Broadlea Primary School

BROADLEA FIRST SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 25 th – 28 th April 2005

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BROADLEA FIRST SCHOOL

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 Broadlea First 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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BROADLEA FIRST 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. Broadlea First School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school First School category: Community Age range of pupils: 4-9 Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 223

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Berry Hill Lake Sandown Isle of Wight Postcode: PO36 9LH

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Telephone number: 01983 403179 Fax number: 01983 406097

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body Name of chair of governors: Mr Ken Pardey

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 4 th – 7 th May 1999

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

Broadlea is an average sized modern designed first school in Lake with 223 pupils. There are broadly equal numbers of boys and girls, except in Year 3, where there are twice as many boys as girls. The number attending the school has fallen in recent years largely due to a fall in the local birth rate; this has resulted in almost all classes having mixed aged pupils. A high proportion of pupils change schools at times other than in reception and Year 4. The school welcomes many pupils who have been excluded or who have failed to thrive at other schools or who have moved due to housing needs. For example, in Year 4, over 25 per cent of pupils joined the school after Year 1. Most pupils come from Lake, although the school takes pupils from a very wide area. Many families live in rented accommodation and only have regular work during the summer holiday season. The proportion receiving free school meals is above average at 21 per cent, with many pupils being

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

just below the threshold for receipt of these meals. The social circumstances of families are below average overall, although the school now welcomes a growing number of families who enjoy more affluent circumstances. The school admits a few pupils who are learning English as an additional language (EAL). Currently, these pupils are in Years 1 and 2 and almost fully competent in speaking English. Throughout the school, almost all pupils are from a white ethic background. The school has a slightly lower than average number of pupils on the register for special educational needs (SEN). However, many of these pupils have very complex physical, social and behavioural difficulties. In addition to this, there are a significant number of pupils who are being accurately monitored for inclusion on the special needs register. An average number of pupils have a statement of special need. The school has shared care links with one special needs school.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

Pupils’ skills, knowledge and understanding, when joining the school, vary from year to year and are below average overall, although in some years pupils who join the year group after the reception year brings this down to well below average. The school has received a ‘Healthy Schools Award’ and are actively involved in a community based ‘Family Learning Project’. Broadlea First School - 4

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

23674 Wendy Simmons Lead inspector Provision for children in the Foundation Stage, mathematics, physical education, art and English as an additional language. 9646 Geraldine Osment Lay inspector 32367 Jo Pike Team inspector Science, geography, information and communication technology, and religious education and music. 33197 Anne Webber Team inspector English, history, design and technology, personal, social and health education and citizenship, special educational needs.

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e-Qualitas Limited

Langshaw Pastens Road Limpsfield chart Oxted Surrey RH8 ORE

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e-Qualitas Limited

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.oftsed.gov.uk). Broadlea First School - 5

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 8

Standards achieved in areas of learning, subjects and courses

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 8

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL 11

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

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OVERALL EVALUATION

Broadlea First School provides a satisfactory standard of education . From pupils’ below average starting point, when joining the school, satisfactory overall teaching and learning result in satisfactory achievement. By Year 4, standards of work are below average. Satisfactory leadership and management give a satisfactory steer to raising standards. The school makes effective use of its lower than average income to give good value for money. The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are • Very good relationships and a strong caring ethos, result in pupils showing a keenness to learn, very good attitudes and behaviour and very good personal and social development • In English, good teaching, learning and leadership result in pupils achieving well • There is good provision for pupils in the Foundation Stage and for pupils with special educational needs (SEN) and those learning English as an additional language (EAL)

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OVERALL EVALUATION

• The achievement of higher ability pupils, in mathematics and science is too inconsistent because they are not always given challenging enough work in lessons • The management of assessment information is inefficient. Valuable information is difficult to access and not used well to track pupils’ progress and support further school improvement • Teamwork is good, with teaching assistants giving very good support to pupils in lessons • Very good links with the ‘Family Learning Project’ and the community enrich achievement • The improvement plan is not precisely matched to the school’s needs to be fully effective Satisfactory improvement has been made since the last inspection in 1999 . There has been satisfactory improvement in science. Improvements in information and communication technology (ICT) and literacy skills, especially those of boys are good. In Year 3, there are twice as many boys as girls. Moreover, there are far more boys than girls with complex special needs. This is a

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OVERALL EVALUATION

significant factor in why the school performed less well than similar schools in the 2004, Year 2, national tests. However, between 2000 and 2003, the school’s, Year 2, results showed a gradual trend for improvement, even though results were much lower than the national average. The school has a much greater proportion of lower ability pupils than higher ability pupils, which affects standards. While the school has acted successfully on most of the issues from the last inspection, assessment still remains a significant area for attention. Staff are keen to bring about improvements, as evident in the good developments for SEN and in pupils’ very good attitudes, good care and positive links with parents and the very good links with the community.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

All schools Similar schools Results in National Curriculum tests at the end of Year 2, compared with: 2002 2003 2004 2004 Reading E C E D Writing D D E D Mathematics E E* E* E Key: A - well above average; B - above average; C - average; D - below average; E - well below average, E* in the bottom 5% of the country. Similar schools are those with the same percentage receiving free school meals . Broadlea First School - 7 Achievement is satisfactory . Children achieve well in the reception classes and in Years 1 and 3. Throughout the school there is a strong emphasis on literacy, which results in good progress in English. Standards are now average in reading and below average in writing by Year 2 and average at both aspects by Year 4. Achievement in science and mathematics is satisfactory overall, although standards remain below average because higher attaining pupils are not always doing as well as they can. In addition, problem solving activities are too limited in mathematics. Pupils are making

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

rapid progress in ICT, although this is not yet resulting in average standards. Standards in RE are average and achievement is good. The focus on developing pupils’ speaking skills is central to pupils’ progress, including the good progress for pupils learning EAL and those with SEN. Very good use of teaching assistants enhances pupils’ achievement.

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Pupils’ personal qualities are very good, with very good provision for pupils’ moral and

social development and good spiritual and cultural development . Many pupils start with weaknesses in their social skills. Some display challenging behaviour. Staff deal with this effectively to help pupils’ develop very good attitudes and behaviour. Good care and hard work enhance pupils’ self-esteem. Attendance is below average and achievement of pupils who miss school is unsatisfactory, this has a detrimental effect on standards. Punctuality is satisfactory.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The quality of education is satisfactory . Teaching and learning are satisfactory . Pupils make steady progress in acquiring new knowledge, understanding and skills. Teachers work hard to motivate pupils, although information from assessments is not always used effectively enough to plan challenges for higher ability pupils. Very good support enables pupils with SEN and EAL to learn effectively. Teaching and learning are consistently good in reception and Years 1 and 3. In all years there were examples of very good lessons. The satisfactory curriculum is enriched by good additional activities, a strong partnership with parents and very good community links.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The leadership and management of the school are satisfactory . The headteacher shows satisfactory leadership and a strong commitment to promoting a positive learning ethos. He is well supported by other key staff. Governance is satisfactory, with almost all statutory requirements met, (there are a few minor omissions in the prospectus). Management is satisfactory, staff and governors work well together but the improvement plan is not focused on important priorities.

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Parents and pupils speak very highly of the school and feel welcomed, listened to and supported.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

The most important things the school should do to improve are • Provide more challenges for higher ability pupils, particularly in mathematics and science • Make assessment information easily accessible, so that it can be used effectively to track pupils’ progress and support target setting in the school’s improvement plan • Implement a tightly focused improvement plan, which involves staff and governors in working on a few important key priorities, that link directly to further raising achievement Broadlea First School - 8

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Standards achieved in areas of learning, subjects and courses

Achievement is satisfactory. Pupils start school with below average skills and knowledge. Standards overall are below average by the end of Year 4. The standard of work by Year 2 is average in speaking, listening and reading but below average in writing, mathematics and science. Pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding are average in English and religious education (RE), and below average in mathematics, science and ICT at the end of Year 4. In ICT, lower than average standards are due to the school not having suitable computers until recently. This has now been successfully resolved, with average standards in Years 1 to 3.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Achievement is good in English and RE • The provision for higher ability pupils is too inconsistent, which is unsatisfactory • Pupils’ achieve best in the Foundation Stage and in Years 1 and 3 • Pupils with SEN achieve well throughout the school • Very good links with the community enhance pupils’ academic achievement and wider personal and social development • High mobility and lower than average attendance impact upon standards

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Commentary

1. Since the last inspection, the school has maintained the good progress for children in the reception classes. In 1999, very low standards on entry to school were identified and between 1999 and 2003 this pattern continued. In the last two years the number of higher ability children joining the reception classes has increased. As a consequence of this, the overall starting point has risen and is now below average. There is still a larger than average proportion of children with limited skills and knowledge on arrival in their communication and social skills. Nearly all of these are boys, who almost wholly make up the group needing specific additional support. All children achieve well in the reception classes as a result of good teaching and learning opportunities, which place a strong focus on improving children’s social skills and language and communication. Children achieve very well in their social and language and communication skills and in their wider understanding of the

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Commentary

world and mathematical skills. Achievement is satisfactory in their creative knowledge. 2. For the last two years, standards when the children started in Year 1 were broadly average, reflecting the changes in characteristics in the school. However, for the pupils currently in Years 2, 3 and 4, standards were lower, reflecting their different abilities. The profile of abilities in these classes drops further due to numerous arrivals and departures of pupils through the school year. For example, currently, 33 of the total 223 pupils, joined after Year 1. These complex factors need to be taken into account when looking at the table below. This shows well below average standards. In the last national tests, results fell for pupils in Year 2 (now Year 3 pupils). For those pupils it represented satisfactory overall achievement for most pupils. 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 14.2 (15.6) 15.8 (15.7) Writing 12.9 (14.0) 14.6 (14.6) Mathematics 13.4 (15.2) 16.2 (16.3) There were 43 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year. 3. Since the last inspection, there had been a steady trend for improvement in standards by the end of Year 2 even though the school’s overall results remained below to well below average. Largely, these low results reflect the fact that many pupils, although making steady progress only just gained a Level 2 in their tests and in reading, writing and mathematics and few reached a higher Level 3. Broadlea First School - 9 4. Pupils with special educational needs (SEN) achieve well and sometimes very well for their ability throughout the school, showing very good continuance of the provision in 1999. Adults working with them know their needs well and give very focussed support. Boys’ needs in particular are carefully

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Commentary

evaluated and structured support and sensitive care enable them to make good progress for their wide ranging needs. As a result, between 75 and 80 per cent of pupils with SEN, in Years 3 and 4, have made over a year’s progress between September 2004 and March 2005. Many of these are boys. Very good leadership of SEN is central to pupils’ good achievement. Work is demanding and individuals are regularly reviewed to check their progress. They often achieve the ambitious and specific targets set for them. Where they do not manage to achieve targets it is usually because they have multiple and complex needs. 5. The last inspection report made little direct reference to the progress and standards of work of higher ability pupils. Consequently, it has only been recently that the school has begun to really recognise that this group requires more attention. Until then, much of the school’s efforts had successfully gone into the overall provision in English, science, ICT and for pupils with SEN.

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Commentary

Governors and staff are fully aware that higher ability pupils need more consistently challenging activities and openly admit that there is still someway to go to ensure that their achievement is lifted. While there are several notable strengths, including sports, art and instrumental playing, challenges in mathematics and science are inconsistent. In mathematics, problem solving and investigation work are too limited to promote thinking skills. In science, while pupils are doing plenty of interesting and thought provoking experiments, which is a good element of improvement since 1999, higher- level work is often missing. Better achievement is being hampered by teachers not using assessment information well enough to help them to work out exactly what pupils need to do to quickly get to higher levels in their work. Furthermore, targets for this group are not as clear as for those with SEN and EAL. Pupils have some targets in English, which are enabling higher attaining

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Commentary

pupils to achieve well, but not in other subjects. In Years 1 and 3, higher attaining pupils often do better because they are challenged by the work set. 6. The school places a strong emphasis on English, so pupils achieve well. There is particularly good attention to helping pupils to improve speaking skills. This benefits pupils learning to speak English in addition to another language who make rapid progress to reach average standards. The pupils achieve very well in developing English and make good overall progress, although, like other higher ability pupils, sometimes, additional challenges are missing in mathematics. Pupils throughout the school achieve well in reading as staff take care to ensure that pupils read regularly in all subjects of the curriculum. The ‘Family Learning Project’ plays an invaluable part in raising pupils’ achievement, as parents and pupils, research, read, discuss books together. Boys are encouraged to read by

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Commentary

inviting local sports players in to help with reading groups and through carefully planned class lessons. In writing, achievement is best in Years 3 and 4, as they often write at length using more complex vocabulary. 7. Very good links with community, especially through visits really help to enhance pupils’ achievement and wider spiritual, personal and social development. This results in good achievement and average standards in RE. 8. Lower than average attendance stops some pupils making the progress they should. For example, pupils have missed valuable initial work on division and very good learning about how to find key words in texts, which help pupils to write notes and extract meaning from more complicated pieces of writing. Despite efforts from the school, they had no idea why the pupils were again absent.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

Most pupils like coming to school and concentrate well in lessons. Attitudes and behaviour are very good. There is good provision overall for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, which has a positive impact on pupils’ achievement. Attendance is below average. Punctuality is satisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The quality of relationships is a very special feature of the school and as a result pupils have very good attitudes to school and they behave very well • The very positive school ethos strongly supports the pupils’ personal development • Irregular attendance is creating gaps in pupils’ education Broadlea First School - 10

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Commentary

9. Since the last inspection the school has worked successfully to enhance pupils’ personal development. At the pre-inspection meeting parents spoke very positively about relationships within the school. These very special relationships can clearly be seen between members of staff and pupils and they create a strong sense of community in which all can flourish. All adults working in the school are very good role models and through their guidance and encouragement the pupils are learning to play and work together co-operatively. This was clearly seen when the pupils were happily working together batting and fielding as a team. The pupils are very good at listening to their teachers and no time is wasted in lessons because pupils get on with the tasks that have been set for them. Although two boys were excluded last year for unacceptable behaviour no instances of unpleasantness or harassment were seen during the inspection. Pupils say that if they know who to

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Commentary

go to and feel confident that it would be dealt with. Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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Commentary

Categories used in the Annual School Census No of pupils on roll Number of fixed period exclusions Number of permanent exclusions White – British 223 4 0

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Commentary

10. Staff work very effectively to help pupils with SEN, especially those with challenging behaviour, to develop very good relationships, which are based on respect, a consistently calm approach and good humour. As a result of this very strong support pupils learn how to manage their behaviour so that they can learn effectively. The school successfully integrates pupils. Pupils quickly learn to respect the efforts, difficulties and talents of others. 11. The nurturing of pupils’ personal and social skills has a high priority in the school. The youngest children are already developing an awareness of the needs of other people, their feelings and beliefs. In both reception classes, children quickly learn how to take turns share and work alongside each other, which sets them up well for successful learning in the years ahead. All pupils are helped to show respect. During the inspection the assembly theme of ‘good manners’ was used very well to

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Commentary

enhance pupils’ social and moral skills. Pupils’ good spiritual development is being encouraged in assemblies, in science and in religious education (RE). Teachers use the community and local area well to enhance pupils’ understanding of their own culture and the rich heritage of the Isle of Wight. The previous inspection team reported that the school needed to do more to prepare the pupils for life in a multicultural society and this has been partly tackled through links with a school in Milton Keynes and by celebration of different cultural and religious beliefs. 12. The attendance rate has declined since the inspection of 1999 and in the main this is due to the high number of parents who take their children out of school for term time holidays. Many parents work continually through the holiday months, so take their own breaks in school time. Gaps in pupils learning were clearly seen when inspectors looked at pupils’ work particularly in mathematics and

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Commentary

science and this is resulting in some pupils not achieving as well as they might, though satisfactorily overall. A small number of pupils are also regularly late in the mornings and this can be disruptive for them, their classmates and teachers. Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

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Commentary

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data 5.7 School data 0.0 National data 5.1 National data 0.4 The table gives the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Broadlea First School - 11

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

The quality of education provided by the school is satisfactory. Pupils are well cared for and their views are valued. Teaching and learning are satisfactory. The curriculum is satisfactory, with a good range of extra activities. There are good links with parents and very good links with the community. The accommodation and resources are good overall.

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Teaching and learning

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Assessment is unsatisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching and learning are good in reception and in Years 1 and 3 • Teaching and learning are good in English • Teaching and learning for pupils with SEN are very good • There are weaknesses in assessment, which prevent teachers from further enhancing pupils’ learning • Higher ability pupils are not always challenged enough in mathematics and science • Relationships are very good and assistants give very good support

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Commentary

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 33 lessons

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Commentary

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Commentary

The table gives the number of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons. The percentage is in brackets. 13. The quality of teaching and learning was found to be good at the time of the last inspection. That judgement was based on the lessons seen. During this inspection, the lessons seen were also good overall. However, the evidence from the sample of work seen and assessment information now play a bigger part in the overall judgement on the quality of teaching and learning. Thus, overall, teaching and learning are now judged to be satisfactory. Since 1999, the school has successfully reduced the number of unsatisfactory lessons and increased the amount of very good lessons. However, assessment still remains an important area for improvement. The school is only just getting to grips with ensuring that higher ability pupils have the opportunity to do challenging enough work and this

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Commentary

is particularly why teaching and learning in mathematics is not as strong as in 1999, when it was found to be good. There have been useful developments in science, as pupils now do more investigations for themselves, although the learning of higher ability pupils is sometimes slowed by teachers not being sure how to extend pupils. 14. Teaching and learning in the reception classes are good. Communication, mathematical, creative and social skills are interwoven with each other in a natural and meaningful way so the children understand what they are learning about. Teaching and learning are also consistently good in Years 1 and 3, because work is better matched to the wide range of abilities and so pupils make good progress. While teaching and learning are satisfactory in Years 2 and Year 4, it is important to note that these are mixed aged classes (one class having 37 pupils) and pupils in Years 1 and 3 make

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Commentary

good progress in their learning because work is often better matched to their ability. It is in Years 2 and 4 that the weaknesses identified in assessment impact most on the higher ability pupils. 15. Throughout the school almost all pupils enjoy learning, they understand what they are doing, and most quickly develop new skills. Teachers have a good understanding of how children learn so, skilfully organise whole class teaching and small group based activities. However, while planning is satisfactory, teachers are not skilled enough at using assessment information from tests, and other assessment information to guide them in providing activities that enable the higher ability pupils to be challenged in all subjects. Much of the work in pupils’ books shows that pupils of average and above average ability often do the same tasks. As a result, higher ability pupils’ work is often very accurate, with many ticks and few comments about how to develop ideas and challenge their

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Commentary

thinking. This is most evident in mathematics and science. In English, where teaching and learning are good, teachers are better at giving guidance about how to extend and develop pupils’ work. In Broadlea First School - 12 English, pupils have targets to work to towards and this helps them to improve, whereas in other subjects these are missing. 16. Teachers enjoy very good relationships with pupils and encourage and praise them to take an active part in learning. This raises their self-esteem, especially boys. The emphasis on speaking and reading is especially strong. Teachers often ask very good questions and introduce pupils to a wide range of new vocabulary, which results in pupils expressing themselves more accurately. This is particularly beneficial to pupils learning to speak English as an additional language. Literacy activities are skilfully interwoven into a range of subjects, which is good practice, as it enables all

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Commentary

pupils’ to make sense of what they are learning in a meaningful way. The Family Literacy Project enables parents and pupils to work together on interesting activities. Most notably, they have made a selection of high quality information books. This work helps pupils to practise useful reading and research skills and gives them a real and exciting reason to write. Numeracy, mathematics and ICT are less well integrated into learning in other subjects of the curriculum, although the school is beginning to improve this. 17. Teaching and learning opportunities are very good for pupils with SEN and their achievement is at least good and sometimes very good. There is a strong emphasis on helping these pupils to develop literacy and social skills, which is especially helpful to those with challenging behaviour. Teaching assistants make a very valuable contribution to the learning of pupils with SEN. Assessment is used very effectively for this group of pupils to modify work to meet individual needs.

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Commentary

Individual education plans, which include small steps of improvement, are implemented and reviewed by all adults. There is a strong emphasis on developing skills in literacy and numeracy so that pupils can understand the curriculum. Resources, which interest and motivate boys and the use of ICT, are having an impact on moving boys’ progress forward. There is very generous provision of teaching assistants for SEN pupils and they have developed the necessary skills to support pupils with specific needs. Assessment systems are equally good for pupils learning EAL. Learning follows small steps of carefully recorded progress. For example, the marking of their story work, is especially good at identifying which features pupils need to include and develop, such as full stops and exciting describing words. Like other higher ability pupils, this group miss further challenges in mathematics.

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The curriculum

The curriculum overall is satisfactory. A wide range of additional activities supports pupils’ personal and social development well. Provision for pupils with special educational needs is very good. Accommodation and resources are good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The curriculum for children in the reception classes is good • The curriculum provision for pupils with SEN and EAL is good • Provision for pupils’ personal, social and emotional development across the curriculum is very good and enhanced by good extra-curricular and enrichment activities • The accommodation is very good and used well to support the curriculum • There are insufficient planned opportunities for investigation in mathematics • Provision for higher ability pupils is unsatisfactory overall. There is insufficient and regular monitoring and evaluation of the impact of the curriculum on pupils’ achievement

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Commentary

18. Children in the Foundation Stage have good opportunities to learn through structured and imaginative play activities. Throughout the school, teachers plan good opportunities in different subjects to develop pupils’ speaking and listening skills. This, together with a more creative, cross- curricular approach to learning, is helping help pupils to achieve well in English, especially in writing in Years 3 and 4. The school is beginning to find interesting ways to link learning and deepen pupils’ understanding between subjects. For example, by working on geography skills and knowledge within a literacy lesson. Planned investigations are enhancing pupils’ learning in science but in mathematics the lack of these is hampering pupils’ mathematical development. Broadlea First School - 13 19. Provision for personal, social and health education, particularly the daily support for pupils’ personal development in the classroom, is very good. The school also ensures a good awareness of a

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Commentary

healthy lifestyle, and has been awarded the Healthy Schools’ Award in recognition of its work. 20. The good provision for pupils with special educational needs and those learning to speak English as an additional language enables them to make good overall progress. Close co-operation between the co-ordinator, teachers and teaching assistants in assessing and meeting the needs of these pupils ensures that they have equal opportunity to be engaged and involved in a broad curriculum both during and after the school day. There is generous provision of teaching assistants and they support these pupils very well. The curriculum is less effective in addressing the needs of more able pupils. As a result the achievement of these pupils is unsatisfactory in some subjects. 21. A wide range of extra-curricular activities, which is open to pupils from age five upwards, enhances pupils’ personal development and links with parents and the school’s links with the community. This

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Commentary

was seen in Carnival Club, where pupils and parents developed their creative skills in making items for a float for the community carnival. Involvement of pupils in music and sporting events provide further important links with the community. The school uses its local environment well to enrich pupils learning. For example, Year 2 based their scientific work on a visit to the local park. 22. Accommodation is well designed and used effectively and the teaching and learning environment is enhanced by very attractive and purposeful displays. ICT provision has recently been improved by the installation of a computer suite and this is really helping to raise pupils’ achievement. The accommodation for children in the reception classes is very good overall, although the outside area is not used to full potential.

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Care, guidance and support

The school makes good provision for the care and welfare of its pupils so that they grow in self- confidence and feel secure and safe at school. There are good arrangements for involving pupils in the life of the school and overall satisfactory support and guidance for all pupils.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• There has been good improvement since the last inspection • The school takes good care of the pupils • The very good relationships help the pupils feel secure in school • There are very good arrangements to settle children into the reception classes, and after, preparing them successfully for learning • Pupils do not always have a good enough understanding of what they need to do next to improve their work

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Commentary

23. This aspect of the school shows good improvement since the last inspection. The school is a caring environment where pupils, many of whom have unsettled lives, can feel secure and well cared for. Staff strive to ensure that every pupil gains confidence and enthusiasm. 24. The systems for safeguarding pupils’ health and safety are effective and have improved since the inspection of 1999. First aid and medical support are good; child protection procedures are in place, and the policy is regularly reviewed. However, whole staff training for child protection needs updating. The school works closely with other agencies to provide additional support, especially to support families whose attendance is unsatisfactory and behaviour support teachers help pupils with specific difficulties. Meals are nutritious and well presented and during break and lunchtimes the pupils are supervised appropriately. The school uses local community members very well including

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Commentary

the fire and police services to support the very good personal, social and health education (PSHE) programme. Parents are very happy with the care that is taken of their children. 25. All adults who work in the school form close and trusting relationships with the pupils. Pupils spoken to during the inspection said that there are adults to go to if they have worries. Teachers know the pupils very well and are able to monitor their personal development effectively. The very good PSHE programme gives pupils good opportunities to express their ideas and opinions and also the confidence to share their feelings with their teachers and classmates. The celebrations of pupils’ achievements in the Wednesday and Gold Book award assemblies are also contributing positively Broadlea First School - 14 to pupils’ personal development and belief in themselves. Teachers listen well to pupils during lessons; they value their contributions, which enhance self-esteem.

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Commentary

26. Parents and pupils are very happy with the settling in procedures, which is especially important due to the high mobility in the school. All members of staff work very hard to build positive relationships with parents so that feelings of mutual trust and respect are established. In this way pupils’ needs and any concerns can be discussed easily and problems quickly dealt with. The reception teachers work closely with the pre-school group ‘Scallywags’, which helps the youngest children to get to know the school at an early stage and gives them confidence when moving into the reception class. Older pupils who join the school are well supported through the very good relationships between adults and pupils and pupils with each other. 27. Through the very good questioning techniques that many teachers use they are able to assess how much pupils understand in lessons. However, they do not always share a clear explanation of what

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Commentary

pupils should be learning and then refer back to it at the end of lessons to help pupils gauge how much they have learned themselves. Pupils in Years 3 and 4 are given some targets but they are not often discussed with them nor are they referred to when teachers mark work.

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Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

The school has a good and developing partnership with parents. Links with the local community are very good. There is very good provision of extended services to pupils and their families. Good links have been built with other schools and colleges.

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Main strengths

• The school’s partnership with the community and other schools enriches the curriculum well • The school actively encourages parents as partners in their children’s education • Family learning is making a very positive contribution to the school’s partnership with parents

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Commentary

28. Since 1999, the school’s partnerships with parents continues to show good improvement. Responses to the pre-inspection questionnaire and meeting and discussions with parents during the inspection were overwhelmingly positive and show that parents are very happy with all that the school has to offer them and their children. They feel there is strong leadership and they find members of staff easy to approach. Many parents show good support for the school through helping in classrooms, supporting visits and attending the parent teacher association (PTA) fund raising and social events in high numbers. The parent/teacher consultations are well attended and the school has changed the structure and introduced parent surgeries on the suggestion of parents. As reported at the last inspection the annual reports to parents inform them of what their children know, understand and can do but they do not give an indication of the national curriculum level that the

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Commentary

children are working at or set targets for improvement. The weekly newsletters are well presented but the prospectus does not contain all of the required information on attendance. 29. The Family Learning programme has been enthusiastically welcomed by the school and has enabled many parents to gain confidence and develop and learn new skills. The very strong partnership that has flourished because of parents’ involvement has been of great benefit to the school, parents and their children. The parents are able to understand what the school is trying to do through working alongside their children in classrooms. This has made a very positive contribution to standards and achievement, particularly in reading. Parents attend courses on behaviour management and this is resulting in better behaviour from some children because they are receiving consistent messages at school and at home. Many of these parents have become

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Commentary

regular helpers in school and others have gained the confidence to study for new qualifications. 30. The curriculum is enhanced well by very strong links with the local and wider community. Teachers use the island resources well to enrich the curriculum. For example visits to Osborne House, Carisbrooke Castle, shops and the dinosaur centre support learning in history and geography. Parents, their children and staff take part dance club, which is enjoyed by all and makes a very positive contribution to developing community spirit and a healthy lifestyle. Links with the receiving middle schools are helping to prepare the pupils well for the next stage of their education. Work experience students from the college and secondary school and graduate trainee teachers are all Broadlea First School - 15 welcomed into school and support pupils’ learning and achievement, enabling pupils often to work in very small groups.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management of the headteacher and key staff are satisfactory. Governance is satisfactory showing compliance with almost all statutory responsibilities. Management is satisfactory.

p.15

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The headteacher has created a very positive ethos in the school, together with a hard working and caring team of staff and governors • Relationships between adults in the school are very good, and they work as a cohesive team to set pupils a very good role model • Senior and middle managers are committed to raising achievement • The school’s improvement plan and assessment systems are not useful enough to support the next stage of the school’s improvement • The governors are committed to the school

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Commentary

31. The headteacher and all staff form a strongly committed team, dedicated to providing all pupils with a happy environment where they are all highly valued. The headteacher has created a very positive ethos throughout the school, to help all pupils develop high levels of self-esteem and show enthusiasm for learning. He works very hard to ensure that those pupils with special educational needs, English as an additional language, boys and lower attaining pupils receive the support they need. However the needs of high attaining pupils are not so well met. He has built a strong staff team, using individual strengths to good effect. Moreover, he has shown a strong commitment to developing very good links with the community and making the Family Learning Project such a success. 32. There has been good improvement in the roles and responsibilities of senior managers and subject co-ordinators since the last inspection. They share the headteacher’s vision and are committed to

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Commentary

improving achievement in the school. They work very hard. Leadership is frequently better than management. Leadership in English, science, ICT and, the Foundation Stage is good. The leadership of special educational needs is very good. Although their role includes monitoring the quality of teaching and learning, this has not taken place according to a clear time plan or a specific and tight focus, so management is satisfactory overall. 33. The governors are kept well informed about the school, particularly by the self-evaluation group, which visits the school regularly to observe lessons and report back. The data group are beginning to help governors understand how the school identifies pupils who are achieving well and those who are underachieving. As yet, governors do not play a strategic enough role in the school improvement plan; so do not ask searching and challenging questions about the key priorities. Since

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Commentary

the last inspection, they have developed their role satisfactorily with more committees and good delegation of responsibilities. They have acted on the health and safety issues and missing elements in the school’s documentation, although a minor omission is now evident in the school’s prospectus regarding the reporting of attendance rates. 34. The school has put in place various procedures to evaluate how well the school is doing and where it has weaknesses. However, the tracking of pupils’ performance is unsatisfactory, because the data the school collects and analyses is not evaluated in a systematic and rigorous way. The school is keen to improve this, but has been hampered by local difficulties, which have prevented the school from having a working computer system to assist the process. 35. The school’s improvement plan identifies clear whole school priorities, but these are not reflected by the individual subject development plans. There are too many different priorities, so there is not a

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Commentary

strong enough focus on the important ones. Indeed, the current plan is not precisely enough linked to the school’s weaknesses and the plan is only for the current school year, which does not provide a strategic long-term view for school improvement. The staff and governors attempt to evaluate the success of their improvements, but the criteria on which they do this are not broken down into small Broadlea First School - 16 enough steps that can be more easily measured. A useful aspect has been the on-going development of helping staff to widen their understanding about different ways pupils learn and in the achievement of pupils with SEN. Currently, the school’s improvement plan is not a useful enough tool to support the school in raising the achievement of higher ability pupils, and in facilitating better assessment systems. 36. Performance management is satisfactory, but does not always link consistently or strongly enough

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Commentary

to whole school issues in the school’s development plan. The headteacher commented that it has been very difficult to gain access to a wide range of suitable staff training on the Isle of Wight in the last two years to develop staff. Induction of new staff is good, and the school is benefiting from its involvement with student teachers. Financial information for the year April 2004 to March 2005

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Commentary

Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 662,523 Balance from previous year 2561 Total expenditure 651,780 Balance carried forward to the next 13,304 Expenditure per pupil 2798

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Commentary

37. Financial management is satisfactory. The school uses its lower than average funding well. Good financial decisions include the spending on teaching assistants and the development of ICT resources, both of which have made a significant contribution to pupils’ achievement this year. Currently, the school does not have a school financial policy to set out the procedures to ensure best value in spending and secure management of funds. However, informal arrangements ensure that the principles of best value are applied satisfactorily. Monitoring of the school’s budget is effective, and long term planning of finance is good, especially in light of the falling roles. However, there is not a clear enough link between financial planning for individual subjects and the most important key priorities for school development. 38. The principal aid to the school’s future development is the commitment of the staff and governors to

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Commentary

work together to help the school to succeed. The principal barriers are the constraints imposed by too many parents not ensuring that their children attend school regularly and high mobility. Below average attainment on entry both into reception and other year groups make it difficult for the school to quickly lift standards. Broadlea First School - 17

p.16

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Provision in the Foundation Stage is good. 39. Children enjoy a warm and caring welcome by staff who set high expectations. Relationships are very good and children benefit from consistently good teaching and learning opportunities in the two classes. The accommodation is of very good quality. Resources are good overall, including very good support from experienced assistants and enthusiastic parents and grandparents. Leadership is good and supported by satisfactory management systems. There is a very strong commitment by senior staff and governors to ensuring class sizes remain small. There are around 20 children in each class, so that children can be supported in widening their skills. The management of assessment systems is satisfactory. Teachers know which children are working towards (or have reached) the goals they are expected to by Year 1 and plan their work accordingly. However, some assessments do not detail precisely how children make step-by-step progress. As a result,

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AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

assessment of pupils is not as precise as it could be. 40. On entry to reception classes, children in the last two years show below average skills overall, this is higher than it has been in the past. A higher proportion of children still show lower social and communication skills, especially boys, who almost wholly make up the SEN group. This group is fully involved in learning activities and very well supported by adults. Currently, standards are close to average when children join Year 1 because there are a growing proportion of higher ability pupils. In the past, this has been lower due to variation in the abilities of children. Children with special education needs are very well supported and involved in all activities. There were no children learning EAL at the time of the inspection. 41. Since the last inspection, the good overall provision remains. The focus on developing social and language skills remain very good. The current development plan rightly identifies further

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AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

improvement of the outside climbing resources, which are unsatisfactory. Good re-planning of the curriculum has resulted in good improvement for play and investigation.

p.17

Personal, social and emotional development

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

p.17

Main strength

• Achievement is very good and reflects the very good teaching and interesting learning opportunities

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Commentary

42. When children start in the reception class many find it hard to talk to others with confidence. They often prefer to observe and play along side others rather than directly with them. Very good, teaching and learning help the children to grow in confidence, develop concentration and take risks, while also increasing their ability to work independently. By the end of the reception year, skills are mostly average. Children achieve very well due to good planning, interesting learning opportunities and involvement of adults, so that children are gently encouraged to follow rules, take turns, share and work together. Activities, such as growing plants and handling live creatures help the children to show tenderness and care. Children learn how to make decisions and show good initiative. Behaviour and listening are very good. Staff praise the children and consequently, they are motivated to try new and difficult things.

p.17

Communication, language and literacy

Provision in communication, language and literacy is very good.

p.17

Main strengths

• Very good teaching and learning opportunities enable children to achieve very well • Basic skills are taught very well Broadlea First School - 18

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Commentary

43. On entry to the reception classes speaking and communication skills are often lower than average for most of the children. A high proportion of children use actions, eye contact and gestures to communicate with adults and other children. Only a few have the confidence and skills to engage in simple conversations. However, careful nurturing and very good questioning help the children to enrich their language skills. Staff work hard to help children to become enthused by reading writing and speaking. Staff have high expectations and they sensitively talk to the children to show them how speech should sound. A very strong emphasis is put on developing early reading and writing skills. Teachers have very high expectations and really encourage the children to think about initial letter sounds and how to spell simple words, as seen when the children made shopping lists following the story of ‘The Very Hungry caterpillar’. All staff write with the children, so that they see

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Commentary

how a skilled writer gets the words onto paper. Regular daily reading promotes learning. Currently, by the end of the reception year, most children are more confident in all aspects of communication, language and literacy, with their skills at a broadly average standard this year.

p.18

Mathematical development

Provision in mathematical development is good.

p.18

Main strength

• Basic skills and knowledge are carefully introduced, so children achieve well

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Commentary

44. On entry to reception, knowledge and skills are below average. All children achieve well for their ability. Currently, standards are average by Year 1. Children confidently learn about counting to 20 and select numerals, with help. Only the higher ability children are confident in simple adding and subtracting. Children enjoy learning about shapes and can compare them, talking about curved and straight lines. Higher ability children confidently sort shapes into groups and accurately explained why a semi-circle has two sides. Teaching is good for all abilities.

p.18

Knowledge and understanding of the world

Provision in developing knowledge and understanding of the world is good.

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching and learning are good; this helps children to achieve well • Links with personal, social and spiritual development are very good • There are some good practical activities, although the outside area is not used to best effect

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Commentary

45. Most children have below average knowledge of the world around them when starting school. Teaching and learning are good and result in children widening their understanding of nature, their environment and family life. Adults plan many practical activities and talk about experiences, which supports their good learning. For example, they looked carefully at tiny caterpillars using huge magnifying glasses and then drew a picture to show that they had learnt. Opportunities to use computers are very good and result in high standards. For example, children learnt how to order the life cycle of butterflies and carefully designed pictures, using precise ‘click and drag’ computer mouse control. Children have access to a variety of construction materials and develop their designing and building skills appropriately. Currently, the outside area is not used to best effect to allow children to investigate how things grow and change. There is a good emphasis on differing

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Commentary

religious beliefs and cultural traditions. This positively enhances their personal development. After the teacher had read ‘Wonderful Earth. Excellent questioning helped the children to explore their feelings and sheer wonder filled their faces, when they looked at themselves in a mirror to appreciate that they are the most precious wonder of all. Nearly all the children reach the expected goals by Year 1. Broadlea First School - 19

p.18

Physical development

46. No overall judgement is made about provision, due to limited evidence. In the activities seen, teachers work hard to provide a broad range of activities, which help children to master both large body skills and agility with fiddly small things. Staff give satisfactory attention to helping the children to use scissors accurately and good attention to pen and pencil control. The classrooms have a large outside area to develop spontaneous running, jumping and control of wheeled vehicles. However, they do not have adequate clambering apparatus to develop co-ordination skills informally through play activities. However, the teachers use the apparatus in the school hall for regular formal lessons.

p.19

Creative development

Provision in creative development is satisfactory.

p.19

Main weakness

• There are missed opportunities to develop children’s imagination

p.19

Commentary

47. Teaching and learning are satisfactory. Teaching allows children to learn a suitable range of skills. For example, they made a forest play area and made up imaginary stories about animals. However, dressing up clothes and extra props are not always available in sufficient quantity to widen children’s imagination. In art, they paint regularly and make simple models, although resources are often over organised by adults, with limits opportunities for the children to think for themselves and become really creative. There is limited three-dimensional work and junk modelling. One formal music session was seen in the reception class, which was satisfactory, as children enjoyed learning simple beating patterns. Standards are below average by Year 1, but achievment is satisfactory. Broadlea First School - 20

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils with SEN and those learning EAL achieve very well • There is a strong focus on pupils’ speaking, listening and reading skills • Recent initiatives to improve writing are raising achievement in Years 3 and 4, but in Year 2 they are insufficiently developed for higher ability pupils • Teaching, learning and standards are not checked rigorously enough

p.20

Commentary

48. Standards are average by Year 2 and Year 4. Achievement is good. There has been good improvement in the proportion working on higher level writing skills by Year 4 due to the school’s focus on improving writing. 49. Good achievement overall in English is due to the very good progress for pupils with special educational needs. Some pupils in Years 3 and 4 have made much faster than average progress, due to their needs being specifically assessed and good support by teaching assistants. Some now reach average standards by Year 4. A significant number of these are boys. The school is focussing on raising boys’ achievement through curriculum provision, resources and teaching methods, which aid their learning. Progress by more able pupils is satisfactory, but not as rapid as other groups. Pupils learning EAL make very good progress, due to the emphasis on speaking and listening and focused assessment of their needs.

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Commentary

50. Teaching and learning are good. This includes a high proportion of very good teaching in Years 1 and 3. The teaching of reading in Years 1 and 2 is carefully structured to ensure pupils learn letter sounds and blends and use these to work out new words. Regular small group or individual reading sessions focus on the specific learning needs of individuals. There is particularly good support for those who have SEN and who are learning EAL, so these pupils make very good progress. The school has improved boys’ achievement by investing in ‘boy friendly’ texts and extending reading opportunities using a range of non-fiction books and interesting texts. Teachers motivate pupils to write by providing interesting starting points and pupils gain experience of writing in a range of different forms and for different audiences. A consistent approach is being used to improve pupils’ vocabulary, punctuation skills and encourage the use of connectives and effective openings to raise

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Commentary

standards. This is reflected in some of the marking of pupils’ work. However although teachers mark work conscientiously and positively, comments are not always linked closely enough to targets identified in the front of their books. 51. Most teachers plan lessons which successfully engage pupils’ interest as well as focusing on the skills they need to learn. In the best lessons drama and speaking and listening opportunities were used well to motivate pupils and raise their achievement. The best teaching encouraged deeper thinking through effective questioning. In a lesson in Year 1, pupils developed a definition of the word ‘history’ and defined the difference between fiction and non-fiction. 52. All pupils benefit from very good relationships and an encouraging, supportive classroom ethos, which raises pupils’ self-esteem. This was particularly evident in support teaching for pupils with SEN. Teaching Assistants are skilled at working with individuals and small groups. The subject

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Commentary

provides good support for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. 53. Leadership of English is good. There is clear vision and understanding of the need to improve achievement, especially in writing For example, by providing interesting and meaningful reasons to write, interesting vocabulary, and improvement in punctuation. These are raising standards, along with a high allocation of time to literacy. Management of the subject is satisfactory. The subject leader does not have sufficient opportunity to evaluate the quality of teaching and pupils’ learning across the school. As a result, there is inconsistent application of initiatives to improve standards. Class teachers are keeping assessments of pupils’ progress but there is no school system for Broadlea First School - 21 tracking their overall progress as a basis for setting targets for improvement and identifying insufficient progress. Improvement since the previous inspection is satisfactory.

p.20

Language and literacy across the curriculum

54. Links with other subjects are good, although sometimes the use of worksheets limits even better achievement in writing. A good range of writing opportunities are provided in history, geography and RE. Reading skills are well developed across the curriculum and this, together with touch-typing are helping pupils, especially boys to make good progress. Teachers have planned opportunities for developing speaking skills across the curriculum. For example, in a Year 3 and 4 lesson, pupils were encouraged to negotiate in small groups and match hotels to the needs of holiday -makers. This involved reasoned argument and inference and deduction skills using text cues. Speaking and listening, reading and geographical skills were all being developed in this session.

p.21

MATHEMATICS

Provision in mathematics is satisfactory.

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

• There is a strong focus on basic skills • Pupils with SEN are very well supported • Problem solving is not well developed • Teachers do not always plan challenging enough work for higher ability pupils • Pupils enjoy the subject, work hard and are mostly keen to learn

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Commentary

55. Standards in mathematics are below the average in both Years 2 and 4 because too few pupils do better than average. From pupils’ starting point when joining the school, most achieve satisfactorily, but the achievement of higher ability pupils is unsatisfactory and a significant area for improvement. Pupils with SEN achieve very well because they are well supported in lessons and work is usually skilfully tailored to their specific needs. Pupils learning EAL achieve satisfactorily. 56. Satisfactory achievement reflects the considerable attention to basic skills, so that pupils master how to add up, subtract, multiply and divide. Staff satisfactorily widen pupils’ understanding of shapes, measurement and handling data. For example, in Year 2, pupils worked very hard to work out the measurements of different parts of a model dinosaur in centimetres. Pupils often need to re- visit learning in many different ways, before they fully grasp new ideas and teachers plan for this

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Commentary

carefully. For example, in Year 3 and 4, pupils worked very hard on adding two lots of two digit numbers by breaking them down (partitioning) into groups of tens and groups of units. They often really struggled with sums such as 57 + 34 and good demonstrations by teachers helped the pupils to overcome their difficulties and understand new skills. The school has decided to group pupils by ability in Years 3 and 4, which is helping to better meet their needs. While higher ability pupils were observed using data to solve challenging problems, the work in books, does not show enough of how pupils think, record and develop their own style of solving number problems There is inadequate use of assessment information, to guide teachers’ planning in setting high expectations for all pupils and in evaluating pupils’ progress against the targets set. In addition, while pupils do some mathematics homework, there is not a rigorous focus on such things as learning simple tables

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Commentary

from Year 2, so pupils struggle when they are working on more complex problems. 57. Teaching and learning are satisfactory. This is a decline on the good teaching noted in 1999. Pupils work hard in most lessons and enjoy teaching methods that are active and visual. Pupils with SEN are very well supported with careful questioning and explanation by teaching assistants, so that they learn very well. In some lessons teachers evaluate how well pupils are learning and what they need to work on to improve. This ensures pupils’ misunderstandings are dealt with. Teachers use questions effectively to check pupils’ understanding and in many cases to get them to explain their thinking. The quality of teachers’ marking is unsatisfactory as it provides little useful feedback to enable pupils to re-think, improve or extend their skills. Added to this, the quality of presentation of work is very variable, with some pupils not showing enough care and accuracy in recording

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Commentary

mathematical work neatly. Broadlea First School - 22 58. The leadership of mathematics is satisfactory. There is a keenness to improve and a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the subject. Useful work is going on to improve assessment, although the use of this information is not rigorous enough to assist the staff and pupils in raising standards. Management of the development plan is unsatisfactory because it is not sufficiently focused on the key and important priorities for the subject. Although the headteacher observes lessons, the co-ordinator has not yet had sufficient opportunity to do this to gain a good practical grasp of the work of the school as a whole. Progress in improving mathematics since the last inspection has been too slow, which is unsatisfactory and reflects a lack of rigour in assessment and the improvement planning.

p.21

Mathematics across the curriculum

59. Links are satisfactory. Pupils use computers to present data when making graphs and charts. In geography and science measuring is evident, for example, pupils read and plot recordings from the school’s weather station. In art, pupils explore shapes and lines, which supports their work on symmetry and pattern. Links are underdeveloped in other subjects.

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils achieve well when teachers give pupils good opportunities to carry out carefully structured investigations • Teachers create positive relationships and a ‘can do’ atmosphere for learning • Higher ability pupils do not always have challenging enough activities because staff are not confident in developing pupils’ higher skills • Assessment procedures are not sufficiently effective to enable teachers to track pupils’ progress and identify their next learning steps • The quality of teaching and learning are not checked regularly enough

p.22

Commentary

60. Standards are below average by Year 2 and Year 4. This matches the teachers’ assessments at then end of 2004. While a high proportion of pupils work at the average level, very few pupils work at higher levels because, in some activities, challenges are not at the right level. Middle and lower attaining pupils, as well as pupils with special educational needs, achieve satisfactorily. Pupils who do not attend school regularly and higher ability pupils do not achieve as well as others. However, the science challenge and science club partly help higher ability pupils to widen their skills more effectively. Overall, pupils’ practical skills are developing well because teachers provide frequent opportunities for experiments. 61. Teaching and learning are satisfactory overall. Teachers plan lively and interesting activities, which pupils really enjoy, and result in them working hard. Teachers develop pupils’ self esteem, so they

p.22

Commentary

respond well, and also benefit from practising their speaking and listening skills. Overall, pupils’ thinking is constantly challenged by teachers’ skilful questioning. However, occasionally, the level of questioning or explanation, by teachers, is limited by their own insecure subject knowledge, and this lessens the learning of higher attaining pupils in particular. Pupils’ benefit from the frequent opportunities they have to explore their ideas during practical work, this is especially strong as pupils actively develop independent ideas and thinking. Teachers’ marking is not consistent in helping pupils to know how to improve. Assessment of pupils’ progress is not fully developed, so, currently teachers are unable to track pupils’ progress from year to year. Teachers lack confidence in assessing pupils’ work, particularly that of higher attaining pupils. 62. Leadership is good, and management is satisfactory. There is a commitment to improvement, and

p.22

Commentary

action has been taken to tackle many of the weaknesses identified in the previous inspection. The scheme of work effectively links developing practical skills, with extending pupils’ knowledge and understanding. Resources are adequate. Risk assessments are now carried out. Monitoring of teaching and learning is not regular or rigorous enough to inform improvement. Improvement since the previous inspection is satisfactory. Broadlea First School - 23

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• There has been good improvement in resources and teacher’s skills • Teachers structure learning carefully, and with other adults provide well targeted support, so that in most years meet the expected level • Pupils’ progress is checked, but this is not compared to national standards to identify pupils’ exact level of skill

p.23

Commentary

63. Overall standards are below average in Year 4, but in other year groups they are at least average and reflect good overall achievement. Pupils know how to alter text size, colour and select different styles of writing. They follow instructions to draw graphs and enjoy creating pictures using an art program. They know how to save and retrieve their work. Pupils are making good progress with their knowledge, understanding and skills, but they have gaps in their knowledge because in the past they have not been able to develop their skills from Year 2 to 4. Pupils with special educational needs achieve well. Boys achieve as well as girls. 64. Teaching and learning are good overall. Over time pupils’ learning has been hampered by the lack of suitable resources. Now that teachers have a new suite of computers they are effectively planning work to quickly develop pupils’ skills. Teachers give clear demonstrations of programs,

p.23

Commentary

which helps pupils to grasp how to use them. Additionally, teachers and other adults circulate during lessons giving well-targeted support matched to pupils’ needs. Pupils really enjoy their ICT lessons and work hard, because teachers give them confidence. ICT is well linked to other subjects so that it is relevant, and activities are interesting. At present, pupils’ progress with skills is recorded, but is not used to inform their next learning step. Neither is it compared to national levels and this prevents teachers knowing where there are strengths and weaknesses, and where to target improvement. 65. Leadership is good and management is satisfactory. Leadership is committed to raising standards and enhancing pupils’ achievement. Good leadership has resulted in good overall improvement since 1999. This is most evident in the development of the well-designed computer suite and in the provision for higher attaining and enthusiastic pupils to benefit from a good weekly ICT club. As a

p.23

Commentary

result of good leadership, pupils now have regular opportunities to develop their knowledge, understanding and skills across a range of programs. Management systems, although satisfactory are not fully developed. For example, teachers’ lesson plans and assessment information are not rigorously evaluated.

p.23

Information and communication technology across the curriculum

66. The school makes good use of ICT across the curriculum. For example, pupils collect information to support their research in history and geography and build up data handing skills. Good links with art results in pupils making pictures to support their work in many subjects. Pupils are confidently word processing skills, which support their good achievement in English. Links with the Family Learning Project are very good, with pupils and parents using computers to research information and produce attractive books.

p.23

HUMANITIES

67. Provision is not judged in history, geography and religious education (RE), as it was not possible to see enough lessons. Samples of pupils’ work were evaluated and inspectors spoke to staff and pupils. All three subjects make a strong contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. 68. In history , the sample of work shows that the curriculum is interesting and in line with recommendations. Work is clearly planned to meet the needs of lower ability pupils, but there is limited evidence that the work is suitably modified for higher ability pupils to extend their learning. Links with English enhance pupils’ learning and provide good opportunities for writing and speaking and listening. Drama is used to help pupils empathise with past times and produce effective writing. For example, pupils had produced writing describing how they would feel on entering a Poor House Broadlea First School - 24

p.23

HUMANITIES

in Victorian times. As a result of good teaching and learning, in Year 1, pupils placed cars in order of age and identified change over time. They were interested and motivated to link this to sentence and reading work and achieved well, especially boys. 69. In geography , standards are just below average in Years 2 and 4. Achievement is satisfactory for all pupils including those with special educational needs, who are well supported. Pupils’ geographical skills are being progressively developed. Year 2 pupils made story maps, and Year 4 pupils designed their own island treasure maps with co-ordinates accurately drawn. Geography work is linked well to topic work, and contributes well to learning in other subjects, including ICT, numeracy and literacy. For example, in Year 2, pupils used computers to draw their maps of the UK, and in Years 3 and 4 and pupils used drama to act out problems tourists might encounter. The

p.24

HUMANITIES

current weather project, in Years 3 and 4, is helping pupils to develop good fieldwork skills. Teachers’ marking does not tell pupils how to improve. Leadership and management are satisfactory. There is an appropriate scheme of work in place. Visits are used well to enhance pupils’ learning. Teachers’ planning is beginning to be checked by the coordinator to ensure that pupils’ skills are being progressively developed. Assessment procedures are not fully developed, to help identify strengths and weaknesses in pupils’ achievement. Improvement since the previous inspection is satisfactory. 70. In RE , the organisation of the timetable during the week of the inspection meant that only one lesson of RE was observed. However, from discussions with pupils and looking at their work, standards in Year 4 are in line with expectations and evidence suggests good teaching and learning. Some higher attaining pupils reach above expectations. Pupils know the Easter story very

p.24

HUMANITIES

well and relate aspects of this to their own lives, such as the betrayal of Jesus. They explain the symbolism of the bread and wine used in communion to the Last Supper. They know many of the key features of Islam and what it means to be a Muslim. Achievement for all pupils is good, and this is an improvement since the previous inspection. Pupils with special education needs achieve well because teachers match work carefully. Boys achieve as well as girls, with teachers using planned strategies to support their learning. In the one lesson observed, Year 1 pupils achieved very well because the teacher had structured learning very carefully, and used questioning skilfully to promote thinking. Literacy skills are promoted very well through the variety of interesting writing opportunities pupils undertake, such as the Easter week diary recording a Roman’s view. Pupils’ work is carefully, and often attractively presented. Pupils’ spiritual development is well supported.

p.24

HUMANITIES

In her collection of ideas about Candlemass, one Year 4 girl wrote, ‘I think light brings happiness and hope.’ Teachers’ marking is inconsistent, and assessment is not being used to evaluate improvements. The school meets the requirements of the locally agreed syllabus, and enriches pupils’ cultural and spiritual understanding further through assemblies, which feature other world religions. Appropriate schemes of work are in place, and this is an improvement since the previous inspection. Visits to local places of worship also contribute well to pupils’ learning. Leadership is good and management is satisfactory. Improvement since the previous inspection is good.

p.24

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

71. The main focus of the inspection was English, mathematics, science and ICT particularly the provision for higher attaining pupils. Creative, practical and physical aspects were not inspected in full, so provision overall is not judged in each subject. 72. One art and design lesson was seen during the inspection, samples of work were seen and inspectors spoke to pupils and staff. The standards seen are average, with some good examples of painting. Achievement is satisfactory. The school recognises the needs of different abilities, with extra activities provided for talented pupils. Samples of work show a range of skills in art, although work in three dimensions is limited. Progression in drawing skills enabled Year 4 to produce detailed line drawings to a good standard. A range of materials and techniques were used well in pupils’ still life flower pictures, which were inspired by the work of a local artist. This work enabled the pupils to

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

express their emotions well. Pupils talked about how the colours and textures made them feel “ still and calm, as if peaceful in a hospital bed”. Pupils learn about other artists, such as Monet and William Morris and confidently use ICT. Art contributes well to pupils’ cultural and spiritual development. Assessment in art is unsatisfactory. Broadlea First School - 25 73. No Judgment is made in design and technology , (DT), as it was agreed with the headteacher, that there would be insufficient time during the inspection to look at this. Planning shows suitable coverage of the curriculum. 74. Good opportunities are provided for enrichment in music , particularly for enthusiastic and also higher attaining pupils. All pupils have the opportunity to learn to play the recorder in Year 3, and eleven pupils learn instruments with a visiting specialist. Thirty seven pupils in Years 3 and 4 have been involved in a singing club and will be performing with other primary schools in a special

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

concert. Their enthusiastic performance in assembly was unaccompanied. Pupils sang in tune with an above average sense of rhythm. 75. In physical education (PE) , two lessons were seen. Here, pupils made good progress in developing batting and fielding skills in Years 3 and 4, and, in Years 1 and 2, pupils gained a good awareness of the impact of vigorous exercise on the heart, as part of their science work on healthy living. The headteacher takes a very active role in developing physical education. Leadership and management are good, with a clear emphasis on including all abilities and widening pupils’ skills and understanding about healthy living. Links with the community are very good, including athletics, regular football matches with other schools, as well as through dance. A wide range of extra sporting activities enrich pupils’ learning well, including hockey, rounders and cricket. Higher ability

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

pupils have suitable opportunities to take part in competitions and widen their skills. Pupils who have poor co-ordination and related special needs are catered for very well by a daily morning club ‘Sticker Club‘, which is run by teaching assistants. This has a positive effect on their confidence and ability to take part in all aspects of learning.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

76. There are a number of significant strengths that have a very positive impact on pupils’ attitudes, achievement and preparation for their future lives. Many features relating to this aspect of the school’s work are included throughout the report. The school’s very good commitment to personal development enhances pupils’ self-confidence. The commitment of all staff to pupils’ personal development is very good because it allows them to develop the skills and confidence to learn effectively. Pupils have opportunities to receive sex and drugs education and develop their understanding about relationships. When pupils sit in a circle and discuss things ‘Circle Time’ and through the curriculum pupils listen to the views of others and express their own ideas and views with growing clarity and sensitivity. In two lessons, pupils debated the importance of education and the lack of it in some parts of the world, contributing readily and responding well to challenges from

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

each other and the class teacher. Special events, specific curriculum provision, including science and PE, and a daily emphasis on healthy eating, ensures that pupils’ develop an awareness of healthy living. Pupils’ views are also successfully represented through a school council. Pupils in all classes have drawn up their class rules and are encouraged to take responsibility for their own behaviour. This area has a positive impact on pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Broadlea First School - 26

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The overall effectiveness of the school 4 How inclusive the school is 3 How the school’s effectiveness has changed since its last inspection 4 Value for money provided by the school 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Overall standards achieved 4 Pupils’ achievement 4

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The quality of education provided by the school 4 The quality of teaching 4 How well pupils learn 4 The quality of assessment 5 How well the curriculum meets pupils needs 4 Enrichment of the curriculum, including out-of-school activities 3 Accommodation and resources 3 Pupils’ care, welfare, health and safety 3 Support, advice and guidance for pupils 4 How well the school seeks and acts on pupils’ views 3 The effectiveness of the school’s links with parents 3 The quality of the school’s links with the community 2 The school’s links with other schools and colleges 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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