St Mary's CofE Junior and Infant School

INFANT SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 13 th – 17 th November 2000

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INFANT SCHOOL

Inspection carried out under Section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 St Mary’s Church of England Junior and Infant School - 2

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Nursery, infant and junior

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Adscombe Street Off Alexandra Road Moss Side Manchester

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mr R D Palmer

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 19 th – 22 nd November 1996

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

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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INFORMATION ABOUT THE 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. St Mary’s Church of England Junior and Infant School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Mr M Greenhalgh (10422) Registered inspector Mathematics Science Information and communication technology Physical education The characteristics and effectiveness of the school The school’s results and pupils’ achievements Teaching and learning Leadership and management Ms S Drake (9843) Lay inspector Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Pupils’ welfare, health and safety Staffing, accommodation and learning resources Ms E Wilson (20653) Team inspector Areas for learning for children in the Foundation Stage Art and design Design and technology Music Special educational needs

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Mr T Watts (19386) Team inspector English Geography History English as an additional language Equality of opportunity Quality and range of the curriculum Assessment

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Bench Marque Llimited National Westminster Bank Chambers Victoria Street Burnham on Sea Somerset TA8 1AN

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be raised with the inspection contractor. Complaints that are not satisfactorily resolved by the contractor should be raised with OFSTED by writing to:

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

The Registrar Inspection Quality Division

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE St Mary’s Church of England Junior and Infant School - 4

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 5

Information about the school How good the school is What the school does well What could be improved How the school has improved since its last inspection Standards Pupils’ attitudes and values Teaching and learning Other aspects of the school How well the school is led and managed Parents’ and carers’ views of the school

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 10

The school’s results and achievements Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

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AREAS OF THE CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES 32

St Mary’s Church of England Junior and Infant School - 5

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The school is an average sized Church of England primary school for boys and girls aged three to eleven years old. It is situated in the Moss Side area, a socially and economically deprived area of Manchester. It has 209 full-time pupils on roll. Pupils’ attainment on entry to the Nursery is well below the national average. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs (20 per cent) is broadly in line with the national average and there are no pupils with statements of special educational needs. The large majority of pupils are from ethnic minority backgrounds (82 per cent), a proportion that is high in comparison to other schools. There are 20 pupils with English as an additional language, six are at an early stage of learning English. In total, there are 128 pupils from ethnic minority backgrounds who receive specialist support, most come from homes where Patois or Creole are spoken.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The school has changed significantly since the last inspection and therefore it is not helpful in all instances to make a direct comparison to the previous Ofsted inspection report published in 1996. The local area has gone through a major programme of regeneration, the school has taken on roll a substantial number of pupils from a neighbouring school that had been closed, and in September 2000 the school moved to a new site and a new headteacher was appointed.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

The school is ineffective in providing the pupils with an acceptable standard of education. Children in the Foundation Unit receive a very good start to school and standards in the school are rising. By the end of Key Stage 1 pupils do well in comparison to pupils from similar schools. However, there are serious concerns about the quality of education provided in Key Stage 2. Where a high proportion of unsatisfactory teaching leads to unsatisfactory progress and underachievement, this is especially amongst the boys, and particularly in English, science, art, geography, history and music. The school’s poor provision for the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the pupils contributes significantly to the unsatisfactory attitudes, behaviour and personal development of the children in the vast majority of classes. The governing body and new headteacher have high expectations and are determined to improve the standard of education offered in the school and the attitudes

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

that pupils have. The headteacher has a clear vision for improvement that is very well supported by the governing body. Overall, the school currently provides poor value for money.

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What the school does well

• Standards in 2000 at the end of Key Stage 1 improved considerably. They were broadly in line with the national average and pupils achieved well in reading, writing, mathematics and science. • Standards at the end of Key Stage 2 in 2000 improved considerably in mathematics and science. • The quality of education in the Foundation Unit is very good. • The leadership and management of the headteacher are very good. • The governing body is very supportive and keen to raise standards. St Mary’s Church of England Junior and Infant School - 6

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What could be improved

• Standards; especially for English throughout the school, the performance of boys in general and the performance of the most able in mathematics. • The quality of teaching, most particularly at Key Stage 2. • The attitudes, behaviour and personal development of pupils and the provision for spiritual, moral, social and cultural opportunities. • The breadth and balance of the whole curriculum, with special emphasis on developing the arts. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan. In accordance with Section 13(7) of the School Inspection Act 1996 I am of the opinion, and HMCI agrees, that special measures are required in relation to this school.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

In 2000, the school improved the standards achieved by the time the pupils reach the ages of seven and eleven. The improvement was very significant for pupils aged seven. The attainments of pupils aged eleven in 2000 showed significant improvements in mathematics and science, particularly for girls, over the previous year. Attendance has also improved, and is now in line with the national averages. The move to a new school has removed all the health and safety concerns identified at the last inspection. However, there are much greater amounts of unsatisfactory teaching in Key Stage 2 and pupils have poorer attitudes, behaviour and personal development than were identified in the last inspection. The provision for the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is now poor compared to very good at the time of the last inspection. Overall, despite significant improvement in standards in the last year, this is far outweighed by the deterioration in the attitudes of pupils and in the

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

quality of teaching. The school has made unsatisfactory progress since the last inspection.

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by eleven-year-olds based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests.

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schools

English E E* E* D well above average above average A B Mathematics E E E C average below average C D Science E E* E C well below average very low E E*

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schools

Results in 2000 for pupils aged eleven years have improved considerably since 1999 in mathematics and science, with girls performing particularly well and in line with the national average in mathematics and above the national average in science. In English, the proportion of pupils achieving the national average Level 4 also improved but not so significantly. Girls and boys continue to underachieve in English and boys also continue to underachieve in mathematics and science. The targets the school set for 2000 were exceeded in mathematics but not reached in English. Attainment in information and communication St Mary’s Church of England Junior and Infant School - 7 technology (ICT), design and technology, geography, history and music fall short of the national expectation mainly because of the lack of coverage of the National Curriculum and unsatisfactory teaching. Results in 2000 for pupils aged seven years also improved

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schools

significantly for boys and girls in reading, writing, mathematics and science. However, girls continue to outperform boys by wide margins in all subjects. In 2000, pupils with English as an additional language performed very well by the age of seven and eleven, exceeding the local authority average for similar children. Girls and boys from Patwa and Creole backgrounds, when compared to their counterparts locally, do not perform as well at age eleven. However, by the age of seven girls from Patwa and Creole backgrounds do better, whilst boys do not perform as well. Children in the Foundation Unit, including those with English as an additional language, make very good progress overall.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Unsatisfactory. In the Foundation Unit they are good, but elsewhere in the school they are unsatisfactory and sometimes poor. A significant amount of disrespect is shown towards adults and other pupils.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Poor. Behaviour in the Foundation Unit is good. However, in other parts of the school it is poor and sometimes very poor.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Unsatisfactory. In the Foundation Unit children work very well on their own and respond well to the teachers. However, in other parts of the school a significant number of pupils are unable to work independently and do not get on well with each other.

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-11 years

Lessons seen overall Very good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that the teaching is adequate and strengths outweigh weaknesses.

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-11 years

There are significant variations in the quality of teaching in each area of the school. In the Foundation Unit, seventy-five per cent of teaching was very good and twenty-five per cent good. There was no teaching observed that was less than good. The children are offered a well-balanced curriculum and pupils make good to very good progress across all areas of the curriculum. Lessons are planned effectively with clear learning objectives. The teaching of literacy and numeracy skills is good although there is insufficient emphasis on developing pupils’ understanding of letter sounds.

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-11 years

In Key Stage 1 (the infant stage) teaching is satisfactory overall. During the inspection, twenty per cent of lessons were very good and ten per cent good. However, twenty per cent of lessons were unsatisfactory. Teaching in Year 2 is very good, the teaching is particularly effective for numeracy and literacy. Lessons are well organised to meet the needs of the St Mary’s Church of England Junior and Infant School - 8 pupils, although the most able pupils in mathematics are not always challenged effectively. The teacher manages the pupils’ behaviour very well.

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-11 years

The quality of teaching in Key Stage 2 (the junior stage) sometimes benefits from individual teacher’s subject knowledge, such as in mathematics, art, dance and design and technology. In these lessons, pupils are keen and interested and make good progress. During the inspection, nine per cent of lessons were very good, twenty-two per cent good, but thirty-four per cent unsatisfactory. The teaching of literacy is mixed but during the inspection was never better than satisfactory and is unsatisfactory overall. The teaching of numeracy skills is better. Teachers emphasise the teaching of mental skills and challenge the pupils’ thinking effectively. However, overall, as teachers struggle to control the behaviour of the pupils much teaching time is lost. In the worst instances, the teacher loses control and very little work is completed. On occasions, unstimulating lessons that lack challenge fail to secure pupils’ interest. This leads to disruptive behaviour and unsatisfactory progress.

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-11 years

The specialist teaching of pupils who have English as an additional language is good. The specialist teachers know the needs of the pupils well and provide good support. However, class teachers have insufficient strategies in the classroom to deal with pupils who have English language difficulties. The teaching of pupils with special educational needs is good when pupils are taught in small groups, either withdrawn from the main classroom, or in the classroom itself.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum In the Foundation Unit it is very good with a broad range of activities given to the children. In the rest of the school, there is appropriate emphasis on literacy and numeracy, ICT and science. However, the provision for ICT, art, design and technology, geography, history and music does not meet the National Curriculum requirements. Provision for pupils with special educational needs Provision is very good in the Foundation Unit, satisfactory in the infants but unsatisfactory in the juniors. The provision has recently been revised and is improving. Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Provision by the specialist teachers is good. These teachers know the needs of the pupils well. Planned additional support from classroom teachers is unsatisfactory. Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Poor. There is no programme of provision throughout the school.

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Aspect Comment

There is more emphasis placed on the pupils’ cultural development and this provision is unsatisfactory rather than poor.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Unsatisfactory. Some staff demonstrate a good deal of care and understanding about pupils’ pastoral and academic needs but this is not consistent amongst all staff. Assessment systems throughout the school are unsatisfactory. The school’s links with parents are satisfactory. A few parents are very involved with the school.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

St Mary’s Church of England Junior and Infant School - 9

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Very good. The headteacher has identified the significant improvements necessary to bring the quality of education offered to the pupils to a satisfactory level. Members of the senior management team are not yet fully involved.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Good. The governing body is very supportive and is keen to see the school improve. At present, the governing body does not fulfil its role in ensuring that all statutory requirements are met.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Unsatisfactory. The school has begun to analyse its own performance but does not apply the principles of best value effectively. There is very little analysis of the performance of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and parents are not sufficiently involved in identifying what the school needs to do to improve.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Unsatisfactory. The headteacher and governing body are beginning to make much better use of staffing and financial resources. However, strategies have yet to have a significant impact overall.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s accommodation is very good and the match of teachers to the curriculum is satisfactory. Learning resources are unsatisfactory overall.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• The school is well led and managed. • The teaching is good. • They feel comfortable when approaching the school about their suggestions or concerns. • The school expects children to work hard. • The school helps children to become mature. • The behaviour of the pupils. • The information they get from the school to tell them about the progress their children are making. • A better range of activities available to the pupils.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Very few parents returned their questionnaire. Even fewer attended the pre-inspection meeting. The inspection team agrees with the positive views parents have about the leadership and management of the headteacher and governing body, and about the openness that members of staff have when meeting parents. The team also agrees with the views of the parents on what needs to be improved. However, the team does not agree with the parents’ views on the quality of teaching in general, that the school expects pupils to work hard and that the school is helping the pupils to mature effectively. St Mary’s Church of England Junior and Infant School - 10

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The school’s results and achievements

1. The 2000 test results for seven- and eleven-year-olds show a significant improvement in all subjects when measured against the standards achieved in 1999. The realistic school targets set for the end of Year 6 (eleven-year-olds) were exceeded in mathematics, but fell well short in English.

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The school’s results and achievements

2. Comparison between standards now and at the time of the last inspection in November 1996 is difficult when making judgements about school improvement because of the significant change in the school’s population. However, standards at the end of Key Stage 1 (seven-year-olds) are now back at a similar level to those observed in the last inspection, having fallen from above the national average in 1997 in reading, writing and mathematics to below in 1998 and well below in 1999. Standards at the end of Key Stage 2 (eleven-year-olds), show a more mixed picture of performance over the period of time between inspections but are back to similar levels as those found at the time of the last inspection in the core subjects of English, mathematics and science. In English, there has been a widening gap between the school and the national average until 2000 when the school’s improvement was in line with that found nationally. In mathematics, although performance fell between 1996

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The school’s results and achievements

and 1997, there has been a steady improvement in standards since then, broadly in line with that seen nationally. In science, standards fell significantly between 1996 and 1997 and remained well below the national averages until 2000.

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The school’s results and achievements

3. In 2000, by the end of Key Stage 2, the proportion of pupils attaining the nationally expected standard of Level 4 rose by one third in English, by just under one half in mathematics and just over one half in science. Although these standards, when compared with the national average, remain very low in English and well below the national average in mathematics and science, when compared to schools that have a similar percentage of pupils who have free school meals the school does much better. Standards in English are below the similar school average but in mathematics and science they are in line.

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The school’s results and achievements

4. Despite improvements in the test results in 2000, there is still considerable underachievement by the end of Key Stage 2. Consistently, across the core subjects of English, mathematics and science, girls attain better than boys. The difference in attainment is to such an extent that girls attain standards in line with the national average in mathematics and above the national average in science. The underachievement of boys is most noticeable in writing where none attained the national average Level 4. There are also weaknesses in the achievements of the most able pupils. Whilst in science the proportion of pupils achieving Level 5 is in line with the similar school average, in English it is below and in mathematics it is well below. It is also evident, when analysing data provided by the local education authority, that pupils (girls and boys) from Patwa and Creole backgrounds do not perform as well as in other schools in the Manchester area.

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The school’s results and achievements

5. Standards in the present Year 6 are well below the national average in English, mathematics and science. Literacy and numeracy skills are planned well and pupils are given satisfactory opportunities to improve. However, because of unsatisfactory teaching and the pupils’ unsatisfactory attitudes and behaviour the progress the pupils make is unsatisfactory in a minority of lessons. St Mary’s Church of England Junior and Infant School - 11 6. By the end of Key Stage 2, standards in information and communication technology (ICT) are below the national average and pupils underachieve in aspects of control, data handling and data logging which are not covered effectively by the school. Standards in word processing are in line with the national expectation. Standards are also below the national expectations and pupils underachieve in all the non-core subjects of art, design and technology, geography, history, music and physical

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The school’s results and achievements

education. The chief reason for underachievement in these subjects is unsatisfactory teaching, a lack of coverage of the curriculum content and a lack of time for curriculum co-ordinators to monitor and evaluate standards in their areas of responsibilities. Nevertheless, during the inspection, very good progress was made by pupils in a Year 6 design and technology lesson taken by the headteacher and there was good progress in one art lesson in Year 6 and in a dance lesson in Year 3. Overall, standards in all these subjects show a decline since the last inspection when standards in all subjects were judged to be in line with national expectations, except in art were standards were above the national expectation.

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The school’s results and achievements

7. In 2000, by the end of Key Stage 1 (seven-year-olds), standards in reading, writing, mathematics and science were close to the national average, a very significant improvement on 1999 when standards were well below the national average. Girls far outperform boys with all the girls attaining Level 2 and above in reading, mathematics and science. When compared to similar schools, pupils attain very well in reading, writing and science, and achieve well in mathematics. In the science teacher assessments in 2000, standards are in line with the national average for the proportion of pupils achieving Level 2 or above, but well above the national average for pupils achieving Level 3. The most able pupils do least well in writing, using and applying mathematics, shape, space and measure, and in experimental and investigative science. During the inspection, very good teaching took place in Year 2 in both literacy and numeracy and the progress pupils made during these lessons

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The school’s results and achievements

was very good. Progress in lessons at Year 1 was not so marked. By the end of this key stage, girls outperform boys by a far greater margin than found nationally. When analysing local authority statistics girls from homes where Patois and Creole are spoken achieve better than their counterparts in local schools, but boys do less well in reading and mathematics.

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The school’s results and achievements

8. By the end of Key Stage 1, in information and communication technology, the standards of work seen in Year 2 during the inspection are in line with those expected nationally, a similar picture to that found at the last inspection. However, the National Curriculum requirements are not met in control and data logging aspects of the subject. In the non-core subjects, standards in design and technology and physical education are similar to the last inspection and are in line with the national expectations based on the limited evidence seen during the inspection. However, standards have fallen from average to below the national expectation for art, geography, history and music since the last inspection. The standards are below mainly because of the limited amount of time spent on these subjects.

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The school’s results and achievements

9. Pupils for whom English is an additional language are making satisfactory progress overall. They make good progress in their acquisition of English language skills, rather than other subjects, where they progress at the same rate as their other classmates. Results recently show that the Somali pupils attain very well in the tests for eleven- year-olds, and are performing at least as well as other pupils in their English language skills. This is because of the good work that takes place in school in the form of additional support, as well as some class teaching which is very supportive of their needs. St Mary’s Church of England Junior and Infant School - 12 10. Pupils with special educational needs make similar progress to all other pupils in their year groups during class lessons. However, when they have additional support either in withdrawal groups or when classroom assistants support them, they make good

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The school’s results and achievements

11. Attainment on entry to the nursery, at the age of three, is well below that expected nationally. Provision is very good and children make very good progress in their personal, social and emotional development, mathematics, knowledge and understanding of the world, physical and creative development. Attainment by the end of the Foundation Stage is likely to be in line with the national expectation. Progress in the pupils’ communication, language and literacy skills is satisfactory overall. It is not as good as in other areas of the curriculum because there is insufficient development of the children’s letter sounding skills. Attainment in this aspect of the Foundation Stage curriculum is likely to be below the national expectation.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. Other than in the Foundation Unit where they are good, pupils’ attitudes towards education, their relationships and their personal development are all unsatisfactory, while their standards of behaviour, particularly in Key Stage 2, are poor. Pupils’ unruly and immature behaviour is having a severe impact on the quality of their learning, the standards they achieve and the general school environment. Those connected with the school say that standards of behaviour have deteriorated markedly since the move to the new building, which has unsettled the community more than anticipated.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. Some parents feel that their children are reluctant to come to school because of the disruptive behaviour. During the inspection pupils attended in satisfactory numbers but, apart from the youngest children, showed little recognition of the fact that they come to school in order to learn. Children in the Foundation Unit enter with a smile, organise their names on their milk and then concentrate well on whatever activity takes their fancy. Older pupils, however, generally take a very long time to settle so that, for instance, the first ten minutes of the day, which it is intended should be used for work on spellings, is wasted with latecomers arriving, general melée and chatter. In many lessons, teachers spend an inordinate amount of time attempting to gain the attention of the whole class, and in some they fail ever to do so. However, in lessons where the teacher manages pupils’ behaviour effectively, plans interesting activities

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

and maintains a good pace, these same pupils show much interest and willingness to learn. In design and technology lessons in both Years 5 and 6, pupils worked well, one stating ‘This is cool, man’, while in a Year 2 science lesson, after some initial restlessness, pupils paid good attention, enjoyed the activity and sustained their concentration well.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. Many pupils are lacking in self-discipline, and this leads them to behave in a volatile manner with little regard for the effect that their outbursts will have on either themselves or others. In lessons, they quickly grow bored, preferring to fiddle with anything within reach rather than listen to the teacher. They then become frustrated because they do not know what they should be doing and this leads them to interfere with their neighbour, or wander round the classroom, or deliberately kick the furniture until they gain the teacher’s attention, even if this is negative attention rather than positive, helpful support. They pay little heed to the behaviour management strategies adopted by staff, which leads too often to their being removed from the lesson. The school has had to exclude pupils on a more frequent basis than is usual in primary schools, although it is clear that it only resorts to this sanction after using a variety of

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

St Mary’s Church of England Junior and Infant School - 13 other actions and support for these pupils. In the playground, while some pupils demonstrate good relationships with each other and staff, too many, both boys and girls, are prone to pushing, shoving, showing off or deliberately teasing others, rather than co-operating amicably with each other. During break times, pupils often run around the building, dashing into classrooms before they should, or, at the beginning of the next session, taking a circuitous route rather than following in line in an orderly fashion. In contrast, pupils behave very well in assemblies, showing that they know exactly how to conduct themselves in certain situations.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

15. The youngest children show good respect for each other, staff, resources and the accommodation. In some cases, older pupils also treat others with due regard, for example, even the most upset and angry pupils calm down when spoken to gently but firmly by the headteacher. Pupils can be friendly towards each other and adults, but most find it difficult to sustain a purposeful conversation. In assemblies pupils make good use of the opportunities for prayer and reflection, behaving in a reverent manner and, for example, showing appreciation of the confident performance of ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ given by the children of the Foundation Unit. Some pupils can be trusted to work sensibly together outside the classroom and some of the Year 6 lunchtime assistants carry out their responsibilities well. However, in too many instances pupils carelessly push chairs away from them, toss equipment into boxes,

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

use foul and abusive language towards each other, and disregard teachers’ attempts to bring about order. They giggle at other pupils who behave in a cheeky manner and regularly taunt each other in order to provoke a reaction. Such immature attitudes, lack of self-respect and absence of self-discipline severely undermine the school’s attempts to create an effective environment for learning.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

16. Since the time of the previous inspection, pupils’ levels of attendance have risen until they are now satisfactory and broadly in line with the national average. Levels of unauthorised absence have also improved but these are still too high. Despite the school’s efforts, the parents of a small number of pupils are reluctant to provide reasons for their children’s absence from school. Some parents take their children for extended holidays to the Caribbean, and this was the cause of much of last year’s unauthorised absence. Another reason is that when pupils leave, the school, quite rightly, keeps them on roll until it is confirmed that they have been accepted at another school, thus ensuring that they are not forgotten about.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

17. The quality of teaching throughout the school varies considerably. In the Foundation Stage (Nursery and Reception), teaching is very good, in Key Stage 1 (Years 1 and 2) it is satisfactory overall but ranging from unsatisfactory to very good, and in Key Stage 2 (Years 3 to 6) it is unsatisfactory overall but ranging from poor to very good.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

18. In lessons seen during the inspection, seventy-five per cent of lessons at the Foundation Stage were very good with the remainder being good. In Key Stage 1, twenty per cent were very good, ten per cent good, fifty per cent satisfactory and twenty per cent unsatisfactory. In Key Stage 2, nine per cent were very good, twenty- two per cent good, thirty-five per cent satisfactory and thirty-four per cent unsatisfactory. Overall, twenty-two per cent of lessons were judged to be unsatisfactory. The best teaching is characterised by the teachers’ high expectations of the pupils’ behaviour and stimulating activities that are interesting, and challenge pupils of all abilities effectively.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

19. Pupils in the Foundation Stage get a very good start to their schooling. Teachers’ have very good knowledge and understanding of the children and plan effectively to St Mary’s Church of England Junior and Infant School - 14 meet the needs of a wide range of children coming into school. The children are managed extremely well enabling them to learn in a calm and pleasant environment. The unit is well organised so that best use is made of the nursery nurses’ time in supporting children’s learning and so that the children have excellent access to a wide range of activities across the different areas of learning. The teachers make effective use of their time to assess the children’s achievements and use the information well to plan the next lessons. Teaching of the basic skills is good overall, but insufficient emphasis and expectation is placed on the teaching of letter sounds which leads to children entering Key Stage 1 having lower than expected levels of understanding in

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

this area of their learning. Good use is made of homework even at this early age. Children take home books on a regular basis and are often asked to complete number work as well as contributing to class activities by bringing things into school to support the topics that are currently being covered.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

20. In Key Stage 1, teaching varies significantly between classes and across subjects. The standard of teaching in Year 2 is very good for literacy and numeracy. The teacher has a good grasp of what is expected of the pupils and plans effectively for them to achieve well. However, in mathematics, the most able pupils are not always challenged sufficiently and outcomes are sometimes much the same as for the pupils who are of average ability. A particularly good feature of teaching in Year 2 is the effective use of resources to support the pupils’ learning. For example, in a literacy lesson the teacher made very good use of word cards to stimulate and enhance the pupils’ understanding of letter sounds. In Year 1, the organisation and planning of the lesson are good and in a numeracy lesson very good use was made of the classroom assistant to support the lower attaining half of the class. However, the

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

management of the pupils’ behaviour is not always at a satisfactory level and this means that the teacher uses up vital teaching time managing behaviour rather than teaching the subjects.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

21. In Key Stage 2, teaching varies significantly between classes and across subjects. The attitudes and behaviour of the pupils is the main challenge which, in the large majority of lessons, leads to a battle of wills between the teachers and the pupils. All class teachers in Key Stage 2 struggle to maintain order on a lesson by lesson basis. In the majority of instances, the teachers manage this to a level that ensures pupils’ learning is satisfactory. However, in only three out of twenty lessons observed taken by class teachers was learning better than satisfactory. In nine out of twenty lessons, it was unsatisfactory. When lessons are taken by teachers with very good knowledge and understanding of their subject, lessons are more interesting and move at a good pace. In these instances, the quality of teaching and learning is at least good, and in one design and technology lesson in Year 6 taken by the headteacher it was very

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

good. Good lessons were seen for Year 3 dance and Year 5 design and technology. In Year 6, good lessons were seen in mathematics, information and communication technology and art.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

22. The main concerns regarding the quality of teaching throughout Key Stages 1 and 2 are the weaknesses in the strategies used by the teachers to control the pupils’ behaviour. In some instances, there is a lack of assertiveness demonstrated by teachers. In other instances, teachers become confrontational and do not leave themselves with anything other than a win or lose situation. In a good number of lessons, behaviour is at first satisfactory, but teachers do not pick up unsatisfactory behaviour from individuals quickly enough to stop it spreading to other pupils. Methods to reward good behaviour are not effective in that the teachers’ expectations are too low and pupils do not have to earn the reward and therefore do not value it enough. St Mary’s Church of England Junior and Infant School - 15 23. Other weaknesses in teaching also have an impact on the pupils’ attitudes to learning. Learning objectives for different ability groups are not always clearly stated in the

p.14

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

teachers’ planning and are not shared effectively with the pupils. As a result, some pupils do not understand the purpose of the lesson and are not aware of what they are supposed to be doing during the group activities that have been organised. The most able pupils often do not have more challenging work set for them and therefore work at a similar level to those of a more average ability. In some lessons, the learning resources used to aid teaching are not effectively prepared. In a Year 5 literacy lesson, no ‘big book’ stand meant that the teacher had difficulty sharing the text with the pupils. In a Year 6 science lesson, the teacher set up a demonstration for the whole class but some pupils could not see what was going on and became restless.

p.15

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

24. In literacy lessons, the quality of teaching ranges between unsatisfactory and satisfactory in all classes in Key Stages 1 and 2, except for Year 2 where it is very good. The planning of the literacy hour is satisfactory, classrooms are organised effectively and lessons are delivered to a standard format. The content is matched to the pupils’ ages and abilities to a satisfactory degree. Weaknesses in teaching and learning are directly linked to problems their teachers have in managing the pupils’ behaviour.

p.15

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

25. In numeracy lessons, the quality of teaching is much more consistent throughout Key Stages 1 and 2 with only one unsatisfactory lesson observed. Lessons are structured effectively to meet the standards identified in the numeracy strategy and focus on developing the pupils’ mental agility which in turn provides a satisfactory challenge for the pupils.

p.15

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

26. Literacy and numeracy are supported effectively by the provision of homework given out regularly to pupils throughout the school. Tasks vary between reading, learning spellings and times tables, and carrying out more practical activities such as finding out the weight of cans of food in the kitchen cupboards.

p.15

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

27. The bulk of information and communication technology (ICT) is taught in the new ICT suite. Teaching in the suite is satisfactory. Pupils are keen to do well and take care to follow the instructions and the code of conduct set when using computers. The instructions provided by the teachers are generally clear and good support is provided for those pupils experiencing difficulties.

p.15

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

28. The specialist teaching of pupils for whom English is not their first language is good. This includes those pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds who are taught for some time each week by the three Ethnic Minority Achievement Support (EMAS) teachers. These teachers concentrate their efforts where the need is seen to be greatest at the time, perhaps focusing on pupils who are new to the country, and who speak and understand very little English at first. The teachers work very well with individual pupils in a class, or with a group of pupils who are giving cause for concern over their general progress or their attitude and behaviour, or perhaps with half a class each week for particular studies. When new pupils come into the school with few English language skills they receive good extra help and support, often in the form of an ‘induction’ course to increase their understanding and speech in common words and

p.15

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

29. The full-time EMAS teacher often takes groups of pupils and teaches lessons parallel to the main class, but in a more intense and focused way, working on the particular language or behaviour needs of those pupils. This is done very well, with very good rationale for why the groups exist and why they are run in this way. This teaching is St Mary’s Church of England Junior and Infant School - 16 very good. The teacher has very good class control, and combines this with a warm and positive approach that succeeds in motivating pupils and establishing good mutual respect. Pupils work hard in these sessions, and they learn very well. Lessons are well planned, with sufficient flexibility built in to cater for changes in the groups as circumstances change. The lesson content is good, and it helps to motivate pupils to learn well. Lessons run at a brisk pace, although in some groups the teacher has to spend some time keeping very good class order, and she does this very well and

p.15

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

effectively, allowing pupils to benefit well from the teaching.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

30. Teaching for pupils with special educational needs is good when additional support is provided. Pupils with the more complex needs are taught effectively in withdrawal groups. In lessons, classroom assistants provide good support for pupils with special educational needs, particularly in Years 1 and 2.

p.16

PUPILS?

31. The curriculum lacks breadth and is not well balanced. It is not helpful to compare the present situation with that at the time of the previous inspection, as the nature of the school has changed so much in the meantime. Some things are still the same, however, such as the good curriculum in the Foundation Unit, and the continuing need to fully develop schemes of work for all subjects. There is a great emphasis on English and literacy and language skills. This is very relevant to the needs of the pupils, especially those from a minority ethnic background. The amount of time given to this subject was increased because of the low levels of achievement that were seen in the standard tests of recent years. It does, however, take up a great deal of the time each week, between thirty-six per cent and forty per cent of the timetable, and this is detrimental to the non-core subjects that are squeezed out of the

p.16

PUPILS?

32. The time given to the other major subject, mathematics, is satisfactory. The school's strategy for teaching numeracy is satisfactory, and the results in standard tests show that pupils are improving in their mathematics skills and knowledge. The strategy for teaching literacy, however, is not as successful and recent results show only a small improvement in pupils' English skills for pupils of eleven years of age.

p.16

PUPILS?

33. Information and communication technology (ICT) is not given separate time each week for many pupils, and the amount of teaching time is difficult to judge. Several subjects such as history and geography, are taught very much through ICT, especially in Key Stage 2, and this detracts severely from the range and depth of coverage of each subject. Too little time is devoted each week to many other subjects, including the foundation subjects of history, geography, art, design and technology and music. The time allocated to some of these subjects is not used effectively as a means of expanding and practising skills in writing in different ways, listening and understanding, and reading and conducting research. The small amount of time allocated to many subjects means that teachers are unable to cover a sufficient amount of the relevant Programmes of Study, and the requirements of the National Curriculum are not being met for all non-core subjects, except physical

p.16

PUPILS?

34. There is no direct teaching of personal and social education, other than as part of the science lessons that deal with sex education and the dangers of drugs misuse. The school is aware of this serious deficit, and of the real need for a structured programme of support to help pupils in their personal and social development. The St Mary’s Church of England Junior and Infant School - 17 lack of direct teaching of some moral and social issues is very apparent in the pupils’ personal development and attitudes at times.

p.16

PUPILS?

35. Until recently there was a course about ‘African Studies’, but this had to be discontinued when the teacher left the school. The school has plans to develop the syllabus for history and geography to re-introduce some of this course, as being particularly interesting and relevant to many of the pupils at the school.

p.17

PUPILS?

36. Provision for pupils with special educational needs is unsatisfactory. The headteacher has set this as a priority area to improve the support systems, including the training of staff, but not all the intended actions are in place yet. For example, individual education plans for pupils on Stages 1 and 2 of the register, to ensure that learning objectives and activities are matched to pupils’ particular needs, are just beginning to be formed. This development is at a very early stage and plans seen during the inspection were all the same and were not specific enough. The reason for this is that teachers and classroom assistants have had limited training and experience in providing for pupils with special educational needs in the classrooms. As a result, pupils’ needs are not met thoroughly enough to enable them to achieve as well as they might. However, since the arrival of the new headteacher, a highly sequential and

p.17

PUPILS?

structured plan of training and support has been put in place and is beginning to improve provision. For example, the Key Stage 1 nursery nurse is currently receiving training and is beginning to support pupils effectively. A visiting learning support teacher spends one morning a week in school and is systematically assessing pupils who are on Stage 3 of the register and drawing up individual education plans for them: these plans are very highly focused in directing support to pupils’ significant needs.

p.17

PUPILS?

37. Good specialist provision is made for pupils for whom English is an additional language. Although a great many pupils in school are from minority ethnic backgrounds, only a few (23 pupils) were non-English speakers when they came to the school.

p.17

PUPILS?

38. One teacher from the local Ethnic Minority Achievement Service (EMAS) works full- time in the school, and another works part-time. Their role is to raise the achievement of pupils from the ethnic minorities as a whole, not just the pupils at early stages of learning English. They work with all of these pupils equally, according to needs, and also work with a few non-ethnic minority children. Another teacher, one day per week, is employed specifically to work with the children for whom English is an additional language only, particularly those of Somali origin. These three teachers support children throughout the school. Their priorities are decided by discussions with the class teachers and headteacher. The time is well spent both in the Foundation Unit and in the rest of the school.

p.17

PUPILS?

39. The support is aimed at raising standards generally, and the teachers tend to approach this through their own strengths, with particular emphasis on English comprehension, art, drama and information and communication technology. Sometimes, pupils are withdrawn in a group, or half a class is taught at once, or pupils may be taught within whole-class lessons. All of these forms of support are good and effective.

p.17

PUPILS?

40. The pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds, including those for whom English is not their first language, have good access to the whole of the curriculum that is taught in the school. Pupils for whom English is an additional language join in fully with other pupils in main lessons, often with additional support. They also have good additional sessions with specialist teachers, often in a separate room, learning about the same St Mary’s Church of England Junior and Infant School - 18 things, but with the planning more focused on their specific needs. This support is also extended to all pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds as deemed appropriate by the school.

p.17

PUPILS?

41. The school has a clear policy for ensuring that all pupils have equal access to all parts of the curriculum. All pupils are valued equally, regardless of their background, English skills and levels of ability. Some pupils receive extra support to help them to access a full curriculum. The school is beginning to see the attitude and behaviour of some disenchanted older pupils as the main block to their own access to the curriculum. The school has plans to develop a new structure to the guidelines for managing the behaviour of pupils, and thorough training for staff in how to apply the guidelines in everyday teaching, in order to allow all pupils to actually take full advantage of the curriculum that is on offer.

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PUPILS?

42. The school does not make satisfactory provision for extra-curricular activities. The only extra-curricular activities running at present include the steel band and squash. Last year the school ran extra-curricular activities for football and carnival. Pupils do have some activities during school time, including visits to places of interest such as Wigan Pier museum, Manchester Museum and a local Tudor Hall.

p.18

PUPILS?

43. There are satisfactory links with the local community, and these are developing. At present, the Chinese Christian Church uses part of the building each week, and 22 pupils from the school turned up recently for community centre activities run by the local church. A nursery unit occupies part of the same site as the school, but links have not yet been well developed. There are links with both of the major local professional football teams. One works mainly with pupils in a drugs awareness programme, and the other helps with regular coaching sessions. Pupils also have sessions at a local leisure centre, and a link with a local engineering firm allows pupils to attend sporting events such as games of basketball and hockey at a nearby centre.

p.18

PUPILS?

44. The new headteacher has begun to make links with other educational institutions such as the playgroup to which some pupils go before they come to St Mary's and build on existing links. He has also been in contact with the comprehensive schools to which most pupils will go when they are old enough. These links are yet to be fully developed, and are presently unsatisfactory.

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Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

45. In contrast to the findings of the previous inspection, the provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development is poor, that for their cultural development is unsatisfactory. Due to the inadequacies of the current behaviour management strategies adopted by the majority of staff, they have to devote too much time to establishing order. This means that they do not offer pupils enough opportunities to appreciate and reflect on life beyond the mundane, to develop a deep seated understanding of the difference between right and wrong, or to increase their awareness of their place as a member of the community.

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Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

46. The school does not have a structured approach towards the enhancement of pupils’ personal and social development. The policy relating to this area of the curriculum is vague, outdated and gives teachers no guidance on how to, for instance, help pupils to ‘feel good about themselves’. The occasional display, such as that inviting Year 2 pupils to consider how the lost sheep of the parable might feel, or that in the library devoted to ensuring a sustainable future through careful use of the world’s resources, inspires an element of reflection. Some members of staff encourage pupils to think St Mary’s Church of England Junior and Infant School - 19 about their own behaviour and how they might improve it, thereby increasing their self- knowledge. In assemblies, there is usually a prayer, to which pupils respond well, but also in assemblies opportunities to inspire spiritual growth are missed. Pupils enter

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Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

the hall and have to wait in silence, sometimes for a long time, for other classes to arrive, with no music that might help to create a thoughtful atmosphere. Teachers patrol through the pupils, handing out good behaviour slips or sometimes talking quite loudly to pupils, in an abrasive manner which destroys any element of peace and calm. In lessons, teachers seldom invite pupils to consider, for example, the awesome movement of the planets instead of purely concentrating on the technicalities of the earth casting a shadow on the moon. Currently the school environment is devoid of spiritual uplift.

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Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

47. Some years ago, the school adopted an assertive discipline policy. At the moment this is not working and the confusing messages given out to pupils make it difficult for them to develop a true understanding of the correct way to behave towards others and themselves. Some teachers praise pupils in an indiscriminate manner, for example before they really are settled to work, or else they grow almost aggressive with pupils who will not comply with their wishes, and this creates conflict. Assemblies are usually used effectively to promote moral and social development, but in one observed during the inspection the message given was that bullying is wrong because there may well be someone older or bigger who may do the same to you. Some teachers deliberately choose books that encourage pupils’ personal development, for example during a very good lesson devoted to reading, children in the reception class were using a book entitled ‘How do you feel?’. Some teachers

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Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

allow pupils to work away from close supervision, which encourages their independence and self-discipline. Chosen Year 6 pupils act as lunchtime assistants, but not all of these carry out their tasks effectively, in some cases shouting at their peers in efforts to gain order, just as they have seen some of the staff members doing. Pupils have occasional opportunities to contribute to the community through, for example, sponsored activities to raise funds for a local hospital, and sometimes work in pairs or groups, which helps to develop their social skills. However, overall the provision in this area is poor since too few staff members give sufficiently clear and consistent guidance to pupils about how to act successfully as a member of a community.

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Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

48. The provision for pupils’ cultural development is unsatisfactory mainly because those areas of the curriculum, such as history, geography, music or art, that usually make a strong contribution in this area, are underdeveloped. Pupils have some opportunities to discover more about their own and others’ religions and faiths through their religious education lessons and displays. In the past, pupils have participated in multicultural celebrations such as Kwanzaa and the Chinese New Year, but the teacher who organised such activities has left the school, and it was only in the Foundation Unit that there was any recognition of the season of Diwali. Teachers provide pupils with some opportunities to study the work of known artists, and pupils have made occasional visits to places of historic interest. The steel band has performed at the Royal Northern College of Music and the Bridgewater Hall but is currently in abeyance. In history and geography, pupils download information, for

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Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

example about Tudor navigators, from Encarta but very few then use their findings to increase their knowledge and understanding of the topics being taught. The school fails to capitalise on the wealth of different cultures represented by its pupils in order to deepen their appreciation of their own and others’ ways of life. It does little to broaden their horizons with regard to the richness and diversity of experience available both close to home and further afield. St Mary’s Church of England Junior and Infant School - 20

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

49. The school’s procedures for ensuring pupils’ welfare are unsatisfactory mainly because the unsuccessful behaviour management impinges on all areas of school life and creates an unpredictable community in which pupils can never be sure which of their peers will misbehave next. Although the headteacher and some other staff treat pupils with care and give them good help and guidance, other teachers and some support staff are confrontational rather than nurturing, which leads to an ineffective learning environment.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

50. Many concerns about health and safety were highlighted at the time of the previous inspection. With the move to the new building these have all been eliminated, and the school has sensibly employed the services of an expert, who has ensured that the new procedures, including risk assessments, are all in order. The only concern now is the unruly behaviour of some pupils. Day-to-day procedures relating to child protection are satisfactory, but the school does not have a school specific policy, the guidance in the staff handbook is inadequate and not all staff with responsibilities in this area have been trained. This term, the school has introduced a breakfast club, which makes a positive contribution towards pupils’ well being.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

51. The school’s efforts over the past year to improve levels of attendance have been successful and they continue to be effective this term. However, registration procedures are sometimes sloppy, with teachers not confirming pupils’ presence until they have been in the building for some time. Staff recognise that the current behaviour management systems are not working and are in the process of developing a new policy and guidance which should help to improve matters. The main reason for the present problems is that staff fail to gain the respect of pupils and are inconsistent in their expectations and treatment of their wayward and oppressive behaviour. Those members of staff who show interest in the pupils as individuals, give them clear guidelines within which to operate and are prepared to talk them through their difficulties, have a positive effect on their behaviour. The headteacher and staff provided by the Ethnic Minority Achievement Service (EMAS) give

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

particularly good support in this area. However, in many cases the effect of this counselling swiftly wears off when pupils return to the classroom. Once they emerge for breaks, and particularly lunchtimes during which some lunchtime organisers shout loudly to gain control, many pupils throw caution and guidance to the wind, and begin again to behave in an unsatisfactory manner.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

52. On balance, the school does not have satisfactory and effective arrangements for assessing how well pupils are attaining in their work, particularly variations in attainment between different ethnic groups.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

53. Assessment is good in the Foundation Unit, however. When pupils enter the school, they have a ‘Baseline’ assessment, and teachers also carry out other tests and observations to see what the children can do. Staff continue to monitor how well the children are progressing, and this is good. It helps teachers to plan what to do next, and how to do it. They do this very effectively.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

54. With regard to pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds, including those for whom English is not their first language, there is very good ongoing assessment, particularly by the full-time teacher. This includes how well the lessons run each week, and how well the pupils are achieving in the lessons. The longer-term records are also good, including records of how well pupils' English skills are developing, how much support they need and get, and what kind of support. This is a very well organised and St Mary’s Church of England Junior and Infant School - 21 focused system which combines flexibility with focused priorities. As yet, the broad aims for each group do not have a specific learning target for each half term for each group or pupil against which the teacher could check the pupils’ progress. The teacher currently organises her existing very good assessments and predictions for future work in a diary format. If it was organised under the headings of the short-term

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

targets, it would enable her to show clearly and easily how much progress the pupils are making, and would make the provision and support more readily accountable in the school. The school does not set clear targets for pupils whose English language acquisition is not progressing well. The progress is only really measured and evaluated at the moment at the ages of seven and eleven, when they take the standard tests, and by the time the results of the last one are known, it is too late to do anything about them because the pupils have left the school. The school does not currently monitor their progress as a group, and does not compare it with the progress made by other groups of pupils.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

55. Assessment procedures for pupils with special educational needs are at present unsatisfactory. Individual education plans are not yet in place for the great majority of pupils. Measures to address this are already underway within the school improvement plan.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

56. The school conducts the annual standard tests and assessments for children at the age of seven and eleven years (known as SATs). However, as pupils move through the school teachers do not carry out any consistent testing or general observations of how well pupils are progressing in all the subjects of the curriculum. This is unsatisfactory.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

57. There is some assessment of pupils' attainments in mathematics, as part of the numeracy strategy, and this is sound. There is also some assessment of progress in science, and this is sound. Assessment in English is not carried out consistently, and is satisfactory at best. In general, teachers do not know how well their pupils are progressing. The school has very recently introduced a scheme to have a learning objective for each week in English and science. These are for each class as a whole, but they are not yet carried out consistently. Similarly, teachers tend not to complete the section of their planning that is for their assessment of lessons, and how they will alter their planning for the future.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

58. Staff keep a running record of progress in Pupil Profile forms over the years, but these cover only mathematics, English and science. They do, however, include teachers' assessments of the pupils' National Curriculum levels at the end of each year. There is little attempt to assess pupils' progress in any other subjects, whether in creative subjects such as art and music, or the humanities such as history and geography. At the end of a topic, module or term, teachers do not assess and record how well pupils have achieved. The assessment of pupils' development in personal and social matters is also lacking. Teachers do not keep records of how well pupils are developing in their independence and behaviour, unless there are problems that need to be recorded.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

59. At the end of the year teachers produce reports for parents. These are unsatisfactory. Some are about how well pupils are achieving in different subjects, focusing on English and mathematics, but this is done inconsistently, and others are about what the teacher has taught rather than what the pupils have learned. Some are about whether or not the pupil was interested, or if he/she enjoyed the subject. Because teachers have not routinely assessed how well pupils are progressing during the year, they are unable to report with any accuracy on many subjects. The reports for St Mary’s Church of England Junior and Infant School - 22 physical education, science and religious education have a separate paragraph each, but tend to be broad and quite vague. All of the other subjects are reported on in one paragraph, and subjects are often missed out altogether. Very little is said about design and technology, information and communication technology and history. More

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

often than not, nothing is said about geography, history, music or art. This is very unsatisfactory.

p.22

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

60. However, the school has used the information from the annual standard tests to alter the way in which English is taught. In seeing that pupils were not progressing well, especially as they neared eleven years old, the school has decided to increase the amount of time devoted to English. The way English is taught has also changed, partly through the introduction of the National Literacy Strategy, and partly through the addition of extra lessons just before midday for the pupils in the juniors. Also, when pupils are seen to be having problems with their work, perhaps because of their attitude or behaviour, they are given extra support by the teachers from the Ethnic Minorities Attainment Service (EMAS).

p.22

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

61. The school does not make satisfactory efforts to monitor pupils who may be at risk of achieving unsatisfactorily. Until recently, there has been little attempt to monitor the achievement of different ethnic groups nor of the achievements of boys and girls. Most pupils in the school are underachieving, and the school is aware of this. It has extended and re-organised the English lessons in response to the annual test results, and has arranged effective support from the EMAS teachers.

p.22

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

62. For pupils with special educational needs, the school adheres well to the local Code of Practice, and the classroom support assistants have begun to assess pupils’ language skills for one week each half term, as an assessment week. More specifically targeted lessons can be arranged if necessary. Where pupils’ behaviour is seen to be less than satisfactory, the school has a system of increasing sanctions and measures that it takes, including involving parents at an early stage and gaining their support. The pupils for whom English is not their first language are always identified as they come into the school, and additional support is well arranged through the EMAS teachers in school. This is effective in supporting them, and the assessments that are carried out are generally good, although they do not necessarily assess the actual progress that pupils make.

p.22

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

63. Although very few parents attended the pre-inspection meeting or responded to the questionnaire, through talking with parents during the inspection week it is clear that most of them are reasonably satisfied with the school’s provision. They highlighted some concerns, such as pupils’ behaviour and the lack of respect shown by some teachers towards pupils, which have been borne out by the inspection. Many also recognised that the recent move to a new site just before the inspection had created difficulties for staff, and they were prepared to give them time to settle in before voicing their concerns more loudly.

p.22

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

64. A key issue raised at the time of the previous inspection was for the school to ‘increase the effectiveness of parental involvement in pupil education to help raise standards of attainment, and to increase attendance rates’. The school has worked hard to encourage parental participation and has successfully involved them in various new initiatives. Since the time of the previous inspection attendance rates have improved significantly, but attainment has not improved in line with the national trend. Part of the EMAS teachers’ responsibilities is to increase parental participation, the school has a community room which has been decorated by parents and staff St Mary’s Church of England Junior and Infant School - 23 have organised many different meetings and workshops to inform parents about, for example, the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies. Various groups meet, for instance, to introduce Somali families to information and communication technology

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

or encourage parents to develop their writing skills. Such groups are very effective in making parents feel welcome in school and in some instances lead to pupils and parents working together on projects such as those relating to mis-use of drugs or Ancient Egypt. However, overall only a few parents regularly attend the sessions.

p.23

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

65. With regard to pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds, including those for whom English is not their first language, all of the EMAS teachers are involved closely with parents in different ways. These include regular parents' meetings each week, support groups and workshops. One workshop is currently looking at computer skills. This is very valuable work in bringing parents into school, and making them aware of what is happening, and how their children are progressing. These are also very good opportunities to discuss problems as well as progress. Termly newsletters go out to parents of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds, including those for whom English is not their first language, and these have parental contributions in them. Documents may be translated into Somali, and one teacher acts as a translator when the need arises. The EMAS teachers have organised a ‘Gatehouse’ group that is helping adults

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

and children to produce their own written work, for possible publication.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

66. There has been no provision for parents of pupils with special educational needs to be involved appropriately in consultation with the school, about their children’s needs and consequent support. The new special educational needs plan rectifies this.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

67. The school keeps parents suitably informed about important dates and events, and publishes a regular, lively newsletter, which contains a good balance of information and contributions from pupils and parents. The prospectus is very well laid out and helpful but neither it nor the governors’ annual report to parents includes all the statutorily required information. Teachers make themselves readily available for informal discussions with parents at the end of the school day, and hold two formal meetings a year to discuss the progress pupils make, but the information included in pupils’ written reports is wholly inadequate. The value of the comments varies according to the teacher but in general they relate more to pupils’ attitudes than their attainment and progress. They do not highlight those areas on which pupils should particularly concentrate in order to improve, and they only include separate comments

p.23

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

on English, mathematics, science, religious education and physical education, with all other subjects put together in one block. The new management has already identified the need to improve the quality of the reports before they are issued at the end of this academic year.

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

68. The present headteacher was appointed to the school at the start of the present term after a twelve months period when the present deputy headteacher was the acting headteacher. The past twelve months have seen a difficult time for the school, particularly with regard to the school moving to a new site, and one that was once occupied by a failing school. This has certainly taken its toll on the teaching staff, many of whom spent much of their summer holidays in school ensuring that the change went as smoothly as possible. In the short amount of time the headteacher has been in post, he has been able to identify key areas for improvement and has gained the respect and whole-hearted support of the governing body, parents and local education authority. Pupils also show a good deal of respect for the headteacher demonstrated by the very good behaviour shown by them when he is present in St Mary’s Church of England Junior and Infant School - 24

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

assemblies and when teaching Year 6. Actions to remedy the key weaknesses in the school are beginning to take place, such as a new behaviour policy and new special educational needs procedures. It is, however, too early to judge the effect of these and other changes.

p.24

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

69. The headteacher has high expectations for the school. The caring way with which he identifies the needs of the school and individual pupils means that improvements are made in an assertive but sympathetic and understanding way. The governing body has similarly high expectations and is keen to provide effective support in monitoring and evaluating the performance of the school in a much more rigorous way than has happened in the past. Key members of the governing body have regular contact with school and an effective committee structure is in place. The roles for other senior members of staff have not yet been well defined and they are not fully involved in the process of improvement that is now under way.

p.24

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

70. At present, the governing body is not fulfilling its role to ensure that all statutory responsibilites are fully met. The National Curriculum requirements are not met in information and communication technology nor in any of the non-core subjects, particularly at Key Stage 2. There is a considerable amount of information missing from the annual report to parents and the attendance and National Curriculum test results are not sent out with what is otherwise a very good school prospectus.

p.24

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

71. The school has been somewhat slack in monitoring and evaluating its own progress in the past and comparing its performance with schools nationally and locally. There has also been little monitoring and evaluation of teaching completed by subject co- ordinators to assess and analyse performance in their own subjects across the school. However, this has improved in the last year and there has been some good analysis of performances in national tests for English, mathematics and science. For example the school has identified from the tests in 2000 that boys are not performing as well as girls. Other areas of weakness have been identified, such as problem solving and the use of language in mathematics, and whole-school plans have been put into place to help improve these areas of learning. There has also been some effective monitoring of teaching and learning for literacy and numeracy which has resulted in some improvements in the quality of teaching. The information and

p.24

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

communication technology co-ordinator has also conducted a good analysis of the delivery of this area of the curriculum and has clearly identified the areas in which the school does not meet statutory requirements. There are particular weaknesses in the school’s analysis of the performance of pupils from different ethnic backgrounds. There is little structured analysis to establish differences in achievement and how the school can support any areas of concern.

p.24

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

72. A very detailed improvement plan that identifies clearly the areas of weakness that need to be addressed and how improvements can be achieved has been produced by the headteacher. This is a very useful document that the school will be able to use as an excellent starting point for improvement.

p.24

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

73. The headteacher has made the provision for special educational needs a top priority and to this end has put in place a highly sequenced, structured and far reaching plan for improvement of both academic and behavioural performance. An enthusiastic and dedicated, hard working special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) has been appointed. Together with the headteacher and a visiting learning support teacher, she has set up the special educational needs register, individual pupils’ files and class files in readiness for use after her training in the spring term. Identification of special needs has been re-addressed through whole-school testing, to ensure that all pupils St Mary’s Church of England Junior and Infant School - 25 with special needs will be catered for within future provision. A comprehensive schedule for training of the SENCO, teachers and support staff is in place, and additional support staff will be appointed. The expertise of outside specialists is drawn

p.24

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

upon profitably, such as the highly skilled and wise counsel of the visiting learning support teacher. Behaviour management guidelines and individual education plans are earmarked for development. Review meetings with parents of pupils with special educational needs are to be held each term. Each stage of development has been budgeted for wisely. The governor with responsibility for special educational needs has been brought up-to-date with current initiatives. She has experience in the field and is very keen to play her part towards ensuring that each pupil receives appropriate provision.

p.25

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

74. The school has had significant budget problems for a considerable period of time and has been unable to ensure that the income it has received has been able to cover its expenditure. The situation has now been reversed by the local education authority, and additional funds have been added to the school’s budget as a result of changes in the authority’s budget allocations and financing the move to the new school. The improvement plan produced by the headteacher takes full account of these budget changes and items identified for improvement are costed effectively. With support from the governing body the school has been able to provide extra funds to much needed areas for improvement but at the same time, leaving sufficient funds in the budget to cover unknown costs as a result of the move into new premises. The acting headteacher and governing body ensured that the purchase of services from the local

p.25

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

education authority were cost effective, and where this may not necessarily have been the case, for example payroll, other service providers are to be contacted before making a decision to renew the service next year.

p.25

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

75. The school has a generous number of teachers and other staff, including those provided by the Ethnic Minorities Achievement Service, who are appropriately qualified and experienced to match the demands of the curriculum. However, until recently, there has been little monitoring of their effectiveness and currently not all of them have sufficient skills to match the demands of this school. This means that, at the moment, the curriculum is not delivered in a satisfactory manner, particularly at Key Stage 2. There are firm plans in place to support teachers’ professional development.

p.25

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

76. The site and buildings have recently undergone major refurbishment, which means that the school is now housed in very good accommodation. Large classrooms lend themselves to a range of activities, while the library area and separate computer suite provide a wealth of opportunities for pupils to develop their ICT and research skills. The two halls and extensive outdoor areas, including a good secure space for the Foundation Unit, support well pupils’ physical education, although poor drainage leads to large puddles developing in wet weather. However, insufficient use, is made of the halls to develop skills in physical education and music.

p.25

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

77. Levels of resources to support pupils’ learning are unsatisfactory in many curriculum areas. There are not enough books in the library or to extend the higher attaining pupils at Key Stage 2. The school is well equipped with modern computers but has shortages of suitable software to use with them. Geography and history are particularly poorly resourced, which means that neither subject can be taught in line with national guidance. Other than in physical education, where there are good supplies of both large apparatus and small equipment, all subject areas have inadequacies, which have a direct impact on the quality of pupils’ education and the standards that they can achieve. St Mary’s Church of England Junior and Infant School - 26 78. With regard to pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds, including those for whom English is not their first language, the teachers run a ‘bookshare’ plan in which pupils

p.25

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

can borrow books to take home. There are some Somali books in school, although these are not new, and are not very extensive in quantity and range.

p.26

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

79. The headteacher, governing body and senior management team should:

p.26

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) Raise standards, especially in English, for boys across the curriculum and for the most able in mathematics by:

p.26

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• analysing more thoroughly the achievements made by boys from different minority ethnic groups; • producing systematic procedures for the assessment of the progress pupils make during their time in school and setting individual targets for improvement; • involving parents and pupils more in setting targets for improvement; • providing resources that will stimulate pupils’ learning more; (Paragraphs: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 11, 88, 88-97)

p.26

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) Improving the quality of teaching, particularly in Key Stage 2, by:

p.26

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• providing support and guidance in how teachers manage the behaviour of pupils effectively; • ensuring that teachers challenge all pupils effectively by clearly identifying the learning objectives for different abilities of pupils and sharing these with them effectively; • developing class teachers’ understanding of how to support minority ethnic pupils, and pupils who have English as an additional language; • improving the teaching of letter sounds more effectively in the Foundation years; (Paragraphs: 17-30, 94, 99, 106, 113, 117, 128, 133)

p.26

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(3) Improve the attitudes, behaviour and personal development of pupils and the provision for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development by:

p.26

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• adopting a behaviour management policy that is used consistently and effectively throughout the school; • providing opportunities for pupils to demonstrate their capability to take responsibility and work independently; • producing a spiritual, moral, social and cultural policy that is applied consistently across the whole school and developing a programme of provision that is incorporated into the planning for the delivery of the curriculum; • organising a programme of personal, social and health education that can be built on year by year as pupils move through the school. (Paragraphs: 12-16, 34, 35,45-48, 94, 99, 106, 113, 117, 128, 133)

p.26

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(4) Increase the breadth and balance of the whole curriculum, with a special emphasis and developing provision for the arts by: St Mary’s Church of England Junior and Infant School - 27 • developing a curriculum map of provision that covers all the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum; • producing Programmes of Study for each subject that clearly identify the skills that need to be developed for each year group and for pupils of differing abilities; • monitoring and evaluating the quality of provision to identify and resolve areas and aspects that need to be improved. (Paragraphs: 31, 33, 112, 114, 117, 119, 121-124, 126, 127, 129, 131, 137)

p.26

Other weaknesses

Ensure that all statutory requirements are met by:

p.27

Other weaknesses

• incorporating all the information necessary in the written reports to parents on the progress pupils make in all aspects of the curriculum; (Paragraph: 29) • putting all necessary information in to the school prospectus and the Annual Report to Parents; (Paragraph: 67) • producing a child protection policy and ensuring all staff are fully aware of their role; (Paragraph: 50) • ensuring registration procedures are secure for health and safety reasons. (Paragraph: 51) St Mary’s Church of England Junior and Infant School - 28

p.27

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 42

p.28

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

p.28

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

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

p.28

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6

p.28

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 30 209

p.28

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals 123

p.28

Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6

p.28

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0

p.28

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 42

p.28

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.28

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 157

p.28

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.28

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 19

p.28

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 8

p.28

Attendance

National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5

p.28

Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. St Mary’s Church of England Junior and Infant School - 29

p.28

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2000 11 18 29

p.29

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.29

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 5 (7) 8 (9) 9 (9) Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 18 (8) 18 (8) 18 (9)

p.29

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 79 (56) 90 (63) 93 (67) at NC level 2 or above National 83 (82) 84 (83) 90 (87)

p.29

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.29

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 8 (10) 9 (11) 9 (9) Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 18 (9) 18 (9) 18 (9)

p.29

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 90 (70) 93 (74) 93 (67) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (82) 88 (86) 88 (87)

p.29

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.

p.29

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2000 13 17 30

p.29

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.29

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 4 (5) 6 (5) 8 (6) Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 9 (3) 12 (1) 15 (3)

p.29

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 43 (32) 60 (32) 77 (36) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (70) 72 (69) 85 (78)

p.29

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.29

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 4 (6) 6 (7) 7 (7) Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 7 (4) 12 (3) 16 (4)

p.29

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 37 (40) 60 (40) 77 (44) at NC level 4 or above National 70 (68) 72 (69) 79 (75)

p.29

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. St Mary’s Church of England Junior and Infant School - 30

p.29

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 126 Black – Caribbean heritage 4 0

p.30

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 19 Black – African heritage 0 0

p.30

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 5 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0

p.30

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

This table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. This table gives the number of exclusions of pupils of compulsory school age, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

p.30

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 9.5 Financial year 1999/2000

p.30

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 25.6

p.30

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total expenditure 348,683

p.30

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 5 Expenditure per pupil 1,550

p.30

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 90 Balance brought forward from previous year -(65,745)

p.30

Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 1,722

p.30

Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery

p.30

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 1

p.30

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 30

p.30

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 2

p.30

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 30

p.30

Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. St Mary’s Church of England Junior and Infant School - 31

p.30

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

p.31

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Strongly agree Tend to agree Tend to disagree Strongly disagree Don’t know

p.31

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 18 64 9 9 0

p.31

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 36 36 27 0 0

p.31

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 18 9 36 36 0

p.31

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 18 45 9 27 0

p.31

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 64 27 9 0 0

p.31

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 36 55 0 9 0

p.31

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 18 45 18 0 18

p.31

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 18 73 0 0 18

p.31

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 18 55 0 9 18

p.31

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 9 18 18 9 45 St Mary’s Church of England Junior and Infant School - 32

p.31

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

80. The school has a Foundation Unit which houses at one end a nursery and at the other, a reception class. There are two intakes to the nursery each year in September and January. At the time of the inspection 37 children were under five, comprising 28 nursery and nine reception. In January the reception roll will rise as children who have their fifth birthday in the spring and summer terms move to the reception class to make way for the new three-and-a-half-year-old nursery entrants. Profitable induction procedures include links with neighbouring nurseries such as the Children’s Centre. A staggered intake to nursery provides children with focused attention, which helps them to feel confident in their new surroundings. As a result, children are eager to go to school and once there, they settle quickly and enthusiastically. Parents have a useful meeting with the nursery teacher, when in small groups of five or six they

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

receive important information about their children’s education. However, parents are not provided with confidential interviews when valuable knowledge of their child’s pre- nursery experiences and attainments may be shared, recorded and incorporated into the child’s profile to influence meaningfully early assessment judgements. Additionally, there is no induction pack for parents to take away for reference. This is the resultant effect of the absence of an early years manager within the school. As the year progresses, there are two parent interview evenings in the autumn and summer terms, as well as a very worthwhile open day when parents are invited to watch a day in action.

p.32

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

81. Inspection findings show that teaching, together with children’s progress, have improved to become very good since the previous inspection when they were found to be good. Planning is thorough: the nursery and reception teachers plan together, taking account of curricular coverage, assessment information and contributions from support staff. The resultant effect is a stimulating, broad and balanced curriculum within which all of the required areas of learning are addressed in a structured and developing fashion. Teaching of basic skills is very good overall, although sufficient focus is not given to the teaching of letter sounds and word awareness: other reading skills are taught well. The content of different subjects is linked usefully when appropriate, maximising learning opportunities. Initial assessment shows that children enter the nursery with levels of attainment well below those expected nationally. As a

p.32

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

result of the very good provision that they receive, children make very good progress and achieve very well. They are well on course to attain expected standards, by the end of the reception year, in knowledge and understanding of the world as well as mathematical, creative, physical and personal, social and emotional development. Although they make satisfactory progress it is unlikely that they will attain average standards in communication, language and literacy, due to the insufficient development of letter sounds and word awareness in reading.

p.32

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

82. Children’s personal, social and emotional development is given very high priority. A wide range of successful teaching strategies enables children to enjoy their learning and feel secure in the classroom and wider school community: skilled encouragement, careful explanations and patient handling of children’s responses are among the strategies used. Consequently they feel secure and have very good attitudes towards their work. This is evident by the high level of enthusiasm they have for language, number, computer, dance and artistic activities. Another very good example of children’s zest for learning was seen as they performed the story of ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’, acting and singing melodiously, clearly, competently and St Mary’s Church of England Junior and Infant School - 33 joyfully to the whole-school audience: a spiritually uplifting performance. Teachers, the nursery nurse and classroom assistant encourage children to dress and undress

p.32

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

unaided and clear away materials at the end of lessons, consciously fostering self- care and independence to good effect. Great respect and concern are shown to children, building in turn their self-respect and esteem. Teachers and assistants present respectful role models for children to emulate. Hence, they behave very well and relate agreeably to each other as they work and play. Anti-social behaviour is discouraged through positive attitudes, the implementation of a few simple rules and the encouragement offered by staff for all forms of good behaviour.

p.33

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

83. Children’s communication, language and literacy skills are mainly promoted successfully in very well taught literacy lessons as well as in other curricular areas. The exception to this is letter sounds and word awareness skills in reading which are not promoted highly enough to enable children to achieve as well as they do in communication and language. Then they are given constructive opportunities to speak and listen and so build skills soundly. They listen attentively and knowing that their contributions are valued, respond confidently and clearly, for example when discussing the taste of their nursery-made soup or what might happen on their birthday. Of the five children who have English as an additional language only one requires focused tuition in understanding and using English. This is delivered very well through a weekly input from a visiting specialist and continually during the course of

p.33

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

lessons through skilful and patient demonstrations by teachers and support staff enabling the child to communicate and thus have access to the curriculum. Reading skills such as story sequencing, reading for enjoyment and understanding, together with awareness of how books are made up are sound. Children particularly enjoy listening to stories such as ‘The Sensational Samburger’, when they are rapt in interest and gain a good deal of understanding from the pop-up pictures as well as from the narrative. In reading children have very little awareness of initial letter sounds and recognise very few words. This adversely impacts on their writing when they use few letters or simple words to represent their stories.

p.33

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

84. Time is used well in mathematics lessons and children benefit from the appropriate balance between teaching and practice time when they consolidate their skills, through particularly good, challenging tasks and good supporting resources. They practise successfully skills such as counting, quantifying, ordering, adding and subtracting numbers to 10 and beyond. Children recognise and name two- dimensional shapes and know and use language of size and position. They are beginning to explore three-dimensional shapes with interest. They sing a wide variety of rhymes and jingles such as ‘Five Current Buns’ and ‘Ten Fat Sausages’, to support addition and subtraction and they use computer programs to reinforce skills and improve mathematical vocabulary effectively. Problem-solving skills are developed usefully through mental mathematics and by using everyday opportunities as they occur, such as milk bottle and snack calculations. Further opportunities are provided

p.33

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

at the end of activity times when teachers go over the key points and skilfully draw together the main learning objectives. The classroom assistant and nursery nurse support children’s mathematical development very well. In like manner to the rest of the unit, children with special educational needs and lower attainment are given valuable help enabling them to make very good progress towards specific early learning goals.

p.33

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

85. As a result of the very good opportunities provided in the classroom and local community, children develop a respectful awareness of the world around them. They walk in Alexandra Park, observe seasonal changes and become familiar with the wildlife. They observe and protect mini-beasts in the unit’s garden. After outings they St Mary’s Church of England Junior and Infant School - 34 make recordings of their findings by painting and drawing. Very good opportunities are provided for children to develop computer skills to support and extend understanding of mathematics and language. They are becoming accustomed to using the mouse successfully. Using headphones, they listen to stories and follow the texts beneficially. They talk and compile a cumulative book about their families. Using large and small construction kits they build for a purpose. Children are beginning to know that people have different customs: they take part in celebrations such as Diwali and Christmas

p.33

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Nativity Play and share a wide variety of multicultural story books.

p.34

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

86. Teachers plan exciting, well-structured hall-time physical education and creative dance lessons as well as outdoor opportunities when children use large wheeled toys and climbing apparatus. Through such activities they grasp awareness of space well in routines and games, which involve a variety of body management skills and movements such as walking, jumping, running and rolling. In dance, they creatively perform favourite rhymes and stories. They ride on vehicles and steer safely past each other. They thoroughly enjoy the lessons and make a great effort to follow instructions. Children move with developing control and co-ordination. Given many opportunities to strengthen their fingers, they use scissors, pencils, paint brushes and a variety of construction toys appropriately. Staff are diligent about keeping children safe in movement lessons and when handling tools.

p.34

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

87. Stimulating activities involving art, music, dance and imaginative play nurture creative development well. Children explore colour and texture effectively when making bold colourful potato prints. In accompaniment to their teacher’s guitar playing, they sing and perform action songs melodiously, enjoyably and confidently such as ‘There’s a little caterpillar on a leaf’ and ‘Pretty Butterfly’, to the whole-school audience. They join in wholeheartedly when singing traditional nursery rhymes and jingles. Through such musical activity, listening skills are encouraged very effectively. Children engage imaginatively in role-play in the classroom’s home and construction corners, making believe and relating well to each other. They are highly motivated and well supported through such creative activities, not only by their teachers but by the nursery nurse and classroom assistant too. Great enjoyment is a feature of the concentrated effort

p.34

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

that the school’s youngest children bring to their tasks and activities.

p.34

ENGLISH

88. Standards in English have declined since the last inspection, but it is not helpful to compare results then and now, as there have been many changes to the school in the meantime. These include a very different group of pupils, many of whom came in from a nearby school that was failing, and which was closed.

p.34

ENGLISH

89. Standard tests for reading and writing show that pupils at the age of seven years are achieving very well when compared with similar schools in the country. The results compare satisfactorily with the national average of all schools. This is a considerable improvement on the results for recent years. Both boys and girls have better results than previously, but the boys have not improved to the same extent as the girls. Girls perform much better than boys, and it is their good results which help the overall results to reach the national average. Boys are under-achieving in both reading and writing. Pupils from ethnic minority backgrounds, including a large number of pupils of Black Caribbean descent, perform at the same level as other pupils. The small number of pupils for whom English is an additional language, mainly Somali, perform well. They make good progress in learning English, particularly in speaking and

p.34

ENGLISH

listening. St Mary’s Church of England Junior and Infant School - 35 90. The recent improvement in results is less so for pupils at the age of eleven years than for pupils at seven years. There has been some improvement, but not as much as for the younger pupils, or for mathematics and science, and this is unsatisfactory. Boys and girls are attaining levels well below the national averages for other schools, even those of a similar type. As with the younger pupils, boys are not achieving as well as girls, especially in their writing skills. Pupils for whom English is an additional language are performing very well.

p.34

ENGLISH

91. By the age of seven, most pupils are achieving satisfactorily, especially the girls. The more able pupils understand Standard English well, and they speak it well themselves for the most part. Some pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds may also speak English dialects but they are generally easily understood. They listen to what they are told, and generally understand it, whether it is when a teacher is reading a story, for example, or giving instructions in physical education. Some less able pupils have difficulty understanding what is said to them without having it repeated and explained in more simple terms. Their speech may be in short sentences, and the pronunciation may not be in Standard English. This may show up in classroom discussions or when reading aloud. When they are reading, the more able pupils are enthusiastic. They may be a little hesitant when reading more difficult texts, but they tend to be

p.35

ENGLISH

careful and correct themselves if they realise they have made a mistake. Many pupils will follow the words on the page with their finger to help them. Many pupils take books home to read, but they do not know how to find books in a library. The less able pupils struggle with very simple texts, and a few pupils can read only a very few words. Pupils' writing is not neat. Letters are often formed badly; they are often not on the line, and are often very large. Pupils have produced different styles of writing such as imaginative stories, poems and lists of instructions, such as for a recipe or a technology project. The more able pupils can write sentences, and these generally follow from one to the next in a logical way. The spelling, however, is very often incorrect, even with the more able pupils spelling simple words wrongly. The lower achieving pupils copy some words, and may be able to say what they have written

p.35

ENGLISH

afterwards. Their writing may be very large and untidy, and not easily read by others.

p.35

ENGLISH

92. By the age of eleven, many pupils have fallen behind, and are not achieving satisfactorily, particularly the boys. The more able pupils are mainly speaking Standard English in school, with sound pronunciation and good sense. A few pupils lack clarity in their speech which results in some confusion in the way they say ‘t’ and ‘th’, as ‘d’ or ‘f’. Many pupils enjoy reading, and they read for pleasure in their free time in school, and at home. They say what has happened in a book so far, and remember what happened in other books they have read recently. All pupils understand what is said to them in Standard English, although some choose not to listen well, and do not follow instructions well. The more able pupils read quite fluently, and with appropriate expression to convey the meaning of what they are reading. They make few mistakes if the text is simple, but struggle with some stories and reference books that they read

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ENGLISH

for information. Some pupils find books in the library without looking through all the shelves, but others cannot. They do not use the library as a resource in which to work, or to look for further information about a topic. The more able pupils know how to use the contents page and the index in a book to find the things they are looking for. Lower achieving pupils tend not to like reading as much, and do so with less understanding of what the text means. Some read quite carelessly, without thinking what the passage as a whole means. Other low attainers try hard, and they struggle to read properly, correcting their mistakes when they realise that something does not make sense the first time. Many pupils have favourite authors, such as Roald Dahl, and they have their own favourite books at home. Pupils for whom English is an additional language are speaking English satisfactorily by this age if they have spent

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ENGLISH

St Mary’s Church of England Junior and Infant School - 36 several years in the school, and are not new to the country. They read and write at least as well as their classmates, and are often among the higher achievers.

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ENGLISH

93. Pupils' handwriting is generally poor. Even the most able pupils do not generally write neatly or with any individual style. A few pupils, who may otherwise be lower attainers, print neatly, but do not ‘join up’ their words. Many pupils form the letters badly, well above the line, and too large. Most pupils, even the more able ones, make many mistakes, and cross out their work several times, often badly affecting the general presentation of the work. Many books contain pages that are messy and untidy because of the poor writing and the many mistakes that have been crossed out. The highest achieving pupils are unable to spell words such as scarcely, practically and favourite, and they do not readily use a dictionary to check their spellings. The lower achievers confuse the spelling of words such as know/no, brock/broke, a/of, and of/off. The most able pupils write in sentences, and have good imagination and logic

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ENGLISH

in their stories. Often, however, they miss out capital letters at the start of sentences or for names, and do not always use speech marks, exclamation marks and other punctuation marks correctly. Pupils write and read a wide variety of different texts, including poetry, letters, drama and plays, newspaper stories, analysis of texts that include plays, stories and factual reports, and they write and read imaginative stories.

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ENGLISH

94. The teaching of English is unsatisfactory overall, with half of the lessons seen being unsatisfactory, and others, which were judged to be satisfactory overall, had aspects that were unsatisfactory. One lesson in Key Stage 1 was very good, and, overall, the teaching in Key Stage 1 is not as unsatisfactory as it is in Key Stage 2. Pupils' learning in lessons is unsatisfactory in two-thirds of lessons. Many pupils are not interested or motivated in what they are being taught, and do not listen. Teachers fail to interest them with the content of the lessons, and the quality of the resources. The planning of lessons is often about the activities that pupils will be doing, rather than about what the teacher expects them to learn. Lessons often are run at a slow pace, with many periods of waiting for pupils to pay attention, or in actively trying to gain control of less eager pupils. Some pupils become bored or restless and this disrupts

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ENGLISH

the learning of other pupils. Teachers do not generally know how to deal well with pupils who are disaffected with their lessons, and there is a constant confrontation between some pupils and some teachers. In some classes this takes the form of a few pupils being deliberately and openly defiant. In other classes the great majority of pupils may not settle to their work at all, and pay little attention to what their teachers are saying. Teachers do not mark pupils’ work consistently. Some use mainly ticks, with no comments or other feedback, and no examples of pupils being made to do their work again in corrected form, with correct spellings and punctuation, for instance, or with much neater handwriting. This results in pupils not learning as well as they might, because there is no expectation on them to do better after the first attempt. In the very good lesson, by comparison, the teacher settled the class quickly,

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ENGLISH

and kept very good order with a firm word here and there throughout the lesson, keeping an eye on all of the pupils to make sure they were paying attention, and moving an occasional pupil who preferred to fidget or speak to a neighbour. This ensured that all pupils were learning well throughout, and not being distracted by anyone. In reading a poem, ‘The Wet Playtime’, the teacher had chosen a topic that pupils could relate to, and they joined in with the words, and clapped to the syllables of the rhyming words. A good activity about rhyming words followed, in which the teacher asked many penetrating questions, getting good answers and suggestions from the pupils, and she in turn, praised pupils well for their good answers, whilst still keeping a firm hold on discipline. All pupils worked very well in their groups later, with written work that was well chosen and organised to be at the right level for each pupil,

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enabling them to learn well throughout. The lesson was run at a brisk pace, with high St Mary’s Church of England Junior and Infant School - 37 expectations for pupils to be fully involved. It was also run with positive and warm relationships, despite the frequent need to remind pupils to keep quiet and to concentrate. Pupils learned a lot in the lesson.

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ENGLISH

95. The leadership and management of English are satisfactory overall. The National Literacy Strategy has seen a lot of training for teachers, although this has not been fully effective in ensuring that all teachers have really good knowledge and skills to teach the literacy sessions very well. The resources have been increased considerably, but remain unsatisfactory overall. There is a clear policy for the subject, and the co-ordinator and the school have clear plans to develop the resources and other aspects of the subject. The library is currently under-stocked with reference books, and there are too few fiction books. The reading scheme does not go high enough for the pupils who are beginning to read competently, and are classed as ‘free readers’ by the school, and can choose any book to read. This does not give sufficient structure and guidance to their reading. Teachers assess how well their pupils are

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ENGLISH

progressing, but they do so inconsistently. Some use tests and written assessments, and use the results to alter how they intend to teach in future. In general, however, teachers do not use standard reading, comprehension or spelling tests, for example, to check pupils’ progress. Samples of work from previous years are not kept for comparison, although the co-ordinator has organised sessions in which all staff look at many examples of work, to try to come to a common understanding of what is meant by each of the levels of attainment. The national standard tests (SATs) take place each year for pupils at the ages of seven and eleven years, and pupils' work is compared with national standards. The school as a whole responded to poor test results by increasing the amount of time devoted to English. There is a great deal of time each week devoted to English. Too little time is used in writing about, for

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ENGLISH

instance, their science, history or geography lessons, and so pupils currently have few opportunities to expand the range of their writing. The syllabus for English generally, however, is good. Pupils read and write a variety of forms of English, in different styles, and for different purposes. They have lessons at least once every day, most of them through the National Literacy Strategy, and others with a different emphasis. There is a need to consider the amount of time devoted purely to English, and also to how the additional lessons are focused, perhaps, for example, with a view to concentrating on the sounds of each letter, and letter combinations, such as ‘sh’ or ‘tion’.

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MATHEMATICS

96. Pupils in Year 6 attain standards well below the national average in numeracy and all other areas of mathematics (number, algebra, shape, space and measures, and data handling). The vast majority of pupils achieve satisfactorily with the exception of the most able pupils who underachieve because teachers plan work that is not challenging enough. The rate of progress made by all pupils throughout Key Stage 2, including pupils with special educational needs or who have English as an additional language, is adversely affected by the unsatisfactory attitudes and behaviour of a significant number of pupils. Girls perform much better than the boys with girls in 2000 achieving levels in line with the national average, twenty-five percentage points above that achieved by the boys. Local authority data shows that pupils at the school from Patois and Creole backgrounds perform less well than similar pupils in other

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MATHEMATICS

97. Pupils in Year 2 attain standards below the national average but pupils achieve well especially in their basic numeracy skills, except for the most able pupils whose achievement is only satisfactory because they are not sufficiently challenged by the St Mary’s Church of England Junior and Infant School - 38 teachers. The achievements for the most able pupils in mathematics, particularly in using and applying mathematics and in shape, space and measure, are lower than for reading and writing. Girls perform better than boys with all the girls in 2000 achieving Level 2 compared to only three-quarters of the boys. The performance of boys from Patwa and Creole backgrounds was much lower in 2000 than for similar pupils in other local authority schools, whereas pupils with English as an additional language performed better.

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MATHEMATICS

98. The performances in both sets of tests were not as good as those reported at the last inspection but showed significant improvement on the standards achieved in 1999. The proportion of pupils at eleven years of age attaining the national average Level 4 nearly doubled and continued a trend of improvement at the end of Key Stage 2 that started in 1997. The proportion of pupils achieving the above average Level 5 was, however, very low. The proportion of pupils reaching the national average Level 2 by the age of seven rose to ninety per cent from sixty-three per cent in 1999.

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MATHEMATICS

99. The quality of teaching and learning in mathematics is satisfactory overall throughout Key Stages 1 and 2, but ranges from unsatisfactory to very good. The introduction of the numeracy strategy has helped to give good structure to lessons and has encouraged teachers to emphasise the need to improve mental strategies used by pupils to solve problems. Consistency in these areas is evident throughout Key Stages 1 and 2. Weaknesses in the teaching relate very much to the teachers having to spend too much time controlling the pupils rather than teaching new concepts and reinforcing old. On the whole, teachers struggle to maintain a good sense of order but do so successfully because the work planned challenges pupils sufficiently to ensure that satisfactory progress is made during the lesson. The attitudes of pupils are barely satisfactory overall and worse amongst the boys than the girls. In the best lessons,

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MATHEMATICS

teachers organise the lessons well and provide a range of resources to support the pupils’ mental agility. In Year 2, the teacher set different challenges for pupils of differing abilities to extend their understanding of addition and missing numbers. More able pupils work with numbers to one thousand whilst pupils with special educational needs worked effectively with numbers to ten with the support of a classroom assistant. In a Year 6 lesson, the teacher gave the pupils clear instructions to complete their activity that enabled the pupils to create their own repeating patterns on a graph. The creative aspect to the work challenged all pupils effectively and even those pupils with behaviour problems remained on task to the end of the lesson. The least effective lessons were the result of pupils becoming bored with the work they had been set, some because they didn’t understand what they had to do, and others

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MATHEMATICS

because it was not matched effectively to their abilities. The unsatisfactory lesson in Year 3 was mainly the result of a lack of pace due to the teacher spending too long settling the class and keeping order, but also too long on simple whole-class activities that did not provide sufficient interest for the pupils.

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MATHEMATICS

100. Numeracy skills are not developed satisfactorily in other aspects of the curriculum. There are, however, some good examples of numeracy skills being used effectively in science and information and communication technology (ICT). In Year 2, for example, pupils recorded their survey on the class’s favourite foods on a pictogram using an ICT program. The use of ICT to support mathematics, however, is underdeveloped. The school does not use data handling programs, for example, to help analyse results from investigations.

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MATHEMATICS

101. The curriculum co-ordinator has a good grasp of the strengths and weaknesses in the subject from analysing national test results and has received a good deal of support from the local education authority. As a result, in-service training for teachers St Mary’s Church of England Junior and Infant School - 39 has taken place to help the effective introduction of the National Numeracy Strategy. Monitoring of lessons has identified areas for improvement and this has been fed back to the teachers. Demonstration lessons have been given and support for teachers’ planning. Having analysed the school’s results, there has been a focus on improving the teaching of problem solving across the school and a focus on the development of mathematical language has resulted from this.

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MATHEMATICS

102. Overall, improvement since the last inspection has been satisfactory.

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SCIENCE

103. Standards in science for eleven-year-olds are well below the national average and all pupils, including those who have English as an additional language and those with special educational needs, underachieve as a result of some unsatisfactory progress made in lessons. In national tests in 2000, girls performed particularly well achieving above the national average for girls by nine percentage points. However, boys achieved well below other boys nationally, fifty-four per cent achieving the nationally expected Level 4 compared to eighty-four per cent nationally. In lessons, there is some evidence to indicate that boys do not progress as well as girls, for example a Year 5 lesson when boys were less inclined to study information about the moon.

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SCIENCE

104. Standards for seven-year-olds are in line with the national average and pupils achieve well. The present Year 2, receive a broad coverage of the National Curriculum with an appropriate emphasis on experimental and investigative science, for example the analysis of different materials to see what they feel like and to find out how they differ.

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SCIENCE

105. Standards in Year 2 are similar to those found at the time of the last inspection, but are lower in Year 6. The results in 2000 show a dramatic increase over the results in 1999 with the proportion of pupils attaining Level 4 more than doubling. The performance of the girls was far better than for the boys with more than the national average proportion of girls achieving Level 4, whilst the performance of boys fell short of the national average for boys by thirty percentage points. The improvements in 2000 reversed a decline in standards between 1996 and 1998.

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SCIENCE

106. The quality of teaching and learning in the one lesson seen at Key Stage 1, in Year 2, was satisfactory. Although the pupils returned from afternoon break unsettled the teacher’s high expectations of behaviour soon brought the class to order so that the lesson could begin promptly. The teacher prepared the lesson well and provided real food for the pupils to study. Despite good questioning techniques a good proportion of the pupils misunderstood some aspects of the task and made only satisfactory progress. The quality of teaching and learning in Key Stage 2 ranges from satisfactory to poor, and is unsatisfactory overall. Teachers plan a broad coverage of the curriculum and give good opportunities for pupils to investigate through practical activities. During the inspection, lessons contained a good variety of practical work. Unfortunately, some pupils take advantage of the independence they are given and do

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SCIENCE

not complete their work at a satisfactory pace. An example of this was during a Year 4 lesson when lower attaining pupils, in particular, tended to be silly when constructing figures using plasticine and pipe cleaners to demonstrate the function of the skeleton. In a Year 6 lesson, the teacher gave a demonstration of filtering using different types of liquid. Although this should have built on effectively to the investigations pupils carried out themselves earlier, the demonstration took too long and pupils who found it difficult to see became bored and then began to misbehave. The lesson then deteriorated into a confrontational situation with the teacher trying to keep control of the class. The weakest teaching was in Year 3 when a well-prepared lesson was St Mary’s Church of England Junior and Infant School - 40 spoilt by poor behaviour by the pupils which was not controlled effectively by the teacher.

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SCIENCE

107. There is a growing use of information and communication technology (ICT) in science. Data handling programs help pupils to record their findings from investigations, for example, displaying the results of a survey to identify which food was the popular in the class. However, overall, there is insufficient use of ICT to support learning in science.

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SCIENCE

108. The curriculum co-ordinator has had insufficient time in recent years to build on the good work conducted by her to develop a whole school Programme of Study. The subject has been neglected because of the recent focus on literacy and numeracy. There has been no monitoring of teaching nor any evaluation of the standards achieved by different year groups.

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SCIENCE

109. Although it is acknowledged that significant changes that have taken place since the last inspection, taking into account the lack of emphasis given to this subject in recent years and the significant proportion of unsatisfactory teaching and learning, improvement since the last inspection has been unsatisfactory.

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ART AND DESIGN

110. The attainment of seven- and eleven-year-olds is below average, indicating deterioration since the previous inspection when standards were good. Pupils in both key stages underachieve.

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ART AND DESIGN

111. Three lessons were seen during the inspection, two at Key Stage 1 and one at Key Stage 2, which was taught by an art specialist. In this lesson the quality of teaching was good. In Year 1 the quality of teaching was unsatisfactory and in Year 2 satisfactory. Apart from some sound work in Year 4, for example, still life pastel pictures of bowls of fruit and some well formed decorative clay pots, there is very little evidence available of pupils’ art and design activity for the current term. Taking account of pupils’ work seen, together with lesson observations, teaching overall is judged to be unsatisfactory because pupils underachieve.

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ART AND DESIGN

112. A major contributory factory to this is the lack of a structured scheme of work to guide teaching and learning in a continuous fashion. Additionally, teachers are insecure about learning objectives: these are confused with activities or aims, constraining pupils’ art and design education overall. The school considers much of the scheme of work provided by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority to be inappropriate for its pupils. Accordingly, in consultation with the specialist teacher, it has begun to draft its own scheme, which although based on these national guidelines, evolves mainly from the school’s practice.

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ART AND DESIGN

113. Where teaching is effective, references to famous artists’ work, such as Andy Goldsworthy’s ‘Parkland’, encourage creativity. Skilful demonstrations of shading help pupils to draw people in action; lively questioning challenges their imagination. Effective discipline and organisation help to focus pupils’ attention and promote concentrated application. The fitness of the task and use of suitable resources such as photographs of moving figures encourage pupils to develop their drawing skills. Where teaching is ineffective, tasks give pupils little opportunity to be inventive, for example gluing tissue and gummed paper circles to fish shapes and colouring straws. Limitations in the range of teaching strategies result in inattentiveness, disrespectful behaviour and underachievement. St Mary’s Church of England Junior and Infant School - 41 114. The subject is managed by a temporary teacher, in consultation with another member

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ART AND DESIGN

of staff: a practising artist. Art has not had a high profile in the school’s recent development structure, nor has the subject manager had a monitoring brief and as a result does not meet National Curriculum requirements. There are no assessment procedures in place and individual needs are not catered for. As a result, pupils’ skills, knowledge and understanding have not been built up step by step. Thus, gaps in their artistic experience exist.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

115. By the age of seven, standards are average but by the time pupils are eleven they are below average. These findings show that at Key Stage 1 standards have been maintained since the previous inspection and at Key Stage 2 they have fallen. The progress made by pupils, including those with special educational needs and those who have English as an additional language, is satisfactory overall at Key Stage 1 and unsatisfactory at Key Stage 2.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

116. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall with examples of both very good and unsatisfactory teaching at Key Stage 2. The judgement on the quality of teaching at Key Stage 1 is based on pupils’ work, which indicates that they achieve satisfactory standards. For example, pupils in Year 1 design and make teddy bears with moving limbs by assembling and joining components. In Year 2 they progress to designing a template, writing instructions and using a variety of joining methods and materials to make hand puppets satisfactorily.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

117. The school was unable to provide any work completed by pupils of Years 3 and 4 in design and technology so far this term. However, despite no teaching being scheduled until the spring term, lessons for both year groups did take place and were observed during the inspection. The tasks were undemanding and did not promote sufficiently well the design and make process. For example in Year 3, pupils were simply required to make a free-standing structure using an assortment of constructional kits. In Year 4 the task was slightly more demanding but nevertheless focused on the making aspects with little emphasis on planning, sketching, labelling, or choosing appropriate tools and materials. Pupils’ progress is unsatisfactory because teachers’ expectations of pupils’ abilities are insufficiently high due to a lack of understanding of the demands of the National Curriculum Programmes of Study. Pupils behave noisily and without careful concentration, particularly in Year 3:

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

techniques used by teachers to manage pupils are not effective, which further constrain progress.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

118. Greater achievement occurs in Years 5 and 6, in response to more successful teaching. In Year 5, pupils design and make simple pop-up cards to a satisfactory standard: they evaluate the products, identifying ways of improving them. In the Year 6 lesson, conducted by the headteacher, pupils explored different types of bridges, and incorporate one or two of the common design features into their plans. They worked in pairs with good application and interest and related agreeably to each other, behaving well. This was due to the headteacher’s good subject knowledge, understanding and careful planning of a well-resourced and motivating task. The respectful relationship he has with pupils elicits responsible attitudes, fosters a profitable working atmosphere and encourages appropriate achievement.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

119. The subject is led and managed by a teacher who has expertise in design and technology. However, there is no scheme of work to guide teaching and learning, St Mary’s Church of England Junior and Infant School - 42 beyond headings drawn from the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority’s document. The subject has not had a high profile in the school’s recent development structure, nor has the subject manager had a monitoring brief. There are no assessment procedures in place and individual needs are not catered for. As a result, pupils’ skills, knowledge and understanding have not been built up in a step by step manner: there are gaps in development. In addition, resources for the subject are inadequat; there are shortages of glue guns and sticks, fabric glue, balsa wood and batteries.

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GEOGRAPHY

120. Pupils' standards of attainment are well below national expectations throughout the school. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and those who have English as an additional language, are not achieving or making progress as well as they should be throughout the school. Their progress is poor.

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GEOGRAPHY

121. Pupils in Key Stage 1 have begun a project to follow a teddy bear’s travels to different places. So far it has been to Scotland, Ireland and Portugal, but the resulting work has not been in depth. By the time they are eleven years old pupils have learned little about geography. There is very little evidence to suggest what they have learned, as pupils cannot recall what topics they have done, teachers have not assessed the progress that has been made, and examples of previous work have been kept. Almost all of the displays around the school have been produced by staff, not pupils. One of the displays is about mountains and hills, and it compares the Himalayas, for instance, with the hills of the English Lake District. Most of it, however, is downloaded from the Internet, at home, by the teacher, because the school is not yet on the Internet. Pupils were expected to read the pages, which were all black and white, not

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GEOGRAPHY

colour. Pupils have poor knowledge of directions, local geography, different environments, particular places abroad, settlements, rivers and coasts.

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GEOGRAPHY

122. No lessons were taught during the week of the inspection, and so it is not possible to judge the quality of teaching in the school, nor the quality of pupils' learning in lessons. Geography is taught in alternate terms or half terms, alternating with history. In some classes it is taught only one term per year because it alternates with design and technology as well as history. Also, there is an expectation that it is taught only through ICT in Key Stage 2, and this is very limiting, as there is no specific software with which to support pupils’ learning.

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GEOGRAPHY

123. The leadership and management of geography are unsatisfactory because the co- ordinator was asked merely to ‘look after’ the subject more than a year ago, but has no job description to say what the role entails and no budget to buy resources. The resources are unsatisfactory, being old, borrowed, and without good software, maps, globes, atlases or artefacts from other countries. There are no project packs for particular studies, and little use is made of the local environment to enrich pupils' learning. The co-ordinator does not have sufficient time allocated to develop a scheme of work, or to write an up-to-date policy. The co-ordinator has also not produced a scheme of work to ensure that the requirements of the National Curriculum Programme of Study are met, and the planning that teachers do is not monitored to see that they teach what they plan. Teachers do not assess the progress that their pupils are making in any formal way, and so they cannot adjust

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GEOGRAPHY

what they are teaching to meet the needs of the pupils better. The annual reports to parents do not contain any consistent reference to geography.

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GEOGRAPHY

124. This subject has been neglected for several years, and standards have gone down since the last report, when they were satisfactory. It is not helpful to compare the two, St Mary’s Church of England Junior and Infant School - 43 in fact, because there have been so many changes generally throughout the school in the intervening time. However, overall, the improvement since the last inspection has been unsatisfactory.

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HISTORY

125. Standards of attainment are below national expectations in both key stages. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and those who have English as an additional language, are not achieving as well as they could throughout the school, although they are better in Key Stage 1 than Key Stage 2.

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HISTORY

126. By the age of seven years, pupils have not covered very much of the Programme of Study, but they are beginning to develop a sense of times past, of themselves changing over time, and of their family histories. They are becoming aware that many things were different in the past from how they are now, but they cannot readily decide which things might be old, and which might be new. They have little idea of major time periods, how long ago major events were, or how long people have lived.

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HISTORY

127. By the age of eleven years when they are ready to leave the school, pupils have still not gained adequate knowledge about major events in the past, and they have only a fleeting knowledge of periods such as Ancient Greece or Ancient Egypt, Tudor times, the Victorians, Romans or Britain in the 20th century. Pupils have little idea that our knowledge of history is based on people’s views at the time, and that what they wrote might not be true. They do not know how to find further information on particular topics unless it is given to them.

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HISTORY

128. The teaching and learning are satisfactory in Key Stage 1, but unsatisfactory in Key Stage 2. Pupils generally take a long time to settle down at the start of a lesson, and teachers spend a long time trying to keep them on task. Teachers have often not been able to find effective ways of motivating their pupils, getting them interested in the lessons, and staying on task. Lessons are often not well planned, and teachers do not generally have high expectations for what pupils will understand or be able to do during a lesson. In one lesson in which the teaching was good, the teacher had good control of the class, although the need to constantly remind pupils about the noise and staying on task slowed their learning somewhat. Following a good question and answer session thinking about how things might have changed at the seaside, the pupils were mainly able to sort out a set of many pictures of seaside holidays from a

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HISTORY

hundred years ago and from the present time, and give reasons for the choices. The lesson was well planned and well structured into periods of different activities, and the teacher encouraged and supported all pupils well throughout the lesson. The final activity of reviewing one group’s choices was good, and effective in getting pupils to justify their choices. A little more time for pupils to adjust their choices in the light of the review would have been helpful to their learning.

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HISTORY

129. The leadership and management of history are unsatisfactory because it has not been a priority of the school for several years. The co-ordinator does not have an up- to-date job description that describes her role as co-ordinator. Her role does not include monitoring whether or not the subject is taught in all classes, or how well it is taught. There is no up-to-date policy, and no school-wide scheme of work that will ensure all pupils are taught history according to the requirements of the National Curriculum. The co-ordinator does not have time to monitor the teachers’ planning throughout the school. Insufficient time each week is given to the teaching of history, and lessons are often taught in a termly topic, alternating with geography and design and technology, so they may only be taught for one term each year. This is too little to St Mary’s Church of England Junior and Infant School - 44

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HISTORY

cover the National Curriculum Programme of Study satisfactorily. A further major problem has been the teaching of history solely through information and communication technology. There are too few resources, such as software, or access to the Internet, to support this approach, and it would in any case be very limiting. There is no budget to buy artefacts, books, videos or computer software, and the present resources are insufficient to teach the syllabus adequately. The progress that pupils make is not assessed consistently throughout the school, and there is no indication that progress is measured at all in many classes. End of year reports to parents do not generally have any reference to pupils' progress or achievements in history.

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HISTORY

130. It is not helpful to compare the situation now with that at the time of the last inspection because so many things have changed in the meantime. Standards have declined since the last inspection, when the teaching was good, and pupils were achieving satisfactorily. This is because the subject has been neglected for several years because of other priorities in the school, largely concerned with the new population of pupils. Overall, improvement since the last inspection has been unsatisfactory.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

131. Standards of work seen in Year 2 are in line with the national expectation. Nearly all pupils, including those with English as an additional language and those with special educational needs, are able to log on to the computer using their own password and access the programme they are to use for the lesson independently. Pupils are sufficiently adept at using the mouse to control the movement of objects on the screen to construct a pictogram. Standards of work seen in Key Stage 2 are also in line with the national expectation. Pupils use computers to conduct research to support their 1950’s history project and access the program without difficulty. They copy text from the program into the computer’s word processing program and also copy illustrations. When producing poems, pupils find their previous files and amend the text to improve it. However, pupils do not interrogate the sort of information they

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

are finding and do not amend and edit it to help them to digest and understand. The National Curriculum requirements for Key Stages 1 and 2 are not met and therefore pupils do not experience some aspects of the curriculum. At present, pupils have insufficient experience of data logging, data handling and control.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

132. Standards are very much in line with those seen at the last inspection, however, the recent addition of the ICT suite has improved the pupils’ progress considerably.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

133. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. The new ICT suite is an excellent resource and pupils are keen to do well. The activities set by the teachers are usually well matched to their abilities and help them to make satisfactory progress in the development of their skills. Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour are often good but sometimes pupils are restless and find it difficult to concentrate on the tasks set. When teachers have high expectations of the pupils’ attitudes and behaviour and stimulate the pupils’ interest and motivation, pupils respond well. An example of this was when the specialist teacher for English as an additional language adopted a zero tolerance approach to unsatisfactory behaviour. This approach was coupled with the playing of Afro-Caribbean music through the headphones. The result was that pupils worked effectively throughout the lesson and

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

made very good progress in extracting useful information about life in the 1950s.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

134. The curriculum co-ordinator has worked extremely hard at developing the resources available to the pupils. She has conducted an effective audit of the coverage and St Mary’s Church of England Junior and Infant School - 45 identified weaknesses in the curriculum that are to be addressed. She has received excellent support from a local ICT provider that the school buys into. The support ensures that all computers are kept working effectively and that in-service training is given on a regular basis to develop the skills of the teachers. Monitoring and evaluation of teaching has not, however, begun nor has the assessment of the progress pupils make.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

135. Overall, taking into account the recent developments in the subject improvement since the last inspection has been satisfactory.

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MUSIC

136. During the inspection week, no lessons were seen as they were all timetabled for Friday afternoon or Monday morning. As a result, judgements were neither made about the quality of teaching, nor about pupils’ learning, attainment or their attitudes towards work.

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MUSIC

137. At present, music is being managed by the headteacher, as there is no one on the staff with subject expertise and confidence to carry out the role. The school follows the Manchester Scheme of Work as far as it goes: as yet the Year 6 scheme has not been published. The subject has not been monitored recently and assessment systems are not in place. Musical instruments are adequate in quantity and of good quality. However, since the move to the new school these have not been stored suitably due to a lack of storage facilities. This hinders pupils’ ready access to them. There are no resources to support non-specialist teachers and without a specialist on the staff, this is a significant weakness. Opportunities are missed to promote musical appreciation. For example, no music is played as pupils come into assemblies, nor are there habitual opportunities for pupils to sing together at assemblies. These two

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MUSIC

factors detract from pupils’ spiritual development. Music is earmarked for development in the summer term of 2001, in the school improvement plan.

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MUSIC

138. Some pupils in Years 4, 5 and 6 benefit greatly from tuition on a weekly basis from two peripatetic music teachers, who tutor approximately thirty pupils in playing steel pans; five in violin and six on recorders. Because of the strength of peripatetic teaching the school enjoys a good reputation for steel-pan playing. Weekly, during the lunch break, there is a steel-pan club, when pupils practise and improve their skills. They also take part annually in the Lord Mayor’s Parade when they dress up in accordance with a theme and play on a float in the parade. A local cartoon company has assisted with costumes and settings in the past, making this a very special occasion for the pupils involved.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

139. Very little physical education was seen during the inspection, much of which was due to poor weather. In the two lessons seen, standards in a Year 1 dance lesson were in line with the national expectation, and standards in a Year 3 dance lesson were above the national expectation. In Year 1, pupils recognise the different tempo of the music and make good use of their arms and legs to interpret the mood of the music. In Year 3, pupils are beginning to develop good levels of precision in control and fluency as they create their own movements to a wide range of music. These standards are much in line with what was seen at the last inspection.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

140. The quality of teaching and learning in Year 1 is satisfactory and in Year 3, it is good. In Year 1, the teacher uses the music effectively to stimulate the interest of the pupils. St Mary’s Church of England Junior and Infant School - 46 However, some of the pupils do not respond well, tend to be fussy and do not listen carefully to the instructions. The large majority of the pupils are keen to improve the quality of their movements and make satisfactory progress. In Year 3, the teacher organises the lesson well by choosing a wide range of music that is well chosen to stimulate creative movement. The pace of the lesson is good and the frequent changes in the styles of music used keeps the vast majority of pupils interested. A few pupils begin to show off and try to spoil it for the others but even these pupils are keen to move to the music and develop their movements and therefore make satisfactory progress.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

141. The school’s physical education co-ordinator was absent during the inspection. The policy documentation in the school is out of date and does not cover all aspects of the curriculum. The subject has taken a low profile in recent years and there has been no monitoring of teaching and learning. The school uses local football teams to help with the coaching of skills to Year 6 pupils. The course is five weeks long and the school is three weeks in to it. Unfortunately, the weather has caused two of the sessions to be cancelled. The Year 6 teacher did not have any contingency plans to provide the pupils with the opportunity to experience another aspect of the physical education curriculum. This was the only time identified on the timetable for physical education and therefore the pupils missed out on this area of the National Curriculum during the week of the inspection. The school does not provide any extra-curricular physical

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

education activities although some pupils from Year 6 attend a local leisure centre each week during school time to play squash.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

142. The school has adopted the local authority’s scheme to ensure that the National Curriculum requirements are to be met. However, lack of emphasis in developing physical education throughout the school together with the poor opportunities available for the pupils to extend the development of skills during extra-curricular activities means that the school has made unsatisfactory progress since the last inspection.

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