding and appreciation of what other people believe. This is a strong link with what is taught in personal and social education and this tolerance is seen in all aspects of school life. In one of the two lessons observed, pupils in Year 2 considered what they had learned during the previous weeks about the Bible and the Qu’ran, and good opportunities were provided for speaking and listening. Discussion was also a strong feature of a Year 1 lesson where pupils talked confidently about Moslems going on Hajj to Makkah. Overall, there is very good achievement as pupils move through Years 1 and 2.

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Commentary

83. The subject co-ordinator has been successful in introducing the new locally agreed syllabus to the school. A portfolio of pupils’ work has been started, but as yet, the co-ordinator has not been able to monitor standards or teaching and learning in any systematic way.

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History and Geography

Only one geography and no history lessons were seen during the inspection and so it is not possible to form an overall judgement about provision. Work was sampled and the standard of the pupils’ work seen is broadly average, as it was in the previous inspection. The co-ordinator of these subjects has monitored planning to check on provision and ensured that up-to-date policies are in place.

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History and Geography

84. In geography , a topic approach is used, based on national guidance, ensuring that pupils’ skills, knowledge and understanding develop as they move through the school. The school makes sure that pupils have as much first hand experience as possible and make good use of the local environment, such as when pupils in Year 2 looked at the town centre of Wakefield and considered how people travelled to work every day. They have looked at the environment of the seaside and use geographical vocabulary confidently, such as ‘beach’, ‘cliff’ and ‘promenade’, to label their pictures. Year 6 pupils are learning about different environments and are currently looking at the landscape in the Snowdonia region. They know the correct vocabulary to use, such as ‘U-shaped glacial valley’, ‘cirque’ and ‘summit’. In the one lesson seen, Year 4 pupils found out about rivers and used atlases confidently to name the rivers on

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History and Geography

85. A similar topic approach is used in history and again, there is a good emphasis on pupils having first hand experience to enrich their studies, such as visits to Clarke Hall to learn about the Tudors or a visit from someone dressed as a ‘Roman soldier’ to develop their understanding of how the Romans lived. Pupils in Year 6 have recently been learning about Ancient Egypt and have had good opportunities to use hieroglyphics, researching why the River Nile was so important in Ancient Egypt. Pupils in Year 2 have learnt about famous people and know that such characters as Florence Nightingale and Louis Braille made valuable contributions to improve various aspects of people’s lives.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

Three short lessons of dance in physical education and two each of design and technology and music were observed but no art and design lessons were seen during the inspection period. This was not sufficient to form an overall judgement about provision in these subjects. Inspectors talked to subject leaders and looked at pupils’ work and curriculum plans.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

86. The standard of the pupils’ work seen in art and design was in line with the national expectations for pupils aged seven and 11. The school celebrates pupils’ work effectively and the displays in classrooms and corridors show a wide range of approaches to art. Year 1 and 2 pupils use computers very well to design and draw pictures that are well proportioned and attractively coloured. One of the most effective displays features the development of Wakefield Pinders Primary School - 27 observational drawing from the nursery class through to the oldest pupils. This shows how the pupils compose thoughtful sketches of everyday objects and improve their skills and techniques as they move through the school. Some of the line drawings by the older pupils show maturity and sensitivity. Other displays show pupils’ work in the style of famous artists, such as Mondrian and Monet, in which they are able to adopt their styles and create attractive

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

87. The standard of the pupils’ work seen in design and technology was as expected for the age and maturity of the pupils. Teachers use the subject well to help pupils work safely with tools and materials. In a good lesson with Year 1 pupils, the teacher made good links with science as pupils made their own musical instruments. They experimented with a variety of ways of making sounds before designing their own percussion instrument on a design sheet, prior to making it. The pupils worked very well together, discussing and evaluating their work. In a Year 5 class, the pupils designed and made board games linked to their geography work on rivers. They collaborated very well with others and generated lots of exciting ideas. They worked from their plans, using equipment precisely and safely to make games that meet the design brief. Throughout the school, there are examples of pupils’ work that show an

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

appropriate range of opportunities for ‘design and make’ activities. Pupils evaluate their work through the use of discussions and review sheets. The monitoring of standards and the use of such information to improve provision is underdeveloped, both in this subject and in art and design.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

88. In Year 2, the standard of music observed was as expected for the age and maturity of the pupils. In the good lesson watched, all bar three Year 2 pupils could keep a simple steady beat in time to a familiar song. These pupils can also respond to a simple rhythm by copying it accurately. The pupils play untuned percussion with an appropriate degree of control for their age. Good response to the teacher’s high expectation of behaviour makes learning more effective - pupils keep instruments quiet when not required to play and they listen attentively to the teacher. The pupils persevered, tried hard and showed good motivation in response to teaching that kept them interested and used good humour and imaginative activities.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

89. The standard of singing of Year 6 pupils was well below the expected standard for their age and maturity. Most were unable to sing in tune with expression and were still at the level of showing the sense of a melody’s shape and maintaining a beat in accompaniment to the song. The good attitude and effort shown by the pupils was a product of the good relationship with the class teacher, who motivated them with good encouragement and humour. Limits in teachers’ subject expertise affected the progress made in both the lessons observed. Peripatetic experts visit the school weekly to teach brass, flute, clarinet and violin.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

90. In physical education , Year 6 were observed for two short sessions of dance. All pupils worked well together when creating dances, putting in a good effort encouraged by positive comments from the teachers. The standard of the pupils’ work was below that expected for their age and maturity. Most could choose and use appropriate movements for their dance and about half showed precision and control when performing the dance. This is expected achievement before reaching Year 6. Apart from a few more able pupils, they struggled to make comments about the skills, techniques and ideas in others’ dance routines or use them to improve their own work. The positive attitudes of the pupils, modelled on those of the teachers, allowed all pupils to take part without worrying about what others thought of their efforts. About a fifth of Year 6 pupils are able to swim 25m.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

91. In a good Year 1 lesson creating a square dance, pupils made good gains in developing control, co-ordination and the linking of actions into simple sequences. They responded well to the music and made good progress in developing their creativity. The teacher used the music tape skilfully, allowing pupils plenty of opportunity to go at a manageable pace and learn from each other. The pupils responded well to the high expectation that the teacher placed on quality performance. The spacious, well-maintained hall allowed freedom of movement and gave plenty of opportunity for pupils to develop their awareness of space. Wakefield Pinders Primary School - 28

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

Only two short lessons and part of a third lesson were observed and so no overall judgement could be made about provision in this subject. Inspectors also talked to pupils and staff and looked at lesson and curriculum plans.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

92. Pupils respond well in a whole-class ‘circle time’. Most are confident and happy to contribute and share their feelings. Year 5 pupils had clear views about issues in the playground that needed improvement. Year 6 pupils were able to apply principles of respecting differences between people to practical situations in the playground. Year 2 pupils were able to identify common problems in the playground and offer solutions.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

93. Strong features of the sessions observed were good relationships between teachers and pupils, sensitive handling of the discussion taking place and opportunity provided for all pupils, including those who are learning English as an additional language, to take part. The good behaviour of pupils and the respect they showed to one another’s contribution enabled the discussions to progress at a good pace. Wakefield Pinders Primary School - 29

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The overall effectiveness of the school 3 How inclusive the school is 2 How the school’s effectiveness has changed since its last inspection 4 Value for money provided by the school 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Overall standards achieved 5 Pupils’ achievement 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities 3 Attendance 6 Attitudes 2 Behaviour, including the extent of exclusions 3 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The quality of education provided by the school 3 The quality of teaching 3 How well pupils learn 3 The quality of assessment 3 How well the curriculum meets pupils’ needs 3 Enrichment of the curriculum, including out-of-school activities 4 Accommodation and resources 3 Pupils’ care, welfare, health and safety 3 Support, advice and guidance for pupils 3 How well the school seeks and acts on pupils’ views 5 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 2

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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 6 The leadership of the headteacher 4 The leadership of other key staff 3 The effectiveness of management 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

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