East Wold Church of England Primary School

EAST WOLD CE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 24 th - 26 th January 2005

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EAST WOLD CE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 East Wold CE Primary - 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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EAST WOLD CE PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Primary School category: Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils: 4 - 11 years Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 103

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Station Road Legbourne Louth Lincolnshire Postcode: LN11 8LD

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Telephone number: 01507 610060 Fax number: 01507 602854

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: Governing Body Name of chair of governors: Mr S Farrar

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 7 th April 2003

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

East Wold Primary is a Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School. The school is smaller than other primary schools. There are 103 pupils on roll and almost all children come from white-British families. No pupils have English as an additional language. The level of mobility amongst the pupils is low. The socio-economic circumstances of the families with children at the school are broadly average overall. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is well below the national average. The proportion of pupils identified as having special educational needs is above the national average. The percentage of pupils with a Statement of Special Educational Needs is well above the national average. Most of the needs refer to specific learning or moderate learning difficulties and a few have physical difficulties. There is a wide range of attainment amongst the children on entry to reception and overall their attainment is average. The school is

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

currently involved in the Leadership Development Strategy in Primary Schools initiative. East Wold CE Primary - 4

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

8798 Dennis Maxwell Lead inspector Mathematics Science Art and design Design and technology Music Physical education Personal, social and health education and citizenship 11437 Anthony Anderson Lay inspector 20963 Judy Keiner Team inspector English Information and communication technology Geography History Religious education Foundation Stage Special educational needs

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

Serco QAA Herringston Barn Herringston Dorchester Dorset DT2 9PU

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

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

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 9

Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

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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 12

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

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OVERALL EVALUATION

This improving school provides a satisfactory level of effectiveness. Pupils’ achievement by Year 6 is good because good teaching in English, mathematics and science is addressing previous weaknesses in pupils’ learning. As a result, standards are improving and by Year 6 are broadly average. Children have very good relationships together which reflect the school’s Christian values. Leadership and management are satisfactory. The school provides satisfactory value for money.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

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OVERALL EVALUATION

• The school has tackled key priorities effectively through the headteacher’s perceptive analysis and strategies. • Pupils achieve well in most lessons through effective teaching. • Pupils have good attitudes and behaviour, concentrating well on their tasks. Relationships are very good. • There is further work to do to develop the role of subject leaders and the curriculum, particularly in the use of information and communication technology (ICT) to support learning in all subjects. • Pupils with special educational needs (SEN) receive good, sensitive support and achieve well, but governors’ monitoring procedures require some improvement. • Information gained from parents as their children start school is not recorded systematically.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school has made good improvement since the last inspection under the very strong leadership of the new headteacher, and no longer has serious weaknesses. All the weaknesses identified then have been addressed well. The quality of teaching and learning has improved; more attention is given to challenging higher attaining pupils. The systems for school self-evaluation are now good. Provision in the foundation stage has improved in terms of planning to meet the particular needs of reception and Year 1 children. The partnership with parents has improved. In addition the current emphasis on English, mathematics and science is raising standards in these key subjects.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

all schools similar schools Results in National Curriculum tests at the end of Year 6, compared with: 2002 2003 2004 2004 English A C C D Mathematics A C B C Science B D 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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OVERALL EVALUATION

Pupils’ achievement is good. Children enter reception with broadly average attainment. Their achievement is satisfactory; most are on course to meet the goals children are expected to reach by the end of reception, and a few to exceed them. Achievement is good for all groups of pupils by Year 2 through the impact of good teaching. Standards of current work in Year 2 are above average in reading, writing, mathematics and science. The 2004 Year 2 group was small and, as a result, it is not possible to make a reliable interpretation of East Wold CE Primary - 7 the results for a single year. A better indicator of standards is the three-year average, which shows standards were well below average in reading, and were average in writing and mathematics. In Years 3 to 6, pupils now achieve well overall and in many lessons because teaching is effective. There is evidence that pupils’ learning has been uneven in the past

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OVERALL EVALUATION

because many pupils in Year 6 are not confident in basic skills of writing and mathematics, but they are now catching up on earlier weaknesses. Although the trend of improvement in national test results is below the national trend, current standards in Year 6 in English, mathematics and science are average. The headteacher’s good teaching in Year 6, especially in English, is having a significant impact on learning. She has targeted support to improve the quality of writing, including that of pupils with special educational needs and higher attainers.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

Pupils’ personal qualities, which include their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, are good. Pupils have good attitudes towards their work, behave well and are considerate towards others. Their very good relationships have a significant influence on their learning. Older pupils help to influence decisions and enjoy taking on responsibilities.

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The school provides a satisfactory quality of education. The quality of teaching and

learning is good. In the foundation stage satisfactory teaching enables children to gain a wide range of early skills through active learning. However, helpful information from initial discussions with parents and other adults is not recorded, which means that the team is not well placed to build on the children’s prior experience. Also, planning for opportunities to develop writing and other skills could be extended further. In Years 1 - 6 the teaching of English, mathematics and science is now good, following a thorough review of teaching and learning strategies. In Years 1 - 2 pupils are encouraged to reason and explain through good, purposeful teaching. In Years 3 - 6 there is a good emphasis on problem solving and investigational skills. In the Years 5 and 6 class, very focused teaching on pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills is beginning to raise their attainment. Teaching in Years 3 - 6 is good

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The school provides a satisfactory quality of education. The quality of teaching and

overall and the school is addressing a small amount of unsatisfactory teaching. Assessment is satisfactory; some marking is exemplary in Years 5 and 6.

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The school provides a satisfactory quality of education. The quality of teaching and

The curriculum is satisfactory and it is enriched well by a good range of extra-curricular activities. Some subjects have yet to be reviewed. There are some planned links between subjects but the use of ICT is underdeveloped and some subjects are under-resourced. A good level of care and welfare encourages pupils’ interest and effort. Community links are good.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management are satisfactory overall. The headteacher is driving improvements forward and has an excellent sense of purpose. She is highly perceptive and uses her analytical skills to good effect in addressing priorities. The leadership and management of other key staff are satisfactory overall; they are good in English, mathematics and science but not yet fully effective in other subjects. Governors are highly committed for the good of the school and are working hard to make improvements, but their monitoring procedures are not always rigorous. They ensure that statutory requirements are met. East Wold CE Primary - 8

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Most parents are supportive of the school and feel that their children are making good progress. A minority of parents feel that they are not always kept informed about how their child is getting on; the inspection team finds communication with parents to be good. Children like the school and are very confident in their teachers.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

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

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

• Continue to develop the curriculum and improve the use of ICT to support learning in all subjects. • Improve recording arrangements as children start school. • Strengthen monitoring procedures and continue to develop the role of subject leaders. East Wold CE Primary - 9

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Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

Children have broadly average attainment on entry to the reception class. Achievement is good. There is no significant difference in achievement between boys and girls. Standards in English, mathematics and science are above average in Year 2 and average in Year 6.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards are improving and pupils are now achieving well in English, mathematics and science because teaching is effective. • Pupils with special educational needs achieve well in relation to their targets. • For many pupils in Year 6 basic skills are underdeveloped because there was insufficient emphasis on them in previous years.

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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 26.6 (27.0) 26.9 (26.8) Mathematics 27.8 (27.0) 27.0 (26.8) Science 28.6 (28.4) 28.6 (28.6) There were 15 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Commentary

1. An equivalent table to the one above for standards in national tests at Year 2 is not included because there were only nine pupils in the year group and, as a result, it is not possible to make a reliable interpretation of the data for a single year.

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Commentary

2. There is considerable variation in children’s attainments on entry to reception and overall attainment is broadly average. Some children have good language and mathematical skills; a few children have limited speech and language skills and knowledge of the world around them. Their achievement is satisfactory in all areas of learning. Most children are on course to meet the standards children are expected to reach by the end of reception, and a few to exceed them, in the six areas of learning.

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Commentary

3. In the Year 2 national tests taking the three-year average from 2002 to 2004, standards were at the national average in reading and above in writing and mathematics. In comparison with similar schools, the three-year average is well below in reading, and average in writing and mathematics. The fact that there is no provision for school dinners acts as a disincentive for parents to notify the school of their eligibility and the low figure may not be a true reflection of the position. The trend in standards at Year 2 over the past four years is above the national trend. East Wold CE Primary - 10 4. In the Year 6 national tests for 2004, standards were average in English and science, and above average in mathematics. In relation to pupils’ prior attainment when they were in Year 2, standards were below average in English and science, and average in mathematics. The trend in standards since 2000 is below the national trend because

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Commentary

prior to the new headteacher’s appointment in April 2004, insufficient attention had been given to weaknesses in pupils’ learning and standards.

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Commentary

5. In Year 2, standards are now above average in speaking, listening and writing, and average in reading. Standards are above average in mathematics and science. Achievement is good because good teaching is focused well on basic skills as well as understanding. The higher attaining pupils interpret text well to extract significant ideas and information about character. Lower attaining pupils are given good daily support so that they make good progress. Children are encouraged to write expressively with rich vocabulary and many now structure their writing well. In mathematics, the teacher’s good emphasis on quick recall of number facts and patterns in numbers is having a good impact on achievement. In science, pupils achieve well because tasks have a good practical and investigational basis. This is also the approach in design and technology, for example, so that pupils make good gains in problem solving skills such

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Commentary

as changing the pattern of bricks when building a wall and testing them for strength of bond. Standards in ICT are average.

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Commentary

6. In Year 6, achievement is good because the class teacher has high expectations and applies effective teaching strategies. Here, there is evidence that pupils’ learning has been uneven in the past because many pupils are not confident in basic skills of writing and mathematics. Standards in Year 6 are average in speaking, listening and reading, and above average in writing. Standards are average overall in English, mathematics and science. In Years 3 and 4 the teacher uses a good problem solving approach for mathematics and science. As a result pupils have good opportunities to develop investigational skills and to see the purpose of being quick and accurate in mental calculation. The headteacher’s good initiative to develop writing throughout the school is beginning to have a good impact on quality and standards. Pupils often write expressively in Years 3 and 4. In Years 5 and 6 the teacher’s very good subject

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Commentary

knowledge in English and her high expectations are showing through improving achievement. The quality and standard of writing by the higher attaining pupils, for example, show substantial improvement this year through the impact of good teaching. In mathematics, pupils’ numeracy skills are improving but pupils are not yet quick and confident. In science, the teacher’s good class management in providing three experiments related to gases resulted in good achievement as pupils explained their observations. In religious education, standards meet the expectation of the locally agreed syllabus and achievement is satisfactory overall, although some teaching is ineffective when the teaching methods and resources used do not create interest in the tasks.

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Commentary

7. Pupils with SEN make good progress throughout the school in improving their knowledge of letters and sounds because of the well planned and managed support lessons led by teaching assistants. The recently developed emphasis on promoting discussion with partners is helping them to contribute more in lessons. More could be done to improve their achievement in some subjects by providing teachers with further guidance on these strategies.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

East Wold CE Primary - 11 Pupils' attitudes and behaviour are good and their personal development is good. The pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good overall. Pupils' attendance at the school is satisfactory and their punctuality is good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Most pupils show good attitudes and behaviour in the classroom. • Pupils are generally well behaved around the school and in the playground. • Pupils' personal development is good and their relationships with adults are very good.

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Commentary

8. In several lessons, covering a range of subjects, pupils were observed to work well together and they demonstrated consistently positive attitudes and behaviour. There were just a few examples when the attitudes and behaviour of small groups of pupils were unsatisfactory. These usually occurred in lessons where the quality of teaching and expectations were not consistent and lacked the usual elements of interest and excitement. In the playground, most pupils were observed to play well together and they demonstrated very good relationships with teaching and support staff. There were no exclusions during the last reporting year.

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Commentary

9. A discussion with a group of Year 5 and 6 pupils revealed that they are very happy at this school and that they feel safe and secure. These pupils feel that the behaviour of most pupils is good. Pupils are provided with a wide range of opportunities to enhance their personal development and examples observed included setting out chairs and tables in the hall, supporting younger pupils in the dining hall and tidying up classrooms and the library area. In addition, the provision of the school council is beginning to enhance the range of opportunities for pupils' personal development and very soon every pupil will have a voice in the way the school is developing.

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Commentary

10. Very good classroom relationships, targets with clear, readily understandable small steps and positive support from all staff help those pupils who have behavioural difficulties to make steady progress. They benefit from recently increased opportunities for all pupils to think about and signal to teachers how well they are doing in individual lessons. These arrangements help them become more responsible for managing their behaviour, because they make them feel valued and involved. Inspectors saw inappropriate behaviour by these pupils only in the small number of unsatisfactory lessons, where the teachers did not take enough account of their learning needs.

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Commentary

11. Lessons in personal, social and health education (PSHE) and class discussion times are used well as an aid to the promotion of the social, moral and personal development of each child. Pupils' personal development is further enhanced through the provision of both classroom and individual targets to which pupils are expected to work. Teachers generally use this system well in lessons by, for example, inviting pupils to show colour-coded cards which indicate their level of understanding of the work undertaken.

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Commentary

12. Positive elements of spirituality were observed in an assembly taken by a visiting minister and one particularly effective moment was noted when she gave pupils the opportunity to suggest where today's prayers might be directed. Additional elements of spirituality are in evidence through curricular subjects such as science, music, art and history. The moral and social development of pupils is good and is enhanced, for example, through the many opportunities provided for working and playing in small groups. Most pupils have a clear understanding of the difference between right and wrong. The moral development of pupils is also provided through a range of regular visitors such as the local policeman and the school nurse. The local and wider environment is also used well to enhance pupils' opportunities for the development of their social skills. This provision also adds to pupils' appreciation of local culture and

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Commentary

East Wold CE Primary - 12 although pupils study Christianity and other faiths through RE lessons, the opportunities to learn and understand the richness and diversity of other cultures are, at present, a little limited. As a result, the development of their cultural understanding is satisfactory.

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Commentary

13. Attendance is in line with the national average. There is little evidence of pupil lateness and the majority of parents are supportive of the school in terms of helping to ensure that their children attend regularly and promptly. The school is proactive in monitoring and promoting the attendance of all pupils and the occasional use of external agencies to support the school on attendance issues is good.

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Commentary

Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

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Commentary

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data 4.7 School data 0.3 National data 5.1 National data 0.4 The table gives the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

The school provides a satisfactory quality of education. Teaching and learning are good overall and enable pupils to achieve well. The curriculum is enriched by a good range of extra-curricular activities. The school provides well for pupils’ care and welfare, and steps are being taken to improve guidance. Arrangements for pupils to be involved in the work of the school are good. Links with the community are good.

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Teaching and learning

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Assessment procedures are satisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The emphasis on writing throughout the school is beginning to have a good impact on learning and standards in all subjects. • The teaching of English, mathematics and science is good. • Teaching in the withdrawal groups for pupils with SEN is good. • Teaching and learning in the Year 1 and 2 class are good. • Limited use of information on children when they start school means that tasks are not always tailored to individual needs. • Teaching in Years 3 - 6 is now good overall, but a small amount of teaching is unsatisfactory.

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Commentary

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 30 lessons

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Commentary

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor 0 0 21 (70.0%) 7 (23.3%) 2 (6.7%) 0 0 The table gives the number of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about East Wold CE Primary - 13 lessons; figures in brackets show percentages where 30 or more lessons are seen.

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Commentary

14. Teaching and learning are satisfactory in the foundation stage. Planning has improved and now provides a suitable basis for all areas of children’s learning. Good management arrangements generally provide for the differing needs of the reception and Year 1 children whereby they are sometimes taught in separate groups. For example, following an introduction with the whole class, the reception children are usually separated for their own activities. However, present arrangements to record relevant information which parents and other adults share about the children when first entering school are unsatisfactory, since it is not then available to inform planning and teaching to ensure that activities are matched well to the children’s previous experience. Most activities offer good opportunities for learning, although creative experience is provided less successfully. Here, a lesson planned to help the children

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Commentary

develop creative dance sequences was unsuccessful because teaching did not stimulate and develop the children’s ideas sufficiently.

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Commentary

15. Teaching in the Years 1 and 2 class is good so that pupils achieve well. The teacher’s good planning and subject knowledge are used to good effect in her discussions and skilled questioning. As a result, pupils make good gains in new skills and ideas, and standards are above average overall. The level of engagement with the pupils is very good, with high expectation and challenge, so that pupils are strongly encouraged to think about their methods, carry out their calculations quickly and to reason about their methods. The teacher uses effective strategies, such as modelling the method of addition on a number line, so that pupils learn well and gain a good understanding. Her lively discussions, together with good management of behaviour, keep pupils’ attention well and ensure their good attitudes and behaviour. 16. In Years 3 – 6, teaching is good overall but there are weaknesses in some teaching

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Commentary

which the headteacher is working hard to support. The planning, subject knowledge and tasks set for religious education, for example, are sometimes unsatisfactory so that pupils learn little during a lesson. In English, mathematics and science the headteacher and staff have focused on improving teachers’ subject knowledge and confidence in these subjects. Lessons are planned better, activities have more challenge and there is improved attention to building skills progressively through the school. The headteacher is setting a very good example in her teaching in Years 5 and 6 which is being followed with increasing confidence by the other teachers. There is a very good emphasis on improving the quality of pupils’ writing so that pupils are learning to structure their work better and to write more expressively. The higher attaining pupils particularly are producing imaginative and well-expressed pieces of

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Commentary

writing through the impact of good teaching. Teachers give particular attention to promoting pupils’ learning in all subjects through discussion and positive presentations. The teaching in the sampled lessons of the foundation subjects has some strengths, for example the emphasis on processes in design and technology, but the approach and schemes of work have not yet been the subject of a focused review.

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Commentary

17. Procedures to record and track pupils’ progress in English, mathematics and science are becoming established but the headteacher and staff have not yet agreed upon the best recording system. Information is used sensibly to ensure that planned work is matched appropriately to pupils’ ages and abilities. The quality of marking of pupils’ work is satisfactory overall, with some excellent examples in Years 5 and 6. Teachers generally have a good understanding of their pupils and take account of their observations in their interventions as well as to help with further planning. Some teachers write brief but useful evaluations on their lesson plans to inform further teaching. The formal assessment systems and the use of assessment to support and East Wold CE Primary - 14 guide pupils as they progress through the school are satisfactory. The school acknowledges pupils' achievement through the praise given to them in the classroom

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Commentary

and, more formally, in regular sharing and presentation assemblies.

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Commentary

18. Withdrawal teaching for pupils with special educational needs helps them make good progress because it is matched well to their literacy needs through effective assessments. This teaching provides them with fast paced tasks which they enjoy and feel pride in completing. They usually make good progress in classroom lessons because the use of partner discussions and simple noting of ideas helps them understand what to do and how to develop their work. However, there is too little use of ICT facilities such as “talking” word banks, tape recorders and digital cameras to help them present their work well. Whilst teachers usually brief support staff well on how to help these pupils, in a small number of lessons their task was primarily to manage the pupils’ behaviour rather than to promote their progress.

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The curriculum

The curriculum is satisfactory. The school provides a good range of extra-curricular activities. The accommodation and resources are satisfactory overall.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Improved curricular planning ensures the school meets national requirements. • Visits, field trips and special events enrich pupils’ learning. • The school is making good use of curricular development opportunities in some areas, but the use of ICT to support learning in other subjects and for pupils with SEN is underdeveloped. • Too little is being done to check how well the planned curriculum is delivered. • The outdoor learning area in the reception class is not secured for their exclusive use.

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Commentary

19. Since the last inspection, curricular provision has been improved by the adoption of nationally recommended teaching plans. The headteacher has initiated a thorough review of the core subjects which include a good, continuing evaluation of provision. The school now offers a sound range of indoor and outdoor active learning opportunities for the areas of learning in the foundation stage. The subject plans now ensure that National Curriculum requirements are met overall. However, the school still lacks resources to enable pupils to have the required experience of using electronic data sensing equipment and relies on borrowing resources from partner schools. Scrutiny of pupils’ workbooks shows that coverage of the planned content in foundation subjects and religious education is satisfactory, although procedures for these subject leaders to monitor provision are at an early stage. The application of literacy, numeracy

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Commentary

and ICT as learning tools in other subjects is still not planned consistently, which was noted at the last inspection. In practice, the promotion of literacy and numeracy is satisfactory but the use of ICT is a particular weakness.

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Commentary

20. Provision for pupils with SEN is satisfactory. There is consistently good provision for these pupils’ development of basic literacy skills. However, too little is done to ensure that they get the same opportunities as their classmates in all curriculum tasks, for example, by being enabled to use ICT facilities for investigations and recording. East Wold CE Primary - 15 21. Extra-curricular provision is much improved since the last inspection. A good range of visits and special events help to make the curriculum rich and memorable for pupils. Year 6 pupils appreciate the wide range of opportunities provided by a field visit to Shropshire shared with another school. Teachers make good use of the local environment to enrich history, geography and art lessons for all age groups, sometimes working in partnership with other schools or community organisations. For example, a local nursery school is developing a wildlife trail which the reception class

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Commentary

uses. Curricular opportunities for older pupils have been broadened by visits to see a Shakespeare play, the London Mozart Players and the museums of Viking life in York. There is also a good range of clubs, offering interest and challenge in the arts and sports.

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Commentary

22. The school has made good use of current national and local development programmes to improve curricular provision, for example by developing more opportunities for discussion and building thinking skills through problem solving. The school council gives good opportunities for pupils’ views to be taken into account in developing curricular and extra-curricular provision.

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Commentary

23. The accommodation offers an adequate range of facilities. Resources for the reception class have been improved since the last inspection to include better equipment for creative development and outdoor learning, such as dressing up clothes and electronically controlled cars. The school is aware that the outdoor learning area for the reception class is not secured for their exclusive use and there are active plans to remedy this and to improve the limited library facilities in the near future.

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Care, guidance and support

The procedures for care and welfare, including child protection, are good and those for supporting and guiding pupils through monitoring are satisfactory. The procedures for seeking and acting on pupils' views are good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Child protection procedures are effective. • The school's pastoral support is of a high quality. • The new headteacher is aware that some procedures related to pupils with SEN have not been followed consistently. East Wold CE Primary - 16

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Commentary

24. Good child protection systems and procedures mean that the reporting person is known to all staff in the school. Relevant staff training in child protection has also taken place. The school teaching and support staff, who clearly know their pupils well, provide good welfare and pastoral support to individual pupils. This applies in particular to a number of pupils on the SEN register who have physical disabilities. The start of day routine for these pupils, who also have a range of very effective pupil supporters, is made very special and this is a prime example of the school's very inclusive provision in this area. Pupils’ academic performance and personal development are monitored appropriately both formally and informally by the school to provide advice and support.

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Commentary

25. The school operates a very good first aid system for minor accidents; regular fire drills are undertaken and recorded. The school is proactive in maintaining a safe school site through regular inspections and action plans. In addition, the school follows good procedures in undertaking risk assessments for external trips out of school. The induction of children into reception is satisfactory overall.

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Commentary

26. The identification of, and guidance and procedures for, pupils with SEN are being improved. This is because improved assessment systems and analysis of pupils’ work introduced by the headteacher have enabled her to identify an increasing number of pupils who no longer need more support than their classmates. Individual education plans for the other pupils on the school’s list of those with SEN set sound targets for their progress. Teachers and support staff have good relationships which help the pupils on a day-to-day basis through reviewing their tasks and the work they complete. However, although some records are filed of the pupils’ involvement in the regular scheduled reviews of their targets, these are not kept consistently for all the pupils on the register. In some cases, such records as there are indicate that some pupils do not understand what their targets are.

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Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

Parents have a good opinion of the school and the school’s links with parents are satisfactory overall. The school's links with the local community are good and with other schools they are satisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The school provides good information for parents. • The majority of parents feel that their children are making good progress. • The school encourages parents and the community to support the curriculum.

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Commentary

27. The parents' meeting with the inspectors was reasonably well attended and the parental questionnaire was returned by a relatively high percentage of parents. A significant majority of parents who returned the questionnaire were very supportive of the school and of its aims and objectives. Parents feel that their children like school and that they are making good progress. A minority of parents feel that they are not always kept informed about how their child is getting on; the inspection team considers that communication with parents is good.

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Commentary

28. The information provided by the school through the prospectus and annual governors’ report to parents is of a good standard. Regular and extremely well designed and presented newsletters keep parents very well informed about school activities, special events, and important dates for parents' diaries. Annual academic reports to parents are of a satisfactory standard but lack any East Wold CE Primary - 17 targets for pupils' further development. The headteacher and her staff are always available to assist parents with any problems or concerns. It is apparent from observations and discussions that there is a very strong determination on the part of senior management and the governing body to continue to improve school/home relationships for the benefit of children, parents and the school itself.

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Commentary

29. A few parents are occasional visitors to the school, both in terms of providing very welcome classroom support and in assisting with external visits and extra-curricular activities. All parents have been invited to enter into a home/school agreement, which is designed to promote improved communication between the school, parents and children. Parental attendance at school concerts, celebrations and sports days is usually very good.

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Commentary

30. The good relationships between the coordinator, other support staff, teachers and parents work well on an informal basis to promote partnership with parents of pupils with special educational needs. Parents are informed about the targets set for their children and are given updated copies of their individual education plans at each of the required reviews. They feel their children are very well supported.

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Commentary

31. The school makes good use of the local environment to enhance pupils’ curricular access. The range of extra-curricular clubs and activities is good for the size of the school. The school has good links with the community and regular trips are made to study the local and wider environment. For example, Year 3 paid a recent visit to Legbourne Church and Year 4 went to a local farm to study mini-beasts. Some pupils from Year 6 visited parts of Yorkshire for a residential trip last year. The school also has developing links with other local primary schools at Wragby, Willoughby and Saltfleet which are helping to improve provision. There are also useful links with key secondary schools such as Monks Dyke Technical College, to which many pupils will eventually transfer. Some teachers from this school visit East Wold Primary to work with Year 6 pupils as part of the induction process from Year 6 to Year 7.

p.17

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management are satisfactory overall. The headteacher gives very good leadership and that by other senior staff is satisfactory. Governance is satisfactory.

p.17

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The headteacher has outstanding vision and purpose so that the school has made good improvement since the last inspection. • The role of subject leaders, whilst improving, is not yet fully established and effective. • Governors have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school but are not always rigorous in their monitoring. • The governing body determines general policy for SEN but does not check the quality of provision sufficiently. • The school now has good self-evaluation procedures so that key priorities are identified correctly.

p.17

Commentary

32. The school was placed in serious weaknesses at the time of the last inspection. It has made good progress since then because the headteacher gives very good leadership. She has an excellent vision and sense of purpose for the pupils. Her high expectations for the pupils and improved standards are matched by her equally high expectations of the staff to provide effectively for their learning. She has used her very good analytical East Wold CE Primary - 18 and personal skills to good effect in identifying key priorities and in motivating members of staff to make improvements. The recently revised school improvement plan has a good structure and provides a good means for managing agreed targets. The school has moved on from the weaknesses identified during the last inspection and is working on areas for development which match closely those identified by the inspection team.

p.17

Commentary

33. The headteacher has established good monitoring procedures for the core subject leaders to enable the quality of provision to be evaluated. The leadership by key members of staff is satisfactory, since the process of monitoring is at an early stage. However, management arrangements to support teachers in their planning and delivery of lessons are better. For example, in order to improve the quality of writing, all members of staff have taken part in a thorough review of teaching strategies drawing upon the headteacher’s own very good practice. Monitoring procedures for leaders of the foundation subjects to check how well the planned curriculum is delivered are satisfactory but are still at an early stage. The leadership provided by the headteacher for the curriculum and teaching is very good. For example, funding has been agreed by the governing body to appoint a part-time teacher so that the headteacher can teach

p.18

Commentary

the Year 6 pupils for English, mathematics and science in the run up to the national tests. The processes of self-review are good overall and very good by the headteacher. Staff professional development is relevant and is focused on school and individual needs related to the good performance management procedures. The overall effectiveness of management is satisfactory at this stage because it is too early yet for recent decisions to have had much impact on attainment, although there are encouraging indications of improvement.

p.18

Commentary

34. Governors have a strong commitment to support pupils with SEN and the identified governor ensures that their particular resource and access needs are taken into account in governors’ financial and premises planning. Since the last inspection, the policy for these pupils has been updated in response to the requirements of the most recent Code of Practice, although a few aspects are not included, such as arrangements to consult and record parents and pupils’ views. The governing body determines the school’s general policy and approach to provision but their SEN oversight is too closely concerned with details of provision rather than checking that the school meets the requirements of the Code of Practice and the quality of provision. The leadership and management of SEN are satisfactory. The coordinator has good knowledge of how to support pupils with high levels of special educational needs, such

p.18

Commentary

as those with autism and dyslexia. She has ensured that support staff are well trained and briefed, but she has not yet had specific training for her leadership role.

p.18

Commentary

35. Members of the governing body are committed to providing good quality learning and improved standards for the pupils. They now have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses in the school. Governors are prepared to challenge the senior staff and make informed decisions. The governance of the school is satisfactory although their procedures to monitor provision and standards are not rigorous enough. Financial management is good so that funding is directed towards clear educational priorities and raising standards. Governors give good attention to the principles of obtaining good value in their financial decisions, for example in the arrangements for some lessons to be taught in separate year groups, with improved provision and standards in mind. The headteacher and governors work well to monitor the effects of financial decisions. The school office runs efficiently in support of all members of the

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Commentary

school’s community. East Wold CE Primary - 19 Financial information for the year April 2003 to March 2004

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Commentary

Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 307509 Balance from previous year 4511 Total expenditure 298633 Balance carried forward to the next 13387 Expenditure per pupil 2927 East Wold CE Primary - 20

p.19

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

36. There are seventeen children in the reception year, who have attended full time since the start of the school year. Ten of the children were under five at the start of the current spring term. They entered with the standards expected of this age group and work alongside pupils in Year 1. Consequently the teacher and teaching assistant are required to cater for the learning needs of children who are four alongside those who are six and becoming confident readers. Generally they work together to manage this broad age range and contrasting stages of development satisfactorily. Since the last inspection, the co-ordinator has improved the range of learning activities offered. It is now satisfactory because the teaching plans are based on the national recommendations for this age group. They offer many opportunities for indoor and outdoor play and for the children to make choices. The co-ordinator and her assistant

p.20

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

use sound and systematic procedures to record the children’s progress through the expected steps towards the early learning goals. There is evidence of good provision to support children with high levels of SEN, who make good progress in relation to their learning targets. Leadership and management for the foundation stage are satisfactory.

p.20

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

37. There are good informal relationships with parents as well as a satisfactory series of introductory meetings and opportunities to introduce parents and children to the reception class in the term before they start. Parents and the staff use the reading logs that the children take home daily to exchange information. However, procedures to record key points from the initial discussions with parents and the individual review meetings about their children’s first weeks in the class are not in place. The school does not do enough to initiate contact with feeder nursery and playgroup settings to check and record what the children know, understand and can do when they enter the reception class. This means that the team are not well placed to build on the children’s prior knowledge and experience.

p.20

Personal, social and emotional development

Provision in personal, social and emotional development is satisfactory.

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children develop confidence in trying new activities. • They form good relationships with staff and their classmates. • Adults need to give the children more guidance on how to spend their time.

p.20

Commentary

38. Most children achieve satisfactorily and are likely to reach the expected levels by the time they enter Year 1. They behave appropriately, know the classroom routines and readily sit with the class group or line up when it is time to do so. They take their place quietly in the hall for whole school assemblies and are interested in what is taking place in their school community. They welcome opportunities confidently to try new activities, such as operating remote controlled toy cars or trying out a new outdoor East Wold CE Primary - 21 game. Most children take turns and are ready to help clear up at the end of organised learning tasks but a minority, mainly boys, walk away when their teacher asks them to help. Teaching and learning are satisfactory. During the inspection, the teacher was using photographs of activities and personal activity charts to help the children think about and record their choices. Few children questioned understood what the charts

p.20

Commentary

were for. There is scope for giving them more guidance and opportunities to plan and review how they spend their time. East Wold CE Primary - 22

p.21

Communication, Language and Literacy

Provision in communication, language and literacy is satisfactory.

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children learn letters and sounds systematically. • They develop sustained listening skills. • There are too few opportunities for children to develop writing skills. • Too little is done to encourage the children to talk at length.

p.22

Commentary

39. Children achieve satisfactorily and are likely to reach the early learning goals by the time they start Year 1. Teaching and learning are satisfactory. There are regular planned opportunities through the day for children to learn through talking and listening, for example when they comment on the key story around which their teacher organises many of each week’s activities. Their teacher uses regular group reading times when they read through and discuss the chosen book. During the inspection, many of the activities started from a reading of an enlarged book of the story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff. When they discussed whether the Billy Goats Gruff were careful enough when they ventured onto the bridge guarded by a troll, a child commented, “I know a safety rule. You have to put your seat belt on in the car.” Most listen attentively during assemblies and when other children are talking in a group

p.22

Commentary

discussion. They build up their knowledge of letters and sounds systematically, starting with the words in the shared book, and become familiar with book features such as the title page. They also regularly practise letter sounds and begin writing in small groups. However, there are insufficient activities that give children opportunities to develop writing skills through make believe activities, such as providing attractive writing tools as part of a pretend game or an inviting classroom corner. Also, there are few opportunities which encourage children to talk at greater length, for example by performing stories and rhymes they know.

p.22

Mathematical development

Provision in mathematical development is satisfactory.

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The teacher provides good opportunities for children to count and understand number. • The children enjoy using a calendar to track time. • There is scope for better use of measuring and recording tools to develop children’s mathematical skills.

p.22

Commentary

40. Children achieve satisfactorily and are on course to reach the early learning goals by the end of the reception year. Their teacher plans good regular opportunities for them to make progress in recognising and counting numbers. During the inspection, they began their organised daily mathematics lesson by singing and games with a set of toy milk bottles, taking turns to take away one more bottle in turn and say how many were left. They enjoy the daily routine of ticking off the date on the class calendar and East Wold CE Primary - 23 remind the teacher if it has not been done by the start of the afternoon. During the inspection, the highest attaining children knew that the number 25 was the current day in January. The teacher helped the children recognise and explore the properties of shapes by asking them to select bricks from construction kits, which they could put together to form a bridge for the Billy Goats Gruff to cross. The quality of teaching and

p.22

Commentary

learning is satisfactory overall. There is scope for more organised opportunities for children to use improvised and real-world measuring tools such as sticks, rulers and digital cameras to measure, compare and record through play and investigations.

p.23

Knowledge and Understanding of the World

Provision in knowledge and understanding of the world is satisfactory.

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The teacher provides good opportunities for children to develop knowledge about places. • Children have improved opportunities to explore the properties of materials through indoor and outdoor play. • Opportunities for learning through using ICT could be improved.

p.23

Commentary

41. At the end of the reception year, most children are likely to reach the early learning goals. Achievement is satisfactory. Provision has improved since the last inspection and the team now offers a satisfactory range of opportunities for the children to explore and experiment for themselves through practical indoor and outdoor activities. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory and the teacher helps the children learn about local and more distant places through good involvement of parents and local residents. At her invitation, they send in notes and photographs of places they have visited or come in to discuss them in person. The children enjoy commenting on what they know about these places but the team do not take as many opportunities as they could to enable them to share their knowledge with their classmates. During the inspection week, children were exploring how they could mould attractively coloured

p.23

Commentary

play dough, creating towers and enclosures with bricks and pieces of construction kits, mixing colours, and putting together planks and boxes to make a pretend bridge in their outdoor area. Pairs of children, mainly boys, were excited by experimenting with electronically controlled cars. Although the classroom computers were set up with programs for the children to use, few showed interest, because the programs chosen lacked challenge. The school lacks expertise on the best software for this age group and how it can be used to enable the children to do very simple programming and a range of engaging problem-solving challenges. The children do not get enough opportunities to use some of the school’s ICT equipment, such as programmable toys, CD-ROMs and digital cameras, to support their learning.

p.23

Physical development

Provision in physical development is satisfactory.

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

• There is good teaching of organised physical development lessons. East Wold CE Primary - 24 • The range of indoor and outdoor experiences offered for children to choose has improved since the last inspection. • More could be done to develop the children’s understanding of how to promote their health.

p.23

Commentary

42. The children are in line to reach the early learning goals by the time they complete the reception year. They achieve satisfactorily overall and achieve well in organised physical development lessons, benefiting from the good example set by their Year 1 classmates in the shared lessons. During the inspection, a good hall-based physical development lesson set the children a range of enjoyable, well thought out challenges by inviting them to think of new ways of moving across and round a prepared layout of apparatus. Their teacher helped build their safety awareness by reminding them of the rules for how to move around each other and the apparatus. She set high expectations by encouraging them to think of ways to improve the sequences they devised. However, she did not use the opportunity she had to help them understand and talk about how the warm up routine they did helped to keep them healthy. Other

p.24

Commentary

opportunities to promote an awareness of healthy practices, for example by encouraging the children in discussion to identify the healthy way to do things, are not exploited as well as they could be. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory overall. Since the last inspection, there is an improved range of opportunities of indoor and outdoor physical development activities for the children to choose and they enjoy using the range of tools and large and small apparatus on offer.

p.24

Commentary

Provision in creative development is satisfactory.

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The range of opportunities provided for creative development has improved since the last inspection. • Children are not given sufficient opportunities to act out sustained creative play, particularly fantasy scenarios and pretend real-life activities.

p.24

Commentary

43. Children achieve satisfactorily and most are likely to reach the early learning goals by the end of the reception year. Since the last inspection, there is improved indoor and outdoor provision for creative play, including dressing up and pretend areas. There are more opportunities for the children to explore making sounds with a range of percussion instruments in organised musical development lessons. During the inspection, some pairs of children showed sustained interest in creating their own mini- worlds by combining miniature figures of people and animals with an impressive working model garage and multi-storey car park. For some of them, it became a fort in which they enjoyed enthusiastically firing the figures out of a cannon mechanism. However, very few children showed any interest in the indoor dressing up area which was set up to enable them to explore the week’s theme of “magical worlds” so that

p.24

Commentary

their learning was not enhanced. The teaching team did not do enough to lead the children into an engaging sequence of make believe. Also, too few areas were set up to help the children develop extended real world play. East Wold CE Primary - 25 44. A lesson planned to help them develop creative dance sequences to act out magical fantasy creatures was unsuccessful because their teacher did not do enough to stimulate and develop the children’s ideas, for example by presenting a traditional song or a poem. She asked some questions which expected too much of the children’s ability to imagine. The quality of children’s products in this area of learning seen on display and in records indicated that, as at the previous inspection, while teaching and learning are satisfactory, this remains an area where there is scope for improved teaching and learning approaches. East Wold CE Primary - 26

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

• By Year 2, standards are above average in speaking, listening and writing; achievement is good because of improved teaching approaches. • Standards are above average in writing in Year 6. • Teachers use assessments well to help pupils make better progress. • Good support teaching helps lower attaining pupils’ reading and spelling skills. • Not enough use is made of ICT facilities to develop pupils’ skills in reading and writing. • Limited library facilities restrict opportunities for research skills.

p.26

Commentary

45. In Year 2, standards are broadly average in reading. By Year 6, standards are average in speaking, listening and reading. Pupils enjoy discussing ideas about texts they read and suggesting phrases and sentences for a shared class composition. Most know and enjoy reading well-known authors such as Roald Dahl and Jacqueline Wilson, but few read poetry or read non-fiction books widely. Pupils write fluently in a range of styles.

p.26

Commentary

46. Achievement has improved since the last inspection. It is now good by Year 2 and Year 6. All groups of pupils achieve well in speaking, listening and writing because of the good opportunities they have to think through their ideas and the good guidance they receive in lessons and written work on how to develop their skills. Lower attaining pupils improve their knowledge of letter-sound relationships and basic literacy in well planned and organised small group lessons with support staff. Other pupils make satisfactory progress in reading but could achieve better with more guidance aimed at widening the range and quality of what they read. The downward trend in standards in the national tests at Year 6 is because there was insufficient emphasis on basic skills, particularly on writing, in previous years. At Year 2, the small year group size results in more variation year by year than usual, but the trend in standards for reading and

p.26

Commentary

47. Teaching and learning are good and are based well on the National Literacy Strategy. Teachers use assessment well to identify what different groups of pupils need to learn and they plan lessons and tasks accordingly. They have recently and successfully adopted approaches that focus on helping pupils understand and use criteria to work towards good performance in such tasks as writing a report. They set pupils to use partner and small group discussions to clarify their understanding. These approaches are helping pupils make rapid progress and feel very positive about their lessons. In a good lesson for Years 1 and 2 pupils, they prepared well for writing a character sketch of the African girl at the centre of “Handa’s Surprise” by asking questions of a very articulate high attaining classmate playing the role of Handa. Most pupils know exactly what they need to focus on in order to improve their writing. Very good examples were

p.26

Commentary

seen in Years 5 and 6 pupils’ workbooks of clear, readily understandable teacher guidance on how to write short biographies and reports. They had also been taught to use simple criteria lists to check that their drafts met the requirements for these styles. These strategies are helping them make rapid progress. This system is not yet being East Wold CE Primary - 27 used consistently across the school. There is no comparable guidance system for helping pupils widen the range and quality of books they read at home and school. Teachers do not make enough use in lessons of readily available classroom ICT programs, such as “talking” word processors, CD-ROMs and the Internet, to help pupils develop their reading and writing skills.

p.26

Commentary

48. The leadership and management of English are very good and are firmly focused on raising standards, particularly in writing. The headteacher as co-ordinator has developed very good analyses of test results and pupils’ workbooks to pinpoint where improvements are needed. Improvement since the last inspection is satisfactory. She has led staff in using the Primary Leadership Programme to improve English teaching, including the use of self-review by pupils and better marking feedback by staff. She is a very good role model for the improved approaches. She is aware that better use could be made of ICT to improve pupils’ learning and achievement. More could be done to improve the achievement of pupils with SEN by providing teachers with further guidance on how to develop strategies for talk.

p.27

Language and literacy across the curriculum

49. Teachers promote language and literacy skills satisfactorily. The very thorough focus on teaching basic literacy, particularly letter-sound relationships, handwriting and composition skills, ensures that pupils are well equipped for tasks in different subjects. Teachers use the good partner discussion approaches to help pupils understand their tasks in subject lessons. Good examples were seen during the inspection of the use of fiction and Internet sources to engage pupils’ interest and develop their understanding in subject studies, whilst simultaneously developing their writing skills. In Years 1 and 2, pupils had increased their skills in geography while reading and writing about a fictional island in Scotland. However, the use of these good approaches is not as consistent in other years. The range of non-fiction books on display in classrooms is narrow. Because the library is in cramped quarters in a corridor area, it is not used

p.27

Language and literacy across the curriculum

actively enough to extend pupils’ study skills.

p.27

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils’ achievement is good in Years 1 - 2 and standards are above average because good teaching challenges their understanding and skills. • Pupils achieve well by Year 6 because good teaching is addressing earlier weaknesses. • The subject is led and managed well. • There is a good emphasis on problem solving skills as well as skills of mental calculation. • The classroom assistants give thoughtful support to children with learning needs.

p.27

Commentary

50. Standards in Year 2 have improved since the last inspection. Lessons are structured well to give pupils practice in early skills, for example counting up and down in tens. East Wold CE Primary - 28 The good pace encourages pupils to learn quickly and be confident. In a good practical lesson about mass and weight, pupils balanced a variety of objects in their hands against a 1kg mass, making mostly sensible estimates. A simple but effective record supported their understanding, with more independence expected of the higher attaining pupils. Their very good cooperation promoted good achievement as pupils worked and discussed together. The class teacher’s good subject knowledge was expressed well through her thoughtful questioning so that pupils were prompted to reason. Pupils’ previous work shows good subject coverage across the mathematical topics and generally good progress by all groups of pupils as a result of good teaching.

p.27

Commentary

At Year 2, the small year group size produces more variation year by year than usual in the national tests, but the trend in standards is an improving one.

p.28

Commentary

51. Pupils’ achievement is good in Years 3 - 6 as teachers give good attention to building numeracy and other skills. Standards are broadly average by Year 6 because pupils do not yet have confident number skills and they have difficulty in applying skills to new problems. Standards in the 2004 tests were just above average because fewer pupils than nationally performed well below average and the performance of girls was better than girls nationally. For many pupils, basic skills are under-developed because there was insufficient emphasis on them in previous years. Standards have been maintained since the last inspection. There are some good features, however, because teaching is good. In a lively lesson with the Years 3 and 4 class, the higher attaining pupils demonstrated good skills at analysing problems since they quickly understood that the lowest and highest possible numbers were 15 and 60 when three bean bags were

p.28

Commentary

thrown onto a grid. Pupils concentrate well and persevere at the tasks, many taking real pleasure in understanding the emerging patterns. Clearly focused teaching in Years 5 and 6 is having a positive impact on pupils’ learning because the teacher has very high expectations of the pupils and has a very skilled questioning style. The teacher used an interactive whiteboard imaginatively to build the idea of ratio. Pupils found the following task difficult because they did not have the skills to recognise how ratios are applied to multiples of numbers. Pupils’ previous work indicates some good recent aspects to their progress but in general pupils are not consistent in their calculations and in setting out their work.

p.28

Commentary

52. Most pupils across the school take a good interest in their tasks and concentrate well. This has a good impact on achievement. The introduction of a green or red card system for pupils to indicate their own self-assessment is good and is having a clear positive benefit. Teachers take careful note of pupils’ views and respond sensitively. Planning is good and tasks are adapted well for pupils of differing attainments. Pupils with SEN are supported and included well so that they make good progress against their targets. Teachers and the classroom assistants strike a good balance between building formal skills and helping pupils to understand the ideas. They give a good emphasis to numeracy and encourage quick recall of number facts. There is also a good emphasis on problem solving so that pupils are challenged to think and to gain investigational skills.

p.28

Commentary

53. The mathematics curriculum has good progression through the years. Teachers provide a good balance across the mathematical topics. The quality of marking of pupils’ work is generally good, with positive comments to help pupils improve. The subject coordinator is working with the headteacher to give good direction for the approach to learning. The approach and standards have benefited from the recent focus on the subject. There has been satisfactory improvement overall since the last inspection. East Wold CE Primary - 29

p.28

Mathematics across the curriculum

54. Pupils use a variety of mathematical skills in other subjects. In science, for example, pupils set out the results of their experiments in tables and sometimes represent these in a graph. Pupils use a spreadsheet in ICT to set out data and write a formula to find the total of a column. Pupils use spatial ideas in their paintings for art and in design and technology products. Teachers provide such opportunities appropriately in practice, although they are seldom set out clearly within planning.

p.29

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils achieve well because teachers give good attention to investigational skills. • Standards are above average in Year 2 since pupils’ skills and understanding have been extended through good experience. • The quality of teaching and learning is good. • Pupils take a good interest in the activities, which helps promote achievement.

p.29

Commentary

55. Pupils achieve well in Years 1 - 2 because teaching gives good attention to practical investigation. In a good lesson on magnetism, the teacher provided clear explanations on the effects of magnetism using simple but effective demonstrations. During practical tasks most pupils cooperated well to test items for magnetic properties. The higher attaining pupils gave reasonable explanations for their observations - in particular that not all metals are magnetic - and one pupil offered the image that magnetism is like water flowing through a pipe in holding up many paper clips. The good variety of different activities provided a good basis for pupils to generalise about the behaviour of magnetic materials. Pupils’ previous work shows good subject coverage and a consistent approach to building their experimental skills.

p.29

Commentary

56. Achievement in science is good in Years 3 - 6 because teachers give good attention to practical investigations which challenge pupils and promote good skill development. Standards in the national tests have varied year by year, although there is evidence of earlier lack of skill development. Standards of current work are broadly average. In a good lesson on gases in Year 6, the teacher’s good explanations and questioning during her demonstrations challenged pupils to reason about the behaviour of gas in a hand pump. Most pupils understood that the air was compressed and that force is needed to pump up a tyre, and they began to recognise that it could then do work, as for example when a balloon was powered along a string. Pupils know some properties of gases, for example that gas is lighter than water, and reasoned about the fact that bubbles of carbon dioxide rise in fizzy drinks. Pupils’ previous work indicates generally

p.29

Commentary

under-developed investigational skills early in the year but that these are improving. There is evidence that recent teaching is focused well on building pupils’ understanding through a good practical basis. The skills of observation, controlling a variable and recording results are apparent in pupils’ work, although some work is incomplete and untidy. East Wold CE Primary - 30 57. Teachers create a good working atmosphere in science lessons which captures pupils’ attention well. Most pupils are keen to find things out and take a good interest in the activities. They respond well during demonstration sessions and want to contribute their ideas about why things happen. These good attitudes have a good impact on their achievement. They are also responsible in using the new green or red card system to indicate their own self-assessments, which teachers note carefully to use in further teaching. The quality of teaching and learning in the lessons observed was good and

p.29

Commentary

this is supported by evidence from pupils’ previous work, so that pupils are developing their investigational skills such as prediction and controlling an experiment. Teachers’ planning is good, with clear learning intentions which are adapted for pupils of differing attainments. Pupils with SEN receive good support from the classroom assistants as well as being included in class discussions. The usual arrangements to form groups of mixed ability for science are effective in helping all pupils to observe and take a full part so that they make good progress. Teachers place a good emphasis on real experience and investigation, which is having a good impact on their learning of skills. They have high expectations of the pupils for effort and behaviour.

p.30

Commentary

58. At this stage of the school’s improvement, the headteacher is acting as the subject leader and she is providing good leadership but the impact of her initiatives has still to become established. Teaching, learning and pupils’ achievement are benefiting from the current focus on the subject. There has been satisfactory improvement overall since the last inspection, with some good features.

p.30

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

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

p.30

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The teaching of core ICT skills is good. • Lessons do not involve pupils enough in evaluating their work. • The leadership and management of ICT are unsatisfactory. East Wold CE Primary - 31 • There is not enough use of ICT to extend subject learning across the curriculum, or to support the achievement of pupils with SEN. • Lack of resources holds back pupil achievement.

p.30

Commentary

59. Standards are average in Years 2 and 6, and pupils’ achievement is satisfactory. This maintains the position at the last inspection and improvement is satisfactory. Since the last inspection, the curriculum has been improved by the use of control technology tools such as screen-based and real-life robot toys to enable pupils to do simple programming. Pupils learn to use word-processing, spreadsheet, simple desktop publishing and paint programs competently for a range of communication tasks. These include publicity posters and presentations of the results of surveys. They use the Internet to find out where places in the news are for geography and religious education lessons, and to search out contemporary reports of key 1950s events for their history studies. They do not achieve enough in using computer tools for investigation, particularly in using temperature and light sensing tools, because the school lacks the

p.31

Commentary

right equipment. They also do too little to develop their skills in evaluating and improving their work, for example in considering how best to design a poster or greeting card for a particular audience.

p.31

Commentary

60. Teaching and learning are satisfactory. The school’s administrative officer teaches core ICT skills well, ensuring through briskly paced, well focused lessons that all pupils use the right program tools and techniques. Year groups enjoy working with her and other support staff in the small ICT suite on a series of lessons which introduce core skills linked to pupils’ current subject studies. The lack of a large-scale display facility there limits the effectiveness of her teaching. In a lesson for Year 4 pupils on programming screen robots to create geometrical patterns, some pupils misunderstood the initial guidance and made errors because their instructor lacked the facility to guide the class through an initial visual demonstration. Although each lesson ends with a review of what the pupils achieved, scrutiny of pupils’ work shows there is too little emphasis over time on teaching them to plan and evaluate their work systematically.

p.31

Commentary

The instructor assesses pupils following each lesson, but the assessments do not focus enough on what the pupils understand and can do in relation to the National Curriculum requirements for their age group.

p.31

Commentary

61. The headteacher is acting co-ordinator and is preparing a newly qualified colleague to take on the role. Her own teaching commitment, current priorities and the pressure of her other roles leave too little time for checking and reviewing the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement. There is not a close enough focus on developing teaching and learning with ICT in classroom lessons to lift standards to a higher level and to increase the use of pupils’ skills in other subjects. The school lacks expertise on the best software and approaches for the youngest pupils and those with SEN. These and the other resource deficiencies are holding back pupils’ achievement, although the school turns to nearby partner schools to borrow equipment. The school has an Internet safety policy, but has not yet followed the nationally recommended guidance in ensuring that all users sign an agreement on appropriate Internet use.

p.31

Information and communication technology across the curriculum

62. Pupils are gaining the skills to use the main ICT programs but do not have sufficient opportunities to use them to enhance learning in other subjects. Some good classroom use of ICT was seen, for example in mathematics and history lessons, and in an RE East Wold CE Primary - 32 lesson the teacher produced reactions of awed admiration from pupils as they saw projected images from a web site of wonders of the natural world, such as Niagara Falls. However, teachers rarely use the classroom computers in lessons, so that pupils are offered too few opportunities to use computer-based drafting to improve their writing, or spreadsheet tools as tools for their calculations. There is very little use of ICT, such as “talking” word banks, to help the lowest attaining pupils and pupils with SEN make more progress.

p.31

HUMANITIES

Religious education was inspected in full and is reported below. History and geography were sampled.

p.32

HUMANITIES

63. In history a good lesson was seen for pupils in Year 5 and 6 on the conditions the crew faced on board a Tudor ship. The teacher captured the pupils’ interest by using an ‘interactive whiteboard’ image of a Tudor ship. Clicking on different parts of the image brought up captions which helped pupils to find out more about the sailors’ diet, their health and their accommodation. They achieved well in developing their own research into the topic because there were good opportunities to discuss what they saw, and they were set a range of tasks that offered the right level of challenge for their capabilities. Evidence from plans and pupils’ books shows the school uses local and more distant facilities well to deepen and enrich pupils’ learning about different historical periods, for example by visits to the York Viking museums and exhibits. This is an improvement since the last inspection. The school also makes good use of

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HUMANITIES

visitors with special knowledge to deepen pupils’ understanding of more recent history. During the inspection, some grandparents visited the school to talk to younger pupils about their long established hobby of riding a tandem bicycle, enabling the pupils to appreciate the viewpoint of an older generation. Pupils’ workbooks show that they complete too little written work over time, so that they do not have an easy reference point for reviewing what they have learnt.

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HUMANITIES

64. In geography , displays show that the school promotes pupils’ knowledge and awareness of their own locality and more distant places well through its programme of personal, social and health education and religious education as well as the taught geography curriculum, which is based on nationally recommended plans. During the previous term, Year 1 and 2 pupils studied the differences between their locality and a Scottish island, through studying an enjoyable book about the imaginary isle of Struay. Their workbooks showed that they developed simple mapping skills well to show their understanding of the layout of typical farms and the main routes round the island. During a religious education lesson in the inspection week, Year 3 and 4 pupils were introduced to web sites showing some of the world’s most spectacular geographical locations, such as the Grand Canyon. Classroom displays in Year 5 and 6 showed that

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HUMANITIES

pupils develop their geographical understanding by regularly identifying on a large- scale world map where major events have happened, such as the December 2004 tsunami. They also identify places where family and friends have visited or have connections.

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Religious education

Provision in religious education is satisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

East Wold CE Primary - 33 • Pupils know and enjoy the key Bible stories. • There is not enough systematic recording of what pupils learn and achieve.

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Commentary

65. Achievement is satisfactory and standards in Year 2 and Year 6 are in line with those expected by the locally agreed syllabus. This maintains the judgement at the previous inspection and improvement is satisfactory. Pupils of all levels of attainment in Year 2 and Year 6 show in discussion that they have secure knowledge of the Bible stories they are expected to know, and enjoy acting them out. They enjoy regular opportunities to learn from local clergy, including the rector of the village church and the local Methodist minister. They compose their own prayers and know the principles of Christian belief and action. Through the curriculum laid out in the agreed syllabus, they also learn about other major world religions, including Judaism, Hinduism and Islam. For example, by Year 6 they know the main beliefs and duties in Islam and key events in the life of Mohammed. 66. Teaching and learning are satisfactory overall. Good teaching was seen in a Year 2

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Commentary

lesson where pupils deepened their understanding of prayer well. They had good opportunities through partner discussion to talk about times when they have prayed and to exchange ideas about what prayers are for. The examples of written prayers provided by their teacher and her sensitive questioning enabled them to achieve the expected standard of knowledge and understanding for their age group. Good use of prepared visual resources together with well directed discussion tasks were features of other good teaching. An unsatisfactory lesson for the oldest pupils was seen where achievement was unsatisfactory because the teacher did not stimulate enough interest or provide resources to sustain the task she set. Pupils, particularly lower attainers and those with SEN, grew restless and became disruptive because they were expected to spend far too long devising questions about a historical figure in whom most of them

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Commentary

67. There was too little evidence to make a judgement about leadership and management of the subject because there was no opportunity to interview the subject coordinator during the inspection; the coordinator file contained little evidence of recent action and the subject has not yet been a focus for school improvement. The school has plans to increase opportunities for pupils to have direct contact with people of other faiths through visits by clergy to the school and visits to other places of worship.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

Art and design, design and technology, music and physical education were sampled.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

68. In art and design , pupils have suitable opportunities to paint and make a simple collage, using a variety of colours and beginning to see the effects of mixing paints. By Year 2, pupils are beginning to use paint confidently to produce attractive paintings and to understand that there are different ways to apply paint. Within Years 3 - 6 pupils study the styles of different artists and have made special creations as a result of focused days, for example on African masks.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

69. In design and technology, pupils in Years 1 and 2 investigated whether different brick bonds made a wall more stable. Following a careful introduction, pupils experimented with various sizes and styles of building material and found the overlapping bond East Wold CE Primary - 34 strengthened the wall best. In Years 3 and 4 pupils discussed a variety of fasteners brought from home and considered their advantages. Tasks were adapted well for pupils’ differing attainments so that higher attaining pupils were challenged to write about the value of each fastening while lower attaining pupils discussed their use. The teacher’s good link with homework gave good purpose to the lesson and extended their understanding in preparation for pupils to make their own purse using a fastening of their own choice.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

70. In music, pupils in Years 1 and 2 are beginning to understand how symbols may represent a musical pattern. They constructed some of their own and practised the piece with simple instruments. Good direction from the teacher provided good experience for the pupils with a good use and range of instruments. By Years 3 and 4 pupils have a satisfactory understanding of some elements of music, such as the dynamics. In a lively lesson, with very interactive presentations, the pupils demonstrated high levels of concentration and effort so that they achieved well. By Year 6 pupils are beginning to understand texture in different kinds of music through listening and the teacher’s questioning.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

71. In physical education evidence indicates that pupils are making the expected progress in skills. There is a wide range of activities through the year and there are some good arrangements for pupils to play sports with nearby partner schools. The school hall and grounds offer good opportunities for indoor and outdoor physical education. East Wold CE Primary - 35

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

This area of the curriculum was sampled.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

72. The school places a high priority on pupils’ personal development. All members of staff set high expectations for consideration of others and for general behaviour. They give time to help pupils reflect on their behaviour and to understand the responsibilities of living in a school community. The subject curriculum provides for satisfactory coverage and development of relevant topics. The school also helps pupils to think of the wider community, for example by singing carols at Christmas. The school council helps pupils to take an active role in school development and the headteacher acts upon their ideas. The good attention to pupils’ personal development is reflected in their good attitudes and behaviour through the school. East Wold CE Primary - 36

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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 3 Value for money provided by the school 4

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Overall standards achieved 3 Pupils’ achievement 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The leadership and management of the school 4 The governance of the school 4 The leadership of the headteacher 2 The leadership of other key staff 4 The effectiveness of management 4

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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). East Wold CE Primary - 37

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