Ball Green Primary School

BALL GREEN PRIMARY

Dates of inspection: 18 th – 20 th October 2004

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BALL GREEN PRIMARY

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 Ball Green 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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BALL GREEN PRIMARY

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. Ball Green Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Primary School category: Community Age range of pupils: 3 to 11 Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 278

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Whitfield Road Ball Green Stoke-on-Trent Staffordshire Postcode: ST6 8AJ

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Telephone number: 01782 234811 Fax number: 01782 234815

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The Governing Body Name of chair of governors: Mr N Dawson

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 17 th May 1999

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

Ball Green Primary School is a larger than an average size primary school with 278 pupils who are taught in a mixture of single and mixed age classes from nursery to Year 6. Approximately 26 per cent of pupils have special educational needs. This is above average. 1.7 per cent of pupils have a statement of special educational needs, this being average.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

Only two pupils are of a background other than white British or mixed British and only one pupil speaks English as a second language. Pupils are drawn from a range of socio-economic backgrounds which are well below average overall. Thirteen per cent of pupils joined or left the school at times other than normal in the last year, this being above average. At forty per cent, the proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is above average. The school incorporates a specialist nurture unit that provides care and education to a variable but small number of pupils with special educational needs.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

Children’s attainment on joining the school varies widely within each year’s intake and from year to year. It is presently well below that expected for their age. Pupils presently in Years 2 and 6 joined the school with very low standards. Ball Green Primary School - 4

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

14042 J Sorsby Lead inspector 32676 N Power Lay inspector 20639 R Grant Team inspector Science Information and communication technology Geography Links with the community 30243 A Heakin Team inspector Areas of learning for children in the foundation stage Mathematics Art and design Design and technology Music 27387 D Tomkins Team inspector Provision for pupils with special educational needs Provision for pupils with English as an additional language English History Physical education Religious education The work of the special educational needs unit

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

PENTA International Upperton House The Avenue Eastbourne East Sussex BN21 3YB

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be made initially to the 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.oftsed/ofsted.gov.uk). Ball Green Primary School - 5

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS [ ]

Standards achieved in areas of learning, subjects and courses

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS [ ]

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL [ ]

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

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OVERALL EVALUATION

This is a good school. Pupils achieve well and develop positive attitudes to learning. The school provides a good quality of education that ensures that the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs, higher attaining and gifted and talented pupils are met. Pupils and parents are very pleased with the school, which provides good value for money.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

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OVERALL EVALUATION

• Pupils’ have positive attitudes to learning, and they develop well, personally and academically. • The school is well led and managed by all concerned. • The school has worked successfully to improve the rate of attendance. • The school provides very well for pupils with special educational needs, including those in the Nurture unit. • Pupils are exceptionally well involved through seeking, valuing and acting on their views. • The behaviour of a minority of pupils adversely affects learning in some lessons. • A minority of lessons in some year groups are not sufficiently well planned. • Use of information and communication technology (ICT) across the curriculum remains under- developed.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school was last inspected in May 1999 since when there has been very good improvement overall. Areas of improvement include provision for pupils under five, pupils ’ achievement in English, mathematics, science and ICT, provision for pupils’ social development and their resultant personal development, provision for pupils with special educational needs, use of assessment data, the curriculum, the care of pupils, the school’s partnership with parents and leadership and management. All key issues have been successfully dealt with except the development of the use of ICT across the curriculum. There has been deterioration in the attendance rate despite the school’s very good efforts to improve it. Behaviour is less good than that reported at the time of the last inspection because of the unsatisfactory behaviour of a small minority of pupils and an inconsistent use of the behaviour management policy by some teachers .

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

all schools similar schools Results in National Curriculum tests at the end of Year 6, compared with: 2002 2003 2004 2004 English D E* E C mathematics E E E D science C E D B Key: A - well above average; B – above average; C – average; D – below average; E – well below average Similar schools are those whose pupils attained similarly at the end of Year 2.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Pupils achieve well throughout the school, including in nursery and reception. Children’s attainment on joining the school varies widely within each year’s intake and from year to year. It is presently well below that expected for their age. By the end of reception children standards in their language, mathematical, creative and social development and in their knowledge and understanding of the world are below average, while in their physical development their standards are average. Pupils presently in Years 2 and 6 joined the school with very low standards. Those with special educational needs achieve very well while gifted and talented pupils and higher attaining pupils achieve as well as all other pupils. In the national tests for pupils in Year 2 in 2004, standards were well below average in reading, writing and mathematics. They were below average in reading, Ball Green Primary School - 7 average in writing and well below average in mathematics compared to similar schools. Despite

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

these low standards, compared to these particular children’s very low standards on joining the nursery, they achieved very well in reading, exceptionally well in writing and well in mathematics. Pupils in Year 6 reached standards that were well below average in English and mathematics, and below average in science. This represented good achievement in English and mathematics and very good achievement in science. In 2004 standards improved significantly in Years 2 and 6 with many more pupils achieving the nationally expected Level 2 in reading, writing, mathematics and science in Year 2 and also many more achieving the expected Level 4 in English, mathematic and science in Year 6. Approximately the same proportions of pupils have reached higher levels as in 2003.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

As a consequence of good teaching and pupils’ good learning, pupils now in Year 2 are working at standards in reading, writing, mathematics, science, ICT, religious education, history, geography and in their personal, social and health education that are below expectations for their age. This demonstrates good achievement from their standards on joining the school. Pupils in Year 6 are working at expected standards in English, science, religious education, art and design, history, geography and their personal and social education. This demonstrates continuing good achievement. In mathematics and ICT their standards are below average and they are achieving satisfactorily. Pupils’ personal qualities, including their spiritual, moral and social development, are good. Pupils’ views are highly valued, they have good attitudes to learning. Behaviour is satisfactory overall; the behaviour of the majority is good, but a minority behave

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

unsatisfactorily when not well managed. Attendance rates are below average but improving and punctuality is satisfactory.

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The school provides a good quality of education; the quality of teaching and learning are

good. Teaching is good overall, although in some classes it is better than in others. Assessment data is used well in most circumstances to ensure that lessons planned challenge all pupils appropriately, particularly in nursery and reception. Good teaching in nursery to Year 2 promotes pupils’ good learning and achievement. Some pupils in Years 3 and 4 make only satisfactory progress because lessons planned do not pay sufficient attention to their individual needs and the behaviour management policy is not being consistently implemented. Consequently, the pace of some lessons is slowed as teachers have to repeatedly deal with the unsatisfactory behaviour of a minority of pupils, lessening the achievement of the majority. In Years 5 and 6 the quality of teaching is of the school’s normal good standard, resulting in pupils making good progress overall in Years 3 to 6. Teaching assistants play a significant role in supporting pupils’ learning, especially that of those

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The school provides a good quality of education; the quality of teaching and learning are

with special educational needs and provision for these pupils is very good. Consequently they make very good progress in most lessons. Most lessons are fun; teachers use their subject knowledge well and motivate pupils well. Consequently behaviour is good and good progress is made. Learning is enhanced by the good links the school has fostered with the community. The school is well staffed. A good curriculum, well enriched through extra-curricular activities further enhances pupils’ enjoyment of learning. ICT is insufficiently used to support learning across the curriculum.

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The leadership and management of the school have improved significantly and are now

good. The new headteacher is a very good leader and manager. She is well supported by a knowledgeable and involved governing body, a skilled deputy headteacher, a committed and hard working management team and a similarly hard working and effective administrative team. This combination of hard work and commitment has enabled the school and its pupils to make very good progress. Governors fulfil all their duties, including statutorily responsibilities, very well. Ball Green Primary School - 8

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Parents express great satisfaction with the school. Pupils enjoy the school very much and know that they are valued and respected.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

The most important things the school should do to improve are: • Improve the consistency of teachers ’ planning and the implementation of the behaviour management policy. • Further develop the use of ICT across the curriculum as a tool in teaching and learning. Ball Green Primary School - 9

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED IN AREAS OF LEARNING, SUBJECTS AND COURSES

Most pupils, including those who are higher attaining and those who are gifted and talented achieve well in most subjects. Pupils with special educational needs achieve very well. Standards in most subjects inspected are average by the end of Year 6, except for mathematics and ICT in which standards are below average.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils achieve well in almost all subjects. • Pupils with special educational needs achieve very well. • Standards in mathematics and ICT are below average by the end of Year 6.

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Commentary

1. Detailed information about the children joining the nursery, made available by the school and the Local Education Authority, demonstrates that there has been a significant variation in their standards at their time of joining, year on year. The standards of children now in nursery were well below expectations for their age when they joined. However, pupils now in Years 2 and 6 joined the nursery with even lower standards.

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Commentary

2. Children in nursery and reception achieve consistently well because of the skilled teaching they receive. They are quickly helped to overcome the poor social and language skills with which they arrive and to make good progress. By the end of reception, children’s standards in their personal, social and emotional development, their communications, language and literacy skills, their mathematical development, their knowledge and understanding of the world and in their creative development are below expectations. This represents good achievement for these children. In their physical development, children make very good progress and achieve their targets.

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Commentary

3. The following table demonstrates that pupils’ test results in 2004 at the end of Year 2 were lower than the national average and that they were the same or better than those achieved by pupils in 2003. In 2004 they were well below the national average in reading, writing and mathematics. In comparison with similar schools they were below the national average in reading, average in writing and well below average in mathematics. Given their very low standards on joining the school, these pupils achieved well in reading, writing and mathematics.

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Commentary

Standards in national tests at the end of Year 2 – average point scores in 2004

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Commentary

Standards in: School results National results reading 13.8 (13.9) 15.8 (15.7) writing 12.9 (11.6) 14.6 (14.6) mathematics 13.8 (13.1) 16.2 (16.3) There were 38 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Commentary

4. The table below demonstrates that pupils in Year 6 in 2004 achieved higher standards than pupils in Year 6 in 2003. Their standards in English and mathematics were well below average and in Ball Green Primary School - 10 science they were below average. Compared to similar schools they were above average in science, average in English and below average in mathematics. Given their very low standards on entry they achieved well in English and mathematics and very well in science.

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Commentary

Standards in national tests at the end of Year 6 – average point scores in 2004

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Commentary

Standards in: School results National results English 24.9 (22.2) 26.9 (26.8) mathematics 24.6 (24.0) 27.0 (26.8) science 27.6 (26.5) 28.6 (28.6) There were 47 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Commentary

5. The proportion of pupils reaching the desired Level 2 in Year 2 and Level 4 in Year 6 increased substantially, as the following table demonstrates:

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Commentary

Year 2 2003 Level 2 and above Year 2 2004 Level 2 and above Reading 66 76 Writing 53 73 Mathematics 69 84 Science (Teacher Assessment) 61 80

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Commentary

Year 6 2003 Level 4 and above Year 6 2004 Level 4 and above English 36 65 Mathematics 47 50 Science 71 86

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Commentary

6. These increases were as a consequence of better use of assessment data to target individual pupils’ needs. This was itself a consequence of much improved leadership and management. There was, however, little variation in the proportion of pupils reaching Level 3 in Year 2 or Level 5 in Year 6. This is almost certainly a consequence of the above average proportion of pupils who have special educational needs. They make better than expected progress because the school quickly identifies their needs and monitors progress carefully. Pupils, teachers and teaching assistants are all fully aware of Individual Education Plan targets and the progress made against these targets is carefully recorded.

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Commentary

7. Pupils now in Years 2 and 6 are working at standards that demonstrate that the trend of improvement continues. In Year 2, standards are below expectations in English, mathematics, science, ICT, religious education, history, geography and in pupils’ personal, social and health education. In each of these subjects pupils are achieving well. In Year 6, standards are as expected for their age in English, science, religious education, art and design, history, geography and in pupils’ personal, social and health education. This demonstrates continued good achievement, and shows that they have achieved very well from their starting standards in nursery and reception. In mathematics and ICT, standards are below those expected for their age. In these two subjects pupils achieve satisfactorily in Years 3 to 6 but well in comparison with their initial standards. Ball Green Primary School - 11 Pupils’ achievements are a reflection of the good teaching they receive and their consequential good

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Commentary

learning. However, teaching for some pupils in Years 3 and 4 is satisfactory, and occasionally unsatisfactory. In such circumstances, pupils’ progress slows.

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Commentary

8. When people from the community are involved in the school’s work, it supports pupils’ good achievement. For example, many visitors speak about their faiths in religious education and this means that pupils have a good grasp of spiritual concepts. Achievement in English was enhanced when a poet visited and spent the day working with pupils to produce and perform poems.

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Commentary

9. Overall, there has been good improvement in pupils’ achievement since the last inspection, particularly that of pupils with special educational needs.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES, VALUES AND OTHER PERSONAL QUALITIES

Attendance is below average and punctuality is satisfactory. Pupils’ attitudes are good and their behaviour is satisfactory. The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils is very good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Although improving, pupils’ attendance rate is below average. • Unacceptable behaviour interferes with pupils’ learning in some Year 3 and 4 lessons. • Pupils’ personal development is very good. • Opportunities for pupils to exercise responsibility are very good.

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Commentary

10. Since the last inspection, pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development has improved but the rate of attendance, although now improving, is lower than it was. Behaviour is less good than that reported at that time because of the unsatisfactory behaviour of a small minority of pupils.

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Commentary

11. Pupils’ attendance rate has significantly improved in the last year due to the efforts of the headteacher and educational welfare officers. They meet regularly to review specific individual’s attendance and to identify any emerging patterns or trends. Other strategies in place to improve attendance include awards for good attendance, regular reinforcement to parents of the importance of attendance at school and personal involvement in specific cases by school personnel. However, the attendance rate is still below the national average and this means that some pupils do not do as well as they could academically.

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Commentary

12. In some lessons in Years 3 and 4 the school’s behaviour management procedures are not consistently applied. Consequently, pupils with challenging behaviour sometimes disrupt the learning of others. Five pupils were subject to a total of eight fixed period exclusions last year. These concerned unacceptable behaviour and were dealt with in accordance with the school’s behaviour management policy.

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Commentary

13. Pupils’ personal qualities develop very well. The school works very hard to promote positive personal characteristics such as tolerance and sharing and pupils develop good attitudes to work. The school’s contacts and work with local churches help pupils to understand the spiritual dimensions of life. School and class rules are formulated by pupils annually and so they appreciate and understand their value. As a result pupils’ spiritual and social development is very good.

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Commentary

14. Pupils also develop very well personally through the school’s determined efforts to ensure that all pupils in Year 6 have specific responsibilities to help the school to run smoothly. Pupils enjoy doing their jobs and most develop into mature, responsible members of the school community.

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Commentary

15. Care is taken to ensure that pupils with special educational needs are fully integrated into the life of the school. A good example of this is the consideration given to ensuring that pupils who attend Ball Green Primary School - 12 the nurture unit integrate back into their classrooms in the afternoon. The school’s physical education policy document, too, exemplifies how the ethos of inclusion is fundamental to school life in stating explicitly that teachers must concentrate on pupils’ abilities, not their disabilities.

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Commentary

16. Links with the community are used well to encourage pupils’ social responsibility through raising money for and supporting those less fortunate than themselves. For example pupils raise funds for Children in Need and support an African community by exchanging letters and fundraising.

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Attendance

Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

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Attendance

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data: 8.9 School data: 1.4 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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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 235 8 0 Mixed – any other mixed background 2 0 0 Chinese 1 0 0 The table gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

17. While the quality of education is judged to be good, as it was at the time of the last inspection, there have been important improvements in some areas. Teaching remains good and pupils learn well. The curriculum is now good, having been developed and enriched well. It meets all statutory requirements. Assessment is now more effective and put to better use in planning lessons that meet pupils’ needs.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

The quality of teaching is unchanged since the last inspection and is good. Improved since the last inspection, teachers collect a broad range of assessment data and put it to good use to ensure that pupils are appropriately challenged in lesson.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The overall quality of teaching is good. • The quality of assessment is good and good use is made of assessment data • In some lessons in Years 3 and 4, planning is superficial and not all pupils’ needs are met. • In some lessons in Years 3 and 4, behaviour is not well managed. Ball Green Primary School - 13

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Commentary

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

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Commentary

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Commentary

0 (0%) 6 (15%) 19 (49%) 12 (31%) 2 (5%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%)

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Commentary

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

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Commentary

18. The majority of teaching is good or better; one in every three lessons is satisfactory and a small proportion is unsatisfactory. Teaching is best in the Nursery, reception and Years 1, 2, 5 and 6. In these year groups pupils make solidly good progress. In Years 3 and 4, some lessons are superficially planned and lack challenge for some pupils. Instances were found, for example, where pupils differing abilities were not taken proper account of in setting them work. Consequently, while less able pupils made progress because of the good support they receive, some higher attaining pupils did not make sufficient progress. Also in these year groups, some teachers do not adhere consistently to the school’s behaviour management policy. Consequently a small minority of pupils behave badly in the knowledge that they are unlikely to suffer any sanctions. Although only a small minority, the disproportionate effort teachers have to make to control their behaviour results in the

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Commentary

pace of lessons being slow and the achievement of the majority being affected. In two unsatisfactory lessons seen these problems were sufficient for pupils not to make enough progress. In most of the weaker lessons seen, however, teaching was just satisfactory and pupils made satisfactory progress.

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Commentary

19. Most teaching is, as stated, good. Teachers’ expectations are that pupils will behave well and make good progress. Lessons are well planned, and made to be enjoyable. Pupils are therefore well motivated and work hard. Teachers have a good knowledge of the subjects they teach, and are able to share their knowledge well, in a calm and workmanlike environment. Lessons proceed at a brisk pace. Assessment was a weakness at the time of the last inspection but is now used well to set individual and class targets. Setting is very effectively used in English in Years 5 and 6, although similar setting in mathematics is not having as positive an effect. In art and design, teaching in Years 3 to 6 is very good, while in ICT in these year groups it is satisfactory. The school recognises the need to further improve some teachers’ skills in the latter and to broaden the use of ICT as a teaching and learning tool across the curriculum.

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Commentary

20. Special needs teachers and teaching assistants work closely with class teachers to provide very effective support for pupils. This may either be on an individual basis within the classroom or in small withdrawal groups. These strategies are very effective in helping pupils make very good gains in the key skills of literacy and numeracy. As a consequence of this support, pupils make very good progress.

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Commentary

21. On the occasions where experts from the world of work are invited to lessons, teachers make the most of their input to help pupils to learn. For example, an experienced potter was able to demonstrate skills in art and design that teachers did not have.

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THE CURRICULUM

The curriculum for the foundation stage and for Years 1 – 6 is good and has improved since the last inspection report.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• There is very good provision for children with special educational needs. Ball Green Primary School - 14 • The school provides many opportunities for children to extend their learning beyond the normal school day. • The school provides an interesting and a varied programme of activities to supplement the curriculum. • Provision for pupils’ personal, social and health education is good. • The school is well staffed. • Insufficient use is made of ICT

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Commentary

22. The curriculum for pupils in the nursery and reception classes and Years 1 to 6 is good and meets statutory requirements, including those of sex and drug awareness education. The quality of the core curriculum for English, mathematics and science is good.

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Commentary

23. The school caters well for children with special educational needs. A special nurture group exists in which children who would benefit from small group work are given specialist help to encourage them to achieve their full potential. This group meets in a well equipped, dedicated classroom, and is taught by an experienced nursery nurse and a learning support assistant. Individual education plan targets are mainly concerned with literacy, numeracy and social skills. They are well targeted to pupils’ specific needs. However, the use of computers, although mentioned occasionally, is under developed.

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Commentary

24. Support for children from the personal, social and health education part of the curriculum is good. They are taught to value each other as individuals and, as such, have a right to their own opinion. Appropriate information and guidance is provided through sex and drugs education.

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Commentary

25. ICT has developed within the school and resources have been much improved since the last inspection. So too have teachers’ skills. However, much remains to be done and ICT is not yet firmly entrenched as a teaching and learning tool that can improve learning in a range of subjects.

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Commentary

26. Care and time is taken to ensure that the transition between the school and the local secondary school is a positive and enjoyable experience by providing time in the summer term for children in Year 6 to undertake visits to the new school.

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Commentary

27. There is good support for learning outside the school day. Children can arrive before school and take part in the breakfast club where they socialise, eat breakfast and enjoy supervised, educational games activities. There are lunchtime activities including a homework club. The school participates strongly in sport, including inter-school events, with children being encouraged to play games such as football and hockey, and even to try their hand at golf. Residential visits give good opportunities for pupils to develop social skills and experience outdoor and adventurous activities, with a number of children spending nights under canvas.

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Commentary

28. There are a number of opportunities which the school provides to enrich the education of its pupils. In history, children are taken on visits which are designed to coincide with topics being taught. When Romans are studied, children are taken to look at the city of Chester. When the Egyptians are studied, the visit is to the Egyptian Museum in Manchester. Guest speakers are invited into school to give added depth to school topics. For example, in a geography lesson about mountains, a local mountaineer was invited to share his experiences and knowledge of mountains. The arts curriculum is supported by the art club, and a number of visiting artists have provided an input, one of whom encouraged the production of a giant elephant which is now displayed in the school entrance. Children were also encouraged in the study of ceramics by a visiting potter.

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Commentary

29. There are a good number of well qualified and experienced teachers, teaching assistants and nursery nurses who provide good support to pupils’ learning. Committed parent volunteers come into school to help in classrooms, and also help in the supervision and preparation of snacks for the children to eat at break time. Ball Green Primary School - 15 30. The school’s curriculum is enhanced by its links with the community. The school makes good use of the contacts it has to support its work. For example, Year 6 pupils benefit from experienced people from the business community sharing their experiences. The religious education curriculum is very well supported by local Christian churches.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Good structures to assess pupils’ needs and monitor achievement and progress. • Effective combination of social and academic skills to ensure pupils’ success in mainstream classes. • Involvement of parents, both directly on a Friday morning, and in consultation on pupils’ progress.

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Commentary

31. The Nurture unit is an innovative response to the specific needs of pupils with emotional or academic immaturity. It is designed to support pupils who would be at risk of failure in a mainstream class. It has not yet been functioning long enough to assess its long term impact on pupils’ attainment. The school has made a considerable effort to involve parents. They are invited to talk informally with teachers on a daily basis and to participate in an art morning every Friday. A comprehensive survey of parents’ views produced a very positive response in recognising the value of the unit and its work. Unit staff and teachers carefully assess pupils who are put forward for inclusion in the unit and track the progress of those that are accepted through well established procedures for assessing their progress. Close links are maintained with the class teacher and pupils return to their own class every afternoon.

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CARE, GUIDANCE AND SUPPORT

The school gives its pupils good support, advice and guidance, ensures their, welfare, health and safety and seeks, values and acts on pupils’ views exceptionally well.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The school council works extremely well. • Good relationships between staff and pupils mean that pupils are cared for well. • Pupils are well supported through well informed advice and guidance. • Procedures to assess risks within school lack rigour. • The school does not contact parents promptly enough when pupils’ absence is unexpected. • Some areas in the school are not accessible to disabled pupils. • Some teachers do not follow the school’s behaviour management policy consistently.

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Commentary

32. The exceptional school council is an integral part of the life of the school. The council has had a significant impact on the school environment by, for example, introducing extra equipment in the playground and in deciding the décor for corridors. They raise money to support their own initiatives and schemes and the school genuinely values their input. Ball Green Primary School - 16

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Example of outstanding practice

The school council plays an exceptionally effective role in helping to develop the school in ways that pupils appreciate. The operation and work of the school council is exceptional. It is run by elected pupils from each class for the benefit of all. It meets regularly; pupils have roles of chairperson, vice-chair, secretary and treasurer. A nominated teacher and governor attend and are often asked to gauge staff and governor opinions of initiatives the pupils propose to introduce. Although adults are present they do not interfere or try to unduly influence the work of the council – in fact, the chairperson would not allow that to happen! There is a clear structure for seeking school wide opinions and all pupils know that their voice will be heard through this mechanism. All involved take their positions as councillors very seriously, are competent at their jobs and enjoy making a real difference to

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Example of outstanding practice

33. Staff are sensitive to pupils’ needs and pupils feel they can trust them. Pupils are confident that they can talk to adults if there is anything that concerns them. All adults have had recent child protection training and know their pupils well. Good relationships between all within the school mean that concerns and worries are dealt with promptly and effectively.

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Example of outstanding practice

34. Each pupil is set regular targets for English, mathematics and science. These are reviewed and updated at least every half term to ensure that they remain current and appropriate. Some pupils are also set targets concerning behaviour. The pupils know they have targets and work hard to achieve them. The targets, combined with informal advice from adults, ensure that pupils are well supported throughout their time in school. However, in Years 3 and 4 some teachers do not consistently follow the school’s behaviour management policy and in some lessons and some pupils behave unacceptably. When this occurs, it affects the progress made by all.

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Example of outstanding practice

35. The school hosts a before and after school club. This is run by parents and people from the local community and ensures that pupils are well cared for before and after school and enables their parents to be able to meet their work commitments.

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Example of outstanding practice

36. The school buildings and grounds are regularly assessed for condition and steps taken to ensure that identified problems are addressed promptly. However, the procedures to ensure that all risks associated with pupils’ safety are minimised do not work sufficiently well.

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Example of outstanding practice

37. The school does not fulfil one of its duties of care as it does not contact parents of those whose absence is unexplained on the first day of their absence.

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Example of outstanding practice

38. Pupils, who need to use a wheelchair either permanently or temporarily, are unable to use some school facilities. For example, ICT lessons are held upstairs in the information technology room and there are no disabled toilet facilities. This is unsatisfactory.

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Example of outstanding practice

39. The school employs very good procedures to support pupils whose first language is not English.

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Example of outstanding practice

40. The quality of care, guidance and support for pupils has been maintained since the last inspection.

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PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS, OTHER SCHOOLS AND THE COMMUNITY

The school’s has good links with parents and the community. Links with other schools are satisfactory.

p.16

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The information made available to parents is very good. Ball Green Primary School - 17 • Community links are used well to enhance pupils’ learning. • Mechanisms for the transfer of pupils to other schools are good. • There are very good links with the parents of pupils attending the Nurture unit.

p.16

Commentary

41. The school works very hard to involve parents in their children’s learning and in the life and development of the school. The information sent to parents is in an appropriate format to help parents. For example the numeracy and literacy guides sent home are matched to the stage of development of their child. Newsletters are useful and indicate what pupils will be doing during the forthcoming term. Guides on behaviour and attendance are given to parents each year as part of the school’s drive to improve these areas. Pupils’ annual reports help parents to understand how they can help their children to improve. They are clearly written in language that parents find helpful . The school holds open meetings when necessary to allay parents’ fears over any potentially contentious issues. For example, the introduction of mixed age classes. Parents are becoming more involved in their children’s education as a result of these strategies.

p.17

Commentary

42. The school operates an ‘Open Door’ policy and the headteacher and teachers talk with parents regularly on an informal basis as well as through regular planned meetings. The school invites parents of pupils with special educational needs to become involved with their child’s individual learning plan and sends them a copy once it has been drawn up.

p.17

Commentary

43. The school actively seeks to involve the wider community in its work and does this well. For example, local churches are very supportive of the school and contribute well to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The Ball Green community group makes use of the school’s facilities when not in use by the school and helps the school to raise funds at its annual fairs. Local business people visit the school and speak to pupils so that they begin to appreciate the world of work.

p.17

Commentary

44. A great deal of care is taken to ensure that pupils’ transfer to secondary education is a smooth as possible. Pupils build contacts with local secondary schools through sports and curriculum events. They spend a day at their chosen school and the headteacher visits them at Ball Green with two past students, currently in Year 7. The school ensures that any particular difficulties are highlighted and discussed so that pupils settle quickly into their new environment.

p.17

Commentary

45. The school’s partnership with parents, other schools and the community has improved since the last inspection.

p.17

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

This school is well led and well managed. Governors fulfil all their statutory duties very well.

p.17

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The leadership and management by the headteacher and deputy headteacher are very good. • The governing body is very well informed and very involved • The leadership and management of all subjects except ICT is good. • All leaders and managers have a clear vision for their areas and a determination to continue to raise standards’

p.17

Commentary

46. At the time of the last inspection the leadership and management of the school was found to have a range of weaknesses. The school went through a further two years following the inspection in Ball Green Primary School - 18 which personnel issues were unresolved. Since then, a new headteacher has been at the helm, and although much work remains to be done, the leadership and management are much improved.

p.17

Commentary

47. This is a well run school. The headteacher and deputy headteacher have a very clear shared vision of how to improve the school further. They are being very well supported by the governing body and by their staff colleagues. All concerned are working hard to further improve pupils’ standards. Almost all subject leaders are contributing well to improving pupils’ achievements. In ICT, insufficient emphasis has been placed on developing ways in which teachers can use ICT to support their teaching and pupils’ learning across the curriculum and insufficient use is being made of newly acquired resources.

p.18

Commentary

48. In those areas where the new senior management team chose to place their initial efforts, success has already been achieved. These included raising standards in English, improving assessment procedures and the provision of targets for individual pupils, and provision for pupils with special educational needs. All three areas are showing good signs of improvement.

p.18

Commentary

49. Governors are very well informed and have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and areas that require development. They are a party to the school’s development plan that clearly and succinctly sets out the order of priorities the school is addressing. The school’s development, which the school acknowledges is only part way through its implementation, is well underpinned by a thorough programme of monitoring by senior staff and the governing body. The school’s finances are being well managed to meet the priorities highlighted by the school development plan.

p.18

Financial information

Financial information for the year April 2002 to March 2003

p.18

Financial information

Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 768 068 Balance from previous year 39 520 Total expenditure 789 526 Balance carried forward to the next 18 062 Expenditure per pupil 2 649

p.18

Financial information

50. In the long term absence through sickness of the co-ordinator, the head teacher is overseeing special educational needs provision. Good procedures are in place for the identification of pupils’ needs and all pupils on the special educational needs register have individual action plans.

p.18

Financial information

51. The governors and senior management team keenly develop links with the community that can benefit the school. For example, costly repairs to the school’s perimeter fencing have been ameliorated through the support of community contacts fostered by the school, and numerous visitors enhance the teaching of the curriculum. Ball Green Primary School - 19

p.18

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Provision in the foundation stage is good .

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching is consistently good and leads to good achievement. • Ongoing assessment of children’s responses ensures staff know children very well and are able to meet their individual needs. • Very good attitudes from children result in good achievement. • Good links with parents and good induction arrangements mean children and their families feel secure and happy about coming to school.

p.19

Commentary

52. Through consistently good teaching children learn well and make good progress in all six areas of learning. They make very good progress in their physical development and reach their targets. Children’s standards on entry to nursery have varied over the years and are now slightly better than in the past. Those presently in nursery and reception arrived with well below average skills particularly noticeable in communication and personal development. Pupils presently in Years 2 and 6 arrived in nursery with standards that were very low.

p.19

Commentary

53. Children presently in the foundation stage achieve well because the carefully planned and flexible induction programmes ensure children settle in and adapt to their new experiences. The consistently good caring teaching typified by very good knowledge of children’s development builds on this initial learning and by the end of the reception class, though standards are still below national expectations in all but their physical development, children have achieved well. Links with parents are good. Parents are always welcome and encouraged to support their children by borrowing books and joining in social activities. In both classes staff build up individual profiles for each child, photographs and samples of work are carefully annotated so parents can see the good progress made by their children. Recent staff changes have resulted in new support staff working in the foundation stage and a particular priority for the teacher in charge has been to create an effective

p.19

Commentary

team. This has been successful; one of the strengths of the teaching is the co-operation between staff and the mutual support they give each other. This results in consistency and an ability to work effectively with individuals and groups of children, especially those who have special educational needs. The curriculum is broad and managed well. It provides a good range of learning experiences for both classes. Improvement since the last inspection is good, teaching is now consistently good, expectations are high and children achieve well.

p.19

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in personal, social and emotional development is good .

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

• High priority is given to this area of learning. • The good relationships, care and guidance make a considerable contribution to learning. • Teaching and learning are good and lead to good achievement. Ball Green Primary School - 20

p.19

Commentary

54. Most children start in the nursery with well below average skills in personal and social development. At the time of the inspection a significant number of nursery children were observed to be totally unaware of other children, lacked curiosity and showed little interest in adult requests or comments. The impact of the good care and support given to children is evident. By the time they get to the reception class children have become confident to try things, join in and speak in a group. For example children were eager to applaud or correct the ‘Mr Wolf’ puppet when he tried to read his letter sounds. Good development of personal independence is seen in many different ways; selecting activities, putting away their own equipment, doing jobs and learning to dress independently. Staff are sensitive to children’s educational and personal needs, this ensures individual needs are quickly identified and supported. Children become aware of others, play co-

p.20

Commentary

operatively and become enthusiastic about their learning.

p.20

COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Provision in communication, language and literacy is good .

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching and learning are good resulting in good achievement. • Communication skills are encouraged in all activities. • Speaking and listening skills are given priority.

p.20

Commentary

55. Standards of attainment are well below expectation when children first start school. By the time they reach the end of the foundation stage they have achieved well though standards are still below those expected nationally. Children seen in the nursery show limited interest in books and pictures though the more able do join in with familiar refrains when an adult reads. In the daily task of completing the weather chart nearly half the children are unresponsive and many use isolated words and speak indistinctly. By the time they join the Reception class children have achieved well. Due to the constant focus on spoken language when adults repeat and enunciate words clearly and encourage children to talk, standards improve. Children continue to achieve well, they start to build up their vocabulary and to initiate conversations. In role-play, though they generally lack imagination, children learn to interact with each other and with adults resulting in increased confidence and

p.20

Commentary

56. In the nursery children are given storybooks to take home and have a daily story time. Though a significant proportion of children find it difficult to sit and show limited interest staff handle this well and through persistence and gentle persuasion encourage children to listen and enjoy stories. Reception aged children show increased interest with more able children learning to talk about their storybooks. As children understand that words and sounds can be written they start to make their own attempts at writing. A visit outside armed with pencils and clipboards resulted in pictures of clouds, trees and houses and some attempts to write words. Self-registration in the nursery accustoms children to recognising their own names as a result half the reception-aged children can now write their first name and several can complete the whole name. As children become more confident and responsive they achieve well in learning letter sounds; lower attaining children can

p.20

Commentary

identify the initial sounds in words but are unable to link the sounds with a letter. The more able recognise initial and final sounds and write simple words.

p.20

MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Ball Green Primary School - 21 Provision in mathematical development is good .

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching and learning are good leading to good achievement. • A good range of accessible resources supports children’s learning.

p.21

Commentary

57. Standards of attainment in mathematical development are well below average when children start in the nursery. Due to consistently good teaching in both classes children achieve well. During registration nursery staff count the children and encourage them to join in and show an interest in counting and in number songs. Similarly in the reception class the teacher questions children to make sure they learn a sense of time, knowing the day and gaining an understanding of the concept of tomorrow and yesterday. Number recognition is achieved through a range of practical activities such as using salt dough to form numbers on a template. The majority of reception children can sort and count numbers to ten and good opportunities are provided for individual children to extend their skills and progress to twenty. Good display of children’s work around the classrooms show that children learn about shapes when they cut and stick to make collage pictures and reinforce counting

p.21

Commentary

when they paint items. A chart showing the eye colours of reception aged children reflects the good opportunities given to count and begin to understand the phrases ’more than’ and ‘less than’. Photographs confirm that children have many opportunities to use the wide range of resources to practise relevant skills such as counting and sorting.

p.21

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Provision in knowledge and understanding of the world is good .

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching and learning are good and result in good achievement. • The school provides a good range of interesting resources.

p.21

Commentary

58. Many children enter the school with limited curiosity or interest in the world around, however they achieve well. Staff work hard to provide a varied range of experiences so children can be shown how to investigate and become confident to explore their environment. Teaching is good. Good use is made of the local community and local services such as the police and fire brigade to extend children’s awareness of the environment. Reception children use the computer to access numeracy and literacy programs, improving their co-ordination as they control the mouse. They learn about the significance of family and also about other cultures through activities such as learning about and celebrating the Chinese New Year. Water trays and sand allow children to explore sinking, floating and texture, and the large range of construction toys are put to good use. Adults lead sessions where children make chocolate cakes and observe the difference when chocolate is melted and

p.21

Commentary

share the jobs when they make gingerbread men or cress sandwiches. Good use is made of the outside area for all children to explore and talk about the texture of trees, leaves and building fabric. The impact of the good teaching is that children overcome their initial reluctance, gain in confidence and start to enjoy the environment.

p.21

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in physical development is good . Ball Green Primary School - 22

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Good teaching leads to enthusiasm and very good achievement in physical activities. • The improvements planned for the outdoor play area are still incomplete.

p.22

Commentary

59. Teaching is good in this area of learning. Children are very positive and achieve very well. Improvements are needed for the outdoor play area but despite this children enjoy the opportunities to play with wheeled toys during lunchtime. Indoor lessons are in the school hall so children learn to move sensibly from one end of the school to another. Through supportive teaching they become aware of body space and learn to move with control with many reception aged children achieving in line with national standards. A particular feature is the improvement children make in co-operative activities and in following instructions. Regular opportunities are provided for children to become more dextrous and enjoy the sensation of squeezing, rolling and stretching malleable materials to make models, improve their hand and finger control when they use scissors in creative activities and control the computer mouse.

p.22

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Provision in creative development is good .

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching and learning are good. • The emphasis on developing children’s imagination is effective.

p.22

Commentary

60. Standards when children enter the nursery are well below expectations and below expectation when they leave the reception class. Children achieve well because all the adults in the nursery and reception classes encourage children to sing nursery rhymes and counting songs, to join in with ring games as well as listen to music during the day. Children learn to create rhythm when they make shakers from junk materials, they use paint and collage to explore colour mixing and make patterns or pictures. The majority of children have considerable difficulty in being imaginative so role-play is used effectively to encourage children to re-enact experiences and play alongside other children for example in the doctor’s surgery. Ball Green Primary School - 23

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils with special educational needs are supported very well and effective use is made of booster groups. • The quality of teaching and learning is good and pupils achieve well. • Books in the school library are insufficient in both number and range. They are also poorly displayed. • Computers are underused to reinforce and enrich learning. • There is very good leadership and management by the co-ordinator.

p.23

Commentary

61. Standards in English are rising because of the school’s focus on improvement in this subject. This is evident from the latest national test results which, for 2004, show the percentage of Year 2 pupils achieving Level 2 in reading and writing as having improved significantly since the 2003 results. These percentages are still below the national average but represent good achievement when compared with the below average skills on entry. At Year 6, a similar improvement is seen in the number of pupils achieving Level 4 in the national tests. This reflects the impact the booster groups are having on raising standards which, although still below the national average, represent good progress. There is still a very low percentage of pupils attaining the higher Level 3 results at Year 2 or Level 5 in Year 6. This impacts adversely on the school’s overall comparison to other schools nationally.

p.23

Commentary

62. Resource provision has been weighted towards extra teaching staff for the booster groups, and towards teaching assistants. However, two areas of significant under resourcing were evident: the library and ICT. The weakness in library provision encompasses both accommodation and books. The accommodation of the library in a room that is multi-functional inhibits attractive and stimulating book displays; in addition, the books are inadequate in both quantity and range to encourage pupils’ in their wider reading of both fact and fiction. The second area of under provision is the school’s lack of both appropriate subject computer software and identified on-line resources available via the internet. Insufficient use is therefore made of computers either to reinforce language skills or to enrich language teaching.

p.23

Commentary

63. The inspection found that all pupils, including those with special educational needs, achieve well throughout the school. This is due to good teaching. In Years 1 and 2, teaching was never less than satisfactory and, in two of the three lessons seen, it was good. Good teaching was exemplified in a Year 2 class where the teacher engaged the pupils’ interest in reading and creating poems that demonstrated alliteration. The teacher managed the class well and had prepared appropriate resources to support learning. Pupils enjoyed the activity and responded by concentrating well. This resulted in the development of their ability to read and reinforcement in the use of full stops and capital letters. In Years 3 to 6, teaching was never less than satisfactory and very good in half of lessons seen. Very good teaching took place in a Year 5/6 class when pupils were learning to sequence the instructions to make a fruit jelly. The lesson was very well planned and resourced.

p.23

Commentary

Pupils developed the use of appropriate language and an understanding of how to use a flow diagram to sequence instructions.

p.23

Commentary

64. The co-ordinator provides very good leadership and, through a careful analysis of test results, is targeting provision through the use of booster groups to raise standards. Assessment is detailed Ball Green Primary School - 24 and provides specific targets for all pupils. Additional teaching groups through planned classroom withdrawal, and good use of teaching assistants and volunteers to support individual pupils or groups in the classroom, together result in good achievement by the pupils. This represents an improving situation since the last inspection.

p.23

LANGUAGE AND LITERACY ACROSS THE CURRICULUM

65. English plays a satisfactory cross-curricular role. Teachers encourage pupils to learn the specialist language of the different subjects. For example, in a Year 3/4 history lesson, the teacher highlighted and discussed the relevant vocabulary to promote accurate understanding and use. The school library does not contain a sufficient range of non-fiction books to support reading in other subjects.

p.24

MATHEMATICS

Provision in mathematics is satisfactory .

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Inconsistencies in teaching impact on pupils’ achievements. • Data is analysed closely to identify strengths and weaknesses. • Pupils who have special educational needs achieve well. • The leadership and management of the subject are good.

p.24

Commentary

66. Standards in Year 6 are below those expected at this age and in Year 2 are well below average. Analysis of data shows that standards attained when children arrive at the school fluctuate each year but are generally well below average or very low. As a result of good teaching pupils in Years 1 and 2 achieve well. Overall the achievement of pupils in Years 3 to 6 is satisfactory. The percentage of pupils attaining higher grades in both key stages is well below the national average but recent improvement is evident.

p.24

Commentary

67. The overall quality of teaching is good. Good quality teaching in Years 1 and 2 based on teachers’ good subject knowledge, good planning, high expectations and good rapport with pupils ensures these children achieve well. The quality of teaching in Years 3 to 6 varies between satisfactory and very good. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 are set in ability groups for mathematics. The very good teaching seen in Year 5/6 top set impacts very effectively on pupils’ standards and achievement. The teacher has very high expectations of behaviour and instils an enjoyment of learning. Brisk questioning, very good subject knowledge and work planned to meet the individual learning needs of all pupils in the class results in them achieving very well in calculating angles and investigating shapes. Pupils’ enthusiasm and positive attitudes reflect this very good quality teaching. Teaching in the middle and lower sets is good with a good range of opportunities for pupils to

p.24

Commentary

investigate mathematical problems. It is evident in these classes that pupils learn basic skills such as tables and the four rules of number but find difficulty in applying this knowledge or developing their own strategies for calculation. This will to some extent account for the concern identified by the school in raising the standards to those expected nationally for eleven-year-olds.

p.24

Commentary

68. In some classes between Years 3 and 6, there is a lack of stringency in managing behaviour. This combined with some superficial lesson planning means the individual learning needs of pupils are not consistently met. The differences in teacher expectation are mirrored in the marking of pupils’ work. Where very good progress is made the teacher annotates work and gives pupils guidance in their next step of learning, and pupils frequently respond to these comments. However too many samples of work show inconsistency in presentation, lack of activities suited to pupils’ individual Ball Green Primary School - 25 needs and inadequate marking. The result is that though pupils in Years 1 and 2 achieve well, due to inconsistencies in teaching the rate of learning varies in different classes in Years 3 to 6.

p.24

Commentary

69. The subject management is good. The co-ordinator has spent considerable time analysing data and implementing strategies to raise standards in mathematics. Pupils’ progress is carefully monitored and additional support is successfully directed at individuals or groups who have special educational needs. All pupils have individual targets and the school has invested in producing motivational place mats for pupils to include their targets and mathematical data to encourage independent learning. In conjunction with the local authority extra training has been provided for teaching assistants and additional support given to the school to help rise standards. Parents are encouraged to support their children through a booklet outlining the work done in school and including mathematical games that can be played at home. The recommendations of the last report have been implemented and improvement since the last inspection is satisfactory.

p.25

MATHEMATICS ACROSS THE CURRICULUM

70. Pupils have satisfactory opportunities to use their mathematical knowledge in other subjects. Measuring skills are used in science, geography, design and technology. Teachers regularly use ICT programs successfully to reinforce and extend pupils’ mathematical understanding.

p.25

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Leadership and management of the subject are good. • Teaching and learning are good. • Achievement throughout the school is good.

p.25

Commentary

71. The standard of entry to Year 1 is well below average. By the end of Year 2, children know about the parts of the body, are able to locate the major organs and understand the need for healthy food. This indicates a rise in standards and shows that the achievement is good. By the end of Year 6 pupils have been given access to the ideas of investigative science and are able to plan investigations identifying simple variables in experiments. They understand the need for protein in the body and can apply this to the concept of a healthy diet. This shows that standards are at the level expected nationally and also demonstrates good achievement.

p.25

Commentary

72. Teaching and learning overall is good. Where teaching was good or very good, lessons were well planned with clear objectives. Children were fully engaged in the lesson and learning was good. In a good Year 6 lesson, the practical work showing how a mixture of bicarbonate of soda and vinegar could produce a gas was greeted with excitement by the children, who could all explain that the gas was carbon dioxide and the reaction was irreversible. A very good lesson in Year 2, encouraged children to take responsibility for their own health in eating, and giving them the information to decide themselves which foods were healthy, and why. An unsatisfactory lesson seen was characterised by unsatisfactory management of some pupils whose behaviour deteriorated to the point that it affected the learning of the majority.

p.25

Commentary

73. The leadership and management of the subject are good. The subject coordinator is knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Schemes of work are fully in place and have suggestions for extension work and use of ICT. Cross curricular teaching is encouraged: in one design and technology lesson on making a healthy sandwich, the opportunity to emphasise the science Ball Green Primary School - 26 component concerning proteins and carbohydrates was not missed. Teaching throughout the school is monitored on a regular basis and class books are checked to ensure consistency of marking and compliance with delivery of the course. Good improvement has been made since the last inspection.

p.25

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

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

p.26

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The scheme of work covers all aspects of the course and is available electronically for all teachers. • The new computer room is a valuable resource for the school. • There is under-use of some resources.

p.26

Commentary

74. From a standard on entry well below what would normally be expected from children of this age, a combination of a sensible scheme of work and good teaching allows achievement by the end of Year 2 to be good. By the end of Year 6, standards are still below those expected nationally, but overall, the achievement is still satisfactory.

p.26

Commentary

75. Standards observed in lessons and through a scrutiny of past work show that children improve their ICT skills from the moment they enter the school. They have permanent access to a computer in the Nursery, and children in Year 1 and Year 2 are able to use programs to access information and do simple drawings. By the end of Year 6, children have had the opportunity to use word processing programs and spreadsheets and use simple programs that control the activities of, for example, a turtle on the screen. All are given the opportunity to access information from the Internet.

p.26

Commentary

76. Teaching and learning overall are good. In the best lessons seen, good learning was associated with detailed planning and clear explanations from the teacher. However, the overall standard of learning was inhibited by the fact that the overall standard of the skills of the children was much lower than would normally be expected at this age. Interesting use of the computer was observed in the nursery when a number of children used a computer program and the computer mouse to ‘click and drag’ objects from one place to another. A Year 6 class was observed using simple word processing skills to write a short description of a lesson provided by an external speaker. The most proficient children in the class were able to download information from the Internet to supplement knowledge from the lesson.

p.26

Commentary

77. The leadership and management of the subject is satisfactory. There is a scheme of work in place which fully covers the statutory requirements. This is linked to detailed objectives which are held on the computer which teachers use to monitor the progress of children.

p.26

Commentary

78. Resources and accommodation are satisfactory. The new computer suite, which has been open for nearly a year, is an important new resource. However, it is not fully utilised and there are a number of occasions throughout the day when the room is empty. In the rest of the school, each classroom has at least one computer, and a number of computer programs which can be used for teaching in that room. Overall, there has been satisfactory improvement since the last inspection.

p.26

CURRICULUM

Ball Green Primary School - 27 79. Most classrooms now have at least one computer which is connected to the Internet, and some have a number of standalone computers as well. Subject coordinators have a series of CD- ROMs designed to enhance the teaching of their subject and some of these were used during the inspection. For example in an art and design lesson in Year 2, children were able to extend their learning by watching a computer program on shapes. Year 6 geography pupils were seen researching information on mountains on the Internet, and special needs children in Year 3 played a game which improved their coordination. However there were many other lost opportunities when ICT could have been used but was not despite it being identified in the schemes of work, and this is recognised as an area for development by the school.

p.27

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The good oversight of the curriculum co-ordinator. • Good achievement throughout the school as a consequence of good teaching. • A comprehensive and informative scheme of work.

p.27

Commentary

80. Standards at the start of Year 1 are well below the national average. Pupils achieve well and by the end of Year 2 standards are below the national average. By the end of Year 6, the work scrutiny and work observed in lessons shows that standards are average and again this shows that achievement is good. Achievement throughout the school has improved since the last inspection.

p.27

Commentary

81. Teaching and learning are good. Lessons are planned with objectives designed to enhance the learning process. Lessons observed showed that children enjoyed geography and tended to work well within the subject. In a Year 2 class, children learned about the way that they lived and compared it to the way that people lived on a small remote island. They were able to talk well about conditions on the island and how different it was from their own lives. In a Year 6 lesson, learning was enhanced when a visiting speaker who had climbed in many parts of the world, brought in his climbing and camping equipment. Children were able to investigate tents, ropes and rucksacks and find out for themselves what it was like to be a climber, and then find out what conditions were like in the parts of the world in which he climbed.

p.27

Commentary

82. Leadership and management are good. The subject co-ordinator is knowledgeable and has a good oversight of the subject. The scheme of work covers all of the areas of study, and has sensible objectives with teaching resources attached. Teaching is monitored on a regular basis and work in class books is checked to ensure standards are maintained. Resources are satisfactory.

p.27

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Good use of the local environment to enhance provision. • Pupils display positive attitude and enthusiasm for the subject. • Insufficient use of information technology to enhance learning. Ball Green Primary School - 28 • Good achievement throughout the school as a consequence of good teaching.

p.27

Commentary

83. Standards seen during the inspection were below those expected in Year 2 and in-line with expectation in Year 6. This represents good achievement throughout the school. Year 2 pupils were able to discuss the idea of historical sequencing and knew that dinosaurs came before cavemen. Year 6 had a good knowledge of historical sequence and talked enthusiastically about life in Victorian times. They were very enthusiastic about the class visit, made in conjunction with this project, when they were able to dress up in Victorian costume.

p.28

Commentary

84. Only two lessons were seen in Years 3 to 6 but discussions with pupils and inspection of their written work confirm that teaching is good. In the lessons seen, teachers used well targeted questioning to help pupils draw conclusions from the evidence before them. In one Year 3/4 lesson, the teacher had prepared sand boxes with broken pottery to enable pupils to reconstruct the activities of archaeologists. In both lessons, pupils made use of the computers but in neither instance had ICT been included in the lesson planning. This resulted, in one case, in pupils using inappropriate software that did nothing to enhance their historical knowledge. On-line resources are under used and appropriate websites have not yet been identified.

p.28

Commentary

85. Pupils’ good achievement throughout the school represents an improvement since the last inspection.

p.28

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Provision in religious education is good .

p.28

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils are enthusiastic and have positive attitudes about the subject. • There is good leadership and management by the co-ordinator. • ICT is not used consistently to support learning. • Good teaching results in pupils achieving well.

p.28

Commentary

86. Standards in Year 2 are below expectations while those in Year 6 are in-line with expectations. This represents good achievement throughout the school. Pupils with special educational needs are well supported enabling them to make good progress. In discussion Year 2 pupils knew the main Christian festivals but were not sure of their meaning. However, they did understand that religious beliefs had implications for knowing what was right and wrong. Year 6 pupils talked enthusiastically about Muslim, Jewish, Hindu and Christian traditions , having a good knowledge of religious symbols and having a secure understanding that religious beliefs impacted on day to day behaviour.

p.28

Commentary

87. Only two lessons were seen. Teaching in one was satisfactory and in the other good. However, it is evident from a scrutiny of pupils’ past work and in discussions with the pupils that teaching is good and impacts positively on pupils overall achievement. This was well demonstrated in a Year 5/6 lesson on how people express their faith, in which pupils were challenged to develop their thinking on sharing the world’s resources. Pupils co-operated well to brain storm ideas and then came up with practical ideas for supporting a charity of their choice. The class listened well to the teacher’s introduction and responded with enthusiasm to questions raised by the teacher. The lesson was well resourced and good use was made of the internet to enhance learning. However, in the other lesson seen resources were less well used and a good opportunity to enrich the learning through computer use was missed.

p.28

Commentary

Ball Green Primary School - 29 88. The co-ordinator provides good subject leadership and has been successful in developing the use of the locally agreed syllabus. She has developed the resources and the school has a good bank of artefacts, books and sets of pictures to support learning. The subject also benefits from good links with the local community as reflected in visits to local places of worship and visitors who contribute to curriculum enrichment. The school has maintained the good progress identified in the previous inspection.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

89. It is not possible to make a judgement about provision in design and technology because only one lesson was seen. The design and technology curriculum is planned appropriately and is linked with humanity topics; one task for example was to design shields for Roman soldiers. In one interesting project pupils in Years 3 to 6 investigated breads from around the world, considered the link between breads and religious ceremonies and after some experimentation made chocolate bread for a birthday party. Samples of work and photographs indicate that pupils throughout the school learn to develop and plan ideas. They investigate and design a range of items such as greeting cards, slippers, sandwiches and four wheeled vehicles. They discuss their ideas and evaluate their success.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

90. Neither is it possible to make a judgement about provision in music because only one lesson was observed. The quality and quantity of resources are limited; instruments are predominantly untuned percussion so opportunities for composition are restricted. The school compensates by placing a high emphasis on singing. In the daily assemblies pupils sing tunefully and with gusto. During the inspection Year 6 pupils performed three and four part rounds with clear diction and good pitch control. It was a delight to see all the pupils concentrating and working together to produce a very good performance.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

91. No teaching in physical education was observed during the inspection and no judgement can be made on the quality of provision. A discussion was held with the co-ordinator and documentation was studied. The co-ordinator is very enthusiastic and gives unstintingly of his time to develop both the school’s formal curriculum and enrich the provision for the pupils through after school clubs and activities. These include football, cross country running, indoor golf, athletics, basketball, dance, rounders and netball. He is supported by a teaching assistant who manages the girls’ netball and by good links with outside agencies and local schools. The school has a good curriculum covering all aspects of the national requirements. Resources and the school accommodation are satisfactory although the school playing field is subject to being waterlogged in the winter. The school makes use of the local colleges swimming facilities and almost all pupils are

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

able to swim at least a length by the end of Year 6.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Good teaching helps pupils achieve well in lessons. • The links between art and design and other subjects are well planned and effective. • Visits and visitors enhance the provision for art and design.

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Commentary

92. At the last inspection pupils’ progress was judged to be satisfactory. Pupils now achieve well and provision is good, demonstrating good improvement since the last inspection. No teaching was Ball Green Primary School - 30 seen in Years 1 and 2 but classroom displays and portfolios of work clearly show pupils in these classes explore and develop creative ideas. They improve their pencil drawing skills, experiment with hot and cold colours and linking with topic work have investigated Aboriginal art. A recent topic link enabled Year 1 pupils to create a delightful collage linked with the story of Granny’s Quilt.

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Commentary

93. In Years 3 to 6 pupils achieve well and standards are in line with national expectations. Teaching seen during the inspection was very good, typified by very effective teacher demonstrations that inspired and encouraged pupils to create their own artwork. Year 3 pupils were fascinated by their teacher’s efforts and eager to please they produced their own unique clay models to a good standard. In Year 6 the amalgamation of two classes for a demonstration of appliqué was very effective. All pupils watched closely and then confidently made their own decisions about materials and design for a story panel based on Odysseus and The Cyclops. In this practical situation with two classes together there was potential for misbehaviour but the whole lesson was exemplified by very purposeful work and excellent attitudes from the pupils. Their achievement was very good.

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Commentary

94. Sketchbooks and portfolios of work show a wide range of creative experiences resulting in a broad and interesting curriculum. Pupils learn about and work in the style of known artists and the school actively encourages links with local artists, visitors who give a more mullti-cultural dimension to art and design and visits to ‘working’ museums where pupils can experiment creatively. The subject therefore makes a good contribution to pupils’ cultural development. The subject leader has a good overview, is developing the portfolios of work and managing the subject well.

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CITIZENSHIP

Provision in personal, social and health education and citizenship is good .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The school promotes positive relationships and respect for each other • Adults in school act as good role models for their pupils. • Provision for personal, social and health education and citizenship is well planned within the curriculum. • Co-ordination of this area is good.

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Commentary

95. Standards in the subject are good. Pupils work well and make good progress throughout the course of the lessons. They are polite and courteous to each other in lessons and are able to express opinions without the fear of ridicule. Lessons are conducted sensitively and all are encouraged to take part. In the lessons observed pupils were encouraged, through group discussions to be able to speak about their innermost thoughts without any form of inhibition.

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Commentary

96. Teaching and learning are good. Lessons are well planned and resources are used to best effect. Teachers’ good knowledge of their children is used to ensure that no one is forced to do or say anything that would embarrass them. Through kindness and good sense, adults promote values as good role models.

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Commentary

97. The leadership and management of the subject is good. There is a policy in place which was agreed by the whole staff, governors, the school nurse and the pupils themselves through the school council. Sex education and an awareness of drugs and their appropriate use are well taught. The co- ordinator monitors the subject well and ensures that it is properly resourced. Ball Green Primary School - 31

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Overall standards achieved 5 Pupils’ achievement 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities 3 Attendance 5 Attitudes 3 Behaviour, including the extent of exclusions 4 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The quality of education provided by the school 3 The quality of teaching 3 How well pupils learn 3 The quality of assessment 3 How well the curriculum meets pupils needs 3 Enrichment of the curriculum, including out-of-school activities 3 Accommodation and resources 4 Pupils’ care, welfare, health and safety 3 Support, advice and guidance for pupils 3 How well the school seeks and acts on pupils’ views 1 The effectiveness of the school’s links with parents 3 The quality of the school’s links with the community 3 The school’s links with other schools and colleges 4

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The leadership and management of the school 3 The governance of the school 2 The leadership of the headteacher 2 The leadership of other key staff 3 The effectiveness of management 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

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