Benhurst Primary School

Benhurst Primary School

Dates of inspection: 1 st – 3 rd November 2004

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Benhurst Primary School

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Primary School category: Community Age range of pupils: 4 to 11 years Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 306

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Benhurst Avenue Elm Park Hornchurch Essex Postcode: RM12 4QS

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Telephone number: 01708 450807 Fax number: 01708 620182

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: Governing body Name of chair of governors: Mr F Steel

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 21 st November 1999

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

Benhurst is larger than most other primary schools with 306 children on roll. It is popular and oversubscribed. The school’s number to admit is 45 and this means children in Years 3 to 6 are organised in mixed age classes. In Reception, Year 1 and Year 2, classes are small and consist of one age group. Most children live within the immediate locality where many homes are owner occupied. The number of children eligible for free school meals is below the national average. Most children come from White British backgrounds. Other groups include, any other White background, Mixed White and Asian and Black British African. The number of children who speak English as an additional language is a bit higher than in most schools. The main languages are Somali, Punjabi and Gujarat. The percentage of children identified as having special educational needs is similar to that found nationally. Four children have a statement of particular need for physical, speech and

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

communication or social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. Some children move in and out of the school at other than the usual times. Children’s attainment on entry is in line with that expected for children aged four.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

The school is involved in the national initiative for out of school hours learning and study support. In 2002, it was awarded Investors in People and in 2003 the Active Sports Mark Award. It also has a number of school achievement awards. The secondary school, pre-school and church are significant partners. Benhurst Primary School - 4 INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM [- note F3]

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

10090 Kath Beck Lead inspector Foundation Stage Science Music 13481 Doug Binfield Lay inspector 7694 Martyn Richards Team inspector English English as an additional language Special educational needs Religious education 1359 Lyne Lavender Team inspector Mathematics History Geography Physical education 32162 Adrienne Beavis Team inspector Information and communication technology Art and design Design and technology

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

360 Lee Valley Technopark Ashley Road Tottenham Hale London N17 9LN

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

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). Benhurst Primary School - 5

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 9

Standards achieved in areas of learning, subjects and courses

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 9

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL 13

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

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OVERALL EVALUATION

Benhurst Primary is a very good and inclusive school. Children achieve very well because teaching is very good. The school ensures that children do as well as they can. Overall results of national tests in 2004 for children aged seven were very good. They were good for children aged eleven. High numbers of children reach the nationally expected Level 4 in English, mathematics and science in Year 6. The leadership of the headteacher in partnership with the senior management team and the governing body is very good. The school is managed very well on a daily basis. The curriculum is imaginative and innovative, promoting high levels of achievement. Music and sport have a high profile. Parents hold the school in high regard. It provides very good value for money.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are: • very good leadership and management at all levels provide a strong sense of purpose and high aspirations for the school; • overall standards in English, mathematics and science in Year 6 have remained high for the last four years. Standards in art and design are very good; • children in the Foundation Stage make a really good start to school life; • teaching and learning are very good overall so that most children achieve as well as they can. However, the needs of some of the more able and gifted and talented children are not always met in Years 3 to 6; • children really want to come to school, work very hard and behave very well; • the curriculum is rich and imaginative. It is centred in activities that make learning fun and are relevant to children’s lives; • there are many opportunities for children to use their literacy skills across the curriculum, but

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OVERALL EVALUATION

they do not often write imaginative stories or at length; • extra curricular provision is very good, especially in art and design, the performing arts and sports; • there is a highly effective partnership with parents, the community and other schools. Children are cared for very well; • the accommodation is unsatisfactory. It is poor in the Foundation Stage restricting the curriculum that can be offered.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

There have been very significant improvements in many aspects of the school since the last inspection. All the key issues have been dealt with rigorously and effectively. The determined, well considered drive to raise standards in the infants and sustain high standards in the juniors has proved successful.

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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 A A C E mathematics B B A C science B A C D 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

Children’s achievements are very good . Most children start school with attainment that is as expected for their age. Over the past few years, national test results overall have been very good for children in Year 6. In 2003, the school’s performance compared to all and similar schools was very good. In 2004, results were good when compared to all schools but its performance was below Benhurst Primary School - 7 that of similar schools when children’s prior attainment is taken into account. That said a very high number of children reached the nationally expected Level 4 in English, mathematics and science, but fewer reached the higher Level 5 in English than in previous years. The school knew that results would not be as high in 2004 as it tracks children’s achievements closely and has identified that it needs to improve consistency in its provision for more able children especially in Years 3 to 6.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Inspection evidence shows the school is doing this but it is not consistent in all classes. In Year 2, the 2004 national test results were very good in reading, writing and mathematics representing a significant improvement over the previous year. Children with special educational needs or English as an additional language achieve very well.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Very good teaching in the Foundation Stage means many children are on course to exceed the early learning goals in all the areas of learning at the end of the Reception Year. This very good start is built on very well in the infants so that standards are rising. Inspection evidence shows that standards in Years 2 and 6 are good in English and mathematics and very good in science. The school has set aspirational targets for higher standards, especially at the end of Year 6 and is confident that they will be met, although the year group has a number of children with significant special educational needs. Standards in information and communication technology and geography are good and very good in art and design. In religious education they exceed the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus. There was not sufficient evidence to judge standards and provision in other subjects.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Children’s personal qualities are very good and contribute significantly to achievement. Their spiritual, moral social and cultural developments are very good as teachers promote them in all aspects of school life. Children’s behaviour and attitudes are also very good. Some children with particularly challenging behaviour are managed successfully so that they do not disturb lessons. Punctuality and attendance are good.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The quality of education is very good. Teaching and learning overall are very good . Children’s achievements are faster in the Foundation Stage and the infants as teaching is very good in those year groups. Teaching is good in the juniors. There is an ethos around the school that learning is very important. Good assessment procedures enable teachers to plan work that mostly meets children’s needs, especially in the Foundation Stage. New systems to agree individual targets to motivate children to improve at a faster rate, especially the more able in mixed age classes in Years 3 to 6, have just been introduced. It is too soon to judge the impact of this. The curriculum is good in the Foundation Stage but it is hindered by poor accommodation. In the infants and juniors the curriculum is very good because abstract ideas are skillfully related to children’s day to day practical experiences so that they understand them well. There are many opportunities for children to apply

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

their literacy skills across the curriculum, but fewer opportunities for them to write long imaginative stories. Children really enjoy the very broad range of opportunities that help them to learn in different ways. Staff do their very best to overcome the limitations of the generally unsatisfactory accommodation. Links with the parents, community and other schools are very good as is the children’s care, welfare, health and safety.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership, management and governance are very good . The leadership of the headteacher is also very good. Together with senior staff and governors, he ensures that the staff work together well and share high aspirations for the children to enable them to do their best.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Staff and governors have a very clear view about the school’s strengths and weaknesses and target finances accordingly. They also have a very good long term vision for the school’s development, including the need to improve the accommodation. Plans to do this are proceeding but delays are beyond the control of staff and governors. National initiatives and others to improve the curriculum, such as a curriculum review every five weeks have been considered carefully and successfully implemented taking into account the skills of the staff and children’s needs. Benhurst Primary School - 8

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Parents and children are really pleased with the school and the quality of education it provides. Children are confident that their views are sought and the school listens to and acts on them well. They know that they can get help if they need it. Their main concern is the poor quality of the dining facilities. Inspectors support their views.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

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

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

• ensure consistency in provision for the more able, gifted and talented children, especially in Years 3 to 6. • provide more opportunities for extended, personal and imaginative writing. • improve the accommodation, especially that for the Foundation Stage and the school dining facilities.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

ensure that the governors’ annual report includes the required information on national test results, teachers’ professional development and provision for persons with disabilities. Benhurst Primary School - 9

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Standards achieved in areas of learning, subjects and courses

Children achieve very well. National test results for children in Year 6 have been consistently very good over the past five years, although they were not as high in 2004. In Year 2, national tests results were very good and a significant improvement over previous years. Standards are currently good in English, mathematics and science in Years 2 and 6. Children in the Foundation Stage achieve very well and most are on course to meet the early learning goals at the end of their Reception Year.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The school has high aspirations for its children and sets challenging targets for them to reach in Year 6. It has sustained high standards over a number of years. • Overall standards are rising rapidly in the infants. • Children with special educational needs and those speaking as an additional language achieve very well because of the provision made for them. However, provision for the more able and gifted and talented children is inconsistent in Years 3 to 6. • In art and design standards are very good. They are good in information and communication technology and geography. In religious education they exceed the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus.

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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 17.1 (16.0) 15.8 (15.7)

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Commentary

There were 44 pupils in the year group.21 boys and 23 girls Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Commentary

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

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Commentary

Standards in: School results National results English 27.3 (29.1) 26.9 (26.8) mathematics 28.8 (27.7) 27.0 (26.8) science 29.2 (30.2) 28.6 (28.6) There were 46 pupils in the year group, 25 boys and 21 girls. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Commentary

1. The school has high aspirations for its children. It sets challenging targets for the percentage of children to reach the nationally expected Level 4 and above in the national tests in Year 6. In 2004, they were almost met in English and were exceeded in mathematics. In previous years they have been fully met.

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Commentary

2. In the national tests, children are awarded a score for each National Curriculum level they reach. These are then added up and divided by the number of children taking the tests and this gives the average points’ score. If a lot of children reach the Level 5, the average points’ score is higher. 3. The table reflects the very good standards reached in the tests by children in Year 2 in 2004 and good results in Year 6. Standards in English and science were average and very good in Benhurst Primary School - 10 mathematics. As fewer children in Year 6 reached the higher Level 5 in 2004, the average points’ score is not as high in English and science as it has been in previous years. That said a high number of children reached the nationally expected Level 4. The school has been successful in sustaining high standards over a number of years. Taking all the evidence into account the school has added good value to children’s education between Years 3 to 6 over time.

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Commentary

4. In recent years the trend in improvement in national test results in Year 2 has been slower than in most schools. The leadership has analysed the reasons for this. As a result, it has raised the quality of teaching by introducing more effective teaching methods that enable children to remember what they have learned and apply their new skills in a practical way. The literacy and numeracy strategies have been implemented and adapted to meet children’s needs more effectively. This work has proved fruitful as standards have risen rapidly. Results in 2004 were very good in reading, writing and mathematics. Lesson observations indicate that standards are good in English and mathematics and very good in science in Years 2 and 6. The school is confident that it will meet its challenging targets and standards will be better by the end of the school year. This is because the school has high aspirations for its children, including those with significant special

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Commentary

5. Overall achievement is very good. Children enter the school with a broad range of abilities but mostly they are similar to those normally found at age four. Very good teaching in the Foundation Stage enables the children to learn quickly and the majority of children are on course to meet the early learning goals in personal, social and emotional development, communication, language and literacy, mathematical and creative development. Achievement in physical development is not as good as the accommodation and resources limit the opportunities teachers can offer to promote this area of learning.

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Commentary

6. The very good achievement in the Foundation Stage is built on successfully in Years 1 and 2. Classes are small, consisting of single year groups. Achievement is good in Years 3 to 6. Teachers in those year groups face the challenge of providing work for children of differing abilities in mixed year groups with determination. Children with special educational needs make good headway and achieve very well in relation to their abilities. This is because the school’s provision for them is good. The school has also identified a number of particularly talented children. While some lessons observed offered an appropriate challenge to them and to other more able children, others did not. This is especially the case in mathematics in Year 6 and some aspects of the writing programme.

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Commentary

7. A number of children learn English as an additional language. At present none are at an early stage in this learning and all have the skills needed to participate fully in lessons. Their achievement is similar to that of the other children in the school. Staff regularly check the progress made by children from ethnic minority groups and there is no evidence that any groups do less well than others.

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Commentary

8. The school is part of an out of school hours learning and study initiative. This is having a really positive impact on children’s independent research, computer and art and design skills. Standards in art and design are very good throughout the school. Children learn a great deal about artistic techniques and styles from different cultures. They use their initiative and imagination to create high quality two and three dimensional work using different media. At the homework club, children work in the library researching information and talking about what they have found. They also use the internet to seek more information.

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Commentary

9. The new, but small computer suite and data projectors are having a significant impact on achievement in information and communication technology. Standards in Years 2 and 6 are good and this is an improvement since the last inspection. In geography, the curriculum is covered in depth and children complete a great deal of work, especially in Years 1 and 2. Learning is brought alive by visits to the locality or places further away. The locally agreed syllabus for religious education is also studied in depth so that children exceed the required expectations in Years 2 and 6. Visits from representatives of different faiths do much to enhance children’s understanding of the impact of religion on daily life. Benhurst Primary School - 11 10. Many other factors contribute to the children’s very good achievements. These include their belief that it is important to learn, their very good behaviour, pride in presenting their work to a

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Commentary

high standard, good levels of attendance, very good teaching and the contributions parents make to help their children at home. Above all, the headteacher, staff and governors are determined that children will do as well as they can, learning in many different and interesting ways that help them to understand difficult ideas in a meaningful way.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

Attitudes and behaviour are very good. Children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural developments are also very good. Attendance and punctuality are good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children are co-operative, keen to learn and work hard. • High standards of behaviour are a consistent feature in lessons and around the school. • Extensive provision is made for children’s personal development.

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Commentary

11. Children are very attentive and listen carefully. They contribute confidently to class discussions and respond well to teachers’ questioning, listening politely to their friends’ ideas often learning from them. Children cooperate well in pairs and small groups. Written and practical tasks are undertaken with care having full regard to advice and suggestions made by the teacher or support staff. A very good example of this was seen in a Year 2 dance lesson. The children tackled new routines with care, concentration and enthusiasm so that dance skills improved noticeably during the session. Children’s written work is neatly presented as they take pride in it. Displays around the school and photographic evidence also show high quality examples of work across the curriculum, especially in art and design.

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Commentary

12. There is a calm and purposeful atmosphere throughout the school day. Behaviour is very good during lessons, assemblies, in the dining hall and the playgrounds. This is because children with behavioural difficulties are managed well by everyone in school. All staff have high expectations of children’s behaviour and expect them to behave in a responsible and mature manner at all times. Very few incidents of serious misbehaviour arise and if they do they are dealt with quickly and fairly. There were no exclusions last year. A popular rewards system and a clearly defined sanctions procedure also promote high standards of behaviour. Relationships between the children and between the staff and children are very good and contribute to the high degree of racial harmony within the school.

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Commentary

13. Children’s personal development is enriched a great deal by the wide range of activities provided during and out of the normal school day. Examples include the large number of extra- curricular activities, out of hours study initiative, homework and art clubs, support for charities and an educational visits programme. Children in Year 5 take part in an adventurous activity week whilst those in Year 6 enjoy a residential trip. Last year this was a visit to the Isle of Wight. The school provides a full programme of sporting activities. Children enjoy taking part in school concerts, events organised by the Friends Association and in other special activities.

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Commentary

14. The personal, social and health education programme has an important influence on children’s social and moral developments. Whole class discussions are used well to stress the importance of values such as fairness, honesty and respect for the views of others. A strong emphasis is placed on distinguishing between right and wrong. School assemblies are used well to reinforce such issues and to promote social and environmental awareness. The school is a happy, racially-harmonious community. A thorough race awareness policy is in place and is implemented effectively. Staff keep records of any racial incidents. These are very rare and are handled very seriously and sensitively. Benhurst Primary School - 12 15. Provision for spiritual and cultural development has improved since the last inspection. Music, drama and art and design have a very high profile with many activities promoted in close collaboration with the nearby secondary school. Recently the programme has included an event to

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Commentary

celebrate African music. Spiritual provision benefits from the multi-faith aspects of the religious education programme and awe and wonder in science and art and design. There are good opportunities for reflection and prayer during the impressive daily assemblies. This is an improvement since the last inspection. An appreciation of the arts and other cultures is helped by the programme of visits to galleries and museums as well as work undertaken during lessons in geography, history, art and design.

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Commentary

16. The above positive features are also found in the Foundation Stage. Children settle into school quickly and adapt to routines. Teachers have high expectations of them so that they behave and play together very well. Relationships are excellent among these very young children. Many activities promote children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural developments. As a result, most are on course to exceed the early learning goals in their personal, social and emotional development.

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Commentary

17. Attendance levels are better than in most primary schools. There is very little unauthorised absence because there are very effective recording and monitoring procedures. Parents and children are fully aware of the importance of regular attendance. High levels of punctuality ensure that a prompt start is made to the school day.

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Commentary

Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

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Commentary

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data 5.3 School data 0.2 National data 5.4 National data 0.4 The table gives the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

The school provides a very good education for its children. The quality of teaching and learning is very good overall. The curriculum is innovative with a strong emphasis on practical, investigative and cross curricular work. Children are cared for very well and links with the parents, community and other schools are very good.

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Teaching and learning

Teaching and learning are very good in Years 1 and 2 and the Foundation Stage and good in Years 3 to 6. Assessment procedures are good but the information is not always used well enough to match work to the more able in Years 3 to 6.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Most lessons observed were good or very good. • Teachers have high expectations of what children know and can do, although the provision for the more able children is not consistent. • Innovative teaching methods, including the use of computers and data projectors, capture children's interest. • Teaching assistants are deployed very well to support children with special educational needs and national initiatives. • Homework contributes very well to children’s learning. • Assessment systems are effective so that teachers know what children know and can do. Benhurst Primary School - 13

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Commentary

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 40 lessons

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Commentary

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Commentary

1 (2%) 18 (45%) 14 (35%) 7 (18%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%)

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Commentary

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

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Commentary

18. Overall teaching is very good and is an improvement since the last inspection when it was judged to be good. Almost all of the lessons observed in the Foundation Stage and Years 1 and 2 were good or very good because teachers’ knowledge of the best ways in which children of this age learn. Teachers clearly convey the message that it is important to learn so they match work very well to children’s abilities and learning styles. This together with high expectations of what children know and can do means lessons proceed at a good rate and consist of many different activities that make learning relevant. The high levels of very good teaching enable many children to achieve as well as they can for their capabilities. Children are also taught in small classes of one age group and this means they receive good attention from their class teacher or teaching assistant to take their learning forward. As a result children are achieving high standards in Year 2.

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Commentary

19. In the best lessons observed, teachers used a wide range of teaching methods that sustain children’s interests and also build their knowledge skills and understanding over the course of the session. In an excellent science lesson in Year 2, the teacher incorporated literacy, physical education and art and design into a lesson on forces. This made a difficult concept about pushing and pulling easy for the children to understand.

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Commentary

20. Much of the teaching in Years 3 to 6 was good but most of the satisfactory teaching seen during the inspection was observed in Years 5 and 6. However, two very good lessons were seen in science and mathematics in those year groups. In Years 3 to 6, classes contain two age groups. This makes it more difficult for teachers to challenge all children consistently according to their abilities. For example, children’s mathematics books in Years 3 and 4 show that the more able children often cover the same work as their classmates and it is too easy for them. This was also observed in some English and mathematics lessons in Years 5 and 6.

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Commentary

21. Teachers capture children’s interest by giving them interesting work to do that makes them think hard and use their initiative. For example, In Years 3 and 4, children have worked on a project to design and make a high quality boat. Over a period of several weeks, children experimented with the shapes and size of a hull and different materials to discover how well they floated and tested out alternative methods to power their model boats. Finally they made a boat combining different ideas that they had learned about over the week. The project promoted initiative, cooperative working as well as high standards in science and literacy.

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Commentary

22. Teachers make good use of computer technology to make lessons interesting and convey difficult ideas. A Year 5 and 6 lesson, for example, included an introduction by the teacher that helped children to learn something new. Effective questioning to establish what children knew about vibration and the way sound is made was followed by a clear explanation and a short video, shown through the data projector. This made a difficult concept really clear to the children and gave them the confidence to use their knowledge and new vocabulary effectively in another part of the lesson, investigating how sound travels.

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Commentary

23. Teaching in the Foundation Stage is consistently very good. Teachers deserve credit for the ways in which they overcome the limitations of the accommodation. They have a very good approach to planning. It is thorough, comprehensive and reflects the aims and principles of the curriculum for the Foundation Stage. Themes, projects and activities are matched very well to the interests of children of this age. The areas of learning are linked together and strong emphasis is placed on developing children’s personal and social skills in all lessons. Knowledge and skills are built up quickly and children are encouraged to apply them in teacher led and child initiated Benhurst Primary School - 14 activities. High expectations of what children can do promote children’s self esteem and confidence in learning so that they are willing to try new things.

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Commentary

24. The teaching of children with special educational needs and English as an additional language is good. In their planning, teachers often provide tasks carefully adapted for them, so they can learn at the pace best suited to them. On other occasions, extra adult help is on hand to make sure they understand the work and participate fully in the lesson. Teachers and support assistants are aware of the children’s individual targets and make sure these are properly addressed in the lessons. The school’s special needs coordinator works directly with many of the children, sometimes helping them engage with a class lesson and sometimes teaching them from their individual programmes of work. In both roles she is highly effective. She has a thorough knowledge of special needs education, is well prepared and ensures the children make brisk progress.

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Commentary

25. In most lessons teachers plan activities to extend more able or gifted children who might otherwise find the work too easy. In some lessons, especially in mathematics, this provision is inconsistent. While most English lessons do offer a satisfactory level of challenge, more able children have too few opportunities to undertake extended personal and imaginative writing.

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Commentary

26. Homework is used very effectively to enhance children’s learning. Parents give their children a lot of support and the out of hours learning initiative is very effective in developing independent research, art and design and computer skills.

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Commentary

27. Teachers in the Foundation Stage use very good assessment procedures to track children’s progress and plan work to match needs. This is particularly true with regard to children with special educational needs. Teaching assistants are involved in these assessments and give high quality feedback to teachers so that the curriculum can be adapted appropriately. Assessments in Years 3 to 6 are good as the school tracks children’s progress carefully. However, teachers in these year groups do not always make the best use of the information gained to match work to needs. Marking in some classes is really helpful so that children know what they do well and what they need to do to improve. Such advice is also evident in many lessons when teachers help children at the point of need. Individual targets for children to achieve over a short period of time are just being introduced to enhance their rate of progress.

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The curriculum

The school successfully overcomes the limitations of the generally unsatisfactory accommodation to offer a very broad, rich range of curricular opportunities in Years 1 to 6. Poor accommodation in the Foundation Stage limits the range of activities on offer, but teachers do their best to provide a good curriculum. Opportunities for enrichment are very good. Resources are good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The curriculum is innovative and planned very well to develop children’s skills across a range of subjects. • Provision for children’s personal, social and health education is very good. • Support for learning outside the school day is high quality. • Children are prepared very well for the next stage of their education. • The curriculum provides well for children with special educational needs. Provision for the more able, gifted and talented children is inconsistent. • The accommodation is unsatisfactory overall and poor for Reception children as it limits the range of activities teachers can provide. Resources are good.

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Commentary

28. In Years 1 to 6, the curriculum is imaginative and promotes high achievement across all subjects. Teachers have considered very carefully the best ways in which they can link knowledge, skills and understanding without losing the discrete nature of each subject. Children are engaged in Benhurst Primary School - 15 a wide range of activities that include, practical investigation, problem solving, discussion, reading, writing and art and design. Teachers also pay close attention to promoting children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural education in their lessons. These factors mean teachers skilfully relate abstract ideas to children’s day to day experiences so that they understand them well. For example, a science lesson in Year 2 on forces began with a story which was followed by an investigation into forces. Children then played with bats and balls, rode tricycles and scooters to identify the forces

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Commentary

that they needed to use. They discussed their findings in small groups and then with their teacher before moving on to an art activity in which they pushed and pulled a marble through paint, making different patterns. At the end of the afternoon, children spoke very confidently about their scientific knowledge of forces. In addition their skills in literacy, speaking and listening, physical education and art and design had also been developed.

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Commentary

29. The curriculum is planned very carefully, especially in Years 3 to 6 where there are mixed year group classes to make sure that children do not repeat work. All subjects are taught including religious education. Statutory requirements, including the provision of a daily collective act of worship, are met. Music and sports have a high profile in the school and are often supported through links to nearby secondary and primary schools. The programme for personal, social and health education, including sex and relationships education and attention to alcohol and drug misuse, is a very good one. Children’s work shows that they have many opportunities to use their initiative and express their own points of view, although this is not always the case in English.

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Commentary

30. Every five weeks the subject leaders review one area of the curriculum to make sure that each subject is being covered in sufficient depth over time, that there are no gaps in children’s learning and that resources are available. This has proved to be really beneficial in ensuring children receive a very rich broad and innovative curriculum. It has also promoted strong team work among staff as they collaborate together to plan tasks that promote equality of opportunity across all classes in the year group.

p.15

Commentary

31. In the Foundation Stage, teachers do their best to provide a good curriculum that overcomes the limitations of the temporary buildings. Classrooms are organised well so that children can take part in whole class, teacher led and child initiated tasks. However, the range and nature of these tasks are limited by the size of the accommodation. Children often work in cramped spaces and are unable to use large toys such as prams or pushchairs to enhance their role play. That said, teachers make the activities relevant to children’s lives so that they really enjoy learning. For example, during the week of the inspection, the central theme was Barney Bear’s birthday. Reading, writing and creative tasks were linked to making birthday cards and party invitations. Addition and subtraction sums were linked to the number of candles that might be on the birthday cake. These activities captured children’s interest and they learned a great deal.

p.15

Commentary

32. Support for learning outside the school day is high quality. After school clubs offer many different opportunities in the performing arts, music, art and design and sport contributing to high standards in these subjects. The homework club provides children with new skills in independent research linked to learning during the school day. There are good opportunities for children to learn to play a musical instrument, take part in the choir and participate in concerts, plays and interschool competitions. Residential trips do much to challenge children’s physical abilities as well as helping them to learn about the geography of different parts of the country. All these experiences add significantly to children’s personal development, learning to live in a community away from home and developing their confidence.

p.15

Commentary

33. Children are prepared very well for subsequent stages of education. Children reach high standards, have highly developed attitudes to learning and are confident in their abilities. Programmes of work help children to develop their knowledge, skills and understanding year on year. Teachers make good use of assessment procedures. They know the children well and often prepare work that meets individual needs, challenging them to do as well as they can.

p.15

Commentary

34. The school’s curriculum for children with special educational needs is good. They take a full part in all lessons because work is adapted to meet their needs and extra adult help is on hand when needed. Teachers identify all children whose progress gives some concern early in their Benhurst Primary School - 16 school careers. Many such children turn out not to need any special provision but national initiatives to support those who do not learn quickly have been implemented very well. Some however do have special educational needs and this early screening means they receive necessary support quickly. Careful individual assessments result in the setting of precise learning targets for each child, agreed between teachers and parents and reviewed regularly. When necessary outside specialist advice is sought. Children with English as an additional language are fluent and the curriculum celebrates their backgrounds.

p.15

Commentary

35. The curriculum for more able children is generally sound but has some weaknesses. Although the school has identified its gifted and talented children, it does not yet offer any planned and coherent provision for them. Staff are fully aware of them and are working to improve the position. More able children are not adequately challenged in mathematics lessons and too little is asked of them in some areas of writing.

p.16

Commentary

36. The accommodation is well maintained and organised but it is cramped. Every part of the school is utilised to best effect. A new, but very small computer suite containing six computers has been provided by the Friends Association. It is in frequent use, but its size and the demands on it means children can only spend short periods of time developing their skills. Standards in information and communication technology are good as a result of effective use of this room and the skilled teaching assistant who supports the children when they are working there. Corridors have been renovated to provide additional seating for teaching small groups and for children to work on additional computers. The toilet accommodation in the main building has received minor improvements that include the provision of soap dispensers and mirrors. The hall has a sprung floor which is ideal for gymnastics and dance.

p.16

Commentary

37. Reception children are taught in temporary classrooms and these are now in need of urgent replacement. Teachers make provision for the children to work outside but activities are dependent on the weather. There is no shelter and it is difficult for children to move in and out of the classroom easily. Toilet facilities are limited and children have to go through one of the classrooms to reach them. This interrupts lessons and activities in that classroom. The dining room is very old and is in a poor state of repair. Parents are very concerned about the state of the dining facilities and the children say that they do not like eating there. At lunchtimes, children have to cross the vehicular access to the school to go to the toilet. An additional mid day assistant is employed to make sure that the children do so safely.

p.16

Care, guidance and support

Very good provision is made for children’s care, welfare, health and safety. A friendly and purposeful learning environment is provided for them to work in and children’s views about the school are taken into account well.

p.16

Care, guidance and support

• High quality pastoral support and care contributes to the school’s positive ethos. • Children’s academic achievements and personal development are carefully monitored. • There are good arrangements for inducting children into school. • Children’s views are taken into account through questionnaires and the school council which undertakes an important role. Benhurst Primary School - 17

p.16

Commentary

38. Parents and children are very pleased with the high standard of care that the school provides. Staff know the children well and provide ready advice and support when individual concerns arise. Procedures for dealing with illness and accidents are implemented efficiently. The comprehensive arrangements for personal, social and health education are a strong feature. This includes good advice on personal hygiene, sex education and drugs awareness. Arrangements are in place for dealing with child protection issues and staff are aware of them. Health and safety procedures have a high priority and are regularly reviewed.

p.17

Commentary

39. Teachers give good advice to children about their work. This stems from the careful tracking of personal development and achievement allowing targets to be set for improvement, especially in English and mathematics.

p.17

Commentary

40. Very good arrangements are made for welcoming children who join the school, many of whom transfer from nearby pre-school play groups. Parents are given useful information and attend explanatory meetings with the headteacher and staff. Children and their parents visit the school in the preceding term. Year 6 children are prepared well for the transfer to secondary education. Their parents are informed well about the choices available and the vast majority of children join the secondary school close by. There is very good liaison with the nearby secondary schools and children visit their new school towards the end of the summer term.

p.17

Commentary

41. Children are encouraged to give their views about the school through planned discussions in class, questionnaires and the school council. Comments from children contributed well to a review of the behaviour policy and rewards scheme. Each class in Years 2 to 6 elects a boy and girl to serve on the school council. The council has a budget of £200 for improvements to facilities but has augmented this by organising a successful fund raising activity. As a result, the school council has purchased many items of games equipment. Last year, the school council was instrumental in providing recycling bins for waste materials. It also persuaded the governors to spend money on improving the toilet facilities.

p.17

Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

Very good links with and support from parents make a significant contribution to the life and work of the school. Children’s learning and personal development is enhanced by the very good links with other schools and the local community.

p.17

Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

• Parents are keenly interested in their child’s education and give good support to work undertaken at home. • High quality information is provided about the school and children’s progress but there is a requirement to include additional items in the governors’ annual report. • The Friends Association is very successful and provides extensive financial support. • Strong links with local secondary schools enrich learning opportunities.

p.17

Commentary

42. Parents are provided with high quality information about the school and their child’s progress. They particularly appreciate the welcoming atmosphere and the ready opportunity for informal discussions with staff when they have questions to ask. The comprehensive prospectus, induction meetings, regular newsletters and details about areas to be studied are successful features. These are supplemented by workshops to explain current practice in literacy, numeracy and other key subject areas. Parents are pleased with the quality of information given about their child at the consultation meetings with class teachers, including aspects relating to children with special educational needs or English as an additional language. The annual written reports give a clear picture about academic progress and include targets for improvement. Benhurst Primary School - 18 43. The governors’ annual report provides a good account of the work of the governing body

p.17

Commentary

and highlights the school’s achievements. However, in order to meet legal requirements, there is a need for such reports to include information on test results, teachers’ training and provisions for persons with disabilities.

p.18

Commentary

44. Parental interest in the school and their child’s education is reflected in the high level of attendance at school concerts, consultation meetings and other special events. Several parents provide voluntary help in classes whilst others help with other activities such as educational visits. Parents give their children real encouragement to work that they do at home and the homework diary system is used effectively. The Friends Association organises a full programme of social and fund raising events. This has enabled about £10,000 a year to be donated to the school to improve educational resources and welfare facilities. The Friends Association provided the funds for the new computer suite. The school values and acts on parents’ views. Questionnaires and recent discussions illustrate the parents’ concerns about the poor dining facilities. The younger children find it unpleasant to eat in this room as it echoes, making it noisy. New facilities have been included

p.18

Commentary

45. The school has well established links with four local pre-school groups, secondary and primary schools. These give the school access to specialist sporting, music, dance and drama facilities. The Headteachers’ Cluster Group undertakes valuable work promoting joint activities, including arrangements for staff training and development. The school has secured finance from the New Opportunities Fund for an out of hours learning and study support scheme. This enables children in Years 3 and 4 to develop computer, library research and art skills by attending the successful homework, computer and art clubs each week.

p.18

Commentary

46. Visits to the church and other parts of the locality are planned into the curriculum to support learning. Visitors, including the vicar, a community police officer, a fire officer and local residents also contribute much to the quality of education. The school facilities are used regularly by community groups for aerobics and football training. Generous sponsorship for major events is provided by local businesses.

p.18

Commentary

47. The school builds very good working relationships with the parents of children with special educational needs or with English as an additional language. These parents regularly attend meetings to review the progress their children are making and to discuss new targets to be set. Staff look on the education of children with special educational needs as a partnership with parents and this has a positive impact on the progress children make.

p.18

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management are very good. The headteacher is a very effective leader with a clear vision for the development of the school. The governing body carries out its duties very well and makes a major contribution to the leadership of the school and to its success.

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The very good leadership of the headteacher enables everyone to work together to enable children to achieve highly. • The very good leadership of senior managers and subject coordinators means the curriculum is rigorously monitored. • The school’s self evaluation is rigorous and is used effectively to bring about improvements. • The detailed school improvement plan identifies relevant areas for improvement. • Very good management systems allow the school to operate successfully. • The school’s finances are managed very effectively.

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

48. Leadership and management are very good. This is a marked improvement on the findings at the time of the previous inspection when issues in communication and teamwork were identified. These matters have been completely overcome. The leadership and management of the Benhurst Primary School - 19 headteacher and the senior managers are a strength of the school and together with the governors, they have a clear vision for future developments. There is a strong sense of teamwork amongst all staff and communication is effective.

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

49. The leadership of the headteacher is very good because he has a long term strategic view of the way the school is to develop to benefit the children. This view is shared by all staff and governors. At the same time, the leadership is very aware of the school’s current strengths and weaknesses and is taking determined action to overcome them. Staff take responsibility for standards in their subjects and, with the backing of the headteacher, have the authority to implement changes. Senior teachers exemplify very good practice and provide very good role models for staff and children.

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

50. All teachers hold responsibilities for subjects and contribute to the school development plan that sets out a vision and direction for the school. The newly introduced ‘Five Week Programme’ for subject review gives all teachers time to develop their subject, support colleagues in their work and improve their own leadership skills. This allows staff to see things through and support each other well. The teaching, leadership and management of special educational needs are good. The school is fully committed to educational inclusion and the community is racially tolerant and harmonious.

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

51. The school’s self evaluation is rigorous and used very effectively to give a clear picture of the way forward. Very good use is made of performance data to monitor the school’s performance and set appropriate targets. This translates to a detailed school development plan that clearly identifies realistic and appropriate areas for improvement in all areas of the school’s work and is linked to the budget. The school’s current priorities include improving the provision for the more able, gifted and talented children in the school and inspection evidence supports this.

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

52. A very good performance management system is linked to the staff development programme and the school development plan. This means that the school is very effective in supporting staff in identifying areas for improvement and taking action. This good practice is reflected in the school’s recognition as an Investor in People. The school day runs efficiently so that everyone can get on with their work. Parents and visitors are made welcome by staff and children. The administrative and other non-teaching staff are fully part of the team and work hard to keep the school running smoothly. Teaching assistants are managed well and deployed very effectively in many lessons for the benefit of the children. They make a significant contribution to the success of the school. The school has made a good start in implementing the workload agreement requirements for teachers and deploys its staff very well.

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

53. The governing body has a very good relationship with the school. Statutory duties, with the exception of some information in the annual report to parents, are met including those in relation to race equality and disability. The governing body works very well with the senior management team to reach a corporate view for school development. It has a very good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school and actively promotes improvements through working parties, committees and cooperating with staff. Governors new to the role are supported well and receive training so that they can play a full role in the life of the school. As a consequence, governors are very effective in their role of supporting and challenging the school.

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

54. The headteacher and senior staff have very high aspirations for the children. This is reflected in the targets set for children’s achievements and the expectations that they will contribute by behaving really well and working hard. Inspection evidence shows that children’s very good behaviour and attitudes to their work are significant aids to their high levels of achievement. Highly qualified and capable teaching assistants also make an important contribution to children’s learning and achievement. A major difficulty for the school is the cramped accommodation. A building programme has featured in the long term strategic development of the school and this is gradually coming to fruition. It is to the school’s credit that teachers still provide a rich and varied curriculum, despite the limitations imposed by the accommodation, Benhurst Primary School - 20 55. The school places a high priority on making sure that all children are fully included in what

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

the school provides. The special educational needs coordinator provides good leadership and management in her area of responsibility. Very good guidance supports teaching assistants, many of whom have developed high levels of expertise in providing for children with special educational needs. Teachers are also helped to ensure lessons are accessible to all the children. New initiatives and materials designed to accelerate children’s learning are used to full effect with appropriate groups throughout the school. The teacher with particular responsibility for gifted and talented provision has been absent recently, so progress in this area has been patchy. However, a register of children has been set up and parents are encouraged to take advantage of extracurricular opportunities available in the Borough. In some lessons, these children are well provided for but it is not consistent across the school. The school’s senior managers are aware of

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

the risk that children from some ethnic minority groups might not be achieving as well as others. To ensure against this, their progress is checked regularly and compared with that of other groups in the school.

p.20

Financial information

Financial information for the year April 2003 to March 2004

p.20

Financial information

Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 835,524 Balance from previous year 81,802 Total expenditure 862,684 Balance carried forward to the next 54,642 Expenditure per pupil 2,819

p.20

Financial information

56. Governors and the headteacher ensure that the school development plan and the annual budget reflect key educational priorities. Expenditure and income are carefully monitored throughout the year. Appropriate action is taken to ensure best value is secured before financial commitments are made. The balance carried forward at March 2004 was a little above the usually recommended maximum of five per cent. This arises because the governors have earmarked £45,000 to help finance much needed improvements to school buildings. Costs per pupil are close to the average for primary schools. In view of the high standards, very good teaching and leadership, the school provides very good value for money. Benhurst Primary School - 21

p.20

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Provision in the Foundation Stage is good.

p.21

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

57. Children enter school in the September of the school year in which they become five. At the time of the inspection, many of the children were still four years of age. Teaching and learning are very good in all the areas of the curriculum as teachers overcome the limitations of the poor accommodation really well. Attainment on entry is similar to that usually found among children of this age.

p.21

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

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

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

• A plan to help the children settle quickly into school was very successful. • Activities enable children to make choices about their work.

p.21

Commentary

58. Teachers place strong emphasis on this area of learning and it is taught very well. Most children are on course to exceed the early learning goals set for them at the end of the Reception year. To help the children settle into school quickly, teachers devised a clear settling in plan that had clear learning objectives. This helped the children to learn the routines, to keep the classroom tidy, to care for each other and keep to classroom rules. Relationships are excellent among the children who have settled very well, cooperating happily and confident to work on their own or visit the nearby classroom without supervision to go to the toilet. As a result, teachers can work with a small group without interruption.

p.21

Commentary

59. Activities allow children to make decisions about their work. For example, they designed birthday cards and invitations for Barney Bear’s birthday. They were very confident to try out their developing writing skills, knowing that their teacher would value their efforts and praise them. Displays show paintings in which children have mixed paints and illustrated their own ideas. Children like to take on additional responsibilities, such as taking the register to the office in the main building. Children’s personal development and confidence about learning is really good at this stage of the school year for such young children.

p.21

COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Provision in communication, language and literacy is good.

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teachers promote children’s speaking and listening skills effectively. • Children have good knowledge of the sounds that letters make and use it to try and read and write.

p.21

Commentary

60. Teaching and learning is very good. Teachers’ knowledge of how children of this age learn is high quality. As a result most children are on course to reach the early learning goals and some will exceed them. Teachers make the most of all opportunities to promote children’s speaking skills. Benhurst Primary School - 22 They invite them to share their news with a partner, respond to questions, contribute to class and group discussions and take part in role play. Staff also become involved in children’s games, role play and other tasks extending their vocabulary. Children with special educational needs receive skilled support to help them to overcome difficulties in their speech. Children listen attentively to their teacher and their classmates, waiting patiently for their turn to talk. They are keen to contribute their ideas because teachers give them interesting things to talk about.

p.21

Commentary

61. Children’s knowledge of the sounds letters make is already good. Teachers know this and encourage them to apply it whenever possible whether browsing through books, trying to write a message for Barney Bear’s birthday, or completing the diary for the doctor’s surgery. This helps them to understand writing is an important way to communicate. Teachers make sure that children learn how to write the letters correctly so that they are confident to try out their developing skills.

p.22

Commentary

62. Children also love learning to read. Staff share imaginative stories with them and encourage them to listen to taped stories, following them in books. Effective questioning enables children to predict what might happen in a story. Parents help their children to learn to read at home. This helps children to learn to read quickly and confidently at the early level of the National Curriculum by the time they complete their Reception year.

p.22

MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in mathematical development is good.

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Practical activities enable children to investigate simple addition and subtraction sums. • Teaching is very good because teachers take into account children’s different abilities when planning the work for them.

p.22

Commentary

63. Many children are on course to meet or exceed the early learning goals. Teachers make learning mathematics fun. Computer programmes help them to sequence numbers, count bricks that they build into towers and match objects and numbers. Dice games, matching objects to numbers printed on carpet tiles and making birthday cakes with candles allow children to investigate how many more or how many less to count, add up, take away and work together well. Art work is also linked to mathematics as children have drawn up simple graphs to show the different colours of children’s eyes. This work is based on high quality self portraits.

p.22

Commentary

64. Activities are planned carefully to meet children’s needs. The most able children are given tasks that make them think hard and work at the early stages of the National Curriculum. For example, addition and subtraction to 100. Children who are not as skilled were seen to make birthday cakes for the class teddy bear. They placed candles on each cake and adults worked with them to add up or take away numbers up to five. Benhurst Primary School - 23

p.22

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Provision in knowledge and understanding of the world is good.

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children have covered a lot of work in a short period of time.

p.23

Commentary

65. Children are on course to meet and some will exceed the early learning goals by the end of the Reception year because teaching is very good. There are many opportunities to help children to experience the awe and wonder of the world. Visits to the locality and walks around the school grounds enable children to learn a great deal about the features of the area and the seasons of the year. A collection of wood and autumn leaves and other items have helped children to know about the characteristics and feel of different materials. In a short time, children have already learned a great deal about mini beasts and how to care for the African land snails that are kept in the classrooms. A small garden area consisting of pots in which children have planted bulbs and plants is enabling them to know how plants grow. In addition, they have learned the parts of the body and made musical instruments from recyclable materials.

p.23

Commentary

66. Children use computers confidently to operate literacy, numeracy and drawing programmes. Role plays, the fire station and the doctor’s surgery, enable children to act out their knowledge of people who helps us as well as understand changes in their bodies as they grow from a baby into an adult

p.23

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in physical development is satisfactory.

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The poor accommodation limits opportunities for teachers to promote children’s physical development.

p.23

Commentary

67. Teachers deserve credit for enabling children to develop their physical skills despite the poor accommodation. Children are on course to meet the early learning goals set for them. Each classroom has a small outside area which is used often as long as the weather allows. Teachers plan the activities children are to do outside thoroughly so that they link with projects in the classroom. Jigsaw puzzles, malleable materials, paintbrushes, pens and pencils are all used to help children develop manual dexterity. Parachute games promote social skills. However, there is little space for children to ride scooters and tricycles or balance and climb. The school hall and physical education apparatus are used for more challenging work. Benhurst Primary School - 24

p.23

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Provision in creative development is good.

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Many of the activities are linked to other areas of the curriculum. • Children are enabled to use their initiative and make decisions about their work.

p.24

Commentary

68. As part of their work on the season of autumn, children collected leaves of different colours. They felt the texture of the different leaves and talked about the brilliant colours. Then they mixed paints to represent autumn colours and made leaf prints. Work on self portraits was also linked to mathematics and designs for birthday cards included illustrations of birthday cakes with a different number of candles on them.

p.24

Commentary

69. In role play, the writing corner, free play art and design, children are enabled to use their initiative and make decisions about their work. The extent of their play, the size of paintings and children’s ability to move in and out of the classroom are limited by the poor accommodation. Musical activities take place in the main building where resources are readily available. Many children are on course to meet and exceed the early learning goals because teachers take children’s learning forward by working alongside them. They have high expectations of what children know and can do and make learning relevant to children’s daily life. Benhurst Primary School - 25

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Good teaching, which motivates and challenges children in their learning. promotes high standards. • Engaging lessons capture children’s interests and maximise their concentration. • A strong focus on discussion as a teaching method promotes good levels of speaking and courteous listening. • Good leadership and management are promoting high standards. • Skills in writing imaginatively or at length are not as well developed as other aspects of English. • More able children are not always extended enough by the writing opportunities provided for them.

p.25

Commentary

70. The school has successfully maintained the above-average standards of English found at the previous inspection. This is the case for children at the ages both of eleven and seven and is true of their performance in speaking and listening, reading and writing. Children work hard and achieve well in relation to their abilities. Those with special educational needs make good headway and those who learn English as a second or additional language quickly become fluent. Children from the school’s various ethnic minority groups achieve equally well. While many lessons make adequate provision for more able and gifted children, this is not always the case and some could respond to a greater challenge, especially in writing.

p.25

Commentary

71. National tests in 2003 showed that standards at the age of eleven were well above average, as they have been over several previous years. In 2004, they were average. A very high number of children reached the nationally expected Level 4, but fewer reached the higher than expected Level 5. Standards at the age of seven had been falling since 2000. The school has been alert to this and its initiatives to remedy the position have resulted in a very sharp improvement in 2004 so that national test results were very good.

p.25

Commentary

72. A feature of the school’s work in English is its enthusiastic adoption of supplementary programmes of work to meet the needs of particular groups of children. As a result, at all ages, most lessons are pitched very accurately to the varied abilities of the children in the class. The exception is with the most able children who could achieve more in a few of their lessons. There is a strong commitment in the school to enriching the English programme through visits, book events, visiting authors and theatre groups. These excite the children and bring a new and wider dimension to their learning.

p.25

Commentary

73. Staff know that children’s English skills are heavily dependent on their confidence and fluency in speech and they rightly give priority to this aspect of their work. Lessons in all subjects place a premium on thoughtful oral discussion and courteous listening. Children are encouraged to give full extended answers rather than single words, to justify their opinions and try out new vocabulary. In this way, all subjects make a valuable contribution to children’s literacy development. Most seven year olds are confident speakers. They explain their work clearly to a visitor and adjust their explanations if they are misunderstood. They converse well in small groups to solve problems or assemble ideas. Older children respond well when asked to support their arguments, to speculate on the possible outcome of an experiment, or to give instructions for the completion of a task. Most are very much at home in a speaking environment.

p.25

Commentary

74. Most children are keen readers, take books home and are familiar with some authors. The younger ones read with good expression and use their knowledge of sounds well to help with Benhurst Primary School - 26 unfamiliar words. Older children appreciate the wide variety of forms reading can take, story, legend, biography or report. They can explain some of the essential characteristics of each form of writing. They read fluently aloud and show good skills in using the context of the story to help if they get stuck. They know how to use reference books to locate information and can use an index and contents page effectively.

p.25

Commentary

75. Children’s writing, in both the infants and the juniors, shows good levels of basic skill. From an early stage, handwriting becomes regular and clearly legible. For most children this develops into a fluent, joined script, which they can use at speed when necessary. Spelling is good for their age as nearly all the seven year olds spell common and regular words correctly, while the older children make few mistakes even when using a wide vocabulary range. Early writing is mainly in simple sentences, usually correctly punctuated with full stops. Later on children use more complex structures with commas, speech marks and paragraph breaks. While the programme of work throughout the school provides some experience of writing in different forms for a varied readership, this is a weaker part of the programme. There are too few opportunities for the children to write at length in personal and imaginative ways.

p.26

Commentary

76. English is taught well and some very good lessons were seen during the inspection. Teachers are imaginative in their choice of teaching methods and succeed in capturing the interest and attention of the children. In several lessons teachers made excellent use of computer technology as a teaching aid. In lessons on report writing the selected theme was “sound”. Children learned that a report writer needs knowledge about his subject, so they set about recalling previous science work on sound waves and the working of the ear. Computer generated images on whiteboards enabled the children to examine posters, diagrams and charts before planning strategies for writing reports of their own. The teacher’s concern with the correct use of vocabulary in discussion was another strength. Words such as “vibration” and “wave length” were called for. This was typical of many English lessons, combining challenging ideas for the children, with lively

p.26

Commentary

presentations and very effective use of discussion.

p.26

Commentary

77. Two senior members of staff are overseeing the subject on a temporary basis because of staff absence. Despite this, progress in developing the English curriculum continues and leadership and management in the subject are good. The National Literacy Strategy has been very thoroughly implemented and the school is now looking to broaden the programme, especially in the area of writing. Test data is carefully analysed to see what lessons can be learned from it and children’s work is checked regularly to ensure none fall behind. New curriculum enrichment ideas are being pursued and new initiatives introduced to refine the match of the curriculum to the needs of particular groups of children.

p.26

Language and literacy across the curriculum

78. An impressive feature of the English work seen, is the skilled linking of literacy work with learning from other subjects. This provides invaluable reinforcement for children’s learning across the curriculum, especially in science, history and geography,

p.26

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Very good teaching in the infants and good teaching in Years 3 to 6 is promoting high standards. • Standards have improved significantly in Year 2. • The school exceeded its targets for children in Year 6 to reach the nationally expected Level 4 in the 2004 national tests. • Children's extremely positive attitudes and very good behaviour in lessons contribute to their achievements. • More able children in Years 3 to 6 are not always given work which extends their ability. Benhurst Primary School - 27

p.26

Commentary

79. Over the last three years the school has put a great deal of effort into raising standards, particularly in the infants. In service training, new teaching methods, implementation of the National Numeracy Strategy, consideration of children’s learning styles, practical work and improved assessment procedures have proved successful. National test results in 2004 were very good for children aged seven and eleven. This is a marked improvement over previous years, especially in Year 2. Children make rapid progress in the infants but it slows in some classes in the juniors. Inspection evidence supports the school’s view that the more able children are not always challenged as well as they might be.

p.27

Commentary

80. Lesson observations indicate that standards are currently good in Years 2 and 6. The school is confident that they will be very good by the end of the year. That said, there are children with significant special educational needs in Year 6. They are achieving well for their capabilities, but this will make it hard for the school to meet its aspirational targets. Results in national tests in mathematics have been above the national average since 2000 and the trend in improvement since then has been faster than in most other schools. This has much to do with the arrangements to give additional help to small groups of children using national initiatives in the spring and summer terms.

p.27

Commentary

81. Teaching is very good in the infants. Classes are small and teachers can give more attention to each child. Lessons are structured well; teaching points are clear and constantly reinforced during the lesson. Teachers expect children to work hard, learn well and present their sums neatly and legibly. Lessons start with a practical activity before written work is undertaken. Tasks are matched well to ability levels and all children receive a good grounding in the basic skills. Teaching assistants help those who need it most and, together with the special needs co-ordinator, ensure that targets on individual education plans are covered. In return, most enjoy mathematics and all behave very well. Class routines are good and children settle quickly to work. They calculate simple addition and subtraction sums accurately in their heads and are familiar with number bonds to 20 and beyond. Teachers plan together in year groups to make sure the scheme

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Commentary

82. In the juniors, where the classes consist of mixed age groups, teaching is good overall. Very good lessons were observed, but some Year 6 lessons were satisfactory because the more able children were not challenged as well as they could have been. Teachers use a wide range of methods including effective questioning techniques to check what children have understood and to pick up errors quickly. In the very good lessons observed, resources were skilfully used for demonstration purposes and to make individual work more meaningful. These lessons were brisk and had a clear structure, giving sufficient time for all to reflect on their learning. Teachers know their children well and build up their confidence so that a great deal is completed in the time available. Teaching assistants provide additional support enabling those with special educational needs to join in class work.

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Commentary

83. The subject leader provides a very good role model for her colleagues to follow. A great deal has been done to improve provision in the infants. There are plans for the subject leader to monitor provision more closely in the juniors by examining samples of work and talking to the children. Assessment procedures are good. The school uses a computerised program to track individual attainment and analyses test results to find out individual strengths and weaknesses. Half-termly assessments are carried out and teachers' adapt their lesson plans and revise work if needed. A new scheme of work has recently been adopted in the juniors to help with planning for the mixed ages. In some classes, there is uncertainty about whether to teach children in ability or age groups so as to maximise their learning. A thorough scrutiny of written work in years three and four shows that in some cases all children are doing the same work.

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Mathematics across the curriculum

84. There are some good examples of the use of mathematics in other subjects such as geography. In Year 2, a tally chart was used to show how the class travelled to school and made into a pictogram. In another instance, co-ordinates were used in map making to show where Benhurst Primary School - 28 buildings such as the church and campsite were sited. Some of the school displays made good use of sequencing shapes printed in colour. In the junior art club, children made geometric African masks.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Very good leadership is bringing about an innovative curriculum and high standards. • Children take pride in presenting their work well so teachers can easily see how well they are achieving.

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Commentary

85. The school has been successful in sustaining good or very good standards in Year 6 over a number of years. In 2004, results were similar to the national picture. That said almost all the children in the year group reached the nationally expected Level 4 and those reaching the higher Level 5 was the same as in most schools. The number of children taking the tests is relatively small and each child represents just over two percent so the variation in standards has to be viewed with some caution. The 2004 national tests results for children in Year 2 were very high. Lesson observations and children’s previous work indicates that standards are very good, especially in the number of children already working at nationally expected levels. This is much better than at the time of the last inspection.

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Commentary

86. Very good leadership and management has brought about high standards. The school has considered its science curriculum very carefully and has a programme of work that enables children to cover all aspects of the subject in depth. This programme involves a great deal of practical work in which children carry out investigations, often devising their own experiments. Tasks are frequently linked to other areas of the curriculum so that difficult concepts are made easy for the children to understand. The curriculum is reviewed every five weeks to make sure children have completed the programme appropriately and how well they have done. This is making sure that there are no gaps in children’s’ learning.

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Commentary

Example of outstanding practice Year 2 To understand forces, pushing and pulling. The afternoon began with a story about how animals got their goods to the market, pushing and pulling items up a hill. This led on to a discussion about how you make a bicycle go up or down a hill. This gave children the chance to ask really good questions or to make observations about how things move. One child said, I had to push really hard but at the top I had to pull the brakes on really hard. It nearly got away from me. From this, children learned very quickly that a force, push, is needed to get things going or to change direction and a pull is needed to slow things down or stop. Larger forces were needed to push against a slope than down a slope. Songs, such as Row,Row,Row the Boat and accompanying actions also made children realize that they had been using these forces. In the playground, children played on bikes and scooters and with bats and balls or

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Commentary

just a ball. Challenged to decide which force they were using to turn, stop and start, hit a ball or roll it against a wall. This was followed up with high quality discussion confirming their findings. Then it was on to the art work, pushing or rolling a marble through different paints to make colourful patterns. This successful lesson was full of practical engaging activities, building concepts of forces out of children’s everyday experiences. The quality of the tasks offered, with challenging discussion and opportunities to explore difficult ideas, all led to very good understanding and excellent attitudes.

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Commentary

87. Most of the teaching observed was very good. The teachers make it clear to children that learning is important and this is a significant improvement since the last inspection. Most lessons observed involved clear explanations, use of computer technology to make difficult ideas easier to understand, whole class and small group discussion and experiments. Teachers challenge children to think hard and contribute their ideas confidently. Tasks set in mixed age classes often allow children to gain a great deal from them whatever their ability. Marking is often good, correcting Benhurst Primary School - 29 errors as well as giving children a clear view of how to improve. However, these strong features are not consistent in classes in Year 5 and 6.

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Commentary

88. Children’s attitudes contribute significantly to their high standards. They listen attentively, behave very well and take pride in presenting their work neatly and tidily. This makes it easy for them to revise what they have done at the end of the year and for teachers to check their achievements. Children know how to write up experiments correctly setting out clearly the hypothesis, what they did, the resources they used as well as their findings and conclusions. They really enjoy practical work, especially a project in which they found out about and designed and made boats that floated and moved successfully.

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Commentary

89. Children with special educational needs, English as an additional language and more able children are enabled to achieve well over time. This is because they are often supported very well in class and the more able children can develop their knowledge and thinking through challenging open ended tasks.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Provision in information and communication technology is good .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children enjoy information and communication technology and achieve well. • Teaching in the lessons seen was good or very good. • Very good leadership and management has brought about significant improvement. • The new computer suite, albeit small with only six computers, and the improved curriculum is enabling children to learn at a faster rate. • Assessment procedures need further development.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

90. The school has made very good progress in raising standards in all aspects of provision for information and communication technology since the last inspection when it was a key issue for improvement. Resources and staff expertise coupled with a new programme of work have been improved and now ensure that all strands of the National Curriculum meet statutory requirements. Standards at the end of Year 2 and at the end of Year 6 were below those expected nationally, now they are good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

91. Children’s achievements are good and they enjoy their lessons. Those with special educational needs are very well supported by adults and where necessary special adaptations have been made to equipment so that they can participate fully.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

92. Children in Year 6 talk confidently about a range of computer applications and can explain, for example, how to enter data and set the formulae to make calculations in a spreadsheet. They have made multi-media presentations and can use the internet for research and import graphics into their word processed text. Children in Years 5 and 6 are currently exploring how to move, resize and rotate pictures within a graphics program. Children’s knowledge of the use of information and communication technology in the wider world is more limited. In discussion they had difficulty in identifying day to day uses, such as a control of a microwave or a bank cash machine.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

93. Children in Year 2 are learning to correct text using the word processor. They use the mouse and keyboard confidently and can give the correct technical names for the keys. Work with Roamer, a programmable toy, is linked with repeating patterns in mathematics. Throughout the school children’s depth of knowledge and skills has improved since the previous inspection. For example, in Years 3 and 4 children are working on combining text and graphics and can describe in detail, using the correct technical language, how to go about importing a picture from a web page into their own work. In Year 1, children are confident in their use of a language program to select words and pictures to make sentences to describe a trip to the park. Benhurst Primary School - 30 94. Teaching in the lessons seen was good with some examples of very good teaching. Teachers’ planning is clear and lessons are organised well to take full advantage of the limited

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Main strengths and weaknesses

resources available. Several factors have played a significant part in raising standards. Teachers’ expertise is much improved since the time of the previous inspection. The well trained teaching assistants together with the technical staff give good support to children in the small computer suite and the classrooms. In junior classrooms, the new data projectors are used effectively in teaching to demonstrate programs, so that children can use the computers more effectively when it is their turn and to enhance lessons across the curriculum. Care is taken to ensure that all children, including those with special educational needs or English as an additional language can take part in lessons. This means that all children achieve well and make good progress.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

95. Children's behaviour is consistently very good because teachers and support staff have high expectations. In one lesson children worked hard and were not disturbed by the movement in and out of the room by their classmates as they took turns to visit the computer suite. This means that children achieved very well and completed the tasks set in the appropriate time. Work is consistently neatly presented and completed with care in all age groups. Children in all year groups use self assessment sheets to show progress in each aspect of information and communication technology. Teacher assessments are supported very well by teaching assistants so that children can be given help where necessary.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

96. Very good subject leadership has enabled teachers to make the most of the resources available for information and communication technology. The subject leader knows what the school needs to do to improve standards further and is well qualified to take the subject forward. The provision of data projectors, enhanced computers in classrooms and the new computer suite bring resources to a satisfactory level. However, the new computer suite with six computers is small for a school with 12 classes. An effective timetable allows full advantage to be taken of all the resources available. Good technical support ensures that systems run smoothly from day to day. A revised scheme of work has improved the curriculum and when they are not able to use computers in the suite, children work on tasks that link physical skills, such as cutting and pasting with processes on the computer. This helps to compensate for the small amount of computer time available to each

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Main strengths and weaknesses

child. All these improvements have been significant factors in raising standards.

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Information and communication technology across the curriculum

97. There are some very good examples of the use of information and communication technology across the curriculum. Children in Years 5 and 6 have used a graphics package in art and design to make collages and in Years 3 and 4 to design work in the style of Kandinsky. In history lessons about Victorian times, Year 2 children have made up e-mails they would send to Mary Seacole.

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HUMANITIES

98. Two lessons were observed in geography and none in history, so it is not possible to give an overall judgement about provision. However, there was much evidence on display around the school, in previous work and in teachers' plans, to show that the curriculum in history and geography is stimulating and taught effectively.

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HUMANITIES

99. Standards in geography are good in Years 2 and 6. Children's previous work shows good coverage of the curriculum, particularly by the end of Year 2. Map work skills are developed systematically. For example, children marked their route to school on a local map and added a key with symbols of their own to show the church, bus stop, car park and library. This was then extended to naming the five countries of the British Isles correctly. Very good work was seen from higher attaining children who drew their own map of the imaginative Isle of Struay, selecting features from those learned before. Looking at other parts of the world, children named the continents correctly and confidently listed places they had visited. In discussion with a small group from Year 6, they recalled a few topics from the past. Some said geography was 'hard' but remembered the enjoyment of using a programmable toy to learn directions. During a visit to the

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HUMANITIES

Benhurst Primary School - 31 Tower of London they were taught to read a map to find out where things they wanted to see could be found.

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HUMANITIES

100. In the lesson observed in the infants, the teacher used a recent walk around the locality to help children understand about caring for the environment. They had to decide on a favourite place and also name nasty things they had seen and then tell a partner about them. This promoted their spiritual, social and speaking skills. Later, some drew pictures with captions whilst others wrote about their views on the good and nasty items which had been observed. In discussion, children easily identified different types of houses, street names, signs and other man made features. The teacher led a helpful discussion on this with very good questioning skills so that all could make a worthwhile contribution. She expected children to use their own thoughts and ideas. All showed a keen interest, listened well and spoke up, displaying a good recollection from the walk. Behaviour was of a high standard reflecting the very good teaching.

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HUMANITIES

101. Older children have studied the weather and its impact on life in a specific area. They know that mountain conditions, such as air quality, type of farming and leisure activities affect lifestyle. In the satisfactory lesson observed, they were taken through a text on the Alps being reminded by the teacher that other factors such as height, wind and direction of the slope also made a difference. In discussion, children showed that they had gained information they were not aware of before. Behaviour was good and many were interested and keen to share their newly acquired knowledge.

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HUMANITIES

102. Leadership and management of geography are good. A new programme of work includes using the school grounds and locality for field work. The subject leader is making a portfolio of work samples for checking termly assessments and discussions with children. Photographic evidence is used effectively to record work done in the environment, such as a visit to the Isle of Wight. Bright and stimulating displays support learning effectively.

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HUMANITIES

103. Very good links are made with other subjects. Children use the internet to research topics and computer graphics to design pictures of the environment. Mexican shields, Guatemalan kites and African masks on display emphasise the cultural elements of the subject that feature in the out of school hours learning initiative. Visits to places of interest, both residential and nearer to the school, such as a farm and Japanese gardens make learning relevant to children’s age and interest.

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HUMANITIES

104. In a discussion on history , a Year 6 group spoke at length about the topics they had covered in depth, particularly those on the Angles and Saxons, Romans, Henry VIII and the current one on Victorians. Children spoke about Boudicca and her revolt against the Roman invaders, describing the armour in detail. They also knew a lot about Tudor times. They understood the significance of the break with the Catholic Church and knew about the way people suffered for their beliefs. In their study on the Victorians, some used the Internet for information and others went to the local library to do research on their own topics, such as the lives of W.G.Grace, Isambard Kingdom Brunel and Charles Dickens.

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HUMANITIES

105. Year 2 teachers use games to make the subject relevant. For example, children matched old and new artefacts, labelled and drew bikes, such as penny farthing and tandem. They also completed an artefact challenge. After drawing an ancient object they had to answer specific questions to show they recognised it. In their personal writing about the Victorians one child wrote that 'naughty children were hit by the cane and had to wear a dunce's hat' . A visit to the 'Ragged' school made a great impression on everyone. During the visit, several were invited to use Victorian equipment, such as an iron. The Year 6 group remembered how strict the teachers had been and how they had been 'threatened' with the cane. Earlier this year they visited Osborne House, Queen Victoria's Isle of Wight home, as part of their school journey and this too made history relevant. Parents are pleased with the visits to places of interest and feel that they have a significant

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HUMANITIES

106. Leadership and management are very good. The subject leader ensures that the subject is taught in depth and is linked to many other areas of the curriculum. Time lines link history to mathematics and are used in all classes to show where the dates of the topic being studied fit in Benhurst Primary School - 32 relation to other periods of history. Of particular note is one from 1901-2000 that is embroidered and made with collage materials. Children in Years 5 and 6 are studying the diary of Anne Frank in literacy while learning about World War II in history. In art and design, children have coloured Roman mosaic shapes in the form of a fish, a face, a fruit basket and a soldier. Using computer 'stamps,' effective pictures were compiled showing Egyptian, Roman and Tudor images. A Year 2 class re-enacted the story of Guy Fawkes planning to blow up the Houses of Parliament. This promoted children’s speaking skills and the drama made learning fun. Resources in history and

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Religious education

Provision in religious education is good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The good teaching helps children to be interested in the subject and to cope with difficult concepts. • Teachers present imaginative practical tasks that help make the learning real for the children. • Good leadership and management of the subject provides teachers with the advice and resources they need to teach the subject confidently. • Too little attention is given to exploring the common ground between the different religions that form part of the programme of work.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

107. In the previous inspection, standards of religious education at the ages of seven and eleven were found to be above the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus. This is still the case. Children achieve well because they are taught effectively and work hard even when the ideas presented are difficult. Those with special educational needs also achieve well because teachers often adapt work for them, or provide extra help in lessons. Those with English as an additional language are enabled to take a full part in lessons and discussions. Issues of faith and religious practice are treated reverently by teachers and children and children from ethnic minority groups in the school make good headway.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

108. The focus of work seen during the inspection was on Christianity. The younger children had been thinking about the place of special books in religious observance and most know that the Bible is of central importance to Christians. They have seen Bibles of various sizes and styles and discussed which are most suitable for different times and places. A small bible means “You can put it in your bag and read it whenever you feel like it”. Children recalled some stories from the Old Testament and some of Jesus’ miracles.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

109. By the time they are eleven, most children have a good understanding of the tenets and practice of Christianity. They locate and explain the commandments from the Book of Exodus as a guide to Christian living. They explore the notion of neighbourliness , “Who is my neighbour?” , linking the Ten Commandments with the stories of the Good Shepherd and the Good Samaritan. In other parts of the work programme, they have learned about religious explanations of the creation and the duty imposed on people to respect the created world.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

110. A weakness in children’s learning, however, is their unawareness of the common ground between religions, whether in religious practice or in history. For example, despite learning that prayer is a way in which Christians “talk to God”, they did not realise that prayer has a central importance in most other world faiths.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

111. Teaching is good. Wherever possible, teachers enliven their lessons by the use of religious artefacts, an interesting range of styles of Bibles, or practical activities for the children to undertake. In one lesson, excellent use of computer technology allowed the teacher to project on the large classroom whiteboard slides of young Christian children talking about their beliefs and their religious practices. Seeing and hearing other children of a similar age setting out their experiences in this way had a profound impact on the class and led to a very good discussion. At Benhurst Primary School - 33 other times children learn about the symbols and objects used for special occasions, making baptism and wedding cards for example. A local vicar comes to school sometimes to tell the children about his work and faith and a Sikh parent has made a similar contribution. Teachers rightly value discussion and give due time to it. It helps children make sense of difficult ideas, while

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Main strengths and weaknesses

112. The subject is led and managed very well by an experienced teacher. She has worked closely with local education authority staff on implementing the new syllabus for religious education and prepares excellent teaching packs for each unit of work. This is particularly helpful to teachers who lack confidence in teaching the subject. She regularly checks the work children produce and encourages her colleagues to make lessons practical and engaging for the children.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

113. One lesson was observed in each of music and art and design, but no lessons were observed in design technology. It is, therefore, not possible to give an overall judgement on the quality of provision.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

114. In art and design, evidence from the lesson observation, analysis of children’s work, displays around the school, classrooms and public areas of the school and discussion with the subject leader indicates that standards are very good when compared with those nationally for children in Year 2 and Year 6. This is an improvement from the time of the previous inspection when standards were in line with national expectations.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

115. Children’s achievement is very good, including those with special educational needs or English as an additional language. Children who are gifted and talented are identified and some have attended courses outside school to develop their skills. Examples of very good work were observed throughout the school. In Years 5 and 6, children’s observational drawings in pencil and charcoal show use of very good techniques, especially in shading with these difficult media. In Year 2 children blend colours well to make autumn shades on leaf shapes and use wax crayons carefully to make intricate rubbings of leaves. In Years 3 and 4 there are some fine examples of work based on Australian aborigine art that combine techniques in finger painting and printing. Children have also made pictures in the style of Monet that capture the artist’s mood. In Year 1 cotton reels and pipe cleaners have been used to create imaginative sculptures.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

116. In the one lesson seen the standard of teaching was very good. Children were engrossed in drawing self portraits. They were observed looking carefully in a mirror at their features for portrayal in their sketch books. A child with special educational needs was given extra help by the teacher and consequently made a very good effort with the drawing. This very good teaching resulted in a high standard of drawing from all the class but particularly so in the case of a gifted and talented child. The high quality of work seen during the inspection indicates that children have very good attitudes, enjoy art activities and take pride in the finished work.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

117. Leadership and management are very good. The art and design curriculum offers a broad, rich and balanced range of activities from a new scheme of work that follows a two year cycle. This ensures that children in mixed age classes do not repeat work. Skills they are to learn are identified clearly and this is an improvement on the findings of the previous inspection. A recent development has been the introduction of sketch books and these are now used well in many classes. A portfolio of samples of work is being collected for assessment purposes this is helping teachers to monitor children’s achievements. A good range of resources supports work in art and design.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

118. There are good links with other areas of the curriculum. For example, in their personal and social education programme, children in Years 3 and 4 painted portraits mixing colours to show different moods. In another year group, children used Information and communication technology to draw pictures in the style of Kandinsky. Thriving art and craft clubs, part of the out of hours study initiative, further extend children’s experiences. Some very high quality work is exhibited around the school including, Guatemalan kites, Mexican plates and African masks and prints. This work shows children are learning a wide variety of techniques and media that they use very capably. The school Benhurst Primary School - 34 has entered competitions and as a result has had children’s work on primary colours exhibited at the local theatre.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

119. In design and technology, evidence from analysis of children’s work and discussion with the subject leader indicates that standards at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 are good. This is an improvement on the findings of the previous inspection. In Year 6 children have made musical instruments from recyclable materials and in Year 2 they have sewn puppets using felt. Children in Years 3 and 4 have looked at the design of shopping bags and made their own. Photographic evidence indicates that children achieve well over time.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

120. Leadership and management is good and the subject leader has had relevant training. A new programme of work based on a nationally recognised scheme has been introduced and is supported by good resources. The programme shows that children are taught a broad range of skills as required by the national curriculum and that a two year cycle for junior classes ensures that work is not repeated. There are good links with other subjects. Children use perspective boxes, made using design and technology techniques, to help them show different viewpoints in their paintings. In history children have made Saxon houses from cardboard as part of their studies.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

121. Music has a high profile in the school. Children sing tunefully, expressing the mood and emotion of the songs sensitively. Older children have the opportunity to learn to play a range of musical instruments. Often there are links with a nearby secondary school that enhance standards in music and the performing arts. These links develop children’s confidence so that they enjoy performing in concerts for their parents and the public. In the lesson observed, children learned about pitch, rhythm and beat. They could copy patterns demonstrated by their friends and later play untuned instruments sustaining a regular beat. The lesson was taught satisfactorily supported by a programme of work that helps teachers who do not have particular musical expertise to cover the curriculum. Leadership and management are very good.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Provision in physical education is very good .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children enjoy lessons and do consistently well in sporting activities. • Extra-curricular activities enrich the curriculum. • Close links with local schools provide further opportunities for physical education. • An adventure activity week for children in Year 5 helps them to develop skills not covered in the school curriculum. • The teaching of dance is very good. • Leadership and management are very good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

122. The school is justly proud of its achievements in physical education. It is a real strength in the curriculum, as it was at the time of the previous inspection. In 2003 the school was given the Active Sports Mark Award for its work in physical education. This recognised very good teaching and the efforts made to enrich the curriculum through a wide range of extra-curricular sports activities and many sporting links developed with nearby primary and secondary schools. Children use the nearby secondary school facilities for more challenging work in dance. Year 5 go on an adventure activity week each year where they develop skills in other sports not provided by the school. All activities are open to boys and girls and both, for instance, take part in football coaching. Individuals are selected by their teachers to take part in the Elite Athletes programme. The school takes part in inter-school sports competitions and is often successful. In addition to developing

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Main strengths and weaknesses

children's physical skills, social skills are promoted as the competitions bring them into contact with the wider community in local and national events.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

123. In the two dance lessons observed, one in the infants and one in the juniors, teaching was very good because the teachers’ expertise enabled them to demonstrate what was required really Benhurst Primary School - 35 well. Children responded excellently never wavering in their attention and trying especially hard to improve their performance. In both lessons, children gave total commitment to their work and followed the clear, concise instructions to the letter. The lessons were taken at a brisk pace and dance skills were honed and refined with practice enabling children to achieve very well. Exercises increased in complexity and dance sequences were built up in a systematic way. In the infant lesson, children learned how to stretch their limbs, head and shoulders to mimic a cat becoming fully aware of its surroundings. Junior children created their own routines miming climbing a hill to see the view from the top before performing them to music. Individuals were confident to

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Main strengths and weaknesses

demonstrate their ideas while others watched and suggested improvements. Children were made aware of the importance of regular exercise and the need to work safely.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

124. Leadership and management are very good. A new programme of work linked to the National Curriculum was adopted three years ago and this has been beneficial in improving the quality of provision. Resources are good and the school has recently received a grant for portable cricket equipment.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

125. There is a very good programme for personal social and health education and citizenship. It underpins the ethos of the school. Children’s views are sought through questionnaires and the school council so that they play an important role in the school’s development. Circle Times, assemblies, group work and class lessons are used very effectively to promote values of honesty, kindness and respect for others. Circle times give good opportunities for children to talk about things that worry them and offer each other solutions. As a result of the school’s very good provision, children behave in a mature, sensible and responsible manner. Benhurst Primary School - 36

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Overall standards achieved 2 Pupils’ achievement 2

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities 2 Attendance 3 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 2 The quality of teaching 2 How well pupils learn 2 The quality of assessment 3 How well the curriculum meets pupils needs 2 Enrichment of the curriculum, including out-of-school activities 2 Accommodation and resources 4 Pupils’ care, welfare, health and safety 2 Support, advice and guidance for pupils 3 How well the school seeks and acts on pupils’ views 3 The effectiveness of the school’s links with parents 2 The quality of the school’s links with the community 2 The school’s links with other schools and colleges 2

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

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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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