Neville's Cross Primary School and Nursery

NEVILLE’S CROSS PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 4th – 7th July 2005

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NEVILLE’S CROSS PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

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NEVILLE’S CROSS 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. Neville’s Cross Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Primary School category: Community Age range of pupils: 4 – 11 Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 216

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Relly Path Neville’s Cross Durham County Durham

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Telephone number: 0191 3842249 Fax number: 0191 3830550

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: Governing body Name of chair of governors: Dr Nigel Martin

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 26 April 1999

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

This is an averaged-sized primary school, with 216 boys and girls aged between four and eleven years. While most of the pupils come from white British families, about five per cent of the pupils’ families come from other ethnic groups. About eleven per cent of the pupils speak English as their second language, with five pupils who are at an early stage of English language acquisition. The school takes its pupils from a wide area, with only about a quarter coming from its immediate locality. The proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals is lower than average.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

The pupils’ profile of attainment on entry has fallen in recent years and is now average. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs has risen over the same period and is above average, with an average number of pupils with Statements of Special Educational Needs. A number of pupils with special educational needs enter the school at later points than the usual start in Reception. Pupils’ needs are very diverse and include autism, specific learning difficulties, hearing impairment and speech and communication difficulties.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

The school is part of a local authority ‘community of learning’ project investigating the common problems in the area of social communication and social language deprivation.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

The school has faced a difficult time with staffing over this school year due to long-term absence. Half of the teachers have been absent for extended periods due to illness or maternity leave. Neville’s Cross Primary School - 4

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

21227 Barbara Crane Lead inspector English Art and design Design and technology English as an additional language Foundation Stage 12682 Jim Griffin Lay inspector 32283 Denis Goodchild Team inspector Mathematics Information and communication technology Geography History Special educational needs 30745 Pat Thorpe Team inspector Science Music Physical education Religious education

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

peakschoolhaus BPS Business Centre Brake Lane Walesby Nottinghamshire NG22 9HQ

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

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

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 9

Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 9

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL 12

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 28

Neville’s Cross Primary School - 6 Neville’s Cross Primary School - 7

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OVERALL EVALUATION

This is a good school , with some very good features. Pupils do well because of the good teaching. Standards are above average. Pupils’ personal development is very good and they are given a clear voice in shaping the school’s future. The school is well led and managed and gives good value for money.

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The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

• The headteacher sets the tone for the rigorous way in which the school checks how well it is doing and strives to improve pupils’ achievement. • Pupils do particularly well in mathematics, science, music and speaking. • High quality support results in pupils with special educational needs making very good progress. • The school takes very good care of pupils and seeks their views on its development. • Pupils’ personal development is very well supported and there are plenty of activities outside normal lessons. • Pupils’ skills in writing and information and communication technology (ICT) are not used as well as they should be across the curriculum. There has been good improvement since the school’s previous inspection in 1999. Standards, teaching and the curriculum have improved well and there are much better checks on how well things are working and what needs to improve. Assessments are now used well to adapt teaching

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The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

and improve pupils’ learning. Standards in ICT are higher.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Pupils’ achievement is good. Reception children make good progress and are likely to exceed the targets for their age in most areas of learning by the time they start in Year 1. Results for eleven year olds have been high in recent years, and in 2003 were in the top five per cent of schools for English, but the number of pupils with special educational needs has been rising over the same period and is now higher than average. This is a significant factor in the overall lower performance of the current Year 6. The school tracks the individual progress of pupils very carefully and the data shows good progress by both the current Year 6 and Year 2 pupils and this is borne out by inspection evidence. Pupils are doing well in Year 6 to reach above average standards, overall, in English and their speaking skills are very good. They are achieving very well to reach above average standards in mathematics and high standards in science. In Year 2, standards in reading,

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

writing and science are above average and pupils’ achievement is good in these areas. Standards in mathematics are well above average and pupils’ achievement is very good. Standards in ICT are above average in Year 2 and average in Year 6. Standards in music are high throughout the school. Standards are at expected levels in religious education. Pupils who are learning English as an additional language make good progress. Pupils of all ages with special educational needs achieve very well.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

all schools similar schools Results in National Curriculum tests at the end of Year 6, compared with: 2002 2003 2004 2004 English A A* A B Mathematics A A* A A Science C A A A Key: A - well above average; B – above average; C – average; D – below average; E – well below average Similar schools are those whose pupils attained similarly at the end of Year 2.

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

development, is very good, overall. Pupils enjoy school and this is reflected in their very good attendance and their eagerness to take part in all aspects of school life. They make the most of Neville’s Cross Primary School - 8 what the school offers them and are very willing to take on responsibilities and help others. Behaviour is good. Relationships and attitudes to learning are very good and support pupils’ good progress.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The school gives a good quality education to pupils. Teaching and learning are good , with significant strengths that support pupils’ good progress. A firm foundation is laid in Reception because very effective teaching promotes children’s personal, social and emotional development. The well-trained teaching assistants play a vital role in the high quality support provided for all ages of pupils with special educational needs. There is very warm encouragement so that pupils want to succeed. Teaching makes good use of the checks made on how well pupils are doing to adapt work to meet the needs of different abilities. The teaching of mathematics, science and music is very good. Pupils’ speaking skills are very well promoted. Opportunities are missed, however, for pupils to use their skills in writing or ICT in other subjects. There is a good quality curriculum that has been broadened to include a wide range of musical activities, as well as drama. This has proved very

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

successful in raising standards in music and engaging pupils’ enthusiasm for performance. A very good range of other activities is offered outside normal lessons and pupils join in enthusiastically. Provision for personal, social and health education is very good. The school takes very good care of pupils and they know who to ask for help or advice if they have problems. There is a good partnership with parents and good links with other schools and the community.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management are good. The school places a high priority on the inclusion of all pupils and has worked hard to achieve this. The headteacher’s leadership is very good. She has dealt with the challenges posed by an unusually high level of staff absence in the past year very effectively. Staff morale is high and they have pulled together well as a team to shoulder extra responsibilities in order to cope with difficult times. The headteacher has nurtured a climate in which the school’s everyday work involves seeking ways in which provision can be improved at all levels. Key staff give good support and are fully involved in checking what is working well and where improvements can be made. As a result, the school knows what it needs to work on next and has already identified that the use of writing and ICT across the curriculum needs to improve. The governance of the school is good. Governors have a good understanding of the school’s strengths

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

and weaknesses and ensure that all statutory requirements are met.

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Parents’ views of the school are good. They feel that the school promotes their children’s independence and confidence very well and appreciate the efforts made to widen the curriculum with music and drama. Pupils feel very much involved in shaping the school’s future because the school seeks their views very well.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

The most important thing that the school needs to do now is:

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

• Improve the opportunities for pupils to use their skills in writing and ICT across the curriculum. Neville’s Cross Primary School - 9

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Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

Pupils’ achievement is good. By Year 6, standards are above average in English and mathematics and well above average in science.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Reception children get a good grounding in basic skills that underpin their future success. • Pupils with special educational needs make very good progress. • Pupils do very well in speaking, mathematics, science and music throughout the school. • Progress in writing and ICT is slower than it should be at times, because these skills are not always used and extended in other subjects.

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Commentary

1. Pupils’ achievement is good. Results in tests for eleven year olds have been consistently high over several years, but the profile of pupils attainment on entering the school has been changing over time and there are wide variations in different year groups. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs has been rising over recent years and is now higher than average; this is a major factor in the performance of the current Year 6 pupils. The school carefully tracks the progress of individual pupils and year groups and the information gained shows good progress by both the current Year 6 and Year 2 pupils. This is reflected in inspection evidence.

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Commentary

2. Pupils of all ages with special educational needs achieve very well. This is because pupils’ needs are quickly identified and met through very effective planning and support that promote very good progress towards targets set for individual pupils. Pupils who are learning English as an additional language make good progress because of well-planned support.

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Commentary

3. Reception children get off to a good start and most are likely to exceed the targets for their age in most areas of learning by the time they start in Year 1. A solid foundation is laid for children’s future success because basic skills are well learned in literacy and numeracy in the early years and children’s personal, social and emotional development is very well promoted.

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Commentary

4. Pupils’ different abilities are recognised and provided for so that pupils in Years 1 to 6 make good progress. Pupils are doing well in Year 6 to reach overall above average standards in English, with variations in different aspects of the subject. There are above average standards in reading and very good attainment in speaking. Standards in writing, however, are more average in Year 6. In Year 2, standards in reading and writing are above average, as are pupils’ speaking and listening. There are times, however, across the school, when pupils’ progress in writing is somewhat limited because of a lack of opportunities to use skills across other subjects. In contrast, pupils’ speaking develops very well in all year groups because of an effective emphasis on encouraging pupils to take part in drama and public speaking.

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Commentary

5. Pupils’ skills in problem solving and investigations are particularly well developed in mathematics and science in all year groups. Year 6 pupils are achieving very well to reach above average standards in mathematics and well above average levels in science. In Year 2, standards in mathematics are well above average and in science are above average. Pupils’ thinking is very well developed in both subjects and so they confidently try out their ideas and find different ways of approaching problems. Neville’s Cross Primary School - 10 6. Standards in ICT are above average in Year 2 and average in Year 6. There are times when opportunities for pupils to use their ICT skills are not fully exploited through other subjects and so their progress, while satisfactory, is slower than it should be.

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Commentary

7. Standards in music are high throughout the school. This is because of the wide range of opportunities for pupils to take part in activities supported by specialist teaching.

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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 16.0 (15.9) 15.8 (15.7)

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Commentary

There were 35 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Commentary

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

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Commentary

Standards in: School results National results English 29.1 (30.2) 26.9 (26.8) Mathematics 29.8 (30.5) 27.0 (26.8) Science 31.1 (30.0) 28.6 (28.6) There were 32 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

Pupils’ personal development, including their spiritual, moral and social development, is very good, overall. Pupils behave well and have very good attitudes to learning. Attendance is very good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Reception children get off to a flying start in developing very good relationships and a very positive attitude to work. • Pupils’ confidence and self-esteem are high because of the way in which pupils are encouraged to take part in the school community. • The pupils’ very good rate of attendance reflects their keenness to come to school and make the most of what it offers them.

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Commentary

8. Pupils’ moral and social development is provided for very effectively. As a result, pupils enjoy being together and know that making the right choices is important. Pupils’ very good attitudes to school have a positive impact on their progress in both work and personal development. The high level of interest and participation in lessons begins in the Reception year and is carefully fostered through very good guidance on how to treat others as well as how to become self-reliant. Very good relationships between children and adults mean that children want to do the right thing, from their early days at school. As pupils become older, their enjoyment of school extends to their involvement in the wide range of activities outside the normal school day. They develop a very good level of confidence because of the supportive atmosphere in the school, which encourages pupils to take part in dramatic performances, public speaking and musical activities. The pupils’ very good rate of

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Commentary

attendance reflects their enjoyment of school.

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Commentary

9. Pupils are sensible and respectful and carry out duties around the school willingly. The class council is well used as a forum for pupils to discuss issues and decide which of their ideas Neville’s Cross Primary School - 11 should be taken to the headteacher and which they can put into action themselves. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 take on responsibilities around the school and apply for the roles of ‘guardian’ or ‘mediator’ in the playground, for which they receive training. These opportunities have a very good impact on the personal development of pupils and they become more self-assured as a result. Most pupils behave very well, both in lessons and around the school. A few pupils occasionally find it hard to conform to the high expectations of behaviour but receive effective guidance to help them to see what they need to do to improve. There was one fixed-term exclusion for unacceptable behaviour last year.

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Commentary

10. Provision for spiritual and cultural development is good. The school provides good opportunities for spiritual development through assemblies, class discussions, lessons and the day-to-day life of the school. Pupils are given time to reflect on events or their own thoughts and feelings. For example, after listening to stories pupils are asked questions such as “What was the message?” and “Why did they act like that?” Discussions like this help pupils to put themselves in the place of others and so they learn to challenge unfairness and show compassion. Pupils are expected to persevere when things become difficult and the school recognises achievement in many ways. Music plays a significant part in pupils’ cultural development. Pupils sing a wide variety of both traditional and modern songs and enjoy different styles of music from a range of composers, through both listening and having opportunities to play a musical instrument. Pupils have knowledge of their own culture and

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Commentary

encounter traditions and values from other cultural backgrounds in subjects such as art, music, religious education and geography.

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Attendance

Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

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Attendance

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data 3.7 School data 0.1 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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Attendance

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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Attendance

Categories used in the Annual School Census No of pupils on roll Number of fixed period exclusions Number of permanent exclusions White – British 161 1 0 White – Irish 1 0 0 White – any other White background 8 0 0 Mixed – White and Asian 4 0 0 Mixed – any other mixed background 1 0 0 Asian or Asian British – Pakistani 2 0 0 Asian or Asian British – any other Asian background 4 0 0 Black or Black British – African 1 0 0 No ethnic group recorded 10 0 0 The table gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded. Neville’s Cross Primary School - 12

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Teaching and learning

Teaching, learning and assessment are good and there are some very good features.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching of Reception children lays a very firm foundation for future work habits. • There is very effective teaching in mathematics, science, music and speaking. • Teaching for pupils with special educational needs is very good. • Occasionally, introductions to lessons are too long and this slows the pace.

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Commentary

11. There has been good improvement in teaching since the previous inspection. Teaching is good, throughout the school, and has been supported effectively by management’s good planning for the staff’s professional development. The information gained from monitoring of teaching has been well used by the school’s management to bring about improvement, for example in providing good opportunities for speaking. Assessments of what pupils can do and planning for what needs to be worked on next, are much better than previously. This has led to better inclusion of pupils with special educational needs and more challenge for the more able pupils.

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Commentary

12. Several factors combine to ensure that teaching provides a very good start for children in Reception. Teaching very effectively supports children’s personal, social and emotional development because adults respond sensitively to children’s individual needs. The staff’s capacity to do this is enhanced through the strong links with parents and carers as children start school. Children’s independence and confidence are built very well through activities that engage them. They learn to settle quickly to work and to persevere. The very good relationships and calm atmosphere mean that children feel secure and they respond to the well-established routines of the school day.

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Commentary

13. There are high expectations of what pupils can achieve in mathematics and science, combined with a good emphasis on problem solving and investigations, where pupils are encouraged to use their own ideas. Pupils learn at a very good rate in both subjects because the basic skills are very well taught and pupils use these very well when faced with challenging work. Pupils’ speaking is very well promoted through teaching that values all contributions. Pupils learn effectively from each other because they listen carefully to what others say. Pupils’ very good vocabulary reflects the example provided by adults. This was evident in a religious education lesson with Year 1 and 2 pupils, for example, where pupils used terms they had learned in connection with Buddhism during a discussion about the moral of a story. Specialist teaching in music means that pupils achieve very well in playing instruments and performing complex pieces of music. Pupils are very enthusiastic about

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Commentary

14. Teaching for pupils with special educational needs is very good because everyone knows what needs to be done to support pupils’ particular difficulties. Individual planning for pupils reflects what needs to improve and is carefully followed by both teaching assistants and teachers. The teaching assistants provide high quality support because they are fully involved in both planning and review. Pupils’ needs are met sensitively, so that there is very good inclusion.

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Commentary

15. There are a few times when the introductions to lessons go on for too long, or too much time is given to complete activities and this occasionally restricts pupils’ opportunities to get down to the more challenging work. In a Year 4 literacy lesson, for example, pupils were given too much time to plan a leaflet to persuade tourists to visit a museum and so some pupils ran out of time to refine the writing. Neville’s Cross Primary School - 13 Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 20 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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The curriculum

The school provides a good curriculum for all its pupils with very good enrichment through other activities. The accommodation and resources are satisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Music and drama broaden pupils’ experiences. • There is plenty for pupils to take part in outside normal lessons. • Provision for pupils with special educational needs is very good. • The school provides very well for personal, social and health education. • Pupils do not sufficiently use their skills in ICT and writing across curriculum.

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Commentary

16. There has been good improvement in developing the curriculum since the last inspection. Pupils are offered a wide range of learning opportunities to ensure that they achieve well. The school teaches everything that it should. The initiative to expand the creative aspects of the curriculum through an emphasis on music and drama has been very successful both in raising standards in speaking and in music and in engaging pupils’ interest and enthusiasm. Many pupils say that they look forward to the opportunities to perform and to take part and feel that their self-confidence has been boosted through these opportunities.

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Commentary

17. The school has a very full programme of educational visits and visitors and ensures that all pupils benefit from these. Year 4 pupils, for example, have recently visited York to learn more about the Vikings. Year 6 pupils recall the residential visit with great pleasure, not just because of what they learned about the geography and history of the area, but also because of the opportunities it gave them to learn how to solve problems together. There is a very good range of extra-curricular musical and sporting activities available during lunchtime and after the school day, in which many pupils take part. The school fosters a positive learning environment and its provision for pupils’ personal, social and health education is very well planned. Pupils are actively encouraged to think about their own well-being and that of others. There is good provision for sex education and learning about alcohol and drug abuse

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Commentary

through visits from the nurse and as part of the science and physical education curriculum. The school puts strong emphasis on the importance of eating healthily and having sufficient exercise through taking part in sports. Pupils gain valuable experience in seeking the views of others through the class councils and older pupils are involved in a support structure for all pupils who need it. 18. Provision for pupils with special educational needs is very good and so they make very good progress in their learning. This is because of clearly defined targets in their individual education plans, which enable teachers to plan for and provide well-matched activities in lessons. Teaching assistants work well within class with groups or individuals, which allows them to focus on developing specific skills in literacy, numeracy and personal and social skills. The good quality of training for teaching assistants is a significant factor in the very

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Commentary

good support they are able to give to pupils.

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Commentary

19. A relative weakness in the curriculum is that the school has not yet achieved a position where pupils use the skills gained in writing and in ICT sufficiently across other subjects. The Neville’s Cross Primary School - 14 school knows this and has the better integration of these skills as priorities in its action planning. 20. The number, qualifications and experience of teaching and support staff match the needs of the curriculum well. The accommodation is satisfactory and pupils benefit from a well-used learning resource centre that combines a library and computer suite. The Reception children, however, currently lack a secure outdoor play area; there are plans in hand to resolve this shortcoming.

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Care, guidance and support

The school cares very well for its pupils. Pupils get very good support, advice and guidance. There are very good measures to involve pupils in the school’s work and development.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils know who they can turn to if they have problems. • Reception children settle into school quickly because they get a warm welcome. • Support for pupils’ academic progress and personal development is very good. • The class councils are an effective way of hearing all pupils’ views.

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Commentary

21. Parents justifiably talk about the high quality care that pupils get, based on a consistent emphasis on treating each pupil as an individual. Staff know pupils very well and where there are concerns, teachers and other staff work very closely with pupils and their parents to identify how the concerns can be overcome. A group of trained Year 6 pupils operate as ‘guardians’, befriending and looking after children experiencing difficulties in the playground. Staff act quickly if a pupil is unhappy or under pressure, and are careful to make sure new arrivals are helped to settle in. As a result, pupils have a very good and trusting relationship with one or more adults. Good arrangements are in place for child protection.

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Commentary

22. The arrangements for induction into Reception are very good. Children are very well supported as they are welcomed into the school and clear routines and consistent expectations are coupled with a sensitive appreciation of children’s developing needs. Praise is used to bolster children’s confidence and warm relationships mean that they readily seek help if they need it. The support of all pupils’ achievement, through monitoring, is frequent, thorough and effectively shared with pupils and parents. Good attitudes, good work and achievements outside school are very effectively recognised at weekly celebration assemblies. Year 6 pupils say that teachers expect them to behave in a more grown up way as they move through school. Staff discuss the outcomes of tests with pupils and regular marking provides helpful suggestions on how their work can be improved. Individual targets, in English, are a well-established feature. Pupils’ learning benefits from their involvement in

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Commentary

setting these targets, as it increases their interest in learning

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Commentary

23. The very good relationships between pupils and their teachers create a very positive atmosphere in which to hear pupils’ views. Each class has a council, giving all pupils the opportunity to directly contribute. Groups drawn from the class councils work on common issues, such as grounds’ development and the range of school lunches. Pupils’ views are sought regularly on issues such as classroom climate, bullying and career plans. The very good levels of responsibility given to older pupils create additional ways of keeping adults in touch with pupils’ views.

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Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

There is a good partnership with parents. Links with the local community make a good contribution to pupils’ personal development. Links with other schools and colleges are good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

Neville’s Cross Primary School - 15 • The school seeks parents’ views and responds effectively to ideas and concerns. • Parents play an active part in the life of the school. • The school plays a good role in its local community. • There is room for improvement in the consistency of quality of written reports on pupils.

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Commentary

24. The partnership between the school and parents has been strengthened since the previous inspection. It works very well because the school and most parents work on the basis that they have key roles in a shared enterprise. Parents are positive about what the school provides and achieves. Staff are accessible and responsive to individual parents’ concerns. The practice of seeking and responding to parents’ views on an annual basis is very well established and effective. The outcomes of the survey are fed back and any changes arising are shared; for example, parents now get a termly outline of the work pupils will cover. Curriculum evenings have been held on matters ranging from reading, writing and numeracy to learning styles, barriers to learning and bullying. The quality of information to support pupils’ progress is satisfactory overall. A significant amount of information is made available to individual parents on different forms of special educational needs. There is some room for

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Commentary

improvement in the quality of the written annual reports. They do not consistently give parents a clear outline of any areas for improvement.

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Commentary

25. Parents of nearly all pupils attend the parents’ evenings. Through the Parents and Teachers Association (PTA), parents organise successful fundraising events. These events also contribute to the good sense of community that prevails, as staff, parents and pupils are involved in many of these events. The PTA also contributes to pupils’ personal development, as pupils are involved in most of its events, such as discos and fairs. A significant number of parents attend and enjoy the celebration assemblies, when each class gets an opportunity to take a leading part in the assembly.

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Commentary

26. School plays its part as a resource for the local community. The hall is used by the choral society, the local branch of the Women’s Institute and troops of brownies and guides. There are important links with the local church. The vicar takes the Harvest assembly, whilst pupils visit the church as part of religious education lessons. Public services, such as those provided by the school nurse and the fire service, enrich the curriculum with contributions on personal safety and healthy living. Pupils take part in a range of collections and sponsored events for charity. Many pupils take part in musical performances at the local secondary school and a local theatre. Visits and visitors also make an important contribution to pupils’ personal development. For example, through the Durham Business and Learning Partnership a number of engineers work with older junior pupils on projects about strong structures, that provide opportunities for teamwork as well as insights into design and

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Commentary

27. There are good links with the local secondary school to which Year 6 pupils transfer. Pupils’ learning benefits from the secondary school’s specialism in modern foreign languages, for example, Year 6 pupils take a series of lessons in French. The school also has shared support from a computer technician.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management are good. The leadership by the headteacher is very good. Key staff provide good leadership. Management of the school is good. Governance is good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The headteacher has dealt extremely well with a difficult situation over staffing. • The skills of self-evaluation are very well developed so that the school has the right priorities. Neville’s Cross Primary School - 16 • The professional development of staff is very well planned. • Governors are well informed and provide good support for the school. • There was some slippage in meeting the targets set in planning for improvement over last year, but the school is very well placed to pick up the pace next year.

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Commentary

28. There has been very good improvement in leadership and management since the previous inspection, when there were weaknesses in monitoring provision and checking that policies were in place and consistently adhered to. There is now a firmly embedded climate of looking at what works well, seeking areas for improvement and acting to bring about change.

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Commentary

29. The headteacher’s very good leadership has ensured that the school has weathered the difficulties over staffing in recent times. Her clear vision for the school in raising pupils’ achievement and supporting their personal development is complemented by very good organisational skills and the ability to think creatively to get the best out of challenging situations. This has meant that the absence of key staff has not had a detrimental effect on pupils’ overall progress. An example of the effectiveness of the school’s planning is that the initiative to improve creativity in the curriculum through specialist teaching in music and drama has also facilitated a start in providing time for teachers to perform management tasks.

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Commentary

30. Self-evaluation is used very effectively to establish clear priorities for the school and everyone takes part in the process. This results in a clear, shared understanding of what needs to be worked on next. Staff performance is managed well, with targets for improvement that link to whole-school priorities, to raising standards and to professional development. This has been particularly effective in improving standards in reading in Years 1 and 2, and in science and mathematics throughout the school.

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Commentary

31. While management is good and promotes good achievement, some targets set for improvement in the school’s development planning have not been met because key staff have not been available to see them through. The staff have cheerfully shouldered extra responsibility and morale has been maintained at a high level. There has been effective support for teachers’ and teaching assistants’ professional development, particularly in special educational needs and in supporting pupils who are learning English as an additional language.

p.16

Commentary

32. Governance is good because governors have a good grasp of what the school is doing and why. They consider the effect of their decisions on pupils’ learning, for example, in providing extra funding from the school’s budget to support special educational needs. Governors fulfil their statutory duties effectively and use the expertise of individuals well to support the work of their committees. As they are part of the school’s self-evaluation process and its planning for improvement, they have a good grasp of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. They actively support the headteacher in her drive to maintain the good quality of education the school provides for all its pupils.

p.16

Financial information

Financial information for the year April 2004 to March 2005

p.16

Financial information

Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 522388 Balance from previous year 42540 Total expenditure 543337 Balance carried forward to the next 21591 Expenditure per pupil 2447 Neville’s Cross Primary School - 17 Neville’s Cross Primary School - 18

p.16

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

There has been good improvement in provision since the last inspection. Good leadership and management ensure that the children get a good start to their education and benefit from very good links between home and school. The curriculum is well planned to mainly provide a good breadth of experience that reflects a balance between direct teaching and activities that children choose for themselves. Teaching and learning are good and the adults work well as a team. Assessment is built into everyday activities and is used well to adapt work. Children achieve well, from a generally average starting point on entry. Children with special educational needs are very well supported and make very good progress. Children who are learning English as an additional language are also well supported, with careful planning to meet their needs.

p.18

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

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

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Warm encouragement and support by all adults mean that children of all abilities develop confidence in taking part in activities. • The consistently high expectations of staff mean that children quickly learn to share, take turns, listen carefully and behave very well.

p.18

Commentary

33. The consistently high expectations of behaviour, politeness and consideration for others are a major factor in promoting children’s success in learning how to cope with school life. Teaching and learning are very good and most children achieve very well and are on track to exceed the goals expected for their age by the end of the Reception year. The children thrive in a warm and supportive atmosphere where they feel valued and secure. Relationships between adults and children are very good. Children understand that listening to others, taking turns and sharing resources make life more pleasant for everyone and adults praise them when they do these things. Adults listen to children and deal sensitively with individual needs. Adults work hard to gain children’s interest by planning stimulating activities that engage them and promote a desire to learn. Children’s independence is fostered very well

p.18

Commentary

through clear explanations of what is expected and children persevere because they want to please adults. This was well reflected in a session when a group of children were building models and drew diagrams and wrote descriptions without any adult intervention.

p.18

COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Provision in communication, language and literacy is good .

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children’s listening, writing and reading develop well because of effective teaching. • There is very good support for more able children and those with special educational needs. • Occasionally, children lack opportunities to take part in introductory sessions.

p.18

Commentary

34. Teaching and learning are good. Most children are likely to exceed the goals for their age by the start of Year 1; their achievement is good. The basic skills in listening, reading and writing are taught thoroughly and effectively so that children get a very good grounding that sets them up well for future learning. Learning is made fun. In one session, for example, Neville’s Cross Primary School - 19 work was very effectively planned to enable children of all abilities to listen, think and talk about what might happen next in a story about a train ride. Very good questions such as “Why might she have gone to stay with her grandma?” prompted a wide range of ideas from both boys and girls. Assessments are used effectively to adapt work to different abilities. More able children’s capabilities are quickly recognised and exploited through challenging work in both reading and writing. Children with special educational needs are very well

p.18

Commentary

supported so that they take a full part in activities that are carefully adapted to bring about their very good progress. At most times, children’s speaking is very well promoted, but on a few occasions, opportunities are missed to involve children more actively in introductions to lessons. In one session, for example, children waited for too long to make their individual contribution in finding a word beginning with a particular sound, as each took it in turn to do so and the rest had to wait.

p.19

MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in mathematical development is very good .

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

• There are plenty of practical activities to engage and interest children. • Children are encouraged to use a mathematical vocabulary. • There is a very good level of challenge for all abilities.

p.19

Commentary

35. Teaching and learning are very good and most children are likely to exceed the goals set for them by the start of Year 1. Children achieve very well because the work is challenging. The work is very well adapted to suit different abilities because teaching makes good use of assessments. There are plenty of opportunities for children to learn through practical activities, which are very well planned to extend children’s understanding of number, measuring and shape. In a session on number, for example, children jumped forward and backwards along a number line to help them do calculations with numbers up to 20. Teaching consistently encouraged children to use the vocabulary that they had learned to explain what were doing so they used terms like ‘less than’, ‘take away’ and ‘minus’ in explanations. In another session, teaching very effectively extended children’s understanding of positional language by asking which numbers on a clock face were

p.19

Commentary

opposite or next to others. There are some good links with other areas of learning, such as creative development, so that children learn about the practical application of their knowledge, such as shape or order of size.

p.19

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Provision in knowledge and understanding of the world is good .

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Practical experiences and visits widen children’s capacity for learning. • Some opportunities are missed to use ICT to support their learning.

p.19

Commentary

36. Teaching is good and so is children’s achievement. Most children are likely to go beyond the goals for their age by the end of Reception; their overall progress is good. There is careful planning to ensure that children gain from first-hand experiences. In connection with their topic ‘Things that move’, for example, they have visited a park to look at things that need pushes and pulls to create movement. Children’s curiosity is stimulated by collections of natural objects, that they often contribute themselves. Adults support children’s learning well through questions and often intervene at just the right moment. In one session, for example, Neville’s Cross Primary School - 20 when children were making models of vehicles with moving parts, questions extended their understanding of how an axle needs to be fixed to the frame of the vehicle in order to rotate freely. Children use ICT with confidence, as when giving instructions to make a toy robot

p.19

Commentary

follow a particular path, or using a drawing program on the computer. However, while children are frequently directed to other activities, such as the sand or water or construction kits, ICT is not planned into the daily round of activities as frequently.

p.20

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in physical development is satisfactory .

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

• There are well-planned sessions in physical development in the school hall and children’s finer control over tools is well developed through teaching. • There is no designated outdoor play area in which children can freely explore space.

p.20

Commentary

37. Children’s achievement is satisfactory and most are likely to reach the goals for their age in all aspects of physical development by the start of Year 1. Teaching and learning are sound. There is good support for children’s control over tools for writing, cutting, drawing and constructing with different materials. Most children have an average level of dexterity. Children have physical education lessons in the hall and outdoors. During the inspection, they had coaching in simple hockey skills from a professional coach and enjoyed learning how to control and guide the ball around obstacles. Opportunities for children to explore space freely are far more limited because presently there is no designated outdoor play area. Plans are in hand to develop a suitable area in the near future, but children’s learning is presently restricted through the lack of facilities.

p.20

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Provision in creative development is satisfactory .

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children gain good experience of painting and drawing. • Role-play indoors is well promoted. • There is a lack of facilities for imaginative play outdoors.

p.20

Commentary

38. Teaching and learning are satisfactory. Children’s achievement is sound and most are likely to meet the goals for their age by the start of Year 1. Teaching ensures that children learn from looking carefully at objects to observe detail, as in children’s drawings of teddy bears. Children’s painting shows some good skills in colour mixing, as does their work on vehicles. Bright displays of children’s work enhance the work areas and celebrate their creativity. The role-play area is well resourced for children to play out parts as campers on holiday. There is good guidance from adults on how these resources might be used to sustain play and develop language and so children join in enthusiastically, filling in booking forms, planning picnics and setting up camp. This good imaginative play cannot be extended outdoors, however, as the accommodation and facilities are restricted. Neville’s Cross Primary School - 21

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils’ speaking is very well promoted • Pupils with special educational needs do very well. • Teaching develops pupils’ enthusiasm for reading and sharing ideas. • Writing is not used well enough across other subjects.

p.21

Commentary

39. There has been good improvement since the previous inspection. Standards are above average in reading, writing and speaking and listening in Year 2. Pupils’ achievement is good because the basic skills in reading and writing are well taught in Years 1 and 2. This good achievement continues further up the school and standards are above average overall in English in Year 6. Pupils’ standards are above average in reading and well above average in speaking and listening. Standards in writing are more average. Pupils who are learning English as an additional language are represented in all ability groups and achieve as well as their classmates because of good support in teaching.

p.21

Commentary

40. Teaching and learning are good. Pupils’ speaking is very well promoted through teaching in all year groups, reflecting the school’s initiative to improve pupils’ skills in this area. Pupils are keen to talk because they know that others will listen to them. Teaching encourages pupils to speak clearly and use a wide vocabulary. Drama and developing skills for public speaking play an important part in raising pupils’ confidence. Several pupils spoken to during the inspection said that, although they were initially nervous about performing in front of others, the support given by classmates and teachers enabled them to overcome problems and that they now relished opportunities to take part. In a drama lesson seen with Year 1 and 2 pupils, very good teaching enabled pupils to complete the task of improvising upon a given theme in small groups and pupils spoke confidently by the end of the session.

p.21

Commentary

41. Teaching encourages pupils to read widely and to discuss why they prefer particular types of books, as well as to look beneath the surface of what they read to get at deeper meanings. Pupils talk knowledgeably about the features of different genres, such as adventure or mystery stories. Pupils are very enthusiastic about reading and often recommend books to their friends. Pupils write fluently by Year 6, with varied sentence structure and a lively vocabulary. This was well demonstrated in a Year 6 literacy session in which pupils planned the outline for a mystery story based on ideas gleaned from a recent visit. Pupils quickly organised a series of paragraphs to give a succinct framework for the story and then set about adding atmospheric phrases.

p.21

Commentary

42. Pupils with special educational needs make very good progress towards the individual targets that are set for them. These targets are drawn from accurate assessments of pupils’ needs and are frequently reviewed. Very good support from teaching assistants means that pupils take a full part in lessons.

p.21

Commentary

43. Good leadership and management have brought about change for the better by looking carefully at data from tests and assessments and checking the quality of teaching and learning. The slower progress of lower and average attainers in reading in Years 1 and 2 was picked up through the process of monitoring and has been resolved through effective interventions. The right priorities have been identified. Neville’s Cross Primary School - 22

p.21

Language and literacy across the curriculum

44. Overall there is satisfactory use of language and literacy across the curriculum, but a much better picture in speaking and reading than in writing. Pupils’ language is developed very well in other subjects because of the very good emphasis placed in teaching on giving pupils relevant opportunities to talk about their ideas. Reading is also well used to research information in subjects such as geography and history. There are some good examples of writing being used effectively across other subjects, in Year 6 and in Year 2 for example, but this is not planned for consistently throughout the school. Too often there are times when worksheets restrict opportunities for pupils to use their skills in writing.

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Effective use is made of information from assessment to decide how best to help pupils learn. • Very good teaching makes sure pupils acquire a very good understanding of basic number skills. • Good relationships, activities and lively presentations sustain pupils’ interest. • Activities develop pupils’ problem-solving abilities well. • The subject leader sets a very good example in teaching and evaluates the subject well.

p.22

Commentary

45. Standards are well above average in Year 2 and above average in Year 6. A significant number of pupils with special educational needs in Year 6 means that they are not achieving the higher results seen in previous years. However, this still represents very good achievement. This is because teachers know their pupils well and use this knowledge to set work to match their abilities. As a result, all pupils make very good progress in lessons. Pupils with special educational needs make equally good progress because they receive very good support from well-briefed teaching assistants. Overall, there has been good improvement since the last inspection.

p.22

Commentary

46. Teachers have good relationships with pupils and have high expectations of behaviour. These, together with interesting activities and lively presentations, mean that pupils have a good attitude to learning and use their time in class productively. For example, in an enjoyable Year 1/2 lesson, all the pupils completed their pictograph or bar graph with the higher attainers moving onto interpreting the bar graph.

p.22

Commentary

47. Overall, teaching is very good. In all year groups detailed planning, based on the National Numeracy Strategy, develops pupils’ basic number skills systematically. Therefore, by the end of Year 6, pupils have a very good understanding of number relationships and are adept at manipulating numbers in mental and written calculations. For example, in a very good Year 6 lesson, pupils made very good progress in solving algebraic equations because they understood the inverse relationships between addition and subtraction and multiplication and division.

p.22

Commentary

48. Teachers make sure that pupils have the opportunity to use what they know to solve problems. A carefully structured Year 5 lesson helped pupils to construct quickly a general formula for calculating the area and perimeters of regular two-dimensional shapes. They then used their knowledge of factors to name shapes from given numerical data. Careful explanations enabled pupils to soon realise that more than one regular shape could be constructed from a given area or perimeter. Neville’s Cross Primary School - 23 49. Leadership and management of the subject are very good. The subject manager leads by example in her teaching. She has the opportunity to monitor teaching and learning and has a very good understanding of the subject’s strengths and weaknesses. A detailed action plan is in place and a recent programme of development has raised the profile of work on data handling. Effective assessment procedures identify individuals and groups of pupils who

p.22

Commentary

need additional support. This information is used well in planning lessons to meet the needs of pupils.

p.23

Mathematics across the curriculum

50. Pupils use their mathematical skills well in other subjects. In science, pupils in Year 2 measure the growth of plants and the distance travelled by a vehicle on a ramp. In Year 6, pupils use Newtons in an investigation on mass. There are some good examples in geography of Year 6 pupils using numerical data generated to present information in a range of graphs.

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

• There is a very good focus on investigations so that pupils understand the importance of scientific enquiry. • Teaching is very good and pupils acquire a wide range of scientific vocabulary. • Opportunities are restricted for pupils to write about their work and record the results that they achieve in their own way.

p.23

Commentary

51. There has been good improvement since the previous inspection. Pupils in Year 2 reach above the expected standards for their age and achievement is good. Standards for pupils in Year 6 have improved and are now well above average levels when compared to those nationally. Achievement is high. Pupils with special educational needs get very good support and achieve very well. The standards that pupils achieve are the result of the improvement in teaching and the effectiveness of leadership and management in the subject.

p.23

Commentary

52. Teaching is very good, with a firm emphasis on finding out through investigation. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 are taught scientific ideas in a structured way. Teachers plan lessons using experiences that children understand, as in work about the different properties of materials and how things change and grow. Good links are sometimes made with other subjects. For example, pupils keep diaries about the growth of bean seeds, measure how tall they grow and write about changes. Pupils use the correct scientific language when recording their work.

p.23

Commentary

53. By Year 6 pupils are confident investigators and are familiar with how to plan and carry out a scientific test. Teachers challenge pupils to plan and carry out these tests and set them interesting and searching questions to answer. Pupils enjoy this approach and relish the opportunity to think and make decisions for themselves. As a result they gain a good understanding of key principles, such as how to carry out a fair test and how to evaluate the data they have collected and reach a conclusion. They use their increasing scientific vocabulary with accuracy and confidence in discussions in groups and as a class. Pupils usually record their work on structured worksheets that restrict their opportunities to make decisions over how to present their findings.

p.23

Commentary

54. The leadership and management of the subject are very good. The current co-ordinator has only recently taken over the role but is in a strong position to take the subject further because of information gained from previous checks on provision. She is very enthusiastic Neville’s Cross Primary School - 24 and keen to improve the scientific opportunities for all pupils and has already made changes to the way that teachers assess pupils’ progress. Visits to places in the local environment contribute positively to pupils’ learning.

p.23

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

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

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teachers’ subject knowledge is good. • Pupils are very confident in using and applying basic ICT skills and standards are above average in Year 2. • Pupils understand the use of ICT in the outside world but are less confident in explaining its use in remote sensing and modelling. • Effective leadership and management have improved standards, but the shortcomings in current resources place some limitations on pupils’ learning. • The use of ICT within other subjects is not yet fully developed.

p.24

Commentary

55. Standards in Year 2 are good and pupils achieve well. In Year 6, standards are average and pupils’ achievement is satisfactory. This is a good improvement since the previous inspection. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress because activities are matched to their needs and they receive good support from teaching assistants. For example, individual education plans are in place for pupils who need specific support to develop keyboard skills.

p.24

Commentary

56. Overall, teaching is satisfactory, with some good features. Teachers’ subject knowledge is good and they use appropriate vocabulary in their teaching. This helps to support pupils’ discussions about their work in ICT and contributes to the development of pupils’ basic skills. Therefore, pupils access and use ICT programs and apply word-processing skills very confidently. For example, in one Year 2 lesson, pupils were able to navigate through a science program and made good progress in their understanding of animal and plant habitats because of skilful teaching. In the same lesson, Year 1 pupils used the stamp tool confidently to record the growth of a bean. In a Year 4 lesson, pupils accessed a new program quickly, due to their good basic skills. This enabled them to make good progress in creating a branching database. However, pupils made slow progress in using a publishing program to create an information leaflet. This was because the hardware available did not

p.24

Commentary

support the teacher’s demonstration of new skills to groups sufficiently well. Therefore, pupils were uncertain how to format text boxes in leaflet form until they received individual input from the teacher or teaching assistant.

p.24

Commentary

57. By the end of Year 6, pupils create PowerPoint presentations confidently and describe them as “an exciting way of putting together information”. They are able to give examples of how ICT is used in everyday life but are less confident in explaining and providing examples of the use of ICT in remote control and sensing.

p.24

Commentary

58. Effective leadership and management have improved teachers’ knowledge and confidence. Resources have been extended with the provision of an ICT suite and laptop computers. However, the desktop and laptop computers are incompatible and this combined with the lack of an interactive whiteboard in the suite limits teachers’ abilities to demonstrate new skills and to further raise standards. Management recognises these limitations and a programme of refurbishment is in place. This plan, combined with the recent appointment of a knowledgeable subject manager, means the school is well placed to further raise standards.

p.24

Information and communication technology across the curriculum

Neville’s Cross Primary School - 25 59. This is an area that the school has rightly identified as an area for development. There are some good examples of pupils using the Internet to research aspects of science, such as the water cycle and animal and plant habitats. Websites are also used to research some historical and geographical topics. However, the use of ICT has yet to be fully integrated into teaching and learning and opportunities for pupils to use their skills in relevant situations in other subjects are lacking.

p.25

HUMANITIES

60. Geography and history were sampled and it is not possible to make judgements about standards, achievement or teaching in these subjects. However, a scrutiny of pupils’ work and displays indicates that the full curriculum for each subject is covered.

p.25

HUMANITIES

61. In both subjects pupils make good use of direct evidence and the local environment. Year 2 pupils, for example, have completed a traffic survey, developed mapping skills through planning journeys and visited a museum to study different forms of transport. Year 6 pupils have compared distant locations and studied man’s response to different environments, such as a Canadian mountain resort. Different civilizations are studied and an appropriate emphasis is placed on studying evidence to interpret the past.

p.25

HUMANITIES

62. A Year 6 residential visit in the Pennines provides very good opportunities to study the physical and human environment. Pupils develop a good understanding of the physical processes in play in the development of rivers and waterfalls. They acquire a very good geographical vocabulary using terms, such as erosion, meanders, ox-bow lakes and whinsill, appropriately. This reflects the good teaching of technical language. Through a study of the lead mines they develop an understanding of man’s impact on the environment and the social and working conditions of the past.

p.25

HUMANITIES

63. Both subjects raise pupils’ awareness of other cultures and societies and so make a positive contribution to their social, cultural and moral development. History provides some inspiration for pupils’ work in art and design. While pupils use the Internet to research information in both subjects, ICT is used too infrequently to help them to organise and present their work.

p.25

Religious education

Provision in religious education is satisfactory .

p.25

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils have good knowledge of the key features of different faiths. • Religious education contributes well to pupils’ personal and social development. • Pupils have insufficient opportunities to explore their ideas through writing.

p.25

Commentary

64. Standards reached by pupils at Year 2 and Year 6 are similar to the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus and their achievement is satisfactory. This is similar to the last inspection. Teaching and learning are satisfactory. Pupils demonstrate that they have a good knowledge of the major world faiths of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Sikhism by the time they leave the school. Pupils understand that stories from different religions give people important messages about how to live their lives. In a lesson seen in Year 1 and 2, for example, pupils discuss the rules the Buddha taught and how they are similar to the rules people try to follow today.

p.25

Commentary

65. By Year 6, pupils are beginning to understand the similarities and differences between faiths and recognise the importance of signs and symbols to followers of all religions and, in Neville’s Cross Primary School - 26 particular, the significance of the cross in the Christian faith. They know that the Bible contains messages that are relevant to the lives of Christians today. For instance, pupils understand the need for rules so that people can live in an orderly society. This is evident in the willingness of pupils to take on roles and responsibilities in the school to improve the lives of others. Thus, religious education has a significant role in the very good personal development of pupils.

p.25

Commentary

66. Teachers’ planning has clear learning objectives and teachers use stories effectively to teach key features and understanding of different faiths. However, this knowledge and understanding is not always recorded in detail in pupils’ written work. Teachers do not make sufficient use of opportunities for pupils to practise and develop their writing skills.

p.26

Commentary

67. Religious education has not been a recent focus for the school. The leadership and management by the temporary co-ordinator are satisfactory. The school regularly welcomes representatives from the local Anglican church and pupils visit the church and the cathedral to study the buildings and the artefacts.

p.26

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

68. No lessons were seen in art and design, and only part of a lesson with Year 3 pupils was seen in design and technology, as these subjects were sampled. Teachers’ planning was scrutinised and pupils spoken to about their work in these areas. Physical education was not a focus for the inspection. No lessons were observed and insufficient evidence was seen to form an overall judgement about standards or quality of teaching.

p.26

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

69. Pupils enjoy art and design and speak enthusiastically about their work, which is attractively displayed around the school. They talk with particular enthusiasm about times when they work with a visiting specialist teacher and there are examples of high quality work being produced on these occasions. In Year 3, for example, pupils have created slab pots in clay, in the fashion of Ancient Egyptian canopic jars, with some fine modelling of details. In Year 6, there is some good quality watercolour painting in which pupils have explored how to create the effect of distance through paler tones. The ‘Art Gallery’ event earlier this year, when every pupil contributed a piece of work, was very popular with pupils. Sketch books are not used consistently in Years 3 to 6 to enable pupils to refine or practise their skills.

p.26

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

70. In design and technology, it is evident that the work is varied and properly planned. Displays of pupils’ work show a good standard of finish. In Year 1 and 2, for example, pupils have made ‘coats of many colours’ for Joseph and these display great attention to detail. In the short session seen, Year 3 pupils were making a pneumatically operated model and there was very good attention paid to safety, as the teacher reminded pupils about how to pierce a piece of card safely. The subject co-ordinator has undertaken a wide-ranging review of provision and has built points for improvement into a comprehensive action plan. Her support for teaching has led to increased staff confidence, as well as greater rigour in planning for all aspects of the subject. She is aware that the next step to improve pupils’ achievement is in recording evaluations more systematically as, at present, most is done through discussion.

p.26

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

71. Teachers’ planning indicates that the full curriculum is provided in physical education . Provision for pupils to take part in sport outside the normal lesson period is very good. Pupils throughout the school have the chance to take part in sessions led by visiting teachers. Specific games clubs, such as football and fencing, are also available for older pupils. All pupils have had the opportunity to work at a national gymnastics training centre situated locally and the school links with the local secondary school for cross-country events. All these activities contribute very well to pupils’ personal and social development as well as to their physical skills. Neville’s Cross Primary School - 27

p.26

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Skills in music are taught very well. • Frequent chances to perform with others in front of an audience build pupils’ confidence and self-esteem. • Extra-curricular opportunities are very good.

p.27

Commentary

72. Standards in music have improved since the last inspection because of the very good teaching and the expertise and the enthusiasm of the co-ordinator. Pupils in Year 2 reach above average standards and achieve well. Standards in Year 6 are well above the expected standards and achievement is high.

p.27

Commentary

73. By Year 2, pupils sing a wide variety of songs with confidence. Teachers put appropriate emphasis on pupils pronouncing the words clearly and with expression. Pupils often include actions to enhance the meaning of words and follow instrumental and piano accompaniments effectively. They are developing an understanding that written symbols represent the beat and speed of music and use simple notation, for example, when they make sounds with their instruments to echo the sounds of weather. Teachers provide many opportunities for pupils to grow socially as they co-operate and learn together when they play instruments in groups and respond to a group leader.

p.27

Commentary

74. By Year 6, pupils continue to benefit from a wide musical curriculum. Pupils are able to write their own musical notation to create compositions and have a good understanding of the elements of music, such as the pitch, tempo and dynamics. Teachers play a wide range of music from different periods and from different cultures for pupils to listen to. As a result, pupils display a good deal of knowledge about various composers and the type of music they wrote.

p.27

Commentary

75. The quality of singing throughout the school is generally good and pupils of all ages delight in playing both untuned and tuned musical instruments and often make very good progress. Pupils of all ages frequently play and sing to an audience and this has a very positive impact on their confidence and self-esteem.

p.27

Commentary

76. The extra-curricular provision is very good. All pupils are given the opportunity to learn to play an instrument, with teaching from visiting teachers or the co-ordinator. In addition there are lunchtime music clubs, a choir and a band for pupils in Years 3 to 6. Pupils also benefit from listening to visiting musicians to the school. For example, a jazz band, a brass band and a string quartet have been amongst recent visitors. Pupils also have the opportunity to play with other schools at a local secondary school.

p.27

Commentary

77. The leadership and management of the subject are very good. The co-ordinator takes every class in the school and the school has recently allocated an outside classroom for the sole use of music and drama. Drama and music are linked very closely and pupils show great enthusiasm for them both. Music contributes enormously to pupils’ personal development and supports their other learning. It is a major strength of the school.

p.27

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

78. No specific lessons dealing with personal, social and health education and citizenship were seen but it is evident that these aspects are very well planned for and pupils spoke about what they learned in these sessions. The school has recently had a focus on anti-bullying strategies and all pupils spoken to knew what they should do if problems arise. Pupils’ depth of understanding about taking responsibility for their own actions is reflected in their mature Neville’s Cross Primary School - 28 attitude. They have a very good awareness of the need to be fair and sensitive to others and to make the right choices so that they keep to what they know is right. Pupils’ quality of learning about the importance of getting on with others of different ages, backgrounds and cultures is reflected in the school’s everyday life and the quality of relationships. Neville’s Cross Primary School - 29

p.27

Inspection judgement Grade

The overall effectiveness of the school 3 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

p.29

Inspection judgement Grade

Overall standards achieved 3 Pupils’ achievement 3

p.29

Inspection judgement Grade

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

p.29

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 3 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 2 How well the school seeks and acts on pupils’ views 2 The effectiveness of the school’s links with parents 3 The quality of the school’s links with the community 3 The school’s links with other schools and colleges 3

p.29

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 3 The effectiveness of management 3

p.29

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).

p.29