Cobourg Primary School

COBOURG PRIMARY SCHOOL

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 Cobourg Primary School - 2 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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COBOURG 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. Cobourg Primary School - 3

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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: 357

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Cobourg Road Old Kent Road London Postcode: SE5 0JD

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Telephone number: 020 7703 2583 Fax number: 020 7708 0756

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: Local Education Authority Name of chair of governors: Mr Charles Cherrill

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 19 April 1999

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

Cobourg Primary is a large community primary school with 357 children from Nursery to Year 6. The school’s intake is ethnically diverse and around three quarters of the pupils come from ethnic minority backgrounds. Over one quarter speak English as an additional language. The turbulence of pupils is high and the school’s roll is rising. The children’s attainment on entry to the school is very low, particularly in their language and communication skills. Overall, the socio-economic circumstances of the families in the community are much less favourable than usual. Around one third of pupils has learning difficulties and seven pupils have a Statement of Special Educational Needs, which is above average. The school is involved in the Excellence in Cities initiative. It is also involved in two aspects of community provision - A Family Learning Programme and the Community Use of Facilities. In common with most schools in the area, the school experiences great difficulty in

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

recruiting permanent teachers that match the school’s needs. Cobourg Primary School - 4

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

8798 Dennis Maxwell Lead inspector Science Information and communication technology Physical education 9275 Candy Kalms Lay inspector 16773 Raminder Arora Team inspector English as an additional language Foundation stage Music Religious education 20877 David Pink Team inspector Special educational needs Mathematics Geography History 28200 Paul Stevens Team inspector English Art and Design Design and technology

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

Demeter House Station Road Cambridge CB1 2RS

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be made initially to the inspection contractor. The procedures are set out in the leaflet ‘Complaining about Ofsted Inspections’ , which is available from Ofsted Publications Centre (telephone 07002 637833) or Ofsted’s website (www.ofsted.gov.uk). Cobourg Primary School - 5

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 9

Standards achieved in areas of learning, subjects and courses

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 9

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL 14

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

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the standards pupils attain, their achievement and their behaviour. The school gives

unsatisfactory value for money. The quality of teaching and learning in one third of lessons is good but in a significant number of lessons is unsatisfactory. The attitudes and behaviour of many pupils are good but are unsatisfactory by a sizeable minority of pupils. The low level of attendance and punctuality are symptoms of some pupils’ lack of effort. The headteacher and governors give satisfactory leadership. There are optimistic signs of improvements in the schools’ work, which relate clearly to their vision for the quality of education they are working to provide.

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the standards pupils attain, their achievement and their behaviour. The school gives

The school’s main strengths and weaknesses: • Provision in the nursery is good. • Support and provision for pupils with learning difficulties is effective. • Pupils’ achievement is unsatisfactory overall and standards are well below average. • The quality of teaching is good in the nursery and Year 6 but is unsatisfactory overall. • Provision for pupils with English as an additional language is unsatisfactory • The behaviour by a significant minority of pupils is challenging and gets in the way of learning. • The levels of attendance and punctuality are poor and have a bad effect on standards. • The subject leaders for English, mathematics, science and information and communication technology (ICT) have made a good start.

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the standards pupils attain, their achievement and their behaviour. The school gives

At the time of the last inspection several considerable weaknesses were identified but under the circumstances prevailing at the time this was not seen as warranting the school being placed in serious weaknesses. On balance the school has made reasonable improvement in its effectiveness compared with that reported at the time of the last inspection. This is because the headteacher, who has been in the school for only two years, has addressed several fundamental weaknesses in the school’s work. Behaviour has improved because there are now clear behaviour strategies, although these are not yet applied consistently. The curriculum and lesson planning are now based on national guidance. Assessment procedures have been put in place recently to track pupils’ progress; targeted groups of pupils are achieving well as a result. Monitoring procedures and performance management enable strengths and weaknesses to be identified. However, too many of these

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the standards pupils attain, their achievement and their behaviour. The school gives

improvements are only recent, partly as a result of continual heavy demands on the headteacher. There has been a lack of rigour by the senior management in ensuring that school policies and procedures are agreed, supported and implemented consistently across the school. As a result, standards are well below average and pupils are not making the expected progress.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

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

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Pupils’ achievement is unsatisfactory. While over half the pupils meet or exceed the expectations, standards in English, mathematics and science are well below average by Years 2 Cobourg Primary School - 7 and 6. The very low standards in the national tests for 2003 - E* indicates the lowest five per cent nationally - are partly explained by several pupils’ poor behaviour and attitudes to work. Also, over half of the pupils in the Year 6 cohort of 2003 were casual admissions after Year 2 and many of these had personal or learning difficulties. A high proportion of pupils has special educational needs or has English as an additional language. These factors, together with the high turnover of teachers, are serious barriers to learning and partly explain the low achievement. Assessment procedures in all subjects have also been ineffective until recently in tracking pupils’ progress and informing teachers’

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

lesson planning. Standards in ICT are broadly average by Year 6 because provision is good.

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Many pupils demonstrate good personal qualities, including their spiritual, moral, social and

cultural understanding, and overall these are satisfactory . Pupils take a satisfactory interest in the life and work of the school but several pupils do not have good relationships and mutual respect for others. Behaviour is unsatisfactory although evidence shows it has improved in recent months. A significant number of pupils reacts to difficulties in the way they sometimes see in the community and they become aggressive. The school is aware of the problem and has procedures in place to tackle it but when this occurs in lessons, teachers have to spend too long getting pupils to behave and attend.

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The quality of education is unsatisfactory. There is some good teaching, including examples

of excellent lessons, but teaching is unsatisfactory overall. Teaching is good in the nursery because staff promote language development through well-structured activities that provide good learning opportunities. Good teaching was seen by over half the teachers; for example in Year 6, pupils’ learning in science was promoted because good discipline and effective questioning built up their understanding. An assembly, based on an excellent drama lesson in Year 5, expressed very well the aspirations of the school. Challenging behaviour interrupts teaching and learning too often because pupils have not developed their own self-discipline and some teachers’ behaviour strategies and teaching methods are not effective. A few teachers, mainly those on temporary contracts, have an inadequate command of the subject matter in some lessons. These factors lead to under- achievement.

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The quality of education is unsatisfactory. There is some good teaching, including examples

The school has adopted national guidance to ensure subject coverage and progression through the school and teachers usually choose worthwhile tasks. However, the curriculum is unsatisfactory overall because until recently it was not properly structured. Assessment of pupils’ progress is not linked sufficiently to curriculum planning. There are examples of good links between subjects and ICT. Procedures to ensure that pupils work in a healthy and safe environment are satisfactory but require improvement. The school has taken several good initiatives to form a working partnership with parents and events like the International Evening are supported well by the community but these have not yet had much impact.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The leadership and management of the school are satisfactory overall. The headteacher has a good understanding of strengths and weaknesses in the school but her time and energy are taken up too much with daily problems. The roles and delegation of whole-school responsibilities to key senior staff are not clear enough. The subject leaders for English, mathematics, science and ICT provide good direction and are having a good impact on standards. The governance of the school is satisfactory. Governors ensure that the school complies with statutory requirements. Recent decisions, such as employing an extra teacher in Year 5 to have single age classes, are having a positive impact on achievement.

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Discussions with parents and an analysis of the questionnaires indicate broad support for the school as well as a few concerns. Pupils like school but think they are not given enough responsibility. Cobourg Primary School - 8

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

The most important things the school should do are: • Improve the quality of provision in the Foundation Stage, particularly in reception. • Improve standards in all subjects, but particularly in English, mathematics and science. • Ensure that provision for pupils with English as an additional language is effective. • Improve pupils’ behaviour and ensure the behaviour strategy is implemented consistently. • Ensure that the quality of teaching improves through appropriate support and monitoring. • Make better use of assessment information and help pupils to evaluate their own learning. • Improve the effectiveness of senior managers at an appropriate level of responsibility. • Increase the levels of attendance and punctuality. Cobourg Primary School - 9

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Standards achieved in areas of learning, subjects and courses

Children achieve satisfactorily in the nursery. Achievement from reception to Year 6 is unsatisfactory overall partly because too little has been expected of the pupils over time. Pupils’ unsatisfactory behaviour and the lack of consistent behaviour strategies by teachers have also had an adverse effect on learning. Standards are well below average in English, mathematics, science and most other subjects by Years 2 and 6. Standards in ICT meet the expectation by Year 6.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils’ achievement from reception to Year 6 is unsatisfactory. • Standards in most subjects are well below average by Years 2 and 6. • Weaknesses in reading and poor writing skills affect pupils’ achievement in many subjects.

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The Foundation Stage

1. Children have very low attainment on entry to school in the nursery, particularly in their communication and language skills. They achieve satisfactorily in the nursery because the good teaching and well-managed activities have a positive impact on their learning. The children’s weak language skills are a barrier to learning throughout the Foundation Stage and continue to be so throughout the school so that pupils are less confident in their literacy skills than they are in numeracy or science. In the reception class the teacher’s knowledge of areas of learning and lesson planning are developing but are not yet having a sufficient impact on the children’s learning. As a result their achievement is unsatisfactory. By the time they enter Year 1, few children have reached the goals expected by the end of reception and standards are well below average.

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

Standards in: School results National results Reading 12.7 (12.4 ) 15.7 (15.8 ) Writing 10.9 (9.9 ) 14.6 (14.4 ) Mathematics 12.8 (14.6) 16.3 (16.5 )

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

There were 48 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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

2. In the national tests for 2003 standards were well below average in reading and very low in writing and mathematics compared with all schools. Compared with similar schools standards were below average in reading and well below average in writing and mathematics. The trend in standards over the past four years is below the national trend. The diagram below shows the downward trend in all subjects. However, those pupils who attended the school since Year 1 performed better than those who entered during Year 2, indicating that the school is having a positive effect.

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

3. The school assessed the present Year 2 pupils for reading and language skills when they were in Year 1 and provided an intervention programme in English. This has been successful for the lower attaining pupils since evidence shows they have achieved well in reading as a result. Cobourg Primary School - 10 However, taking account of learning in all subjects, pupils’ achievement is unsatisfactory. Standards in the work seen are well below average by Year 2 in English because pupils give brief answers, rarely enter into discussion and their writing skills are weak. Standards are also well below average by Year 2 in mathematics and science because pupils have weak numeracy skills and they find it difficult to explain or reason about their findings. Standards in most other subjects are well below average by Year 2, although in ICT and music standards are below average.

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Average point scores at Year 2 from 1999 to 2003

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 Reading Writing Mathematics

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

Standards in: School results National results English 22.2 (23.2 ) 26.8 (27.0 ) Mathematics 22.3 (22.4 ) 26.8 (26.7 ) Science 23.5 (24.1 ) 28.6 (28.3 ) There were 29 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Average point scores at Year 6 from 1999 to 2003

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 English Mathematics Science Cobourg Primary School - 11 4. Standards in the national tests of 2003 at Year 6 in English, mathematics and science were very low when compared with all schools. In relation to pupils’ prior attainment when they were in Year 2, standards at Year 6 were also very low in all subjects. Achievement from Year 3 to Year 6 was unsatisfactory. There was no significant difference in performance between the children who were in the school from Year 2 through to Year 6 and those who joined from Year 3. The low standards are partly explained by the fact that half of the pupils were identified as having learning difficulties. Also, a higher proportion than usual had English as an additional language. In addition, staff absences in Year 6 caused interruptions to pupils’ learning and the school’s internal monitoring of standards showed a lower ability profile for the year cohort. The

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Average point scores at Year 6 from 1999 to 2003

trend in standards is below the national trend and all subjects show a decline since 2001.

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Average point scores at Year 6 from 1999 to 2003

5. Although external factors such as high mobility and social deprivation have contributed to low standards pupils’ achievement is unsatisfactory overall. However pupils with learning difficulties achieve satisfactorily in relation to the targets in their education plans; and pupils with EAL achieve appropriately. Until recently, and to a considerable extent continuing, there has been a lack of clarity about what pupils are expected to achieve year by year from reception through to Year 6. The good practice of setting targets for pupils is beginning to direct teaching. Standards in the work seen are well below average by Year 6 in English, mathematics and science. Pupils have weak basic skills, particularly in reading and writing, and, because these have been poorly developed during their early years, pupils do not have the necessary skills to support higher levels as they move through the school. As a result,

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Average point scores at Year 6 from 1999 to 2003

standards in most of the foundation subjects, such as history and religious education, are well below the expectation. Standards in ICT are broadly average by Year 6 because the good facilities of the ICT suite and generally good teaching have a positive impact on learning. Pupils apply their ICT skills appropriately to such varied tasks as totalling their house points using a spreadsheet (Year 6) and entering information into a class database (Year 5). In these two and other lessons, the pupils’ interest and application were captured by good teaching and a purposeful task so that their behaviour was good and they achieved well. These examples illustrate how positive behaviour management leads to good achievement but in too many lessons teachers do not manage behaviour effectively so that pupils’ achievement is barely satisfactory or is unsatisfactory.

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Average point scores at Year 6 from 1999 to 2003

6. While rightly focusing on positive behaviour management as a priority, the senior management team has only recently established a clear curriculum framework with schemes of work supported by assessment procedures. This has also hindered learning and pupils are underachieving because they have not built knowledge and skills progressively through the school. However, there are examples of good achievement where the school has taken positive action. When the present Year 6 pupils were in Year 5, a large group was identified for a reading support programme. They made good gains in their standard of reading, and nearly half showed a gain in reading age of two years, indicating very good progress.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour are variable but unsatisfactory overall. Pupils do not have, overall, the positive attitudes and behaviour necessary to support good learning. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding are satisfactory. Attendance is poor and punctuality is very poor although the school has introduced strategies to improve both which are beginning to be effective.

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Main Strengths and weaknesses

• While the majority of pupils has good attitudes and behaviour, those of a significant number of pupils in lessons and around school are unsatisfactory. • Attendance is poor and many pupils arrive late for school. • The school takes appropriate action to encourage good attendance and punctuality by targeting pupils by following the advice of the welfare officer.

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Commentary

Cobourg Primary School - 12 7. Pupils’ attitudes to school and work vary considerably but are unsatisfactory overall. Both the poor attendance and the poor punctuality reflect this and are in keeping with the lack of support given by some parents to the school’s attempts to encourage regular attendance. Many pupils do enjoy school life. They want to learn and do well. In some lessons they are well motivated and interested in their work; for example, in a Year 6 art lesson where pupils were absorbed when trying out pictures of posing friends. In contrast, in a significant number of lessons across the school pupils have unsatisfactory work attitudes. Noise levels in lessons rise, pupils are easily distracted and sometimes ignore the teacher’s instructions. This affects the learning of the pupils themselves and of other pupils in their class.

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Commentary

8. The school is dealing with a significant number of pupils with emotional and behavioural problems. It has worked hard and introduced a number of strategies aimed at improving behaviour. Although this has resulted in some improvements since the last inspection, the systems are not yet effective for all pupils. As a result behaviour in lessons and around the school is unsatisfactory. Too many pupils are still unclear about the standards of behaviour expected and behave inappropriately. This causes frequent disruption in several lessons. In classes where teaching is good and staff set clear expectations, pupils generally behave much better and on occasions behave well. However, where teachers are less experienced and classroom management is unsatisfactory, behaviour deteriorates in response. This slows learning for the whole class. In the playground behaviour is often boisterous so that problems

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Commentary

9. The school has a significant number of pupils with very challenging behaviour. This is leading to a high number of pupils being excluded. Last year 17 pupils were involved in 25 exclusions, one permanent. The high figure represents a significant increase since the last inspection. To date this term ten pupils have been excluded. The questionnaires completed by pupils indicated that some pupils were concerned about other pupils’ behaviour. In discussions with inspectors, older pupils reinforced their concerns and also spoke of bullying and other forms of harassment although they spoke of little racism occurring. Pupils are unhappy with the school’s procedures for dealing with incidents and are not confident that their concerns are dealt with appropriately. This reinforces some of the views expressed by parents. Pupils know what is right and wrong because provision for moral development is satisfactory.

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Commentary

However, in their day-to-day lives in school they do not always apply what they have learnt to their own behaviour.

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Commentary

10. The relationships between pupils of different ethnicity are generally harmonious and pupils show interest for differing traditions and beliefs. At times however pupils are not always friendly to each other, which is illustrated by incidents of pupils’ harassing each other. Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour sometimes show inadequate respect for the class teacher and others and a lack of personal responsibility. In many lessons pupils are encouraged to work together in pairs or small groups. As a result they generally co-operate and share ideas sensibly. They have not, however, developed enough confidence or self-esteem to take responsibility and show initiative in their own learning. Many classes offer pupils individual responsibilities and older pupils have some duties around the school as prefects and playground friends and this contributes towards their personal development.

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Commentary

11. Pupils’ spiritual development is mainly promoted through religious education and assemblies where pupils are given the opportunity to learn about the beliefs and practices of the major world faiths. A very good Year 5 class assembly gave pupils the chance to contribute artistically and aesthetically. Acts of collective worship enable pupils to have time for reflection. Opportunities to explore the spiritual dimension found in art, music, science and literature are not planned for or given sufficient emphasis, with the result that in many lessons these opportunities are missed.

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Commentary

12. The school introduces multi-faith issues in religious education and has raised the profile of home languages, although too little of the rich multi-cultural nature of the school is celebrated. Cobourg Primary School - 13 Pupils are encouraged to appreciate and develop their knowledge of British culture through visits to places of cultural interest such as galleries and museums. Texts studied during the literacy hour include Shakespeare - for example, pupils in Year 5 are studying Macbeth - but in art and music famous artists and performers are not emphasised enough.

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Commentary

13. Attendance in the school is poor. It is very low in comparison with other schools. This has an adverse effect on the learning of many pupils. Levels have declined since the previous inspection but current data show an improvement for the last half term. The school is working hard to make pupils and parents aware of the importance of regular attendance. The learning mentors are working closely with the education social worker and new strategies aimed at improving attendance have been introduced. Pupils with low attendance have been identified for support and the school is working with the education welfare officers to address the issue.

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Commentary

14. Many pupils start school or leave during the school year and whilst the high levels of mobility affect attendance figures, especially the unauthorised absence figure, these are not the major factor. More important is the attitude of many parents to the importance of regular school attendance. The incidence of unauthorised absence is high and is well above the national average. The school has difficulties obtaining reasons for absence from parents and many pupils move away without informing the school. The school follows up these absences but often has difficulty in obtaining the information.

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Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data 5.4 School data 4.4 National data 5.4 National data 0.5 The table gives the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Categories used in the Annual School Census No of pupils on roll Number of fixed period exclusions Number of permanent exclusions White – British 88 8 1 White – any other White background 32 1 0 Mixed – White and Black Caribbean 14 1 0 Mixed – White and Black African 3 1 0 Black or Black British – Caribbean 53 8 0 Black or Black British – African 92 1 0 Black or Black British – any other Black background 14 1 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

No ethnic group recorded 8 4 0 The table gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded. Cobourg Primary School - 14

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

The school provides an acceptable standard of education overall because there are sufficient teachers who provide well-planned tasks and use strategies that have a positive impact on pupils’ learning and achievement. The quality of education is unsatisfactory because in too many lessons teaching is unsatisfactory and the curriculum has been disjointed. Several areas of the school’s work show only very recent signs of improvement. Overall, the care offered to pupils is satisfactory but improvements are required in the systems to ensure their welfare, guidance and support. The strength of links between the school and parents does not encourage a good partnership. The contribution of the local and wider community to pupils’ learning is satisfactory.

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Teaching and learning

The quality of teaching and learning is unsatisfactory overall. While one third of teaching is good or better, teaching and learning are unsatisfactory overall because in too many lessons inappropriate behaviour interrupts the flow of activities. Provision for pupils with learning difficulties is good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching is good in the nursery and Year 6. • Teaching by the subject leaders for English, mathematics, science and ICT is good, including two excellent lessons, and has a positive impact on learning. • Too many lessons are interrupted by inappropriate behaviour, leading to unsatisfactory achievement. • There is insufficient emphasis on high expectations and challenge. • Assessment procedures do not inform lesson planning sufficiently.

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 61 lessons

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfacto ry Poor Very Poor

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 61 lessons

2 (3%) 5 (8 %) 15(25 %) 31 (51 %) 6 (10 %) 2 (3 %) 0 (0 %)

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 61 lessons

15. The quality of teaching in the Foundation Stage is variable but unsatisfactory overall. In the nursery teaching is good and children achieve satisfactorily. All staff in the nursery work very well as a cohesive team, carefully monitoring all children’s progress, which has a good impact on their learning. The nursery staff provides well-chosen activities that stimulate learning, particularly for children’s language skills. These are recognised as being very low and a barrier to learning so that their achievement is satisfactory rather than good. The procedures to monitor and assess children’s progress on a regular basis are well established as part of planning. The curriculum in the reception class is less effective and the quality of teaching overall is unsatisfactory. The planning lacks careful focus for each area of learning and a good balance between child- and teacher-initiated activities is not ensured. The co-ordinator for the

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 61 lessons

Foundation Stage manages the nursery effectively but the management and evaluation of the reception class is unsatisfactory. In the reception class, while several activities offer good experiences and learning opportunities, the planning and organisation are not sufficiently directed towards pupils’ learning needs. Assessments are not used effectively to identify pupils’ stages of learning. There is a developing relationship between the nursery teacher as Foundation Stage co-ordinator and the recently appointed reception teacher that is helpful in improving provision. Cobourg Primary School - 15 16. In the rest of the school, while one third of teaching is good or better, the overall quality of teaching and learning is unsatisfactory. Despite good intentions, formal procedures to manage support for planning and teaching by key stage co-ordinators and subject leaders are unsatisfactory. Subject progression, assessment procedures and the use of positive behaviour

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 61 lessons

strategies are unsatisfactory overall. This has been exacerbated by high staff turnover, making it difficult to provide sufficient relevant staff training and support. As a result the trend in standards is below the national trend. Lesson planning and subject progression are uneven because national guidance has only recently been adopted throughout the school. Pupils’ work over time indicates uneven progression and unsatisfactory achievement. The unsatisfactory lessons resulted from poorly planned tasks with lack of challenge, poor management of the pupils and lack of clarity on what pupils should learn. The headteacher has, however, introduced a programme of lesson observations which is beginning to be effective in identifying strengths and weaknesses. There is also a strong culture of support amongst the staff so that they benefit from the many informal contacts.

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 61 lessons

17. In English, while teaching is good in Years 5 and 6, the quality of teaching is unsatisfactory overall. This represents a decline since the last inspection. Teachers follow the national Literacy Strategy and emphasise some aspects of written English well. However, the teachers’ presentation often lacks interest and pace and several teachers experience difficulty in controlling pupils’ challenging behaviour. There are inadequate links between literacy and opportunities for language work and writing in other subjects. As a result, pupils’ learning is not consolidated and they usually write very little in other subjects.

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 61 lessons

18. In mathematics and science, teaching is satisfactory overall, maintaining the position at the time of the last inspection. There is some good teaching, notably in Years 4, 5 and 6, which promotes pupils’ learning well. Here teachers are confident in their subject knowledge and use practical activities to motivate the pupils in their learning. These teachers express high expectations of the pupils for attention and behaviour so that pupils gain and consolidate their skills and enjoy their learning. In general, in too many lessons all pupils do the same work so that there is a lack of challenge. Teachers sometimes use the good strategy of having pupils discuss ideas in pairs or small groups, which helps promote their language skills, although dialogue with pupils is not emphasised sufficiently to overcome their language difficulties. The quality of teaching of ICT in the lessons observed was good and had a positive impact on

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 61 lessons

pupils’ learning so that they achieved well. The subject is led by a highly enthusiastic and motivated subject leader who is having a strong influence on the approach to learning, building on the good work of the previous co-ordinator. Well-chosen tasks make valuable connections between subjects, such as geography, science and mathematics and enable pupils to apply their skills to good effect. The good quality of teaching and learning in ICT expresses well the aspirations that teachers have for learning in all subjects.

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 61 lessons

19. In general, teachers plan carefully using national guidance but some teachers are not fully conversant with the subject matter and progression. Some planning indicates the teaching strategies to be used but this is inconsistent. As a result of these factors, the pace in several lessons does not maintain pupils' interest and promote learning sufficiently so that pupils’ achievement is affected. Teachers mostly pick up on pupils’ learning difficulties within lessons and respond well to their needs. However, the teachers do not have formal procedures to record pupils’ progress for most subjects and assessment information is not used effectively to inform lesson planning and raise standards. The learning objectives for lessons are usually emphasised appropriately to give purpose to lessons and these are sometimes reviewed during the plenary at the end of a lesson. Pupils’ targets for learning have been identified but

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 61 lessons

are not emphasised in lessons. An assessment system has been introduced recently to help the school to track pupils’ progress year by year but this is only just providing useful information. Teachers do not yet have ready access to assessment information to help with curriculum planning. Marking of pupils’ work is generally up to date but only a few teachers provide good feedback on how pupils may improve. In general, assessment information is not shared sufficiently with pupils to involve them in their learning. Cobourg Primary School - 16 20. Teaching assistants generally provide good support so that the pupils are included well in the lessons. There is a significant number of pupils with behavioural difficulties who present a considerable challenge. At times this distracts other pupils from learning and achievement is unsatisfactory, particularly when the teacher’s behaviour management is not effective. The

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 61 lessons

teaching assistants make an effective contribution to resolving behaviour problems. They also contribute to the good provision for pupils with learning difficulties.

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 61 lessons

21. The teacher responsible for supporting pupils with English as an additional language provides effective support and direction. She liaises with class teachers about the pupils’ needs and ensures that the pupils who arrive during the year are assessed quickly so that they may be successful in their learning. Most importantly, she has a very good relationship with her pupils which encourages them to do well. Her group-work is very effective and compensates to some extent for the lack of specific language development in several lessons.

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The curriculum

The school provides an unsatisfactory range of curricular opportunities. Opportunities to enrich the curriculum are satisfactory. The accommodation and resources are unsatisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• There is good provision for pupils with special educational needs. • The curriculum is unsatisfactory in its breadth and quality but is improving. • The difficulty in recruiting and retaining teachers detracts from the quality of the curriculum. • Resources for learning are unsatisfactory. • Provision for pupils with English as an additional language is unsatisfactory

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Commentary

22. The curriculum has until very recently not given every subject the time needed to ensure progression in learning. This has been rectified, but within subjects there is still a lack of breadth. First, there are few opportunities to carry out investigations and to use skills with increasing independence. The good practice in science does not extend to art, geography and history. Pupils do not use the school library for their research, for example. Secondly, planning does not make the most of opportunities for subjects to benefit one another. This is particularly true for literacy, where the skills of writing are taught mostly in isolation. Pupils do not write at length in religious education, geography and history, for example. Consequently, they neither develop their written language nor consolidate their learning in these subjects. A draft plan is in place which aims to put this right. However, there are gaps between blocks of

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Commentary

teaching, such as in art, where there is a risk that skills will be forgotten. Teaching in isolation also applies to thinking skills, which are taught best where they are used in the context of a subject.

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Commentary

23. The present curriculum has not been adapted sufficiently to meet the needs of the pupils in this school. Although the statutory curriculum is covered through published schemes of work, it has not been made fully relevant for the pupils. Consequently, there is a lack of emphasis on learning through activity and the use of language. The excellent drama lesson observed in Year 5 was an exceptional model for teaching. Here, pupils’ enthusiasm for Shakespeare generated interest in words and phrases in order to convey images. The teacher thereby met the pupils’ needs for language development, especially in the case of those with either special educational needs or with English as an additional language. Although the park area is sometimes used, there is not enough reference to the local environment which could provide a rich source for learning. The programme for personal, social and health education is

p.16

Commentary

satisfactory. Cobourg Primary School - 17 24. The opportunities given to pupils beyond the main curriculum are satisfactory. They include sport, the arts and a number of clubs. Although learning outside the school day is taking place, there is room for improvement so that standards of attainment are raised.

p.16

Commentary

25. The teaching of the curriculum is hampered by the difficulties in recruiting and retaining teachers. Consequently, the quality of teaching and progression in pupils’ learning are inconsistent. There is a good number of learning support assistants. However, at times they are not deployed in the most effective way and may only contribute to pupils’ learning for a short time. There is sometimes confusion about forms of support since sometimes groups of pupils with special educational needs and those for whom English is an additional language are combined inappropriately. Provision for pupils with special educational needs is good, overall.

p.17

Commentary

26. In addition, although there is enough space for learning, there are not enough high quality resources, especially in English, art, design and technology, history and geography. There are some attractive displays in parts of the school, but they are exceptions. Most do not stimulate pupils’ interest in learning. Furthermore, the organisation of extra areas such as the library and storage for easy access to teachers are not good enough.

p.17

Care, guidance and support

Overall, the care offered to pupils is satisfactory but requires some improvements.

p.17

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The learning mentors and school counsellor provide valuable support for some pupils with specific needs. • Health and safety arrangements are not fully established. • Formal systems for tracking pupils’ personal development are not in place.

p.17

Commentary

27. Although the school offers its pupils a caring environment and works hard to meet the wide variety of the pupils’ personal and educational needs, the formal procedures to ensure their welfare, guidance and support are not all established. Following assessments, children are referred for counselling where appropriate. Children are also targeted for support through the special needs procedures.

p.17

Commentary

28. Child protection is taken seriously. The school has adopted local guidelines and has its own policy. Members of staff were recently made aware of the school’s procedures but the frequency of staff training indicated in the policy is not enough to ensure all staff are kept up to date with information. A designated member of staff has received relevant training to raise her awareness to the signs and symptoms of abuse. A clear structure for health and safety is not in place. A consultant recently carried out a full health and safety check and the recommendations have begun to be acted upon. The consultant also drafted a health and safety policy which the governing body has approved. Day-to-day first aid and care for pupils who are unwell are not fully established. Minor injuries are not being recorded and on occasions pupils are not dealt with by a member of staff qualified in first aid. The cleanliness

p.17

Commentary

and condition of the building is poor, particularly in the nursery and presents a potential health risk. The building is not fully accessible for pupils or parents who may have disabilities. Fire checks and fire drills are up to date.

p.17

Commentary

29. The school tries to make pupils welcome who are starting school other than at the beginning of term. Arrangements for settling pupils new to the country and new to the school are satisfactory and this helps them settle into school routines. Cobourg Primary School - 18 30. The school provides satisfactory support, advice and guidance for pupils. There is not, however, a system for teachers to track pupils’ personal development as they move through the school although assessment procedures to track pupils’ progress are developing. This is a particular problem as there is a high staff turnover and new teachers have little information about the pupils in their class. Despite this, they know the pupils in their class, especially the many with specific needs and who are experiencing difficulties. They informally monitor pupils’ personal development and in the same way any concerns are discussed and shared

p.17

Commentary

informally. The two learning mentors provide some support for pupils’ social and learning needs. They prepare individual support programmes to monitor and track any pupils causing concern and are also available to resolve behavioural issues when they occur. Where necessary the school counsellor provides valuable support to a small number of pupils. Pupils’ achievements are rewarded in the weekly celebration assembly. In the pupils’ questionnaire prior to the inspection and in subsequent discussion with inspectors, a number of pupils indicated that they do not feel entirely secure that there is an adult who will listen to any concerns they may have. Pupils who completed the questionnaires and in discussions with inspectors expressed mixed views about their school.

p.18

Commentary

31. Pupils’ involvement in the school’s work and development is satisfactory but there are aspects to develop. The organisation of the school council meeting observed during the inspection offered pupils a very limited opportunity to put forward their own ideas about how to improve the school’s facilities. However during the past year several of the ideas discussed at the school council meetings have been acted upon, such as a good citizen’s award, lunch menus and the choice of playground equipment. Some, but not all, prefects monitoring corridors take their roles seriously. The school has not yet established formal procedures for pupils to assess their own work or evaluate achievement although in lessons pupils are often asked at the end whether they feel they have understood the work. Arrangements are not yet in place to allow pupils to discuss or set their own individual targets, but this is a target in the school’s

p.18

Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

The partnership with parents is unsatisfactory. Links with the community are satisfactory.

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Visits and visitors contribute well to learning. • Links with businesses partner institutions and other cultural and ethnic communities have not been developed.

p.18

Commentary

32. The local and wider community make a satisfactory contribution to pupils’ learning. There are links with local elderly citizens who are invited to the harvest assembly. Pupils in Year 5 are able to take part in a residential visit which contributes well to their personal development. Pupils make visits to places of interest such as the Horniman Museum and art galleries. Occasional visitors to the school such as theatre and musical groups broaden pupils’ experiences. Teachers use local resources to support learning in a satisfactory way. Local groups, such as a Caribbean dance company, make a good contribution to pupils’ experiences.

p.18

Commentary

33. Few relationships have been established with partner institutions in the area - for example other local primary schools, local colleges or universities. The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education does however provide a family learning programme aimed at families of refugees or asylum seekers. Links have not been developed with minority ethnic organisations or communities or with local businesses. Cobourg Primary School - 19 34. The school has not established satisfactory links with parents or with other schools. Curriculum information each half term assists parents to help their children at home. Links with parents are not developed enough to enable parents to want to become involved both in school life and their children’s learning. There are no arrangements to translate documents or arrange translators for the main community languages. A significant number of parents who attended the meeting, together with those who responded to the questionnaire, are unhappy about many

p.18

Commentary

aspects of school life. Inspection evidence supports many of their concerns.

p.19

Commentary

35. Parents are not actively involved in the life of the school or the education of their children. They are occasionally consulted about particular issues but are not consulted regularly as part of managing improvements. The position of the reception and the headteacher’s office are not easily accessible to parents. Teachers are available at the start and finish of the day and teachers often give considerable time to individual parents. There are a few initiatives to encourage parents to work more closely with the school. No parents regularly help in classrooms although some accompany school trips and many willingly contribute to the International Evening. There is no parent teacher association. A minority of parents is involved with their children’s learning at home. For many reasons, however, other parents find it hard to support their children’s education sometimes because the lack of English is a barrier.

p.19

Commentary

36. The information provided for parents is satisfactory. Newsletters are frequent and the prospectus provides basic information about school routines. Each half term parents receive information about what is to be taught in lessons but meetings to explain curriculum initiatives are not held. Parents are unhappy about the information on their children’s progress. The current system of two consultations a year is not enough to keep parents informed about concerns or progress but there are plans to introduce a third meeting in the spring term. Annual reports are, however, satisfactory but they vary in the amount of detail provided and are not in a language easily understood by parents. Most set targets for future learning although in some cases these are the same for pupils of different abilities.

p.19

Commentary

37. The transition of pupils at the end of Year 6 is satisfactory. It includes support for pupils through a Caribbean dance company as well as the exchange of records and familiarisation visits by pupils. Closer liaison has not been developed but is restricted because pupils transfer to a large number of schools.

p.19

Commentary

38. Links with partner institutions are unsatisfactory. The school has collaborated with a local high school initiative for gifted and talented pupils and a link with a local Beacon school is developing, but not many other links aimed at supporting learning in the school have been developed.

p.19

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The leadership and management are satisfactory. The leadership by the headteacher is satisfactory overall but other leadership roles are not fully effective. The management of the school is broadly satisfactory. The school has serious weaknesses in several important aspects of its work although there are encouraging signs of recent improvement. The governing body ensures satisfactory strategic direction for school developments and that statutory requirements are met.

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The headteacher has a clear vision for the intended quality of education. • The subject leaders for English, mathematics, science and ICT have made a good start. • The financial management is good. • Senior managers have not been fully effective at an appropriate level of responsibility in ensuring that school policies and procedures are agreed, supported and implemented consistently across the school.

p.19

Commentary

Cobourg Primary School - 20 39. The school has made reasonable improvements recently in several areas of its work, but serious weaknesses remain because they are not yet implemented consistently or having a sufficient impact on pupils’ standard of achievement. The headteacher prepared and introduced a positive behaviour policy as a priority because a significant number of pupils disrupted lessons and behaved badly around the school. Behaviour has improved as a result but behaviour strategies are not yet applied consistently so that learning is still unsatisfactory overall. A whole-school curriculum policy and plan was introduced in September, also as a priority, but the lack of subject progression previously is still causing discontinuities in pupils’ learning. While a thorough assessment system has been introduced allowing the school to track pupils’ progress year by year, the information only covers two years so is only just

p.20

Commentary

becoming useful. Teachers do not have formal procedures to record pupils’ attainment and progress for most subjects. Assessment information is not linked sufficiently to curriculum planning and standards. The support and monitoring role of senior staff in checking provision and standards has not been effective. Management is effective overall because the improvements are having a positive impact on behaviour and learning.

p.20

Commentary

40. The senior management team provides satisfactory direction for school developments but there has been a lack of rigour in taking action at an appropriate level of responsibility. The present arrangement for sharing the deputy headship role between two members of staff is not working effectively. For example, one has now established whole school assessment procedures successfully although previously it was not possible to set targets for pupils and track their progress. An equivalent responsibility for the curriculum across the school is not agreed. As a result, there has not been rigorous oversight of curriculum planning and progression. The key stage co-ordinators provide satisfactory leadership and support on an ongoing basis. Their monitoring role in checking provision formally is under-developed. The core subject leaders have a good arrangement for classroom release time each week. They are making good use of this time, for example, by carrying out an audit of resources and

p.20

Commentary

checking planning. As a result they are forming a clear view of strengths and weaknesses and are taking positive action that is helping to raise standards.

p.20

Commentary

41. The governing body works closely with the school to provide satisfactory strategic direction and ensure that statutory requirements are met. Some members of the governing body have a good insight into the school’s needs and areas for development because they make regular visits to form their own view of provision or help with detailed analysis of information. The governors have appropriate procedures to become informed about the work of the school through their visits. They have also undertaken analyses of test results to consider pupils’ achievement. The governors use the information from their visits and test data constructively in their decisions. For example, they appointed an additional class teacher for this school year to resolve the problems of having mixed age classes. In their monitoring visits and discussions with staff they are clear about the benefits of their decisions for improving standards. The

p.20

Commentary

governors pay for the services of an external bursar, who provides good value and ensures that best value principles are applied in financial decisions. The financial control is good. Specific grants are applied carefully for their intended purposes. Governors ensure that the school complies with statutory requirements.

p.20

Commentary

42. The leadership and management of special educational needs are good. However, changing the role of Special Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) within the school senior management group limits the time that staff can give to other aspects of school development. There is considerable expertise within the management group. Some subject leaders have a good understanding of the role and contribute well, but, since several are new to the position, subject leadership and management are satisfactory overall. The recently appointed teacher responsible for the provision for pupils with English as an additional language has a clear understanding of the role. She liaises well with class teachers. She ensures that the large number of new arrivals during the year is assessed as soon as possible so that their needs can be met. Cobourg Primary School - 21 43. The headteacher and governors keep a very tight check on the school’s budget, supported well

p.20

Commentary

by the bursar. They have allocated additional funds to staffing as a priority in order to improve the class structure, and their monitoring indicates that this step has been successful in raising standards. They also provide funding to enable the core subject co-ordinators to have class release time. This has also been effective in enabling the co-ordinators to fulfil their role and provide good support. The funding arrangements for the two deputy and assistant headteachers is appropriate. The governors have not ensured that these two senior members of staff have always carried an appropriate level of responsibility although this is currently being clarified. The governors ensure that funding for specific purposes is correctly allocated. Several areas of the school building and grounds have had little investment in recent years. The governors recognise the need to put further investment into providing a welcoming

p.21

Commentary

entrance area for parents and to refurbish an area of the school as a Foundation Stage. The carry forward figure is well within the expected limit.

p.21

Financial information for the year April 2002 to March 2003

Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 1242699 Balance from previous year -136 Total expenditure 1231694 Balance carried forward to the next Expenditure per pupil 3550

p.21

Community Provision

Links with the community are satisfactory.

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Visits and visitors contribute to learning. • Links with businesses partner institutions and other cultural and ethnic communities have not been developed.

p.21

Commentary

44. The contribution of the local and wider community to pupils’ learning is satisfactory. At harvest time pupils contribute to the local community by collecting food which is given to local elderly citizens who are invited to the harvest assembly. Each year a choir is put together to perform at the Wembley Festival of Voice. Pupils in Year 5 are offered the chance to enjoy a residential visit and this make an important contribution to their personal development. Pupils in Year 3 regularly benefit from taking part in dance workshops.

p.21

Commentary

45. Visits to places of interest contribute to pupils’ learning. For example pupils’ visits include museums such as the Horniman Museum and galleries including the Tate Modern. Occasional visitors to the school such as theatre and musical groups broaden pupils’ experiences further. Satisfactory use is made of local resources to support learning including visits to the adjoining Burgess Park and local places of worship.

p.21

Commentary

46. A local Caribbean dance company works with Year 6 pupils to ease their transition into secondary school by raising their self-esteem through dance. A local football coach provides Cobourg Primary School - 22 an after school football club. A number of local groups make regular use of the premises at the weekends. Together with the after-school club this generates additional income for the school. 47. Few relationships have been established with partner institutions in the area, for example with other local primary schools, local colleges or universities. The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education does, however, provide a family learning programme aimed at families of refugees or asylum seekers. Links have not been developed with minority ethnic organisations or communities or with local businesses.

p.21

Minority ethnic children

Provision for minority ethnic children is satisfactory.

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Assemblies and religious education provide good opportunities to share cultural backgrounds. • The headteacher encourages a partnership with the parents.

p.22

Commentary

48. At the time of the last inspection there were no significant differences in the attainment of different ethnic groups in both key stages. This is still the case, although the high number of children from ethnic minorities, many of whom have EAL is a contributory factor to the low standards. There is also a high number of casual admissions through the school year and many of these children are from ethnic minorities.

p.22

Commentary

49. Pupils are not encouraged enough to apply the skills learnt in literacy sessions to writing own accounts of what they have learned, or research independently on topics studied.

p.22

Commentary

50. The school gives most direct attention to the cultures of ethnic minority children through religious education lessons and assemblies. For example all children are encouraged to learn a few words from a mother tongue of some pupils each week. This values their backgrounds and gives them a special recognition during this time. Pupils have little knowledge of the festivals of other religions, the key people, the places of worship or holy books. As a result, they are unable to draw on relevant knowledge to help them make decisions about their own lives and to make sense of what they see around them.

p.22

Commentary

51. The school has bought a few multicultural artefacts and books about other religions of the world. The school is centrally situated to the many local places of worship and has taken pupils on several visits.

p.22

Commentary

52. The headteacher has encouraged a partnership with ethnic minority parents. For example the school arranged an International evening where parents brought diverse traditional foods for all to share. Within the school racial harmony is apparent amongst the children and they play and work together happily.

p.22

English as an additional language

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language is unsatisfactory.

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The organisation of provision is good. • The quality of teaching in withdrawn group work is very good. • The arrangements for withdrawing pupils are unsatisfactory. • There is inappropriate teaching of pupils alongside others who have different learning difficulties. Cobourg Primary School - 23 Cobourg Primary School - 24

p.22

Commentary

53. To some extent the arrangements for teaching the pupils are in conflict between ensuring pupils take a full part in lessons and providing a specific literacy course that is matched to their learning needs at an early stage of English acquisition. The school withdraws pupils for up to an hour twice a week so that they are excluded from classroom teaching of literacy. Within the classroom, the programme for developing their language is not well thought out or focused on their needs. In some lessons the pupils, who may have average or above average ability, are inappropriately grouped with others who are slow or very slow learners. The lack of emphasis in classrooms on developing the spoken language has a particularly negative effect on these pupils.

p.24

Commentary

54. The recently appointed teacher responsible for the provision is in the process of making important improvements. In order to rectify shortcomings in provision, she liaises with class teachers, both with regard to supporting their teaching and to what specific pupils need. She ensures that the large number of new arrivals during the year is assessed as soon as possible so that their needs can be met. Most importantly, she has a very good relationship with her pupils which encourages them to do well. Her group-work is very effective and compensates to some extent for the lack of language development in classrooms.

p.24

Commentary

55. There is a good programme for involving the parents of refugees, which is an example of how the school attempts to link with pupils’ families. However, this is not backed up by adequate resources for learning in the school. There are few high quality, culturally relevant resources both on display and in the library, partly because the school is used on a Saturday and Sunday by outside groups, leaving items at risk. Cobourg Primary School - 25

p.24

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

The quality of provision in the nursery is good, but it is unsatisfactory in the reception class. Pupils’ attainment is well below average. This represents a decline since the last inspection. Children are not prepared adequately for transfer to Year 1. Most children enter with very low attainment in all areas of learning. Their achievements are limited due to the unsatisfactory quality of teaching in the reception class. Most children show insufficient gains in developing skills, knowledge and understanding in most areas of learning by the end of the Foundation Stage.

p.25

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

The quality of teaching is good in the nursery and children achieve satisfactorily because many children are dependent on adult support. All staff work very well as a cohesive team, carefully monitoring all children’s progress. The procedures to monitor and assess children’s progress on a regular basis are well established as part of planning. Children are admitted to the nursery on a part- time basis and become full-time following their fourth birthday. They transfer to the two reception classes in the September and January a term after their fourth birthday. At the time of inspection only one reception class was operating and most children were under five. Children are suitably eased into full-time school life and the parents are provided with useful guidance on how to help them.

p.25

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

The curriculum in the nursery is appropriately planned to provide a satisfactory range of interesting and relevant activities well matched to children’s needs. The curriculum in the reception class is less effective and does not closely link with the work children will encounter in Year 1 - for example, the work based on the principles of literacy and numeracy strategies. The teacher’s planning lacks appropriate focus for all areas of learning, and the balance between the child initiated and teacher directed activities is not ensured. The co-ordinator for the Foundation Stage is fully aware of the principles that underpin the good early years practice and manages the nursery efficiently. She has monitored teaching, assessment procedures and planning, and as a result the reception teacher has received relevant guidance and made a visit to a nearby school. At present, the members nursery and reception staff do not liaise or plan together effectively.

p.25

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

The provision in personal, social and emotional development is satisfactory.

p.25

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Adults provide good role-models. • Good opportunities for developing independence in the nursery.

p.25

Commentary

56. Children in the nursery enter with immature personal and social skills, but settle down quickly and feel both happy and secure. This reflects good achievement and the skilful teaching of the staff. Children learn to share and take turns. They are constantly encouraged to feel confident about what they can achieve in a variety of learning situations, such as preparing and sharing refreshments daily. Children of all different backgrounds work and play in harmony. Most children show developing confidence in trying new activities.

p.25

Commentary

57. The staff act as good role models for children and explain clearly what is expected of them. Most children are attentive and eager to learn, and the staff create a supportive atmosphere where each child feels very special. Children are helped to form good relationships with others, through many good opportunities to work in pairs or as part of a group. All available space is effectively used to organise a broad and stimulating range of activities in well defined Cobourg Primary School - 26 areas. All equipment is clearly labelled and this supports the progress of all children, and encourages independence. A good example was observed in the nursery where an adult was actively engaged with children in washing and chopping the fruit for sharing. Although children in reception learn the difference between right and wrong, they are not guided to behave sensibly at all times. Children are often not purposefully engaged and do not show

p.25

Commentary

consideration and respect for property and each other in free play outside. Their personal development is below that expected by the end of reception.

p.26

COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Provision in communication, language and literacy is satisfactory, particularly in the nursery.

p.26

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching is good in the nursery and members of staff provide good role-models of language. • The home reading system is well established. • Teaching is unsatisfactory in the reception class, and opportunities for language development are not well planned.

p.26

Commentary

58. Children’s attainment on entry to the nursery is particularly low in communication and language. Most children have English as an additional language and speak little or no English when they first start school. The large proportion of children at an early stage in English language development means that only a small minority of the children are expected to reach the early learning goals by the end of the reception year.

p.26

Commentary

59. There is appropriate emphasis in the nursery on developing children’s speaking and listening skills. Instructions for activities are very practical. Demonstration and use of visual information enables all children, including those new to English, to understand what they have to do. Some good strategies, such as sharing favourite stories and talking about pictures on a one- to-one basis, effectively support children in their early literacy development. The adults develop children’s communication by providing good role-models in the way they talk to each other and to children. They question children in small groups and individually and listen carefully to what they have to say. Children learn the new vocabulary and the appropriate way to say something. As a result they are not inhibited to talk to each other or adults as they work and show good gains in their learning.

p.26

Commentary

60. The quality of teaching and learning is unsatisfactory in the reception class. Children do not have structured opportunities effectively to practise and develop early writing skills through good direct teaching. Only a few children link sounds with letters or form letters correctly. They write their names unaided and draw or paint with control, for example, their pictures of skeletons. There are missed opportunities to encourage children to talk about their own experiences. Staff do not always persevere in drawing out speech from children.

p.26

Commentary

61. The system of regular exchange and sharing of books with parents and teachers effectively enhances children’s love for books. Some children can retell a favourite story, for example, ‘The Three Little Pigs’, and recognise a few simple everyday words by the end of the reception year. Cobourg Primary School - 27

p.26

MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

The overall provision in mathematical development is unsatisfactory .

p.27

Main strengths and weaknesses

• A good range of practical opportunities in the nursery. • Attainment is well below average; progress is unsatisfactory in reception because of the teaching. • There is insufficient challenge for more able children. • Teaching in the reception class is unsatisfactory.

p.27

Commentary

62. Most children in the nursery make satisfactory progress from the low level of skills on entry. Teaching is consistently good and children are provided with good opportunities to match, sort and count using every day objects. They use a repertoire of number rhymes and songs, such as Five Currant Buns to help children learn to count. In the reception class, very few identify the basic two-dimensional shapes or count accurately. A few are adept at jig-saw puzzles and secure in counting reliably to ten. Children gain some knowledge of capacity and weight from practical experiences with sand and water. They learn to make simple comparisons and use words such as ‘bigger than’ and ‘smaller than’. Most children do not yet describe objects by shape, size, colour or quantity when working with construction equipment.

p.27

Commentary

63. The teaching in the reception class lacks clear focus and a variety of interesting practical activities to promote mathematical understanding. Most children do not recognise number symbols, write them incorrectly and make wrong representations. A few children can identify a missing number from the number line to 20, but most children do not acquire sufficient knowledge and understanding of how to solve simple problems involving the use of vocabulary such as, ‘add one more’ or ‘take one away’, ‘how many altogether’ and ‘how many left’ , by the time they enter Year 1. Although staff enable children to sustain interest in activities they do not sufficiently extend the more able, through challenging tasks and probing questioning.

p.27

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

The overall provision in knowledge and understanding of the world is satisfactory .

p.27

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Good range of opportunities to learn about the wider world, particularly in the nursery. • Teaching is good in the nursery.

p.27

Commentary

64. Children enter nursery with a very limited general knowledge and for many their lack of English makes it difficult for them to build on this quickly. Through the nursery, with many opportunities for them to explore with everyday objects of interest in the home corner and play-kitchen, children begin to understand more about their immediate families and how they have grown from babies. In a good lesson, children were actively engaged and effectively supported to name, count and draw family members. Adults support children’s understanding through stimulating learning opportunities such as the ‘Shoe Shop’ in the nursery, where children learn to buy shoes. Opportunities such as cooking are a regular feature and children are beginning to develop understanding of the change in materials.

p.27

Commentary

65. There is effective adult intervention in reception in activities and encouragement for children to explore new ideas. Children thoroughly enjoy the experiences of working with sand and water. The reception children make divas out of clay and use different materials, such as cereal Cobourg Primary School - 28 boxes for making houses, to develop cutting, joining and building skills. However, children are not sufficiently encouraged to talk about their experiences or ask questions to find out how things work, and teaching is unsatisfactory overall for this aspect. Most children demonstrate developing computer skills and increasing control in the use of mouse, to move items on the screen in both nursery and reception classes.

p.27

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in physical development is unsatisfactory.

p.28

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The planned curriculum in the reception class is unsatisfactory. • The quality of teaching is unsatisfactory in reception.

p.28

Commentary

66. Children in the nursery have free access to an outside enclosed play area. The range of opportunities to provide progression of skills in this area of learning are suitably planned for nursery, but not for reception children. Members of staff in the nursery make good use of what little is available. In one lesson, children were being supported in learning to climb, balance and jump, and do a head-roll. However, this activity was unsafe, due to no fixed safety surface. The range of large and small outdoor resources is limited. There is no fixed climbing frame to promote children’s physical skills in the nursery and reception classes. Reception children have a very small enclosed area attached to the classroom. There are appropriate resources such as wheeled toys and large bricks, although access to these is limited for the reception children.

p.28

Commentary

67. The teaching is satisfactory in the nursery, but in reception, it is unsatisfactory. Members of staff in the nursery have suitable planning and provide calm and focused support. They show good understanding of how young children learn.

p.28

Commentary

68. Most children in the reception class are not on course to attain the expected levels by the end of the year. Children receive regular lessons in the main school hall, but the lack of focus in teaching affects children’s development of physical skills. Children do not learn to be aware of space and develop co-ordination and control in movement. They are encouraged to undress independently, managing buckles and buttons and put shoes on the correct feet. Most children demonstrate reasonable hand and eye co-ordination. They hold a pencil correctly and paint carefully with brushes. They are developing confidence in the use of different tools such as scissors and joining materials such as glue.

p.28

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Provision for creative development is satisfactory .

p.28

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Well structured role-play in the nursery. • Attainment is below average by the end of the reception class. Cobourg Primary School - 29

p.28

Commentary

69. Teachers provide satisfactory opportunities for creativity. The nursery children draw, paint and make collages. They experiment with paint and use their observations and imagination to create pleasing results. They are given opportunities to explore colour and texture, and work with a range of materials. Some examples of collage work are particularly good. Children sing and clap favourite songs and express enjoyment. Teachers ask relevant questions to extend children’s vocabulary. Children in the reception class were observed developing control of singing voices when they sang their ‘Rain’ action song enthusiastically. Children show obvious enjoyment, although most do not know the words to the songs. Cobourg Primary School - 30

p.29

ENGLISH

Provision for English is unsatisfactory.

p.30

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The new co-ordinator provides strong leadership and management. • Support for pupils with special educational needs is good. • Pupils’ attainment in reading, writing, speaking and listening is well below average. • Pupils’ achievements are well below those of pupils in similar schools. • The quality of teaching and learning is unsatisfactory. • The quality and use of assessment of pupils’ work is unsatisfactory, particularly with respect to marking. • The curriculum is too narrow. • Resources for teaching and learning are inadequate.

p.30

Commentary

70. Throughout the school, pupils do not speak confidently or in detail. In Year 2, pupils speak briefly about the books they read, including the more able. By Year 6, they give a coherent account of plot and characters. Pupils do not vary their tone and expression. Only the most able interact with adults. When in pairs, pupils do not easily speak and listen in order to collaborate and exchange opinions. This is related to having had few opportunities to do so in lessons. Where pupils experience drama, as in one excellent lesson exploring Shakespeare’s Macbeth in Year 5, pupils listen well to one another and speak with powerful expression. In too many lessons, pupils do not listen attentively to the teacher. Consequently, they waste time by not being well prepared for their learning tasks. When responding to teachers’ questions, pupils’ answers are brief and rarely lead to discussion. Although teachers try to include all

p.30

Commentary

pupils, they do not challenge them to speak at length.

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Commentary

71. Pupils’ reading in Year 2 is below average, but declines to well below average by Year 6. At the age of six or seven, pupils are hesitant but expressive with new text. Most pupils enjoy books, however, with the more able beginning to delve into non-fiction. At the age of 10 or 11, pupils are still not fluent. They do not read long, challenging texts or discuss different genres and compare authors. The more able put themselves in characters’ shoes. The library is very limited, unattractive and not properly organised with up-to-date books. It does not feature very often in opportunities for independent learning. Consequently, pupils’ skills with non-fiction are under-developed. Resources for teaching reading are very disorganised and inaccessible. There are few displays around the school to stimulate interest in books. Adherence to the policy for practising reading skills with parents is patchy, so that pupils do not progress as well

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Commentary

72. Pupils’ writing is well below average throughout the school. At the age of seven, only the most able understand and use simple punctuation. Most pupils write a string of events with no sense of developing a story. Handwriting and spelling are inconsistent. The most able are beginning to use words and phrases that have an effect on the reader. At the age of 11, even the most able are very inaccurate with punctuation, although they are beginning to use paragraphs to develop a limited structure.

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Commentary

73. Teachers adhere to the literacy strategy in their lessons by putting across points of written English. The overall quality of direct teaching of these points is good. Nevertheless, some lessons lack the necessary pace and interest for pupils to gain enthusiasm, while others show lack of ability to control difficult behaviour. Pupils learn literacy skills out of contexts where they need to use them. This means that they write very little in other subjects, and rarely use Cobourg Primary School - 31 their own research to report to their class. Consequently, they neither develop their skills and imagination as well as they could, nor consolidate their learning through using English. Generally, marking does not support improvement with low expectations of accuracy and presentation. There is no evidence of pupils being interested in acting on their own assessment of their work. There are few opportunities for writing extended stories or poetry,

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Commentary

and pupils do not use computers enough to develop or record ideas. The range of stimuli for writing is narrow, so that its purpose is not clear and pupils are not motivated to improve their work. In this situation, targets for learning are academic rather than relevant to the pupils themselves, whether they are boys or girls. There are very few displays to celebrate pupils’ achievements and motivate pupils to want to write.

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Commentary

74. Standards have declined since the last inspection. Pupils, including those from all ethnic backgrounds and the higher attaining, are not achieving satisfactorily, whether boys or girls. However, the new subject leader has very high aspirations. She is already working with colleagues and the headteacher to adopt a large number of measures to bring about marked improvements with respect to all the issues raised in this inspection. The systems and practices they intend to establish, including monitoring progress in the subject, are aimed at providing a very good foundation for pupils’ learning and progress. The school has a high number of pupils with special educational needs and the school already supports them well by providing learning support assistants. Many of them achieve satisfactorily, but a large number of pupils who leave or join the school each year have special educational needs which effects

p.31

Commentary

their achievement. In addition, the school has a high number of pupils with English as an additional language. There are some good programmes in place for teaching specific groups of pupils. However, more attention needs to be given to the needs of pupils with English as an additional language within lessons rather than teaching them alongside other pupils with very similar tasks.

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Language and literacy across the curriculum

75. Language and literacy are promoted satisfactorily through subjects such as mathematics, science, and history although this is not consistent across subjects. Pupils learn to use the specific language and vocabulary required in various subjects by several teachers careful attention to the technical language need to understand and discuss the ideas.

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MATHEMATICS

Provision in mathematics is satisfactory .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Enthusiastic and challenging teaching. • Leadership by example is effective. • High expectations of pupils' behaviour. • Effective use of teaching assistants. • Insufficient support for pupils for whom English is an additional language. • The under use of assessment in planning lessons and influencing pupils' achievement. • The lack of opportunities for using mathematics in other subjects of the curriculum. • Standards are well below average by Year 2 and Year 6.

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Commentary

76. Standards in both Year 2 and Year 6 are very much below average. In the 2003 national tests two-thirds reached the expected standards at Year 2 and one-third at Year 6. There was a slight increase in the small percentage of pupils achieving at the higher level in Year 6. Pupils enter the school with low standards of mathematical understanding and those who join, and stay at the school from Year 1 until Year 6, or from Year 2 to Year 6, achieve satisfactorily. By Cobourg Primary School - 32 Year 2 most pupils have an early understanding of number processes although only the higher attaining pupils have good mental calculation. By Year 6 pupils are familiar with fractions and decimals, and draw graphs to show their results. They are less confident in interpreting their graphs. The school has a high number of pupils with special educational needs and they achieve satisfactorily against their prior attainment. However a large number of pupils leaves

p.31

Commentary

and joins the school in each year. Many of these have special educational needs which effect their achievement. The school also has a high number of pupils with English as an additional language. The provision for these could be improved.

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Commentary

77. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. There is some good teaching and an absence of unsatisfactory teaching. Where teaching is good in Years 6, 5 and 2 teachers are confident in their subject knowledge and use games to excite and motivate the pupils in their learning. Where teachers have high expectations of pupils, and behaviour is well managed, pupils enjoy their learning. Teaching assistants are well briefed and knowledgeable about their pupils and so ensure that they are included in the lessons. Teachers use the basic structure of the National Numeracy Strategy satisfactorily, but in some lessons, better use could be made of the internal timing of the lessons to maintain pupils' interest. Assessment information is not used effectively by the co-ordinator or by teachers to raise standards. Assessments are not shared with pupils effectively and so are not used to involve them in their learning. Whilst

p.32

Commentary

attention is paid to developing the pupils' vocabulary in mathematics more could be done to assist those pupils for whom English is an additional language.

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Commentary

78. Where effective routines have been established to ensure good behaviour, and where the teaching is exciting, pupils respond in a lively and enthusiastic way. However, there are a significant number of pupils with behavioural difficulties. Whilst these are usually supported effectively by teachers and assistants they do present a considerable challenge.

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Commentary

79. Pupils with special educational needs learn effectively because work is closely matched to their needs and they are well supported. Pupils that are more able are challenged appropriately through tasks different to those of other pupils. The weaker areas of mathematical learning are investigations and problem solving, which require improved language skills. ICT enhances pupils’ learning effectively in Year 6, but these skills are not developed sufficiently within the subject across the years.

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Commentary

80. There is a strong focus on numeracy skills. This is reflected in the slightly better achievement of pupils in relation to investigations, problem solving, shape and space and data handling, where learning is less successful.

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Commentary

81. The leadership and management of the subjects are satisfactory. The co-ordinator is newly in post and, although he leads by example, he has yet to make an impact of pupils' learning. The co-ordinator is aware of the need to develop the appropriately identified areas of the subject and has already been supported in this by help from outside the school. A programme of monitoring of teaching is underway to ensure consistency across all classes. Improvement since the last inspection has been satisfactory with increase in the collection of assessment data and an improvement in the teaching of mental mathematical activities.

p.32

Mathematics across the curriculum

82. The opportunities for pupils to develop the use of the mathematical skills across the curriculum are unsatisfactory. There is some use in science where pupils measure with some accuracy. The inclusion of these opportunities is through the planning of individual teachers. A more coherent plan across all relevant subjects would help to raise standards and motivate pupils through the practical application of their learning. Cobourg Primary School - 33

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The subject leader has formed a good view of provision. • Teaching is good in Year 6 and is having a good impact on learning. • Standards are well below average by Year 2 and Year 6.

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Commentary

83. Pupils achieve satisfactorily in science. Teaching and learning are satisfactory overall. The children enter the nursery with a very limited general knowledge about the world around them, animals and plants, materials and how things work. The nursery provides them with many opportunities to explore everyday things in the home corner or play-kitchen. Provision in the reception class is not as well structured to promote children’s understanding but there are many resources and children experience how a computer works and the effects of pushing on their trikes outside. By Year 2 standards are well below average but pupils’ achievement is satisfactory. In a good lesson on health and growth, for example, several pupils described what they had eaten for lunch with adequate clarity. The teacher established attention well and used her good relationships to create interest in the prepared tray of foods she had brought. Many

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Commentary

pupils demonstrated a basic understanding that some foods are healthy while too much of others is not good for you, although pupils’ lack of background knowledge led to general guessing about it. A few higher attaining pupils explained about which foods should be in a healthy diet and these pupils are likely to exceed the expectation by Year 2. In the national tests for 2003, the teachers’ assessments show standards to be well below average, and this matches analysis of pupils’ previous work. However, the percentage of pupils reaching the expectation in 2003 showed good improvement from 2002, when standards were very low. This is partly explained by the cumulative effect of thorough teaching, broad subject coverage and a variety of experiments. For example, one higher attaining pupil with English as an additional language wrote up his conclusion to the question ‘Are people lined up in hand-span size the same as height order?’ in very well expressed reasoning.

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Commentary

84. By Year 6 standards are well below average. Teaching, learning and pupils’ achievement are satisfactory overall, but in some lessons pupils do not have sufficient opportunity to set up their own experiments. This limits their understanding and achievement. In Year 3, for example, pupils observed the teacher making an electrical circuit but did not make their own to experience what did or did not work. In Year 4, good teaching that was very well resourced with a human skeleton enabled pupils to recognise the function of some bones such as ribs and how some joints work. In Year 6, pupils’ learning was promoted by good teaching because good discipline and effective questioning built up their understanding progressively. In one lesson the teacher dropped an apple so that pupils could watch it fall freely. He contrasted this very well by pushing against a table to make it move, highlighting the question of why would

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Commentary

something move when nothing is to be seen acting on it? In both Year 6 classes the teachers’ good expositions led to good learning. Pupils have satisfactory attitudes towards their work in science which helps their learning. Standards in the national tests of 2003 were very low in comparison with the national average and well below the average for similar schools. This matches an analysis of pupils’ previous work.

p.33

Commentary

85. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory overall and good in Year 6. Some teachers have good subject knowledge that they apply well in their discussions and questioning with pupils so that they learn well. In other lessons, however, the teachers keep the pupils seated for too long and the pace slackens. They do not give pupils sufficient opportunity to pose their own questions or set up their own practical investigations so that the chance to extend and consolidate their learning is lost. Teachers usually, but not always, apply agreed behaviour strategies to maintain pupils’ attention. Curriculum coverage is satisfactory, with clear Cobourg Primary School - 34 progression year by year, although not all teachers give sufficient emphasis to writing up clearly the results of practical investigation, so that the main result is not clear. The quality of marking varies; some gives pupils a clear view of how to improve. There is little evidence of

p.33

Commentary

homework being given for science. Assessment procedures are just being introduced. The subject leader has gained a good understanding of strengths and weaknesses in the subject through carrying out a thorough audit during a day’s class release time; subject leadership and management are satisfactory. The quality of provision has been maintained since the last inspection. Resources are adequate.

p.34

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Provision in information and communication technology (ICT) is good .

p.34

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Several good applications in other subjects. • Pupils achieve well. • The quality of teaching and learning is good. • The subject leader gives good direction and is enthusiastic.

p.34

Commentary

86. Pupils’ achievement is good in ICT because good teaching provides interesting and challenging tasks. Standards have been maintained since the time of the last inspection. Pupils enter the school with very low understanding of ICT. By Year 2 standards are below average and by Year 6 standards are broadly in line with national expectations through the impact of good provision, maintaining the position at the time of the last inspection, although expectations for the subject have increased.

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Commentary

87. Teachers are using the facilities of the ICT suite confidently and choose tasks that provide good challenge and promote specific skills. These ensure that pupils experience good learning and that skills build progressively through the school. In Year 2, for example, the teacher provided a very clear explanation of how to prepare a graph of pupils’ favourite fruits, recorded during a science lesson. She set high expectations for the higher attaining pupils by setting them to work quickly, giving further careful instructions to the other pupils. Pupils achieved well because the task built well on earlier work, the pupils received clear instructions and they had good, collaborative experience at the computers. There were a few moments of delight as their graphs were displayed in a variety of colours. Pupils demonstrated developing skills in entering data and interpreting the results. The pupils’ good relationships and positive behaviour also

p.34

Commentary

promoted achievement well. Pupils with learning difficulties were supported well. Pupils with English as an additional language were fully included, as were all pupils.

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Commentary

88. In the junior years pupils have a broad experience of ICT software, usually linked well to other subjects. For example in Year 3 the teacher introduced an electronic keyboard and pupils produced a sequence of sound patterns as an early form of composition. In Year 4, very good teaching about instructional text gave good purpose to the task of following instructions around an island to create a treasure map. Her very good questioning challenged pupils to explain their ideas and meaning better. In Year 5 the teacher demonstrated the steps for entering information into a database using a screen projector. The teacher’s straightforward and direct explanations had a good impact on pupils’ achievement. This ensured that pupils’ restless behaviour was managed and they concentrated on the task. Her good interventions around the class as pupils worked promoted their good achievement. In Year 6, very good teaching by the

p.34

Commentary

subject leader resulted in very good learning and achievement. His very good demonstration of spreadsheets, involving pupils well, prepared pupils very well for the task so that they were confident in what to do. With support most pupils totalled columns of numbers Cobourg Primary School - 35 using the ‘SUM’ facility. Overall they demonstrated broadly average standards. Their achievement was very good, shown by their application of skills to the task. The useful final discussion at the end of the lesson ended with the teacher extending their learning by posing a problem about calculating the perimeter of rectangles in preparation for the next lesson.

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Commentary

89. The quality of teaching is good in both key stages and has a positive impact on learning and achievement. Teachers choose relevant tasks and make good links with other subjects or other aspects of their life in school, such as collecting house points. The curriculum is satisfactory and the school has adopted national guidance to ensure progression of skills and understanding. Provision has improved since the last inspection. The subject leader has reviewed the assessment procedures to help pupils become more self-evaluative. He gives good support and has a good understanding of the role.

p.35

Information and communication technology across the curriculum

90. The school makes productive links between ICT and other subjects. These provide good purpose and motivate pupils to learn. The good choice of tasks enables pupils to apply their skills in a variety of contexts, including music, design and technology, geography and history as well as English and mathematics, although the application of ICT is not fully developed.

p.35

Religious Education

Provision in religious education is unsatisfactory .

p.35

Main Strengths and weaknesses

• Standards by the end of Year 2 and Year 6 are well below expectations and most pupils make unsatisfactory progress. • Religious education does not make enough contribution to the development of pupils’ literacy skills. • The monitoring role of the co-ordinator is unsatisfactory.

p.35

Commentary

91. Standards by the end of Year 2 and Year 6 are well below the expectations set out in the local authority’s agreed syllabus. This represents a further decline in the standards compared with the last report.

p.35

Commentary

92. Pupils’ achievements in the subject are unsatisfactory. A very limited amount of the previous year’s written work was seen in most classes. Pupils make some progress in the few lessons observed, but, based on the scrutiny of recorded work and discussion with pupils, the progress for most pupils, including those with special educational needs and pupils for whom English is an additional language, is unsatisfactory.

p.35

Commentary

93. All classes receive regular weekly lessons in religious education and study the customs and beliefs of six major religions of the world. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall, although pupils do not study the required aspects in appropriate detail, and as a result many pupils’ standards are lower than expected. Pupils are able to understand and appreciate certain values, such as caring and helping. They acquire some knowledge of their own religion, but they have little idea of God, as worshipped in different ways by other faith communities. Their knowledge is largely confined to basic facts about festivals such as Christmas and Easter. Pupils have not heard much in terms of stories from the Bible and are at the early stages of understanding the meaning of some religious symbols. Across the Cobourg Primary School - 36 school, there are too few opportunities to reinforce and consolidate their thoughts and

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Commentary

understanding through pictorial and written work. Pupils are not encouraged enough to apply the skills learnt in literacy sessions to writing their own accounts of what they have learned, or research independently on topics studied.

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Commentary

94. Most pupils show a positive willingness to learn about religions other than their own and share personal experiences. The pupils listen intently to discussions and stories and begin to develop their own ideas about appropriate personal responses to right and wrong. In a Year 3 lesson, the teacher effectively used resources and her own clear explanations to enhance pupils’ learning about Hindu birth ceremonies, but the opportunity to link with other religions or pupils’ own experiences was lost in the lesson.

p.36

Commentary

95. The main weakness in the subject leadership is the lack of monitoring, rigour and focus required to raise standards in the teaching and learning of religious education, so that leadership and management are unsatisfactory overall.

p.36

History and geography

Provision for history and geography is unsatisfactory.

p.36

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The adoption of published schemes of work is helping to give progression year by year. • The lack of development of skills in Years 3-6 in history and geography. • The lack of resources in history and geography in Years 3-6. • Missed opportunities for engaging English and mathematical learning through history and geography.

p.36

Commentary

96. Standards in history and geography are well below those expected of pupils at Year 2 and Year 6. The development of skills across Years 3 to 6 is poor in both subjects, although the development is satisfactory across Years 1 and 2. In Years 3 to 6 learning is not matched effectively to the age and abilities of the pupils and the quality of teaching is unsatisfactory overall. Consequently, the achievement made by pupils by Year 2 is satisfactory, but by Year 6 it is unsatisfactory.

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Commentary

97. Though published schemes of work have been adopted, these have just been introduced and standards expected of pupils in both subjects are not made clear. Consequently, in Year 5 pupils tackle more complicated work in history than Year 6. In Year 5 they research the poor in Tudor London, linking them to performances of Shakespeare's plays at the Globe Playhouse. In Year 6 pupils find facts about modern Greece in their study of ancient Greece. In Year 4 geography pupils discuss leisure pursuits in hot or cold countries without adequate references to place or the considerable experiences of pupils. Research skills in history are not effectively developed and resources available to Years 3 to 6 do not support high quality research. The library stock is particularly poor. Pupils have few opportunities to develop fieldwork and map work skills after Year 2. The language development within the subjects is insufficient

p.36

Commentary

especially considering the high numbers of pupils for whom English is an additional language. Pupils get few opportunities to use their mathematical skills in geography and ICT is underused to support learning.

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Commentary

98. The leadership and management of both subjects are unsatisfactory. Both subject leaders are new in post and have yet to make an impact on provision and standards. Consistency across Years 1 and 2 is better, but greater improvements must be made in provision, standards and achievement in both subjects in Years 3 to 6. Cobourg Primary School - 37

p.36

Music

Curricular provision in music is unsatisfactory.

p.37

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The singing by the school choir is of a good quality. • Overall standards in music are below the expectation by Years 2 and 6.

p.37

Commentary

99. A few lessons were observed and additional evidence gathered by talking to staff and pupils and the examination of teachers’ planning. There was insufficient evidence to form a judgement about the quality of teaching across the school as a whole because of the wide variation in the few lessons seen. Throughout the school most pupils experience mainly singing. There are limited opportunities for instrumental work and very few opportunities for composing, listening to and appraising music. The unsatisfactory standards represent a lack of improvement since the last inspection.

p.37

Commentary

100. Singing is of a satisfactory standard overall. Infant pupils were heard singing with enjoyment and enthusiasm in an assembly. They sang tunefully and with appropriate control of voice. Junior pupils in the choir were very well guided into singing with clear diction, rhythm and melody. In an excellent lesson, Year 6 pupils carefully listened to and appraised a different kind of music. They learnt how ICT can be used to change the structure of sounds to become, longer, shorter, thinner etc. by changing the speed. Pupils are often involved in musical presentations to parents and demonstrate improving performing skills in singing.

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Commentary

101. Pupils do not use symbols appropriately to communicate ideas. They have limited skills of composing, recording and performing of musical notations. Opportunities to listen carefully, to evaluate music from other times and places, and understand the use of rhythm and other musical qualities in defining mood, are also limited. Pupils are given too few opportunities to appraise and evaluate each other’s work to develop their skills in this area.

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Commentary

102. The subject leader for music has good expertise in the subject, is clear about the future direction, and provides satisfactory leadership and management. Under his keen leadership, the pupils greatly benefited from being involved last year with other local schools in a very good project, The Shared Experience, based on songs and games from other countries,. However, the co-ordinator’s monitoring role is not fully developed and there is no agreed system in use for the on-going assessments of what pupils’ attainment is to support teachers’ planning.

p.37

Commentary

103. The teachers now have a new scheme to support and guide them. However, this has not affected the standards and the quality of teaching yet. The quality of teaching was good in the lessons and the choir practice, observed in junior classes. The unsatisfactory teaching in Year 1 was due to a significant weakness in the management of pupils’ misbehaviour that disrupted the lesson. In the best lessons, teachers showed confidence in knowledge of the subject and had clear objectives for the lesson. In the excellent lesson the teacher used effective questioning techniques and demonstrated perceptiveness when responding to pupils’ responses. Most pupils show positive attitudes to music. They are enthusiastic and responsive. They enjoy music and many have potential to achieve well. Provision for extra- curricular activities in music, such as choir and recorder clubs, is organised on a regular basis. Overall, there is much potential for music to promote pupils’ confidence and self-esteem

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Commentary

and support their academic and social development. Cobourg Primary School - 38

p.37

Physical Education

104. There was not enough evidence to form a judgement about the quality of physical education during the inspection and there was no supporting evidence from the previous year. However, from observation of a lesson in Year 6, a check on planning documents and discussion with the subject leader, it is clear that provision is satisfactory. Pupils are generally fit and enjoy their activities. Evidence indicates that pupils achieve appropriately through the school although they need a lot of practice to reinforce their skills. There is a suitable range of planned activities over the year, including swimming. The subject leader is experienced in the role and provides good direction. Resources for the subject are satisfactory.

p.38

Art and design

Provision for art and design is unsatisfactory.

p.38

Strengths and Weaknesses

• Pupils have some enriching experiences through visits and visitors. • Standards of attainment are well below expectations. • Pupils’ achievements are too low and the quality of teaching and learning is unsatisfactory. • The system for assessing pupils’ work does not promote improvement and the curriculum is too narrow.

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Commentary

105. The quality of pupils’ work demonstrates the lack of progressive development of skills. There is some that is in line with expectations. Year 2 pupils have woven paper and thread successfully. Pupils in Year 6 have made good designs to illustrate a story using fabrics. However, these examples are exceptions. Mark-making and collage-work generally demonstrate a lack of knowledge of the qualities of different media and sense of design. Moreover, there is little evidence of pupils’ developing skills in three dimensions. Lack of development of art ideas is associated with lack of breadth in resources and the need to make them more accessible.

p.38

Commentary

106. The quality of teaching was satisfactory in the lessons seen. However, previous work from the whole school demonstrates unsatisfactory attention to skills and to refinement of ideas. Pupils vary in their concentration in accordance with the management of their behaviour. Consequently, they sometimes find it difficult to observe carefully. Where teaching is stronger, pupils show their enjoyment by sensibly discussing the qualities both of an artist’s work and of their own. This occurred in a Year 6 lesson where they studied how to create the impression of movement.

p.38

Commentary

107. There is a number of activities outside lessons which benefit pupils’ learning. These include the most talented being given extra tuition. An Islam Association has carried out interesting projects with pupils. Pupils in Year 1 have created lanterns for a festival. Pupils already visit the Tate Modern in order to learn how famous artists work. There are plans to extend the programme for such visits, which enrich the pupils’ curriculum and motivate them to develop their art.

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Commentary

108. Standards have declined since the last inspection. The subject leader is fully aware of need to make improvements. The school plans to develop a curriculum where other subjects will sometimes provide opportunities to develop art. However, the time allocation for art contains long gaps where no attention is paid to its skills. At present, the co-ordinator has limited opportunities to influence teaching. There is no system for using assessment of pupils’ work to plan improvements. A portfolio of children’s work is kept which is used to provide examples that promote better learning. Cobourg Primary School - 39

p.38

Design and Technology

There is insufficient evidence to form judgements about design and technology. In particular, no pupils’ work was available for scrutiny.

p.39

Commentary

109. A published course, which meets the requirements for this curriculum, has been introduced recently. The programme includes work on diet, health, sex and drugs education and personal safety. The course is delivered through specific time on the timetable and through circle time. This provision is in its early stages and has yet to have a significant impact on school life. There is a school council which has been established for several years and the pupils’ suggestions are followed through.

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Commentary

110. Provision for pupils with SEN is good. However, the large numbers of pupils with behavioural difficulties and the large numbers of pupils who join the school throughout the year place great pressure on the provision. Pupils with SEN, who join the school early and remain, achieve satisfactorily.

p.39

Commentary

111. Pupils with SEN respond well to learning. This is because they are well supported by teaching assistants who know their pupils well. The numbers of pupils on the early stages of special needs provide a challenge to teachers. Many of these pupils join the school accompanied by little information or support.

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Commentary

112. Teaching and learning of pupils with SEN are good within the limitations of the money available to the school. The Individual Education Plans for pupils could be better used by introducing smaller steps in learning so that pupils can see the progress they make. Teachers have strategies to manage behaviour issues effectively and teaching assistants are well trained and supportive to pupils. A significant number of pupils are not in receipt of extra provision because of shortages beyond the control of the school. The assessment and provision for pupils, often from overseas, who join the school without any previous records, create an extra challenge for the school.

p.39

Commentary

113. Pupils with SEN have satisfactory access to the curriculum. Within the limits of the schools' provision, attempts are made to include all pupils, but exclusion is used as a last resort, as a means of securing the safety of other pupils from those who exhibit challenging behaviour.

p.39

Commentary

114. The care and support given to pupils with SEN is good and effective within the limitations of the school budget provision. Behavioural records are kept so those pupils can see the improvements they make. However, more effective use could be made in recording the small successes that pupils make in learning over short periods.

p.39

Commentary

115. The school maintains satisfactory relationships with parents of pupils with special educational needs. However, maintaining these can present a challenge with the different language and cultural issues the school has to consider. The school maintains satisfactory relationships with the external support agencies that exist for particular pupils.

p.39

Commentary

116. The leadership and management of SEN is good. However, changing the role of special needs co-ordinator (SENCO) within the school senior management group limits the time that staff can give to other aspects of school development. There is considerable expertise within Cobourg Primary School - 40 the management group. The SENCO role is a large and complicated one in this school because of the great numbers of pupils with differing needs, the frequent admission of new pupils and the uncertainty involved in working with bodies outside the school.

p.39

The overall effectiveness of the school 5

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

p.40

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities 5

Attendance 6 Attitudes 5 Behaviour, including the extent of exclusions 5 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 4

p.40

The quality of education provided by the school 5

The quality of teaching 5 How well pupils learn 5 The quality of assessment 5 How well the curriculum meets pupils needs 5 Enrichment of the curriculum, including out-of-school activities 4 Accommodation and resources 5 Pupils’ care, welfare, health and safety 4 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 5 The quality of the school’s links with the community 4 The school’s links with other schools and colleges 5

p.40

The leadership and management of the school 4

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

p.40

The leadership and management of the school 4

Inspectors make judgements on a scale: excellent (grade 1); very good (2); good (3); satisfactory (4); unsatisfactory (5); Cobourg Primary School - 41 poor (6); very poor (7).

p.40