Linden Primary School

Linden Primary School

Dates of inspection: 6 – 9 December 2004

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Linden Primary School

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 Linden Primary School - 2 This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated.

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Linden 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. Linden Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Primary School category: Community Age range of pupils: 4 – 11 years Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 341

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Linden Road Gloucester Gloucestershire Postcode: GL1 5HU

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Telephone number: 01452 527020 Fax number: 01452 541026

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: Governing Body Name of chair of governors: Mr C Healy

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 22 February 1999

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

The school serves the Linden area of the City of Gloucester. It is an area of mixed public and private housing which has some features of economic and social disadvantage. The attainment of pupils on entry is below average, particularly in language skills. About 15 percent of pupils have backgrounds other than white British and very few pupils have support for English as an additional language. The school has a stable population; few pupils leave or join the school other than in the reception class. An above average proportion of pupils is eligible for free school meals. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs is above average as is the proportion of pupils with statements of need. Most of these pupils have general learning or behavioural difficulties. Many of the pupils attend the attached playgroup prior to joining the school.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

The school has recently undergone major building developments to provide some new classrooms and a small outdoor area for children in the reception class. The development of the site is not yet completed. A new extension to the hall has been built but has not yet been accepted by the school as fit for purpose. The school has recently been awarded the Basic Skills Quality Mark. Linden Primary School - 4

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

18074 Mr S Dobson Lead inspector Foundation Stage, Science, Information and communication technology 11096 Ms M Davie Lay inspector 20645 Ms R Webber Team inspector English, English as an additional language, Special educational needs, Art and design, Music, Religious education 23630 Mr J Palk Team inspector Mathematics, Design and technology, Geography, History, Physical education

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

3 Greenacres Puddletown Dorchester Dorset DT2 8GF

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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). Linden Primary School - 5

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 8

Standards achieved in areas of learning, subjects and courses

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 8

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL 11

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

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school provides an adequate standard of education but has some serious weaknesses . Due to very recent actions by the new and very effective headteacher, this is an improving school where the decline in standards has been halted and new curriculum plans are in place. Nevertheless, the school is a cause for concern as there are weaknesses in pupils’ achievement especially in English, mathematics and science. These have been caused by unsatisfactory teaching and an unsatisfactorily planned curriculum. Both of these weaknesses are now being addressed. At present, the school gives unsatisfactory value for money.

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The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

• The headteacher, supported well by the deputy headteacher, is taking rapid action to address the poor standards which have been a feature of this school for several years. • Pupils with special educational needs get good support and achieve satisfactorily. • Provision for children in the reception class is good; children achieve well. • The quality of teaching and learning is not high enough, particularly in some classes in Key Stage 2 1 . • Some subjects are not taught regularly enough or in sufficient depth.

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The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

Improvement since the last inspection has been poor . There has been no improvement in the standards pupils achieve or the quality of teaching; both were indicated as areas for improvement. The school was also asked to improve the work of the subject co-ordinators and this has not happened. However, action has been taken in the last half term to address these issues. The only area of improvement has been in information and communication technology (ICT) where new equipment and the work of an effective co-ordinator has brought about some improvement, though standards are not yet as high as they could be. There has been significant new building since the last inspection.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

all schools similar schools Results in National Curriculum tests at the end of Year 6 , compared with: 2002 2003 2004 2004

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

English D D E E Mathematics E E E E Science D E E 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. Standards in English, mathematics and science are low and most pupils do not achieve as well as they should in years 1 to 6. This has been recognised by the senior management team and improvements have been made to the curriculum in the last half term to focus the teachers and the pupils on systematic learning of literacy and numeracy skills. This has halted the decline in standards. Standards in reading are higher than those in writing. Pupils with special educational needs achieve satisfactorily because they get good support. In other subjects achievement is variable; in some, such as art and design, music and history it is satisfactory but in others it is not high enough. By contrast, all children achieve well in the foundation stage from a low starting point,

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

1 Years 3 – 6. Linden Primary School - 7 and though they do not quite achieve the early learning goals 2 in communication, language and literacy, creative development and knowledge and understanding of the world, they do achieve them in the other areas 3 .

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

New strategies for the management of pupils’ behaviour have been implemented this term and have been successful. Parents, pupils, teachers and governors indicate that behaviour is much improved. Pupils behave well and have positive attitudes in the reception class and years 1 and 2. In years 3 to 6, behaviour is satisfactory. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is satisfactory. Attendance is below average but the school has satisfactory procedures to improve it.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The quality of education is unsatisfactory, but there are signs of improvement. Teaching and learning is unsatisfactory overall though it is good in the reception class and satisfactory in years 1 and 2. It is unsatisfactory in years 3 to 6 although it varies between very good and poor. Although the school teaches the National Curriculum, the planning is not effective and pupils do not study some subjects often enough or in enough depth.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The school ensures pupils are safe and cared for and there are satisfactory links with parents.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management are satisfactory and improving rapidly . The leadership of the new headteacher is very good and in less than one term she has put in place a culture of improvement. This includes improving the effectiveness of the governance of the school which is unsatisfactory. The deputy headteacher gives good support but the work of most of the subject co-ordinators is currently unsatisfactory, as they do not gather enough evidence about pupils’ achievements.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The governors’ annual report to parents and the school prospectus do not comply with statutory requirements. This was reported at the time of the last inspection and the issue has not been addressed.

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Parents indicate that they are happy with most aspects of the school and that they feel welcome. The pupils are mostly happy though some commented that on occasions some of the boys are rather aggressive.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

The most important things the school should do to improve are: • Raise standards in English, mathematics and science. • Improve the quality of teaching and learning in years 1 to 6 and ensure that all unsatisfactory and poor teaching is eradicated. • Restructure the curriculum to ensure that subjects are taught more frequently.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

and, to meet statutory requirements: • Add comparative assessment information to the Governors’ Annual Report and the School Prospectus.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

2 Nationally agreed targets for the end of the reception year. 3 Personal, social and emotional development, mathematical development and physical development. Linden Primary School - 8

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS

Achievement in the reception class is good . Achievement in years 1 – 6 is unsatisfactory and standards in English, mathematics and science are likely to be below those in similar schools in 2005, although there are signs of improvement in standards in English. There is very little difference in the achievements of boys and girls. Pupils with special educational needs and those who require support for English as an additional language achieve satisfactorily as they are given good support.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Good provision in the reception class helps children make good progress from a well below average level on entry to school. • Good strategies are in place to help pupils with special educational needs to do their best. • Achievement in ICT is satisfactory and is improving quickly.

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Commentary

1. Children start the reception class with standards which are below expectations in all areas of learning and many have poor communication skills. Despite having only satisfactory resources and limited opportunities for outdoor play, the teacher covers all elements of the curriculum, is encouraging and supportive and this ensures that all children achieve well. Most children make very good progress and achieve very well in their mathematical, personal, social and emotional and physical development and they reach or exceed the early learning goals. They achieve well in language, literacy and communication and satisfactorily in knowledge and understanding of the world and creative development but they do not quite reach the early learning goals. They do not reach the early learning goals in verbal communication and this affects both their writing and reading as they move into years 1 and 2.

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Commentary

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

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Commentary

Standards in: School results National results Reading 14.0 (14.0) 15.8 (15.7) Writing 12.5 (12.4) 14.6 (14.6) Mathematics 14.7 (14.4) 16.2 (16.3) There were 52 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Commentary

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

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Commentary

Standards in: School results National results English 23.9 (26.2) 26.9 (26.8) Mathematics 23.7 (25.5) 27.0 (26.8) Science 25.9 (27.2) 28.6 (28.6) There were 48 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Commentary

2. Results in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of year 2 are well below the national average and those of similar schools. There has however been some improvement and the trend of improvement is slightly better than the national trend. Standards in reading are higher than those in writing and recent changes to the teaching of English are bringing some improvement throughout the school. Standards in speaking and listening are as expected nationally from year 2 to year 6. This demonstrates good progress from the reception class and is due to an effort on the part of staff to provide opportunities for pupils to discuss their work. Standards in writing, mathematics and science are very low by the end of year 6 and standards Linden Primary School - 9 in reading are low. The targets which the school set itself for the achievement of the current year 6 class are unlikely to be achieved. However, if present progress is maintained, there is likely to

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Commentary

be some improvement in English and mathematics in the classes where teaching is satisfactory or better. There is likely to be little improvement in science until the curriculum is completely revised. There are no significant differences in the performance of girls and boys.

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Commentary

3. The satisfactory achievement of pupils with special educational needs is maintained because the school supports these pupils well. Their achievement is better than other groups of pupils in relation to their prior attainment because their specific needs are well catered for through effective use of support staff and well planned and suitably modified tasks that are appropriate to the specific learning needs of this group of pupils.

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Commentary

4. Although there has been very limited overall improvement in standards since the last inspection, one exception is in ICT where standards are now satisfactory and improving rapidly. This has been due to the quietly effective work of the co-ordinator who has supported the staff and encouraged them to teach the subject consistently. New resources and equipment, organised by the co-ordinator, have also helped to support improvement.

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Commentary

5. There are examples of some good work in art and design, history and music. In these subjects, pupils have clearly become very interested in their work, singing well in some lessons, writing some interesting and well informed accounts in history and creating some good quality artwork when they work in the style of famous artists. However, the quality of the work depends on the teaching and too many pupils make only limited gains in their subject knowledge and expertise because of the poor curriculum plan. This leaves long gaps between periods of study and therefore pupils’ skills do not build systematically.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

Pupils’ attitudes to learning and their behaviour are satisfactory . Their personal qualities, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are satisfactory . Attendance and punctuality are unsatisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Behaviour in lessons and around the school is improving, but in some classes a significant minority of pupils does not behave well and this impacts on learning. • Pupils’ willingness to take on responsibility is good. • Attendance is below the national average but the school is making reasonable efforts to improve it. • Pupils are not well enough prepared for life in a multicultural society.

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Commentary

6. The whole school community, including pupils and parents, reports that behaviour is much improved since the start of this school year. This has been achieved by a consistent use of praise and positive reinforcement of good behaviour alongside clear procedures to deal with poor behaviour by using a card system. Less unacceptable behaviour is taking place and the few incidents of bullying are dealt with effectively. During the last school year it was necessary to exclude six pupils for fixed periods.

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Commentary

7. Behaviour in the reception class and years 1 and 2 is almost always good. Pupils are enthusiastic about what they are doing and this supports their learning. The adults create a calm and purposeful atmosphere and children know exactly what is expected of them. They persevere well, for example working for sustained periods making drawings of pizzas for the café. Linden Primary School - 10 8. Many pupils in years 3 to 6 behave well and show that they want to learn, but the unsatisfactory behaviour of a significant minority has a detrimental impact on attainment. Where class management is not satisfactory, pupils show little self-control, are uninterested in learning and sometimes rude. Pupils do however generally work together well, as was shown in a year 6 art lesson where they showed good levels of cooperation when using the computers. Occasionally pupils show too little respect for each other, for example, laughing when a child read out work in

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Commentary

an English lesson. Teachers are not always quick enough to point out the unacceptability of this.

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Commentary

9. When given the opportunity, pupils are enterprising and eager to take on responsibility. They support charities through fundraising and help with the day to day running of the school. They are very enthusiastic about the school council and take their roles seriously.

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Commentary

10. Opportunities to develop an understanding of western European culture through work in art and music and visits to local museums and music festivals are satisfactory. Major world religions are studied in religious education and festivals such as the Chinese New Year are celebrated. Pupils learn about life in other countries but not enough is done to prepare them for life in a multicultural society.

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Commentary

11. Attendance is below the national average and there is more unauthorised absence than typically found in primary schools. This is largely attributable to pupil illness, but is also a result of parents taking their children out of school for holidays during term time, despite the best efforts by the school to discourage this practice. Too many pupils arrive late in the morning, thus making a poor start to their school day.

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Commentary

12. Extra funding provided by the Education Action Zone (EAZ) has allowed the school to focus on issues such as improving attendance and family learning and a successful programme is helping parents of year 1 pupils to become more confident at helping their children with schoolwork.

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Attendance

Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

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Attendance

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data 5.4 School data 0.7 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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Exclusions

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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Exclusions

Categories used in the Annual School Census No of pupils on roll Number of fixed period exclusions Number of permanent exclusions White – British 261 9 0 White – any other White background 3 0 0 Mixed – White and Black Caribbean 19 1 0 Mixed – White and Asian 2 0 0 Mixed – any other mixed background 7 0 0 Asian or Asian British – Indian 4 0 0 Black or Black British – Caribbean 3 0 0 Black or Black British – any other Black background 2 0 0 Any other ethnic group 2 0 0 No ethnic group recorded 5 0 0 The table gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

Linden Primary School - 11 The overall quality of education is unsatisfactory but it is improving quickly. The main problems are the organisation of some elements of the curriculum and the very variable quality of teaching in years 3 to 6.

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Teaching and learning

The quality of teaching is unsatisfactory overall but is very variable ranging from very good to poor.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The quality of teaching and learning is good in the reception class, satisfactory in years 1 and 2 but unsatisfactory or poor in a minority of classes in years 3-6. • In years 1 to 6 there is a general weakness in the use of assessment information and this impairs planning for learning. • In a minority of lessons, teachers sensitively plan to support all pupils and they create an encouraging, supporting and stimulating learning situation where pupils learn very well. • The teaching of pupils with special educational needs when they are withdrawn from the class is good. • Mathematics and science are taught unsatisfactorily in years 3 to 6.

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Commentary

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 59 lessons

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Commentary

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Commentary

0 9 (15%) 15 (26%) 28 (48%) 5 (8%) 2 (3%) 0

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Commentary

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

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Commentary

13. Teaching in the reception class caters well for all of the areas of learning. Planning is based on what is known about what children already understand. As a result children engage well with meaningful learning activities which are timed very well to keep children interested. They are very well motivated and they behave very well. In years 1 and 2 pupils and resources are well organised and the way teaching assistants are used helps pupils to make progress. In year 1 and 2 classes, teachers make their expectations of behaviour clear and pupils behave well. However, teachers do not use assessment information effectively to plan work which is well matched to pupils’ needs. As a result, some pupils are not challenged sufficiently and do not learn as quickly as they could.

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Commentary

14. Most of the teaching in years 3 to 6 is satisfactory or better though there is a weakness in the use of assessment in many classes and teachers’ planning does not state clearly enough what different groups of pupils should learn. In some lessons there is insufficient challenge for the few higher achieving pupils. The headteacher has identified weak teaching in two classes and is taking steps to improve it. Here, lessons do not meet the needs of the pupils satisfactorily, they are bored and, as a result, some of the pupils behave inappropriately. Pupils often begin their work long after other classes are settled and work in books shows that much work is unfinished.

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Commentary

15. Sometimes, however, teaching is very good. This was seen in one year 6 class where the teacher used technology very well to interest the pupils and rapid learning was a feature of the lesson. The strong visual input from the interactive whiteboard engaged the pupils as the teacher modelled what the pupils would be learning. In an ICT lesson the pupils transferred rapidly to the computer suite where, with limited assistance, they were able to access Internet sources to support their history work. Throughout this lesson pupils were keen to take part and they learnt rapidly. Linden Primary School - 12 16. The quality of teaching and learning for pupils with special educational needs is good during special group work and they are well supported in the class lessons by effective support staff. The individual learning targets identified on the individual educational plans (IEPs) are appropriate to the needs of pupils and are mostly used well by teachers to plan appropriate

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Commentary

work. Pupils are effectively assessed against their individual learning targets and assessments are used effectively by the special needs teacher to track the progress of pupils and support future planning. All of this makes the provision for pupils with special educational needs good. In the minority of classes where teaching is generally unsatisfactory the pupils, like their peers, achieve unsatisfactorily.

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Commentary

17. The teaching of mathematics and science is unsatisfactory in years 3 to 6. Science is not taught frequently enough and the subject matter is not recorded accurately, even when the pupils are taking notes from the teacher. The teachers do not ensure that the pupils cover enough work even when science is a timetabled lesson. Extended pieces of work on the water cycle showed significant inaccuracies and the work did not develop their scientific thinking. The frequency of science teaching is being addressed as the headteacher is introducing a new curriculum plan from January 2005. The recorded work indicates that some teachers have a limited knowledge of science. In mathematics a minority of teachers lack sufficient expertise in years 3 to 6.

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The curriculum

The curriculum provided by the school is unsatisfactory . It lacks breadth and doesn’t adequately develop pupils’ skills in too many subjects. Enrichment activities are satisfactory. The accommodation and resources are satisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Not enough time is spent teaching some subjects. • Curriculum planning is weak; there is no clear view of how what pupils learn in each year group relates to what they have learned previously or what they will learn in the future. • The headteacher has taken on the role of curriculum manager and has produced plans which will address the above three issues. • Provision for pupils with special educational needs is good.

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Commentary

18. There has been limited coherent development of the curriculum since the last inspection. There are now weekly personal, social and health education lessons that ensure pupils get opportunities to discuss important issues that affect their lives, and listen and reflect on the views of others. There have also been a number of stimulating experiences for pupils linked to the work of the EAZ in design and technology (DT) and links with the ‘City Curriculum’ have effectively been used to support learning in history. The school is providing more challenges for pupils to use writing skills, such as description and report writing, in history lessons. However there is a lack of regular monitoring by subject co-ordinators and the impact of these good opportunities on pupils attainment have been limited. Subjects that could make very significant contributions to English, mathematics and ICT skills in exciting ways have been neglected.

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Commentary

19. The curriculum covers all of the relevant subjects within the National Curriculum. However, weaknesses in the design of the timetable and teachers’ subject planning mean that variable amounts of time are allocated for investigative science, DT, history and geography. This is having an impact on standards because of the gaps that occur in pupils’ experiences. Often a subject such as history or DT may be taught in one term and then not revisited for a year, limiting both the topics covered and the consistent development of pupils’ skills.

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Commentary

20. Satisfactory links between subjects such as DT and science in years 1 and 2 help pupils’ learning. Teachers in years 3 to 6 also take this approach with mixed success. The guidance to Linden Primary School - 13 support teachers with their planning does not clearly identify skills and, as a result, topics are taught as a set of experiences without sufficient attention given to skills’ teaching. In these circumstances pupils, particularly higher attaining pupils, make unsatisfactory progress in a number of subjects.

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Commentary

21. Pupils’ individual education plans are carefully written and identify clear learning targets. These inform teaching and result in good progress in most classes.

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Commentary

22. Curriculum provision in reception is good. The recommended guidelines for children in the reception class are in place and there are many opportunities for children to follow their interests and develop independence during activity time. However, resources to develop creative skills and knowledge and understanding of the world outside are insufficient and this limits children’s development.

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Care, guidance and support

Care for pupils is satisfactory but the guidance they are given as a result of checking their work is unsatisfactory. Pupils are involved in the school’s work satisfactorily.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils have good relationships with their teachers. • Welfare of the pupils is taken seriously, however some policies and procedures are not fully in place. • Pupils with English as an additional language are supported well. • There are weaknesses in the way academic progress is checked. • The school council does not impact sufficiently on the school’s work.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

23. Pupils trust the adults who work with them. This impacts positively on how happy they feel at school because they feel that the staff will help them with their work or any personal issues. They appreciate the opportunities that “talk time” and “bubble time” (time set aside for pupils to talk privately with staff including the headteacher) give them to discuss any issues of concern to them.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

24. Pupils are well cared for. Good procedures are in place to make sure that the school environment is pleasant and safe. Pupils are well supervised at lunchtime. However, there is too little available in the way of resources on the playground to encourage sensible play and as a result games are often too aggressive and lead to misunderstandings. A senior teacher is designated to deal with any child protection issues, but procedures are not as effective as they should be because some staff have not had recent training. There is no accessibility plan to ensure that disabled access is improved nor have the outcomes of monitoring the race equality policy been reported to parents as is required.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

25. The school meets the specific needs of pupils who have English as their second language well. The school receives effective additional support from the authority’s ethnic minorities support team and they provide modified teaching materials and helpful advice on how to cater for the needs of the pupils. As a result, this group of pupils settles quickly into school life and makes satisfactory progress.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

26. The way the school keeps track of how well pupils are doing is unsatisfactory. This is because the information that is gained from checking their work is not used well enough to make sure that they are getting tasks that suit their individual needs and this is impacting significantly on their attainment.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

27. Pupils really appreciate having a school council and class teachers make sure that children get sufficient time to discuss issues. As yet though, the council has had little impact on the work of Linden Primary School - 14 the school as there has previously been no real mechanism for the pupils to influence the ideas of school managers.

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Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

Links with parents, the community and other local schools are satisfactory .

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Main Strengths and Weaknesses

• Parents receive regular information about school life but the Prospectus and Governors’ annual report are missing some required details. • There are some good opportunities for family learning. • Parents have felt insufficiently welcome in school but there are strong indications that this is improving.

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Commentary

28. Parents are kept well informed about school life by weekly newsletters and the “Linden Locomotive”, a newspaper produced by the pupils. Annual year-end reports were not available to be checked, therefore no judgement can be made about their quality, but parents are happy with them. The Governors’ annual report is still missing some required information, for example the national test comparisons, assessment targets for 11 year olds and information about the training undertaken by staff. The prospectus is also missing national test results, which makes it impossible for parents to see how well the school is doing in comparison with others.

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Commentary

29. A small number of parents take advantage of the family learning opportunities that are available and say they find them really useful, particularly those dealing with mathematics and life skills. Parents who attend the weekly parent support group are very positive about the chance this gives them to become more involved in school life, share experiences and get tips about how to help their children with school work. This group recently organised the very successful Christmas fair and will soon be reforming the PTA in order to provide extra support to the school.

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Commentary

30. In recent times, parents say they have felt insufficiently welcome in school and as a result the level of parent support has been low. There are strong indications that this situation is improving. The school has made the improvement of links with parents an improvement target and parents say they feel there are greater opportunities for them to make their views known.

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Commentary

31. Links with the EAZ have resulted in some effective participation in local initiatives to support pupils’ learning. However, the implementation of the ‘City Curriculum’, where learning is based on experiences, has not helped the raising of standards. Links with local secondary schools provide specialist sports coaching and there are opportunities for pupils to participate in community events such as singing at Gloucester Cathedral. A local business supports pupils’ learning by providing reading and number buddies who work with pupils regularly, giving them increased opportunities to practise their reading and mathematics skills.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The overall quality of leadership is satisfactory and the school is managed satisfactorily though there is evidence that both are improving rapidly. The leadership of the headteacher is very good but governance is unsatisfactory .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

Linden Primary School - 15 • The headteacher has rapidly established herself as a very effective leader and she is supported well by the deputy headteacher. • The headteacher has very effectively and accurately audited the quality of provision and has clearly informed staff and governors of the issues to be addressed. • The governors have not worked effectively to support improvement since the last inspection, but in the last 2 months the governors have organised an effective structure to begin to undertake their role. • The subject co-ordinators have not sufficiently gathered information about their subjects to be able to support the raising of standards. • The management of the school is based on sensible actions to address current weaknesses.

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Commentary

32. The headteacher joined the school in September 2004 and made a rapid and accurate assessment of the quality of provision. This was reported immediately to the governors and staff, both groups indicating that the headteacher has given them very good support to improve. In taking a strong lead on the management of pupils’ behaviour, the headteacher has gained the respect of the pupils and parents. The deputy headteacher fulfils an effective complementary role, establishing information about the school through the analysis of data and modelling good teaching and learning around the school.

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Commentary

33. The governors are supportive of the school but, until the present term, they have not offered sufficient challenge. In the five years since the last inspection there has been little progress on the issues from the last report. The governors have not ensured that that there has been sufficient checking of progress and they have insufficiently challenged the fact that standards were not rising. There are some recorded incidents of individual governors raising issues about the quality of provision but the issues have not been pursued. Governors have been involved heavily in supporting the school in getting new accommodation though some of this, like the outdoor area for the reception class children, does not effectively meet children’s needs. The governors have failed to meet the statutory requirement to publish enough information for parents to make informed judgements about the standards achieved by pupils. During the

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Commentary

autumn of 2004, the governors, under the guidance of the headteacher, have set up a coherent committee structure and governors are now starting to take a more effective role.

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Commentary

34. The role of the subject leaders is under-developed. Few of them have undertaken enough monitoring of the provision to be able to make judgements about standards achieved or the quality of provision. Despite attending a range of training courses, few effective curriculum developments have taken place.

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Commentary

35. In the past two years a major emphasis has been placed on improving community links and developing the site in order to accommodate more pre-school services. While the need for the development has been assessed and considered justified, this has taken the focus of the school’s work away from improving standards.

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Commentary

36. Recent changes to the management of the school indicate that there is thorough evaluation of the quality of provision, albeit primarily by the headteacher and deputy headteacher, and some effective actions have been taken. There has been good analysis of the school’s assessment data so that weaknesses can be identified and steps taken to bring about improvement. There is no history of effective performance management though the system has been re-started and should now lead to improvement. The school’s management of finances is sound with systems of financial control being secure. As numbers of pupils are falling due to population changes, the school is in a difficult financial position but the headteacher is well aware of this and has planned to manage it effectively. Some financial decisions in the recent past have delivered poor value for money, such as the large play structure in the reception class. The recent changes to the

p.15

Commentary

way the school is managed should help to improve the school.

p.15

Financial information for the year April 2003 to March 2004

Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 840,129 Balance from previous year 93,430 Total expenditure 886,440 Balance carried forward to the next 47,119

p.16

Financial information for the year April 2003 to March 2004

Expenditure per pupil 2,376 Linden Primary School - 17

p.16

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

The reception class moved to its current, purpose built, accommodation two terms ago and staff are still making changes to the organisation of the room. There is a dedicated outdoor area for the children; this is an improvement since the last inspection, but it is very small and difficult to use effectively. The classroom is adequately resourced and staff work to ensure that children have a good range of learning experiences. One piece of equipment, a multi-roomed ‘play’ structure, dominates the room taking up a large amount of space, impairing the oversight of the adults and restricting their use of space and this makes teaching and learning more difficult for the staff and children. The teacher plans well for all areas of learning and teaching is consistently good.

p.17

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

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

p.17

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The school day is very well structured so that children are guided in their learning to make decisions as well as to follow instructions well. • Learning opportunities support children’s personal development and they learn to work with others and to work independently.

p.17

Commentary

37. Children have developed good confidence and they come happily into school. Most days start with a class activity, led by an adult, but such activities are relatively short and children are then able to move to directed group activities where they have closer involvement either with other children or with an adult. At other parts of the day children are asked to record their choices of activities and then follow the programme which they have chosen. This supports their organisation skills.

p.17

Commentary

38. Role-play activities and small group projects, such as organising the outdoor area, encourage children to take responsibility and work with others. Most children are likely to reach or exceed the Early Learning Goals.

p.17

COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Provision in communication, language and literacy is good .

p.17

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Adults take every opportunity to engage children in talking with them and with other children. • The teacher systematically plans for the children’s language development, basing work on their assessed needs.

p.17

Commentary

39. From the start of the school day, adults talk with children and encourage them to talk with others. The adults ask questions and seek ideas and opinions, and as the children grow in confidence they express their ideas and aspirations, though few have well-structured language. There is systematic teaching of sound/letter relationships and some of the children gain a good knowledge of the names of letters and their sounds. This supports the development of the early reading. There is a book area in the classroom, but this is not particularly attractive and few children visit it through choice. Linden Primary School - 18 40. There are many opportunities for children to write; the writing area has a good range of implements and papers. The children sometimes choose to write, for example a small group of children wrote menus in the café area. Displays, labels and notices all encourage the children to

p.17

MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in mathematical development is very good.

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Regular opportunities are provided for children to count, to explore shapes and spaces and to deal with a range of information. • The adult led activities help children to develop mathematical competence.

p.18

Commentary

41. Each day the staff provide enjoyable games, songs and activities which help the children to learn about numbers. This happens each day and the children develop good skills in reciting and recognising numbers and knowing their values. There are lots of opportunities for children to work with shapes and the staff are careful to use correct terminology when describing circles, rectangles and squares.

p.18

Commentary

42. In the adult led activities, children are encouraged to recognise numerals, to count and to begin to recognise size, bigger and smaller and weight, heavier and lighter. The games they play encourage early addition and records indicate that by the end of the year they are achieving levels which are high given their starting points.

p.18

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Provision in knowledge and understanding of the world is satisfactory.

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Staff provide good opportunities for children to develop their knowledge and skills through adult led activities and self-initiated activities. • The outdoor area has not been developed to support this area of learning.

p.18

Commentary

43. The staff encourage all the children to work with the computer, often supported by an adult, and they develop good mouse control skills for their age. They clearly understand this aspect of control and they can manipulate simple programs, for example to create drawings. The staff take children to see wildlife and the environment and they develop an early knowledge of the local area. There are resources to encourage the children to build and create models using construction material and there are examples of children using these well. The outdoor environment is not large enough and it has not been possible to develop areas where plants can grow or children can explore natural areas. In part this is because the accommodation is new and the adults have not yet organised it to best advantage.

p.18

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in physical development is very good.

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

Linden Primary School - 19 • The staff provide very well for the development of children’s whole body movements. • The classroom is equipped to support the development of children’s physical control of small equipment.

p.19

Commentary

44. Physical education lessons are of very good quality. The children follow instructions well and learn about the effect of exercise on their bodies. The adult led activities encourage children to control whole body movements and they are encouraged to perform different types of movement to match the mood of music. They achieve this successfully. In the classrooms they are encouraged to write, to draw, to cut and to work with fine materials and all these activities develop the precision of their movements. They choose to use these materials in their self- directed play and their drawings and ‘writing’ show good control.

p.19

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Provision in creative development is satisfactory .

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Activities are provided to encourage children’s artistic and musical development and there is good provision for children to use language creatively. • Children do not regularly choose to paint, use drawing materials or musical instruments.

p.19

Commentary

45. The teacher has provided a range of activities which develop children’s creativity. There are paints and malleable materials regularly available and there is drawing equipment and paper. The adults help children to use the computer to create images. Role-play activities and play with dolls houses and other small activities stimulate children’s creative use of language. However, the children at this stage mostly only use the materials provided when they are guided by an adult, for example playing well with malleable materials as an adult initiated activity. For the most part, musical instruments and paints are left untouched. The assessment of children indicates that overall this is one of the weakest areas of their learning.

p.19

ENGLISH

Provision for English is unsatisfactory. There has been poor improvement in the subject since the last inspection. The weakness in writing, identified in the last report, has not been addressed prior to this term.

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Recent development of the subject is beginning to impact on raising standards, particularly in handwriting. • Standards and pupils achievement in speaking and listening are close to the national average and are higher than in other aspects of the subject. • Standards in writing are well below average and standards in reading are below average. • Guided writing is insufficiently structured in order to develop pupils’ learning in key skills. Linden Primary School - 20

p.19

Commentary

46. Standards in English are well below average by the ages of seven and eleven. Standards have remained low for the last four years. The school has done little to raise standards in writing since the last inspection. However, the recently appointed headteacher has rightly identified the need to rapidly raise standards in English and has brought in two consultants who effectively worked with the subject co-ordinators, to put into place initiatives and developments that are already beginning to impact on standards, particularly in writing. For example, the implementation of a new scheme of work that complements the National Literacy Strategy has improved teachers planning and has ensured skills are taught progressively.

p.20

Commentary

47. The achievement of pupils in speaking and listening is better than in other aspects of the subject. This is because teachers provide plenty of opportunity for pupils to develop their speaking skills across a number of subjects. Pupils speak confidently in front of others and are able to express their opinions and viewpoints clearly. Pupils listen attentively to others and are able to respond to questioning and follow instructions well. When pupils do not listen well it is usually due to teaching that does not manage, motivate or interest pupils sufficiently.

p.20

Commentary

48. Standards in reading are below average by the age of seven and eleven. Reading skills are taught effectively through well-structured guided reading sessions, and by the age of seven pupils have acquired many reading strategies and by the age of eleven most pupils read fluently. However, pupils do not achieve as well as they might because they are restricted by limited resources which they do not find interesting and teachers do not sufficiently promote a love of books. Standards are also restricted for the higher attaining pupils because they do not experience sufficiently challenging texts. The school library is not used effectively and most pupils’ research skills are poor. However, the school has recently recognised the need to develop and increase its book collections and has already begun to develop the school library.

p.20

Commentary

49. Pupils’ achievement in writing is unsatisfactory and standards are well below average across the school. By the age of seven pupils can write simple sentences but their spelling and use of basic punctuation is poor and their handwriting is not well formed for their age. In years 1 and 2 there is an over reliance on worksheets that require short phrases or one word answers and this provides pupils with insufficient opportunity to construct and write their own responses to develop their skills. By the age of eleven pupils do not reach the standards they are capable of and very few pupils attain the higher level 5 in the national tests. Pupils do not use a range of punctuation securely, and their spelling is poor. Because of the school’s recent drive to raise standards in writing, standards in handwriting are improving across the school.

p.20

Commentary

50. The quality of teaching and learning seen this term is satisfactory overall but one poor lesson was observed in the juniors. Teachers’ curriculum planning is sound and teachers implement and structure literacy lessons successfully. However, not all teachers structure guided writing sufficiently well in order to develop pupils’ learning.

p.20

Commentary

51. Pupils with special educational needs achieve better than other groups of pupils because they are well supported by support staff in lessons and teachers plan work appropriately to match their individual needs.

p.20

Commentary

52. The leadership and management of English are now satisfactory but have clearly been poor previously as evidenced by the lack of improvement. The co-ordinators have been strongly supported by the work of two external consultants. The strengths and weaknesses in the subject have now been evaluated and the co-ordinators, supported strongly by the headteacher, have devised an appropriate plan of action for development, and assessments are beginning to be used effectively to track pupils’ progress. Developments in the subject are very recent.

p.20

Language and literacy across the curriculum

Linden Primary School - 21 53. There are some good links with other subjects to develop pupils’ literacy skills, particularly in history and design and technology. For example, in history, year 4 pupils were asked to write with empathy concerning the life of a Roman soldier, and in design and technology pupils write about how to construct various models and structures that they make. However, there is a need to provide more of these opportunities.

p.21

Language and literacy across the curriculum

54. Good use is made of ICT to produce a school newspaper and develop writing. However, the use of ICT overall to support learning in the subject is insufficient.

p.21

MATHEMATICS

Provision for mathematics is unsatisfactory .

p.21

MATHEMATICS

• Pupils’ achievement overall is unsatisfactory. • Teachers’ subject knowledge is weak and lesson planning and assessment are not effective. • ICT does not support mathematics teaching sufficiently and mathematics does not feature strongly enough in other subjects. • Leadership and management have failed to implement a successful strategy for teaching numeracy since the last inspection.

p.21

MATHEMATICS

55. Standards are below average in year 2 and well below average through years 3 to 6. Pupils do not make sufficient progress because teachers are not confident in the subject and do not plan work adequately to meet the range of needs. In years 1 and 2 the higher attaining pupils are not sufficiently challenged. Lower attaining pupils receive some well-matched work and generally achieve satisfactorily. In the main, the higher attaining pupils start year 3 with average standards but don’t make enough progress. Pupils of average ability are unsure about working with numbers and their understanding of strategies to help them tackle larger numbers is poor. Lower attaining pupils make variable progress but too many lack confidence in simple operations by the time they leave school. Some aspects of maths are not taught in sufficient depth for all pupils and this limits their attainment. This includes problem solving, shape and data handling.

p.21

MATHEMATICS

56. Teaching is unsatisfactory overall. Teaching is satisfactory in years 1 and 2; although expectations are not high enough for some pupils. The teachers are not yet making sufficient use of assessment information to set challenging activities for all pupils. In years 3 to 6 teaching is variable, but overall not enough of it enables pupils to make the progress expected. However, one very good lesson with older pupils enabled them to make good gains in learning. The teaching was brisk, carefully focused and the teacher was very confident about what pupils needed to learn and this resulted in the pupils applying themselves well and working hard. The work was carefully structured so that all pupils were working at the appropriate level.

p.21

MATHEMATICS

57. Mostly though, lesson planning and the use of assessment information are unsatisfactory and this results in low expectations and a lack of match to pupils’ needs. The mental mathematics activities do not provide enough opportunities for pupils to develop a strong foundation of mental skills. The pace is often too slow and does not demand enough of pupils’ thinking skills. During the main teaching activity there is often a lack of challenging questions that would develop pupils’ knowledge of number. Many teachers have insufficient subject knowledge and cannot draw out the thinking of lower attaining pupils or extend the more able. Consequently some pupils are indifferent to their work rather than finding it stimulating. This shows in the untidy and careless presentation of work and the reluctance by some pupils to contribute to lessons. The main part of the lesson is generally well managed. Pupils usually work well together; for

p.21

MATHEMATICS

example, year 2 pupils settled quickly to the task of calculating the value of coins in the purse and pupils in year 3 worked well together to find shapes with similar characteristics.

p.21

MATHEMATICS

58. Leadership and management are both unsatisfactory. The school has failed to tackle the concerns raised in the previous inspection. There is no coherent whole school approach to raising standards or tackling the weaknesses in teaching. Whilst there has been substantial in- Linden Primary School - 22 service training this has not been followed through with effective monitoring of teaching and learning and some teachers’ expertise remains unsatisfactory. The co-ordinator has analysed the school’s results and introduced focuses for the school, such as problem solving. The frequent movement of staff between year groups has undermined the impact of some of this training. Lessons organised to ‘boost’ learning for pupils in their final year have not been regular enough to ensure consolidation of strategies to solve number problems. The assessment strategies, whilst in place, are not regularly completed and information is not adequately co-

p.21

MATHEMATICS

ordinated to ensure that realistic targets for individual pupils are set.

p.22

Mathematics across the curriculum

59. The use of mathematics in other subjects is unsatisfactory. There is potential for pupils to practise and consolidate their mathematical skills far more in other subjects. The use of ICT to support pupils’ learning in mathematics is improving with some useful experiences gained through working with spreadsheets that also extend their numeracy skills. Opportunities are missed for pupils to refine their data handling and graph work in science, to measure accurately in DT and to explore shape and number patterns in ICT.

p.22

SCIENCE

Provision in science is unsatisfactory and this leads to unsatisfactory achievement overall.

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• In years 1 and 2 pupils undertake science regularly and their work shows satisfactory understanding of all aspects of science. • In years 3 to 6 the pupils do not learn science often enough though they do cover all aspects, and this leads to poor results at the end of year 6. • Teaching is generally satisfactory or better and teachers give pupils chances to investigate. • Leadership of science is unsatisfactory in years 3 to 6 and the school having two science co- ordinators leads to confusion and a lack of anyone with a full overview.

p.22

Commentary

60. Standards in science are too low by the end of year 6. They are well below the national average and below those found in similar schools. This is a direct result of too little science teaching and a curriculum which gives too little coverage.

p.22

Commentary

61. In the lessons seen teaching was satisfactory or better throughout the school and in some cases teaching was good. The teachers generally prepared well for their lessons and pupils engaged very well with the tasks. In one year 2 class pupils were very keen to investigate the effect of gradient on a toy car and they sensibly conducted experiments to test this. All of the pupils were involved and all learnt that the gradient made a difference. This kind of practical activity helped the children to understand the idea and they had few problems recording it.

p.22

Commentary

62. Pupils’ work and teachers’ planning indicates that there are regular science lessons and good coverage of all aspects in years 1 and 2. Teacher assessments indicate that pupils are below average at the end of year 2 but this appears to be more closely connected with their ability to write rather than their understanding of science. By contrast, in years 3 to 6 the curriculum planning is very weak. Pupils only study each aspect of science once in four years; consequently they do poorly in year 6 tests, especially in aspects of science they have not studied since year 3. This situation will be rectified in January 2005 when the headteacher introduces a restructured curriculum. Some work was seen from the previous year when the local ‘City Curriculum’ was undertaken. This work was not done well, scientific concepts such as ‘cycles’ were misrepresented and pupils learnt little. Linden Primary School - 23

p.22

Commentary

63. There are two co-ordinators for science and this is not helpful as there is little liaison. The co- ordinators have undertaken only very limited subject monitoring and in Key Stage 2, there is little awareness of the standards achieved, even though these are the subject of national tests. Little effective action has been taken to raise standards since the last inspection.

p.23

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

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

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The subject leader is effective in supporting the raising of standards which are currently satisfactory overall. • The resources and equipment support the subject well though there is a need for improved Internet access. • Staff expertise is developing and almost all of the staff show a willingness to learn and improve. • The curriculum plan and the weekly timetables hold back maximum progress.

p.23

Commentary

64. The subject leader has very good subject skills and knowledge and is able to model the use of ICT in his own class very effectively. The co-ordinator is very supportive of colleagues and even the most reticent of the teachers get help without criticism. The guidance offered has helped each year group team to teach the subject logically and pupils are making overall good progress in recent months. The computer club, which the co-ordinator organises, is attended by a large group of pupils and they are able to model ICT work for others in their class lessons.

p.23

Commentary

65. The school has good resources for ICT. New interactive whiteboards in some of the classrooms are a real bonus to teaching, and in these classrooms pupils engage well with the vibrant visual and sound inputs. In one class pupils had filmed each other in lessons and were able to use these on the interactive board to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of pupil performance. From this they all learnt how to improve their own performance. The classrooms have a good number of computers and the suite is virtually new and very useful. However, there is not yet sufficient Internet connection and the curriculum does not sufficiently focus on accessing large databases or electronic communication. Pupils have good skills in other areas and particularly in control technology.

p.23

Commentary

66. Although not all the staff are fully comfortable with ICT they mostly demonstrate a great willingness to teach using the new resources and equipment and the lessons seen were successful. They have all undergone training and their skills are developing. As a result of teaching which is consistently satisfactory or better, pupils are achieving satisfactorily and sometimes well. The weekly timetables of some classes indicate that they do not use ICT as much as other classes and the ICT units of study are not evenly spread across the year. However, this is to be adjusted shortly.

p.23

Information and communication technology across the curriculum

67. The use of ICT to support other subjects is satisfactory overall but there are some weaknesses. Generally ICT is used satisfactorily and very occasionally well to support English and mathematics where pupils can work independently to record their knowledge or ideas or join in class sessions using the whiteboard. However, overall ICT is not used sufficiently to support English across the school. In other subjects, pupils gather information, for example in history and geography, but this tends to happen more in some classes than others and depends on the teacher’s level of skill and interest rather than being a part of the pupils’ entitlement. As the co- ordinator has little opportunity to monitor the provision or standards, there has not been opportunity to develop this area sufficiently. Linden Primary School - 24

p.23

Religious Education

Provision in religious education is unsatisfactory .

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Subject guidelines are good and this effectively supports teachers’ planning in the subject. • There are some good opportunities for speaking and listening. • The achievement of pupils is unsatisfactory and standards are below average. • The breadth and balance of the subject is unsatisfactory and aspects of the subject are not studied in sufficient depth. • The leadership and management of the subject are unsatisfactory.

p.24

Commentary

68. Standards in the subject are below age related expectations of the Locally Agreed Syllabus for religious education by the ages of seven and eleven. This is because insufficient time is given to the subject and pupils do not study aspects of the subject in sufficient depth. Teachers do not sufficiently enable pupils to record and develop their knowledge and understanding through writing. However, pupils speaking and listening skills are effectively developed. For example, in year 6, pupils successfully debate issues, such as, ‘is it admirable or unrealistic to expect people to follow sacred rules such as the Ten Commandments absolutely’.

p.24

Commentary

69. The quality of teaching is satisfactory. Curriculum guidance is good and this ensures all aspects of the subject, such as Christianity and other world faiths, are studied. However, the leadership and management is unsatisfactory because there is no monitoring of standards, teaching and learning or curriculum coverage to ensure the subject is studied in sufficient depth.

p.24

Commentary

70. Religious education contributes effectively to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. For example, in year 5, pupils consider what it must be like to be homeless, particularly at Christmas time.

p.24

History

71. Two lessons were observed but this was insufficient to judge overall provision. In both lessons pupils were very interested in historical studies. Pupils in year 6 were careful to balance the evidence about the reasons for the United States entering the Second World War and used a range of information sources competently. In the year 5 lesson about Tudor England pupils asked interesting questions of the teacher to reach a deeper understanding of Queen Elizabeth I ’s relationship with the King of Spain and organised a variety of photocopied materials to plot the course of the Armada. The work in pupils’ books and in classroom displays was broadly average throughout the school.

p.24

History

72. At the end of year 2 pupils have a developing sense of chronology, and they recognise distinctions between past and present. Pupils in years 3 to 6 have a sound general knowledge that is developed adequately through a variety of interesting lessons and experiences. For example, year 5 pupils have studied articles that were in general use in homes during the Tudor period. Their visit to the house of Shakespeare’s parents has given them a feel for what life might have been like. Drama has been used well in year 4 to re-enact life as a Roman soldier and this experience helped their subsequent writing to come alive. However, there is simply not enough history on the timetable for pupils to consolidate their history skills in order for them to achieve as well as they might.

p.24

History

73. There is occasional use of history to promote and extend pupils’ writing skills but this is not systematic. The scrutiny of work from years 3 to 6 shows too little creativity in the way pupils’ Linden Primary School - 25 knowledge is presented. For example, there is no evidence of pupils following their own lines of enquiry or creating their own hypotheses for research. There is not enough guidance to show teachers how they should plan for these skills. Pupils in year 6 commented that the books and resources are already chosen for them. Computers are underused as a source of information and an opportunity for pupils to develop independent research skills.

p.24

History

74. In recent years there has been a focus on providing pupils with exciting opportunities to experience historical events but there has been no evaluation of these and the co-ordinator has no clear picture of the overall effectiveness of the subject or how to lead and manage further improvement.

p.25

Geography

75. Two lessons were seen and there is insufficient evidence to make an overall judgement about provision. However, in one of the lessons seen, pupils’ learning was disrupted as a result of weakness in teaching skills. The subject was sampled through a collection of pupils’ work and in discussions with pupils and the co-ordinator. The scrutiny of pupils’ work indicates that there is some variation in the teachers’ expectations through the school. Pupils in years 1 and 2 are challenged well through their local study and their work on the Isle of Struay. A good range of materials is used to promote and encourage enquiry, such as large scale maps and regular reports from ‘Barnaby’, a bear who goes on visits and holidays with pupils.

p.25

Geography

76. Pupils in years 3 to 6 are not achieving as well as they should. Despite the intentions to cover geography through nationally recognised schemes of work twice a year, the pupils in year 6 commented on how they cannot remember when they were last taught geography. Their knowledge of rivers is adequate but they have no understanding how river systems influence settlements or contribute to the formation of land. The geography co-ordinator, who is new to the post, has shown considerable initiative in evaluating current planning and has spent time giving support to teachers on linking the development of geography skills to work in history. In the main this had led to some reasonable coverage of the teaching of mapping skills. Other strands of pupils’ geographical knowledge and skills, such as comparative skills, are woefully inadequate. The introduction of an India day and an Africa day has had a limited impact on developing

p.25

Geography

pupils’ knowledge beyond the superficial. There is no routine assessment and this further hinders teachers from planning well-matched work. Overall, unsatisfactory progress has been made since the last inspection.

p.25

Art and design

Provision for art and design is satisfactory.

p.25

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards are average. • Observational drawing is particularly well developed. • There are insufficient opportunities for pupils to develop three-dimensional work. • Leadership and management are unsatisfactory. Linden Primary School - 26

p.25

Commentary

77. The scrutiny of pupils’ art work, teachers planning and discussion with pupils and teachers show that standards have been maintained since the last inspection and remain close to age related expectations by the age of seven and eleven.

p.26

Commentary

78. The quality of teaching is satisfactory. Teachers promote observational drawing particularly well and pupils achieve well in this aspect of the subject. Teachers also effectively provide plenty of opportunities for pupils to work in the style of other artists and this contributes well to their knowledge and understanding of the subject.

p.26

Commentary

79. However, pupils do not make sufficient progress in developing their knowledge and understanding and skills of three-dimensional work, as there are limited opportunities for them to construct sculptures and work in clay. Good use is made of ICT to support learning, for example, in year 6 pupils successfully created images on the computer in the style Andy Warhol.

p.26

Commentary

80. The leadership and management of the subject are unsatisfactory. The monitoring of standards, teaching and learning in the subject is not sufficient to enable the co-ordinator to know what the strengths and weaknesses are in the subject across the school and this restricts its development. Curriculum guidelines ensure all aspects of the subject are covered but they are not sufficiently detailed to support teachers’ planning. However, the co-ordinator has developed effective links with the local community to develop pupils’ learning, such as organising art specialists and professional artists to work with the pupils, in order to produce art work to be displayed at a local hospital.

p.26

Design and technology

81. No lessons were seen and therefore it is not possible to judge the overall quality of provision. A wide range of evidence from years 1 and 2 shows that pupils’ skills in making and design are often above average. Year 1 and 2 pupils know how to plan, make and review their designs. In making toy vehicles, year 2 produced interesting and detailed pictures from initial sketches. They developed these into plans, showing a good understanding why we need plans. Their completed models were individual and full of character and of a good standard. They have not, however, evaluated their work and so are not developing an eye for improving their skills. Older pupils have made insufficient progress in the design process. Their sketches remain the main part of the design task. Some sketches of shoes, Tudor homes and Anderson shelters are less detailed than the work in year 2. No precision drawing, improved diagrams, accurate

p.26

Design and technology

measurements or disassembly of artefacts are used to ensure the pupils record and improve the design procedures and make appropriate progress as they move through the school.

p.26

Design and technology

82. Pupils’ achievements in making vary through years 3 to 6. They are unsatisfactory in years 5 and 6. The completed purses in year 3 and shoes in year 4 are of an average standard demonstrating that pupils’ craft skills reach satisfactory levels. The periscopes and Anderson shelters made by year 6 pupils are well below average. The models are poorly constructed and the finishes hastily applied. The Tudor houses, made by pupils in year 5, are individual and sturdy, but insufficient attention is paid to reviewing the process and identifying strengths and weaknesses in methods, materials and the basic design used.

p.26

Design and technology

83. The co-ordinator has worked hard to raise the profile of DT since the last inspection and the annual DT week ensures that all pupils have a good experience of making. There is a comprehensive skills checklist that would ensure skills develop evenly as pupils move through the school but this has yet to be implemented.

p.26

Main strengths and weaknesses

Linden Primary School - 27 • Teaching is satisfactory but teachers’ subject skills vary widely. • There is an effective partnership with the EAZ. • There are no whole school guidelines to ensure a consistent development of pupils’ skills in all areas of PE.

p.27

Commentary

84. It was not possible to observe the teaching of all aspects of the PE programme. The teaching varies in quality. The better lessons were characterised by energetic warm-ups followed by good demonstrations of the technical skills. As well as giving time for individual practise, the teachers sought out lower attaining pupils to provide specific coaching. In this way they gained the most from group games or the partnership work that followed the main teaching. Where lessons were weaker the warm up was interrupted unnecessarily and this limited its impact. The organisation of skills’ practise and small competitive games were too slow and pupils were not entirely clear what new skills they were rehearsing. Whilst the space for outdoor lessons is adequate not all teachers had organised this sufficiently well to allow pupils to work at tasks without interfering with others. The expectations of performance were high in one dance lesson and opportunity

p.27

Commentary

was given for pupils to evaluate their own performances and those of others. This is not always the case and too often pupils finish the lessons without a knowledge of how well they have achieved or what they need to do to get better.

p.27

Commentary

85. The partnership with EAZ has given the recently appointed co-ordinator confidence. He has been able to use the time provided by the EAZ to review the curriculum and prepare a development plan for its future improvement. The contacts with consultants have led to successful initiatives in the teaching of dance supported by the involvement of specialist teachers. In addition, the school has been able raise the profile of PE by increasing the range of sporting activities; pupils take part in hockey, cricket and tag rugby in addition to the traditional sports of football and netball. Pupils have swimming lessons from year 3 upwards although no records of standards attained were available and the impact of this provision has not been evaluated.

p.27

Commentary

86. There has been insufficient development of the subject since the last inspection. Some teachers are still uncertain of teaching all aspects of PE and consequently coverage of gymnastics and the use of apparatus are missed from pupils’ experiences as they move through the school. Older pupils commented how infrequently they had gymnastic lessons. An analysis of timetables indicates that in some classes pupils had 40 minutes of PE a week and others get 2 hours. This leads to some pupils missing aspects of PE that they enjoy and want to get better at. There is satisfactory leadership and management by the recently appointed co-ordinator. He has implemented a staff training programme following his review of teaching strengths and weaknesses. He recognises that there is not a comprehensive scheme of work covering the teaching of PE skills through the school and has set this as a development for this year.

p.27

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

87. It is not possible to judge the overall quality of provision because only one lesson was seen. PSHE is being given a renewed focus and this has already had a positive impact on the standard of behaviour. In one of the lessons observed, year 6 pupils took part in a very sensible discussion about whether there were any circumstances in which the breaking of rules could be condoned. Opinions were well argued and confidently presented.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

88. Teachers have recently had training in order to help them with circle time activities, which give pupils the opportunity to talk about personal issues, because the school rightly sees this as an effective way forward in improving pupils’ personal development. Initiatives such as the house system and golden time are being evaluated to see how well they are working. Drugs and sex and relationships education meets requirements. Linden Primary School - 28

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Inspection judgement Grade

The overall effectiveness of the school 5 How inclusive the school is 4 How the school’s effectiveness has changed since its last inspection 6 Value for money provided by the school 5

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities 4

Attendance 5 Attitudes 4 Behaviour, including the extent of exclusions 4 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 4

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The quality of education provided by the school 5

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

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The leadership and management of the school 4

The governance of the school 5 The leadership of the headteacher 2 The leadership of other key staff 5 The effectiveness of management 4 Linden Primary School - 29 Inspectors make judgements on a scale: excellent (grade 1); very good (2); good (3); satisfactory (4); unsatisfactory (5); poor (6); very poor (7).

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