Beeston Hill St Luke's Church of England Primary School

BEESTON HILL ST LUKE’S CE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 7 th – 10 th March 2005

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BEESTON HILL ST LUKE’S CE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 Beeston Hill St Luke’s CE 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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BEESTON HILL ST LUKE’S CE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. Beeston Hill St Luke’s CE Primary School 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Primary School category: Voluntary aided Age range of pupils: 3 – 11 Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 320

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Beeston Road Leeds West Yorkshire Postcode: LS11 8ND

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Telephone number: 0113 2433375 Fax number: 0113 2145217

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body Name of chair of governors: Mr G Hobbs

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 7 th June 1999

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

Beeston Hill CE Primary School is situated in an urban situation near to Leeds city centre. Most of the 320 pupils come from the immediate locality but a few travel from further afield. The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs is similar to that found nationally overall, but the combination of learning and emotional difficulties provides the school with an additional challenge. There are six pupils with a statement of special educational needs, which is about average. There are 14 pupils who are being looked after in public care and three asylum seekers. Most of the pupils are from families of white British heritage, but 22 pupils are of Asian British heritage. There are six pupils who are at an early stage of learning English as an additional language. There is a growing trend for pupils to move in and out of school in Years 5 and 6. The nursery class is situated on a separate site, which is a short walk from the main school. A small group of Year 7 pupils, with

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

special educational needs, is included in Year 6. When they start school, children’s attainment is generally well below that of most children of their age. There has been a significant turnover in staff since 1999. Beeston Hill St Luke’s CE 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

4074 R Gill Lead inspector Foundation Stage Science Art and design 9928 A Dobson Lay inspector 32616 K Crowther Team inspector English English as an additional language Special educational needs History Geography 17288 M Warner Team inspector Mathematics Information and communication technology (ICT) Music Design and technology Physical education

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Independent School Inspection Services (ISIS)

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

3, Harrowby Road, West Park, Leeds, LS16 5HN.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

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

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 8

Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 8

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities (ethos)

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL 11

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

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS 31

Beeston Hill St Luke’s CE Primary School 6

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OVERALL EVALUATION

This is a good school with some very good and occasionally excellent features. Attainment is in line with the national expectation in English, mathematics and science (core subjects) at the end of Year 6 and in Year 2. Pupils achieve well, because teaching and learning are good, particularly in the context of the significant barriers faced by the school, related to special educational needs and the movement of pupils in and out of the school in Years 5 and 6. Very good aspects, within the good leadership and management, have created strong teaching to cope with these difficulties. The school provides good value for money.

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The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

• the headteacher and deputy headteacher, supported by the assistant headteacher are outstanding in the way that they inspire pupils to learn and behave very well; • the school’s very good ethos includes the needs of all pupils very well, particularly those who have special educational needs; • additional opportunities within the curriculum have a very positive effect on pupils’ personal development; • some very good teaching, particularly in the nursery and reception classes (Foundation Stage) and in Years 5 and 6, provides a strong impetus for pupils’ learning; • pupils’ skills in speaking are not developed systematically; and • teaching does not involve pupils enough in discussing ways to improve their work.

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The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

The school has improved well since its last inspection in June 1999. The proportion of pupils reaching nationally expected levels has improved because the use of time in lessons is better organised and teaching contains a clear idea of what pupils need to do to improve. Pupils’ understanding of cultures other than their own is much improved.

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

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Pupils’ achievement is good. The national tests results of 2004 for pupils in Year 6 were generally average and pupils achieved at least as well as those in similar schools The below average grades in English are misleading since a significant minority of pupils enter the school in Years 5 and 6. Pupils that have an uninterrupted career in the school achieve well, and very well in many cases, to reach the nationally expected level. In Year 2, pupils have usually been below average, in national tests, in reading, writing and mathematics.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

The judgements made during the inspection show that currently:

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

• children in the Foundation Stage are on course to be below the nationally expected levels, except in personal and social development and in physical development where standards are likely to be average. However, they achieve well overall; Beeston Hill St Luke’s CE Primary School 7 • standards in reading, mathematics and science are average in Year 2. Achievement is good; and • standards in Year 6 are average in English, mathematics, science and all of the other subjects. Achievement is good overall, but very good in reading, writing and mathematics.

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Pupils’ personal qualities are very good. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural

development is very good. Attitudes and behaviour in lessons are very good: pupils respond very positively to the excellent lead shown by the senior leadership team. The school’s climate of respect and concern for everyone is very influential on pupils’ personal development. Attendance has improved significantly in the last three years but it remains below the national average, which is unsatisfactory. Punctuality is good.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The quality of education provided by the school is good. Teaching and learning are good. Teaching is good in the Foundation Stage, but is consistently very good and occasionally excellent in the reception class. Teaching in Years 1 to 6 is generally good, but very good in English and mathematics in Years 5 to 6. Pupils are given plenty of chances to speak in lessons, but teaching about how to improve the quality of speech is not consistent throughout the school. The assessment of pupils’ work is good, but pupils are not yet involved enough in talking about the progress they are making in the targets for their learning. The school looks after pupils very well. It works well with parents to enhance pupils’ achievements. The curriculum is generally good, and activities designed to broaden pupils’ experiences are very good. The accommodation is good and lessons are well resourced. The school employs many teaching assistants, who have a very positive effect on pupils’

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

learning, particularly on the learning of those who have special educational needs.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management are good. The headteacher, deputy headteacher, assistant headteacher and governors have worked very well to improve standards by devising systems to ensure that pupils’ learning is well suited to their individual needs. Subject leaders have had an impact in the core subjects, but several others are too new in post to have had a significant effect. The governing body fulfils its statutory duties and ensures that the school includes successfully all pupils and promotes racial equality well.

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Parents are very pleased with the school and its Christian ethos. Many appreciate, correctly, the way that their children make good progress. Pupils have a very good opinion of the school and talk with confidence about their work and personal development. They rightly feel that they are treated as valued individuals.

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

• introduce a systematic programme to improve pupils’ skills in speaking; • involve pupils more in discussing how their work could be improved; and • improve the rate of the pupils’ attendance. Beeston Hill St Luke’s CE Primary School 8

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Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

Pupils’ attainment in Year 6 is currently average, and their achievement is good. By the end of Year 2 standards are in line with national expectations and pupils achieve well. Standards by the end of the reception class are below the expected levels in most areas of learning, but the children are making good progress.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards have improved since 1999. • Pupils achieve well in most subjects. • Pupils who have special educational needs achieve very well as a result of the extra provision received. • Children achieve very well in personal, social and emotional development in the Foundation Stage. • Pupils’ achievement in talking about their ideas and learning is underdeveloped.

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Commentary

1. Pupils’ current attainment in Year 2 and Year 6 is in line with the national expectation for their age. This is an improvement on previous years when, in Year 2, pupils have invariably fallen below the national average and although results in Year 6 have been average overall, English has often been below average. In 2004, for example, pupils in Year 6 were below average in English but reached the required levels in mathematics and science. Pupils’ achievements are at least as good as those gained by those in similar schools. In 2004, pupils in Year 2 did better than these other pupils and in Year 6 they made progress at a similar speed, except in English. The current improvements in Year 2 and Year 6 reflect the hard work undertaken by the school in improving the writing, the benefit of small classes in Years 1 and 2 and the very positive effect of the provision, throughout the school, for pupils who have special educational

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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 15.4 (13.8) 15.8 (15.7)

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Commentary

There were 44 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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

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Commentary

Standards in: School results National results English 25.8 (26.4) 26.9 (26.8) mathematics 27.3 (27.4) 27.0 (26.8) science 29.2 (29.4) 28.6 (28.6) There were 41 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year Beeston Hill St Luke’s CE Primary School 9 2. Current attainment, in Year 2 and Year 6, represents good achievement in English, mathematics and science overall and very good achievement in mathematics in Year 6. The good and sometimes very good achievement in Year 6 is particularly significant owing to the amount of movement, in and out of school, among pupils in their final two years and the high proportion of pupils with special educational needs currently in Year 6. Teaching in English, for example, has often to provide relevant programmes designed to boost levels of attainment and help pupils catch up. The aspect of least achievement in English is pupils’ ability to speak

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Commentary

clearly and coherently about their ideas. The school has instigated some methods to improve matters in this respect, but they are not wide ranging enough or applied consistently. Thus, pupils find it hard to talk well about ideas in general and to summarise how well they think they have done in relation to the various objectives in lessons. In mathematics, the school has been very successful in raising the performance of pupils who might not, without individualised tuition, reach the expected level, and challenging those capable of higher attainment by teaching them in an accelerated way in small groups.

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Commentary

3. Pupils who have special educational needs achieve very well in relation to their prior attainment. Their achievement is very good because skilful assessments identify their individual needs and tasks are set that give them the opportunity to take small steps forward. Although they move more slowly towards the targets of their group matched against levels of the National Curriculum, their achievement is very good when consideration is given to their previous learning and individual needs. Although the school’s overall proportion of pupils who have special educational needs is broadly in line with the national average, there are some year groups in which the proportion is much higher. This is often compounded by the fact that academic needs are often accompanied by behavioural difficulties, particularly among boys.

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Commentary

4. Pupils have, until recently, made satisfactory progress in Years 1 and 2. New methods of organisation and teaching are beginning to have an influence on pupils’ attainment, which accounts for the current rise in standards. Pupils have thus made a noticeable improvement in their performance since the end of their reception year when they were below the nationally expected levels. Current standards by the end of the reception year are likely to be below the nationally expected level except in personal, social and emotional development and physical development where they are average. Nevertheless, this represents good achievement in all aspects except in personal, social and emotional development where achievement is very good because children start school with very few skills in this respect.

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Commentary

5. By the end of Year 2 and Year 6, standards beyond English, mathematics and science are average in all subjects. Pupils achieve well in most subjects by the end of Year 6. In art and design and physical education pupils’ achievement is satisfactory rather than good. This is because despite enjoying a wide range of activities at certain times of the year, the time for regular lessons is not quite enough to cover the work in sufficient depth to make achievement good. The school has begun to tackle a similar issue of the allocation of time in history and geography. However, pupils are achieving well in these subject in Year 6 because there are so many overlaps between literacy lessons, the subjects themselves and the special events such as the Europe and multi-cultural weeks. Gifted and talented pupils are well provided for and make good progress, particularly in mathematics, music and the clubs provided in

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Commentary

6. The school has a number of identifiable groups of pupils for whom it makes special provision beyond those who have special educational needs: children in public care; those who are learning to speak English as an additional language; and pupils from an ethnic minority heritage. These pupils achieve well because the number of teaching assistants employed is sufficient to work with those that need extra help and the school is very careful to keep a track on their progress and provide, with precision, any additional teaching that may be required. Beeston Hill St Luke’s CE Primary School 10

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities (ethos)

Pupils have a very positive attitude to school life and behave very well. Their personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is very good. Attendance levels are unsatisfactory although pupils’ punctuality is good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The school very effectively develops in the pupils a great enthusiasm for learning and an enjoyment of being at school. • Pupils’ behaviour is very good as a result of outstanding procedures that ensure the clear rules are applied fairly and consistently. • Pupils develop personal qualities that will be invaluable in later life, including good manners, a clear sense of right and wrong, self-discipline and an appreciation of Christian beliefs. • Attendance levels are unsatisfactory.

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Commentary

7. The school is a community built on clear and well-publicised rules. The pupils know exactly what is expected of them at all times: in the classroom, the playground and in their relations with others. The rules are an integral part of the school, for instance pupils chant their individual class rules twice a day. The rules, however, are not in any way oppressive but provide the very solid frame upon which the work of the school is built – and the results are very good.

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Commentary

8. The pupils’ behaviour is very good. The school has worked hard on the subject over a number of years and has produced sets of rules to cover all aspects of the school day. All staff apply these rules consistently and very fairly. Movement around the school is orderly, lessons are not disrupted and at play time the pupils are very friendly. The zoning of playgrounds into four well-supervised areas based on age groups together with very good supervision is very effective in managing the pupils’ behaviour. Pupils report no concerns of bullying or name- calling. Racism is not an issue at the school. There have been no exclusions in recent years.

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Commentary

9. Skilled teaching consistently generates an enthusiasm in the pupils for learning and as a result the pupils enjoy the lessons. The very positive attitude “I will try my best, I want to do well” extends throughout the school. During the school day, the building is a powerhouse of work with every available area being used for learning by classes or groups. This produces a very purposeful working environment where pupils are very proud of their achievements and the school.

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Commentary

10. Most pupils come from a deprived area of inner Leeds. The school is a haven of safety and good order and provides very well for the pupils’ personal development. Personal qualities based on strong Christian values are developed very effectively through good teaching, the application of the rules and continual positive recognition of effort. Pupils take the gaining of rewards very seriously. The rewards cover a wide range of activities, for instance from the class with the tidiest cloakroom to being polite to the catering staff. Pupils are constantly reminded of the difference between right and wrong in lessons, assemblies and their actions around the school. Honesty is encouraged by a rule common to many classes – “We always tell the truth even when we have done something wrong”. Spiritual development is fostered very well in assemblies and in prayer. For instance, in daily classroom prayers there is a high

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Commentary

level of enthusiasm amongst pupils to say a prayer to the rest of their class, and pupils are very respectful during prayers. The school places great emphasis on the quality of relationships and the development of social skills. Staff set very good examples. Pupils are polite and well mannered. They get on well with each other and with the many adults in the Beeston Hill St Luke’s CE Primary School 11 school. By Year 6, most pupils are sensible, confident and friendly and have a clear understanding of moral standards. Children in the reception classes benefit very well from the very good provision that is made to promote their personal qualities. The overall friendliness of everybody contributes greatly to the warm and supportive ethos of the school.

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Commentary

11. Provision for pupils to learn about other cultures, an area criticised in the previous report, is now good. For example, there are 12 different nationalities represented by pupils and the school ensures that pupils know about the cultures of these countries.

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Attendance

Attendance in the latest complete reporting year 2003/4 (%)

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Attendance

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data 5.9 School data 0.1 National data 5.1 National data 0.4 The table gives the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.

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Attendance

12. Attendance has been improving steadily due in part to the learning mentor rigorously applying the school’s effective procedures. However, the attendance rate for the school is still below that normally found in primary schools and consequently is unsatisfactory. Holidays in term time are significant, accounting for almost a fifth of absences. The management of registration is not yet computerised and this prevents the school from spotting immediately any patterns of absence.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

The school provides a good quality of education that includes good teaching and learning. The assessment of pupils’ work is good and this has helped to raise standards and improve teaching. There is a good curriculum which is very well enhanced by activities beyond the classroom. Pupils receive very good care, support and guidance and the school has a good partnership with parents and the community. Parents and pupils have a very good opinion of the school.

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Teaching and learning

Teaching and learning are good with some very good and occasionally excellent features. A range of good assessment methods has been introduced and these methods are working well to help teaching to improve pupils’ learning.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching has been improved very well since the last inspection. • The teaching of pupils who have special educational needs or higher attainment is very good. • Methods of assessment are often good, but pupils are not yet fully involved in assessing their own learning. • Lessons develop pupils’ skills in speaking satisfactorily, but teaching lacks precision in this respect.

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Commentary

13. The quality of teaching has improved very well on that found at the time of the last inspection. There is now no unsatisfactory teaching and the proportion of good and better teaching has increased very well. There have been some changes in staff since the last inspection and new staff have been inducted well in methods designed to raise standards. Parents and pupils are Beeston Hill St Luke’s CE Primary School 12 very positive about the way in which teaching has improved since 1999. Pupils are generally very proud of, and motivated by, their achievements in learning. There are ample rewards for success or just trying hard that culminate in being awarded small gifts or being able to spend tokens on much sought after items. Parents appreciate being kept well informed about their children’s progress and the fact that there are many opportunities for pupils to complete extra or revision work. For example, there are homework clubs, clubs for last minute boosting and

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Commentary

school holiday revision clubs – all of which reinforce the skills of learning begun in lessons.

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Commentary

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 39 lessons

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Commentary

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very poor

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Commentary

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

14. A central feature of the way teaching has improved is the way in which lessons are more productive because of the way that pupils are grouped. In Years 1 and 2, they are placed in small single-aged classes and in Years 3 to 6 they are grouped by their level of attainment rather than by their age. In both cases, each class is supported very well by teaching assistants who work mainly with pupils who have special educational needs. There is even a small group of pupils of Year 7 age in Year 6 who are taught in an entirely appropriate way by staff who understand their needs very well. Parents state that they are very pleased with the way that teaching has improved since the last inspection. Furthermore, learning is managed well within classrooms that are properly equipped and displayed with visual prompts designed to stimulate thought and action. Strong leadership and management have ensured that all

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Commentary

classrooms and lessons have an atmosphere of purposeful teaching and learning. Lessons are built around a clearly defined objective that is advertised well to pupils and which grows from useful plans for teaching. The development of pupils’ speech is a relative weakness in an otherwise positive profile. Pupils get many opportunities to speak in lessons, but teachers are only just beginning to introduce ways to teach skills more directly. This is a missing element of most lessons: teachers do not yet identify the successful elements of pupils’ verbal explanations, for example, so that other pupils can emulate them.

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Commentary

15. Learning is good and pupils are achieving well. Teachers know exactly where pupils are up to in their learning and what they need to do next. This information is collated very well by the headteacher who is able to direct teaching and check regularly on the progress that pupils are making. Similarly, the deputy headteacher uses this information to guide the teaching assistants in how to help pupils who have special educational needs . Work is well marked and this is a great improvement since the time of the last inspection when it was a key issue for development. Moreover, test pieces of work in English are marked in detail and, on these occasions, teachers provide useful comments and very clear guidance about what needs to be improved. The involvement of pupils in talking about their learning – how good it is or how it needs to be improved – is, by comparison, the weakest aspect of the school’s methods of

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Commentary

assessment. Even in the best lessons, pupils talk about what they are doing, but are not often asked to evaluate their progress against the lesson’s objective or ask questions about the work produced by others.

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Commentary

16. Pupils who have special educational needs are taught very well. This is because the teachers are very ably supported by assistants, who are inducted in the best methods to advance pupils’ learning. Moreover, pupils flourish because of the productive relationships between themselves and the adults who work with them. Exciting resources and tasks keep their interest and maintain their desire to learn. Joint planning between teachers and classroom assistants, supervised very well by the deputy headteacher, ensures that all adults are working effectively to achieve the same objectives. Moreover, special arrangements are often in place for the gifted and higher attaining pupils. For example, the headteacher teaches Beeston Hill St Luke’s CE Primary School 13 groups of pupils for mathematics in ways that challenge their thinking and prompt higher attainment.

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Commentary

17. The good, sometimes very good and occasionally excellent teaching in the Foundation Stage contains all of the successful elements found elsewhere in the school. The keynote of this provision is the rich array of resources, available for freely chosen play or for use in lessons with an adult, that are organised in such a way that children can use them and put things away with complete independence. This superb organisation fosters maturity and a sense of security among children that fires their confidence and desire to learn. The excellent lesson in the reception class involved children in sitting in a dark room (curtained off area) and viewing stuffed nocturnal animals by torch light. The key element of their top quality learning was the way in which teaching drew out from them words and phrases to describe what they saw. This development of children’s speech is similarly apparent in the nursery but it is not taught so

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Commentary

systematically. This is because planning in the nursery is not so precise in its intentions compared to lesson plans in the reception class.

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The curriculum

The school provides a good curriculum which is enriched very well by theme weeks and visitors to the school. Accommodation and resources are good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Provision for English, mathematics and science is good, except that there are too few planned opportunities for pupils to develop their skills at speaking. • The Foundation Stage curriculum is very good in personal, social and emotional development. • There is a very effective range of activities outside lessons, but too little time is spent on some subjects in lessons. • A large number of teaching assistants are very well deployed to very good effect. • There are good cross-curricular links, but information and communication technology (ICT) is not fully utilised in all subjects.

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Commentary

18. Curriculum provision is good throughout the school. The school’s timetable and curriculum are centred round the needs of the individual; as a result the school prepares pupils very thoroughly for the next stage in their education. The curriculum meets statutory requirements, including the provision for education concerning sex, relationships and drugs awareness. The curriculum for the children in the Foundation Stage ensures that their early experiences of school life are successful. Basic skills are established well and provision for personal development is very good. The outdoor facilities allow children to practise and reinforce learning in every aspect. Planning for lessons is good throughout the school, but the degree to which the development of pupils’ skills in expressing themselves verbally is planned for varies across the school and this limits the pupils’ achievement overall.

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Commentary

19. The curriculum is broad, balanced and strongly enriched in a variety of ways. Multi-cultural, geography and arts theme weeks provide pupils with time to study these subjects and aspects in depth and enable them to appreciate different cultures with enjoyment, for example through a wide variety of music from different countries. Pupils are also introduced to a very wide range of sports and dance. These special weeks make a strong contribution to pupils’ personal development. However, the weekly time allowed for teaching physical education falls short of that recommended nationally and thus achievement overall is not better than satisfactory. Similarly, achievement in art and design is satisfactory because too little time is devoted to it over the year, beyond the special events. Links across a range of subjects are developed well in lessons, although the use of ICT is not yet fully developed in mathematics,

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Commentary

Beeston Hill St Luke’s CE Primary School 14 art and design and music. For example, electronic keyboards are used in music, but pupils have had limited access to computer software for composition. The school provides an extensive range of clubs for pupils, including sporting and computing activities.

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Commentary

20. The school has improved the curriculum considerably since the last inspection. Planning for learning is good. Lessons, typically those in English, mathematics and science, are now longer so that pupils have adequate time to complete their work and there are now many opportunities for pupils to learn about different cultures. Improvements have also been made to the outside accommodation, particularly in provision for pupils’ play. The development of outside play facilities allows the fostering of appropriate relationships which have had a positive impact on teaching and learning. The school is a well-kept and stimulating learning environment. It provides bright, clean, modern accommodation with space to allow for whole class, group and individual teaching. The school is very well staffed with teaching assistants. These assistants, who often teach groups or individuals, are very well deployed and provided

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Commentary

with very apt plans for their work. The school has a well-resourced ICT room and very effectively used electronic whiteboards in four classrooms.

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Commentary

21. The school provides good personal, social, health education through the daily life of the school and through its well-planned sex and relationships education and drugs awareness programmes.

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Commentary

22. Provision for pupils who have special educational needs is very good and good for those learning English as an additional language. The school has rigorous procedures in place for meeting these pupils’ special academic needs and very effective measures for dealing with pupils’ behavioural difficulties. Pupils with a range of communication needs, including those who speak English as an additional language, attend the City Learning Centre each week to use its ICT facilities, which assist their achievement well.

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Commentary

23. Some parents, at the pre-inspection meeting, expressed a concern about the lack of links with the community and the limited number of visits pupils make. Inspectors found that the school has very close links with the church and arranges that a large number of visitors to the school widen pupils’ horizons. Moreover, pupils make a good number of visits annually.

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Care, guidance and support

Pupils are very well cared for and receive a very good level of support in their academic and personal development. The school is very good at listening to and acting appropriately on pupils’ views.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils are looked after very well in a very caring environment. • Child protection matters are taken very seriously. • Pupils are given a very high level of support as a result of clear knowledge of each child and very well executed procedures. • Pupils’ views are considered important. • Procedures for promoting good attendance are not fully effective.

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Commentary

24. Pupils learn in a strong caring environment based firmly on Christian principles, which has improved well since the last inspection. Supervision is very good at all times. Parents report, correctly, that the level of care given to their children is a strength of the school. The school has a high level of expertise in matters of child protection. The responsible person is very well Beeston Hill St Luke’s CE Primary School 15 trained and ensures that all staff are familiar with current good practice in the subject. Relationships with outside agencies are very good in this respect.

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Commentary

25. Pupils receive a very high level of personal support because the school has a good number of staff to make sure that the very effective procedures for keeping a close eye on pupils, particularly the more vulnerable ones, are effective. Relationships are very good and pupils are used to working in small groups with staff whom they trust and get on well with. Academic progress is closely tracked and pupils are offered additional help when required. A dedicated group of staff, led by the deputy headteacher, examines in detail, once a week, all pupils who need extra help, including those who have special educational needs and those who are learning English as an additional language. This group decides how each pupil can best be supported. This method is very effective in making sure no pupil slips through the net and that clear plans are devised and implemented. As a result pupils’ behaviour around the school is

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Commentary

improved and many grow in self-esteem. Effective use is made of awards and letters to parents about their children to show recognition of success. Class discussions are used well for specific issues, for instance if a problem of name-calling occurs. Pupils’ reports, particularly the sections dealing with personal development, are well written and confirm the emphasis the school places on qualities such as politeness and setting a good example.

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Commentary

26. There are several measures used to check on pupils’ attendance and improve it, but the speed at which this can take place is limited because the records are not computerised. Moreover, not enough is done to advertise the fact that a significant proportion of absence is related to holidays in term time.

p.15

Commentary

27. The school has a very good feel for what pupils like and what they would like to change. Pupils chat easily to all the staff, including the headteacher, and additionally the school uses questionnaires to gauge the opinion of the pupils. As a result of the most recent questionnaire improvements have taken place to the toilets and to the playground. Pupils decide their individual class rules annually and this contributes to their very good behaviour. Pupils report that the school listens very well to their views.

p.15

Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

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

p.15

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Parents have a very high opinion of the school. • Parents are kept very well informed of their child’s progress, but lack specific information on how to help their child to improve. • Pupils benefit from good community links, particularly with the local church.

p.15

Commentary

28. Parents are very pleased with the school. They get on well with the headteacher and find the rest of the staff very approachable. They also like the progress their children make, the way the school teaches high moral standards and the very good behaviour of the children.

p.15

Commentary

29. Parents are kept very well informed of their child’s progress through meetings and reports. Annual reports are well written and free from educational jargon. Progress is clearly stated together with the level of the National Curriculum that the child is working at in English, mathematics and science. Suggested areas for development, however, are often not specific enough to allow parents to be actively involved in their child’s learning. The recent introduction of a mid-year report is a very good innovation that came into being in response to a Beeston Hill St Luke’s CE Primary School 16 questionnaire for parents. These reports allow parents to monitor progress easily, but the lack of detailed targets inhibits greater parental involvement in their child’s learning.

p.15

Commentary

30. The school has close links with St Luke’s church and other churches in the area. Visitors from local churches, who take assemblies once a week, are popular with the pupils and help to broaden their horizons. The local and wider community was involved in a school’s multi- cultural week which successfully developed the pupils’ understanding of other people’s music, designs and tastes. Pupils’ skills in football and rugby league are developed effectively through regular contacts with local professional clubs. The school’s positive partnerships with parents and the community have been maintained well since the last inspection.

p.16

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management are good. Leadership and management of the headteacher, deputy and assistant headteacher, are very good with outstanding features. The leadership and management of the subject leaders are good. The governance of the school is good.

p.16

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Outstanding leadership has created a very positive ethos. • Governors play a good role in assuring the school’s development. • The curriculum is managed in effective ways, but some innovations are too new to have had an effect. • The monitoring of lessons is undertaken comprehensively, but not always in enough depth.

p.16

Commentary

31. The ethos created within the school is very good. Pupils behave very well and possess very positive attitudes in work and play. The maturity shown by them, even when not directly supervised, is striking. The achievement of pupils in this respect is remarkable since a significant proportion have difficulties in controlling their behaviour owing to emotional difficulties. Furthermore, the school is orientated strongly around the academic needs of pupils. The creation of class groups, for example, is conducted in a way that pays particular attention to pupils’ previous achievements. This carefully considered placement of pupils, in an effort to raise standards, and the creation of a very good ethos, results from the outstanding leadership shown by the headteacher and the deputy headteacher. Parents and pupils acknowledge correctly the strong guiding hand behind the school’s ethos and positive Christian character. This is not just a school that looks after pupils very well. It does so with a

p.16

Commentary

steadfast commitment to raise standards and this, it well knows, cannot be done unless pupils demonstrate their own desire to learn.

p.16

Commentary

32. The provision for pupils who have special educational needs is very well co-ordinated by the deputy headteacher, but relies on the very close working together of staff, parents and pupils. The dovetailing of the many initiatives designed to help these pupils make speedy progress is the product of very good management throughout the school. This individualised work for pupils who have special educational needs is facilitated very well by the many teaching assistants employed by the school who work most productively with groups of pupils. This kind of provision is part of a wider, coherent, plan by the school to maximise the achievements of all pupils, for example those capable of higher attainment and those learning English as an additional language.

p.16

Commentary

33. Underlying the very inclusive atmosphere, which exists throughout the school, is a common commitment by all staff, many of whom lead well in their areas of responsibility. The quality of teaching, particularly in Years 5 and 6, is very well led and orchestrated by the assistant headteacher who sets a notable example of care and academic rigour. Elsewhere, subject Beeston Hill St Luke’s CE Primary School 17 leaders manage and lead with enthusiasm and a good knowledge of the school, but many have not been in post for long enough to have seen the full benefit of their efforts. This energetic commitment to improvement is present in all subjects and areas of learning, but where some ideas have developed over time pupils’ learning has been advantaged well. For example, the science subject leader has introduced a form of lesson planning that is already creating good opportunities for pupils to sharpen their skills in testing out scientific ideas.

p.16

Commentary

Furthermore, the drive to introduce electronic whiteboards into classes is having an immediate effect on pupils’ knowledge and motivation.

p.17

Commentary

34. The school has inducted quickly new subject leaders into its system of monitoring teaching and learning. This comprehensive system, which includes the checking on teaching, learning, lesson planning, assessments and pupils’ work, is useful in that it identifies aspects of teaching and learning that could be improved. For example, the English subject leader has instigated a regular and detailed assessment of pupils’ writing from which are derived targets for individual pupils. This is beginning to have an effect on the standards reached by pupils at the end of Year 2 and Year 6, particularly because teachers’ individual assessments are checked well by a member of the senior leadership team.

p.17

Commentary

35. Despite the comprehensive nature of this monitoring, it contains some weaknesses that limit its effect overall. A core of staff, including the headteacher, observes teaching regularly and offers helpful advice to the individuals concerned. However, this advice is concerned with what is observed at the time and not referenced to the assessment of pupils’ work, issues related to standards of achievement or whole-school points for development, such as pupils’ speech. As a result the potential for this system in raising standards is restricted.

p.17

Commentary

36. The Foundation Stage is managed well overall. Children receive an exciting curriculum and achieve well over the two years. Good leadership and management ensure that children’s education is not disrupted at all when they move from one site to another at the end of their time in nursery. Links between the two sites are strong and teaching is consistent in its approach. Day-to-day management is very good, but leadership is good overall because there are some issues that the new co-ordinator has not had time to tackle. The school cannot be precise about the exact value added by the Foundation Stage because it has not yet evaluated the data provided by the national system of profiling children. The school’s system of assessment tells teachers where children are up to, but not what kind of achievement this represents. Furthermore, the very detailed planning of lessons in the reception class is not replicated in depth in the nursery. Teaching is good in the nursery but very good in the

p.17

Commentary

reception class, partly because documentation gives a little more detail of what children need to do to make progress, particularly in talking about their experiences.

p.17

Commentary

37. Teaching has improved well since 1999. This has been brought about, partly, by the effective performance management of staff. Teachers work towards apt objectives that are based on helpful discussion. Furthermore, the headteacher has been effective in providing some time for teachers away from the class to prepare for lessons, reflect on their teaching and fulfil their managerial responsibilities. Governors are closely involved in all developments. Their good work has helped to raise standards. They employ very effective systems with which to get to know how the school is performing, including regularly observing lessons. Statutory duties are implemented in full including the provision of a race equality policy that is monitored regularly. There is an effective policy for sex and relationships education and drugs’ awareness . Governors consult well and have an outward looking approach that compares the school with

p.17

Commentary

others in a similar position. Beeston Hill St Luke’s CE Primary School 18 Financial information for the year April 2003 to March 2004

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Commentary

Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 823,770 Balance from previous year - 20,840 Total expenditure 785,776 Balance carried forward to the next 17,154 Expenditure per pupil 2237

p.18

Commentary

38. Finances are well managed. The deficit in 2002/3 was due to a vastly inflated and incorrect utilities bill, which was rectified in 2003/4. Spending on pupils is broadly average and value for money is good because pupils achieve well. Beeston Hill St Luke’s CE Primary School 19

p.18

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Provision in the Foundation Stage is good. Children are admitted into the nursery class when they are three and transfer to the reception class when they are four. The lively and interesting curriculum is well planned to provide a wide range of interesting and relevant activities, which are well matched to the children’s needs. These are carefully balanced between activities that children choose for themselves and those that are directed by adults. Teaching is generally good, often very good and occasionally excellent. The classrooms are full of exciting, and expertly organised, areas in which the children can learn through educational play that is fun and purposeful. Good leadership by the recently appointed co-ordinator has ensured that good links exist between the nursery and reception classes, which are on two sites. However, there is still more to do to improve the assessment of children’s progress to make learning even more effective. Children’s progress is

p.19

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

monitored closely day to day; staff, including teaching assistants, know the children well. Work is well assessed and annotated with useful comments to help parents see what progress has been made. A good photographic record of children’s achievements is kept that helps teachers assess performance at the end of the year. An effective partnership with parents has been created. Parents speak well of the provision. Improvement has been good since the last inspection.

p.19

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in personal, social and emotional development is very good .

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Adults set high expectations for children’s work and behaviour and children achieve very well as a result. • Children flourish because the organisation of their learning develops their independence. • Occasionally, younger children lack the chance to gain confidence in class gatherings.

p.19

Commentary

39. As a result of the very good teaching and learning in this area, children achieve very well and most are on course to reach the expected goals by the time they leave reception. Many children are only just beginning to concentrate hard and take their turn when they start in the nursery class. They learn quickly to relate well to adults in school and by the time they are in reception children show confidence in the way that they act socially: most listen very well, relate really well to adults and other children and wait while others speak. Many show great spirit in their learning. For example, in one lesson, children in nursery were pretending to time each other while circuiting the play ground on tricycles. They whooped with delight at calling out the time and trying to beat the clock. Teaching in both classes establishes high expectations for children’s behaviour and attitudes to learning. Children respond very well to

p.19

Commentary

these expectations. They are particularly good at collecting and looking after their own resources for an activity such as when children in the reception class tried to build cages for a wild animal. Children’s social and emotional development is fostered very well because the classrooms are so well organised that they feel secure on the knowledge that they know where everything is and how it should be looked after. The system of rewards and reinforcements for following the class rules works very well, particularly in the reception class in which children act maturely in talking about their own achievements and those of others.

p.19

Commentary

40. Sometimes, the older and more vocal children in the nursery class dominate class conversations and this leaves too little time for the less confident children to have their say. Teaching is responsive to these situations and emphasises the need to take turns, but Beeston Hill St Luke’s CE Primary School 20 occasionally there are missed opportunities for some children to improve their confidence when the class is talking together.

p.19

COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Provision in communication, language and literacy is good .

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children make good progress in speaking and listening, but plans to develop speech in the nursery class lack precision. • The teaching of early reading and writing skills is good and enables children to develop well. • There are missed opportunities for children to talk about their learning.

p.20

Commentary

41. Teaching and learning are good and, as a result, most children achieve well. They are not on course to reach the nationally expected level by the end of reception, but their progress is good. Children’s powers of oral communication are quite weak when they start school. They get off to a good start because most learn to listen well and the activities in the nursery are so exciting. Some teaching in the nursery class produces very good results in terms of children’s speech, but on other occasions questions are not probing enough to elicit children’s ideas. This is because lesson plans lack clear enough guidance for all the adults involved. Children’s ability to talk coherently advances rapidly in the reception class as a result of the greater emphasis it receives. Reading advances well because letter sounds are taught systematically and in an enjoyable fashion. Consequently, many children in the reception class can spot

p.20

Commentary

sounds at the beginning and end of words and some can read key words in a text. Teaching produces in children a familiarity with books and most talk enthusiastically about pictures and text. They are not on course to reach the nationally expected level because many children still find it hard to read enough words to make sense of a text on their own, but they have gained a sound knowledge of how words are built up and have acquired a love of books and the idea of reading.

p.20

Commentary

42. Children make good progress in writing. Very few have much knowledge of words when they start school. They enjoy immensely the many informal opportunities to write in the nursery class and the more formalised ‘Talking Book’ system in the reception class whereby children write an ongoing correspondence with a teaching assistant. They discover the delights of writing to an audience. Only the higher attaining children will reach the required level by the end of the year. They can write a short sentence in which about half of the words can be read without the child there to interpret. Other children make spirited attempts, but individual words are not yet so clear. Children talk well while they are completing tasks, but the time devoted to rewarding their behaviour often leaves too little time for them to talk about how well they have done in relation to the lesson’s objective.

p.20

MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in mathematical development is good .

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children achieve well because mathematics is so well planned and integrated into many activities. • There are missed opportunities for children to talk about their learning. • Educational play is used well to reinforce learning. Beeston Hill St Luke’s CE Primary School 21

p.20

Commentary

43. Children achieve well in response to the good quality of teaching and learning; most are not on course to reach the expected goals by the end of the reception year. Mathematical activities are fun and well integrated into classroom games. For example, older children in the nursery can count to six (on the face of a die) and relish the chance of using this knowledge in board games such as Hickory Dickory Dock. For example, in one lesson children moved the mouse up the clock correctly and responded well to questions like, “Do you think James can reach the top of the clock by moving six places?” Very good teaching guaranteed that children got the most out of the activity. By the time children are in the reception class they can talk well about mathematics. For example, they were very keen to make a tally of the goals scored, in a penalty shoot out, by their class mates who were in competition with the teacher.

p.21

Commentary

Very good teaching capitalises on children’s growing confidence when, for example, they are expected to cycle round the playground and park their bicycles in number order. Higher attaining children can manage to complete this task with numbered bikes that range from 7 to 13. Most children develop their use of numbers well, but are not on course to reach the expected levels because they find it hard to talk in a generalised way about ‘more than’ and ‘less than’ or carry out simple mental calculations.

p.21

Commentary

44. Children have good opportunities to use computers for mathematical games, which help to develop confidence and mental agility. Educational play is used well to reinforce what is learnt about mathematics. For example, counting is a regular feature of songs and other activities. However, there are some missed opportunities for consolidating their learning. For example, in some lessons, children learn about the mathematical idea well, but lack an immediate opportunity to judge how well they have done or to talk with another child or an adult about how successful they have been.

p.21

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Provision in knowledge and understanding of the world is good .

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

• A practical and interesting curriculum ensures that children achieve well. • Some excellent teaching in the reception class promotes very rapid learning. • The use of ICT in the nursery is limited by the lack of an electronic whiteboard.

p.21

Commentary

45. An interesting and wide-ranging curriculum is taught well, resulting in good learning. Most children will not reach the nationally expected levels by the end of their reception year, but their achievement is good. A good range of practical tasks helps to compensate for children’s general lack of experience and knowledge when they start school. The use of computers in the classrooms is good and children in the reception class benefit greatly through the use of an electronic whiteboard. Those in the nursery class do not have the same advantage and thus their learning is less visually exciting.

p.21

Commentary

46. Children in the nursery and reception classes thoroughly enjoy collaborating in activities designed to broaden their knowledge of the world. Various events give an imaginative slant to their studies. For example, a pretend underwater party was used as a vehicle for learning about the sea, water safety and marine life. Furthermore, children have studied Japanese culture by acting out key aspects of Japanese religious festivals. They learn a great deal about life around them through visits from fire-fighters and road safety officers. A project on nocturnal animals has helped children to understand how and why animals behave in the way that they do. This has been enhanced by the high quality stuffed toys that they have been able to play with and talk about. Actual stuffed creatures were used excellently in the reception Beeston Hill St Luke’s CE Primary School 22 class to promoted discussion and understanding. Children loved finding things out in the class

p.21

Commentary

darkroom by shining torches on the animals and their name tags.

p.22

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in physical development is good .

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children generally make good progress when handling small equipment. • Outside areas are beneficial to children’s physical, social and imaginative development.

p.22

Commentary

47. Most children are on course to meet the expected goals by the end of the year after having entered the school at a below average level. They achieve well as a result of the good teaching they receive. Children achieve well because their manipulative skills are developed through regular opportunities to cut, colour, thread objects and make things. As a result some children in the nursery class showed skill in spooning out carefully precise measures of powder paint and in the reception class children designed and made a model of Santa’s sleigh at Christmas time. They have frequent and well-organised opportunities to develop muscle power and co-ordination when using the areas outside their classrooms. Both classes have well-equipped outside play areas that are used regularly to develop physical and imaginative well-being.

p.22

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Provision in creative development is good .

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children’s achievement in painting, drawing and singing is good. • Teaching gives good direct help to children to act out make-believe situations, but children are sometimes held back by a lack of challenge to express themselves.

p.22

Commentary

48. Most children are not on course to reach the expected goals for their age by the end of the year. However, their achievement is good as a result of the good quality of teaching and learning that exists. Children get plenty of opportunities to use a range of materials and tools. The good progress they make is also a result of the timely advice and encouragement they receive from teachers and their assistants. For example, children in the nursery class have produced some successful pictures of nocturnal animals using paint, pastels and crayon. Occasionally, children are not prompted enough to talk about what they are doing because lesson plans give too little direction, but where teaching capitalises on the moment some very beneficial learning takes place. For example, one child was attempting to mix grey to depict the fur on a badger and the discussion was cleverly steered to the attributes of all nocturnal

p.22

Commentary

creatures. Singing is frequently developed during lesson time in mathematics, for example. A strength of creative development is the well-organised facilities for children to dress up and use their imagination through role-play. Children in the reception class deepen their knowledge of literature by acting out stories in costumes such as ‘The Tiger Who Came to Tea’ or playing in the ice cave when studying a topic on water. Beeston Hill St Luke’s CE Primary School 23

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The subject is very well led and managed. • Successful methods are having a very positive effect in raising standards. • Pupils achieve very well at reading and writing, particularly in Years 5 and 6. • Teaching assistants deliver very effective programmes to help pupils who have special educational needs. • Pupils do not have enough opportunities to develop the way that they talk about their ideas. • Teaching provides too few opportunities for pupils to evaluate their learning.

p.23

Commentary

49. The 2004 results, in national tests, were below the national average at the end of Year 6 and at the end of Year 2. This represents a common pattern in the school’s results when compared to those attained by pupils’ nationally. Pupils in Year 2 usually achieve well compared to those in similar schools. In 2004, pupils’ achievement, in Year 6, compared to pupils in similar schools was below average. However, pupils in Year 6 often achieve very well, despite the fact that the progress of pupils who join the school in Years 5 and 6 is often affected adversely by a lack of time to make up for any lost ground.

p.23

Commentary

50. Current standards are average in Year 2 and Year 6, and pupils achieve well. Pupils achieve very well, in reading and writing, by Year 6, due to very good teaching methods and the effective method of placing pupils in classes according to their level of attainment in Years 3 to 6. Pupils who have special educational needs consistently make very good progress due to the very well deployed and able teaching assistants. Furthermore, pupils who are learning English as an additional language make consistently good progress. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 are advantaged by being taught in small classes with additional help from teaching assistants who regularly teach reading, individually or in small groups.

p.23

Commentary

51. The pupils’ skills at reading prosper because books are used that pupils find stimulating and the imaginative use of electronic whiteboards, to help demonstrate successful reading, is a regular feature in lessons in Years 5 and 6. Pupils attain good standards in reading and make very good progress. Teaching shows confidence in guiding pupils to read with understanding. They enjoy reading and speak well about the books and other resources the school provides.

p.23

Commentary

52. The development of pupils’ writing is a particular focus throughout the school because this has traditionally been an aspect of lower attainment. Teachers employs a new, and successful, system of assessing, in detail, set pieces of work and setting specific targets for improvement. As a result, pupils make very good progress due to this form of stimulating, enthusiastic and challenging teaching. Furthermore, pupils’ writing and reading benefit from well-planned lessons, which include different approaches to learning so that pupils with varying interests can make good progress.

p.23

Commentary

53. Many pupils have a limited vocabulary. The method of placing pupils in pairs for discussion is enabling them to practise expressing themselves well, but there are too few other means by which they can talk about their ideas and opinions in detail. Sometimes opportunities are missed within lessons to extend and exemplify vocabulary. The system of setting personal targets for pupils’ reading and writing is useful, but underdeveloped in the respect of pupils’ Beeston Hill St Luke’s CE Primary School 24 speech. A common shortcoming in lessons is the lack of opportunity for pupils to talk about how well they think they have done in their work.

p.23

Commentary

54. Teaching is generally good, but very good for pupils in Years 5 and 6, where superb relationships exist between adults and pupils. Teachers tackle difficult concepts with vigour, and expectations of the pupils are consistently high. Pupils in these classes are becoming adept at using different styles of writing. For example, pupils in a Year 6 lesson mastered the art of instructional writing very quickly because teaching was so well organised, relationships were very good and pupils responded so enthusiastically to the reward system in the classroom. Good teaching contains these elements but they are not so well developed and sharply focused.

p.24

Commentary

55. The talented, tenacious and very able subject leader provides very good leadership and management. She is relentless in her quest to ensure that all pupils at the school achieve as much progress as they are able. As a result of her meticulous endeavours, very good mechanisms operate in school which challenge pupils to achieve their best. The subject leader knows exactly what needs improving and how to do it. Improvement since the last inspection has been good. Some measures have been introduced to improve pupils’ speech, but the school knows that this is the aspect in which more progress is needed. Reading records are very thorough and all staff set great importance in ensuring that all pupils succeed with their reading. A very useful collection of pupils’ writing helps teaching to pinpoint exactly what constitutes good achievement and this helps to raise expectations for individuals. Pupils’ progress is being recorded and analysed closely to ensure that good progress is made

p.24

Language and literacy across the curriculum

56. Pupils have good opportunities to use and develop their skills in reading and writing in other subjects. For example, pupils read widely, and writing is used well to communicate information learnt in the school’s history, geography and multi-cultural weeks. There are fewer chances for pupils to extend their powers of speech. There is, for example, a lack of regular drama in subjects like history and geography.

p.24

MATHEMATICS

Provision for mathematics is very good .

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The quality of teaching and learning is generally good, but very good in Years 5 and 6. • Very good support is given to individuals, to small groups and to pupils outside lesson times. • Pupils achieve very well by the end of Year 6. • There are too few opportunities for pupils to evaluate their own work.

p.24

Commentary

57. In Year 6, standards in national tests in 2004 were average and pupils did as well as those in similar schools. In Year 2, standards were below the national average, but above that found in similar schools. There has been an improvement in how well pupils are doing in Years 1 and 2 and standards are currently average in Year 2. This good achievement results from the good teaching pupils receive, the small classes in which they are taught and their very positive attitudes and behaviour. Pupils in Year 6, currently, reach average standards, as a result of being given a considerable amount of extra help. This represents very good achievement for these pupils because there is a high proportion of pupils who have special educational needs in Year 6. The placing of pupils in classes by attainment, in Years 5 and 6, has had a strong Beeston Hill St Luke’s CE Primary School 25 influence over the speed at which pupils make progress. Teaching is able to be more effective

p.24

Commentary

under these circumstances. Moreover, about half of the pupils in Year 6 also receive extra teaching in homework clubs, in holiday courses and in special groups within the school day. This advantages all pupils, but particularly those that have moved schools.

p.25

Commentary

58. Gifted and higher attaining pupils are taught, and achieve, very well. This relatively small group learns at a fast pace, particularly in the way that they use their skills in arithmetic to solve problems. Pupils from ethic minority groups are amongst the most able in mathematics. Despite this swift progress, standards are relatively lower in data handling, particularly for the most able pupils.

p.25

Commentary

59. The quality of teaching has improved since the last inspection. The keynote of the good teaching is the well-organised balance between class teaching, group work and paired discussion. This is achieved well with the beneficial contribution of teaching assistants. The well-directed discussion helps to consolidate mathematical ideas. For example, in a Year 2 lesson pupils made rapid progress in understanding the nature of reflective symmetry because practical tasks were so well designed for different levels of attainment, pupils were so engrossed in their work and discussion was so purposeful. However, opportunities are generally missed in teaching to intervene in conversations to develop the pupils’ skills in talking about ideas and to encourage an evaluation of learning at the end of lessons. The very good teaching in Year 5 and 6 is characterised by the particular strength in matching of challenge to the needs of the vastly different groups of pupils, whether learning about the 24-

p.25

Commentary

hour clock, or ratio, or finding ratios, or solving problems involving fractions. Higher attaining pupils are challenged very well and lower attaining pupils are given all the support possible to help them reach the national expected standards. No time is lost in lessons when lower attaining pupils have particular difficulty with a concept, as pupils know that the teacher is available at lunch time and after school to go through their problems with them. Two additional classes are run each week for Year 6 pupils and many stay for these.

p.25

Commentary

60. Improvement since the last inspection has been good, particularly in the respect of marking. Teachers, in all year groups, provide helpful comments in pupils’ books. In Year 6, work is very well marked for the lower and higher attaining pupils. Furthermore, work is very well presented. Pupils enjoy their lessons and take a pride in their work. Pupils get longer to complete their work in lessons which is an improvement since 1999.

p.25

Commentary

61. The subject is very well led and managed. The subject leader has observed lessons, and monitored the curriculum to ensure progressions and plans with teachers. The role of teaching assistants is also fundamental to the success of the subject. They are deployed very carefully to be of maximum benefit to individuals and groups at different times during a lesson. Assessment is used very well indeed to provide for the needs of every pupil. The provision for pupils who have special educational needs is very good.

p.25

Mathematics across the curriculum

62. Pupils use their skills in mathematics satisfactorily across the curriculum. Pupils’ arithmetic skills are used soundly in design and technology for drawing and measuring and in science for calculating results and presenting graphs. A relative weakness exists in using computers for tables and spreadsheets. Pupils get practice at this in the new computer room, but have fewer opportunities to follow this up in the classroom.

p.25

SCIENCE

Provision for science is good . Beeston Hill St Luke’s CE Primary School 26

p.25

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils achieve well throughout the school. • Teaching has improved since 1999. • Pupils with special educational needs achieve very well. • Pupils’ skills in talking about their work and evaluating it are often underdeveloped. • Leadership is good, but the monitoring of teaching is not focused enough.

p.26

Commentary

63. Pupils’ attainment, when compared to that achieved nationally, in 2004 was below average in Year 2 and average in Year 6. Pupils did particularly well by the end of Year 6 to attain these results because of the high proportion of pupils who with special educational needs and the significant numbers of pupils that joined the school after Year 3 and who needed to be taught in an accelerated fashion. Pupils’ results in Year 2 demonstrate only a satisfactory level of achievement at best. Higher attaining pupils did well, but too many pupils were just under the nationally expected level.

p.26

Commentary

64. Current attainment is better in Year 2 because more pupils meet the national expectations. Pupils are reaching nationally expected levels and this represents good achievement. By the end of Year 6, pupils are as knowledgeable as usual about scientific ideas, but have made advances in their ability to conduct scientific tests owing to the improved guidance for teachers produced by the subject leader. Pupils who have special educational needs are often achieving very well. Classes are arranged so that pupils are grouped in ways that allow teaching to be geared effectively to their needs and teachers’ assistants are adept at making sure that the pupils make very good progress. Pupils who are learning English as an additional language make good progress, often achieving as well, and sometimes better, than pupils for whom English is their first language.

p.26

Commentary

65. Methods of teaching have improved since the school’s last inspection. The subject leader has developed some good guidance that makes lessons more productive than they were. Lessons were criticised in the past for not making sure that pupils’ learning was organised well. Learning is now clearly delineated in each lesson. The teaching assistants’ role is well established and pupils engage in well-organised practical work. The very best teaching also incorporates the valuable use of electronic whiteboards to teach pupils the basis for scientific ideas in a visually exciting way. Very good lessons are characterised by an atmosphere of complete dedication to the investigation in hand. Pupils learn in groups that are closely guided by clearly worded objectives. For example, in a Year 5 lesson pupils made rapid progress in their learning about solids, liquids and the melting point through investigation and were

p.26

Commentary

consequently able to answer test questions that were well displayed on the electronic whiteboard at the end of the lesson.

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Commentary

66. Even the best teaching does not always use the lesson as a vehicle to help improve pupils’ ability to vocalise ideas. Pupils find it hard to talk about what they have discovered, to be able to generalise from these findings and to summarise how well they think they have done in relation to the lesson’s objectives. Teaching is not organised well enough to reinforce pupils’ good efforts in this respect and to promote even better evaluation. The school is aware that this is a priority and has made some advances by incorporating the use of pupils talking in pairs to rehearse their ideas before communicating them to the whole class. This relative weakness in very good lessons takes on a greater significance in satisfactory teaching because it is sometimes associated with a reticence to teach pupils how to make choices about how they communicate their ideas on paper as well as through speech. This was true in

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Commentary

some lessons in Year 1 and Year 2 in which pupils were excited to learn about how foodstuffs changed when heated or frozen, but not enough was demanded of them to review what they Beeston Hill St Luke’s CE Primary School 27 had learnt. This often limited the progress made by higher attaining pupils. Generally, in satisfactory teaching pupils acquire the necessary knowledge but do not take enough responsibility for their investigations, for how they communicate their ideas and for the nature of their evaluations.

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Commentary

67. The leadership of the subject is good because the subject leader has effectively tackled all of the issues noted at the last inspection and improved pupils’ achievement throughout the school. The monitoring of teachers’ planning is good but the checking on teaching in lessons, whist generally helpful, has not yet focused on issues related to achievement and the uneven development of pupils’ speech and skills in scientific evaluation.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

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

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching is good with some very good features and pupils achieve well. • Pupils who have special educational needs are supported well and higher attaining pupils receive additional challenges. • Good cross-curricular links are made in the computer room, which cannot always be followed up fully in classes. • Lessons do not include enough time for pupils to talk about what they have done and to evaluate their progress.

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Commentary

68. There have been good improvements since the last inspection, the most notable of which has been the establishment of a well-resourced room where ICT can be taught to an entire class. Pupils reach average standards by the end of Years 2 and 6, which represents good achievement throughout the school.

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Commentary

69. Teaching and learning have improved since the last inspection. They are good across the school with some very good teaching in Years 3 to 6. The new ICT room is particularly beneficial because teachers can demonstrate a new skill to all pupils before they demonstrate a new skill before pupils get a chance to practise it. As a result of the effective teaching pupils make good gains in their skills and knowledge at a swift pace. For example, in a Year 3 and 4 lesson, pupils learnt how to cut and paste a picture and write a story about it, and produced more than one page of a book in a relatively short time. Furthermore, in Year 2 some pupils worked at speed typing six lines of a story as well as saving a picture and printing the work during the space of one short lesson. Sometimes teaching is very good when extremely well- directed teaching has an immediate effect and pupils race ahead. This is usually because the

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Commentary

teaching possesses a specialist skill as a result of effective induction within the school. Higher attaining pupils in Year 6, for example, were able to correct their own work when a hyperlink did not work. Pupils who find difficulties in their work are very well supported by teaching assistants and make very good progress as a result. Pupils who are learning English as an additional language make good progress because instructions are so clear, and work, which often links subjects together, has been planned in a logical fashion. The main weakness in teaching occurs during the end-of-lesson review. Pupils are not encouraged to evaluate what they have learned during the lesson. This omission limits their ability to both assess their own work and develop powers of expression generally.

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Commentary

70. Leadership and management are good overall, but the subject leader is particularly effective at inspiring teachers about the subject and making sure that the school is acquiring the most Beeston Hill St Luke’s CE Primary School 28 appropriate equipment. For example, the electronic whiteboards have been successfully employed in some classes and other staff are eager and well prepared for the arrival of theirs. The subject leader introduces software well after testing it out and discussing its effectiveness with colleagues in other local schools. The subject is monitored well. Pupils’ work is well checked to judge the levels achieved and the quality of teaching provided. Checking in this way has provided some valuable insights. For example, it was discovered that the curriculum was being taught well in general, but that learning was weakest in using computers to compile tables and spreadsheets. This relative weakness has been, correctly, placed in the school’s

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Information and communication technology across the curriculum

71. Pupils’ skills in ICT are sound and are used satisfactorily in other subjects. Resources for teaching and learning are good and facilitate learning in a range of subjects when the pupils have access to the computer room. On these occasions, some valuable learning takes place in which pupils use ICT for learning in other subjects, for example history and geography. However, pupils are not always able to continue this work in their own classrooms in any depth because there are too few computers for all pupils to use them regularly. As a result, opportunities in subjects such as mathematics, art and design and music are limited. The subject is enriched weekly by a popular computer club.

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HUMANITIES

No lessons were observed in geography and one in history, therefore it is not possible to make a judgement about provision in these subjects. However, pupils’ work was evaluated and discussions were held with the subject leaders and pupils.

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HUMANITIES

72. Pupils’ standards in geography meet national expectations by the end of Year 6 , which represents good achievement. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 have a good knowledge and understanding of the principal ideas behind global citizenship, being involved in letter writing to children at a link school in Romania. They have a growing appreciation of how well mathematics, ICT and English are developed through geography, demonstrating that the school is succeeding in its attempts to make cross-curricular links between subjects. The school’s geography week with its focus on Europe is helping pupils to acquire and develop their skills, knowledge and understanding of geographical terminology and issues. The multi- cultural week is developing pupils’ knowledge and understanding of places and is helping pupils understand patterns and processes in geography, providing an added, beneficial, dimension to pupils’ achievement.

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HUMANITIES

73. Pupils attain standards in history by the end of Year 6 that are in line with the national expectations , which represents good achievement. This is a good improvement since the last inspection when standards and achievement were unsatisfactory. The curriculum is well planned. Pupils’ learning is woven in well with other subjects, particularly with English as there is a literacy focus with all topics studied. Drama is used well, for example in a lesson in Year 5, when the pupils questioned ‘King Alfred’ about his life. Each topic begins with a thorough assessment of pupils’ knowledge, giving a starting point for what needs to be taught. There are good examples of stimulating activities for the pupils such as in Years 5 and 6 where the pupils have produced historically-based holiday brochures about Athens and Sparta, using ICT well as a means of communication.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

No lessons were observed in art and design, one in physical education, one in design and technology and three in music. Therefore, it is not possible to make an overall judgement about the provision in these subjects. However, pupils’ work and teachers’ assessments were evaluated. In addition, discussions were held with the subject leaders and pupils. Beeston Hill St Luke’s CE Primary School 29 74. Standards in art and design are average by the end of Year 6 and this represents satisfactory achievement . Some good work throughout the school is balanced by many satisfactory pieces. Good teaching is often associated with special events such as the visit made by an African drummer, which prompted a wide range of activities including drawing, painting, weaving, mask making and sculpture. This kind of visit and the trips pupils make to local galleries to study topics like Surrealism contribute well to extending and enriching the

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

curriculum. Work of high quality is often found in Year 6. For example, the papier-mâché masks and three-dimensional African animals are visually striking and well constructed. However, the degree to which the skills involved in making these objects are developed systematically throughout the school is limited by the time spent on the subject and the limited use of ICT. A week devoted to art activities and the value gained from visitors to the school is not always matched with a regular follow-up of the ideas generated.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

75. Standards in design and technology are average by the end of Year 6 and this represents good achievement . The lesson observed in Year 1 demonstrated this good achievement. Pupils tested out different materials for making a slide and constructed different playground equipment from straws, plasticine and construction kits. They improved their designs when they had made them. A very good aspect of teaching was the way in which pupils were encouraged to talk about their models and evaluate the different materials used. This is what caused learning to be good. All pupils plan, make and evaluate in detail. For example, in food technology, pupils in Year 2 make marzipan models, design packaging and write an evaluation of their work. Similarly in Years 5 and 6 pupils complete and evaluate a detailed project on biscuits. A special feature of the subject is a design and technology week, when special equipment is used and outside expertise is bought in.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

76. Standards in music are average by the end of Year 6 and this represents good achievement. The three lessons observed were all taught well by a visiting musician, whose enthusiasm is caught by the pupils. From Years 3 to 6 pupils are able to write words to a blues rhythm and compose music, inspired by words about spring and global warming, using a range of instruments including electronic keyboard, but not computers. Singing is good and takes place regularly in church, at festivals and in assemblies. The school has a good range of instruments which, for example, pupils in Year 6 play when learning about rhythm, pitch and musical notation. Pupils in Year 2 have acted The Toy Story , ably supported by pupils in Years 3 and 4 who made the scenery and in Years 5 and 6 who played in the percussion band. Pupils are introduced to a very wide range of instruments from different countries, often during the school’s multi-cultural and arts weeks. They have explored African music through

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

song, dance and story telling and all have played a variety of African drums. Some pupils learn the sitar and have performed to the school.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

77. Standards in physical education are average by the end of Year 6 and this represents satisfactory achievement . In a netball lesson in Years 5 and 6 pupils reached average standards and were achieving well because teaching and learning were good. The teacher used demonstration very well. Very good coaching took place through the lesson. Achievement overall was good, because some pupils had very good attacking and defending skills, but others were at such an early stage of knowing the rules of the game that they needed extra help, which slowed progress overall. The curriculum is very well extended beyond lessons. Pupils have the chance to try football, rugby, netball, basketball, dance and Tai Chi in regular clubs or when the school engages visiting specialists. The majority of pupils can swim 25 metres by the time they leave the school. Time for physical education is limited to one lesson a week. This limits the opportunities for pupils to develop their skills in lessons and

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

is the reason why achievement is satisfactory rather than good. Beeston Hill St Luke’s CE Primary School 30

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP (PHSCE)

No lessons were observed in this area of the school’s work so a judgement on overall provision is not possible.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP (PHSCE)

78. The school places great importance upon promoting pupils' personal and social development, healthy lifestyles and good citizenship. Teachers provide time when pupils can express their feelings and emotions and build trusting relationships. On these occasions, which occur when the need arises, pupils can talk productively about bullying or any other matter of personal nature. There is also a formal curriculum that includes a comprehensive plan for sex, relationships and drugs education throughout the school. Pupils’ social and emotional development is heightened by the existence of an arrangement to ensure friendship at playtimes and a system of partners for reading between pupils in Year 2 and Year 6. Pupils currently have every opportunity to voice their opinions. Beeston Hill St Luke’s CE 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 2 How the school’s effectiveness has changed since its last inspection 3 Value for money provided by the school 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Overall standards achieved 3 Pupils’ achievement 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities (ethos) 2 Attendance 5 Attitudes 2 Behaviour, including the extent of exclusions 2 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 2 Accommodation and resources 3 Pupils’ care, welfare, health and safety 2 Support, advice and guidance for pupils 2 How well the school seeks and acts on pupils’ views 2 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 3 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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