Willow Lane Community Primary School

WILLOW LANE COMMUNITY PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 17 th - 19 th May 2004

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WILLOW LANE COMMUNITY 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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WILLOW LANE COMMUNITY 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. Willow Lane Community Primary School - 1

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Primary School category: Community Age range of pupils: 4 - 11 Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 131 School address: Willow Lane Lancaster Lancashire Postcode: LA1 5PR Telephone number: (01524) 658 80 Fax number: (01524) 844 687 Appropriate authority: The governing body Name of chair of governors: Mr B Penney Date of previous inspection: 20 th April 1998

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

• There are 131 pupils on roll: 75 boys and 56 girls. • Almost all pupils are white, British and three are mixed race. • No pupils are at an early stage of learning English. • There are no refugees, travellers or asylum seekers but three children are in care. • There are 58 pupils on the special educational needs register: an above average proportion. There are 21(including six with statements) whose difficulties are more severe and these include emotional and behavioural difficulties, dyslexia, speech and communication difficulties, moderate learning difficulties, physical difficulty and autism. • The school is involved in the following initiatives: Excellence in Cities The Children’s Fund • It achieved the following awards in 2002: Activemark Gold Basic Skills Quality Mark Schools Achievement Award • During the last school year 23 pupils left and 17 joined other than at the usual time of doing so. This is above the average.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

• Attainment on entry is well below national expectations. • The social and economic context of the school is well below the national average. Willow Lane Community Primary School - 2

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

25470 J Morley Lead inspector English Art and design Design and technology Personal, social and health education Citizenship English as an additional language 9333 K Schofield Lay inspector 20038 G Watson Team inspector Mathematics Information and communication technology Music Religious education Special educational needs 27477 J Mitchell Team inspector Science Geography History Physical education Foundation Stage

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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). Willow Lane Community Primary School - 3

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 6 - 9

Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 6 - 9

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL 9 - 13

Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS 25

Willow Lane Community Primary School - 4

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The school provides a satisfactory quality of education but nevertheless has serious

weaknesses ; key elements of leadership and management are weak and there is significant underachievement in writing. Since the last inspection the school has had seven periods of headship / acting headship. The present headteacher (and former deputy headteacher) has been in post for just a matter of weeks. Clearly, he has had insufficient time to make an impact on the school’s weaknesses but, as yet, his leadership and management skills are insufficient to deal with all of them. There is convincing evidence, however, of a clear commitment by him and by governors to welcome and embrace the intensive support and training on offer from the local education authority. Teaching is good on a lesson-to-lesson basis and this bodes well for the future. In addition, the quality of pastoral care is good. When crucial improvements to school and curriculum leadership and to assessment are in place, the strong elements in current provision will provide a secure

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The school provides a satisfactory quality of education but nevertheless has serious

foundation for pupils to attain higher standards. Value for money is sound.

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The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

• The headteacher brings a commitment to the maintenance of the school’s good ethos but, as yet, lacks the leadership and management expertise to address its key weaknesses. • Standards in writing are very low. • Attainment in religious education is too low because the subject has too little curriculum time. • The teachers are skilled practitioners but, in the absence of clear leadership, the impact of their good work is reduced to being satisfactory. • Reception children make consistently good progress from a well below average start. • As a result of good quality pastoral care pupils behave well, have good attitudes to work and have very good and trusting relationships with their teachers and other adults. • Most coordinators have limited impact on standards in their subjects. • Governors have a clear vision for the development of the school and are well equipped to support the newly appointed headteacher.

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The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

Improvement since the last inspection (April 1998) has been unsatisfactory because several key issues have not been addressed: English standards have fallen, the role of coordinators remains undeveloped, school development planning remains weak and there are still weaknesses in assessment. Standards in information and communication technology (ICT) have improved from unsatisfactory to sound, but those in mathematics, science and religious education have fallen to below expectations. Pupils’ recorded work is particularly weak.

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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 C E* E mathematics C A E C science C C E D Key: A - well above average; B - above average; C - average; D - below average; E - well below average; E* - very low. Similar schools are those with a similar proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Achievement is satisfactory overall but unsatisfactory in writing. Children join the school with skills and aptitudes that are well below those expected. They achieve well in the Reception class but by the time they join Year 1 they still fall short of the nationally expected standards, except in their creative and physical development where they meet expectations. Thereafter pupils of all capabilities Willow Lane Community Primary School - 5 and backgrounds achieve satisfactorily overall, leaving Year 2 and Year 6 with below average attainment in mathematics and science. English standards however are well below average because writing standards are very poor. Attainment in religious education, geography and history is below expectations, partly the result of poor recording. Standards in ICT meet expectations, as they do in art and design. Attainment in physical education is good by the end of Year 6. No judgements

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

on attainment were possible in design and technology or in music.

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Provision for pupils’ personal development is good overall. Provision for moral and social

development is good and that for the spiritual and cultural elements is satisfactory. Pupils’ behaviour, attitudes, attendance and punctuality are all good.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The quality of education is satisfactory. The quality of teaching in individual lessons is good overall because teachers have good generic teaching skills. Over time, however, the quality and impact of their work is pegged at a satisfactory level because of weaknesses in whole school systems such as assessment, the influence of subject coordinators and in the rigour with which the school’s work is monitored. Overall, therefore, teaching and learning are satisfactory .

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

There is an appropriate curriculum in place for all subjects except religious education. The time allocated to this subject is too little to allow the locally agreed syllabus to be covered. The range of activities available outside the school day is sound overall and good for sport. The school offers a good level of care and the pastoral element of this is good.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management are unsatisfactory because the newly appointed headteacher does not yet have the skills to deal with the school’s most pressing issues. In addition, he and the two senior managers are not galvanised into a united team with a clear strategic view for the school’s development; and most coordinators are afforded too little scope to raise attainment in the subject(s) they lead. Governance is good; governors are knowledgeable about the strengths and weaknesses of the school and have the skills needed to support it, to challenge its thinking and to hold it to account for the standards it achieves. They fulfil all of their statutory duties.

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Parents express satisfaction with what the school provides. Pupils are happy to come to school. They enjoy relaxed yet respectful relations with their teachers and staff are particularly adept at supporting the significant number of pupils who have emotional or behavioural problems.

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

• Improve the leadership and management skills of the headteacher, including the capacity to plan strategically for the development of the school. • Improve standards of writing across the full curriculum. • Provide adequate time to teach the content of the religious education syllabus effectively. • Inject rigour into assessment and performance management systems, so that they can be used to raise attainment. • Provide subject co-ordinators with the skill and opportunity to influence standards. Willow Lane Community Primary School - 6

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Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

Standards are below average overall. In Year 2 and Year 6 the trends in the school’s results are broadly in line with those nationally. From a well below average start, achievement is satisfactory overall and the school sets appropriately challenging targets.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards are well below average in English. • Achievement is good in the Reception class. It is sound through Years 1 to 6, except in writing where it is poor. • The absence of effective whole school systems – in particular performance management; using assessment to raise attainment and the empowerment of coordinators - limits pupils’ achievement in Years 1 to 6, in spite of much good quality teaching. • Improvement in standards since the last inspection is unsatisfactory.

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Commentary

1. The ‘big picture’ is that children enter the school with attainment that is well below expectations. After a successful first year their attainment is below national expectations (rather than well below). Thereafter they make sound progress in most subjects but do not rise above these below average standards overall.

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Commentary

Standards in national tests at the end of Year 2 – average point scores in 2003 Standards in: School results National results reading 13.7 (13.8) 15.7 (15.8) writing 11.9 (14.1) 14.6 (14.4) mathematics 15.0 (15.7) 16.3 (16.5) There were 19 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year.

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Commentary

2. The table above shows that, in 2003, the Year 2 test results in reading, writing and mathematics were all well below the national average: a slight drop over 2002 in reading and mathematics, but a very significant drop in writing. When compared with similar schools, standards were in line in mathematics, below average in reading and well below average in writing. The standards of the current Year 2 pupils are below national expectations in reading and mathematics and very low in writing. Science standards are also below expectations.

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Commentary

3. The Year 6 table (below) shows that standards in 2003 were well below the national averages for mathematics and science and in the lowest five per cent of all schools nationally for English. Similar school comparisons show that attainment was in line in mathematics, below average in science and well below average in English. Mathematics and science standards are currently below expectations and English standards are well below. Standards of writing in Year 6 are very low - as they are throughout the school - and this has a negative effect on overall standards in English and in other subjects where recording is an important element of pupils’ work. Willow Lane Community Primary School - 7 Standards in national tests at the end of Year 6 – average point scores in 2003 Standards in: School results National results English 22.8 (27.3) 26.8 (27.0) mathematics 24.9 (28.3) 26.8 (26.7) science 26.0 (29.1) 28.6 (28.3)

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Commentary

There were 23 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year.

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Commentary

4. The school sets reasonably challenging targets for its Year 6 pupils, taking account of differences in capability between one cohort and the next. In 2003 it exceeded its mathematics target by four per cent but fell 26 per cent short of the English target.

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Commentary

5. Children in the Reception class achieve well because they are consistently well taught and because this first year has its own, self-contained assessment system that is used well by the class teacher. They make good progress in all areas of learning with the result that, when they join Year 1, they have made up some of the shortfall and are attaining standards that are below expectations in communication, language and literacy; in their personal, social, emotional and mathematical development; and in their knowledge and understanding of the world. Their creative and physical skills are better: in line with expectations in both cases.

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Commentary

6. Thereafter these below average overall standards continue throughout the school, except for writing where they decline to very low levels. The day-to-day work of teachers is invariably good. However, the overall picture of teaching and learning in the school is less favourable because of two key factors:

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Commentary

• Firstly, whole school systems relating to assessment and to performance management are weak and, as a result, limit the potential for pupils’ achievement. Teachers have too little knowledge of the progress that pupils make while in their class and do not have the precise information they need to target support effectively. • Secondly, the role of most subject coordinators is underdeveloped, with the result that they have little or no impact on standards in their subject. In some instances, particularly in English and mathematics, there is clear evidence of good subject expertise that it is significantly underused.

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Commentary

7. At the last inspection, standards in mathematics and science met national expectations. Both have now declined. The school was charged with improving standards in English and ICT: in ICT they have improved to being satisfactory but English standards have declined from below average to well below. Attainment in religious education met the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus at the time of the last inspection but now it falls short of doing so. Pupils’ geographical and historical knowledge and understanding falls short of expectations and their recorded work is poor because their writing skills are so weak. Poor recording skills also impact on pupils’ work in design and technology. Attainment in art and design meets expectations and in physical education it is above that expected.

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Commentary

8. The achievement of pupils with special educational needs is satisfactory. Many pupils who have behavioural difficulties achieve as well as they do because of the skilful management of their behaviour by teachers and support assistants.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities are good. The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils is satisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses:

Willow Lane Community Primary School - 8 • Pupils’ desire to learn is good. • Pupils’ relationships with each other and with adults are good. • Behaviour is good. • Action to promote good attendance and especially to reduce unauthorised absence, is good.

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Commentary

9. Pupils enjoy coming to school. They have a good attitude to learning and most of them show enjoyment in their lessons. Even in the early years they are beginning to develop good levels of concentration and consistently make good progress. Pupils sustain concentration and persevere with tasks, especially when they are trusted to do things on their own. Pupils respond particularly well to those lessons where teachers and support staff stimulate a desire to learn.

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Commentary

10. Relationships among pupils as well as those between pupils and staff are good, with mutual understanding very much in evidence. For example, in a music lesson pupils listened carefully to a special needs pupil being guided by the teacher. They patiently waited for their classmate to respond before continuing with their own enthusiastic involvement in the lesson.

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Commentary

11. Pupils are confident, if necessary, to speak to staff about their work and personal issues. The school has made great strides in recent times to enhance the self-assurance of the small minority of pupils with behavioural and social difficulties. Both parents and pupils value the caring work carried out by the school’s two learning mentors and by other members of staff.

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Commentary

12. Contrary to the perceptions of a small number of parents, the school manages behaviour well and no harassment or bullying was evident during the inspection. In almost every lesson, behaviour was good and, in many cases, it was very good. In the playground, pupils play well together, often participating in games. Creditably, older pupils take care of their younger colleagues through the ‘buddy’ scheme. They are proud of their role: in fact, the Year 6 buddies are eager to retain their distinctive ‘green caps’ when they leave the school at the end of the summer term.

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Commentary

13. The school’s efforts to create a harmonious community have a positive impact on pupils’ social skills. Pupils of the same and different ages get on well together. They respect each other and have a good sense of what is acceptable behaviour and what is not.

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Commentary

14. Staff members deal quickly and effectively with the rare behavioural incidents that warrant their attention. At lunchtime, supervisors provide guidance and support for all pupils, with careful attention to younger members of the community and those with special needs. The number of exclusions has significantly reduced in the current academic year, having gone down to two fixed period occasions affecting two boys. This compares well with the exclusions during the last full year, as shown in the table below.

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Commentary

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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Commentary

Categories used in the Annual School Census No of pupils on roll Number of fixed period exclusions Number of permanent exclusions White – British 128 7 0 Mixed – White and Black Caribbean 1 0 0 Mixed – White and Black African 1 0 0 Mixed – White and Asian 1 0 0 The table gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded. Willow Lane Community Primary School - 9 15. The overall level of attendance is better than the national average although unauthorised absence is still not quite as low as expected. To maintain the good, overall attendance level, parents are reminded in newsletters about the importance of ensuring that their child attends school regularly. They are actively discouraged from taking holidays in term time and are informed of important dates and events. The school has been successful in reducing the high level of unauthorised absence that was shown in the last report and current records show that

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Commentary

Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%) Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data 4.3 School data 0.6 National data 5.4 National data 0.4 The table gives the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.

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Commentary

16. In the event of an unexplained absence, the learning mentors telephone parents on the morning of absence. The school will write formally to parents where there are persistent problems and the learning mentors sometimes make home visits. Usually parents work closely with the school by following the advice given. In the exceptional cases, the school has appropriately used the services of the local authority’s educational welfare officer.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

The overall quality of education is satisfactory . The curriculum is satisfactory for all subjects except religious education. Pupils are cared for in a safe and secure environment and pastoral care is very good.

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Teaching and learning

Despite the good quality of the majority of lessons seen, the overall quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Assessment is unsatisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• All teachers have good generic teaching skills. • Relationships with pupils are delightfully warm and caring. • Individual lessons are often taught well or very well, but lack of support from whole school systems – particularly assessment - means that, over time, both teaching and learning are satisfactory. • Assessment systems and the use of assessment to raise attainment are unsatisfactory.

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Commentary

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 26 lessons

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Commentary

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very poor

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Commentary

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

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Commentary

17. As is evident from the table above, teaching in 19 of the 26 lessons observed during the inspection was good or better. All teachers possess good generic teaching skills, particularly in managing pupils in lessons, where a significant minority display challenging behaviour. Relationships are warm and respectful and pupils are relaxed enough to try out ideas with confidence. Most lessons are conducted at a good pace and work is carefully matched to the Willow Lane Community Primary School - 10 range of ability in the classroom. Where teaching is very good, teachers motivate and enthuse pupils and quickly pick up and deal with their misconceptions. Where it is satisfactory, activities are less interesting and support staff are deployed adequately rather than well. 18. Teaching and learning in the Reception class is consistently good. This is because the curriculum is planned well to provide children with purposeful activity and because children’s

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Commentary

progress is not dependent on systems elsewhere in the school, in essence, it is a self- contained learning environment.

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Commentary

19. Despite the predominance of good lessons during the inspection, the overall quality of teaching in Years 1 to 6 is satisfactory. The outcome is that pupils make sound rather than good progress; they learn adequately, rather than well. This is not because the teachers in these classes are less effective than in Reception. Rather, it is because less positive, whole school factors influence the overall quality of teaching through these years: • The school does not have an effective assessment system. • There are no productive links between the need to raise attainment, the school improvement plan and the school’s performance management system. • Key co-ordinators do not have meaningful opportunities to raise standards in the subjects they oversee. • Pupils’ books have not been monitored with rigour or frequency, yet work of an unacceptable standard is consistently evident in those of the large majority.

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Commentary

20. Generally, teachers adapt their lesson plans appropriately for pupils with special educational needs. In lessons pupils were grouped in a variety of ways to give them extra support: sometimes by ability in the classroom and, at other times, with a support assistant in an adjacent area. The needs of the most able are less frequently identified in planning.

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Commentary

21. Overall, satisfactory use is made of the support assistants. Their contribution to the learning of individuals and groups is particularly good for pupils who have behavioural difficulties. Their contribution is less effective when, in a minority of lessons, they are too ‘thinly spread’; on these occasions they are unable to have the influence that only proximity can give. On occasions, work planned for pupils working with support staff is inappropriate; for example, in a Year 2 lesson, the teacher had not ensured that a pupil’s work was recorded in a mathematically sound format. This resulted, understandably, in the pupil stating that he found the work ‘confusing’.

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Commentary

22. There is no adequate assessment system, either at whole school or at classroom level. As a result, the potential for assessment information to be used to raise attainment is unsatisfactory. There are pockets of good practice that lead to action; analysis by key co- ordinators of pupils’ responses to test questions, for example, has led to adjustments in teaching. Overall, however, the system does not provide answers to the kind of questions that the school should be asking. For example: • Is the school’s assessment data readily accessible to all those who need access to it? • Do class teachers know what progress is expected nationally and how well their pupils achieve against those expectations? • Is progress even between different classes and between different groups of pupils? • If marking offers advice on how to improve, does it make a difference in future work? • Do pupils know how well they are doing? Are parents involved in helping pupils to achieve

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The curriculum

The curriculum is satisfactory overall and provides adequately for all pupils. Accommodation and resources are satisfactory. The opportunities for additional activities outside the school day are satisfactory overall, but good for sport.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

Willow Lane Community Primary School - 11 • The curriculum has improved since the last inspection. • The provision for personal, social and health education and for sport is good. • The time allocated to religious education is unsatisfactory. • Provision for ICT has improved. • The condition of the hall is unsatisfactory.

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Commentary

23. The lack of schemes of work was a key issue at the time of the last inspection. The school now follows the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies; it has adopted the local syllabus for religious education and uses national guidelines to provide schemes of work in all other subjects. At the present time teachers adapt these guidelines themselves as they wish.

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Commentary

24. For two afternoons each week, half of Year 1 pupils join Reception and half join Year 2. On two other afternoons a similar arrangement operates with Years 3 to 5. This, combined with the movement of staff to teach other year groups makes it difficult to ensure that all pupils receive a balanced curriculum and the same entitlement. In addition, the time allocated to teaching religious education is too little to cover the content of the locally agreed syllabus.

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Commentary

25. The provision for personal, social and health education is good because there are timetabled lessons as well as other opportunities. The playground buddies scheme works well by giving pupils in Years 4, 5 and 6 the responsibility of ensuring the well-being of others at playtime, especially younger pupils and anyone who feels lonely. The purchase of new hardware and software, together with staff training, now means that the teachers are confident in ICT.

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Commentary

26. Provision for pupils with special educational needs is satisfactory; the school meets the requirements of the Code of Practice and pupils have individual education plans that adequately itemise the small learning steps they should take. Taking a broader perspective, this school is committed to being inclusive. It provides very well for the pupils who have emotional difficulties or who find it difficult to behave well, helping them to cope with the demands of school and to have the same opportunities to learn as their classmates. The work of all staff and that of the learning mentors is positive in this respect. It provides adequately for pupils who need help with learning. In other respects, not all pupils have the same access to what is on offer; there are differences in curriculum, for example, for pupils from Years 1 and 4 when they split and join the age group that is either above or below them. In addition, there are

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Commentary

occasions when the more able pupils are insufficiently challenged. Overall, therefore, the quality of the school’s work on inclusion is sound.

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Commentary

27. Opportunities for sport are good. In addition to two hours of timetabled lessons each week, all pupils have the opportunity to benefit (through clubs) from staff expertise in gymnastics. Opportunities for music, art and drama are supplemented through a whole week devoted to Music, Art, and Drama: ‘MAD week’. Therefore provision overall for the arts is satisfactory.

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Commentary

28. The condition of the hall is unsatisfactory due to the leaking roof. The ceiling is covered in mould and the outer walls show signs of rising damp. It requires ventilating every morning to remove condensation and dampness. This large area detracts from the rest of the accommodation, which is good and attractively decorated. The reception accommodation has improved since the last inspection by the addition of a secure outdoor play area, although this is small and not really suitable for wheeled toys or large climbing equipment.

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Care, guidance and support

A caring environment is maintained for everyone in the school and provision for all aspects of pupils’ health and safety are good. Willow Lane Community Primary School - 12

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Procedures to ensure a high level of pastoral care for the pupils are good. • Pupils have a very good and trusting relationship with at least one member of staff. • Pupils have well-informed support, advice and guidance on personal issues but that related to academic issues is unsatisfactory. • Liaison with learning mentors to promote self-esteem has been very successful.

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Commentary

29. The pastoral care and welfare of pupils has a very high priority and is well co-ordinated. Through the quality of the staff, the school attentively caters for the needs of everyone. Parents share this view and say that their children are very well cared for and that the staff members are very friendly and co-operative. The safe and secure environment contributes to intrinsically good teaching and learning.

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Commentary

30. Good procedures for all aspects of care are in place, such those for accidents and emergencies, with many members of the staff trained in first aid. Caring practices extend to lessons and, as part of the personal, social and health education lessons, pupils learn about such things as citizenship and their relationship with the wider community. Care for other people extends to the themes taught in school assemblies. For instance, during the inspection, pupils were able to exchange ideas with a teacher about personal sensitivity, particularly about occasions when it was appropriate to laugh or not to laugh at another person.

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Commentary

31. Teachers and non-teaching staff are certainly highly regarded by the pupils, who feel at ease when approaching them for personal advice. Pupils know that the school is interested in their views. Consequently, they are very confident that there is always an adult they can go and talk to if they have any concerns. This was confirmed by the questionnaire, completed before the inspection, where almost every pupil responded positively to the survey and especially to the question, ‘Is there an adult you would go to if you were worried at school?’

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Commentary

32. Teachers and their support staff know their pupils well and are able to cater for their personal needs. At a more formal level, some records are maintained on pupils’ personal development but there is no consistent method in place for assessing academic performance. Pupils do not know enough about how well they are doing or about what they should do to improve.

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Commentary

33. The school is involved with a great deal of social work with pupils. The two learning mentors have been able to promote self-esteem and confidence, particularly with pupils who have behavioural difficulties. Anger management sessions have been outstandingly successful. There are now fewer recorded incidents of poor behaviour, a reduction in the number of exclusions and pupils’ personal behaviour targets are being achieved in a shorter time; all significant achievements. Another significant accomplishment is the improvement in attendance and punctuality. The learning mentors willingly make home visits if this is beneficial. In this way, they are able to extend their care to parents as well as pupils. Overall, the focus of their work relates to bringing those pupils who have emotional or behavioural difficulties to a point at which they are ready to learn. However, as there is no tracking of the

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Commentary

subsequent academic progress of these pupils, it is not easy to establish whether the impact of their work extends beyond the pastoral.

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Commentary

34. The organisation of support assistants often requires them to work with specific pupils in class, at the start of lessons and to continue their support outside the room as the lesson develops. This was seen to be very effective in a Year 3 English lesson. This dual approach enabled the pupils to stay focused on the lesson and ensured that they understood what they were to do. It also afforded them the opportunity for some independence whilst support and guidance was close at hand. Willow Lane Community Primary School - 13

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Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

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

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Procedures to ensure satisfaction and to deal with parents’ concerns are good. • Pastoral liaison with parents is good. • Links with teacher training colleges are good.

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Commentary

35. Teachers and other staff make themselves readily available to parents and carers who need to resolve any concerns. Although very few parents help in school, almost every parent who returned the pre-inspection questionnaire said that they feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem or complaint. A similar number believe that the school seeks the views of parents and takes account of their suggestions and concerns.

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Commentary

36. Parents feel that they are kept well informed through the attractive newsletters the school produces. These are sometimes distributed to the wider community. In addition to receiving a good annual report on the progress of their children, parents are also able to attend a consultation evening with staff and to view their children's books. Parents report that they are never hurried through their meetings with staff. However, there have been no recent meetings for parents to extend their understanding about the subjects that their children learn.

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Commentary

37. Pastoral liaison between the school and parents is a special quality of the school. The two learning mentors have been successful in working with parents whose children have behavioural difficulties or attendance problems. Parents value this link, which, in some cases, has been extended through home visits.

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Commentary

38. During the last year, nine teacher-training students have participated in the life of the school. The school gains by having more support in classes. The school has also worked closely with a college of further education to organise family learning days which are held in the community centre during most school holidays.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management are unsatisfactory overall. The governance of the school is good. The leadership and management of the headteacher are unsatisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The headteacher has yet to develop a clear vision for school improvement that involves strategic implementation of true priorities. • There is insufficient importance given to monitoring attainment and progress data. • The subject leaders are rarely enabled to act on the outcome of the small amount of monitoring they are able to do. • The governing body has a good understanding of strengths and areas for development. • The headteacher has successfully brought his passion for the school ethos and pastoral care of pupils to his recently appointed post. • Arrangements for the induction of newly qualified teachers are good. Willow Lane Community Primary School - 14

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Commentary

39. The newly appointed headteacher is committed to the school and keen to learn, but does not yet have all the skills that the post requires. This means that there are weaknesses in key areas: • The school development plan is a large and unwieldy document that fails to prioritise in a meaningful and achievable way. • Senior managers are not galvanised into a team capable of bringing about change, and their skills are not well used. • The headteacher has an inadequate understanding of how to establish an assessment system, capable of using what is known about pupils’ attainment and progress, in order to raise standards. • Monitoring of pupils’ recorded work lacks rigour. • There is no convincing evidence that all pupils in Years 1 and 4 have equal access to the curriculum.

p.16

Commentary

40. Many subject co-ordinators are already aware of some areas that they feel would benefit pupils’ learning in their subjects. However, several feel that little account is taken of their views and that they are not able to influence improvement. There is evidence, as a result, of a lowering of morale amongst some staff through an apparent lack of value of their professional opinions.

p.16

Commentary

41. The governing body is very supportive of the school and several of its members (the chairman in particular) visit the school frequently and work alongside teachers. Every governor has subject and class links through which their understanding of the school’s provision is maintained. There is a clear committee structure within the governing body, embracing some significant knowledge and expertise. These qualities have been utilised fully when, on occasion, the governing body has challenged a decision of the headteacher.

p.16

Commentary

42. Throughout the time the headteacher has worked in his various capacities in this school, he has always sought to develop a strong ethos that includes good relationships and pastoral care. In this he has been very successful, a view that is borne out by the caring atmosphere and value one for another that is evident in the school. He has effectively established these qualities as a cornerstone of his present role. The newly qualified member of staff has benefited from this ethos, receiving much valued support and guidance in her first year in the profession. She has received direct, weekly support from the chair of governors and professional development in several key areas.

p.16

Commentary

Financial information for the year 2003 to 2004 Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 517, 771 Balance from previous year 9,581 Total expenditure 506,352 Balance carried forward to the next year 21,000 Expenditure per pupil 3,492 Willow Lane Community Primary School - 15

p.16

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

The quality of provision in the Foundation Stage is good .

p.17

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The reception children achieve well in the areas of personal, social and emotional development, communication language and literacy, mathematical and creative development and knowledge and understanding of the world. • The teaching of personal, social and emotional development is very good. The teaching of communication and language and literacy, mathematical and creative development and understanding of the world is good . • The well-planned curriculum for the six areas of learning is firmly based on practical activities, which are well supported by staff. • The teacher and nursery nurse work well as a team and provide good role models.

p.17

Commentary

43. The reception children join in the September of the school year in which they are five. Their attainment when they start school is well below that which is expected in the areas of personal and social skills, communication language and literacy and mathematics. It is below expectations in knowledge and understanding of the world and in creative development but in line with that expected in physical development. By the end of the Reception Year they attain the Early Learning Goals in physical and creative development but do not reach them in the other areas, despite good achievement throughout the year. This is a similar situation to the last inspection. Assessment procedures are sound. Following initial assessments both the teacher and the nursery nurse know the children very well and therefore successfully collect information through day-to-day observations. This information is recorded and used to set

p.17

Commentary

targets for their next stage of learning. These are shared with the children. The curriculum is well planned in all areas of learning. Hence, although many do not reach all the Early Learning Goals by the end of the year, there is progression through the various steps that enable children to make good progress. Reception children have their own enclosed play area but this is small. The area is hardly big enough for wheeled toys such as bikes and the school does not possess any of these. However, during their first term the Reception children have use of the play area belonging to the neighbouring nursery, where they have the opportunity to learn to pedal a bike and use the climbing frame. Planning for the outdoor area is good with a balance of focused supported activities and times when children can choose to go outside themselves.

p.17

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

44. In the area of personal, social and emotional development , teaching is very good. Children achieve well even though many do not reach the expected levels of attainment by the time they enter Year 1. During whole class sessions they are encouraged to listen carefully while others contribute and answer questions. They respond with developing confidence when it is their turn. Children chose their own activities themselves once any set work has been completed. They co-operate well together with adult support to play games, serve in the chip shop, or build with the large bricks. When left on their own they still tend to play alongside other children rather than collaborate with them to direct their own play. Teaching of a mixed aged group with Year 1 pupils was very good. The teacher identified features that were spoiling the classroom and outdoor area. ‘Being in despair and not knowing what to do’

p.17

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

generated many offers of help and all children busily tidied, cleaned and sorted and made up rules so that everything would remain clean and tidy in the future. Stories are used effectively Willow Lane Community Primary School - 16 to reinforce morals and social behaviour and the two staff present very good role models. School routines are quickly learnt and the reception children learn in a secure happy environment.

p.17

COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

45. The children achieve well in communication, language and literacy because the teaching is good but the majority of children do not reach the expected standard by the end of the year. The literacy session is suitably lengthened as the year progresses and the presentation is very suited to young children although they sometimes sit for too long if this is combined with another static activity. Shared reading is exciting with children eagerly following a story about Billy Duck who does not want to go into the water. As a result of very good support from the teacher children try very hard when working with their ‘talking partners’ (each pair has a plastic duck as a prop) to persuade Billy to take the plunge. Imaginative puppets such as Batty Bat help children blend sounds into words when he squashes sounds together. Robbie Robot stretches words into sounds to help them spell. Support for their learning is very good and

p.18

COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

they are beginning to write simple words but only when there is an adult there to help them. On their own, most children make letter shape marks and odd letters.

p.18

MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

46. In mathematical development , children achieve well and the teaching and learning are good. Although more children reach the expected level in mathematics than they do in language and literacy, the overall attainment is below that which is expected when children enter Year 1. Number facts and mathematical concepts are taught in an imaginative way and incidental opportunities are well used during the day. Children count the milk cartons and respond to questions such as ‘Are there enough?’ or ‘How many more do we need?’ During a good lesson the song of ‘Ten Fat Sausages’ stimulated interest in addition and subtraction. Very good support and encouragement from the class teacher enabled children to find out how many sausages were left in the pan of ten sausages when,…. ‘two went pop and one went bang’ … they removed two sausages followed by a further one before counting the rest. Although they are experiencing the concepts of both addition and subtraction through practical

p.18

MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

activities they do not understand these ideas. In the chip shop a child worked out that a 4p sausage and a 5p portion of chips would cost 9p by counting out 1p coins but this required a great deal of adult support. They had no idea of how much would be left if the customer started with 10p.

p.18

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

47. Children’s knowledge and understanding of the world is well developed through practical activities and good teaching. Children achieve well but many fall short of the Early Learning Goals by the time their enter Year 1. When children start school their knowledge of the world is limited but in this close knit community they are aware of their own family history in terms of grandparents and other family members. Children know that baby animals grow in ‘their mummy’s tummy’ and, with prompting, concluded that plants grow from seeds. In a well planed small group session children cut open fruit to find seeds inside. Fruits included pomegranate, lychee and kiwi fruit as well as citrus fruits and tomatoes. With support they used a digital camera to take photographs so that these could be loaded on to the computer. Design skills are developing with good support from the nursery nurse as children design and

p.18

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

create a garden outdoors for ‘Ground Force’. The resulting ‘garden’ was fit for Chelsea! Religious education is suitably taught through Bible stories.

p.18

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

48. Children enter the Reception class with expected skills in physical development although some children’s fine motor skills are weak and they have difficulties in holding pencils and using scissors. Teaching is good in terms of fine motor skills. Planned physical activities take Willow Lane Community Primary School - 17 place every week in the outdoor area but as these sessions were not seen a judgement cannot be made on the teaching of this aspect.

p.18

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

49. In creative development , teaching is good. Children achieve well and reach the expected Early Learning Goals. Provision for creative play is particularly good when they share the role- play room with children from Year 1 and Year 2. This stimulating room is set up and managed very well by the nursery nurse. Currently a range of shops with excellent resources supports productive play and older pupils provide good role models for the younger children. Artwork on display demonstrated children’s painting and printing skills and children have plenty of opportunities for observational drawing, particularly of flowers and plants. They enjoy singing familiar songs, eagerly joining in with the actions.

p.19

ENGLISH

Provision in English is unsatisfactory .

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards are well below expectations overall and, as a result of poor achievement, writing standards are very low. • Teaching is often good in individual lessons. • The co-ordinator works hard to improve standards but lack of whole school leadership prevents her work from having the impact it should.

p.19

Commentary

50. In both Year 2 and in Year 6 standards are well below national expectations. While listening standards are satisfactory overall, speaking and reading standards are below average and writing standards are very low. From a below average start in Year 1, progress is steady in all elements except writing. Steady progress, however, is insufficient to make up the shortfall to the standards expected nationally. Progress in writing is poor and this leads to very low standards by Year 2. No inroads are made into this deficit through Years 3 to 6.

p.19

Commentary

51. Most pupils listen attentively but the significant minority in most classes who find difficulty in concentrating for a reasonable period, drift in and out of concentration. Teachers are generally adept at dealing with this issue. It was particularly well dealt with in a Year 6 lesson where the teacher broke the lesson up into small, ‘bite size’ sessions and kept pupils well informed of how long she expected them to give her their full attention on any one activity.

p.19

Commentary

52. Pupils have limited vocabulary when they begin Year 1 and although teachers provide opportunities for them to speak and explain, there is no clear focus on making inroads into the shortfall. In addition, writing standards are so low that teachers are continually working on very basic skills; full stops and capital letters, for example so that the opportunities to expand vocabulary arise too infrequently.

p.19

Commentary

53. Pupils make sound progress in reading. The books they read are a good match to their ability and most take a reading book home on a regular basis. Guided reading sessions in literacy lessons are of good quality and the school makes adequate use of support staff and of volunteers to provide pupils with additional opportunities to read to an adult. However, pupils’ ability to ‘read the words’ surpasses their understanding of what they have read. Older pupils find it difficult to infer from texts, or to understand figurative language. Younger pupils sometimes lose meaning because they can ‘decode’ words but cannot understand them. Willow Lane Community Primary School - 18 54. The key weakness in English is in pupils’ writing skills. These are very low, despite a good start in the Reception class. As a result, pupils transfer to secondary school ill equipped to write and, throughout their primary years their work in other subjects of the curriculum also suffers.

p.19

Commentary

There are several distinct features that contribute to this very low attainment, all of which require urgent action: • Spelling is particularly weak. Typical examples are: eay (eye) and Iv (I’ve) from Year 6; youl (you’ll) and wold (would) from Year 5; wot (what) and gow (go) from Year 4; how (who) and sum (some) from Year 3; sed (said) and pled (played) from Year 2; and enfpc (anything) and si (see) from Year 1. All these examples were taken from the work of pupils of average ability. There is no visible evidence of a school-wide system for the development of spelling. In addition, there is very little vocabulary displayed in classrooms to which pupils can refer. The result is that, for far too long, pupils are unable to spell many of the most frequently used words. • Standards of presentation are sound at best and unsatisfactory overall. Pupils are taught cursive script but this is not followed by an expectation that they will use it. Many cross

p.20

Commentary

out untidily and the quality of their handwriting varies from day to day and book to book. • Few pupils, even amongst the oldest in the school, have a secure ‘sense of sentence’. Because this basic skill is not in place, pupils cannot turn their attention to the quality of the content of their writing. • There are far too few opportunities for pupils to write at length. Those that exist are usually in English and seldom in other subjects. This is a missed opportunity as other subjects offer rich choices for different styles of writing: empathetic writing in religious education and report writing in science, for example.

p.20

Commentary

55. The co-ordinator of the subject has good expertise and drive. She has been working hard with a literacy consultant on improving standards. Much of this work has been sensibly prioritised and of good quality. However, whole school systems do not always support their work; there is no effective tracking system, for example. In addition, some good initiatives do not actually impact on pupils’ work because leadership in the school does not ensure that it does. For example, teachers’ marking in English has been designed to begin with a positive comment and to be followed by one to point the way forwards. Although the advice is invariably sound, there is rarely any visible improvement in subsequent work. Furthermore, there is no evidence of teachers following up on the advice to see if it has had any impact and, when it has not, to find out why. Overall, therefore, leadership of the subject is unsatisfactory because the whole

p.20

Commentary

school barriers prevent the good work of the coordinator from having the impact it should.

p.20

Commentary

56. Teachers’ work in individual lessons can be good. Over time, however, teaching and learning are unsatisfactory because of the weaknesses outlined above. Standards have clearly drifted downwards since the last inspection but this is not surprising when the school’s assessment system is not used to look at the ‘big picture’ of pupils’ progress and there is no measurable accountability built into the school’s performance management system for teachers.

p.20

Language and literacy across the curriculum

57. Careful scrutiny of pupils’ books shows that too much writing is heavily supported, by worksheets or questions for example, and too little is done ‘from scratch’. In addition, in every class, more than half of all writing is done under the auspices of English with less than half being found in all other subjects. Finally, just a tiny proportion of writing is ‘extended’, so pupils have too few opportunities to try out the skills they have been taught in literacy lessons by writing at length. Willow Lane Community Primary School - 19

p.20

MATHEMATICS

Provision for mathematics is satisfactory .

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards are below expectations. • There are insufficient planned opportunities to extend higher ability pupils. • The leadership of the subject is good, with appropriate priorities.

p.21

Commentary

58. In Year 2 and Year 6 standards are below the national expectation. This is a decline since the last inspection when standards were judged to be average. It arises because, although the majority of pupils attain the expected level, there are too few who exceed it and too many who fall short of it. Whilst the school’s own targets were met in the 2003 national tests, they were low when compared with those of all schools nationally. However, standards did match those of similar schools.

p.21

Commentary

59. A comparison of the following two lessons illustrates the heart of the problem. In a good lesson in Year 3, the teacher had planned very carefully, according to the national framework for teaching numeracy but, significantly, she had made good provision to challenge and extend the thinking of all pupils, including the high ability pupils in her class. They had to use their understanding of standard measure and perimeter in the major task to calculate the perimeter of the school’s buildings. This task began by making a prediction and then deciding on the method. Other pupils in the class worked on smaller scale tasks in the same topic at levels of challenge that were appropriate to them. They had good levels of support from the teacher and support assistant.

p.21

Commentary

60. By contrast, a lesson in Year 2, whilst still reflecting the framework, failed to give pupils opportunities and all worked on the same five questions as a whole group; then repeating two of them individually. The teacher was skilful in the use of mathematical terminology and reinforcement of different methods but the outcome was a slow-paced lesson that failed to provide challenges to suit each ability group. Further, no check was made that the work undertaken by a pupil receiving individual support was mathematically sound or, even in part, reflected the objectives of the lesson. When discussing mathematics with pupils, they could describe their work in probability. They used dice, coins etc and recorded the number of times each possibility was the outcome of a throw. What they actually described was their carrying out a procedure. They had no recall of the structure of an investigation in their work, in which

p.21

Commentary

they would have posed a question, made a prediction, presented their findings and arrived at conclusions. Indeed, a true investigation would have included an element of ‘what if we change?’ and an understanding of the need to rerun the investigation to validate their results and conclusions.

p.21

Commentary

61. At present, the subject leader does not have sufficient opportunity to use her enthusiasm and understanding of the areas that need to be developed to bring about improvement. Her priorities, quite rightly, include: • Analysis of individual’s attainment data. • Tracking individuals through each year group to check their progress and inform targets. • Ensuring that pupils of all abilities are adequately challenged.

p.21

Mathematics across the curriculum

62. Little evidence was seen of mathematics being used and developed in other subjects, although photographic evidence of work in design and technology suggests that pupils do have opportunities to take accurate measurements. Willow Lane Community Primary School - 20

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards are below expectations, particularly in recorded work. • Teaching is satisfactory and firmly based on practical science. • Assessment procedures are not in place. • The co-ordinator has not been enabled to have any impact on the development of the subject. Hence, leadership is unsatisfactory.

p.22

Commentary

63. Standards in science have fallen since the last inspection. They are now below average, having dropped to well below average in the 2003 national tests. Very small proportions of pupils achieve the higher level and this brings the overall standard down . The school has no assessment procedures in place so that teachers have no yardstick by which to judge the standard of their pupils’ work. Although the teaching in lessons is at least satisfactory and sometimes good, teachers lack the skills of using targets in their planning in order to raise standards.

p.22

Commentary

64. Teaching and learning in science are both satisfactory. The positive ethos of the school is evident in science lessons so that lessons are fun and relationships are relaxed. Teaching is firmly based on practical experiments but the renewed emphasis on experimental and investigative science is yet to be securely in place in every lesson. For example, Year 2 pupils investigated the effect of heat on materials but had no hand in designing their experiments. In a good lesson in Year 6 pupils were acting as detectives to discover the ‘culprit’ who had stolen the headteacher’s tie. Their task was to compare nine white powders with the one found at the ‘scene of the crime’. They were told which tests had been carried out on this powder but did not know the results. Once they had realised they needed to complete the same tests, they simply needed to make sure these were fair tests. Nevertheless, they had to make

p.22

Commentary

decisions on how to carry out the test and repeat it nine times on each sample of powder, ensuring there was no contamination.

p.22

Commentary

65. The standard of recording is poor. This is partly due to the low standards in writing but also to low expectations of the presentation of work. Work is untidy and in some cases very sparse with little sign of progression between Year 4 and Year 6. Work recorded by Year 1 is of a higher standard than work recorded by Year 2. This is partly because Year 1 is a more able cohort overall and partly because of the high expectations of the Year 1 teacher.

p.22

Commentary

66. The co-ordinator lacks some of the knowledge required to support staff and to lead this subject forward. However, as she has not been given the time, training opportunities and the support of a good whole school assessment system by the leadership of the school, she has been unable to influence the development of the subject.

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards have improved since the last inspection. • ICT is not well embedded into the curriculum. Willow Lane Community Primary School - 21

p.22

Commentary

67. Few ICT lessons were observed. However, work on display, work stored electronically and discussions with pupils make it possible to conclude that, by the end of Year 6 standards are in line with expectations and provision is satisfactory. This is an improvement since the last inspection.

p.23

Commentary

68. Pupils from Year 6 talked about a range of ICT applications that they have experienced and in which they have gained skills. They have used the functions of a spreadsheet to calculate the total of a list of prices and the Internet as a source of information. In preparation for their recent tests, they have made extensive use of a site for revision in mathematics and science. In Year 5, pupils have designed their own databases, creating and modifying fields and entering data into them. Their work shows a good level of understanding of the functions of the database and related technical terms. In Year 4, they store their work on removable disks. This includes work on ‘branching databases’ that enable users to identify living things by answering ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to key questions about their characteristics. In a very good Year 1 lesson, there was a high degree of challenge and expectation of pupils when they planned and sequenced

p.23

Commentary

instructions for the control of a robot.

p.23

Commentary

69. When Year 6 pupils’ recollection of their ICT work is compared with that currently experienced by pupils of younger age groups, it is clear that there has recently been a substantial rate of improvement. The co-ordinator understands the differing levels of teachers’ expertise and confidence and that some will need extra support as the subject develops further. He is also aware of the critical nature of future purchasing decisions. For instance, he questions whether to increase the number of computers for improved access, or to begin a deployment of the more expensive interactive whiteboards, that have the potential to enhance teaching and learning in all subjects. Leadership is sound but further development in the subject will need his greater empowerment.

p.23

Information and communication technology across the curriculum

70. During the inspection, ICT resources were used infrequently in other subjects of the curriculum. Pupils have used a simulation program about circuits and magnetism in science and other programs to support number work in mathematics. Older pupils recalled using a word processor in their literacy work on connectives and complex sentences. These examples, the nature of some of the currently displayed work and the lack of ICT contributions in pupils’ workbooks/files, suggest that whilst ICT is being used to support learning in other subjects, it is underdeveloped.

p.23

HUMANITIES

No lessons were seen in either history or geography so evidence is taken from a scrutiny of work and discussions with pupils. No secure judgements can be made on the provision in either subject.

p.23

HUMANITIES

Standards in geography have remained below expectations, both at the end of Year 2 and at the end of Year 6, as they were at the last inspection. In history standards have fallen across the school and are now also below those expected. Recorded work is scant and of poor quality in most classes through the school. In discussion, Year 2 pupils recalled some of the facts about ‘The Great Fire of London’. They knew that it occurred before the time of electricity and houses were built of wood but recalled little else. They knew they had learnt about Grace Darling but recalled few facts. Their books did not record any geography. Pupils knew London to be the capital of England, knew Scotland to be another country but thought the Scottish Islands were also countries. They knew very few geographical terms such as ‘port’. Year 6 pupils had some knowledge of ancient Egypt and burial customs and knew that evidence came from archaeological finds. They said that this

p.23

HUMANITIES

civilisation occurred ‘sometime before Christ’. Mapping skills in geography are undeveloped and pupils have little knowledge about maps, except for road maps. They knew maps had keys. Their Willow Lane Community Primary School - 22 knowledge of Kenya was limited to the fact that it was a hot country where people lived in mud huts. They knew Kenya was a long way away and that it is on a special line but could not recall ‘equator’.

p.23

Religious education

Provision for religious education is unsatisfactory.

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards have deteriorated since the previous inspection. • Over the year, too little time is devoted to teaching the subject. • Pupils’ written records are poor. • There is some good teaching in Years 3 and 4.

p.24

Commentary

71. The requirements of the Locally Agreed Syllabus are not being met, principally because of the shortfall in time allocated to the teaching of the subject. Systematic development of knowledge and understanding are further jeopardised by the splitting of some classes to join others and the sharing of curriculum time with personal, social and health education. In some classes, written work for these two subjects is recorded in the same exercise book. Indeed, in discussions with some pupils, there was confusion over the origins of some of their work. They could name several religions but their knowledge of symbols and practices was insecure. There was no evidence that they were able to apply what they had learned to life today. For instance, in the matter of the troubles in Iraq, they spoke about the previous leader and the problems in terms of his leadership but did not relate current difficulties to differences of

p.24

Commentary

72. Pupils’ past work was of poor quality overall and not representative of satisfactory breadth of study; nor were many topics covered in adequate depth. In Year 6, books showed that pupils of different ability have covered different topics. Drawings of symbols of Easter consisted of aspects of the secular world and, in most cases, did not include Christian symbols. Whilst not all work undertaken in this subject leads to a written record, the small amount of writing that is done does not remind pupils of their earlier learning or demonstrate their progress in acquiring knowledge and understanding.

p.24

Commentary

73. During inspection, there was some good teaching and learning in a joint Years 3 and 4 lesson. The teacher has very good levels of subject knowledge and she was able to include other related information to pupils’ studies of the special nature of the Shema, the most central prayer to Jews. The teacher suggested that they write a letter to a Rabbi to gain more information, skilfully including this as part of their literacy development. The range of activities and specific information encouraged them to achieve well and work effectively throughout the lesson.

p.24

Commentary

74. The coordinator has looked at pupils’ work and has a clear understanding of its unsatisfactory standards. She has recently taken on responsibility for the subject and has revised the documentation to support teachers’ planning and teaching.

p.24

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

75. No overall judgements on provision are possible for art and design, for design and technology, music or physical education.

p.24

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

76. No art and design lessons were seen but information was gathered from photographic evidence and from work on display. The school’s portfolio of work shows a good range of two and three dimensional art and indicates that visits sometimes enhance pupils’ experience; the Willow Lane Community Primary School - 23 Storey Gallery for a drawing workshop, for example. Work on display in the school was generally at the expected standard. There was no displayed evidence of pupils working in the style of other artists or of having studied their work. There is a new art scheme which focuses on the development of skills but no evidence of pupils producing work of a quality higher than that expected.

p.24

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

77. Very little design and technology work was on display, but the Lego houses and the work on door hinges in Year 1 met expectations; so, too, did the pop-up books produced by Year 4. The designs and, in particular, pupils’ evaluations of their work were of a lower standard, hampered by their very weak writing skills.

p.25

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

78. When discussing music , pupils showed some enthusiasm for the subject, especially for the range of songs that they sing. The older pupils’ particularly enjoy contemporary songs. Indeed, in a Year 6 lesson, they used a ‘scat’ style in a statement / response structure as a warm-up exercise. The teacher demonstrated personal enthusiasm and the pupils responded well. They then started to learn the Beatles’ song, ‘Help’. This song includes challenging rhythmic structure and difficult intervals between notes of different pitch. Rather than identify and focus on these areas of difficulty, pupils ‘sang through’ the piece several times. This did not extend their vocal understanding and skills. None of the assemblies during inspection included singing by large groups; a missed opportunity to develop pupils’ skills and enjoyment of singing.

p.25

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

79. Pupils often referred to their musical activities as being in the past. ‘We used to…’ was a frequently used phrase when discussing their use of classroom instruments for accompaniment and composition. They recalled using a reasonable range of instruments and were aware of their characteristics and capabilities.

p.25

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

80. Music is one of the subjects that is affected by teaching arrangements on some afternoons. Some Year 4 pupils join Year 3 while the remainder join Year 5; some Year 1 pupils join Reception while others join Year 2. Hence, all pupils in Year 1 do not have the same musical experiences and the same applies to Year 4. The co-ordinator is well aware of the need for her colleagues to develop their confidence and expertise in this subject.

p.25

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

81. Two lessons of physical education were observed. Year 6 pupils were very well taught. In particular the pace of the lesson was brisk and all pupils were kept productively active throughout. Activities were set at varying levels of difficulty and this allowed all pupils to achieve very well. Good teaching of pupils in Years 1 and 2 was also well paced, and clearly focused on the development of rolling and fielding skills over the duration of the lesson.

p.25

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

82. The coordinator is very knowledgeable and has produced a scheme of work and lesson plans which provide all teachers with high quality support. The time allocated to physical education, two hours weekly, is generous. This, combined with a very good scheme that focuses clearly on skill development, helps pupils to attain above average standards by the end of Year 6. Pupils are very successful in inter-school and local competitions and benefit from a very good range of clubs linked to the subject. These include gymnastics, climbing and orienteering in addition to a good range of team games.

p.25

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

83. There is a clear programme for personal, social and health education and citizenship across the school. The school takes particular time and trouble in looking after the emotional and other personal needs of pupils because it is aware of the impact that this can have on learning. Although some pupils still have problems when it comes to dealing with less structured situations, staff are skilled in this aspect of their work. In addition, provision in the school as a whole is significantly enhanced by the work of the learning mentors. Systems such as the buddy scheme and links between older and younger pupils are used effectively to promote the pupils’ sense of belonging to a community and being responsible. Willow Lane Community Primary School - 24 84. The school uses outside agencies well in covering sex and relationships education and also in raising pupils’ awareness of the dangers of drugs. This work is also reinforced in science.

p.25

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

Willow Lane Community Primary School - 25

p.27

PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

p.27

PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Overall standards achieved 5 Pupils’ achievement 4

p.27

PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

p.27

PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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