Middleton-on-the-Wolds Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

VOLUNTARY CONTROLLED PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 10 – 12 January 2005

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VOLUNTARY CONTROLLED PRIMARY SCHOOL

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 2 - January 2005 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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VOLUNTARY CONTROLLED 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. Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 3 - January 2005

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Primary School category: Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils: 4 to 11 Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 58

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Station Road Middleton Driffield Postcode: Y025 9UQ

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Telephone number: 01377 217323 Fax number: 01377 217323

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: Governing body Name of chair of governors: Dr J Atkins

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 23 November 1998

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

Middleton-on-the-Wolds CE VC Primary School is much smaller than most other primary schools with 58 boys and girls aged 4 to 11 years. Currently the percentage of pupils in receipt of free school meals is in line with that found in most other schools. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs is broadly average. There is one pupil with a statement of special educational needs. The school has no pupils at an early stage of learning to speak English. The number of pupils in and out of the school other than at the normal time of admission is well above the national average especially in Years 5 and 6. As a result the nature of the school’s intake has changed since the previous inspection. Evidence presented by the school demonstrates that socio-economic circumstances vary but are below average overall. The attainment of pupils on entry to the school is below average. Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 4 - January 2005

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

2465 Mr G Yates Lead inspector Mathematics English Geography History Music Religious education Special educational needs English as an additional language 9649 Mrs J Smith Lay inspector 7979 Mr T Calderbank Team inspector Science Information and communication technology Art and design Design and technology Physical education Areas of learning in the Foundation Stage

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

Nord Anglia School Inspection Services Anglia House Carrs Road Cheadle Stockport SK8 2LA

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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). Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 5 - January 2005

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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 13

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 31

Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 6 - January 2005

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pupils with a satisfactory standard of education and is an improving school. Links

with the community are excellent and the school also has some very good features. The quality of teaching and learning is good overall. Inspection evidence demonstrates that standards are rising. The trend in the school’s result in Year 2 is above the national trend. By the time pupils leave, standards in English are now in line with those found in most schools and standards have improved slightly in mathematics. Pupils’ attitudes to work and their behaviour and personal development are very good. The school is very well led and managed by the headteacher. It provides good value for money.

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pupils with a satisfactory standard of education and is an improving school. Links

The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

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pupils with a satisfactory standard of education and is an improving school. Links

• Most pupils are now achieving well in the Foundation Stage (reception class), Years 1 and 2 and in English in the rest of the school. • Older pupils are not provided with consistently challenging opportunities to use and apply their numeracy skills in solving mathematical problems or to organise and carry out their own scientific investigations. • The headteacher provides very good leadership and receives good support from an effective governing body. • Assessment procedures are good in English with the findings used well to ensure work is matched suitably to pupils’ needs. However, there is no consistent approach to assessment in other subjects. • Good use is made of the information and communication technology (ICT) suite to develop pupils’ ICT skills. However, insufficient opportunities are provided for pupils to use and develop their skills in other subjects. • Provision for pupils’ social, moral and cultural development is very good overall.

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pupils with a satisfactory standard of education and is an improving school. Links

• The school provides a high level of care for its pupils. They respond very well and their attitudes to learning, behaviour and relationships with others are very good. • Very strong links have been established with parents and other schools. • Opportunities are sometimes missed when teachers mark pupils’ work, to provide written comments to help pupils improve.

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pupils with a satisfactory standard of education and is an improving school. Links

The level of improvement from the previous inspection has been good and reflects the quality of leadership and management provided by the headteacher, who was appointed three years ago. Curriculum planning has improved. Subject policies are now in place in all curriculum areas. Children in the reception class now have access to all areas of learning.

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pupils with a satisfactory standard of education and is an improving school. Links

Great care must be taken in interpreting the data below which is based on small numbers. One pupil’s performance can account for significant differences in the results year by year and make accurate comparisons with all schools nationally and with similar schools difficult. Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 7 - January 2005 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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pupils with a satisfactory standard of education and is an improving school. Links

English C E E D Mathematics C E E C Science C E 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 with a satisfactory standard of education and is an improving school. Links

Inspection evidence demonstrates improvement since the 2004 results in Year 6. Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory overall. Children start in the reception class with below average attainment. They make good progress and achieve well in most areas of learning. Pupils’ attainment in the current Year 2 is average in reading, writing, mathematics, science and ICT. Their achievement is good. In Years 3 to 6 pupils’ overall achievement is satisfactory but good in English. This is because the initiatives brought in by the headteacher to improve pupils’ attainment in other subjects have not had time to impact fully on standards at the top end of the school. In Year 6 there are weaknesses in pupils’ mental arithmetic skills and in their ability to plan scientific experiments. Inspection findings show that by the end of Year 6, pupils’ attainment is broadly average in English but while standards in mathematics are below average they are no longer well below. There is

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pupils with a satisfactory standard of education and is an improving school. Links

no significant difference between the performance of girls and boys. Pupils with special educational needs achieve well as do the very small number of pupils who speak English as an additional language.

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Pupils’ personal qualities, including their moral, social and cultural development, are

very good overall. Their attitudes and behaviour are very good. Attendance is in line with the national average.

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

learning is good overall. Teachers hold pupils’ interest very well, especially when teaching English and make appropriate links between subjects. However, there is a need for teachers to plan better use of ICT in their classrooms. Staff work very well together as a team and share their expertise. Teachers are now making good use of assessment information in English to set targets for groups and individuals but the approach to assessment in other subjects is inconsistent as is the use of marking. The school takes very good care of its pupils. There is a successful partnership with parents and links with the local community are outstanding.

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

The quality of the school’s leadership, management and governance is good overall. The headteacher leads the school very well. She has been very instrumental in successfully bringing in strategies to begin to improve standards. The governing body plays a full part in helping to improve the school’s effectiveness. The governors and the headteacher ensure the school gets the best value for money possible.

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

PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 8 - January 2005 Parents are very happy with what the school provides for their children and are pleased with the progress they make, both academically and personally. Pupils enjoy coming to school and find the lessons interesting. Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 9 - January 2005 IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

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

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

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

• Increase older pupils’ speed and accuracy in applying their number skills. • Provide more opportunities for older pupils to plan and carry out scientific investigations. • Put into place a whole-school approach to the assessment and recording of pupils’ achievements in subjects other than English, and especially in mathematics and science. • Ensure that the school’s marking policy is implemented consistently throughout the school. • Ensure that all pupils use their ICT skills effectively in other subjects. Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 10 - January 2005

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Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

Overall achievement is satisfactory. It is good in the Foundation Stage, Years 1 to 2 and in English. Strategies introduced by the headteacher to improve standards have not had time to work their way through all the school. A comparison between work completed in the previous year and work completed to date in this academic year shows all pupils are now attaining broadly average standards in English. Standards in mathematics have improved but are still below average.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The strategies introduced to improve standards are having a good impact on raising standards but have not yet worked their way through the whole school. • The trend in the school’s results in Year 2 is above the national trend. • Writing standards have improved as have pupils’ ICT skills, although these are insufficiently used in other subjects. • Older pupils lack speed and accuracy in applying basic number facts to solve problems. • Pupils in Year 6 lack the appropriate skills when asked to set up and carry out their own practical science experiments.

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Commentary

1. When children start their reception year, attainment is generally below what is expected for their age. Over the last two years the headteacher has been instrumental in ensuring improvements have been made to the Foundation Stage curriculum and as a result children are now achieving well in most aspects. Most of the current reception class children are on course to meet the goals set out for them to achieve in all the areas of learning. The previous report found that pupils were not given access to all areas of the early years’ curriculum; this is not now the case but the lack of a suitable outdoor area limits opportunities in some aspects of the curriculum.

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Commentary

2. Under the leadership of the headteacher, teachers and support staff have worked hard and effectively to make improvements to standards throughout the school during the past few years. As a result the trend in the school’s results at the end of Year 2 is now above the national trend. However, with such very small numbers in each age group any comparisons made with the test results from other schools need to be treated with great care because of the well below average number of pupils in each age group. For example, in 2004, there were only eight pupils in the Year 2 age group. Moreover, the very small number of pupils in the current Year 6 has a wide range of ability ranging from pupils with special educational needs including learning difficulties in English to higher attaining pupils with a good command of reading and writing. Inspection evidence demonstrates that overall standards in English and mathematics

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Commentary

are now broadly average in Year 2 and pupils’ achieve well. In Year 6 overall standards are broadly average in English. In mathematics standards are no longer well below average but are still below average.

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Commentary

3. In the 2004 National Curriculum tests and assessments taken at the end of Year 2, pupils’ attainment was above the national average in reading and writing but below average in Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 11 - January 2005 mathematics. When compared to similar schools (those with a similar number of pupils eligible for free school meals) standards were below average in mathematics, above average in reading and well above average in writing. Teacher assessments in science indicated that standards were average. Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 12 - January 2005 4. Any comparisons made with standards at the time of the previous inspection are not helpful because the school has reliable evidence to show that far fewer families come from the immediate area than at the time of the previous inspection. Over a quarter of the intake now come from outside the school’s normal catchment area. In addition,

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Commentary

pupil mobility is well above the national average. In both Years 5 and 6, for example, over half the age group entered or left the school at times other than the normal time of entry.

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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 16.8 (15.2) 15.8 (15.7) Writing 15.8 (15.4) 14.6 (14.6) Mathematics 15.8 (15.4) 16.2 (16.3) There were 8 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Commentary

5. The need to improve pupils’ progress and achievement in mathematics in Years 1 and 2 has been recognised by the school and appropriate action has been taken to ensure pupils use their numeracy skills well. Realistic targets to focus on improving the weaker areas of pupils’ knowledge and skills in English have been set. In addition, teachers’ planning is more effective in ensuring that activities build on what has been taught previously. These initiatives are beginning to impact positively on standards and inspection evidence shows that pupils are now making good progress in Years 1 and 2. The survey of work and discussions held with pupils indicates that attainment in the current Year 2 is broadly in line with that found in most schools in speaking and listening, reading, writing, mathematics and science. This represents good achievement overall when comparisons are made with the baseline assessments

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Commentary

taken when the age group first started school that showed attainment to be below that expected.

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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 28.7 (29.4) 26.9 (26.8) Mathematics 26.1 (27.8) 27.0 (26.8) Science 26.6 (30.2) 28.6 (28.6) There were 14 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Commentary

6. In the 2004 national tests, pupils in Year 6 achieved well below average results in English and mathematics and were in the bottom five percent of schools in the country in science. When the results are compared nationally with those achieved at the end of Year 2, they indicate that the progress made by the pupils was average in mathematics but below average in English and well below average in science. However, this comparison is misleading because of the effects of high pupil mobility and the small number of pupils in the age group. An average number of pupils attained Level 4 in English and mathematics and two pupils missed Level 5 by a small number of points. The trend in the school’s results over the past five years has been below the national trend.

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Commentary

7. A scrutiny of work and information from lesson observations and from discussions held with pupils demonstrates that pupils’ achievement is now good in English. Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 13 - January 2005 However, achievement in science in Year 6 is unsatisfactory. Initiatives introduced over the last three years by the headteacher are having a positive impact. Standards in English are average and pupils are being provided with far more opportunities to write at length. Sound opportunities are provided for pupils to use their literacy skills across the curriculum. Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 14 - January 2005 8. The teaching of mathematics to older pupils does not always provide them with sufficient challenge in using their numeracy skills to solve problems. As a result pupils cannot quickly and accurately work out correct answers. However, additional specialist help from the Local

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Commentary

Education Authority is helping to raise standards. As a result of this additional support current standards in mathematics have improved but remain below average.

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Commentary

9. Standards in science are below average in the current Year 6. The results of the 2004 tests for 11 year-olds showed standards to be very low when compared to all schools and to the performance of pupils in similar schools. Pupils do not have the knowledge or skills to plan and carry out scientific investigations for themselves.

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Commentary

10. Pupils’ attainment in information and communication technology (ICT) is in line with national expectations by the end of Years 2 and 6 and achievement is satisfactory overall. However, pupils are rarely given the chance to use computers to support their work in other subjects. As a result they are not given the opportunity to use and extend their skills.

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Commentary

11. Religious education plays an important part in the life of the school and pupils of all ages attain the expected standard. Pupils’ work was sampled in other subjects of the National Curriculum but insufficient information was available to make firm judgements about achievement in any of them. From the work seen, excellent teaching by a visiting music specialist ensured pupils in Years 5 and 6 achieved well in developing their composing skills. In the same class a topic linked to a study of Pakistan was highly successful in developing pupils’ geographical knowledge.

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Commentary

12. Pupils with special educational needs achieve as well as other pupils and make good progress in relation to their difficulties in reading, writing and mathematics because they are well supported in each class. The school makes good use of a visiting teacher to boost the achievement of these pupils, and pupils gain a great deal from working with classroom assistants in small groups. During lessons for example, assistants will often sit with them and prompt them with work or help them to maintain their concentration when the teacher is giving instructions. The very small number of pupils who speak English as an additional language achieve as well as other pupils.

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Commentary

13. The school has yet to establish a register of gifted and talented pupils. Girls and boys have the same access to all aspects of the curriculum with no noticeable differences in the standards achieved during the inspection. Teachers ensure that all pupils participate fully in all activities.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

Pupils show very good attitudes to learning. Behaviour and relationships throughout the school are very good . The school makes very good provision, overall, for the pupils’ moral, social and cultural development. Attendance is broadly average.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The personal development of pupils is enhanced greatly by their involvement in the life of the local community. • There are very good opportunities for pupils to take on responsibility.

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Commentary

14. Pupils enjoy school and work hard. They are enthusiastic about all school activities. The school’s extensive community links provide exceptionally good opportunities for Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 15 - January 2005 furthering pupils’ personal development. For example, the school hosts a tea for senior citizens when pupils bake cakes and act as hosts to show their guests around the school. This not only Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 16 - January 2005 gives pupils responsibility but also boosts their self-esteem. Good links with a school in Pakistan and also joint work and visits done with the cluster of local schools on joint themes help to increase the pupils’ understanding of other cultures.

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Commentary

15. In the Foundation Stage (reception class), careful attention is given to promoting the children’s personal, social and emotional development. This is reflected in the way in which the children relate to one another and in the confidence they show when selecting resources and participating in learning activities such as building a castle. Most are on course to achieve the early learning goals in personal, social and emotional development by the time they enter Year 1.

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Commentary

16. Pupils in Years 1 to 6 behave very well in lessons. They work with good concentration and demonstrate confidence and enthusiasm when putting forward their ideas and responding to the ideas of others. For example, when discussing drug use and abuse pupils had strong views on smoking being dangerous. They work very co-operatively with a partner, for example when carrying out musical composition in Year 6. The very good relationships that exist within this small Christian school community create a warm and friendly environment in which the pupils trust and support one another.

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Commentary

17. Pupils behave very well in the small dining room, in the playground and in assembly. Inspection evidence demonstrates that this was not the case when the headteacher first came to the school. During whole-school assembly pupils are pleased and proud to receive their ‘Golden Book’ awards for hard work, perseverance, good manners and kind, helpful attitudes. The school makes very good provision for the pupils’ moral development. Pupils understand and follow school rules which uphold Christian principles. They have a very good understanding of how unkind words and actions can affect other people. Incidents of bullying and other serious misdemeanors are very rare.

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Commentary

18. The school makes very good provision for the pupils’ personal and social development. Year 6 pupils are given many opportunities to take responsibility inside and outside of school. Their duties, organised on a rota system, include supporting younger children in the dining room and in the playground and setting out the hall for assemblies. The school council has already influenced a number of school improvements especially to the playground where there is now a friendship bench. The pupils reach out to the wider community through fund raising for a number of charities including the 2004 Asian disaster appeal. A very wide range of extra- curricular activities, including after-school clubs, an annual residential visit for older pupils, inter-school sporting competitions and school productions strongly support the pupils’ all-round development.

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Commentary

19. The school makes sound provision for the pupils’ spiritual development. Through assemblies and prayer times, the pupils are developing an awareness and understanding of their own and others’ beliefs. Not enough opportunities are provided, in lessons and in the daily life of the school, for the pupils to reflect thoughtfully on the beauty in nature, art and music.

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Commentary

20. Provision for the pupils’ cultural development is very good, overall. A very good appreciation of music and literature is promoted through lessons, good quality displays of life in Pakistan and an arts week activities. Pupils develop a good awareness of their own cultural heritage through the work in history and pupils’ awareness of life in multicultural British society is better than that normally found. Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 17 - January 2005 21. Procedures for monitoring and improving attendance are good. Attendance for the academic year was broadly average. Punctuality is satisfactory despite the distance some pupils have to travel from outlying villages. There have been no exclusions this year but there was one in the previous year. Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 18 - January 2005 Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

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Commentary

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data 5.2 School data 0.2 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 58 1 0

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

The school provides a good quality of education overall. Curricular provision and the care and support given to pupils are good . Links with parents are very good and excellent with the community.

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Teaching and learning

The overall quality of teaching and learning is good overall. Assessment procedures other than in English are unsatisfactory overall.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• In Years 5 and 6, teaching is not as strong as in the rest of the school. For example, the speed and accuracy with which pupils apply their basic number facts in solving problems is not emphasised enough and pupils are given insufficient opportunities to develop their skills of scientific investigation. • The school has good assessment systems in place in English but there is no whole- school approach to assessment in other subjects. • The new approach to marking is not yet followed consistently. • Too little use is made of ICT in other subjects.

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Commentary

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 21 lessons

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Commentary

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Commentary

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

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Commentary

22. As at the time of the previous inspection, the quality of teaching is good overall. Teaching was never less than satisfactory and was good or better in about two thirds Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 19 - January 2005 of the lessons observed during the inspection. One fifth of the lessons seen were very good. Teaching is particularly strong in Years 3 and 4. The weaknesses identified in the previous report with Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 20 - January 2005 regard to the lack of policies to guide teaching and learning have been rectified. The combination of good teaching and care for pupils provides a good environment for learning to which pupils respond well. The school has put in place some good strategies to improve standards which through good teaching are being implemented well, but these need time to have an impact on overall standards. As a result inspection evidence clearly shows that standards are rising and achievement is

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Commentary

satisfactory overall but good in Years 1 to 2. It is significant that the school’s results in reading and writing at the end of Year 2 were very low three years ago but in 2004 were above the national average.

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Commentary

23. Inspection evidence shows that the children are making good progress overall in most of the areas of learning in the mixed reception and Year 1 and 2 class and that teaching is good. The teacher and the nursery nurse ensure work is closely matched to children’s needs although the lack of an appropriate outside area limits their experiences. Staff provide a warm and caring environment where children settle in quickly and form very good relationships. The previous report found that the teacher did not take sufficient account of the areas of learning; this is not now the case.

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Commentary

24. From the observation of lessons and a scrutiny of pupils’ books, teaching and learning in English is good and in mathematics satisfactory overall with good teaching in Years 1 to 4. Lessons are prepared to a good standard and most teachers have appropriate expectations of pupils and expect them to work hard and achieve their best. As a result, pupils respond well to the challenges set and comment that they find most lessons enjoyable.

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Commentary

25. The means of assessing pupils’ achievements have improved since the previous inspection but are unsatisfactory overall. They are good in English and in the Foundation Stage. In these areas teachers regularly use a range of appropriate assessments, including statutory and optional National Curriculum tests. The information gathered is analysed carefully to identify strengths and weaknesses, to guide teachers’ planning and to set targets to improve pupils’ attainment. However, in other subjects there is no whole-school approach to assessment or the use made of the information. As a result teachers do not always have readily available information about what pupils know, understand and can do when planning future work. A new marking policy has recently been introduced but this is not yet being followed consistently and teachers’ written comments do not always sufficiently inform the pupils how they can improve their work.

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Commentary

26. During the past year the school has focused successfully on improving the quality of teaching in English. As a result of the action taken, teaching is now good and standards are improving. However, older pupils take too long to work out the correct answers to mental arithmetic problems and lack confidence in planning their own scientific investigations. The school makes very good use of the skills of a specialist teacher in music. Pupils of all attainment levels benefit greatly from the teacher’s knowledge and expertise. Teachers are good at making links between different subjects and this has a beneficial effect upon the quality of learning and the progress pupils make. For example, a very well planned geographical project about life in Pakistan included demanding work in mathematics and history.

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Commentary

27. The teaching of pupils who have special educational needs is good overall because teachers plan activities well and ensure that they are matched to pupils’ needs and abilities. Very good relationships and an inclusive ethos ensure that these pupils are well integrated into classes. Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 21 - January 2005 Pupils with special educational needs receive good support. Teachers make good use of teaching assistants in supporting the needs of small groups or individual pupils.

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The curriculum

The curriculum is good overall and provides a well balanced range of activities that ensures suitable experiences for the mixed aged classes. The school provides very good opportunities for enrichment, including good extra-curricular provision. The accommodation and resources for learning are satisfactory overall. Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 22 - January 2005

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Activities for children in the reception year are well organised. • Curriculum links with local small schools are very good. • Provision for pupils with special educational needs is good. • Older pupils are not provided with sufficiently challenging opportunities to use and apply their number skills in mathematics or to set up their own investigations in science. • Pupils are not provided with enough opportunities to use their ICT skills in other subjects. • There is no designated and appropriately equipped outside play area for children in the Foundation Stage.

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Commentary

28. The quality and range of learning opportunities provided by the school are good overall and are better suited to the range of mixed ages in classes than they were at the time of the previous inspection. The school is not complacent and continues to review its curricular provision in line with national guidelines to improve the quality of learning. As a result, all subjects have up-to-date policies and guidelines to ensure that teaching and learning experiences are planned systematically. Good links in some classes between subjects such as design and technology and mathematics help to make the learning more interesting and relevant.

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Commentary

29. The curriculum for children in the Foundation Stage has improved significantly since the last inspection and is matched well to the needs of young children. Appropriate account is now taken of all the six areas of learning and the early learning goals for children in the reception class. However, there is no designated and suitably equipped outside play area for the children to be given the opportunity to develop skills further in an outside environment.

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Commentary

30. The school uses the national literacy framework effectively to develop pupils’ skills in reading and writing. As a result, the quality and range of pupils’ writing has improved since the previous inspection. However, older pupils are not provided with sufficiently challenging opportunities to use and apply their number skills to solve mathematical problems or to set up their own investigations in science.

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Commentary

31. The school has widened the variety of activities for pupils’ personal, social and health education (PSHE) to include sexual relationships. Much of the work done in this area has a positive effect on pupils’ understanding of the choices they have to make in their lives.

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Commentary

32. Provision for pupils with special educational needs is good. Pupils experiencing difficulties are identified early and the targets included on their individual educational plans are clear and measurable. The curriculum meets the requirements of all the pupils on the school’s special educational needs register and provides very well for equality of access and opportunity for all pupils.

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Commentary

33. The school’s outstanding links with the community significantly enrich the curriculum. Curriculum days are regularly held by the cluster of local schools. Pupils work with pupils from other schools on cross-curricular projects such as one on water. There are regular joint sporting events and visits. Some of the schools contribute to the cost of paying for an ICT technician who works very effectively with staff and pupils in three schools. The six schools share a music specialist and work done during the year culminates in a summer event when pupils from all the schools sing together. The school also has good links with the Construction Industry Board and the use of this external expertise helps to enrich the design and technology curriculum. Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 23 - January 2005 Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 24 - January 2005 34. The school offers a good range of sporting activities and other activities. All activities

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Commentary

are open to all the pupils and include French, craft, art and games of strategy. Together with the good range of visits, visitors and residential experiences, these experiences broaden pupils’ lives and forge strong links with the local community.

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Commentary

35. The accommodation and resources are satisfactory overall. However, the school library is not well organised. The school’s ICT suite ensures that skills can be taught to whole year groups and makes a substantial difference to the quality of learning. However, the pupils need to be provided with more opportunities to use their newly acquired skills in other subjects. The dedicated team of teachers is soundly matched to the needs of the curriculum. The school has received good support from local education authority advisory staff. Well-trained and deployed teaching assistants support teachers and pupils effectively and their commitment and expertise make a significant contribution to the good provision by the school, especially in ICT.

p.24

Care, guidance and support

The school takes very good care of pupils’ health, safety and well-being. Overall it provides them with good advice, support and guidance. The school is very successful in involving pupils in its work.

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The school takes very good care of pupils and promotes their self-esteem well. • The school is very sensitive to pupils’ individual needs. • Health and safety procedures are very good. • The school council plays a very important role in school life and helps to foster pupils’ sense of responsibility and self esteem very effectively.

p.24

Commentary

36. The school provides a very orderly and caring learning environment. Pupils are all well known to staff and treated as individuals. Relationships are very caring and the school has very good strategies for fostering pupils’ confidence and self-esteem. Close working links with the local playgroup and with the secondary school help pupils to settle with confidence in the reception class and provide a smooth transition for Year 6 pupils to the next stage of their education. The school devises comprehensive individual programmes for some pupils who have worries about moving to secondary school.

p.24

Commentary

37. The school has very good procedures for ensuring pupils’ health and safety. Detailed risk assessments are carried out when pupils go on visits. The health and safety committee makes regular inspections of the premises and the school highly values the caretaker’s prompt action to deal with any health and safety concerns. The school is concerned about pupils’ safety crossing the car park and the local authority is involved in providing separate pedestrian access. There are effective procedures for child protection.

p.24

Commentary

38. There is much strength in the quality of personal guidance which the school provides for pupils for example, formally through personal, social and health education and informally through the high quality of relationships within the school community. The school is making good progress towards the “Healthy School” award. There are, Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 25 - January 2005 however, some weaknesses in the academic guidance provided for pupils based on assessment procedures. These are linked to the lack of whole-school assessment procedures in subjects other than English.

p.24

Commentary

39. The democratically elected school council has representatives from all age groups including older reception pupils. The school ensures that council members are fully involved in all decisions concerning school life, for example the selection of playground equipment and Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 26 - January 2005 which water coolers to have in classrooms. The trust and responsibility given to the council helps to raise pupils’ self esteem well and gives them very good opportunities to use their initiative. For example, pupils are very good at organising fund-raising. As one Year 5 pupil explained “ We were raising money for goal posts before we started raising money for the tsunami victims”.

p.25

Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

The school has a very strong partnership with parents. Outstanding links with the community and very good links with other schools have a significant impact on pupils’ learning and personal development.

p.26

Main strength and weaknesses

• Excellent links with the community greatly enrich pupils’ learning and personal development. • The school has developed a very effective partnership with parents based on mutual respect and support. • The school keeps parents very well informed but reports are not as helpful as they might be. • Successful family learning classes provide a very useful service to the community and help parents to support their children’s learning.

p.26

Commentary

40. There has been significant improvement in the school’s links with parents and the community since the previous inspection.

p.26

Commentary

41. Links with the community are outstanding and make an extremely positive impact on pupils’ personal and academic development. Links within the local cluster of schools bring many benefits for both school and for pupils, such as joint curriculum days, visits, music and sporting events. In addition to enriching the curriculum, these joint events help pupils to extend their friendships which is particularly important for Year 6 pupils in the year before they move to secondary school.

p.26

Commentary

42. An innovative aspect of the school’s involvement in the community is the school’s significant contribution to The Parish Plan both through the headteacher’s chairmanship of the steering committee and through pupils’ work helping to prepare the parish exhibition and their involvement in planning for the future needs of young people in the parish. This is a very immediate way of bringing home to pupils their membership of and responsibility to living in a community. Very constructive links exist between the school and the local church. Church festivals are important events for the school and the community, and the vicar runs a popular after-school club.

p.26

Commentary

43. The school has developed a very effective partnership with parents. The parents’ questionnaire and pre-inspection meeting both confirm the high level of confidence which parents have in all aspects of the school’s work. Many parents commented on the improvements in the school which they have seen in recent years. Parents particularly value the approachability of the headteacher and staff and the school’s prompt response to any concerns which they have. The school keeps parents very well informed through regular newsletters and a comprehensive prospectus and annual governors’ report. Parents are kept up to date about the progress their children Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 27 - January 2005 are making through well-attended consultation evenings which are held termly. These enable staff to discuss targets for learning with both parents and children. Annual reports on pupils’ progress are of good quality but do not give parents a clear idea of

p.26

Commentary

the levels of attainment at which their children are working. Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 28 - January 2005 44. Parents are very supportive of the school. Several parents and governors help in the school on a regular basis and the school association raises useful funds for the school. In order to help parents support their children’s learning and also to provide the community with opportunities to learn new skills, the school has established a successful family learning programme. Last year 18 parents, a high proportion of parents in the school, attended the course “Help Your Child Succeed”. An after-school art course attended by children, parents and grandparents was also very successful. In the current term the school is running an ICT course and also one on literacy.

p.27

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The leadership and management of the school are good overall. The leadership of the headteacher is very good. The management and governance of the school are good .

p.28

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The headteacher provides very good leadership and has not only improved the overall quality of education within the school but has worked hard to improve community links. • School development planning is effective. • As a result of the procedures put in place by the headteacher the standard of pupils’ behaviour is no longer a cause for concern. • Subject co-ordinators are not involved sufficiently in evaluation of their subjects. • The school analyses its performance in English accurately but there are weaknesses in the use of assessment in other subjects. • Good improvements have been made since the previous inspection.

p.28

Commentary

45. A very caring Christian ethos exists within the school with staff providing equally for all pupils. A major strength of the school is that, despite its small size, every effort is made to ensure that pupils have the opportunity to take part in a wide range of activities both in and out of school time. Governors share a common vision and support the headteacher and staff well as they work hard to improve the learning opportunities for the pupils.

p.28

Commentary

46. The well-respected headteacher is energetic and determined in ensuring that her vision for the school is carried out. Inspection evidence gleaned from staff, parents, governors and local education authority officers provide clear evidence that serious issues with regard to the poor behaviour of pupils at the time of her appointment have been dealt with very well and as a result behaviour is now of a very high standard. The headteacher understands fully the strengths and weaknesses of the school. She has led staff very well in evaluating standards and has instigated very effective strategies to raise standards as demonstrated by the above average results in reading and writing in the 2004 Year 2 national tests. These strategies have been particularly effective in the raising of standards in the Foundation Stage and Years 1 to 4 but have not yet had time to impact fully in Years 5 and 6.

p.28

Commentary

47. Under the headteacher’s leadership, staff, governors, parents and pupils have been fully involved in the bid to raise expectations and improve standards. She has led by example, despite having a demanding teaching commitment but has also helped other members of staff to raise their own expectations and achieve success. Her very good leadership has created a committed and enthusiastic team that is mutually supportive Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 29 - January 2005 and makes an effective contribution to the good management of the school. All members of staff speak highly of her and work very well together in ensuring that all pupils are fully involved in every aspect of school life. Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 30 - January 2005 48. Priorities in the school development plan relating to attainment and progress in English are now set on the basis of secure information about pupils’ past performance.

p.28

Commentary

However, there is currently no whole-school approach to the assessment and recording of pupils’ progress in other subjects. This limits the school’s ability to identify the strengths and weaknesses in the subject and to plan future developments in order to raise standards. The headteacher has already identified this issue as a weakness that needs to be addressed.

p.30

Commentary

49. The headteacher has established very close links between school and the local community to the mutual benefit of both. She has played a lead role in the development of the Parish Plan in which pupils are also fully involved. The forthcoming move of the playgroup to the school premises and the well-advanced plans for a breakfast club and after-school club will further extend the exceptional service which the school provides to the community. At the same time it will contribute to school improvement by enabling the school to incorporate the class at present in the mobile classroom into the main building.

p.30

Commentary

50. The governing body carries out their entire statutory duties well. An appropriate committee structure has been established and governors have a very good knowledge of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Governors are fully involved in school planning and act as a critical friend. The governing body pursues the principles of best value for money. Performance management is being used well as a mechanism to improve standards with close links made between the objectives set for teachers and the priorities in the school improvement plan.

p.30

Commentary

51. The school has not sufficient financial resources to be able to fund a deputy headteacher. However, the headteacher is well supported by all her staff. Development planning is very through and clearly focused on raising standards further. All staff are able to contribute to the identification of priorities for inclusion in the school development plan but their roles as curriculum coordinators are at an early stage. The school operational plan is very effective in focusing attention on the priorities for each term.

p.30

Commentary

52. The overall management of the school is good. However, though co-ordinators have improved their involvement in curricular development, in this small school they have had only limited opportunities to monitor and evaluate standards in their subjects because of other work commitments. The school is very aware that co-ordinator roles need to be developed further.

p.30

Commentary

53. The management of the provision for pupils with special educational needs is good. The co-ordinator provides effective leadership and has a good understanding of the needs of the pupils. The contribution made by the classroom assistants to pupils’ progress is a particular strength of the provision for special educational needs.

p.30

Commentary

Financial information for the year April 2003 to March 2004

p.30

Commentary

Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 255,334 Balance from previous year 2,790 Total expenditure 257,152 Balance carried forward to the next 972 Expenditure per pupil 3,339 Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 31 - January 2005 54. Good procedures are in place to ensure that services and resources provide satisfactory value for money. For example, the school prepares and delivers meals for five of the six local small schools. As a result, the schools have benefited from keeping costs under control without it affecting the quality of the service. The most recent audit report found that the school’s financial systems and procedures were of an adequate standard. The administrative and finance officer and her assistant make a very valuable contribution to the smooth running of the school. Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 32 - January 2005

p.30

SUBJECTS

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

p.32

SUBJECTS

Provision in the Foundation Stage is good overall and has improved significantly since the previous inspection. Work is organised well in this mixed reception and Years 1 and 2 class. A good balance of activities is now provided across the six areas of learning. As a result, the quality of children’s learning is good overall.

p.32

SUBJECTS

Children enter the reception class in the September of the academic year they turn five. Their attainment on entry this year is below what is expected for their age in language and mathematical skills but with only six children in the age group statistical comparisons with what is expected nationally need to be treated with great care. Children achieve well in most areas of learning and are on course to meet the goals set out for them. Good provision is made for the very small number of pupils who speak English as an additional language and as a result achievement is good.

p.32

SUBJECTS

Most of the lessons observed during the inspection were of a good quality. The teacher of the Years 1 and 2 pupils co-ordinates the planning for the Foundation Stage and the activities are led and taught by a highly competent nursery nurse. They work very well together as a team. Learning is assessed regularly and children’s achievements or difficulties are recorded conscientiously. The information is used well to plan the next steps in learning.

p.32

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in personal, social and emotional development is good .

p.32

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children are happy and confident. • Children have very good attitudes. • Relationships are very good.

p.32

Commentary

55. Children achieve well in their personal, social and emotional development because of good teaching and most are expected to attain above the expected level by the time they enter Year 1. They settle quickly into the reception class because of the good arrangements with families and the local pre-school to ensure that children have a smooth start to school. Children have very good attitudes to learning. They settle well to tasks and manage their own belongings sensibly. They behave very well and work alongside others without fuss during the routines of the day. Snack times are social occasions when children are taught to say “please” and “thank you”. A good balance is achieved between directed activities and child-initiated activities, so that children are taught skills and also given opportunities to consolidate their learning. The teacher and nursery nurse have very good relationships with the children. Every child is

p.32

Commentary

valued and learns that her/his feelings are respected. Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 33 - January 2005 COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

p.32

Commentary

Provision in communication, language and literacy is good . Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 34 - January 2005

p.33

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Planning and teaching are good. • Pupils’ reading and writing skills are developed well. • The reading area in the reception class is not well organised.

p.34

Commentary

56. Teaching and learning are good. Children achieve well overall and most are likely to reach the expected level by the end of their year in the reception class. Achievement in the development of their speaking and listening skills is good because of the regular emphasis placed on these aspects. For example, children are given the opportunity to tell the whole class what they have done over the weekend and what ‘teddy’ got up to when he stayed with them. The phrases they use in their conversations show that they have grasp of language typical of children the same age.

p.34

Commentary

57. The effective arrangements for developing reading skills mean that children build up a good understanding of stories and the skills they need to gauge what is happening. Most children can recognise the sounds they have been taught to use in their reading. They use them to tackle new words that they read for themselves. Higher attainers are already reading with appropriate confidence books from the school’s reading scheme. They are achieving very well. Children enjoy books but the reading corner is not well organised or an attractive area where children can sit and look at a book.

p.34

Commentary

58. The priority given to letter formation and to handwriting gives children a strong start for the future. From the moment children begin school, they are encouraged to write by making marks on paper. The more able can already write recognisable letters and create their own simple sentences.

p.34

Commentary

Provision in mathematical development is good .

p.34

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The children are taught basic number skills well. • Sand and water activities are not effectively used to develop mathematical understanding.

p.34

Commentary

59. The quality of teaching and learning is good overall. As a result, children achieve well and the most are likely to reach the expected level by the end of their year in the reception class. Activities observed and recorded work show that children make good progress developing their understanding of number sequence and their knowledge of shape. The nursery nurse provides an appropriate range of practical activities to develop their number skills and as a result children make good progress. For example, children showed good knowledge of mathematical language when describing shapes in a ‘feely bag’ – “ It has two faces that are squares at the front and back and rectangles on the other two sides”. However, sand and water activities are not well directed at developing specific mathematical skills. Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 35 - January 2005 KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

p.34

Commentary

Provision in knowledge and understanding of the world is satisfactory. Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 36 - January 2005

p.35

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Opportunities are missed to develop children’s ICT skills.

p.36

Commentary

60. The quality of teaching and learning in the development of children’s knowledge and understanding of the world is sound. Children observe the environment and how it changes by recording the weather on a daily basis. Their awareness of time, place, cultures and beliefs is clearly planned and linked into their experiences in other areas. Where ideas and artefacts combine to invite investigation, children’s progress is accelerated as, for example, in the role-play area. Here children learn with anticipation and imagination. They have a satisfactory range of construction materials which they use effectively to initiate their own learning when, for example, making a castle out of wooden blocks. However, more opportunities should be provided for children to use computers purposefully in order to develop mouse control and use of simple screen tools. The majority of children are likely to reach the expected level by

p.36

Commentary

the end of their year in the reception class.

p.36

Commentary

Provision in physical development is satisfactory .

p.36

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children learn to control their movements well. • Insufficient resources are provided for outdoor play and there is no designated area.

p.36

Commentary

61. Teaching and learning are satisfactory. In the lessons indoors, children make good progress and achieve well. For example, in one lesson the children were very confident when working on the apparatus. They worked energetically and displayed a good sense of balance. They were able to negotiate space well and weave in and out of each other with good dexterity. Most show good manipulative ability when they handle small tools and props for learning. Achievement is satisfactory overall. Staff make sure that sufficient worthwhile ways are available for children to develop enough stamina and skill in their physical development to reach the goals for their age. However, there is a lack of a designated outside play area to develop some of the skills important for climbing and racing around outdoors and also a lack of suitable equipment.

p.36

Commentary

No overall judgements can be made because of insufficient evidence.

p.36

Commentary

62. Displays of children’s work indicate that they have satisfactory opportunities to draw their own pictures. When constructing a ‘dragon’ out of cardboard boxes and waste materials, the children showed imagination and that they have the good ability to work together for a suitable amount of time with others. No musical experiences were observed during the inspection. Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 37 - January 2005 Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 38 - January 2005

p.36

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The quality of teaching and learning is good and most pupils achieve well. • The subject is well led and managed. • Relationships are very good. • Good assessment systems have been put in place. • Teachers’ written comments in pupils’ books do not always make clear how pupils can improve their writing. • Good additional support is provided for pupils with special educational needs.

p.38

Commentary

63. Pupils enter the school often with language skills below average. With the good learning opportunities in the infants and improved teaching in the juniors, especially in Years 3 and 4 since the last inspection, pupils achieve well in their time at the school. There is no obvious difference between the achievements of boys and girls. Standards in speaking and listening are average at the end of Years 2 and 6 and average in reading and writing. Factors affecting fluctuation in standards from year to year are very low pupil numbers, pupil mobility and the impact on overall standards of pupils with special educational needs.

p.38

Commentary

64. Pupils enjoy reading and have set time during the school day to read. They take books home regularly. In Year 2, pupils develop their reading skills effectively, locating key words in a non-fiction book and finding their meanings from the glossary. Pupils in Year 6 develop good ways in helping them to improve their reading, such as, “When you read on, you get to know what it means”. Most enjoy reading, but their knowledge of authors is very limited.

p.38

Commentary

65. Younger pupils build up their knowledge of letters and sounds and spelling of common words effectively through regular short activities. Teachers teach handwriting and spelling regularly, which helps to improve the standard and presentation of pupils’ work. Teachers’ marking does not always show pupils how to improve these aspects. This hinders pupils from making quicker progress in their writing. Effective additional targeted support for designated pupils boosts their performance in tasks and tests.

p.38

Commentary

66. Achievement in writing is satisfactory. The school has recognised the need to improve pupils’ writing skills. Standards of writing seen are broadly average. In Year 2 a good emphasis is given to help pupils develop a range of writing skills. As part of an ‘I would like to be’ display, a child who wanted to be a teacher wrote, ‘ I will need to write spellings for children to copy if they get stuck’. By the end of Year 6 the majority of pupils have made satisfactory progress and some high attainers have made good progress. Writing is usually structured satisfactorily, imaginative and clear and there is evidence of the main features of various writing forms being used appropriately. For example, during the inspection descriptive writing by one child about another child in the class contained the sentence,’ She has a humorous and friendly personality.’ Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 39 - January 2005

p.38

Commentary

However, some older pupils make too many basic spelling mistakes. In some lessons opportunities are missed to use ICT effectively.

p.39

Commentary

67. The quality of teaching and learning is good overall. Throughout the school, pupils listen attentively to their teachers, other adults and each other, which helps them to learn effectively. Staff work hard to explain new vocabulary and concepts to pupils to help them understand. However, pupils do not always have the opportunities in lessons to use the new vocabulary Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 40 - January 2005 and develop their understanding through discussing issues in pairs or small groups. Where they do have such opportunities, for example in Years 5 and 6 when debating drug abuse, this was effective in developing pupils’ speaking and listening skills. Role- play is used to good effect. Teachers encourage pupils to participate in lessons and use questioning skillfully to cover the range of abilities in the class. Pupils respond enthusiastically, and are keen to offer their ideas. Occasionally there is a tendency for

p.39

Commentary

teachers to only ask for answers from pupils who put up their hands and then to move on to the next part of the lesson if the correct response is obtained.

p.40

Commentary

68. Whole-school systems for assessment and planning are now established and work well and consistently. The previous report was critical of the quality of assessment. This issue has been addressed successfully. Improvements in teaching and learning include:

p.40

Commentary

• tracking pupils’ progress throughout their time in school with regular tests and assessments in reading, writing and spelling. These help teachers to allocate pupils to groups so that they plan the work to match pupils’ needs closely; • assessing pupils’ writing termly to monitor teaching and how well pupils are learning; • good monitoring in the subject so that there is a good understanding of what is working well and where improvements need to be made to raise standards.

p.40

Commentary

Additional factors that would contribute to further improvement in standards in the subject are:

p.40

Commentary

• more planned opportunities for pupils to talk about their work in pairs; • continuing to build up teachers’ confidence in assessing pupils’ writing by moderating to improve consistency; • using the information from pupils’ writing in assessments and in their books to write comments and set individual targets for pupils.

p.40

Commentary

69. Support for pupils with special educational needs is of good quality and helps these pupils achieve well, with work closely matched to their abilities and level of English respectively. The very good relationships between staff and pupils help lessons and learning to be effective because pupils work hard to please their teachers.

p.40

Commentary

70. The co-ordinator has worked hard to improve standards and the strategies now in place as they work their way through the school are having a positive impact on the progress pupils are making. Pupils are pleased to be consulted about what their targets are and enjoy the timetabled reading sessions very much.

p.40

Language and literacy across the curriculum

71. Teachers provide satisfactory planned opportunities in other subjects for pupils to develop their literacy skills effectively. Older pupils write up their reports in geography about aspects of life in Pakistan. In Year 2 descriptions of old toys are written by the pupils and published in a whole-class museum of toys programme.

p.40

MATHEMATICS

Provision in mathematics is satisfactory overall. Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 41 - January 2005

p.40

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils’ attitudes towards the subject are consistently good. • Pupils in Years 5 and 6 lack speed and accuracy in using their mental arithmetic skills in solving problems. • There is no whole-school approach to the use of assessment. • Teaching is of a good quality in Years 1 to 4 and as a result pupils achieve well. Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 42 - January 2005

p.41

Commentary

72. Standards are broadly average in Years 2. Standards in Year 6 have risen from a well below average level but are still below average. Any interpretation of overall results needs treating with care because of the small number of pupils involved and by significant pupil mobility. While achievement is good in Years 1 to 4 overall achievement is satisfactory because the strategies introduced to raise standards have not had time to impact fully on Years 5 and 6. There is no significant difference between the performance of boys and girls.

p.42

Commentary

73. In Years 1 and 2 pupils use their knowledge of number sequences soundly and higher attainers understand negative numbers well. They can accurately use the correct notation to interpret and solve story problems using numbers to 20. The higher attaining pupils can subtract two-digit numbers from numbers below 50 accurately. In Year 6, pupils are able to conduct investigations with a calculator and have a reasonable command of basic number. However, pupils lack the necessary speed in carrying out mental calculations. For example, when asked to work out the sale price of items where there was a percentage discount most arrive at the correct answer but take too long to do it. In Years 3 and 4, pupils are given plenty of opportunities to use their mental arithmetic skills and consequently most can work out their answers accurately and fairy quickly.

p.42

Commentary

74. The quality of teaching and learning is good overall but there are some weaknesses in Years 5 and 6. Most teachers plan work well and make sure that pupils know what they are expected to learn in any particular lesson. However, the lack of a core scheme and of a whole-school approach to assessment means that pupils are not always challenged effectively, especially in Years 5 and 6. In that class, for example, potential higher attaining pupils are not challenged to work out simple calculations such as 52-14 mentally and instead use a calculator.

p.42

Commentary

75. In the best lessons, pupils enjoy learning because it is fun. In one such lesson, in Years 3 and 4 the teacher realised that the task was too easy for the higher attainers and provided more challenge. This adjustment to the content of the lesson was a very good example of the effective use of on-going assessment to improve performance. However, in Years 5 and 6 the teacher does not always provide work that higher attainers find challenging. For example, instead of letting pupils work out for themselves what they need to do the teacher spends too much time explaining instructions. Plenary sessions are used effectively in most classes to reinforce learning, to extend thinking and to celebrate success. However, opportunities are sometimes missed when teachers mark pupils’ work to provide points to help pupils’ improve further.

p.42

Commentary

76. Pupils with special educational needs are integrated well into lessons through effective use of teaching assistants. The extent to which all pupils are provided with opportunities to discuss their findings or discuss strategies is limited in most lessons. Where, however, this is effective it leads to good collaborative working and good levels of achievement.

p.42

Commentary

77. Leadership of the subject is satisfactory. The subject leader has a clear vision for the further development of the subject but has not been given time to evaluate teaching and learning in lessons. The school has plans to address the issue concerning the lack of whole-school assessment. Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 43 - January 2005

p.42

Mathematics across the curriculum

78. Mathematical skills are planned into work and used soundly in other subjects. In ICT, older pupils use data they have collected well to construct spreadsheets on the computer, while other pupils use their findings about the ways pupils travel to school to create graphs and pie charts. Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 44 - January 2005

p.43

SCIENCE

Provision in science is unsatisfactory .

p.44

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Overall standards by the time pupils leave are below those found in most schools. • Older pupils are not provided with sufficient opportunities to set up their own investigations. • Pupils show a good attitude to work and behave well in lessons observed. • There is no whole-school approach to assessment and marking does not indicate to pupils what they need to do to improve.

p.44

Main strengths and weaknesses

79. Standards and pupils’ achievement in Year 2 are broadly average and pupils are making satisfactory progress. However, while pupils’ achievement in Years 3 to 6 is satisfactory overall their achievements in the current Year 6 are not as high as they were at the time of the previous inspection and standards are below those found in most schools. However, class sizes are very small and any comparisons with national test results and those from similar schools need to be treated with caution. There is no significant difference in achievement between boys and girls. Pupils with special educational needs achieve as well as the rest of the school.

p.44

Main strengths and weaknesses

80. The teacher for Years 1 and 2 plans interesting and challenging activities for the pupils. For example, they enjoyed becoming ‘detectives’ when investigating the properties of different materials. The teacher assessed and recorded the pupils’ responses conscientiously and made good use of the information. She noted down how one boy had decided, “This can’t be metal because the magnet will not stick to it.” On further investigation he came to the conclusion that he was being “tricked” by some metals. The teacher discussed his findings that not all metals are attracted to a magnet and he shared the information with the rest of the class. Discussion with the pupils showed that they had achieved well during the lesson because they had been allowed to investigate for themselves.

p.44

Main strengths and weaknesses

81. Discussions held with pupils from Year 6 show that they enjoy their work, especially when they are given the opportunity to engage in practical activities. However, their knowledge of how to go about setting up an experiment is not as good as it should be and a work scrutiny showed that they are given insufficient opportunities to carry out experiments. Though the presentation of pupils’ work has improved since the previous inspection in most classes, more attention still needs to be given to this aspect in Years 5 and 6.

p.44

Main strengths and weaknesses

82. It is not possible to make an overall judgement about the quality of teaching and learning throughout the school as no lessons were seen in Years 5 and 6. Teachers in classes 1 and 2 are secure in their knowledge of the subject. They plan well and make appropriate use of all available resources. They have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. This and the very good relationships ensure that pupils have a positive attitude to their work. The subject makes a satisfactory contribution towards pupils’ literacy and numeracy development in most classes but there is no evidence of pupils using their ICT skills in science. Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 45 - January 2005 83. Marking of pupils’ work is done regularly, but teachers’ written comments do not always inform pupils how to improve. There is no whole-school approach to the gathering of assessment information and its use to improve standards and provision.

p.44

Main strengths and weaknesses

The school rightly sees a need for more consistent and rigorous assessment procedures to be put in place as soon as possible. The co-ordinator is new to the post and has not yet monitored standards and the quality of teaching and learning across the school. Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 46 - January 2005

p.45

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Provision in ICT is satisfactory overall.

p.46

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

• Pupils have good access to the ICT resources in the ICT suite to learn new skills. • The use of ICT in other subjects is unsatisfactory. • Assessment procedures are not in place. • Very good use is made of the expertise of a technician to support staff and pupils.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

84. Standards of attainment in ICT are in line with national expectations by the end of Years 2 and 6 and pupils are achieving satisfactorily overall. These judgements are similar to those made at the time of the previous inspection. Since that time provision has improved significantly. All classes now have access to a well equipped computer suite. One classroom has been equipped with an interactive whiteboard. However, its potential as an aid to learning has not been explored sufficiently as yet.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

85. Pupils in Year 2 demonstrate sound skills. They manipulate the mouse accurately and can type simple sentences directly to screen. By Year 6, pupils can communicate information satisfactorily using word processing programs. They can combine words and graphics and use the Internet to research specific topics. For example, during the inspection a group of Year 6 pupils were observed writing an article for the school’s newsletter appealing for money to provide shelters for those left homeless as a result of the recent Tsunami catastrophe. Pupils in Year 5 have the necessary skills to use the information from a database to produce graphs.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

86. The school is not afraid to take on new initiatives to develop its ICT provision. Year 6 pupils were observed during the inspection working with the Digital Learning Community (DLC). The pupils experienced the benefits of an easy access learning program that enabled genuine two-way communication with a ‘tutor’ who can coach them through actual learning tasks. As a result of using this link up, they made good gains in developing their ICT skills.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

87. No overall judgement can be made about the quality of teaching as only one lesson was seen during the inspection. This was a good simulation exercise in which the pupils quickly learned how to create a sequence of instructions to enable containers to be loaded onto a helicopter hovering above ground level. Good use was made by the teacher of the interactive whiteboard to demonstrate new skills to the class.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

88. Evidence from planning demonstrates that pupils receive a balanced curriculum, covering all aspects of the ICT programme of study. An ICT technician who has very good skills works on a part time basis in the school. He not only supports pupils and staff well but also finds the time to organise a computer club at lunchtime.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

89. The curriculum co-ordinator provides good leadership and management and monitors standards closely to check on the teaching and learning. However, the school does not have any procedures for assessing and recording the development of pupils’ skills as they move through the school. Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 47 - January 2005

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Information and communication technology across the curriculum

90. The use of ICT in other subjects to enable pupils to develop and refine their skills is unsatisfactory overall. Teachers’ planning does not reflect the importance of ICT as an aid to learning. It is used occasionally in some subjects such as history to research for information and in English to word process writing. Though spreadsheets are used in mathematics, little evidence was seen of pupils using their ICT skills in science.

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HUMANITIES

91. During the inspection no lessons in geography or history were observed. It is not possible, therefore, to make secure judgements about overall provision or teaching and learning in either subject. Evidence from a scrutiny of work and discussion with pupils shows that in geography and history the pupils have access to a broad curriculum and study a range of interesting and relevant topics.

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HUMANITIES

92. In geography , by following the journeys of Barnaby Bear younger pupils understand that their own immediate locality is different to that in some other places. Work in Year 6 demonstrates that mountain ranges have been studied; pupils can talk sensibly about the precautions you would need to take in setting out on a mountain trek. Through in-depth studies of Pakistan pupils gain a good knowledge about the geographical features of the country. The pupils write to pupils in a school in Pakistan and have received replies. In their geographical studies they make sensible comparisons with temperature readings in their home town with those in a town in Pakistan. The work involved in the project also enhanced pupils’ knowledge of other cultures and culminated in them taking part in a multi-cultural festival along with other schools. In Years 5 and 6, pupils used an enquiry based approach very well to

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HUMANITIES

investigate their own village community. They compiled their own questionnaires for pupils and villagers and used graphs effectively to demonstrate their findings about environmental issues. Pupils in Years 5 to 6 enjoy this area of the curriculum and talk knowledgeably about their topics.

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HUMANITIES

93. In history , pupils in Years 1 and 2 have produced their own good quality booklet about ‘old toys’ and made good use of their ICT skills in adding their own descriptions of the artefacts. The study went one stage further by having within school an exhibition of the objects. Pupils in Year 2 have a good knowledge about the work of Florence Nightingale. In making effective use of their writing skills describing conditions in the hospitals one child stated, ‘ The food was disgusting’ . Timelines are used well in Years 3 and 4 to provide pupils with information about when famous events, such as William the Conqueror’s invasion of Britain took place. Topics in history are used soundly in allowing pupils to use their writing skills. For example, one pupil in Year 6 wrote, ‘ I would rather have lived in Sparta because everyone received a good education’ . However, opportunities are missed when pupils’ work is marked, to provide comments

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HUMANITIES

that will help pupils improve further. For example, a good account about the battle of Marathon just received a tick with no reference made to the quality of the work.

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Religious education

Provision for religious education is satisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 48 - January 2005 • The subject makes a good contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral and cultural development. • Pupils’ attitudes are positive and this leads to an enjoyment of the subject. Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 49 - January 2005

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Commentary

94. Standards in religious education are in line with the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus for the end of Years 2 and 6. Pupils do better than expected in gaining knowledge about Christianity but knowledge of other world religions is only satisfactory. They have a positive attitude to learning about different faiths but are not confident in answering questions and offering ideas. Pupils’ attitudes have improved since the last inspection, from satisfactory to good.

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Commentary

95. No overall judgement can be made about the quality of teaching because only one lesson was seen. In that lesson pupils made very good links with dance to demonstrate the themes of lightness and darkness, in readiness for a festival celebration. In Years 3 and 4 some good work has been accomplished with regard to the Ten Commandments. Good opportunities were provided for pupils to record their own ideas about how Moses felt when asked to go up the mountain. One child wrote, ‘ He probably thought that God would give him something hard to do ’. Pupils in this class have a good understanding of the festival of Diwali. In Years 5 and 6 a study of life in Pakistan has included an appropriate emphasis on religious beliefs.

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Commentary

96. The subject contributes well to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The school has worked closely in recent years with the local community to share the positive approach to religious education and as a result the school enjoys good links with the local church and has the full support of the community.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

97. Art and design, design and technology, music and physical education were only sampled and, therefore, no secure judgements can be made about provision.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

98. One lesson in art and design was observed. Displays of pupils’ work demonstrate a satisfactory range of skills and materials being taught and used, for example, observational drawing and collage work. There is also evidence of older children making good use of a digital camera to record scenes around the school before creating their own landscapes. However, discussion held with the pupils shows that they have a below average understanding and knowledge of the works of famous artists.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

99. In the one lesson observed in Years 3 and 4, very good teaching and learning took place resulting in pupils achieving high standards. Fabric printed with patterns from China and Egypt was used effectively to give the pupils some ideas for their own designs. The teacher provided the pupils with quality materials to work with and gave good advice on the techniques to try out. As a result, pupils of all attainment levels were completely absorbed in their work and the finished products were of a very good standard.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

100. A lunchtime art club enables those pupils who attend to develop their artistic skills further. Drawings and sketches on display in the hall, produced in the Family Learning Group, depicting Native Americans are of a very high quality. Resources are satisfactory but no whole-school approach is used to assess and record pupils’ progress as they move through the school.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

101. In design and technology a scrutiny of planning indicates that an appropriate range of activities is undertaken by the pupils. For example, pupils in Years 1 and 2 were Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 50 - January 2005 observed examining closely a variety of simple levers, pivots and sliding mechanisms before producing their own moving pictures. Pupils in Years 3 and 4 have designed and made some colourful wallets. The finished products were of a good quality and pupils’ written evaluations made a valuable contribution towards the development of their writing skills. Older pupils talked Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 51 - January 2005 enthusiastically about how much they enjoyed responding to the challenge of designing and making a shelter out of canes and plastic sheeting to protect people from the wind and rain. Since the last inspection the school has developed a scheme

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

of work and skills are now being developed in accordance with national guidelines.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

102. The school makes very good use of a specialist teacher to teach music. In the one lesson seen teaching was excellent and as a result pupils achieved above average standards in musical composition. The teacher ensured all pupils had access to keyboards and despite this being the first lesson since before the Christmas break she not only reinforced pupils’ knowledge of basic notation but introduced them to ternary form and inspired them to compose and play the middle section themselves. The rest of the staff lack confidence in teaching the subject.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

103. There is a full programme of physical education activities. Good use is made of outside expertise to provide specialist coaching in, for example, football. The subject is well resourced and is enhanced by the wide range of extra-curricular activities involving schools from the local cluster including many sporting events. Participation in these by both boys and girls is high.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

104. In the one lesson observed in the juniors the teaching and learning were satisfactory overall, especially in the development of pupils’ performance skills. Close attention was given to warming up and cooling down before and after activities. The management of pupils was good and due care and attention given to ensuring safe working practices. The pupils responded well and their achievement in the development of their gymnastic skills was satisfactory. However, pupils’ were not provided with the opportunity to evaluate and suggest ways of improving their own and others’ performance.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

105. Personal, social and health education and citizenship were sampled, as not enough lessons were seen to support an overall teaching and learning judgement. The school provides good opportunities for pupils to learn respect for the values and beliefs of other pupils and adults, and to develop their own self-worth and confidence. Planned discussion sessions (circle time) highlight the need to be aware of people’s feelings.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

106. The school views pupils’ personal development as important and addresses it well. The outcomes of the school’s approach are clearly seen in the very good attitudes, behaviour, relationships and personal development of pupils. Sex education and education about drugs are addressed appropriately. Work in this area helps pupils to develop an awareness of a healthy lifestyle and to learn how to relate to others. Middleton-on-the-Wolds CofE Primary School - 52 - January 2005

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Inspection judgement Grade

The overall effectiveness of the school 4 How inclusive the school is 2 How the school’s effectiveness has changed since its last inspection 3 Value for money provided by the school 3

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Inspection judgement Grade

Overall standards achieved 4 Pupils’ achievement 4

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Inspection judgement Grade

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities 2 Attendance 4 Attitudes 2 Behaviour, including the extent of exclusions 2 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2

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Inspection judgement Grade

The quality of education provided by the school 3 The quality of teaching 3 How well pupils learn 3 The quality of assessment 5 How well the curriculum meets pupils needs 3 Enrichment of the curriculum, including out-of-school activities 2 Accommodation and resources 4 Pupils’ care, welfare, health and safety 2 Support, advice and guidance for pupils 3 How well the school seeks and acts on pupils’ views 2 The effectiveness of the school’s links with parents 2 The quality of the school’s links with the community 1 The school’s links with other schools and colleges 2

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Inspection judgement Grade

The leadership and management of the school 3 The governance of the school 3 The leadership of the headteacher 2 The leadership of other key staff 4 The effectiveness of management 3

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Inspection judgement Grade

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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