Longwood Primary School

LONGWOOD PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 7 th – 9 th March 2005

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LONGWOOD PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Primary School category: Community Age range of pupils: 4 – 11 Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 138

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Allton Avenue Mile Oak Tamworth Staffordshire

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Telephone number: 01827 475030 Fax number: 01827 475030

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: Governing body Name of chair of governors: Mr A Mogg

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

This is a smaller than average primary school near Tamworth. There are 138 boys and girls aged between four and seven years at the school. Children’s attainment when they start school is well below average. All but a very few of the pupils come from white British families and all pupils speak English as their first language. About a quarter of the pupils have special educational needs, which is above the national average. Pupils’ needs mainly involve learning and speech and language difficulties. An average number of pupils have Statements of Special Educational Needs. The socio- economic indicators for the school’s area are below average and there is a high level of mobility amongst families. About a third of the pupils currently in Year 6, for example, did not start at the school. Longwood Primary School - 4

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

21227 Barbara Crane Lead inspector English Areas of learning in the Foundation Stage History Geography 14141 Ernie Marshall Lay inspector 32827 Jacqueline Marshall Team inspector Mathematics Art and design Design and technology Religious education 20404 John Evans Team inspector Science Information and communication technology Physical education Music

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

peakschoolhaus BPS Business Centre Brake Lane Boughton Nottinghamshire NG22 9HQ

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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). Longwood Primary School - 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 11

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

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS 27

Longwood Primary School - 6 Longwood Primary School - 7

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OVERALL EVALUATION

This school provides a good quality education . Pupils achieve well in their work and pupils’ personal development is good. Good teaching means that almost all pupils make good progress. The headteacher provides a good lead in promoting pupils’ achievement. Overall, leadership and management are satisfactory, but there are weaknesses in governance. The school provides good value for money.

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The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

• Children in Reception get off to a very good start in their personal development. • Pupils of all abilities achieve very well in Years 1 and 2 because of very good teaching. • Lower attaining pupils of all ages and those with special educational needs achieve very well because of precise and well-organised support. • Good leadership by the headteacher underpins the drive to improve pupils’ achievement. • Some more able pupils in Year 3 to 6 should be doing better in mathematics and writing and pupils in these years do not make full use of their skills in these areas across other subjects. • Governance is ineffectively supporting the school’s work and some statutory requirements are not met.

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The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

There has been good improvement since the previous inspection in 1999. Standards have shown a good upward trend over time because planning and teaching are better. Pupils’ spiritual development has improved. The role of the subject leaders has been extended well. Statutory requirements for child protection are now fully met.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Pupils’ achievement is good . Small numbers of pupils take the tests each year and so results vary, but performance in the tests at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 has shown a better rate of improvement, over time, than in most schools. Results in Year 6 last year were disappointing, but this was a very small number of pupils, several of whom were not at the school four years earlier. While most Reception children are not expected to reach the goals for their age in all areas of learning, their achievement is good. It is very good in their personal, social and emotional development, where most are on course to meet the goals for their age by the end of the year. Standards now are below average in Year 2 and Year 6 in reading, writing, mathematics and science. This represents very good achievement for Year 2 pupils given their very low starting point, and good achievement by Year 6 pupils. The achievement of lower attaining pupils and pupils with special educational needs,

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

throughout the school, is very good, because of very well managed support. Pupils’ achievement in Years 3 to 6 is good, and often better than this in Year 6, but some more able pupils should be doing better in writing and mathematics. Pupils of all ages achieve well in religious education. Standards in information and communication technology (ICT) are below average because recent improvements to provision of resources have not yet made an impact. Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

all schools similar schools Results in National Curriculum tests at the end of Year 6, compared with: 2002 2003 2004 2004 English E B D D Longwood Primary School - 8 Mathematics D C D D Science D B E E 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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Pupils’ personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural

development, is good. The school nurtures pupils’ personal development well. Pupils enjoy school and their behaviour is good, reflecting the staff’s high expectations of them. They have positive attitudes to their work and want to please adults. There is a strong feeling of community in which pupils feel valued and well supported; they want to help each other and willingly take on responsibilities. Attendance is satisfactory and has improved greatly over recent years.

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Pupils’ personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural

The school provides a good quality education. Teaching and learning are good. All teaching gives warm encouragement to pupils so that they want to learn. There is very good support for lower attaining pupils and those with special educational needs, throughout the school. Teaching assistants play a vital part in this and have a very clear grasp of what to do and so form a very effective part of the team. Teaching is very good in Years 1 and 2, because assessments of what pupils of all abilities need to do to succeed are used very well to adapt work. There is a very good level of challenge for the more able pupils. Teaching is good in Reception and establishes a very firm foundation for children’s attitudes to learning. Teaching in Years 3 to 6 is good and there is often very good teaching in Year 6 that gives pupils an extra boost. However, there are times when more able pupils do not get the level of challenge required to make the best possible progress in writing and

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Pupils’ personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural

mathematics. There is a satisfactory curriculum, with a good range of activities outside normal lessons that broadens pupils’ experience, notably in sport and music. Opportunities are missed, however, to enable Year 3 to 6 pupils to use and extend their skills in writing and mathematics in other subjects. The school takes good day-to-day care of its pupils and gives them good advice and support. The lack of a comprehensive policy for health and safety, however, is a significant weakness. The school’s good partnership with parents, other schools and the community reflects effective work on the part of all staff and there is a warm welcome given to children when they start school.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management are satisfactory, overall. The headteacher provides good leadership in setting out the school’s direction for raising standards and improving teaching and pupils’ achievement as well as promoting their personal development. Key staff provide good support and know what needs to be worked on next. These factors have led to good improvement since the previous inspection. There is, however, a barrier to the full effectiveness of management because the governance of the school is unsatisfactory. While governors are fully involved in drawing up the school’s priorities, the way in which these are set out in the school’s planning for improvement does not allow them to see clearly enough where priorities lie. They rely heavily on the staff for information and do not sufficiently check for themselves whether targets are being met. All statutory requirements are not met, because there is no policy to guide the provision for health and safety

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Longwood Primary School - 9 Parents are happy with the school and with what it provides for their children. They appreciate the approachability of staff and how children are helped to settle when they start school and the information about how they can help at children to learn at home and school. Pupils hold good views of the school and feel listened to and well supported. They are particularly appreciative of the staff’s hard work in providing a good range of extra-curricular activities for them.

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

• Improve the achievement of more able pupils in Years 3 to 6 in writing and mathematics and the extent to which all pupils in these years use their writing and mathematical skills in other subjects. • Improve the quality of governance and ensure that statutory requirements for providing a policy for health and safety are met. Longwood Primary School - 10

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Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

Pupils’ achievement is good, overall, even though standards are below average by the age of seven and eleven. Within this picture, however, there is some variation of achievement by different groups of pupils.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Very good achievement in key aspects of personal, social and emotional development prepares Reception children very well for the National Curriculum. • The needs of lower attaining pupils and those with special educational needs are identified accurately and supported very well. • Pupils in all ability groups in Years 1 and 2 achieve very well. • While pupils in Years 3 to 6 make good progress, overall there are times when more able pupils should be doing better in writing and mathematics.

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Commentary

1. The school’s performance in the tests and assessments for seven and eleven year olds has improved at a faster rate than in most schools over recent years. This positive picture is also reflected in the school’s performance compared to schools in similar circumstances. There was a dip in standards in Year 6 in 2004, but this was a small year group and a third of the pupils joined the school at a later point than usual, mainly after Year 4. Even though standards now in Year 2 and Year 6 are below average, this reflects good achievement for these groups of pupils, who started with a low baseline of attainment. The school has worked successfully to close the gap between boys’ and girls’ attainment and boys are now doing as well as girls.

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Commentary

2. Reception children’s achievement in the personal, social and emotional area of learning is very good. Their skills in this area form a solid foundation for good work habits and the desire to learn that are evident in later years. Combined with their good achievement in literacy and numeracy, children are well prepared for their future learning.

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Commentary

3. Lower attaining pupils and those with special educational needs, throughout the school, achieve very well. Close identification of these pupils’ needs and well-planned support for these groups result in overall very good progress by these pupils in all year groups. Pupils’ achievement, for all abilities, in Years 1 and 2 is very good. This is because teaching is carefully adapted to meet the full range of pupils’ needs. More able pupils are challenged very effectively.

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Commentary

4. The achievement by pupils in Years 3 to 6 is good, and often speeds up further in Year 6. Achievement by more able pupils is at least satisfactory in all year groups, and often better than this. There are times, however, when pupils in Years 3 to 5 should be doing even better in writing and in Years 3 to 6 in mathematics. These pupils’ progress sometimes falters because they go through the same processes or stages of consolidation in learning that are necessary for other groups, instead of forging ahead.

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Commentary

5. Pupils’ achievement in religious education is good and they attain standards that are broadly in line with the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus. In ICT, pupils’ achievement is satisfactory over time and has accelerated in the past six months Longwood Primary School - 11 because of good improvements in provision. As yet, standards are below average as it is too early to see the impact of the new initiatives. Longwood Primary School - 12 Standards in national tests at the end of Year 2 – average point scores in 2004

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Commentary

Standards in: School results National results Reading 15.6 (16.6) 15.8 (15.7)

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Commentary

There were 25 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 26.1 (27.8) 26.9 (26.8) Mathematics 26.1 (26.8) 27.0 (26.8) Science 27.0 (29.4) 28.6 (28.6) There were 13 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

Pupils’ personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is good. Pupils behave well and their attitudes to learning are good. Attendance and punctuality are satisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils show enjoyment in learning and strive to do well. • They are well behaved, thoughtful and considerate and support each other well. • The provision for pupils’ spiritual development has improved. • Attendance has improved markedly over recent years.

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Commentary

6. There has been good improvement since the previous inspection because of the commitment by the school’s leadership and management to provide a consistent emphasis on helping pupils to develop as well-rounded individuals. Pupils clearly enjoy school and value the richness of opportunities it gives them. This results from the good quality of teaching in which teachers use their knowledge of pupils effectively to engage them and provide pleasure and challenge in learning. In lessons, pupils work hard and are keen to improve. Most listen carefully and do their best to follow instructions accurately. Pupils of all abilities show interest in lessons and respond to the teachers’ questions promptly and politely. With very few exceptions, pupils behave well in lessons and about the school. There were three fixed term exclusions last year for unacceptable behaviour but none since. Behaviour in the playground is good and

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Commentary

pupils of all ages get on amicably and constructively. Many older pupils assume responsibility for day-to-day tasks, carrying them out with pride and clear concern for quality.

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Commentary

7. Pupils’ commitment to others and to the school as a community is strong. Relationships at all levels are good. This reflects the school’s warm, positive ethos in which teachers and teaching assistants provide strong examples of teamwork and mutual support. Newcomers receive a warm welcome. The deputy head plays an important role in promoting pupils’ personal development throughout the school. He is Longwood Primary School - 13 regarded with great respect by Year 6 pupils, who recognise and appreciate his work in providing good advice and help with problems and also in organising extra activities outside the school day. In conversation, pupils are generous in the support they give to each other and swift to acknowledge and build on each other’s suggestions. A striking example of pupils’ care for one another is seen in older pupils’ support of the youngest pupils. This paired activity gives the youngest pupils a sense of security about the

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Commentary

school, gives the older junior pupils real responsibility and binds the school as a community. In group tasks, for example in science and ICT, pupils co-operate well, sharing responsibilities and taking turns considerately.

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Commentary

8. The school’s provision for promoting pupils’ spiritual development has improved since the previous inspection and is now good. Well-planned lessons dealing with personal and social issues, for instance peer pressure, help pupils to understand their own feelings and those of others. Discussions in class are supported by good incidental opportunities for pupils to gain in self-knowledge, for example through taking responsibility and helping other pupils. Assemblies provide opportunities for pupils to reflect quietly on personal issues and beliefs. Participation as performer or audience in dance and musical events enriches the experience of many pupils and increases their self-knowledge.

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Commentary

9. Pupils’ understanding of their own and other cultures is good. Pupils take part in musical and dance festivals in the locality. They increase their knowledge of a range of cultures through the study of different faiths in religious education and through work in art and design and music. In some cases, these draw valuably on the expertise of visitors to the school, such as artists in residence. Reception children gained first hand experience of Indian dress and food during the inspection through the visit of a parent.

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Attendance

Attendance is satisfactory and shows a very good trend in improvement over recent years. The school rewards good attendance and pupils are keen to gain recognition of their efforts to attend regularly. There is a slightly higher rate of unauthorised absence than in most schools, due mainly to the number of holidays that are taken during term time. Punctuality is satisfactory.

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Attendance

Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

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Attendance

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data 4.8 School data 0.5 National data 5.4 National data 0.4 The table gives the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.

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Attendance

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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Attendance

Categories used in the Annual School Census No of pupils on roll Number of fixed period exclusions Number of permanent exclusions White – British 136 3 0 Mixed – White and Black Caribbean 2 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

Longwood Primary School - 14 The quality of education provided is good. There is a satisfactory curriculum that is extended through a good range of extra activities and visits. Teaching and learning are good, overall, with significant strengths for some groups of pupils. The school takes good day-to-day care of pupils but does not meet all of its obligations in terms of a framework for health and safety procedures. There are good links with parents, other schools and the community.

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Teaching and learning

Teaching and learning are good, overall, with very good teaching in Years 1 and 2 and for lower attaining pupils and those with special educational needs throughout the school. Assessment is satisfactory overall, but is much better than this in Years 1 and 2. Longwood Primary School - 15

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching assistants know exactly how to support lower attaining pupils and those with special educational needs. • Teaching in Years 1 and 2 uses assessments very precisely to match work to pupils’ different abilities. • Teaching supports Reception children’s personal, social and emotional development very well. • There is sometimes a lack of challenge for more able pupils in writing and mathematics in Years 3 to 6.

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Commentary

10. Teaching and learning are good and have improved well since the previous inspection and that which is of high quality is spread through all stages, whereas it was previously concentrated in one part of the school. These improvements have resulted from management focusing on the right things to develop in teaching. The professional development of staff has been well planned in areas such as literacy, numeracy, raising boys’ achievement and training for teaching assistants. Certain strengths are common to all areas of the school: teachers have a good grasp of their subjects and the national strategies for teaching literacy and numeracy; teaching in all years gives warm encouragement to pupils; and there is very good use of teaching assistants to support pupils’ learning.

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Commentary

11. Teaching has benefited from the work undertaken in extending systems for assessing pupils’ progress. These are much better than they were previously and have resulted from the good focus placed by management on creating useful and efficient systems to track pupils’ progress. Pupils with special educational needs, as well as lower attaining pupils, benefit from very good teaching that makes full use of assessment to pinpoint exactly what needs to be worked on next. Teaching assistants are very well briefed about the pupils’ skills that need further developing and how to go about this effectively.

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Commentary

12. Teaching for Reception children is good, and is very good in the area of personal, social and emotional development. The calm, consistent approach by adults, combined with high expectations of behaviour, leads to children responding very well. The very good emphasis placed in teaching on sharing, helping each other and taking turns pays dividends in creating good relationships and an atmosphere in which children work happily.

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Commentary

13. Teaching is very good in Years 1 and 2. The information gained from assessments is also very well used in Years 1 and 2 to meet the needs of pupils of different abilities. More able pupils are quickly identified and challenged consistently well. There is a very good level of evaluation of what pupils have learned in lessons and work is adapted quickly to meet individual needs.

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Commentary

14. In Years 3 to 6, teaching is good, and is often very good in Year 6, but the precision with which the needs of more able pupils are met is not quite as strong as in the younger years. There are times when the momentum of learning for more able pupils diminishes, as they go through processes in mathematics and in writing that are entirely appropriate for other ability groups, but that they do not need to experience. While more able pupils’ progress is never less than satisfactory, it should sometimes be more rapid.

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Commentary

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 23 lessons Longwood Primary School - 16 Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very poor

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Commentary

The table gives the number of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

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The curriculum

The quality and range of learning opportunities are satisfactory overall. Opportunities for enhancement of the curriculum are good. The school’s accommodation and resources are satisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The provision for pupils with special educational needs is very good. • Pupils’ personal and social education is very well promoted. • Teachers provide too few opportunities for some pupils to practise using writing and mathematics in other subjects. • A good range of additional activities enhances the curriculum. • Planning for pupils to use ICT across the curriculum is good.

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Commentary

15. At the time of the previous inspection, teachers’ subject planning did not show clearly enough how pupils were to improve in their learning through the activities planned in each year group. There has been good improvement, and weaknesses have been remedied effectively because of effective management. The curriculum is now well planned and schemes of work are informative and detailed. These give teachers good guidance for their planning. The curriculum successfully underpins pupils’ good overall achievement and the upward trend in standards in English, mathematics and science since 2001.

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Commentary

16. Teachers and support staff provide very well for pupils’ personal and social education. The ethos of the school is inclusive and supportive, reflecting a strong, shared commitment to pupils’ well-being and success in learning. This is mirrored in pupils’ good attitudes to learning and the good quality of relationships at all levels. Lessons relating to personal and social development are well planned and relevant to pupils’ needs. There are very good opportunities for pupils to experience responsibility and contribute to the life of the school as a community. A successful instance of this is the organised support that junior pupils give to the youngest pupils, a task that pupils of all abilities carry out with devotion and sensitivity.

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Commentary

17. The very good provision for pupils with special educational needs enables these pupils to achieve very well. This results primarily from the very good quality of support that teaching assistants provide in lessons and from very effective, well-planned group work that responds to pupils’ needs and challenges them at the right level. Teachers and teaching assistants manage pupils with special educational needs thoughtfully and very well. They are purposeful in their questioning and quick to praise pupils and acknowledge their successes. This builds pupils’ confidence and helps them to learn successfully.

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Commentary

18. Good cross-curricular links are built into other subjects so that pupils in Years 1 and 2 use their skills in literacy and numeracy in relevant situations. However, in Years 3 to 6, links to English and mathematics are underdeveloped and there are too few opportunities for pupils to practise using the skills of these subjects across the Longwood Primary School - 17 curriculum. For example, in science, there are too few opportunities for pupils to practise writing when planning or reporting their investigations or to draw on mathematical knowledge when presenting and interpreting their findings. As a result, pupils do not learn to apply these skills as well as they should. Planning for pupils to use ICT in relevant situations across the curriculum is good and is represented consistently across the school, enabling pupils to gain a good understanding of the applications of ICT in everyday situations.

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Commentary

19. A good range of additional activities enhances provision, particularly in physical education and music. Relevant and enjoyable after-school activities, including individual and team sports and dance, are well attended by the older pupils, who say that they very much enjoy taking part. Local events provide good opportunities for pupils to gain experience of competition and musical performance. There is good provision for pupils to learn stringed and wind instruments and the school is resolute in ensuring that all pupils have equal opportunity to access it. Effective use is made of specialist teaching, notably in instrumental tuition and dance. Residential visits enable many older pupils to gain experience of a wider range of outdoor activities, including canoeing and orienteering. Taken together, these activities broaden and add depth to pupils’ learning and contribute valuably to their personal and social development.

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Commentary

20. The school’s accommodation enables the full curriculum to be taught and the creation of a small computer suite has been a positive move, even though the space does not usually enable more than half a class to benefit from the direct teaching of skills. The Reception children have no dedicated area that is equipped to enable them to play imaginatively outdoors. The school does its best to overcome both of these shortcomings.

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Care, guidance and support

While the school takes good care of its pupils on a day-to-day basis, its procedures for ensuring that it has robust provision for health and safety are unsatisfactory. It provides good support, advice and guidance for pupils and involves them well in its work and development.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• While there is good day-to-day care of pupils, statutory requirements regarding an up-to-date policy for health and safety are not met. • Carefully planned induction into the Reception class helps children to settle in quickly and to make early progress • Good relationships between pupils and adults in school give pupils confidence to approach an adult for guidance when worried or concerned.

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Commentary

21. This is a caring school where staff know their pupils well and make them feel valued and secure. However, the school does not meet statutory requirements in ensuring that its procedures for health and safety are fully in place. There is no policy to ensure that arrangements for health and safety are reviewed and dealt with. Child protection measures, including Internet safety, are secure.

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Commentary

22. The school has good procedures for induction into the Reception class and good liaison with the on-site pre-school facility. All parents of children in the Reception class are invited to attend a series of sessions that help them to get involved with children’s Longwood Primary School - 18 learning at home and at school. Most parents take advantage of these opportunities. Regular contact between Reception staff and the pre-school group, including arrangements for joint play and story time sessions, ensures the new children on roll can quickly gain trust and confidence and begin to make good early progress.

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Commentary

23. These good standards of mutual respect continue through the age groups and ensure that pupils are able to approach an adult for help or advice if they are worried or concerned. Pupils know that they will be listened to and help will be given. Pupils with special educational needs are particularly well supported. As the staff know pupils as individuals with specific needs, they are able to offer relevant support and advice.

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Commentary

24. The school chooses to rely on this personalised procedure for obtaining pupils’ views and opinions rather than through regular formal questionnaires or a school council. The more formal approach has been successfully used for specific issues such as pupils’ views on the qualities needed to make a good teacher and the choice and layout of outdoor seating and decoration, and house captains have sought pupils’ views effectively. Pupils express clear satisfaction with the school’s chosen methods and they feel able to have an influence in the work and routines of the school.

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Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

The school has a good partnership with parents, and good links with other schools and its community.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The partnership with parents makes a good contribution to pupils’ learning at home and at school. • Good use of the local community enhances the curriculum and provides a stimulus to pupils’ learning. • Good links with other schools are used well to support staff development and pupils’ learning. • There are a few minor omissions from the governors’ annual report to parents.

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Commentary

25. The school’s management has worked hard to encourage parents to take a greater role in supporting their children’s learning both at home and at school and has provided a range of adult educational workshops and courses to enable parents to improve their skills and gain confidence in supporting their children’s learning. The family learning courses have been particularly well appreciated and are attended by nearly all parents of Reception children. The Parents’ and Teachers’ Association has been re- established and now has a good number of enthusiastic parent members. A further good number of parents come regularly into school to help in class and provide practical demonstrations of skills. Parents are given good information each term on what will be taught and an indication of the levels of study pupils are expected to reach. Parents are invited to use their children’s homework and reading diaries to

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Commentary

26. The school encourages community use of the premises and two local residents’ groups hold regular meetings in school. The local authority uses the premises for project work and summer play schemes. The school provides use of its spacious playing fields for local schools and the popular primary school group football tournaments. Community members visiting the school to talk to the pupils include local vicars, the school nurse Longwood Primary School - 19 and railway police personnel. The school has successfully obtained sponsorship from local businesses for sports kit and equipment.

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Commentary

27. The school has effective links with other schools and colleges. It is a member of the local cluster group of schools and there is joint training, discussion of common problems and the sharing of best practice initiatives. Senior staff, including the special needs co-ordinator, subject leaders and literacy and numeracy co-ordinators, meet and share development opportunities. Smooth transfer of the Year 6 leavers into secondary education is significantly helped by the strong links within the district schools.

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Commentary

28. Links with the local college are used to provide additional classroom support from students on vocational and child care courses when they attend the school on practical work experience placements. Similar placements are provided for student teachers from two area universities and for selected secondary school pupils. The school makes good use of the additional support to improve classroom learning and to give pupils a broader range of contact with adults.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management are satisfactory overall. The leadership by the headteacher and other key staff is good. Management of the school is satisfactory. Governance is unsatisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Good leadership by the headteacher has sustained a rising trend in standards. • Leadership and management of English and special educational needs are very effective in raising pupils’ achievements. • Systems for tracking pupils’ progress ensure less able pupils and those with special educational needs do very well. • The governing body does not have a clear enough overview of the school’s priorities and does not fulfil some of its statutory duties.

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Commentary

29. The headteacher’s good leadership has ensured that the school has raised standards in recent years. This has been achieved through the promotion of pupils’ personal development as well as a commitment to supporting the less able and those with special educational needs, key elements of the headteacher’s vision for the school.

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Commentary

30. Leadership by other key staff is good. The very good leadership and management by the English co-ordinator and the special educational needs co-ordinator have a notable impact on pupils’ learning because they have clear priorities for how to improve provision in these areas and check regularly to ensure this is happening. Training for teaching assistants has been very effective in supporting pupils’ progress. The deputy headteacher sets a very good example both in his teaching and through establishing very good relationships with pupils and parents. The school is seeking to develop his role further in checking and supporting teaching and as part of the school’s involvement in the Primary Leadership Programme.

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Commentary

31. Management is satisfactory. It has been particularly successful in establishing systems by which pupils’ progress over time can be tracked and includes pupils who join the school at later than usual points. The information gained has been very well used to pinpoint groups of lower attaining pupils who need an extra boost in their learning, and additional support is very well organised. The extent to which information has been Longwood Primary School - 20 used to do the same for more able pupils has been less effective, particularly in writing and mathematics.

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Commentary

32. All staff and governors are involved in the process of school development planning. The format of the school’s planning for improvement, however, is complex and contains a great many things to work on that are not put into an order of priority. While key staff and teachers are clear about the school’s priorities because of the good level of frequent communication that takes place through staff meetings, others have a more restricted understanding of where the school’s priorities lie. While governors are actively involved in some aspects of the school, and are keen to support and help, the lack of clarity with which the school development planning is set out does not enable them to get a firm grasp of the school’s priorities or understand its strengths and weaknesses.

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Commentary

33. The school uses its money wisely to promote pupils’ achievement. The finance committee of the governing body plays an active part in the school’s financial management. The school has continued to fund a relatively high number of teaching assistants and their impact can be seen in the very good progress made, by pupils with special educational needs in particular. Another, recent major investment has been in resources for teaching and learning in ICT. This was carefully considered by governors and the best option, in the light of restrictions placed by the accommodation, was arrived at after weighing up alternatives. The purchase of interactive whiteboards, which were seen being used effectively during the inspection, was agreed as a strategy to improve pupils’ access to ICT in classrooms, as well as an aid for teachers.

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Commentary

34. There is a hindrance, however, to the full effectiveness of the overall management of the school due to weaknesses in governance. Governors rely too much on staff for information about the school’s progress and they are not in a good position to ask the right questions about how well it is progressing towards its targets. Systems are not yet in place to allow governors to regularly check how well the school is doing. The governing body does not ensure that statutory requirements are met through establishing a robust policy for health and safety.

p.20

Financial information

Financial information for the year April 2003 to March 2004

p.20

Financial information

Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 416006 Balance from previous year 4951 Total expenditure 416136 Balance carried forward to the next 4821 Expenditure per pupil 2666

p.20

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

35. Children in the Reception class get a good start to their education. Provision is good for these children, and has improved since the last inspection. This is due to good leadership and management that have ensured that children get a good balance of Longwood Primary School - 21 activities that successfully build basic skills in literacy and numeracy and in developing good work habits and a desire to do well. The good team comprises a teacher and teaching assistant, both of whom have consistent expectations of the children. Assessments are woven into the everyday work pattern of the classroom and are well used to adapt work for children of different abilities. Children with special educational needs make very good progress because of sensitive and effective support.

p.20

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

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

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Adults make time to talk to children about their feelings. • High expectations of behaviour are rewarded by children’s very positive response. • Relationships are warm and children feel well supported.

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Commentary

36. The relationships between adults and children are very good and promote a strong atmosphere of trust and security in which children flourish. Teaching and learning are very good and so is children’s achievement. Most children are on course to meet the expectations for their age by the end of the Reception year and about half are on track to go beyond these. Children trust adults because help is always forthcoming when necessary and adults listen to what children have to say. As a result, children approach adults readily and share their ideas and concerns. Children behave very well because of clear and consistent expectations from adults. They settle quickly to work and tackle it cheerfully, in an orderly atmosphere that is conducive to learning. Children follow adults’ good model in politeness and concern for others. At the signal to tidy the classroom, everyone joins in purposefully and children are quick to help each other.

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Commentary

Teaching is careful to include boys effectively through an approach that is lively, practical and multi-sensory. As a result, boys do as well as girls.

p.21

COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Provision for communication, language and literacy is good .

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children’s listening is promoted very well. • Children’s enjoyment of reading is fostered effectively and more able children get a good level of challenge in writing. • A few opportunities are missed to fully promote children’s speaking.

p.21

Commentary

37. Most children are not likely to reach the goals for their age by the time they leave the Reception year. Nevertheless, children achieve well, from a low starting point. This is because teaching and learning are good and promote children’s good progress. Assessments are well used to group children so that work can be adapted for different abilities. Children listen well to adults and to each other because the principle of taking turns to speak and listen is well established. This is evident at the start of lessons, when children gather on the carpet, and means that they answer the teacher’s questions sensibly. Children’s speaking progresses well, often from a very low starting Longwood Primary School - 22 point, but for many remains below expectations for their age. The sounds of letters are learned thoroughly and more able children recognise familiar words. The ‘storytelling chair’ is a popular choice and children know that when a classmate chooses to sit in it

p.21

Commentary

they are signalling that they want to share a story book with others. The more able children are challenged well in writing, as in one session where they were creating sentences to put into speech bubbles for characters from a familiar story. Teaching provides a good model for children to follow in using an exciting vocabulary but, although on most occasions children are encouraged to talk, there are a few times when adults talk too much and children do not get the same opportunities to speak and use the words they have learned.

p.22

MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision for mathematical development is good .

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• There is good teaching of mathematical vocabulary. • Practical activities are used well to interest children in solving problems. • The key words for topics are not always displayed so that children can learn to recognise them.

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Commentary

38. Children’s achievement is good, even though most are not likely to reach the expectations for their age by the end of Reception. Teaching is good and children learn at a good rate. Children learn the correct mathematical vocabulary through good, direct teaching and through adults’ encouragement to use the correct terms in answers to questions. In an introductory session, the teacher promoted children’s understanding of comparative terms very well using a number line. Staff find interesting ways of teaching so that children can learn by doing. This was seen in a session on shape, where children took turns to describe the properties of shapes that were hidden from view to see if classmates could guess what they were. This led children to guess, on one occasion, that a rectangle is ‘has four sides and is stretched more than a square.’ There are times when the important words for mathematics are not displayed, as in

p.22

Commentary

this session on shape, and so children’s opportunities to learn to read these are restricted.

p.22

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Provision for knowledge and understanding of the world is good .

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• There are plenty of interesting activities that are directed by adults but few displays through which children can explore objects or things working. • Good use is made of the locality to stimulate children’s interest. • Visitors enhance children’s experience well.

p.22

Commentary

39. Teaching and learning are good, and so is children’s achievement. Most, however, are unlikely to meet the expectations for their age by the end of the Reception year. This is because children’s ability to ask pertinent questions is limited by their lack of language. Longwood Primary School - 23 The school’s locality is well used to promote children’s understanding of place and of how symbols give information. Children talk, for example, about what signs mean in the photographs taken during a walk around the local area. During one session, a parent visited to help children understand about how people wear different types of clothing and eat different food. The children were intrigued by the rich fabric of Indian saris and enjoyed dressing in them. Later, children tasted a range of Indian food prepared by the visitor. These practical experiences broaden children’s understanding of the wider world, but there are few interactive displays in the classroom to rouse their

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Commentary

curiosity and entice children to explore for themselves.

p.23

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision for physical development is satisfactory .

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

• There is very good support for developing children’s skills in dance. • There is no dedicated outdoor play area for the children. • Children get good coaching from adults in honing finer manipulative skills.

p.23

Commentary

40. Teaching and learning are good and children achieve well. Most children are set to reach the goals for their age by the time they leave the Reception year, in spite of the limited facilities for outdoor play. The staff do the best they can to enhance children’s physical awareness and control by making use of the school’s playground for outdoor play and through lessons in the school hall. Nevertheless, opportunities to explore space imaginatively outdoors are restricted because of the lack of facilities. Children’s learning has been greatly enhanced by the support given by a professional dancer, working with children over an extended period to create dances based on fairy stories learned in literacy. In the session seen, the children moved rhythmically and expressively to music, recreating the story of the Elves and the Shoemaker . They followed demonstrations well, and incorporated movements in time to the music. In the

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Commentary

classroom, adults watch carefully to see that children hold tools correctly and help them to use them efficiently when cutting, pasting or painting. This means that children develop a good level of control.

p.23

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Provision for creative development is good .

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

• There are good opportunities to act out parts in special areas set up with props to stimulate play. • Children have a good level of choice over how to create designs using different materials, but lack the same choice over scale.

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Commentary

41. Most children are not on course to reach the goals set for their age by the time they leave the Reception year. However, teaching and learning are good and so is children’s achievement. The full range of creative activities, including music, is planned. Children enjoy playing in the ‘clothes hire’ shop, where they can take on Longwood Primary School - 24 various roles such as firefighters or police. Children acting as shopkeepers use a swipe card to take the payment from customers for hired items. Children’s language in these play situations is often very limited, however. Children paint and model using a good range of materials and have choice over how to organise compositions and resources used. The scale of the children’s work is sometimes dictated by adults, however, so that finished work can fit in with displays, and sometimes templates restrict children’s creativity. Longwood Primary School - 25

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Very good leadership and management of the subject have underpinned good improvement. • Lower attaining pupils and those with special educational needs achieve very well because of well-planned support. • Pupils of all abilities in Years 2 and 6 make rapid progress because of very good teaching. • More able pupils should sometimes be doing better in Years 3 to 5 in writing. • Teaching sometimes misses opportunities to extend pupils’ skills in writing in other subjects in Years 3 to 6.

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Commentary

42. The very good leadership and management of the subject have led to good improvement since the previous inspection. The school’s systems for assessing pupils’ progress have been strengthened and boys’ attainment has been improved by adapting teaching styles to meet their needs. The subject manager is very knowledgeable and sets a fine example for teaching. She has ensured that the achievement of lower attaining pupils, which has been a major initiative in recent years, has been raised. Standards are below average in reading, writing and speaking in both Year 2 and Year 6, but these groups of pupils had a very low starting point and their achievement is good. Pupils’ listening skills are average and well promoted through the staff’s high expectations of behaviour.

p.25

Commentary

43. Teaching is good and is even stronger in some parts of the school. Lessons in all years are well planned and teachers work hard to make them interesting. In a Year 6 lesson, for example, teaching enabled pupils to use whiteboards to record ideas generated in groups, as well as role-play techniques to help pupils write dialogue for two characters. Pupils know what is going to be learned and also what they need to do to improve. Pupils say that they are sure that staff will help them if they face difficulties and this means that pupils approach work willingly.

p.25

Commentary

44. Pupils’ achievement is good, but within this picture, different groups progress at different rates. Lower attaining pupils and those with special educational needs, throughout the school, achieve very well. This is because of very well planned support for these groups that focuses precisely on what they need to do to improve. Pupils of all abilities in Years 1, 2 and 6 make very good progress because teaching is adapted to meet the full range of their needs. More able pupils get a good level of challenge and Year 2 pupils benefit from times when they are taught separately, as a group, in writing so that their skills can be worked on and fully extended.

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Commentary

45. Pupils’ achievement, overall, in Years 3 to 6 is good, but there are times when more able pupils in Years 3 to 5 should be doing even better in writing. Their progress is sometimes slowed because they go through the same steps that are necessary for other groups, but which they do not need to experience to the same degree. This was evident in a Year 3 lesson, when more able pupils spent too much time planning the rudiments of a story, when they demonstrated that they were ready to include detail.

p.25

Language and literacy across the curriculum

Longwood Primary School - 26 46. Planning for pupils to use their skills in other subjects is satisfactory, but is not planned as consistently across the school for writing as for speaking and reading. In speaking and reading, all year groups benefit from good opportunities to talk about their ideas and research information from books. In Years 1 and 2, teaching ensures that pupils use and extend their skills in writing in other subjects, but opportunities for recording in different ways are missed in subjects such as geography and design and technology in Years 3 to 6.

p.26

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The improving picture of standards over time is due to good teaching throughout the school. • All pupils in Year 2 achieve very well due to very good teaching. • Lower achieving pupils, and those with special educational needs, do very well in all years because they are very effectively supported. • Work for the more able pupils in Years 3 to 6 does not always extend them sufficiently and they are not always given enough information on how they can improve. • Opportunities for pupils of all abilities to use their mathematical skills in other subjects are inconsistently planned.

p.26

Commentary

47. There has been good improvement since the last inspection, with standards in mathematics rising steadily. Standards presently in Year 2 are below average and in Year 6 they are just below average. Good teaching throughout the school results in all pupils making good progress overall. However, there are some more able pupils in Years 3 to 6 who should be making even better progress; this is not the case in Years 1 and 2 where very effective teaching ensures all pupils make very good progress. Pupils in all years with special educational needs also achieve very well because the school’s tracking system is very successful in identifying those pupils who need additional support which the school then provides.

p.26

Commentary

48. Pupils are enthusiastic about mathematics and work hard in lessons. This is particularly evident in Year 6 where the very good relationships between pupils and class teacher mean that pupils have a very good attitude towards work and achieve well. Teaching throughout the school makes good use of questioning to probe pupils’ ideas and provides plenty of opportunities for pupils to explain how they have arrived at an answer. However, these are mainly verbal, with written responses, giving pupils a chance to practise their literacy skills, less frequently planned. Where teaching is most effective, in Years 1 and 2, planning is well matched and challenging for all groups and the teachers’ questions extend and challenge the most able pupils. This is not always as consistent in Years 3 to 6 where some more able pupils waste time by starting at the same point as the rest of the class before moving onto work more accurately

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Commentary

49. Assessment is used very effectively to support the learning of less able pupils and those with special educational needs. However, opportunities to show pupils, particularly the more able, how they can improve through teachers’ marking and setting individual targets are not yet as well developed in mathematics as they are in English. The subject leader has rightly identified this as an area for development. Leadership and management by the new subject leader are satisfactory and are being Longwood Primary School - 27 well supported and are developing as part of a planned programme by the headteacher, involving numeracy consultants from the local education authority.

p.26

Mathematics across the curriculum

50. The use of mathematics across the curriculum is satisfactory but is not yet consistently developed through teachers’ planning. It is at its best in Years 1 and 2, where pupils put what they have learned into practice in relevant situations. Whilst there is evidence of some data handling in science and measuring in design and technology in Years 3 to 6, there are more limited opportunities here for pupils to practise what they have learnt in mathematics in other subjects. Longwood Primary School - 28

p.27

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils achieve well in science and enjoy their work. • Teaching is good overall and very good in Year 6. • The leadership and management of the subject are good. • Some pupils’ investigative skills are weaker than their factual knowledge.

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Commentary

51. Standards have improved, over time, at an overall good rate. Pupils’ achievement is good, even though standards in Year 2 and Year 6 are below average. Higher attaining pupils do well in science because they are challenged effectively, especially in Year 6. However, some lower attaining pupils find science difficult because of their below average language skills, which are a barrier to learning. Pupils with special educational needs share in the overall good achievement because of the effective support that teachers and teaching assistants provide.

p.28

Commentary

52. Teaching is good. It is characterised by good planning that guides teachers well. Teaching is consistently strong in Year 2, where the teacher’s determination to drive up standards results in interesting, challenging tasks that engage all pupils well. Teaching is very good in Year 6. Here, the teacher provides very good opportunities for pupils to develop independence in investigation and questions very well to probe and secure understanding. As a result, pupils gain confidence in learning and thoroughly enjoy their work. This is reflected in pupils’ very good attitudes to learning in this year group and the enthusiasm with which pupils recall and discuss their work. In Years 2 and 6, teachers use their knowledge of pupils well to vary work and pitch tasks and questions at the right level. Assessment arrangements are secure and informative through the school, and on most occasions are used well to ensure that the work set matches

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Commentary

53. Pupils of all abilities achieve very well in gaining factual knowledge and understanding and standards in these aspects are average. However, some lower attaining pupils find it difficult to work with the independence required to achieve well in investigative work. In Year 6, skilfully planned group work involves all pupils very well. It includes pupils of all abilities very effectively and gives all pupils the opportunity to practise and improve their investigative skills.

p.28

Commentary

54. ICT is beginning to be used well in science, for example in presenting some properties of solids, liquids and gases that would otherwise be impossible in the classroom, and in using the Internet to find out about different materials. However, the use of ICT in other aspects of science, for example in presenting and interpreting results from investigations, is underdeveloped.

p.28

Commentary

55. The leadership and management of science are good and have been key factors in securing pupils’ good achievement. The subject leader sets a very good example in his teaching. Teamwork and shared commitment to improvement are strong. The subject leader has worked supportively alongside other teachers and has a clear grasp of strengths and weaknesses in teaching and in pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the different aspects of science. Longwood Primary School - 29

p.28

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Provision for information and communication technology is satisfactory .

p.29

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Leadership and management have initiated and secured good improvement. • Teaching is making good use of interactive whiteboards in lessons. • There is good planning for the use of ICT in other subjects.

p.29

Commentary

56. Good leadership and management have led to good improvement in provision. This has been organised well and has involved all staff effectively; the position has moved from a very low level of provision in the years following the previous inspection, when the school’s facilities were unable to cope with the increasing demands of the ICT curriculum. Teachers and teaching assistants have benefited from relevant training that has increased their subject knowledge and improved the consistency of provision. The subject leader has a clear grasp of overall strengths and weaknesses in the subject and draws on this well in planning for further improvement. Management has ensured that good use has been made of the limited available space for grouping together computers for teaching.

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Commentary

57. Standards in Years 2 and 6 are below the expected levels. However, given most pupils’ lack of previous experience in using ICT, until the introduction of the computer suite last year, this represents good progress in the short term. Overall, pupils’ achievement is satisfactory. Pupils’ attitudes to learning are very good, especially in Year 6. Most pupils show great interest in ICT and talk about their work with lively enthusiasm. In lessons, pupil co-operate constructively, taking turns and supporting each other well. Year 2 pupils are beginning to show satisfactory facility using the keyboard and mouse and amending their work, for example when dragging text to caption an image. Older pupils show suitable confidence in a range of skills, for example word processing, researching using CD-ROM or the Internet and following simulations in science and religious education. However, they have little experience of

p.29

Commentary

using ICT for sensing and control and their understanding of these aspects is too limited.

p.29

Commentary

58. Teaching is satisfactory. Lessons seen during the inspection were satisfactory overall but with some significant strengths. Teachers are beginning to use interactive whiteboards well to bring fresh impact and variety to learning, as well as to provide better opportunities for pupils to access ICT in lessons. This engages pupils well, improving their progress as they use the whiteboards in lessons. The computer suite is a useful addition to the school’s provision and is being used well in most instances, even though it is too small to accommodate a whole class. As a result, it is sometimes problematic both for class lessons that focus on skills and for day-to-day applications that link to other work in class. Assessment arrangements are at an early stage and are not yet precise enough to pinpoint what pupils can and cannot do. As a result, though pupils make good improvements in their understanding of the different ways in

p.29

Commentary

which ICT can be used, they sometimes lack the skills to perform the tasks. The school has identified this as a priority for development.

p.29

Information and communication technology across the curriculum

59. There is good planning for the use of ICT in different subjects. The school has made this its first priority and it is beginning to bear fruit. All teachers plan relevant Longwood Primary School - 30 opportunities for pupils to apply ICT skills, for example in English, mathematics, art and design, history, geography and religious education. Planning is thoughtful, detailed and well carried out across the school.

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HUMANITIES

60. No lessons were seen in geography and only a part of a history lesson with Year 4 pupils was observed. No overall judgements on standards, teaching and pupils’ achievement were possible. These subjects were sampled through talking to pupils, looking at their previous work and scrutinising teachers’ planning. In both subjects, planning has improved since the previous inspection and ensures that pupils’ skills and knowledge build more securely.

p.30

HUMANITIES

61. The full curriculum is planned and pupils have opportunities to compare their own area with contrasting localities, both in this country and abroad. The oldest pupils benefit from orienteering activities as part of their programme of outdoor activities during a residential visit to Shugborough Hall. Year 2 pupils talk about the differences between people’s jobs in Mexico and Britain and have used ICT well to research their topic. Good use is made of pupils’ skills in writing to record their ideas and findings. Year 3 pupils have investigated the local area to see how the land is used for different purposes. Year 6 pupils show a reasonable understanding of how rivers affect the landscape. Too little use is made of pupils’ skills in writing, however, in presenting their research into topics in Years 3 to 6.

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HUMANITIES

62. Pupils enjoy history; many say that it is their favourite subject. Year 6 pupils have a good grasp of chronology and talked animatedly about research that they undertook on the Internet to discover whether the Ancient Egyptian civilisation preceded or followed the Aztecs. There are some good links to other subjects, such as art and design and design and technology, as when Year 5 and 6 pupils created Aztec mosaics and Year 4 pupils designed Egyptian-style jewellery. In the short session seen with Year 4 pupils, these pieces were very well used to set the scene for role-play, when pupils considered the significance of each item to be included in a burial chamber. Very effective teaching meant that pupils’ attention and interest were fully engaged as they played out their parts as trainee embalmers.

p.30

Religious education

Provision in religious education is good .

p.30

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils make good progress throughout the school as a result of good teaching. • Pupils are able to make links between different religions as a result of well-planned activities. • The school uses resources effectively to deepen pupils’ understanding of different faiths but has a limited range of visits to places of worship.

p.30

Commentary

Longwood Primary School - 31 63. The school has maintained standards in religious education since the previous inspection. Pupils’ achievement is good and attainment is broadly in line with the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus in Year 2 and Year 6.

p.31

Commentary

64. Teaching and learning are good. Pupils demonstrate a secure understanding of the similarities and differences between religions. From the start of Year 1 pupils are taught to respect the beliefs and faiths of others in their community. Teachers are good at planning opportunities for pupils to learn about aspects of other faiths by relating them to the pupils’ own experiences. For example in Year 6 pupils discussed how their responsibilities change as they grow up and linked this effectively to the ceremonies of Bat and Bar mitzvah found in the Jewish faith. They talked confidently about how different faiths provide guidance on how to live through rules, special books and leaders.

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Commentary

65. The leadership and management of the subject are satisfactory. Through a good understanding of pupils’ needs, the subject leader correctly identified the necessity to broaden the pupils’ knowledge of all faiths, particularly those other than Christianity. Effective whole-school planning ensures additional opportunities to study the main faiths of the world are planned throughout the school. Good use is made of the resources available within school to support learning. The subject leader has used ICT effectively to provide ‘virtual tours’ of different places of worship for pupils, but there are few visits other than to Christian places of worship.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

66. No lessons were seen in art and design, design and technology, music or physical education. These subjects were sampled through looking at pupils’ previous work, scrutinising teachers’ planning and talking to pupils. Additionally, brief observations were made of pupils receiving specialist music tuition and a group of pupils performed a dance in an assembly. No overall judgements on teaching, standards and pupils’ achievement are possible.

p.31

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

67. It is evident from talking to pupils that they enjoy their work in this subject and that it makes a good contribution to their cultural development. The school makes good use of links to other subjects to stimulate pupils’ ideas in art and design. For example, pupils in Year 4 studied a village in India as part of their work in geography and used this as a major focus in their artwork. Pupils researched the origins of batik, learnt the techniques and used them to create a piece of work for a calendar. Similarly inspired by the Indian theme, pupils used the Internet to find images of India and recreated them using first watercolours and then moving on to the medium of acrylic. Rangoli patterns were another area the pupils studied, enabling them to deepen their understanding of other cultures around the world whilst learning new skills. As well as using the Internet to research art in different cultures pupils study the work of different

p.31

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

artists such as Lowry and have benefited from an artist working alongside them in school, creating work with natural materials.

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Design and technology

68. Across the school, there is evidence of pupils designing and making models and evaluating them to identify how they could improve them further. Teachers’ planning is based on the national guidance and provides opportunities for pupils to develop their skills in the subject as they progress through the school. The curriculum is enriched by Longwood Primary School - 32 good cross-curricular links. For example, older pupils are able to make connections between what they have learnt in science using hydraulics and pulleys as part of their design for a vehicle, whilst others make links to history, using their work on Ancient Egypt as an inspiration for designing and making their own Egyptian jewellery. However, limited opportunities are planned for pupils to write and practise the skills they have learnt in literacy.

p.31

Music

69. Planning shows that the school provides a suitable range of musical opportunities. Visits by groups of musicians and well-planned studies of music from Asian and African cultures enrich and extend the range of provision. However, Year 6 pupils show little experience of listening carefully to and appraising music or of making their own compositions. All pupils have the chance to learn the recorder and some older pupils maintained their parts well in two-part playing in a recorder ensemble. Good use is made of specialist instrumental teaching and this raises achievement for some pupils. Several pupils learn stringed and wind instruments and some have the chance to perform in local concerts. This is a valuable enhancement to the classroom curriculum and is of benefit to pupils’ personal and social development. The unison singing in assembly is of satisfactory quality. Older pupils sing with suitable control of pitch, pulse

p.32

Music

and dynamics. Pupils take obvious pleasure in music and their attitudes to learning are consistently good.

p.32

Music

70. Teachers’ planning shows that the full range of activities in physical education, including swimming, is planned for. A good range of extra-curricular activities enhances the curriculum. After-school clubs give many pupils valuable practice in team sports, including football, netball, hockey, cricket and rounders, and there are satisfactory opportunities for pupils to compete in inter-school competition. There is a well-planned programme for the teaching of swimming. A dance performance in assembly showed good achievement by a group who form the dance club. Pupils in several junior year groups worked fluently and accurately, linking actions well and combining their individual parts effectively. Their performance showed careful attention to detail and a good sense of the sequence and shape of movements. A dance specialist had taught these pupils very effectively. Their attitudes to learning were

p.32

Music

excellent, reflecting strong commitment to quality and obvious pleasure in the activity and pupils talked about their pride in taking part in a local dance festival. Longwood Primary School - 33

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

71. Only one lesson was seen, but every class benefits from a comprehensive scheme of work that guides effective provision in this area, including for raising pupils’ awareness of the misuse of drugs. In the good lesson seen, pupils in Year 3 considered how to be a better friend and the strategies to use when difficulties arise. Good questioning probed pupils’ ideas and helped them to reflect on their own experiences. Throughout the school, teaching grasps practical, incidental opportunities to extend pupils’ understanding of how to overcome difficulties in growing up, for example when a Reception child disclosed feelings of sadness because someone had been unkind on the playground and the teacher asked the class for ideas about how they might act and feel in a similar situation. This helped to both resolve the difficulty between classmates and also raise children’s awareness of how to deal with problems of everyday life. The

p.33

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

governing body has taken the decision that the school will not provide sex and relationships education. Longwood Primary School - 34

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The overall effectiveness of the school 3 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 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Overall standards achieved 4 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 3 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 5 Support, advice and guidance for pupils 3 How well the school seeks and acts on pupils’ views 3 The effectiveness of the school’s links with parents 3 The quality of the school’s links with the community 3 The school’s links with other schools and colleges 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The leadership and management of the school 4 The governance of the school 5 The leadership of the headteacher 3 The leadership of other key staff 3 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).

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