Rothwell Primary School

ROTHWELL PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 17 th – 20 th May 2004

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ROTHWELL PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

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ROTHWELL PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Primary School category: Community Age range of pupils: 3 - 11 Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 281

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Carlton Lane Rothwell Leeds Postcode: LS26 0DJ

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Telephone number: 01132146302 Fax number: 01132146302

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body Name of chair of governors: Mrs P Walker

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: February 2002

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

The school is situated in the town of Rothwell to the south of Leeds and has occupied two separate sites since its amalgamation ten years ago. It is slightly larger than average, with 281 pupils on roll, including 74 who attend the Nursery on a part-time basis. The school community is predominantly white British, with only seven pupils from Asian British, Chinese or Caribbean backgrounds. There are no pupils who speak English as an additional language. The percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals is below the national average. The percentage of pupils on the school’s register of special educational needs has increased significantly since the last inspection and is now above the national average. Most pupils on the register have special educational needs in literacy and numeracy or in managing their behaviour. There is one pupil with a Statement of Special Educational Need, which is below the national average for a school of this size. The

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

attainment of pupils when they join Reception is average. The school has a low turnover of pupils, but in the last four years has had a high turnover in teaching staff, particularly in the juniors. The school benefits from learning opportunities provided through the Excellence in Cities initiative. Rothwell Primary School - 2

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities Mrs M Fitzpatrick Lead inspector English

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

History Special educational needs English as an additional language Mr A Anderson Lay inspector

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Mrs I Idle Team inspector Foundation Stage

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Science Religious education Art and design Design and technology Mrs A Lowson Team inspector Mathematics

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Information and communication technology Geography Music Physical education

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Eclipse Education (UK) Limited 14 Enterprise House Kingsway Team Valley Gateshead Tyne & Wear NE11 0SR

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be made initially to the inspection contractor. The procedures are set out in the leaflet ‘Complaining about Ofsted Inspections’ , which is available from Ofsted Publications Centre (telephone 07002 637833) or Ofsted’s website (www.ofsted.gov.uk). Rothwell Primary School - 3

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 6

Standards achieved in areas of learning, subjects and courses

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 6

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL 9

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

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school is ineffective and fails to provide an acceptable standard of education for its pupils. While the school has many strengths, these are not being built on successfully by the headteacher. The teaching varies widely in quality and too much is unsatisfactory. Although pupils in some classes achieve well, underachievement is apparent in others. The school gives unsatisfactory value for money.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are: • Very poor leadership by the headteacher. • Low morale among teachers. • Poor management of changes in teaching staff, resulting in underachievement among many pupils. • Wide variations in the quality of teaching, some of which is of a high quality while a significant proportion is unsatisfactory. • A very good curriculum for children in the Nursery and Reception classes promotes good achievement. • Very good leadership of the curriculum by teachers who co-ordinate English, mathematics and science. • Provision for the pupils’ health and safety is unsatisfactory.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

Progress since the last inspection is unsatisfactory. The senior leadership of the school has not effectively managed the implementation of the very good improvements devised by subject co-ordinators and the co-ordinator for special educational needs to raise standards since the last inspection. The result is that developments have been piecemeal and have not had enough impact on the quality of teaching and raising standards across the school. Declining standards in some classes have not been tackled and, as was the case at the last inspection, health and safety provision is unsatisfactory.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

all schools similar schools Results in National Curriculum tests at the end of Year 6, compared with: 2001 2002 2003 2003

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

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

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory overall. It is good in Years 4 to 6 but is unsatisfactory for some Year 2 and 3 pupils. The results of the 2003 National Curriculum tests for 11-year-olds show that the pupils’ achievement was good in Years 3 to 6 in mathematics and science but in English, their achievement was unsatisfactory. Pupils now in Year 6 attain the expected standards in English and, in mathematics and science they attain levels above those expected for 11-year-olds. Pupils in Year 2 are underachieving Rothwell Primary School - 5 and failing to reach the expected standards in reading, writing, mathematics and science. Children in the Foundation Stage achieve well because they are well taught and cared for; they are likely to reach the goals set for their learning by the time they leave Reception and many will exceed them. Rothwell Primary School - 6

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The provision for the pupils’ personal development, including their spiritual, moral,

social and cultural development, is satisfactory. Most pupils behave well and have positive attitudes to work. Attendance rates are satisfactory and pupils arrive on time at school.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The quality of education is unsatisfactory. The teaching is unsatisfactory overall. Lessons range in quality from excellent to unsatisfactory. In Years 3 to 6, the quality of teaching was good overall, but in the infants (Years 1 and 2) it was unsatisfactory overall. Teachers in Years 3 to 6 work closely together on planning and share good practice so that the pupils benefit from the expertise of more than one teacher in their learning. Basic skills in English, mathematics, science and information and communication technology (ICT) are taught well and assessment is used well to set work at appropriate levels for the pupils. In Year 2, the work set for the pupils does not challenge them sufficiently and their learning is unsatisfactory. In particular, the teaching of basic skills is not well planned, nor is there enough planned use of these skills in other subjects for the pupils to consolidate their

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

learning effectively. Assessment is satisfactory overall, but unsatisfactory in Year 2 because it provides too little information for lesson planning. In the Foundation Stage, the teaching is good and the children learn well. The curriculum is satisfactory overall; in the Foundation Stage it is very good. Teachers give freely of their time to provide a good range of out of school clubs. The school’s care for pupils is unsatisfactory overall. Resources are satisfactory. They are unsatisfactory in ICT and English. Accommodation is poor; it is not well maintained and both furniture and décor are shabby.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management of the school are poor. The leadership of the headteacher is very poor and the school has not moved forward adequately since the last inspection. Leadership provided by teachers who co-ordinate English, mathematics, science and the Foundation Stage is very good. The school is poorly managed and there are many inconsistencies in the way planned changes are put into practice. Governance of the school is satisfactory; governors have an adequate understanding of the school’s strengths, but have not been kept informed of weaknesses in teaching and how the school has responded to these. Governors do not ensure that all statutory requirements are met. Financial management is unsatisfactory.

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Overall parents feel that teachers know their children well and are happy with the quality of teaching the school provides. A significant number of parents have concerns about how the school is led and managed and how little the school consults with them, especially over changes of teacher, and how they are informed about their children’s progress. Older pupils hold positive views about the school and are pleased to have the opportunity to make suggestions for improvements. Junior pupils voiced some criticism about the facilities on their site, which are justified.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

The most important things the school should do to improve are: • Strengthen the leadership and management of the school. Rothwell Primary School - 7 • Act on information from monitoring to address weaknesses in the teaching and disseminate good practice. • Raise morale among staff. • Enact a planned programme to improve the accommodation, furnishings and resources for learning.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

and, to meet statutory requirements: • Ensure that the governors’ Annual Report to Parents and the school prospectus contain all the information that they should. • Ensure that Health and Safety requirements are fully met. Rothwell Primary School - 8

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Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

Standards are above average in mathematics and science, and average in English, in Year 6. Pupils’ achievement in Year 6 is good. In Year 2, standards are below average in reading, writing, mathematics and science. A high proportion of pupils in Year 2 are currently not achieving as well as they could.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children in the Foundation Stage make good progress in their learning and many are likely to exceed the learning goals set for children at the end of Reception. • Many pupils in Years 2 and 3 do not make enough progress in their basic skills, and many are underachieving.

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Commentary

1 Children in the Foundation Stage join the school with attainment that is average for their age. They make good progress in all areas of learning because they are well taught and cared for. Teachers, Nursery nurses and support assistants have a good knowledge of the children’s needs and are flexible in the arrangements they make for children’s learning, so helping them to achieve their best. Good assessment ensures that children’s learning is well tracked. Teachers use this knowledge to plan activities that provide the correct level of challenge to keep the children moving forward at a good rate. By the end of Reception the vast majority of children will achieve the learning goals set for them and many will have exceeded them. By the start of Year 1, children are well prepared for the next stage of learning.

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Commentary

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

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Commentary

Standards in: School results National results reading 17.1 (16.4) 15.7 (15.8) writing 17.1 (15.0) 14.6 (14.4) mathematics 17.8 (16.8) 16.3 (16.5) There were 34 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Commentary

2 Results in the National Curriculum tests in 2003, for pupils in Year 2, were well above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics. Compared with schools in the similar social settings these results were above the average in reading and mathematics and well above the average in writing. In the teacher assessment in science in 2003, results were above the national average. Since the time of the last inspection, results for pupils in Year 2 have risen faster than the national trend of improvement. There is no significant difference in the performance of boys and girls in the reading and mathematics tests, but girls perform better than boys in writing.

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Commentary

3 Standards for pupils who are now in Year 2 are well below those described above. In reading, writing, mathematics and science they are below the expectation for their age. The targets set for these pupils, based on teacher assessment at the end of Year 1, suggest that the vast majority should be reaching the expected standard for their age. That Rothwell Primary School - 9 they are not doing so is the result of a very high proportion of unsatisfactory teaching, low expectations and deteriorating attitudes among the children. Pupils are not sufficiently challenged in their reading, writing or mathematics and are unlikely to reach the targets that the school has predicted for them in the National Curriculum tests. Standards have also declined in science because teaching and planning are unsatisfactory and there is a poor use of time in lessons. Rothwell Primary School - 10 4 Pupils in Year 2 reach the expected standard in religious education and in

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Commentary

geography, because activities for learning allow them to work at their own rate or to learn from stories. Standards in ICT are below the expectation for pupils of this age because activities are not well enough organised and pupils’ learning is too slow. Sometimes the misbehaviour of a few pupils disrupts the learning of others. There was insufficient evidence to make a judgement about standards in other subjects.

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Commentary

Standards in national tests at the end of Year 6 – average point scores in 2003

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Commentary

Standards in: School results National results English 26.3 (29.3) 26.8 (27.0) mathematics 27.5 (28.1) 26.8 (26.7) science 29.4 (29.9) 28.6 (28.3) There were 51 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Commentary

5 Pupils who are now in Year 6 achieve well and many reach standards that are above the expectation for their age in mathematics and science. In English, the vast majority reach standards that are about the expectation for their age. To achieve these standards many pupils have had to overcome the impact of high teacher turnover when they were lower down in the juniors, which resulted in many being placed on the school’s register of special educational needs. Their achievement is good because of the consistently very high quality teaching and high level of challenge in the work they do, combined with their own enthusiasm for learning and capacity for hard work. Their reading and writing skills are well developed and well-used in other subjects. In mathematics they are adept at problem solving and in science they have very good investigative skills that are well supported by their thorough knowledge of different aspects of science.

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Commentary

6 In religious education, pupils in Year 6 reach the expected level for their age. They are very well taught and are given very good opportunities to reflect on human relationships and how religious belief can affect a person’s response. In geography and history, pupils also reach the expected level and have good opportunities to learn through fieldwork and enquiry so that they achieve well in the subjects making good use of their writing skills. Standards in ICT are at the expected level for pupils in Year 6, and are mainly hampered in reaching higher standards by a lack of opportunity to use computers regularly because the computer suite is located in the infants’ building.

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Commentary

7 The work of pupils in Year 3 shows a decline in standard since the start of the spring term 2004. Despite joining Year 3 with average or above standards in English and mathematics at the start of the school year, pupils’ work is now below expectation for their age and the quality of presentation in their written work shows a clear picture of deteriorating attitudes to learning. Frequent changes of teacher in 2004, not always well managed by the school, have slowed the pupils’ progress.

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Commentary

8 Pupils who have special educational needs make satisfactory progress overall, and this is an improvement since the last inspection. They now have their needs well assessed by class teachers who then provide support to help them meet the targets set in their individual education plans. Pupils in Year 2 are well supported by the experienced learning support assistant, so that they often achieve better than other pupils in the class.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

Rothwell Primary School - 11 Most pupils have positive attitudes and behave well. Attendance and punctuality are satisfactory. The provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is satisfactory overall. Rothwell Primary School - 12

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Most pupils are interested in school life and the activities offered to them. However, in some classes, there has been a decline in standards of behaviour and in pupils’ attitudes to learning since the last inspection. • Children’s attitudes and behaviour in the Foundation Stage are very good. • Older pupils respond well to good teaching where behaviour is well managed. • Most pupils enjoy good relationships with each other. • Younger pupils do not respond well in lessons where teaching is unsatisfactory and behaviour is not well managed. • The school does not do enough to promote good attendance.

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Commentary

9 Pupils in the Foundation Stage and Years 4 to 6 eagerly participate in their lessons and the other activities offered to them around the school. They are keen to learn and they join in their lessons with enthusiasm. They willingly ask and answer questions and freely offer their own opinions and ideas. However, in Year 2, where there are lower expectations and less challenge, pupils’ attitudes are unsatisfactory. Most pupils are polite, courteous and welcoming to visitors. When they are offered opportunities to take on responsibilities, for example, representing their classes at the school council, they respond in a mature and responsible manner.

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Commentary

10 Pupils are taught the difference between right and wrong. Behaviour is well managed in the Foundation Stage and in Years 4 to 6. Where teaching is good and pupils are sufficiently challenged, behaviour is good, and sometimes very good. However, when teaching is unsatisfactory, particularly in Years 1 and 2, behaviour is unsatisfactory. This has an adverse impact on the standards these children achieve. Most children behave well when moving around the school, in assemblies, and at breaks and lunchtime. There were no signs of bullying or isolation of individual pupils, and in discussion pupils agreed that while there were occasional instances of name calling they were confident that teachers would deal with this effectively. However, there were some instances of over boisterous play fighting in the junior playground. One pupil was excluded in the year prior to the inspection.

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Commentary

11 The provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is satisfactory overall. Pupils are taught about their own and other cultures in religious education and geography lessons, and have opportunities to reflect on how their behaviour affects others in lessons. However, opportunities for promoting spiritual development in assemblies, and in lessons, for example, music, are often missed. Collective worship in assemblies meets statutory requirements, however, pupils are not always afforded the opportunity to take part in an act of collective worship in the weekly class assemblies. Pupils are learning to be aware of others less fortunate than themselves and raise considerable funds for local, national and international charities. Pupils in the juniors have good opportunities for personal development through involvement with the school council and the range of responsibilities they are given. Good relationships in most classes are

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Commentary

developing pupils’ confidence and self-esteem.

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Attendance

12 The school’s procedures for monitoring attendance are unsatisfactory; for example, not all teachers maintain their class registers correctly. There are no records of lateness. The school does not register any unauthorised absence. The school lacks a centralised rigorous approach to following up absences and lateness. Rothwell Primary School - 13 Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (94.2%)

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Attendance

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data 5.7 School data 0.0 National data 5.4 National data 0.4 The table gives the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.

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Attendance

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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Attendance

Categories used in the Annual School Census No of pupils on roll Number of fixed period exclusions Number of permanent exclusions White – British 233 1 0 Mixed – White and Black Caribbean 4 0 0 Asian or Asian British – Indian 1 0 0 Asian or Asian British – Pakistani 1 0 0 Chinese 3 0 0 No ethnic group recorded 2 0 0 The table gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

The quality of education provided by the school is unsatisfactory. The good and sometimes very good provision in Foundation Stage and Years 4 to 6, is offset by unsatisfactory teaching in some classes and the impact of high teacher turnover on pupils’ learning as they move through the school.

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Teaching and learning

The quality of teaching and learning are unsatisfactory overall. They are unsatisfactory in Years 1 and 2 and good in the Foundation Stage and Years 3 to 6. Assessment is satisfactory overall.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• There is a high percentage of good and very good teaching in the Foundation Stage and in Years 4, 5 and 6, with some excellent teaching and learning seen in Years 4 and 6. • Planning in Years 3 to 6 takes good account of different needs of pupils in each class. • There is a very high percentage of unsatisfactory teaching in Year 2. • Teachers in Year 1 and Years 4 to 6 make good assessments of pupils’ learning. • Pupils who have special educational needs are well supported in their learning.

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Commentary

13 The quality of teaching shows significant variation across the school. Overall, it is unsatisfactory and ranges from unsatisfactory to excellent. There has been a decline in the quality of teaching since the last inspection, mainly as a result of changes in staffing and poor induction for teachers new to the school. There is now a much higher percentage of unsatisfactory teaching than formerly. Pupils’ learning has been seriously affected by the Rothwell Primary School - 14 amount of unsatisfactory teaching and by the impact of teacher turnover. There is evidence in the work of many pupils in some classes that standards have fallen and a significant number are underachieving.

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Commentary

14 Teaching in the Foundation Stage is good. Activities are well planned to meet the children’s needs because teachers effectively assess their learning regularly. Children quickly settle to the demands of learning because of the clear routines that are established at an early stage. Teachers make good links between areas of learning so that children can see connections and apply their skills across all their learning experiences. This results in very good use of time and builds children’s enthusiasm for learning well.

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Commentary

15 The quality of teaching in Year 2 has declined significantly since the last inspection, with a very high percentage of unsatisfactory teaching seen. Assessment of pupils’ learning is weak and, because of this, plans for lessons do not provide effectively for the different needs of pupils, so that they are not sufficiently challenged by the tasks set. This often leads to deterioration in concentration and behaviour, so that those pupils who want to work hard are distracted from doing so. Pupils’ learning and the pride they take in their work have both deteriorated since the spring term. The quality of written work shows a sharp decline, with work poorly presented and much of it unfinished. The school’s leadership has taken too little effective action to overcome these weaknesses in teaching and learning.

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Commentary

16 The quality of teaching in Years 4 to 6 is good overall, in Year 3 it is satisfactory overall. Some excellent teaching was seen in two classes. One of the strengths of teaching in all of these classes comes from the shared planning between teachers. Teachers plan carefully around a two-year curriculum cycle to take account of the mixed- age character of the classes and each teacher contributes ideas and resources to enhance the quality of learning. For example, teachers in Years 5 and 6 all made very good use of resources from the history topic as the basis for work in the English lessons. The result was that pupils had a good knowledge of their writing topic and so were able to concentrate on revealing the feelings of the character they wrote about. This supported very good consolidation of knowledge and skills between the two subjects. Joint planning in Years 3 and 4 has given very good support to teachers who joined the school in the spring term. An

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Commentary

experienced teacher has overseen planning and has ensured that the work provided for the pupils is appropriately challenging and motivates them to try hard. Throughout Years 3 to 6, lesson planning identifies different levels of learning for pupils in all groups, including those with special educational needs and those identified as gifted or talented. The quality of planning in this part of the school, effectively incorporating, as it does, the initiatives developed by the co-ordinators, is the foundation for the much better quality of teaching seen.

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Commentary

17 Day to day assessment and the quality of teachers’ marking are good in Year 1 and in Years 4 to 6. In these classes, teachers have a number of effective strategies to assess what pupils need to learn next. Skilled questioning and on-the-spot assessments through answers given orally or in writing on a whiteboard, inform the teachers which pupils are ready to move on and which need further support. The quality of marking in Years 4 to 6 is good. It gives pupils a clear idea of their strengths and when they have reached the targets set for the activity. Teachers’ comments also make clear to pupils what they should do to improve, as well as informing them when work is not of an acceptable standard. Pupils’ response to marking is also good, and it is clear from the improvement in the quality of their work that they heed their teachers’ advice. The evidence of work repeated shows that the pupils understand their teachers’ expectations and that careless work will not be accepted.

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Commentary

In Year 1, in English and mathematics, clear targets are set and shared with the pupils, based on the teacher’s assessment of what they need to do to move forward. Rothwell Primary School - 15 18 The teaching of writing and mathematical skills is of a high standard in Years 4 to 6. In a lesson in Year 4, where teaching and learning were excellent, the teacher’s careful choice of text and very good questioning allowed pupils to discover the techniques the writer had used. Pupils benefited from clear recording of their suggestions about language, punctuation and grammar and were able to use the notes that the teacher made on the whiteboard to support their own writing. They were confident and fired with enthusiasm for their own writing and worked very hard in silence till they had completed their first drafts, which were of a very high standard and delighted the pupils. In a very good mathematics lesson, Year 6 pupils were highly challenged by the teacher’s well-directed questions, the

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Commentary

tight time limits set and the range of tasks that they had to complete. They displayed very good attitudes to sharing ideas for calculations, and expressed themselves confidently and clearly when feeding back to the class at the end of the lesson. Their good knowledge of number was a great asset in helping pupils of all abilities to work quickly and accurately. Rothwell Primary School - 16 19 Pupils who have special educational needs are supported much better than they were at the time of the last inspection because the recently appointed co-ordinator has ensured that there are clear criteria to identify pupils’ needs. Teachers now have a better understanding of how to plan for these pupils who are given good support from classroom assistants who work closely with them. In Years 1 and 2, the quality of support for pupils with special educational needs is helping them make better progress than other pupils in

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Commentary

the class. In Years 3 to 6, classroom assistants are effectively tackling weaknesses in literacy.

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Commentary

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 39 lessons

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Commentary

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Commentary

3 (7%) 8 (21%) 13 (33%) 8 (21%) 7 (18%) 0 0

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Commentary

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

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The curriculum

20 The curriculum is satisfactory overall, but too many aspects of planning are unsatisfactory in Year 2. The school provides a very good curriculum for the Foundation Stage. There is satisfactory enrichment of the curriculum and the provision for out of school clubs is good. Resources are satisfactory in Years 1 to 6, in English and ICT they are unsatisfactory. Accommodation is poor; décor is shabby, the grounds are unkempt and furniture is ill assorted.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Curriculum planning for children’s learning in the Foundation Stage is very good. • Curriculum planning to promote literacy and numeracy skills in other subjects is good in Years 4 to 6. • Curriculum planning for English, mathematics, and ICT is unsatisfactory in Year 2. • Accommodation is poor – too little of the school’s budget is allocated to maintain and develop classroom storage, furniture and display.

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Commentary

21 In the Foundation Stage there is a very good balance between activities directed by teachers, those selected by teachers that give opportunities for exploration and those chosen by children. All the required areas of learning are linked together well to make good use of time. There is a good emphasis on communication, language, literacy and mathematics, at levels appropriate to the children’s needs so they are well prepared for the next stages of learning.

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Commentary

22 All subjects of the National Curriculum are included in the school’s curriculum and there is now an appropriate amount of time allocated to teaching and learning in all classes. This is an improvement since the last inspection, when the time allocated to subjects was below the recommended minimum for all pupils. Curriculum planning has developed piecemeal since the last inspection and is not effective in managing the learning in one class. Very good developments in the provision for English, mathematics and science have had a significant impact on raising standards in these subjects in most classes. In Years 3 to 6, planning is carried out in teams, with each set of three teachers following agreed formats. This ensures equality of opportunity for pupils, as all groups are identified in Rothwell Primary School - 17 planning and provision is adapted to meet the needs of each group. The cohesion of the

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Commentary

junior part of the school provides very good support for inexperienced and temporary teachers’ planning and ensures good learning for the pupils. This provision contrasts with that in Years 1 and 2. Here, teachers plan together for foundation subjects, but individually for English, mathematics and science. The result is that much of this planning is unsatisfactory in one class, because it does not place due emphasis on developing key skills in literacy and numeracy.

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Commentary

23 The majority of teachers plan sequences of lessons to make use of specific literacy and numeracy skills. For example, in Years 5 and 6 good use was made of writing skills which linked well with the topic of life in the mills in Victorian times. Similarly, in numeracy pupils are given opportunities to use graphs, charts and diagrams to record their work in geography and science. Planning for the use of ICT skills is uneven, with few opportunities seen in the work of pupils in Years 1 and 2. Teachers in Years 3 to 6 are hampered in what they can attempt because of the location of the computer suite in the infants building and the inadequate provision of computers on the junior site. Provision for personal, social and health education (PSHE) is satisfactory. The school makes provision for pupils to discuss issues which are important to them in circle time and is involved in the Healthy Schools

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Commentary

Scheme. The curriculum for PSHE is not fully developed but some teachers make links with other learning for pupils where they can.

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Commentary

24 Curriculum provision for pupils with special educational needs has improved well since the last inspection. Pupils’ needs are now assessed against agreed criteria and individual action plans are well written to provide appropriate support in most classes. Pupils who are identified as having special educational needs or are gifted or talented are identified in the planning format used in the junior classes and teachers here are careful to provide tasks which suitably challenge pupils to meet the targets set for them.

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Commentary

25 The school provides satisfactory opportunities for enrichment of the curriculum through fieldwork visits and visitors to the school. Provision for out of school clubs is good and many pupils participate in a range of activities to which teachers give freely of their time. There are many opportunities for sport, and school teams are regularly successful in games competitions such as football, netball and tennis. The school also fields a formidable and winning cross-country team each year.

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Commentary

26 Accommodation in the school is poor. On both sites there is widespread evidence of neglect in the maintenance of internal décor, playgrounds and playing fields. In the infants’ building there is too little space for Reception children, who are cramped in a small area while children in the Nursery benefit from very large rooms and ready access to outdoor facilities. This is a result of the school’s failure to recognise Reception children as part of the Foundation Stage and make use of this large space for the benefit of all children. Provision for the storage of resources is poor on the junior site and despite teachers devising ingenious systems to place resources so that pupils can manage these for themselves, the resulting jumble is not attractive. Furniture in the juniors is worn, with many chairs broken or damaged. Desks are too small for junior pupils, and there is a poor match of seat height to desks so that often pupils are cramped uncomfortably over their work.

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Commentary

Despite the poor quality of accommodation, teachers on both sites make very good use of display to support pupils’ learning. This enhances the learning environment and shows pupils that their work is valued.

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Commentary

27 Resources for learning are barely satisfactory, though they are good in the Nursery and for teaching mathematics. Reading books in the infants are drawn from many reading schemes with many of them old and outdated. Reading for higher attaining pupils in the Rothwell Primary School - 18 infants is not readily available because more demanding books are kept on the junior site. Resources for ICT are unsatisfactory and so is the number of computers available for pupils to work on. There are enough teachers and support staff to meet the needs of the curriculum. In the Foundation Stage there is a generous allocation of staff, which is not always deployed to best effect for the school overall. For example, there are two full time teachers and a Nursery nurse in the Reception class and the school has not made efficient use of the staffing to release senior managers to carry out monitoring and evaluation

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Commentary

The school provides unsatisfactory care for its pupils overall. Some aspects of health and safety are unsatisfactory, however the school provides satisfactory support, advice and guidance for its pupils. The involvement of pupils through seeking, valuing and acting on their views is satisfactory. Rothwell Primary School - 19

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Most children have a good and trusting relationship with one or more adults in the school. • Very good induction of children to the Nursery.

p.21

Commentary

28 The teachers and support staff are approachable, caring and committed to the welfare of the children in their care. While child protection procedures are in place, there are inconsistencies in teacher’s knowledge and understanding of some of the school’s pastoral arrangements. For example, new teachers to the school have not been thoroughly briefed on child protection and the school’s behaviour management policy.

p.21

Commentary

29 All the required health and safety checks and inspections, including risk assessment, are regularly carried out and properly recorded. There is consistent safe practice in lessons. Supervision at breaks and lunchtimes is alert and vigilant. However, a considerable number of potential health and safety issues on both school sites have been brought to the attention of the senior management and governing body.

p.21

Commentary

30 The school has very good induction procedures for welcoming children into the Nursery and both children and parents are well prepared for this. By the time children join, the teacher and the classroom assistants have a good knowledge of the children and are able to plan for their needs. This makes the children feel secure and they are able to settle quickly into the well-planned routines.

p.21

Commentary

31 Teachers and support staff have a good knowledge of pupils in most, but not all classes. This is because where there has been a change of teacher, the school has not ensured that new teachers are fully briefed on all pupils in their classes. The result is that not all pupils feel as secure and confident as those in classes where the teacher knows them well through good assessment of their learning and detailed knowledge of their personal characteristics.

p.21

Commentary

32 Pupils who have special educational needs are well supported by classroom assistants in literacy and numeracy lessons. The special needs co-ordinator makes effective links with external agencies to seek advice on how to plan for the needs of different pupils. However, for some pupils in classes where the teacher does not have a good knowledge of their needs, the provision for them has not yet been put in place and there is a significant number of pupils in a Year 3 class awaiting an assessment of their special educational needs. The special educational needs co-ordinator has not had sufficient release time since the spring term to work alongside the new teacher to identify these pupils’ needs, though she is aware of the scale of the problem and has informed the headteacher of it.

p.21

Commentary

33 The school council provides older pupils with good opportunities to be involved in school life. The pupils themselves value this opportunity to be able to contribute their ideas towards the work and development of the school. However, the infant department is not represented on the council and this is a weakness.

p.21

Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

The partnership with parents and the community is satisfactory overall. Links with other schools are good. Rothwell Primary School - 20

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Most parents support their children’s education at school and at home. • The school has good mechanisms for transferring pupils to secondary education. • The school does not actively seek and value parents’ views. Rothwell Primary School - 21 34 Most parents hold many aspects of the school in high regard. Some parents expressed concerns that the school did not actively seek their views. Although the school has sent out one parent questionnaire, in general, inspection evidence tended to support these parents’ views. A significant number of parents did not agree that the school was well led and managed and inspectors agree with their views. A reasonable number of parents regularly help in the classrooms and are willing to accompany children on out of school trips. The majority of parents fully support their children’s education, for example, with homework and home reading. An active parent teacher association is well supported and

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

raises considerable funds for buying resources, though parents are not consulted about these.

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

35 A significant number of parents disagreed that they were kept well informed about their child’s progress. Inspection evidence did not fully support this view and information on pupils’ progress was judged to be satisfactory, though it is clear that teachers in some classes who are new to the school do not have a good knowledge of their pupils’ learning. Parents receive a comprehensive annual written report and are offered the opportunity to attend consultation evenings. Although the reports are satisfactory, the targets they set tend to be over general and are not always subject specific. Teachers are available to parents at the end of the school day for informal discussion and they are approachable and welcoming.

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

36 Parents receive information by way of regular newsletters and letters about specific events and activities. Useful curriculum information is provided at the start of every half term. The school has an attractive and informative prospectus. The governors hold an annual meeting with parents and publish an annual report.

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

37 There is a reasonable range of visits, including a residential experience for the older children, and appropriate community visitors regularly come to the school. This contributes positively to the wider education of the pupils and their personal development. The school has good links with the receiving secondary schools that ensure smooth transition to the pupils’ next stage of education.

p.23

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management of the school are poor and form serious barriers to raising the pupils’ achievement. The headteacher provides very poor leadership for the development of the school. The governance of the school is satisfactory. The leadership of key staff is good overall.

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The headteacher does not provide a clear vision for the development of the school and relies too much on external suggestions for improvement. • The leadership and management of the core subject co-ordinators are very good, so that despite poor support from the headteacher good improvement has been secured since the last inspection in each subject. However, this has not had the impact that it should on raising standards overall in the school. • The role of the deputy headteacher is undeveloped she has little opportunity to play a part in the strategic development of the school. • The management of teacher turn over is poor, leading to declining standards in the classes that have been affected over time. • Financial management is careless leading to crises from time to time; there is inefficient and inappropriate use of resources. Rothwell Primary School - 22

p.23

Commentary

38 Since the school was last inspected, two years ago, the headteacher has not made effective use of the school’s own monitoring procedures to identify priorities for improvement. Weaknesses in teaching have not been redressed, despite their identification in monitoring reports from co-ordinators. The result is that the unsatisfactory quality of teaching in the infants has not been tackled, leading in turn to underachievement among the pupils. Too many priorities in the current school development plan are based on suggestions made by external sources and do not relate to the school’s most urgent weaknesses. Progress in addressing the action plan following the last inspection has been limited, with key areas for improvement such as leadership and management ignored and improving standards in writing given too little attention in terms of time or resources. Current priorities in the improvement plan such as improving the classroom display and

p.24

Commentary

developing a green plan for school parking are insignificant and wrongly timed given the weightier weaknesses facing the school.

p.24

Commentary

39 The work of the senior management team, which includes the deputy headteacher, the special educational needs co-ordinator and the English and mathematics co-ordinators, is neither well managed nor well co-ordinated by the headteacher. The role of the deputy headteacher is slight and does not encompass a broad enough range of whole school issues to allow a meaningful input to the strategic development of the school. Too little time has been given for the deputy headteacher to develop the role and take account of issues across the whole school. For instance, work on developing assessment procedures and target setting has not been fully implemented across the school and no time has been set aside to monitor its implementation.

p.24

Commentary

40 The special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO), has too little non-teaching time to allow the role to be fulfilled, particularly given the unsatisfactory nature of the provision two years ago. The English, mathematics and science co-ordinators have worked very hard developing strategies and systems to improve standards and provision in their subjects. In these subjects the strategies are very good and pinpoint very well what should be done to bring about improvement. However, the impact of this work, and that of the special educational needs co-ordinator, is seriously impeded by the reluctance of the headteacher to ensure that all staff implement the changes agreed by senior managers. The result is that where progress towards improvement in overall standards should have been good or very good, based on the quality of the co-ordinators’ work, implementation is too often inconsistent and patchy and is not moving the school forward at a fast enough

p.24

Commentary

pace. This has inevitably led to high levels of frustration among key teachers in the school.

p.24

Commentary

41 At the time of the last inspection teacher turnover was high. A similar pattern now exists. Since the start of the school year, two teachers have left the school and one is on long term absence through ill health. All of these teachers were replaced during the spring term, by either supply staff or newly qualified teachers. Changes of teacher have been badly managed and had a serious and detrimental effect on the quality of education and the pupils’ attitudes, behaviour and their achievement. Induction arrangements are poor and teachers have received inadequate support for their work to be successful.

p.24

Commentary

42 The school’s monitoring procedures are unclear and the difference in understanding between the headteacher and subject co-ordinators about these procedures was stark. For example, the headteacher’s view that all co-ordinators had two days release from the classroom each term to carry out monitoring activities was not supported by any co- ordinator, nor was the view that there was plenty of notice given about the timing of Rothwell Primary School - 23 monitoring activities. On the contrary, many co-ordinators spoke of being given too little notice to prepare other teachers for classroom observations or of having release time cancelled at very short notice. While subject co-ordinators’ monitoring files showed considerable monitoring activity, much of this had been done in teachers’ own time and was not based on direct classroom observations of teaching and learning. Many of the issues raised by subject co-ordinators and notified to the headteacher as requiring action to

p.24

Commentary

improve the quality of provision have not been acted upon or implemented school-wide. The result is that change has been implemented piecemeal and has failed to move the school forward sufficiently.

p.25

Commentary

43 Financial management is unsatisfactory. For example, in the last school year the school thought it was unexpectedly facing a deficit in the budget and took steps to make staff reductions at the end of the school year. In the autumn term of the new school year, when it became clear there was no deficit in the budget, the school decided to appoint a classroom support assistant and another teacher to the Reception class from January because of an unexpected, but slight rise in numbers. This decision gave a very generous adult child ratio in the Foundation Stage, but the additional staffing was not used efficiently to allow for release time for the deputy headteacher or other senior managers to monitor the work of the school. The school’s spending on staffing is very high, and this is offset by too little spending on learning resources, the professional development of staff and improving the dilapidated environment on both sites. The budget surplus remains

p.25

Commentary

unnecessarily high given the poor quality of accommodation and the amount of resources for learning.

p.25

Commentary

44 The governors’ knowledge of the school’s strengths and weaknesses is satisfactory. However, they have not been kept informed of how teacher turn-over has affected standards in some classes this year, so have not been able to challenge the school about this. They know of the work of the co-ordinators through written reports and occasional presentations from them and have some knowledge of the school’s progress since the last inspection, principally through reports from external bodies. Despite some shortcomings, the governors have done all they can to support the school and have been rigorous in their efforts to gain a clear picture of how the school has been developed since the last inspection. The chair and vice-chair have been particularly active in seeking external advice to help the governors establish a clear picture of the school’s weaknesses following the last inspection. Governors have not ensured that statutory requirements are

p.25

Commentary

met in respect of some health and safety requirements and information to parents. The prospectus and annual report to parents do not include all the statutory required information, for example, rates of pupils’ authorised and unauthorised absence, parents’ right to withdraw their child from religious education and the arrangements for pupils with disabilities. There are a number of health and safety issues on both school sites which the governing body have been informed of.

p.25

Commentary

45 The induction and professional development of staff have a low priority in the school. Teachers new to the school are not given enough support to help them settle in quickly to the routines of the school and gain a secure knowledge of the attainment of pupils’ in their classes. New teachers who work on the junior site are very well supported by the teachers there. Planning is shared and support given to help with teaching strategies. This is not the case elsewhere in the school and arrangements for supporting and advising newly qualified teachers are unsatisfactory. The school’s performance management is haphazard and ill-organised, so that individual needs are not sharply identified and too few opportunities are provided to help teachers extend their professional skills. Rothwell Primary School - 24

p.25

Financial information

Financial information for the year April 2002 to March 2003

p.26

Financial information

Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 745,822 Balance from previous year 51,540 Total expenditure 758,097 Balance carried forward to the next 37860 Expenditure per pupil 2,220 Rothwell Primary School - 25

p.26

PART C: THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION IN AREAS OF LEARNING AND SUBJECTS

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

p.27

PART C: THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION IN AREAS OF LEARNING AND SUBJECTS

46 Children enter the Nursery with standards that are in line with those expected for their age. They settle very well because staff provide a secure and exciting learning environment and children form very good relationships with all adults. The Nursery is located in a different building from the Reception class and this does not help the two groups of children and staff to work together. The Foundation Stage co-ordinator has little defined time to provide leadership or to monitor the quality of education.

p.27

PART C: THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION IN AREAS OF LEARNING AND SUBJECTS

47 Teaching is good in all areas of learning and this has been maintained since the last inspection. Planning in each age group is very thorough and is matched closely to the standards expected nationally for children of this age. The assessment of children’s achievement is good and links closely to planning. This, together with daily assessment, is recorded in detail in the Foundation Stage records. The thoroughness of this process guides teaching effectively and helps children to achieve well. Resources in the Nursery are very good due to the efforts of the Nursery staff and parents who have raised a considerable amount of money to improve provision over the last three years. Resources in the Reception class are not as good and the accommodation is cramped. Provision in the Foundation Stage is very good and is a strength of the school.

p.27

PART C: THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION IN AREAS OF LEARNING AND SUBJECTS

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

p.27

PART C: THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION IN AREAS OF LEARNING AND SUBJECTS

Provision in personal, social and emotional development is very good

p.27

PART C: THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION IN AREAS OF LEARNING AND SUBJECTS

• Very good relationships promote high standards of behaviour. • Children show a high level of independence and confidence when talking to each other and to visitors. • All children are attentive and this promotes good learning.

p.27

PART C: THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION IN AREAS OF LEARNING AND SUBJECTS

48 Most children are on course to exceed the nationally expected level in this area of learning due to the good teaching they receive. The youngest children are very quickly integrated into Nursery routines and many organise themselves without support. They work alongside each other well and often share experiences. They demonstrate very good behaviour when they listen to their teacher for extended periods and respond confidently to questions. They are sufficiently confident to take on the role of a frog when acting and singing “Five little Speckled Frogs.”

p.27

PART C: THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION IN AREAS OF LEARNING AND SUBJECTS

49 Older children stay on task for extended periods of time, clear away construction materials well, sorting the pieces carefully into different baskets. They work well together in small groups and very happily involve visitors in their role-play activities. They show a good understanding of sharing and taking turns when using wheeled vehicles outdoors. Children have plenty of opportunities to work in small groups and this helps them to listen and respond in a secure environment. They are keenly interested in living things and show a high level of care and concern for these.

p.27

PART C: THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION IN AREAS OF LEARNING AND SUBJECTS

Provision in communication, language and literacy is very good Rothwell Primary School - 26

p.27

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Good teaching and planning helps children to develop their speaking, listening, reading and writing skills well. • Teachers and support staff use their time very well to support learning when working with small groups. • Planning ensures that the tasks set clearly match children’s needs.

p.28

Commentary

50 Most children are on course to exceed the nationally expected level in this area of learning because the teaching that they receive is good. Activities are carefully planned to match the needs of all children and all the staff know the children very well. Children are challenged in all aspects of their work. The lower achieving children in the Reception class know their letter sounds well, identify words beginning with the letter ’y’ accurately and one child explains that his word ‘yacht’ means ‘it is a boat.’

p.28

Commentary

51 The teacher introduces new words and demonstrates clearly how to find out more about these by using a picture dictionary. This work is extended well into their writing activity where they practise how to write the letter and simple words. A Nursery nurse very well supports a group of more able children as they write their own sentences. Although much of the writing is phonetically spelt, the words are clear to read and sentences make sense. These children use spaces between their words and know that a sentence starts with a capital letter and ends with a full stop.

p.28

Commentary

52 Opportunities to work in small groups help children to develop their speaking and listening skills. They enjoy dressing up as characters and engaging in conversation about the part they are playing. They use ‘robot’ voices very confidently when sharing their robot models with others. Children respond confidently to questions, many giving a full sentence rather than one word answer. Children listen very carefully to explanations and stories. They contribute their own ideas, linking these well to other events in their learning environment.

p.28

Commentary

53 The youngest children use books well. They turn pages correctly and talk about the story confidently by using pictures. Older children understand the author and title of books and use their understanding of letter sounds well to read simple words in their guided reading groups. Preparation for their work in Year 1 is good.

p.28

Commentary

Provision in mathematical development is very good

p.28

Commentary

• Plenty of practical activities support children’s mathematical development. • Teachers and teaching assistants take every opportunity to reinforce and extend mathematical understanding. • Teachers and teaching assistants use mathematical language well to extend children’s mathematical vocabulary.

p.28

Commentary

Rothwell Primary School - 27 54 Most children are on course to exceed the nationally expected level in this area of learning. Tasks planned are well matched to the needs of all children in the Foundation Stage. The majority of children in the Nursery count to five and most are confident when using the computer to recognise numbers to five. The more able children count and order numbers to ten, using numbered flags in the sand tray and sponge numbers in the water tray well to reinforce their understanding. They also recognise if a number is missing, find the correct number and order it correctly. Plenty of practical activities support children’s mathematical development. For example, children in the Nursery use water to practise writing numbers, while children in the Reception class also work outdoors to throw dice onto a number mat showing numbers to 24. They confidently recognise the number on which

p.29

Commentary

55 The more able children in Reception clearly understand counting on in tens and count forward to 20 and back successfully. The Reception teacher uses clearly focused questions and larger numbers to extend children’s learning. These children show a good understanding of simple subtraction and are developing a wider mathematical vocabulary as they know they are ‘counting on’ and ‘taking away.’ They understand positional language when they place animals behind, in front of and to the side of other objects.

p.29

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Provision in knowledge and understanding of the world is good

p.29

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Good teaching extends children’s skills, knowledge and understanding well. • There are good first hand opportunities provided for children to extend their early scientific knowledge and understanding.

p.29

Commentary

56 Children’s achievement in this area of learning is satisfactory. Most are on course to reach the standard expected of them by the end of the Reception year. Children show a great interest in living creatures and really enjoy counting the days to when the eggs in the incubator will hatch. They develop their observation skills well as the very good questioning by the teacher encourages them to check the butterfly house carefully to see if the caterpillars have changed into cocoons. They watch tadpoles carefully and are filled with wonder when a frog is brought into the Nursery. They observe this very carefully, get very excited when it moves and decide that ‘its feet are different and it can swim.’ They know that ‘it needs to sit on a stone to get some air.’ In the water tray, they investigate floating and sinking and begin to make simple predictions as to what object might float or sink. The

p.29

Commentary

good interactions of all adults extend children’s learning well. They learn more about frogs during story time and singing. The children are divided into two groups so that higher attaining children listen to a more detailed story and are further challenged.

p.29

Commentary

57 Very good resources, such as diggers and trucks in the outdoor sandpit, help children to begin to understand how roads are made. They create their own vehicles using collectable materials and a good range of construction kits. Children use computers every day and demonstrate good mouse skills. They move from one program to another with ease and ‘drag and drop’ items to dress teddy and create pictures confidently.

p.29

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Rothwell Primary School - 28 Provision in creative development is good

p.30

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children have daily opportunities to use a range of materials and techniques to promote their learning. • Children enjoy painting and mix colours confidently.

p.30

Main strengths and weaknesses

58 Children achieve the standards expected of them by the end of the Reception class. Teachers provide a range of activities including daily opportunities for children to use paint, either on easels or a flat table surface. They enjoy painting, mix colours confidently and use brushes well. Younger children work with pliable materials very carefully to create flower collages. They use cutters well to make petals and develop good observational skills as real flowers are available to help them understand how individual petals create a whole flower. Older children further develop these skills by looking carefully at blossom and creating very good finger paintings. Children have a good understanding of shades of colours and use a range of techniques well to create their own colour patterns. These include curling foil, bending card and printing, reinforcing their understanding of shapes in their mathematical work.

p.30

Main strengths and weaknesses

59 All children have good opportunities to use musical instruments and the good support they receive from adults help them to hold the instruments properly and create a good sound. They sing number songs in the Nursery and demonstrate very good singing in the Reception class. These children know the words to many songs and sing in tune with great enthusiasm as a result of the good subject knowledge of the Reception teacher.

p.30

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in physical development is good

p.30

Main strengths and weaknesses

• All children have good opportunities to use the very well equipped outdoor play area. • Nursery children do not have opportunities to extend their physical development by working in the hall.

p.30

Main strengths and weaknesses

60 Children achieve the standards expected of them by the end of the Reception class. Since the last inspection, teachers have had additional training to extend children’s learning opportunities in the outdoor play area. There are plenty of resources for children to pedal, push, climb and balance and these are used daily by both the Nursery and Reception classes. This is an improvement since the last inspection.

p.30

Main strengths and weaknesses

61 Photographic evidence shows that Reception children use the hall each week and make good use of the apparatus to develop their climbing, balancing and rolling skills. They move on benches in different ways and are confident to demonstrate their skills to others. However, although the youngest children practise taking off and putting on their shoes when working in the outdoor sand area, they do not have opportunities to develop an Rothwell Primary School - 29 awareness of space by working in the hall. This is not timetabled or included in the Nursery planning. Rothwell Primary School - 30

p.30

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Very good and sometimes excellent teaching in Years 4 to 6 leading to good achievement for pupils, but standards have declined in Years 2 and 3. • Very good leadership and management leading to very good improvement of the curriculum and strategies for raising standards in writing. • The co-ordinator has insufficient time to monitor teaching and learning effectively. • Planning for writing makes very good links with other subjects.

p.32

Commentary

62 Pupils in Year 2 have lower than expected standards in reading and writing. There has been a recent decline in standards. Until the present year, standards in Year 2 have been above the national average in reading for the last four years and in writing for the last two years.

p.32

Commentary

63 Currently, too many pupils in Year 2 are not sufficiently challenged in their reading to progress at a good rate. The assessment of their reading is not rigorous enough to identify promptly when they need to move on or when they need further help and support. The result is that for average and low attaining pupils reading strategies are limited and pupils lack confidence to tackle new and unfamiliar words and their understanding of what they read is limited. For higher attaining pupils, their slow progress has led to a lack of enthusiasm for reading and many are not excited by what they read or find it too easy. Their enthusiasm is further hampered by a lack of books at the higher levels being available to Year 2 pupils. The quality of written work in pupils’ books since the spring term shows a similar pattern of slow progress, with many books revealing declining standards of handwriting and spelling. Overall, standards currently seen in the class do not reflect what

p.32

Commentary

would have been expected from the standard of their work when they were in Year 1. Pupils’ speaking and listening are about average, and they have opportunities to develop their thinking through discussion.

p.32

Commentary

64 In Year 6 standards are in line with those expected for pupils of this age. Pupils speak clearly and with confidence when answering questions or during class discussion, because they have had frequent opportunities for this and relationships in the class are very good. They read with good understanding and are quick to pick out key ideas, as when they read scenarios for drama improvisations. The quality of their written work is good, with high standards of presentation evident in the work of pupils of all abilities. Overall, the majority of pupils reach the standard expected for their age. Higher attaining pupils, who are few in number, are well challenged in the work they do. Their writing is well structured and adopts the correct style for the genre they use in different pieces of writing. For all pupils achievement is good. Pupils in this Year 6 class, as in Years 3 and 5, have suffered

p.32

Commentary

from in year changes of teacher in the past and this has led to gaps in the learning of some pupils. This is evident in pupils’ work, which shows weaknesses in spelling, as well as in their knowledge and use of grammatical forms. Teachers in the upper juniors have had to work hard to overcome these gaps in learning and the reason for the sharp increase in pupils on the special educational needs register directly relates to the impact of frequent changes of teacher in the past. Rothwell Primary School - 31 65 The quality of teaching is variable, ranging from excellent to unsatisfactory. The school’s failure to identify and share good practice for the benefit of all pupils is a weakness seen here as in other subjects. Where teachers are well established and have worked closely on the initiatives suggested by the subject co-ordinator, then the quality of teaching is always good or better, leading to good learning and good achievement for pupils. Where

p.32

Commentary

teachers have not been convinced of the need to implement new methods, then teachers’ planning shows less coherence, and progress in learning is not so good. In the infants, teaching is unsatisfactory overall, however, the work of pupils in Year 1 since the start of the school year shows that they have made satisfactory progress overall.

p.33

Commentary

66 In Years 4 to 6 teaching and learning show many very good qualities. Teachers’ planning is very thorough; it makes provision for challenging tasks for all groups, including gifted and talented pupils and those with special educational needs. It is based on very good knowledge of pupils’ learning to date. Teachers in these classes make very good use of resources from other subjects to create good opportunities for pupils to apply their literacy skills in history, geography and science. During inspection, older pupils were very well prepared for writing tasks by their good knowledge of factory life in Victorian times, gleaned from history lessons, as well as by the very effective teaching of how to write in the diary style. Where the quality of teaching was excellent, the teacher’s very sharply drawn scenarios of life in the mills, allowed pupils to enter wholeheartedly into improvisation and

p.33

Commentary

produce high quality, well detailed scenes that were of remarkable quality given the time they spent preparing them. The teacher’s very high expectations and very good interventions ensured that pupils worked quickly and effectively and were very pleased with their results.

p.33

Commentary

67 Pupils receive very good feedback about their learning from teachers in the juniors and they are clear about what they need to do to improve the quality of their work. This makes them well motivated to learn and confident that they can rise to the challenges that teachers set. Behaviour in the junior classes is well managed and often very good. The exception is in one class where changes of teacher in the spring term led to a rapid deterioration in attitudes and behaviour amongst the pupils. Teachers make some use of ICT in English lessons, but in the juniors lack of adequate access to computers reduces the impact of this on pupils’ learning.

p.33

Commentary

68 The co-ordinator provides very good leadership and management for developing the curriculum and for raising standards. Since the last inspection, the co-ordinator has identified all the correct areas of weakness and has provided very clear and effective systems to bring about improvement. The co-ordinator’s subject knowledge is very good and this has been used effectively to assess where pupils are faltering in their learning in order to provide helpful guidance to teachers on how to support pupils to improve. Because of serious shortcomings in the leadership of the school, well conceived plans have not been implemented consistently and too little time has been given to the co-ordinator to monitor the effect of planned improvements.

p.33

Language and literacy across the curriculum

69 Planning for the use of literacy skills in other subjects is inconsistent across the school. In the juniors where teachers plan together in teams, there are plenty of planned opportunities in most subjects for pupils to consolidate and extend their literacy skills, either through speaking, reading or writing. In these classes teachers are careful to link writing styles to other subjects, so that in science pupils will write instructions and explanations; in Rothwell Primary School - 32 geography they describe and compare while in history they apply their skills of recount and diary writing to good effect. These good practices are not evident in other classes.

p.33

MATHEMATICS

Provision in mathematics is satisfactory

p.34

MATHEMATICS

• Standards are falling in Year 2 and the weaknesses are not being tackled with enough rigour by the senior leadership team. • Older pupils in Years 4 to 6 are achieving very well, particularly in their problem solving skills and this is a result of very good teaching. • The subject is being led and managed very well and this is a major factor in the higher standards and very good achievement seen in Years 5 and 6. • The co-ordinator has insufficient release time to fulfil her role. • Planning for the use of ICT is a weakness. • Good support and challenge for pupils with special educational needs and higher attaining pupils.

p.34

MATHEMATICS

70 In Years 1 and 2, most older pupils are not being given challenging enough work and as a result, they are not achieving the standards of which they are capable. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 have achieved very well in the past, but now inspection evidence shows that teaching is unsatisfactory and pupils by the age of seven are unlikely to reach the targets that the school has predicted for them. Those pupils with special educational needs are given good support in lessons by experienced learning support staff and consequently, these pupils achieve satisfactorily. However, the achievement of pupils of average and above average ability is not high enough. In the lessons seen, the pace of teaching was too slow and in one lesson, the teacher’s subject knowledge was weak and incorrect concepts were taught. These weaknesses are not being tackled with enough rigour by the senior leadership and this is having a negative effect on pupils’ learning.

p.34

MATHEMATICS

71 The quality of teaching in Years 3 to 6 is significantly better and is very good in Years 4, 5 and 6. Consequently, by the age of 11, pupils reach standards that are above national expectations and are achieving very well. This is particularly noteworthy when the high percentage of pupils with special educational needs in some classes it is taken into account. Scrutiny of work gives clear evidence that pupils are expected to present their work very well, to make clear their learning objective, note any particular calculation rules if required and to show how they have tackled a problem. A considerable quantity of work has been completed and the marking of work indicates that teachers have good subject knowledge; they challenge the pupils to think about the answer they have given: for example, “Can you see the link between the middle number and the sum?” or: “Why is this not a prime number?” In lessons, the pace of the initial mental and oral activity is lively as

p.34

MATHEMATICS

pupils are expected to work in numbers, fractions, decimals and percentages, converting amounts in numbers, money and measurements. Teachers engage pupils very well in their learning, frequently pausing to check pupils’ understanding of a concept or method, before moving on.

p.34

MATHEMATICS

72 Throughout the school, there are some examples of ICT being used to support learning; particularly in the way pupils are taught to present the findings of data in charts, Rothwell Primary School - 33 tables and graphs. However, opportunities to use ICT to support learning are not always systematically planned for which is a weakness.

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MATHEMATICS

73 Pupils with special educational needs have work planned for them and they are given good support in lessons, so they achieve well against the targets set for them. In the Years 3 to 6, higher attaining pupils are constantly challenged by being given extension activities, or puzzles and problems to solve, which they enjoy and respond well to. Higher attaining pupils achieve particularly well in their use and application of mathematics to tackle new concepts.

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MATHEMATICS

74 The subject is being led and managed very well by an enthusiastic, hard working co-ordinator, who has very good subject knowledge and is an exemplar teacher. The impact of the co-ordinator’s leadership and management is clear in Years 3 to 6 and is having a very positive effect on the high standards being achieved by pupils by the time they leave the school. There is a clear action plan to address some of the weaknesses identified, such as to ensure that opportunities to use ICT to support learning are systematically planned and to tackle some of the inconsistencies teachers show when teaching calculation methods. Improvement since the previous inspection has been satisfactory. Senior leadership has not ensured that strategies devised by the co-ordinator to raise standards have been implemented consistently.

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Mathematics across the curriculum

75 This aspect of the curriculum is satisfactory. There are examples of graphs, tables and charts used to record data in science and geography. However, links between mathematics and other subjects are not always deliberately planned for on a routine basis. Too much is left to the discretion of individual teachers and, because of this, opportunities are missed. Rothwell Primary School - 34

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SCIENCE

• The leadership and management of the science co-ordinator are very good and good improvement has been achieved. • Teaching of science in Years 4, 5 and 6 is good and pupils make good progress. • The use of literacy and ICT within science is clearly identified in planning and is reflected in the sample of work seen. • The teaching of science is unsatisfactory in Years 1, 2 and 3. • The co-ordinator is not given sufficient time to fulfil the role.

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Commentary

76 Standards in science have improved since the last inspection in Years 4 to 6. This is a result of the very good leadership of the subject, the very good teaching in these classes and the improved planning. However, evidence from the inspection shows that standards have dropped since the last inspection in Years 1 and 2 and are now below the expectation for pupils aged seven. The unsatisfactory teaching seen, evidence from analysis of pupils’ work, many changes in staff, and teachers’ own subject knowledge are affecting the progress pupils make. Pupils are not challenged and time is not used well in lessons. Year 1 pupils do not have science books and there was very limited work available in the sample provided. Pupils’ work is in topic books with other work on loose sheets. This means that pupils cannot see the progress they make and do not know how to improve their work. Year 2 pupils had very limited opportunities to record their work in the

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Commentary

first two terms of this school year but are beginning to develop an understanding of fair testing and predicting when doing experiments. Teachers’ planning and teaching are not moving pupils’ learning forward due to the poor use of time and the lack of challenge in the work presented to all pupils.

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Commentary

77 Very good teaching was seen in Years 4, 5 and 6. In these lessons there is good pace and pupils are challenged well. Pupils’ attitudes to learning are very good, they are interested and keen to contribute, so that by Year 6 they attain better than expected standards in the subject. Year 4 pupils show very good skills when predicting which liquid will affect the boiled eggshell most and use appropriate scientific language in their explanations. In a Year 5 lesson, pupils clearly understand the points on the body where the pulse can be measured and higher achieving pupils are further challenged to use their mathematical knowledge to work out the pulse rate for an hour, day and even a year. Pupils understand changes in pulse rate as a result of exercise and why this is so. They chose their own method to record their findings and their presentation is of a high quality. Lower achieving pupils are very well supported by good teaching assistants and make good

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Commentary

progress, both in subject knowledge and in the quality of writing and presentation. Pupils’ investigative skills are very good and they understand clearly how to use the planning board to support their recording.

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Commentary

78 ICT supports pupils’ work in science well. Pupils use computers to search data- bases and record their findings using bar graphs. They confidently use digital cameras to record the findings from a range of experiments and investigate the effects of temperature on the growth of mould using a CD-ROM. In Year 6, pupils use computers to plot a line graph showing pulse rate changes during exercise. The teacher’s interactions during group work are of a very high standard and very skilled questioning extends all pupils. Marking in Rothwell Primary School - 35 these classes is thorough and links well to their work in literacy. Planning has improved and is used consistently across these classes with very good links to literacy and ICT clearly identified.

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Commentary

79 The subject is led well by a very capable co-ordinator who demonstrates a clear vision and high levels of expertise to move the subject forward and raise standards. Although the co-ordinator has been given some time to monitor lessons, pupils’ work and to talk to pupils, this time is not well planned and is often cancelled at short notice. The new planning format is clearly working well in the upper junior classes but the co-ordinator has no opportunities to monitor this in other classes. The co-ordinator is very keen to achieve high standards in science but does not receive enough support from senior management to do so.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Provision in information and communication technology (ICT) is satisfactory

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching is unsatisfactory in Years 1 and 2, but it is better in Years 3 to 6 and, consequently, pupils achieve more. • The new subject leader is very keen and has the ability to improve the school’s provision. • Resources are unsatisfactory and have a negative effect on how well pupils are able to achieve. • A key weakness is the lack of support from the most senior leadership, which means that too many inconsistencies in teaching are not challenged.

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Commentary

80 The quality of teaching is unsatisfactory in Years 1 and 2 and as a result, pupils do not achieve well enough to reach the standards of which they are capable. In the lessons seen in the Infants, activities were not organised well enough and consequently, the rate of learning was too slow. In one lesson, the behaviour of a minority of pupils disrupted the learning of others and slowed the pace of the lesson. In the juniors, teaching is better. Time is used more effectively, pupils know what they have to do and lessons are well organised. As a result, by Year 6 pupils are achieving well and most reach standards that match national expectations. However, as found at the previous inspection, pupils have inadequate typing skills, with many older pupils still using one finger to use the keyboard. This slows the pace at which they work and is an area for improvement. Those pupils with special educational needs are given modified tasks to complete or are helped by adult

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Commentary

support and this ensures that they are fully involved and meet the targets that have been set for them.

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Commentary

81 The subject co-ordinator, who has only very recently taken responsibility for the subject and so has been unable to influence the inconsistencies in teaching, is very keen and knowledgeable and has quickly identified key areas that need to be tackled to improve both standards and the quality of teaching. There is a very mixed picture in the way teachers assess what pupils know, understand and can do and, as a result, there is no clear view of what the next steps to learning are.

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Commentary

82 Resources were satisfactory at the previous inspection but they are now unsatisfactory and have not kept up with new developments. There are not enough Rothwell Primary School - 36 computers in the computer suite, so pupils have to share a computer and older pupils, in particular, are often very cramped as they sit together. Sometimes three pupils have to share, which means that their skills are not developed quickly enough. There is no projector screen in the computer suite and, while teachers do the best they can to project onto a wall so they can teach new skills, this does not work well, particularly on sunny days and consequently, both pupils and teachers struggle.

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Commentary

83 A key weakness is the lack of direction from the senior leadership in the school. There is a lack of cohesion amongst staff, with some doing their own thing and not following clear guidance. This is demoralising for those staff who are working very hard to improve standards. This has meant that standards have fallen in the infants since the last inspection and overall, as noted in the last inspection, pupils still do not achieve as well as they could do.

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Information and communication technology across the curriculum

84 Although ICT is used in other subjects, such as in science, English, geography and mathematics, much is dependent on the confidence of the individual teacher and there is no purposeful, consistent pattern to the links between ICT and other subjects. Planning effective links is made more difficult because there are not enough computers and the main computer suite is in the infant department, making effective opportunities in the juniors much harder to plan.

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HUMANITIES

85 History was sampled during the inspection. In the infants there was too little evidence available to make a judgement about standards or provision. The work seen in the junior classes showed that pupils reach the expected standard for their age. They produce a good volume of work on each of the topics studied, such as life in Victorian times, the Ancient Greeks and Britain since 1930. A significant feature of their work in history is the way the subject is linked to others such as art and design, design and technology and English. In the lesson seen in Year 4, pupils considered the needs for protection from air strikes and arrived at good solutions for disguising air-raid shelters. There was good use of time and resources in the lesson, allowing some pupils to work on computers to research information, while others constructed air-raid shelters and decided how these would be camouflaged.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• There have been good improvements in the leadership of the subject since the last inspection and the subject is now well led and managed. • By the time pupils leave school at the age of 11, they achieve well in their geographical knowledge, skills and understanding. • Teaching in the upper juniors is good and pupils complete an impressive amount of work.

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Commentary

Rothwell Primary School - 37 86 The last inspection judged leadership and management of the subject ineffective and unsatisfactory and because of this, standards were below average at the age of seven and 11. There has been good improvement in the leadership of the subject since then and this has resulted in many improvements. For example:

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Commentary

• Standards are now typical of those found in most schools by the age of seven and 11. • Older pupils in the juniors achieve well and complete an impressive amount of work. • The school geography policy has been updated and promotes an investigative approach to the subject, which supports pupils to participate in enquiry, fieldwork and map-work. • The co-ordinator has produced a clear subject action plan to develop the subject further and has a portfolio of pupils’ work that enables learning and achievement to be monitored.

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Commentary

87 No lessons were seen in the infants during the inspection, so no overall judgement on the quality of teaching has been made. However, the scrutiny of work in pupils books and on display indicate that pupils are taught early fieldwork techniques as they plan and draw their route to school and observe road signs and symbols to consider safe ways to travel to school. They compare their own locality with a village in Mexico and have the opportunity to appreciate another culture quite different to their own.

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Commentary

88 In the upper juniors, the quality of teaching is good overall and often very good. This results in good achievement by the age of 11. Scrutiny of work shows that pupils work in a well-structured and organised way. Pupils present their work very well and use literacy, numeracy and information and communication skills to support their studies. The current Year 5 and Year 6 work on the study of coastal regions in Britain has required them to consider the effects of coastal erosion and the impact of commercial activities on some holiday resorts, such as Scarborough and Blackpool. Pupils’ geographical skills are extended well and most are able to use fieldwork techniques, complete surveys and prepare presentations. Those pupils who have special educational needs achieve as well as other children do in geography because they are given modified tasks, or adult support, which enables them to reach the targets set for them.

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Commentary

Provision in religious education is satisfactory

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Main strength and weaknesses

• Excellent teaching in Year 6, leading to very good achievement for pupils. • Good quality work in the older junior classes reflects pupils’ positive attitudes to the subject. • Teacher’s subject knowledge is variable and this affects the rate at which pupils learn. • The co-ordinator is not given sufficient time to fulfil her role.

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Commentary

89 Teaching is good overall and standards are in line with both national expectations and the locally Agreed Syllabus. In Year 2, pupils have a sound understanding of the sequence of events in the story of ‘Noah and the Flood.’ The higher achieving pupils write well showing a good understanding of God’s promise to Noah. They also consider promises, why they are made and what making a promise means. However, teachers’ confidence to teach this subject in Years 1, 2 and 3 is not strong and opportunities for Rothwell Primary School - 38 additional training are very limited. Year 4 pupils show a sound understanding of why the church is a special place for Christians. They think carefully about their behaviour in church when they visit and clearly understand that, ‘We have to listen, be quiet and not run about because it is a place of worship.’

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Commentary

90 Excellent teaching was seen in Year 6 where pupils were really challenged to suggest possible right and wrong actions to take when a bag of money had disappeared. They had to decide the outcomes and consequences of these actions and demonstrate this through role-play. Pupils showed very good concentration, negotiated very well in small groups and their ideas were carefully considered. They show concern for others less fortunate than themselves and this aspect of their work is closely linked to their PSCHE work.

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Commentary

91 Analysis of Year 6 work shows a very good balance between learning about religion and learning from religion and pupils have very good opportunities to write their own poems expressing their feelings about the creation and questioning important aspects of life such as, ‘Where is the love?’ They also contrast the clothes worn by Christian leaders with those of the Muslim faith. In the work and lessons seen, there is limited evidence of opportunities for pupils to develop an awareness and understanding of the faiths of other cultures. Recorded work in religious education shows that both quality and quantity vary between classes. Presentation of work was an issue at the last inspection and still remains an issue. Marking is inconsistent and many pupils are not being encouraged to improve their literacy skills when recording their religious education work. The leadership and management of the subject are satisfactory. The co-ordinator is keen

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Commentary

to improve standards and support other teachers but has only had limited time to talk to pupils and look at their work. The senior management has not allocated sufficient time for the co-ordinator to monitor teaching and planning across the school.

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Commentary

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

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Commentary

92 Music and physical education were sampled, as insufficient evidence was collected on their provision to make a firm judgement. It is not possible to make secure judgements on art and design and design and technology as no lessons were seen. Comments are based upon samples of pupils’ work, displays and discussions with pupils and co- ordinators.

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Commentary

93 In music , assemblies in the infants are used well to promote understanding and appreciation of a wide range of music. Pupils’ attention is drawn to the composer of the week and they listen quietly to music as they enter the hall. Younger pupils sing very well when accompanied by the piano. They sing tunefully and with enjoyment. In a music lesson seen in the upper juniors, older pupils show understanding of a range of popular music and use their knowledge to work in small groups to write lyrics for a chorus.

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Commentary

94 Physical education is well led by an enthusiastic co-ordinator and sporting activities are well promoted through the school. Extra curricular sports are varied and plentiful. Links with other schools and organisations ensure that pupils receive a good range of coaching opportunities to improve their skills in tennis, football, rugby and netball. In a well-planned and managed lesson in the juniors, pupils developed their athletics skills in javelin, shot putt, hurdles and sprint.

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Commentary

95 In art and design , the younger pupils begin to develop sound observational skills when they draw fruit and vegetables as part of their Healthy Eating project. The detail shown in these drawings is good. Pupils in Year 2 create their own paper sculptures after their visit to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. However, there is no evidence to show that these pupils use paint and mix colours on a regular basis. Rothwell Primary School - 39 96 In Years 3 and 4, pupils look at African art and create designs that they transfer onto calico. Waterproof markers and dye spray are used well to create different effects on the fabric. Year 5 investigate interesting textures, shapes and colours on objects brought from home. They use the digital camera well to record these textures and enlarge parts to create a large composition. Year 6 pupils also use ICT well to create their own design like a Victorian tapestry. They understand repeating patterns and achieve good results. Their

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Commentary

observational drawings of vases show careful pencil work that includes shading and shadow.

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Commentary

97 There are two art clubs but the work seen in these is very prescriptive and does not challenge pupils’ own creativity sufficiently.

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Commentary

98 In design and technology , younger pupils use felt successfully to make hand puppets linked well to characters from traditional stories in their literacy work. They have evaluated their work well and decided that they could improve them by ‘sticking the hair on the back.’

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Commentary

99 Pupils understand how to use sliders to make things move on their painted pictures. Years 3 and 4 pupils show a good understanding of how to make a circuit to light a bulb. They made a range of things needing lights but need to consider where to put the switch on the lighthouse model as neither the lighthouse keeper nor someone on the ground could reach it! Good links with geography are made when pupils design good quality African masks. Pupils have looked carefully at the decorative detail and have modified the masks so that they stay on their heads. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 have researched hats as part of their homework. They have looked at designer hats, Victorian hats and those worn today. Their plans show that they are now going to make a hat for a particular character. Older pupils interviewed younger pupils to get their views about packaging. They are making biscuits and also designing the packaging for these.

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Commentary

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP (PSHCE)

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Commentary

100 The school’s provision for this area of learning is currently being developed and there is no complete scheme of work. The main focus at the time of inspection was on Healthy Eating and the use of circle time to allow pupils to discuss issues that concern them. The provision of a school council to give pupils a platform for suggestions on how to improve the school, is limited to pupils in Years 3 to 6 and is managed too closely by adults to make the best use of the opportunities it could provide for pupils to learn about organising and running meetings, and co-ordinating the ideas of a large group of contributors. Rothwell Primary School - 40

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Overall standards achieved 4 Pupils’ achievement 4

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The leadership and management of the school 6 The governance of the school 4 The leadership of the headteacher 7 The leadership of other key staff 3 The effectiveness of management 6

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

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