Parkwood Primary School

PARKWOOD PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 11 – 13 October 2004

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PARKWOOD PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Primary School category: Community Age range of pupils: 3- to 11-year-olds Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 206 (full-time equivalent)

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Queen’s Drive Finsbury Park London Postcode: N4 2HQ

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Telephone number: 020 8802 5366 Fax number: 020 8800 3857

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body Name of chair of governors: Mr Brian Bell

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

• The school is similar in size to most primaries and it has its own Nursery. • One hundred and eighty five pupils attend the main school and another 29 are in the Nursery, 17 of whom attend for mornings or afternoons only. • Boys and girls are approximately equal in number, except in Year 1, where there are more boys. • The school gained an Investor in People award in 2000, which is in the process of being renewed. • The school gained a Schools Achievement Award in 2003 for improvement in its Year 6 National Curriculum test results. • The proportion of pupils who are eligible for free school meals is very high (over 70 percent). • The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is very high (73 percent), and the most common home-language is believed to be Turkish, followed by Bengali and Yoruba. • Seventy one of these pupils are at an early stage of speaking and learning English.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

• Twelve pupils are asylum seekers or refugees. • The percentage of pupils with special educational needs is well above average (32 percent). • Over two percent of pupils have a statement of special educational needs, which is above average. • The school’s population is very diverse ethnically. The largest group is black (about 40 percent are from Africa or the Caribbean). Another large group is white, including a large proportion of families from Eastern Europe). Many other ethnic groups are also represented. • During the last school year, 27 pupils joined the school and 27 left. Many of these pupils lived in temporary housing. • Socio-economic circumstances in the area are thought to be very low. • Overall attainment on entry is also very low. Parkwood Primary School - 4

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

22028 John William Paull Lead inspector English Geography History Religious education Personal, social and health education and Citizenship Special educational needs 9499 Phiroze Daruwala Lay inspector 16773 Raminder Arora Team inspector Science Physical education Foundation Stage English as an additional language 22113 Aileen King Team inspector Mathematics Information and communication technology Art and design Design and technology Music

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

Demeter House Station Road Cambridge CB1 2RS

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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). Parkwood Primary School - 5

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 8

Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 8

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL 12

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

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OVERALL EVALUATION

Parkwood is an effective school that is also improving well. Teaching and learning are good, which contributes strongly to pupils’ good overall achievement and behaviour. Arrangements for the care of all pupils, who are drawn from various ethnic and social backgrounds, are very good. The school is well led and managed and good value for money is achieved.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are: • Pupils’ learning is good, although their attainment remains below average overall. • Pupils from many ethnic groups and social backgrounds are included very well in what the school provides. • Inconsistencies in teachers’ planning were observed. • Opportunities to use subjects across the curriculum to develop standard forms of spoken English and to enrich pupils’ vocabulary are sometimes missed. • Links with projects such as Black History and Access to Sport contribute considerably to pupils’ learning. • Attendance and punctuality in the morning are weaknesses, although both have improved since 1999.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

Improvement since the inspection of May 1999 has been good. The quality of teaching has improved considerably. More very good lessons and fewer unsatisfactory ones are evident now. As a result, pupils have achieved increasingly well and overall standards are now below average, rather than well below. Improvement has been good in those aspects that were identified as key issues in the last report; for example, behaviour and attitudes to school are better now. While it remains below the national figure, pupils’ attendance has improved.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

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

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

English C E D A mathematics E E A* A* science E E D A Key: A - well above average; B – above average; C – average; D – below average; E – well below average. Similar schools are those with a similar proportion of pupils who are eligible for free school meals.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Pupils generally make good progress and achieve well, based on good teaching, especially in classes for older age groups and in the Nursery and Reception years. These judgements include pupils with English as an additional language, and those with special educational needs, as well as nearly all others. Owing to often very low starting points, associated with a high proportion of children who enter with little understanding of English, standards of attainment at the end of the Reception year and Year 2 are usually well below average. This low attainment is evident in work that was seen and is also reflected in teachers’ assessments, as well as in the results of Year 2 National Curriculum tests. The table above indicates that results of the 2004 National Curriculum tests at the end of Year 6 were amongst the school’s best ever, especially in mathematics, where they were in the top five percent, both nationally and in comparison with similar schools. In 2004, the

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

school exceeded its targets. Trends in the school’s results since 1999 have been above the national trend and, for the last few years, the school has done well in comparison with similar schools. Work seen during the inspection, indicates that, in most subjects, overall standards in Year 6 are now a little below average, rather than well below (as they were in 2003) and, in mathematics, are now Parkwood Primary School - 7 average and include several pupils who attain a level above that normally expected. In English, however, overall standards remain below average. Parkwood Primary School - 8 Pupils’ standards of behaviour are good . They are nearly always attentive in lessons and are polite and helpful around the school. The attitudes and personal development of pupils of all ages, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness, are good . Attendance, however, is well below average and several parents bring their children to school late in the morning.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

Overall, the quality of education provided by the school is good . The overall quality of teaching and learning is good , although a little inconsistent. Several examples of very good teaching occurred throughout the school, and especially so in classes for older pupils. Much teaching of good quality was also observed. Two unsatisfactory lessons occurred. Very good and unsatisfactory teaching was observed, at different times, in the same classes. This variation was owing to differences in the planning of what to teach and variations in the uses of assessment. It results in different rates of progress at different times and in different age groups, with the overall good rate sometimes slowing down, although never dropping below satisfactory, and then speeding up to become good again. The school’s curriculum is strong. Many clubs are provided that enrich learning. What is taught is adapted well to meet the requirements of pupils of different ethnicity,

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

including those with English as an additional language or with special educational needs. Pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties are well supported and catered for, so they remain on task and learn well, without distracting fellow pupils. Partnerships with parents and the community are strong.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The headteacher provides good leadership . She understands the needs of children in the community and manages the school well , ensuring that such needs are met. The chair of governors is a good leader and provides questioning, yet sensitive and careful support. Senior managers and subject co-ordinators, including those with responsibility for special educational needs, English, assessment and mathematics, have been effective in raising standards and improving information gained from assessing pupils’ work and progress. The headteacher and governors evaluate the school’s provision well, which is indicated by good developmental planning that already includes most of the issues raised in the inspection.

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Those parents who attended the pre-inspection meeting and those who returned a questionnaire are supportive of what is provided for their children. In line with inspectors’ findings, they feel that the quality of teaching is good and that their children behave well and make good progress at school. One or two parents were concerned that bullying might occur, but inspectors found little evidence of any systematic oppressive behaviour amongst pupils. Those pupils who were asked expressed the view that squabbles sometimes occur, but that adults in the school take any form of unkindness very seriously and can be relied upon to follow up either their parents’ or their own complaints. Pupils are largely supportive of the school, believing that adults who work in it both like them and do their best for them. Nearly all pupils stated that there was at least one teacher whom they would trust sufficiently to raise any problem or concern with, that might arise either in or outside school.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

The most important things the school should do to improve are: • In English lessons and across the whole curriculum, develop the school’s focus on the enrichment of spoken English, develop the breadth and understanding of general vocabulary and develop the skills in standard forms of English, as a starting point to raising overall attainment. • Improve the precision and consistency of teachers’ uses of assessment and planning, so as to eradicate unsatisfactory teaching completely. • Seek ways of further ensuring that those parents of pupils with poor records of attendance or punctuality understand the effects of poor attendance on their children’s achievements and progress. Parkwood Primary School - 9

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Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

Overall, pupils’ achievements are good. Rates of progress are generally faster now than at the time of the last inspection. However, standards of attainment are generally below average.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children in the Nursery and Reception classes achieve well from starting points that are often very low. • Pupils’ progress from Year 3 to Year 6 is good. • Standards of attainment are generally well below average by the end of the Reception year and Year 2. • Standards of attainment are rising, especially by the time pupils leave the school in Year 6.

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Commentary

1. Several children entering the Nursery speak little or no English and the proportion of pupils who are accurately assessed as having special educational needs, including learning difficulties of various types, is well above the national average. A high proportion of pupils join the school at an older age, entering at times other than the beginnings and ends of years. Several of these pupils arrive straight from overseas, sometimes leaving difficult circumstances behind them, which means that often they have not attended school previously. These experiences have produced gaps in their knowledge. These factors combine in such a way that pupils’ overall standards are often very low when they first enter the school, either in the Nursery or in classes for older pupils. Furthermore, a significant number of pupils who have benefited from the school’s good overall quality of provision leave before the end of Year 6. In these ways,

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Commentary

such factors become barriers to the improvement of results in National Curriculum tests in Years 2 and 6.

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Commentary

2. In the Nursery and Reception classes, owing to good provision, children’s progress is usually good. By the end of the Reception year, therefore, overall achievement is good. Nevertheless, many children miss several of the goals expected, especially in communication, language and literacy, mathematical development, and knowledge and understanding of the world, so general attainment remains well below what is normally the case at the start of Year 1. A good feature of the school’s provision is how it adapts provision to meet different needs. A telling example was brought to light by a parent in the pre-inspection meeting. She explained that work is adapted well for her child to ensure that he does not simply “mark time” in a class where many children are at early stages of acquiring English as an additional language. Inspectors agree that children of different ethnicity and a wide variety of different learning needs

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Commentary

3. Taken together, teaching through Years 1 and 2 is satisfactory, which ensures that progress over these two years is usually steady. Pupils maintain their standards, although these remain well below average. These findings are reflected in the results of National Curriculum tests at the end of Year 2 which, in reading, writing and mathematics, have been well below average each year since 1999. Teachers’ assessments in speaking and listening also indicate attainment at well below average levels, not unexpectedly bearing in mind the very low starting points in spoken English of many pupils. Different groups of pupils are targeted for support in literacy and mathematics, especially those with special educational needs or who are at an early stage of speaking English as an additional language. This support enables these pupils to keep pace with others, although not to catch up with average levels. Individual education

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Commentary

plans for pupils with learning difficulties are precise and describe measurable targets in Parkwood Primary School - 10 straightforward language. However, those seen did not sufficiently target pupils’ lack of flexibility in the use of spoken English or their restricted vocabulary. Furthermore, opportunities to extend pupils’ speaking skills by giving them alternative or richer examples of speech and vocabulary were sometimes missed. These weaknesses in language and vocabulary are reflected in pupils’ uses of literacy, especially in writing, which was often well below average, whereas standards in reading were higher. During lessons in English and across the curriculum, pupils’ recognition of words in text, and their uses of strategies to help them with new words, were often close to average, although their understanding of what they read was sometimes restricted by their weaknesses in English.

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

Standards in: School results National results reading 12.4 (12.2) 16.0 (15.7) writing 11.2 (11.4) 14.8 (14.6) mathematics 13.9 (14.2) 16.5 (16.3) There were 24 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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

4. From Years 3 to 6, generally good, and sometimes very good, provision means that rates of progress pick up. This finding is similar for all the different backgrounds and groups that are represented in the school. For example, Turkish pupils make good progress, as demonstrated in the school’s thorough records of assessment. The assessment co-ordinator analyses the standards and progress of pupils of different ethnicity conscientiously, ensuring that different groups achieve equally well. At the same time, any differences that occur are raised and reasons are sought, so that significant differences can be addressed. One telling example occurred when eight Turkish girls in one year group appeared to be achieving less well than other groups. However, seven of these pupils were found to have summer birthdays. When their attainment was compared with other summer-born pupils, no difference based on

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

ethnicity was apparent. Teaching and support of pupils with special educational needs and for those with English as an additional language are also good, so the high proportion of these pupils also makes good progress. Achievement in lessons and over time is good. As a result, standards improve well, which is reflected very strongly in the 2004 National Curriculum tests. These results indicate improvements in all three tested subjects (English, mathematics and science) with a remarkable improvement in mathematics, where results are in the top five percent nationally. Work that was seen during the inspection, although not quite as high, indicates that standards are likely to be maintained at levels higher than those of 2003. In English, attainment is lower, although it is improving. In work seen, the overall standard is now below, rather than well below, average.

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

Standards in: School results National results English 26.4 (23.4) 27.0 (26.8) mathematics 30.2 (24.8) 27.2 (26.8) science 28.1 (27.0) 28.9 (28.6) There were 28 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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

5. Standards in information and communication technology are below average at the end of Years 2 and 6, whereas, by Year 6, pupils showed considerable knowledge about what can be learnt from world religions, although their written work was not as good. Overall, however, their standards in religious education are broadly in line with expectations in the locally agreed Parkwood Primary School - 11 syllabus. Overall judgements have not been made in other subjects, but attainment in the work that was sampled was usually better in practical, artistic and physical subjects than in those that are more dependent on written work. 6. The school’s provision for gifted and talented pupils, including those of higher prior attainment, is currently being developed successfully. Such provision has already been effective in increasing the number of pupils who attain at above normally expected levels for their age.

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

Results in the 2004 National Curriculum tests reflect this finding, with increased numbers achieving at such levels in all three tested subjects. Attainment in the current Year 6 indicates that this increase in pupils working at higher than expected levels has been maintained. Pupils from the school’s full range of ethnic groups are represented equally well amongst these higher attainers.

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

7. Records indicate that pupils who join the school other than at the usual starting times achieve well, bearing in mind their often low attainment on entry. These records also show that those who remain at the school throughout their education do particularly well. For example, in 2004 these pupils achieved at least the expected progress by the time they left the school in Year 6, and many exceeded it.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

Behaviour of most pupils is good. Pupils show positive attitudes to learning. The provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils’ attendance and punctuality in the last complete year were well below average and authorised absences were high.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Overall, pupils display positive attitudes to their work and are generally well behaved. • From the Nursery onwards, very good relationships throughout this multi-ethnic school make an important contribution to pupils’ personal development and learning. • Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is well taught in many lessons and assemblies with good examples set by adults. • A poor attendance rate has limited pupils’ attainment and progress in the past few years. • A few parents do not respond adequately to the school’s considerable efforts to promote punctuality in the morning.

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Commentary

8. In questionnaires and at the pre-inspection meeting, nearly all parents indicated that their children enjoy school. This finding is similar to the last inspection and also reflects what those pupils who were asked told inspectors. The school promotes positive attitudes to learning and good relationships through its behaviour management policy. This policy, which is put into practice effectively, involves all staff, the special needs co-ordinator and a learning mentor to ensure that any pupils with social, emotional and/or behavioural difficulties are supported as needed. Good uses are made of an initiative known as Emotional Literacy (a whole school approach to helping pupils behave well and to make appropriate emotional responses to situations and incidents that might arise in their lives). Teachers’ discerning management of pupils, including the use of praise and celebration of achievement, reinforces good behaviour in

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Commentary

and around the school. All staff, including teaching assistants and midday supervisors, make good contributions that support pupils well; these have a positive impact on helping pupils to get on well and to learn. Pupils respond well to high expectations and guidance.

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Commentary

9. The Nursery and Reception classes provide a secure base for all the children, including those who are apprehensive of new places or experiences. Most children show positive attitudes to their work and play. They show good behaviour and form a very trusting relationship with others. Children with special educational needs or with English as an additional language respond well to the support they receive and enjoy working in groups and individually. This Parkwood Primary School - 12 good provision continues through the main school. Pupils build well on what has gone before and continue to work well individually and in groups. The respect that pupils show to each other and the adults who work with them are indicative of very good relationships within the school. This feature promotes learning and achievement strongly, as it results in good collaboration between pupils, a willingness to co-operate with adults, and helps to ensure that

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Commentary

classrooms are orderly and run smoothly. Pupils’ contributions to the life of the school, such as in the School Council , reflect their willingness to take responsibility; pupils’ involvement in the formation of classroom rules produces mutual understanding and acceptance. A telling example of how well the school promotes strong social responsibility is its provision of Playground Friends . Pupils drawn from Years 5 and 6 are chosen to introduce others to new games and to be role models of kindness and assistance on the playgrounds. Many parents endorse the school’s strong influence on their children in this respect, and inspectors agree.

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Commentary

10. Daily assemblies are central to the school’s provision of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. These assemblies seek to build on pupils’ self-knowledge and spiritual awareness and are imaginatively based on a range of experiences, which enable pupils to think about their personal development for themselves. High priority is placed on such matters, which are also promoted effectively in lessons known as Circle Time . These lessons allow pupils opportunities to raise their own concerns and ideas. The school’s code of behaviour and its classroom rules also contribute well, setting a framework of values that enable pupils to distinguish right from wrong. These positive features enable pupils to think for themselves and to develop a sense of good citizenship, which includes charity fundraising and other projects. The manner in which pupils from diverse backgrounds work and play together

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Commentary

in harmony is a particular strength of the school. Pupils learn to value their own ethnicity and to respect that of others. Pupils of all groups play and work harmoniously. The school’s records indicate that incidents of bullying or racist name-calling are very few, and parents indicated that such behaviour is not tolerated and is usually resolved quickly and amicably. Cultural development is supported very well. Pupils respond well to celebrations that involve a range of cultural and religious festivals, representative of their many backgrounds and ethnic origins. Telling recent examples have been wholehearted involvement in Black History Month, and a party to celebrate Eid, organised by a group of Muslim parents. History, geography and religious education lessons also contribute well to pupils’ self-knowledge and cultural tolerance.

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Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data 8.3 School data 0.1 National data 5.4 National data 0.4 The table gives the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.

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Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

11. Although the level of attendance is well below average, the school has many good features for promoting and monitoring both attendance and punctuality. Indeed, it succeeded in raising pupils’ overall level of attendance in the year that ended in July 2004. National figures are not yet available for comparison to check the significance of this improvement, although it has been sustained so far this term. Pupils appreciate the school’s award system for high attendance and good punctuality. One or two parents wrote to inspectors before the inspection with concerns about the school’s recent more robust approach to absence. While inspectors understand that a few parents might feel this way, they do not agree with them. It is important that the school follows up absence very rigorously. A significant number of parents still bring their children to school late in the morning and a few still fail to ensure high rates of

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Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

Parkwood Primary School - 13 attendance, despite hard work on the part of the school’s staff. Poor attendance and punctuality are likely to affect these children’s standards and potential achievements adversely. Parkwood Primary School - 14

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Categories used in the Annual School Census No of pupils on roll Number of fixed period exclusions Number of permanent exclusions White – British 6 0 0 White – any other White background 6 0 0 Mixed – White and Black Caribbean 8 0 0 Mixed – White and Black African 3 0 0 Mixed – any other mixed background 9 0 0 Asian or Asian British – Indian 12 0 0 Asian or Asian British – Pakistani 3 0 0 Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 20 1 0 Black or Black British – Caribbean 22 1 0 Black or Black British – African 59 0 0 Black or Black British – any other Black background 4 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Chinese 3 0 0 Any other ethnic group 42 0 0 The table gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

12. The school seeks a highly inclusive climate for learning and succeeds in achieving it. It is very effective in handling incidents of poor behaviour and only two fixed-term exclusions were enforced last year. No permanent exclusions took place.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

Overall, the quality of education that is provided is good. Teaching and learning are good and, overall, the curriculum is also good. Care of pupils is very good and links with parents are good.

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Teaching and learning

Overall, the quality of teaching and learning is good, although inconsistencies associated with imprecise uses of assessment and planning are apparent. This leads to occasional lack of clarity about what pupils are expected to learn and know by the end of lessons.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teachers are very good at gaining and holding pupils’ attention, which contribute strongly to learning. • Teachers are often very effective in catering for a wide variety of different needs, and helping pupils of different backgrounds and ethnicity to make progress. Parkwood Primary School - 15 • Co-ordinators of special educational needs and English as an additional language, and teaching assistants and other support staff work very well as a team, ensuring efficient uses of their time and skills. • Teachers’ adaptations of what is taught do not always take into account pupils’ lack of general knowledge and vocabulary, especially in younger age groups. Parkwood Primary School - 16 • In unsatisfactory teaching, it is usually inconsistent uses of assessment and planning that are the main causes. • Opportunities to broaden and develop pupils’ understanding and uses of vocabulary and of standard forms of spoken English are missed.

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Commentary

13. At the time of the last inspection, a little less than half of the lessons that were observed were of good quality and only a few were very good. A significant proportion of unsatisfactory teaching also occurred. During this inspection, approaching three-quarters of lessons were good, including a significant proportion that was very good. The amount of unsatisfactory teaching is now lower. The overall quality of teaching and learning is good and it has improved considerably since 1999. Good leadership responded well to findings in the last report. As a result, teachers are now very good at managing pupils’ behaviour and gaining their attention, which was reported as a weakness previously, and especially so in Years 1 and 2. While teaching and learning have generally improved in this younger age group, and are clearly satisfactory, the overall quality of teaching is not quite as good as it is in other age groups.

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Commentary

Nevertheless, pupils throughout the school nearly always listen well and concentrate on what is taught, which helps them to acquire skills and knowledge effectively.

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Commentary

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 33 lessons

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Commentary

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor Poor Very Poor

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Commentary

0 (0 %) 10 (30%) 14 (42%) 7 (21%) 2 (6%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%)

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Commentary

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

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Commentary

14. Teachers are very aware of the different needs of pupils from the wide range of ethnicity and backgrounds in the school. A system known as Talking Partners contributes much to pupils’ learning in this respect. Pupils in all classes are paired and given frequent opportunities to swap their understanding of teaching and learning points. This provision also enables them to share ideas and to discuss and make points of their own. Often, recently arrived pupils with little or no English are paired with others who speak the same language at home, but who have acquired sufficient fluency in English to understand adequately. In this way, pupils with little English are enabled to join in and are able to acquire conceptual understanding from those pupils who are already bi- or multilingual. This good practice provides good personal development for pupils who acquire improved self-esteem from translating and learning to hold

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Commentary

their own cultural heritage and its language in high regard. The teaching and provision for pupils with special educational needs are good. The co-ordinator is knowledgeable and experienced. She assesses pupils’ learning requirements accurately and ensures that class teachers and teaching assistants know how to meet such needs effectively.

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Commentary

15. Many pupils with special needs also speak English as an additional language. In order to ensure that they are well catered for, the co-ordinators of provision for these groups work particularly closely as a team. They share their expertise and pass on ideas and methods to all the staff well. In this way, teachers and teaching assistants are enabled to work effectively with both groups, ensuring that their time and skills are used efficiently. As a result, bearing in mind their often very low starting points, pupils make overall good progress through the school and achieve well.

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Commentary

16. Many pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds, especially those who have recently arrived from overseas, have restricted general knowledge of English heritage. This lack of general knowledge limits their initial progress and their learning across many areas of the National Curriculum. Furthermore, several natural speakers of English, as well as many of those for whom it is an additional language, show weaknesses in both general vocabulary and the Parkwood Primary School - 17 technical language of particular subjects. That said, the good and very good teaching throughout the school is usually based on good assessment and provides enough background information to compensate for these factors. However, when unsatisfactory lessons were observed and, to some extent, in otherwise satisfactory teaching, assessment and planning were insufficiently precise to take account of such difficulties. In these lessons, slower

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Commentary

progress resulted. For example, in a science lesson in Year 2, planning did not permit pupils enough practical opportunities to predict the effects of lack of light on plants. When questioned, those pupils at early stages of acquiring English especially were unclear about the links between the sun, warmth, and the use of the word “light” in this scientific context. They became confused about the point of the lesson and introduced ideas about rain and lack of water, so the main learning point was lost. Related opportunities to broaden vocabulary and to show pupils how to use standard forms of spoken English are other weaker aspects of teaching throughout the school. This situation is, conversely, a telling example of how good leadership and management have an impact. Senior staff are, however, already aware of the deficiency, owing to the results of their monitoring. They have prioritised oracy (an educational

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Commentary

term that refers to everything associated with hearing and speaking a language) for future development.

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The curriculum

The curriculum is good overall, including good opportunities for enhancement. Resources, staffing, and the school's accommodation are also generally good, and include satisfactory provision for children in the Nursery and Reception classes.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Improvement since the last inspection is good. • Overall, what is taught is enriched strongly with provision for the arts and sports. • Opportunities to enrich pupils’ vocabulary and to explain and reinforce uses of standard forms of English are insufficiently planned across the curriculum. • The school’s particularly inclusive climate for learning ensures that no-one is left out of what is provided. • The provision for pupils identified as having special educational needs and those with English as an additional language is good overall and very good in Years 3 to 6. • The school provides very good experiences for pupils to develop creatively.

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Commentary

17. The previous inspection reported that the curriculum met national requirements and was successful in preparing pupils for the next stage in their education. However, deficiencies were found that were mainly associated with unsatisfactory resources, especially in design and technology. Strengths within the curriculum have been maintained and weaknesses addressed. What is taught in design and technology is now sound, and resources are properly audited and replenished. Improvement since the previous inspection is good.

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Commentary

18. The school’s policies for teaching subjects in the National Curriculum and its schemes of work are generally of good quality. The locally agreed syllabus is used to plan religious education and governors meet their legal responsibilities in the provision of policies for sex education, personal and health education and special educational needs, and those included in disability legislation. Resources support the curriculum adequately, enabling pupils to learn effectively. What is taught is enriched with a good range and variety of sporting and creative activities, including visiting artists, a good availability and range of instrumental music lessons, visits to galleries and many sporting links. In the Nursery and Reception classes, the curriculum is appropriately broad, balanced and relevant and includes the six areas of learning as outlined in The Curriculum for the Foundation Stage (a national document that describes what should be

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Commentary

taught in these age groups). Parkwood Primary School - 18 19. In classes for younger pupils, while planning of the curriculum is adequate, it does not always include sufficient emphasis on the development of standard forms of spoken English and vocabulary through either incidental talk or directed activities. As a result, opportunities to use subjects across the curriculum to enrich vocabulary are sometimes missed. Although this feature is better in Years 3 to 6, similar missed opportunities were still observed. For example, in Year 3, the pace of scientific learning was slowed down owing to weaknesses in specific vocabulary associated with the terms ‘absorbency’ and ‘scientific testing’, despite otherwise good provision. This slow pace could have been avoided if what was planned had included sufficient allocation of time on the development of such vocabulary. The National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies are used effectively, and are well established in planning what is taught.

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Commentary

This very thorough planning results in high quality ideas that contribute strongly to good overall teaching and learning in these subjects.

p.18

Commentary

20. The school has a strong climate for learning that includes all groups of pupils and ensures that no-one is left out of activities. Provision that promotes good self-esteem, allowing different groups to feel at home and valued, encourages pupils to respond as active learners, which contributes strongly to raising overall achievement. Current topics in the school include a study of ‘black history’; and the school choir performs regularly and includes music from a range of cultures in its repertoire. One parent commented that the choir sings anything well, and that “…this is a rhythm school”. Strong community links, which offer good access to sporting events, result in the provision of well-qualified coaches in cricket, football and basketball. Access to Sport and a link with Arsenal Football Club add much to this provision. The curriculum has also been enhanced with the teaching of French and Spanish, which are

p.18

Commentary

21. The provision for pupils identified as having special educational needs and also that for pupils with English as an additional language is good overall. This provision is very good in classes for older pupils, where the strong co-ordinators provide it themselves. The governing body, in partnership with the headteacher and senior staff, has consciously set out to employ better than average numbers and quality of teaching staff and assistants. This strategy is effective in meeting the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and those in the early stages of learning English. In the Nursery, the experience and specific qualifications of the teacher are not as closely matched to the age group as in other years. However, this factor does not appear to be affecting the quality of provision as, overall, teaching is good and children are achieving well. The level of support staff to meet the needs of these young

p.18

Commentary

children is good, which is also contributing well to their achievements. While classrooms are of a reasonable size, difficulties do exist with lack of space in the school as a whole. Many areas have to be used for a variety of purposes. For example, the hall is used for physical education, music, including singing sessions, assemblies, school lunches and as a corridor. Furthermore, it is adjacent to classrooms for the younger pupils, including the Reception year, resulting in some disturbance for them. The computer area is located in an open foyer, which means a lot of coming and going from adjacent classrooms and the library. Outside, play space is limited and parking facilities for the staff are restricted, which causes some difficulty in an area of controlled street parking. Nevertheless, the school site is well maintained and is kept clean, tidy, safe and very secure. Governors and senior staff are aware of the difficulties.

p.18

Commentary

Developmental planning, assisted by funding from local businesses, includes improvements to the outdoor areas. Learning resources are generally good, supporting teaching and learning well.

p.18

Care, guidance and support

Arrangements for the care, welfare and safety of pupils are very good. Guidance and support of pupils are sound, while good opportunities exist for pupils to make their views of the school known to staff.

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

Parkwood Primary School - 19 • The school makes very good provision for the care of pupils and for their welfare and safety. • A strong sense of co-operation and working together, including staff, parents and pupils, pervades the school. • Arrangements for settling pupils who are new to the school are generally good. • The School Council makes a good contribution to the work and running of the school.

p.19

Commentary

22. In the pre-inspection meeting and in responses to questionnaires, parents indicated that the care provided for their children is very good. Inspectors agree with them. All adults in the school are clearly aware of pupils’ requirements, and accept the responsibility to take care of them very seriously. This care is based on sensitive monitoring of personal development and includes pupils of all backgrounds, capabilities and ethnic groups. A Record of Achievement for each pupil shows their personal and academic progress as they move through the school. Arrangements to monitor academic progress are particularly good in the main core subjects of English and mathematics, and are adequate in information and communication technology. However, they are less developed in other subjects, although improvements are planned across the curriculum. The school demonstrates a positive approach to health and safety,

p.19

Commentary

including very good child protection arrangements. Adequate numbers of staff are also trained in first aid.

p.19

Commentary

23. A good climate of co-operation between staff, parents and pupils, means that teachers are available to listen to any concerns that might arise on a daily basis. This willingness to listen pervades the whole school. As a result, pupils’ personal or academic worries are usually resolved quickly and amicably, which then contributes to the good climate for learning.

p.19

Commentary

24. Relatively high numbers of pupils enter the school at times other than the usual beginnings of key educational stages. Often pupils might arrive during a term, sometimes directly from overseas. The school handles these occasions very well. Every effort is made to ensure a warm welcome and to help pupils, sometimes with very little understanding of English, to make a successful start. When possible, new arrivals are paired with others who share the same heritage and language. In this way, they have the opportunity to make friends initially with a child who has similar cultural experiences and who understands their language.

p.19

Commentary

25. Staff are always willing to listen to pupils and opportunities are provided for pupils to make their views and ideas known. Pupils make a positive contribution to the development of the school through the School Council . Suggestions are taken seriously and, when possible and appropriate, are put into practice. For example, recent suggestions made by council representatives for the improvement of the school playgrounds were included in a successful bid for funding. This involvement in the running of the school gives pupils opportunities to work within a democratic setting that focuses on their own ideas and issues. It contributes well to raising confidence and self-esteem.

p.19

Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

The school is very successful in establishing purposeful links with the community. Its partnership with parents and links with other schools are good.

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Nearly all parents hold the school in high regard. • The school involves parents well, providing good information and enabling them to help their children through meetings and courses. • Very good links with the community have a positive impact on learning. Parkwood Primary School - 20 • Effective links exist with secondary schools to which pupils transfer, including those in adjacent boroughs. Parkwood Primary School - 21

p.19

Commentary

26. The school has worked hard to establish a strong partnership with parents and, as a result, they and the local community hold the school in high esteem. Responses from the parents’ questionnaire indicate a high level of support for the school. Parents overall are very pleased that the school is approachable and has high expectations of their children. For example, a large majority of parents’ questionnaires indicate the belief that children enjoy the school, behave well and make good progress. Inspectors found substantial evidence in support of parents’ views.

p.21

Commentary

27. The school has maintained and built on the significant improvements that were reported in 1999 in what it provides for parents. For example, each half term, guidance is sent home about topics and themes that pupils will study in class. This information encourages parents to visit local libraries and to take their children to museums and galleries to support lessons that are followed in school. To this end, the school organised a ten-week workshop in literacy and numeracy. Parents, representing a wide range of ethnicity, often speaking English as an additional language, enhanced their own skills in literacy and numeracy and, at the same time, they acquired knowledge of how the school teaches their children. The idea was to enable parents to support their children’s progress and achievement more effectively. Currently, ten parents, who are themselves at an early stage of acquiring English, are attending a course at

p.21

Commentary

the school that is accredited by Newham College. Other accredited courses, such as Voluntary Help in Schools, are also provided. Such provision is clearly of strong mutual benefit as it relates directly to helping pupils learn and thereby contributing to pupils’ overall achievement. Parents also receive a good range and quality of information, including administrative and pastoral. Formal and informal meetings about their children’s progress are available on a regular basis and a written report is sent out annually. All staff make serious efforts to ensure that lack of English is not a barrier to understanding the work of the school. The school prospectus provides useful information to parents, with vital information translated into Turkish, Arabic and Bengali. The governors’ annual report to parents provides all statutorily required information and other details of the school year. Good arrangements also

p.21

Commentary

exist for informing and involving parents whose children have special educational needs. Policies, methods and procedures are fully explained and parents are invited to all review meetings. If the need arises, interpreters are provided.

p.21

Commentary

28. Links with the community are varied and of very good quality, producing much support and opportunity for pupils’ learning and achievement. These links are two-way, offering mutual benefit. For example, the school choir participates in local and national events, and goes into the community to perform. Placements are offered to trainee teachers in conjunction with another local primary school, the Hackney Learning Trust and London Metropolitan University , and opportunities are provided to secondary school students for work experience. Recently, Access to Sport, Arsenal Football Club , local religious groups and businesses, including a City of London bank have all made positive contributions either directly to teaching and learning or with donations. The school’s links with the community therefore influence the quality of provision very strongly.

p.21

Commentary

29. Staff at the school work particularly hard to ensure that links with secondary schools are effective. They have succeeded admirably in circumstances that are more complex than usual. The school is located very near to boundaries with other London boroughs, which means that many pupils transfer to secondary schools outside the local authority. Furthermore, this process involves transfer to many different secondary schools. Nevertheless, pupils are well prepared for moving on to their new schools. Secondary school staff visit the school regularly and older pupils attend ‘secondary taster days’ and similar induction sessions, while meetings are held for parents. Parkwood Primary School - 22

p.21

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The chair of governors is a strong driving force in moving the school forward, and the governing body makes a strong contribution to leadership and management. The leadership of the headteacher and senior staff is good, and the school’s systems of management and administration are effective, which means that the school runs smoothly and provides well for pupils’ development, learning and overall achievement.

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Senior leaders and managers, including the headteacher and deputy headteacher, are very successful in building teamwork amongst the staff in order to drive up standards. • Managers at all levels are very successful in ensuring that no pupils are left out of what the school provides. • Governors, especially the chair, are sufficiently knowledgeable about the work of the school to challenge and question senior staff about provision and standards. At the same time, governors remain supportive and involved.

p.22

Commentary

30. At the last inspection, leadership and management were strong elements, based on a purposeful and supportive approach towards staff, pupils and parents. The deputy headteacher at that time is now the headteacher and is proving to be an effective leader. Standards have risen since her appointment, especially in mathematics and science. Results of National Curriculum tests reflect this finding, with trends in Years 2 and 6 above the national trends. The headteacher and governors share a clear vision for the future of the school, and have established a very good team spirit that serves pupils well. The staff are enabled by the headteacher to be active in developing the school's climate for learning and setting standards. All of this reflects a vision of empowering staff to work collaboratively across all aspects of the school. Improvements in English and mathematics reflect good co-ordination of literacy and

p.22

Commentary

numeracy. Monitoring and assessment in these subjects are carried out regularly and effectively; although the monitoring of other subjects is often less thorough, including science where the co-ordinator is new to the post. Monitoring has clearly brought about improvements in Years 3 to 6, although its full impact is not yet apparent in Years 1 and 2. The teacher in Year 1 is new to this age group and is clearly a strong teacher, so improvement is likely to occur quickly. The deputy headteacher and headteacher are aware of strengths and weaknesses in different age groups and aspects of the school’s provision. These include weaknesses in the uses of assessment beyond literacy and numeracy. They want to place a stronger emphasis on the development of speaking and listening across the curriculum, and an even stronger emphasis on ensuring good attendance. All of this indicates that the school evaluates itself well in an effort to drive up the levels of attainment.

p.22

Commentary

31. The headteacher understands the needs of all groups of pupils, including the full range of backgrounds and ethnicity that are represented. She manages resources effectively to ensure that they are met. Staff and pupils are well motivated, in a very good climate for learning, which promotes pupils’ overall achievements effectively. The co-ordinators of provision for pupils with special educational needs and for those with English as an additional language provide good leadership and management, liaising well with staff and with agencies outside the school to the benefit of pupils and their parents. As a result of strong policies to include all pupils, which are implemented effectively, nearly all pupils achieve well, making good progress, irrespective of their social or ethnic backgrounds or levels of prior attainment.

p.22

Commentary

32. Teachers are encouraged to evaluate their own work critically. The information gained informs plans for future developments and improvements effectively and the senior staff analyse these data regularly and accurately. Information about different groups of pupils in the school, including the performance of different ethnic groups, as well as issues surrounding Parkwood Primary School - 23 the mobility of the school’s pupils, is used to indicate what needs to be done to continue to raise standards. In this way, staff are enabled to ensure that no groups’ needs are missed in the quest to raise standards.

p.22

Commentary

33. The governing body is fully involved in shaping the vision and direction of the school. Their statutory duties are fulfilled properly, and the chair ensures that governors are actively involved in the school on a regular basis. Training needs have been met with a programme of courses for governors. The chair takes a very strong lead in seeking further training and provides sensitive questioning and careful support. Governors are fully involved in matters of finance; this is another improvement since the last inspection when this aspect of their work was judged a weakness.

p.23

Financial information for the year April 2003 to March 2004

Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 988,236 Balance from previous year 84,752 Total expenditure 956,674 Balance carried forward to the next 116,314

p.23

Financial information for the year April 2003 to March 2004

34. Finance is secure, well managed and suitably directed to ensure improvement. The school’s excess of income over expenditure, shown as balances in the second column of the above table, is higher than normally recommended. However, the figures include capital that has been held back for expenditure on exterior play spaces for pupils, improvements in information and communication technology and staff-related purposes. Current national initiatives to remodel the educational workforce, so it meets needs more closely, are being tackled positively with a suitable emphasis on whole-staff development. Bearing in mind pupils’ often low starting points compared with standards of achievement by the time pupils leave the school in Year 6, good value for money is achieved. The services of a bursar are used effectively to assist with monitoring of funds, including a prudent approach to financial planning

p.23

Financial information for the year April 2003 to March 2004

that involves close attention to the national principles for the achievement of best value. Parkwood Primary School - 24

p.23

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Three-year-olds are admitted to the Nursery on a part-time basis. Children then attend full time for a term before their transfer to the Reception class in either September or January. Many children have very low attainment on entry to the Nursery in comparison with that usually found nationally, and only very few children attain above what is usual. A very high proportion speaks little or no English. A number of children also experience various social needs. Nevertheless, owing to good provision in most areas of learning, nearly all children achieve well. They are skilfully eased into full-time school life. Parents are invited into the school frequently and receive useful guidance on how to help their children. Improvement since the last inspection has been good.

p.24

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Good teaching in the Nursery ensures that children achieve well overall, especially in those areas in which attainment on entry is very low. For example, almost all are on course to reach the expected goals in their personal, social and emotional development. Growth in confidence, maturity and interest in learning are considerable. In the Reception Year, children build well on the gains made in the Nursery. The teachers in each class are fully aware of the methods that underpin good practice for teaching young children, and work together as an effective team. However, these teachers’ classes are based at opposite ends of the building. This factor makes planning together difficult and restricts any joint focus on what children will learn on a daily basis. Nevertheless, improvements are occurring and planning is firmly based on The Curriculum for the Foundation Stage , ensuring that children are provided with an appropriate range of challenging and interesting activities. Children with

p.24

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

special educational needs and those with English as an additional language are given the necessary support to ensure that they progress at similar rates to other children. However, it should be born in mind that their actual attainment at this age is likely to be much lower than that of other children, owing to such needs.

p.24

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

The Foundation Stage co-ordinator is new to the post, but is already providing a satisfactory quality of leadership. Systems to monitor and evaluate provision are developing successfully, and strengths and weaknesses in provision have been identified accurately as a first step towards improvement.

p.24

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in personal, social and emotional development is good.

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Trusting and warm relationships between adults and children result in a learning environment that is conducive to good personal development. • High expectations of behaviour help children to know right from wrong and to show respect for others, including adults. • Children are given good opportunities to use their initiative and to develop their confidence and independence.

p.24

Commentary

35. When they first enter the Nursery, many children find it difficult to sit still quietly and to concentrate for any length of time. However, interesting activities and plenty of encouragement soon help them to settle. The climate for learning is supportive and the children are well known to all staff and treated with respect and care, so they feel very special. Nearly all of them respond positively to this provision and become attentive and eager to learn. Because this area of learning is taught well, children pick up routines quickly and attend to tasks with a minimum of fuss, showing developing confidence on new activities. Parkwood Primary School - 25 36. The quality of teaching and learning is good in Nursery and Reception classes. As a result, children achieve well and their attainment is raised close to the level expected for their age in this area. Nearly all children are on course to reach the goals expected for their age, and a few

p.24

Commentary

are likely to exceed them. The staff are good role models, and this promotes the rapid development of secure relationships between adults and children. Children quickly learn to share toys, accepting responsibility for equipment, and make progress in taking care of their own personal belongings.

p.25

Commentary

37. Children in the Nursery gain much self-esteem, independence and personal confidence from frequent opportunities to make choices and to move freely between areas. They participate well in all available activities, and work and play in harmony with each other. Every opportunity is taken to develop respect for others, such as taking turns and understanding right from wrong. A telling example occurred when children were skilfully involved in discussion about how to help a new child to join the Nursery. Children also benefit from well-planned uses of Emotional Literacy, whereby they are taught to use strategies, so as not to become discouraged or cross when they find something difficult.

p.25

Commentary

38. The learning support staff are used particularly well alongside teachers, helping to establish high standards of behaviour and social skills. For example, during discussions they prompt individuals to put up a hand first and to wait for their turn. Children’s play and responses are supported and extended sensitively through good direct questioning. They are given good opportunities, through role-play and dressing up in a home-corner, which supports their initiative and independence well. Encouragement of these skills was noted frequently as children concentrated on their chosen activities, and tidied up when they finished.

p.25

COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Provision in communication, language and literacy is good.

p.25

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Achievement is good considering the very limited language skills of most children on entry. • The overall good teaching is having a positive impact on children’s learning. • A good level of support is provided, and this ensures good progress for all children. • Opportunities to develop children’s speaking skills and to increase their vocabulary are sometimes missed. • Work is not suitably planned and adapted to meet the needs of older children in the Nursery.

p.25

Commentary

39. Most children achieve well by the end of the Reception year. A clear focus on language in all activities effectively supports the high number of children with English as an additional language. Nevertheless, owing to the large proportion of children at an early stage of acquiring English, it is likely that only a small minority of children will reach the early learning goals by the end of the Reception year.

p.25

Commentary

40. In the Nursery, an appropriate emphasis on the development of communication develops children’s speaking and listening skills well. Instructions for activities often involve the use of visual cues, which enable all children to understand what they have to do. The adults provide good role-models in the way they talk to each other and to children. They listen carefully to what children say. However, in the Nursery and Reception classes, while all staff value children’s efforts at communicating, offering frequent praise, they do not take enough opportunities to exemplify better vocabulary and standard English sentences. Similarly, they do not ask children to repeat words and phrases back to them frequently enough. Furthermore, older full-time children, due to join the Reception class in January, do not receive Parkwood Primary School - 26 a specifically planned programme of activities. As a result, opportunities to prepare them for a

p.25

Commentary

brisker pace of work are not taken. 41. In the Reception class, children enjoy making marks on paper and regularly practise writing their names. Nevertheless, most children are still at early stage of making marks on paper, although several are beginning to produce strings of letter-shapes. Children’s knowledge of phonics are practised and consolidated well, enabling them to link sounds with letters and to learn new vocabulary. In a very good lesson, the children linked a picture with the initial letter sound, repeated sequences of rhyming words and made suitable attempts at telling jokes that were inspired by the story of Elmer, the patchwork elephant. The system of regular exchange and sharing of books with parents and teachers effectively enhances children’s love for books and their ability to recognise words. Children make good progress when an adult works with a small group or in a one-to-one situation to give children individual attention. By the end of the

p.26

Commentary

Reception year, a few children recognise simple everyday words.

p.26

MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in mathematical development is satisfactory with several good features.

p.26

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The teachers provide many opportunities to count people or objects. • Activities are not planned to show what children are expected to know at the end of sessions nor matched closely enough to children’s levels of understanding. • Children are well motivated and eager to learn.

p.26

Commentary

42. Children achieve well compared to their very low skills on entry, although most are unlikely to attain the expected goals by the end of the Reception year. Nevertheless, they are exposed to worthwhile experiences and cover a lot of ground in preparation for Year 1. Teaching and learning are satisfactory with some good features. Teachers plan interesting practical activities to promote mathematical understanding. However, what children are expected to learn is not always made clear in daily planning. Good features in teaching are the strong links that are made between the development of language skills and mathematics. In the Nursery and Reception alike, teachers use a variety of number rhymes and songs to help children learn to count in English. In the Nursery, they frequently match, sort and count using everyday objects, so consolidation is good.

p.26

Commentary

43. The older Nursery children count to five with developing understanding, although the lack of clear planning means that the more capable among them are not challenged well enough to go further. The Reception children learn to make simple comparisons and use words such as ‘longer’ and ‘shorter’. However, many children were confused by the use of ‘length’ and ‘height’ to denote similar ideas in a lesson that was too difficult for them to follow successfully. Children gain some knowledge of capacity and weight from practical experiences with sand and water. They do not yet describe objects by position, shape, size, colour or quantity when working with large and small construction equipment.

p.26

Commentary

44. Children’s good attitudes and very good behaviour contribute well to their achievements in this area of learning. They enjoy singing and chanting rhymes, which motivate them to concentrate and results in good learning. They are intrigued by real situations when they have to count how many people are present.

p.26

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Provision in knowledge and understanding of the world is good. Parkwood Primary School - 27

p.26

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Most children achieve well owing to the good quality of teaching and learning. • Only a few children are likely to reach the goals expected at the end of the Reception year. • An appropriate range of interesting activities is planned to promote learning in this area. • Staff use questioning effectively to enhance children’s knowledge and understanding of the world around them.

p.27

Commentary

45. Children achieve well owing to a good range of planned activities and good teaching. While children receive good experiences for developing this area of learning, their low level of knowledge on entry is a barrier to many of them, preventing them from attaining the expected goals by the end of the Reception class.

p.27

Commentary

46. Teaching and learning are good. Adults support children’s understanding well, providing opportunities for them to explore objects of interest in the home-corner and play-kitchen. They encourage learning about families and human geography through role-play. Staff provide a good balance of directed activities and activities that children choose for themselves. A good range of materials is introduced for making objects and artefacts that support early learning about design and technology. For example, in the Nursery, children enjoy using play dough and other materials. In Reception class, they constructed models of shops that they saw on a walk through local streets, talking about the purposes of different types of shop. Opportunities are available for children in the Nursery to observe insects and other minibeasts in a garden area. Children in the Reception build well on this type of activity, and many of them were very

p.27

Commentary

excited at their discoveries outside. They observed insects very closely after being shown how to use a magnifying glass.

p.27

Commentary

47. Adults encourage children to explore their own ideas fully. Nearly all the children in the Nursery and Reception classes enjoy working with sand and water, acquiring ideas, for example, about “…things that float”. However, many children, and not only those at early stages of English acquisition, have not yet developed sufficient skills to ask focused questions about how things work. Adults are aware of weaknesses in specific language skills and often talk to children about objects and resources that they pick up or observe.

p.27

Commentary

48. Children’s uses of the computer are developed satisfactorily. Many show good knowledge of how to use the mouse to control the movement of the cursor on the screen, using skills of clicking and dragging successfully.

p.27

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in physical development is satisfactory , although some elements of outdoor provision are unsatisfactory.

p.27

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teachers make the most of limited outdoor provision, and use the main school hall well for timetabled lessons. • Opportunities are restricted for children in Reception by the lack of an area outside that is permanently available to them. • In the Reception year, planning is not always sufficiently rigorous to ensure progress in specific skills.

p.27

Commentary

Parkwood Primary School - 28 49. Teaching and learning are generally satisfactory in this area, leading to satisfactory achievement. Teachers in the Nursery and Reception classes ensure good behaviour and safe uses of equipment. In the Nursery, outdoor activities have a positive impact on children’s learning. They share equipment with others and learn how to use space efficiently. Planned sessions ensure that they pedal and push vehicles with increasing control and steer them with growing confidence and co-ordination. 50. Reception children were observed on the infant playground, and while indications are that most will reach the expected goals, many of them are not in line to do so. Children in the Reception class do not have open access to climbing and balancing equipment, as no outside area has been fenced and made specifically available for them. Furthermore, when such activity was observed, it lacked clarity about the skills that children were expected to acquire, so specific

p.28

Commentary

progress in skills of climbing, balancing, running and jumping were insufficiently focused and taught.

p.28

Commentary

51. In contrast, children in both the Nursery and Reception develop control of fingers, and hand and eye co-ordination well. They handle dough to particular ends and receive many planned opportunities to experiment with small tools, such as scissors, brushes, scrapers and others. Furthermore, they manipulate small construction equipment with dexterity, suggesting that such opportunities are frequently available. Many children hold pencils correctly and paint carefully with brushes.

p.28

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Provision in creative development is satisfactory , including some elements that are good.

p.28

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Planned opportunities and resources are often effective in exciting children’s imaginations. • Children are confident in expressing themselves creatively. • Teachers’ methods do not always ensure that children acquire the necessary artistic skills to meet the goals.

p.28

Commentary

52. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory and includes a number of strong features. For example, areas set aside for imaginative play provide many opportunities for role-play and dressing-up. These activities excite nearly all the children and they play creatively, developing their curiosity and imagination effectively. During such activities, most children achieve well and, in these respects, many are on course to attain the early learning goals by the time they leave the Reception class. They join in well with favourite songs and respond to music with body movements and dance. An example occurred when children in the Nursery happily marched to taped music. They joined in the singing of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star enthusiastically and knew the names of percussion instruments such as, shakers, bells, rain- sticks and tambourines.

p.28

Commentary

53. In the Nursery and Reception classes alike, children show obvious enjoyment. They are confident in taking part and show pride in their work. When encouraged, they demonstrate their willingness to talk about what they were doing. Children, in both classes, draw, paint and make collages. They use different materials to create their artwork. For example, cardboard owls based on a favourite story, The Owl Babies, were displayed to good effect. However, during lessons, adults were inclined to over-direct some activities and, as a result, the children’s freedom to use their own creative ideas was not sufficiently developed, and their finished works of art all looked similar. At the same time, adults who supported this type of creative development, did not ask enough questions to extend children’s vocabulary and to stimulate different ideas. Parkwood Primary School - 29

p.28

ENGLISH

Provision in English is good , which results in good progress from often very low starting points.

p.29

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching and learning are generally good with very good levels of support for different groups of pupils, so a wide range of learning needs are met very well. • Attainment is limited by pupils’ weak language development and, currently, too little emphasis is placed on development of pupils’ speaking skills. • High numbers of pupils enter and leave the school during each year, which adversely affects attainment. • The subject is well led.

p.29

Commentary

54. From work that was sampled during the inspection, it is apparent that a significant proportion of pupils enter Year 1 with low levels of skills in communication, language and literacy. During literacy hours, the quality of teaching and learning is good overall with considerable amounts of very good teaching, assisted by knowledgeable teaching assistants and specific help for pupils with special educational needs and with English as an additional language. For example, the availability of support in a lesson that was observed in Year 2 was extensive. Five adults, in addition to the class teacher, supported different groups whose needs had been identified beforehand. The quality of this assistance was closely geared to meet these different needs. As a result, pupils acquired a lot of individual guidance on how to write instructions, which was the main focus of the lesson. Progress was rapid, based on very good engagement of pupils

p.29

Commentary

with the tasks that were set. While the teacher pointed out that this level of support is not always available, levels of staffing at the school are comparatively high in national terms and, on this evidence, are used effectively. Pupils in this lesson benefited strongly, learning and achieving very well. Very good teaching was also observed in Years 1, 4 and 6. Pupils’ work indicates that teachers’ expectations of pupils are consistently high in Year 6. In an example of very good teaching, the class teacher was very clear with explanations of how pupils should set about analysing a factual report on deserts. Pupils were shown how to look for technical vocabulary, sentences in active and passive voices and how to access meaning. At the same time, another group was well supported by the co-ordinator of provision for pupils with English as an additional language. Many of these pupils had special educational needs. However, the

p.29

Commentary

quality of what was provided for them was strong and resulted in good rates of progress. They learnt some of the differences between active and passive sentences, albeit in simpler situations. Overall achievement was very good. However, the low attainment on entry means that, while pupils achieve well in comparison with starting points, standards of work are often well below what is expected nationally. Nevertheless, teaching of good quality through the school is steadily raising standards. It is this factor that has contributed most to the school’s rising trends that exceed those found nationally in National Curriculum test results at the end of Years 2 and 6. The same factor has raised attainment since the last inspection.

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Commentary

55. Skills of listening are taught and promoted well. Pupils are consistently encouraged to listen to each other and to adults and, nearly all pupils of all ages, give speakers a polite, careful hearing. Their attitudes to learning are good and they nearly always behave well. However, standards in speaking are a major weakness. Many pupils have a limited vocabulary and their speech is often characterised by short, idiomatic phrases. This deficiency is not unexpected, owing to the high proportion that enters the school from backgrounds where little or no English is spoken at home. While teachers frequently use a method known as Talking Partners to provide opportunities for pupils to discuss their own ideas, they do not always offer them specific examples of more precise speech or alternative vocabulary. This weakness contributes to low attainment in other areas of English, especially writing, where pupils repeat

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Commentary

Parkwood Primary School - 30 the same features that are apparent in their speech. Written work is therefore well below average, despite rising achievement, largely because overall improvements since the last inspection have not yet caught up with national standards. Many pupils in Year 2 find spelling difficult and forget to use capital letters and to punctuate their sentences with full-stops. Pupils’ skills in reading, however, are generally better. For example, several pupils in Years 1, 2 and 3 demonstrated various strategies for reading new words. These skills included good whole- word recognition and recall, use of context and knowledge of the sounds of letters. By Year 6, a significant majority of pupils are reading factual texts and fiction with fluency and accuracy. Furthermore, several higher attaining readers are able to explain why they like their favourite authors and how they use libraries and the Internet to find relevant information.

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Commentary

56. Another reason why good provision does not influence standards further is that large numbers of pupils enter and leave the school during the year. Pupils who have learnt successfully leave before they reach Year 6, and several of the pupils who enter the school arrive directly from overseas. Many of these pupils have little knowledge of how schools in England operate. It takes a little while for them to settle in and to begin to make progress; in addition, several are at an early stage of acquiring English. Analysis of pupils’ records indicates that those who remain at the school throughout their education do well. For example, in 2004, pupils in Year 6 who had attended at least from Year 3 all made progress at the nationally expected rate, or faster.

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Commentary

57. The subject is well led. The co-ordinator is an experienced literacy manager who keeps up to date with developments in teaching and learning and shares this knowledge with the whole staff. She takes special classes in Year 6 to boost the performance of weaker pupils, successfully helping many of them to attain the nationally expected standard. Pupils’ progress and attainment are tested and monitored regularly and the information is used well in order to make decisions about provision.

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Language and literacy across the curriculum

58. Reading is used effectively in subjects across the curriculum to find information. Writing is often emphasised as a way of recording what pupils find out and know. However, samples of work indicate that types and styles of handwriting are not always used appropriately. Several examples were found where pupils had failed to join their handwriting while producing extended factual texts. On other occasions, when unjoined script or block print might have been clearer, such as on labels or headings, their handwriting was joined. While extensive use of information and communication technology was not seen, it is clearly used successfully to word process, and pupils explained that they enjoy this type of work.

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French and Spanish

59. Although these languages are both taught, no judgements have been made, as the teacher, who also co-ordinates the provision, was not present during the inspection. Opportunities to experience how they are taught helps prepare pupils for secondary school, where foreign languages are normally included in the National Curriculum.

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French and Spanish

60. Good links with mathematics were apparent when examples of pupils’ counting in French were seen displayed prominently. Parkwood Primary School - 31

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils’ good overall learning produces good achievement. • Overall standards have risen since the last inspection and the 2004 National Curriculum test results are very good indeed. • Standards in Year 2 remain well below average. • Weaknesses in spoken English result in lower standards in problem solving and mental arithmetic than in other aspects of mathematics. • Co-ordination is careful and thorough, and its impact is likely to raise standards further.

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Commentary

61. Pupils achieve well. Many of them come into school with skills that are much lower than those usually found. However, good progress ensures that their levels of attainment improve well. Good teaching and support for pupils from many different backgrounds and a wide range of ethnicity produces good concentration amongst pupils. Work is well adapted to meet their requirements. As a result, nearly all individuals, including those with special educational needs and English as an additional language, learn effectively.

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Commentary

62. The results of the 2004 National Curriculum tests in Year 6 are remarkable, with many pupils attaining a level above that normally expected. These results are also in the top five percent nationally. Although current work is not as good, it is still much better than what was achieved up to and including 2003. Work that was observed during lessons and sampled in pupils’ exercise books was frequently at the normally expected level for Year 6, and several pupils performed at a higher level. Bearing in mind starting points, this work is evidence of strong achievement by many pupils. The previous inspection report acknowledged difficulties that the school faced in raising attainment, but recognised that pupils generally made good progress. This situation has clearly improved considerably and progress is better still.

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Commentary

63. Overall attainment is also better now in Year 2. However, this improved position does not show up as obviously in National Curriculum tests, in which results remain well below average. The main reason is that not enough time has elapsed since pupils first joined the school, so their performance has not caught up sufficiently to be apparent. That said, the quality of teaching and learning, as indicated in the last report, has not been as consistently strong in this age group as in other years. In the present inspection, a lesson that was observed in Year 2, while satisfactory, was not as good as teaching that was observed in other classes. Furthermore, senior managers in the school, including the subject co-ordinator, recognise that the next step is to tackle standards in Year 2, to bring about the same boosting of achievement that has been evident in Years 3 to 6.

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Commentary

64. Careful analysis of performances has revealed that many pupils do not attain quite as highly in mental arithmetic and problem solving as they do in work that relies purely on an understanding of number or ideas of shape and space. The most likely reason is weaknesses in pupils’ skills in English. Limited knowledge of standard forms of spoken English and restricted vocabulary, linked to the very high proportion who do not speak English at home, make the quick verbal responses expected in mental arithmetic situations difficult for them to cope with. Similarly, in problem solving, the complication introduced by setting questions in unfamiliar words slows down their otherwise good mathematical thinking. Again, senior managers are aware of the difficulty. Planning is already being undertaken to introduce an initiative that focuses on skills in speaking and listening. Currently, the practice of providing all

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Commentary

pupils with a partner with whom they can discuss their approaches to work in mathematics ( Talking Partners) is used frequently and effectively. However, in this respect, Parkwood Primary School - 32 teachers and teaching assistants do not always intervene enough. As a result, opportunities to give examples of standard English are missed, as are occasions when they could be asked to repeat and reinforce more precise usage given to them by adults.

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Commentary

65. The leadership and management of mathematics in the school are good. The co-ordinator, who is also the deputy headteacher, has taken a strong lead in seeking improvements, with a decisive strategy and clear vision for moving on. Effective organisation has conveyed useful information to staff, and practical ideas about how teaching can boost pupils’ achievements. Planning for achievement has resulted in grouping pupils more carefully and for a broader range of reasons than in the past. As a result, very different needs can be accommodated, so individual learning requirements are met very effectively. This careful approach helps pupils to reach their potential. It has been very effective in recent years in increasing the proportion of higher achievers working at above average levels on stronger challenges. Further refinements to systems of assessment are planned to provide better information in Years 1 and 2, so

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Commentary

teaching can be more focused on pupils’ weaker skills and on what they find hard to remember. More frequent monitoring of lessons to develop skills in speaking and listening, and uses of appropriate mathematical vocabulary, are also planned. Inspectors’ findings support all of these developments as likely to improve overall achievement.

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Mathematics across the curriculum

66. Opportunities to use mathematics as part of learning in other subjects are taken as and when they occur. For example, displays of counting in French and Spanish were observed, which reflects teaching of these languages. Measurement is emphasised sufficiently through the school to support work in science and design and technology. Information and communication technology is often used in the production of graphs and charts and formulae are used to program cells in a spreadsheet. Good displays of pupils’ work in mathematics are evident around the school and in several classrooms.

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SCIENCE

Provision in science is satisfactory overall. Planning ensures that what is taught matches requirements in the National Curriculum and that pupils learn what they should.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils’ achievements are frequently good. • Teaching builds successfully on previous learning. • Pupils have good attitudes towards the subject and can apply their knowledge and understanding to everyday situations. • Use of photocopied worksheets does not provide enough challenge for higher attainers and prevents pupils from practising their own factual writing as frequently as they might. • Assessment of progress is not sufficiently used in the planning of teaching and learning.

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Commentary

67. The same characteristics on entry to the school that affect pupils’ standards in the other core subjects of English and mathematics are apparent in science. Against this background, pupils achieve satisfactorily and many achieve well. However, standards of work in Year 2 are well below expectations, despite their progress. As pupils move through the school, and a higher proportion speaks English with enough fluency to understand more complex ideas, attainment rises close to what is normally expected. Samples of current work and the results of Year 6 National Curriculum tests confirm this finding. Pupils with special educational needs and those for whom English is an additional language achieve well, as a result of focused support based Parkwood Primary School - 33 on carefully identified needs. This overall pattern of attainment represents good improvement since the last inspection.

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Commentary

68. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall and several examples of good practice were also observed. Strengths outweigh weaknesses and what pupils learn builds well on their previous work. Several good methods are employed to help pupils to understand teaching points. For example, pupils in Years 3 and 6 were given frequent opportunities to talk with a partner, swapping their understanding as the lessons proceeded. This practice contributed well to their progress. In Year 6, very good use of an Interactive Whiteboard (new technology that is visible, like a blackboard, to all pupils in a classroom, but that operates like a computer) enhanced pupils’ learning about food chains. In several other lessons, too much adult direction of exactly what children should do was evident. Such occasions resulted in reduced opportunities for initiative, so chances for pupils to acquire skills of organising equipment to

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Commentary

meet their own investigative purposes were less apparent than they should have been. As a result, pupils’ overall ability to seek patterns and evaluate results of investigations was adversely affected.

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Commentary

69. Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour are good, and they work well together in groups and pairs, collaborating on scientific observations, while carrying out tests and experiments. Teachers’ management of pupils and the contributions of teaching assistants are good features that contribute well to pupils’ enjoyment of the subject. Support for pupils with special educational needs and with English as an additional language are good, which ensures that their progress is also good.

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Commentary

70. Weaknesses in English, especially amongst younger pupils, mean that written accounts are often short and contain several spelling and grammatical errors. Pupils do not always make predictions, express ideas of cause and effect or record observations in a sufficient variety of ways. For example, little use was evident of uses of computers to present data. Written work indicates that knowledge of scientific vocabulary is also slow to develop. These weaknesses reflect the fact that many pupils do not speak English at home. In order to counteract such difficulties, pupils are often given photocopied sheets to assist them with recording their results. While this provision means that they are able to write results down, it reduces their independence in practising the very skills that are their weakest. It also results in a lack of challenge for higher attaining pupils.

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Commentary

71. The co-ordinator is very new to the role and is in the process of seeking and analysing information about teaching, learning and attainment. She has already uncovered a need for a more rigorous approach to monitoring provision in order to ensure continuous improvement in standards. Inspectors agree that planning is not sufficiently influenced by detailed information about what pupils already know and can do.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Provision in information and communication technology is satisfactory overall, although teaching and learning in the computer suite are good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils’ progress and achievements are generally good. • Attitudes to learning in the subject are good. • Good resources are used well to enhance what is taught, so skills build well on those already acquired. • New technology was not used enough in lessons in other subjects.

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Commentary

Parkwood Primary School - 34 72. Overall standards in information and communication technology are a little below those expected nationally. Nevertheless, pupils progress well from skills on entry to school that are often low. Achievement for all groups of pupils, including those with special educational needs, is good. National expectations in the subject are higher now than those that existed five years ago when the previous inspection occurred. It is clear that improvements have been put into place to match them, not least in the quality of available resources. Much in-service training has taken place and standards are higher now.

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Commentary

73. Teaching and learning are good overall and include examples of very good teaching. For example, in Year 5, a very well prepared lesson meant that pupils were very quickly able to access websites that they needed. As a result, pupils demonstrated good research skills in seeking and finding significant facts about the achievements of black inventors. This work was then included in their topics on Black History . High levels of enthusiasm and motivation were apparent, because pupils were able to get on quickly, which served learning well. Pupils with special educational needs are included well and programs that support their learning are made available when needed.

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Commentary

74. Long-term planning of the curriculum is good, so good resources are bought that match learning needs. This good management ensures that pupils acquire knowledge and skills in a logical sequence that serves progress well. For example, in Year 3, pupils are taught successfully to create documents with words and pictures. They use these skills to help them with the recording of various topics, such as work on Boudicca to support history. As they move into Year 4, they acquire skills such as ‘drawing’, ‘cutting’ and ‘pasting’. By Year 6, they use computers to change and set fonts and colours. By now, their typing is reasonably quick and accurate. They also know how to enclose fields and use infill techniques (computer skills that are used to outline an area that can then be shaded or filled with a chosen colour). Because related skills are built up sequentially, pupils are able to reinforce and recall what they

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Commentary

have done previously, so unnecessary repetition is kept to a minimum and valuable learning time is not wasted.

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Commentary

75. Knowledgeable leadership and management in the subject have ensured that resources have been improved considerably. Plans for future development include updating and revamping hardware to ensure that the school’s computers are sufficiently powerful to run increasingly complex programs. It is well understood that increasing national expectations in this rapidly changing subject require constant updating of equipment in order to keep pace. Governors, together with the co-ordinator, have met statutory requirements to draw up and implement a policy for pupils to access the Internet safely.

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Information and communication technology across the curriculum

76. Information and communication technology is used effectively to support learning across the curriculum. At the same time, specific computer skills are taught in the suite. In lessons in their classrooms, pupils are often not given as many opportunities as they might be to use new technology. Computers in classrooms were often unused. Daily planning does not contain sufficient emphasis on ensuring a place for information and communication technology in these lessons.

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HUMANITIES

77. It was possible to sample work in history and geography and an inspector also discussed these subjects with a group of pupils drawn from Years 2 and 6. However, no lessons were observed, so overall judgements of provision have not been made and comments are restricted to what was directly seen.

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HUMANITIES

78. Pupils who spoke to an inspector were enthusiastic about geography and history . They recalled much information, suggesting that their skills are developed well and that teaching engages their attention. For example, pupils in Year 2 recalled several geographical features Parkwood Primary School - 35 about Turkey, speaking of its seacoasts and growing holiday industry. They knew that parts of the interior are desert. The pupils in Year 6 knew many details about the European Union. Their factual knowledge of human and physical geography was good. Their ideas about France and Germany were particularly strong. For example, they explained the importance of the Seine and the Rhine and knew much about the importance of grapes to wine-making. Links between human geography and religious education were good. Pupils knew that many Muslims live in France and were able to offer good geographical reasons, pointing out that

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HUMANITIES

Morocco and Algeria have close ties with France and, situated as they are in North Africa, are relatively short trips away across the Mediterranean Sea. Skills of geographical comparison were also good, when pupils compared India’s monsoons with the European climate.

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HUMANITIES

79. A similar pattern emerged in history. Samples of work confirmed that skills are developed effectively as pupils move through the school. In discussion, pupils’ recall of facts was good. For example, Year 2 pupils knew the main details of the lives of many famous historical figures. By Year 6, as expected, pupils’ ideas were more analytical. For example, they were able to explain why cities grew rapidly in size during the Victorian era, referring to the building of factories during the Industrial Revolution.

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HUMANITIES

80. Schemes of work in both subjects indicate that what is taught meets National Curriculum requirements. What was on display indicated that these schemes are followed adequately to plan the content of lessons. Both subjects are used well to promote personal development. Pupils learn about cultural features of other countries, and opportunities to explore the contributions of black scientists, diplomats and historical characters to world development are included.

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Religious education

Provision in religious education is good .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils attain and achieve well. • Pupils share their own knowledge and experiences well. • Written work often does not reflect pupils’ detailed knowledge and understanding, as expressed in discussions. • Co-ordination and management of the subject are good.

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Commentary

81. At the time of the last inspection, standards had risen from below, to in line with, those expected in the locally agreed syllabus. Since then, improvement has continued. Because pupils are drawn from a wide range of cultural backgrounds, many have specific beliefs and knowledge related to a variety of major world religions and are members of the faith communities to which their families belong. This means that many pupils are themselves a very rich source of information, explanations and ideas about what can be learnt from religions. The co-ordinator and staff are well aware of these factors and in lessons it was clear that pupils are both willing and confident in offering facts, relating information and joining in with discussions. This sharing of specific knowledge results in increasing rates of progress for all pupils, so overall achievement is good. This finding holds for pupils with special educational

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Commentary

needs and those with English as an additional language, who are also drawn from a wide range of ethnicity, and who are supported well.

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Commentary

82. In a discussion with an inspector, pupils in Year 6 expressed very clear and mature ideas about what belief in a religion means for individual believers. For example, they explained that religious festivals bring people together to celebrate, so everyone can feel that they belong to something important. Similarly, they expressed views about love of others and tolerance. They explained that all religions have codes of conduct or commandments that help believers Parkwood Primary School - 36 to behave well. Such maturity and understanding of what could be learnt from religions is above what is outlined in the locally agreed syllabus. However, this standard is not consistently reached in written work, although overall attainment remains clearly in line with what is expected. Good achievement was repeated in a good lesson in Year 5. Pupils demonstrated lively interest in the Buddhist tale, The Foolish Merchant and the Wise

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Commentary

Merchant. They were very adept in interpreting the story, discussing its links with Buddhism’s Noble Truths and Precepts with considerable understanding and relish. Similar willingness to engage in discussion was observed in Year 2, when thorough factual knowledge of Divali emerged, matching what is expected for the age group. Pupils understood that the celebration involves a festival of light, because of the lights that lit up the way home after Sita’s rescue from the Demon King. Using Talking Partners, pupils told each other about Rama and Sita, recalling many details of the story with accuracy and enthusiasm. This work on a major festival is also indicative of good curricular planning, as it builds well on previous knowledge. For example, in Year 1, knowledge about the Christian harvest festival is introduced, preparing pupils with ideas about what festivals are like and why people like to share in celebrations of

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Commentary

83. In these younger age groups, samples of what pupils do indicates a similar pattern and, on occasions, written work might not be attempted at all, while illustrations are used instead. This practice reduces opportunities for teaching literacy, restricting possibilities for factual and expressive writing that religious education might otherwise provide.

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Commentary

84. The co-ordinator is knowledgeable in the subject and maintains a collection of resources, books and artefacts that support teaching of the main themes and religions of the agreed syllabus well. A new system of assessment has been devised and is ready for introduction to the staff to appraise it and to make decisions about how to use it. A programme of visits to local places of worship is undertaken and visitors, including parents, visit the school to talk about features of their own faith communities and what it means to belong and believe. These visits and visitors are timed to match what pupils study in class, so teaching and learning are enhanced well.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

85. While it was possible to sample pupils’ work, only two lessons in each of art and design and physical education were observed and none in music or design and technology, so no overall judgements have been made. Comments are restricted to what was observed.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

86. In the previous inspection report, progress and teaching were judged as satisfactory in all three subjects, but no firm judgement was reached on standards. In the lessons in art and design and physical education , achievement was good. The school provides a very good range of cultural links that include several creative activities. These situations inspire the pupils’ artwork, exposing them to various techniques and experiences. That said, sketching and drawing that was observed in sketchbooks often lacked shading and detailed presentation. During the inspection, pupils in Years 5 and 6 had very good opportunities to create tie dye effects. They were excited about the prospect of unravelling their fabrics and seeing string and dye effects. In Year 4, a very good lesson on colour, texture and techniques was very effective in increasing pupils' awareness of the skills and influence of artists such as Paul Klee. In Year

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

1, pupils are taught observational skills, for example when creating portraits of their friends. However, as yet, their work lacks detail.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

87. In design and technology , pupils’ completed products were fairly simple. The quality of presentation varied considerably, with several examples that were evidence of poor finishing skills, whereas other pupils had clearly taken a lot of care.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

88. In music , although no lessons were observed, examples of singing suggest that attainment in this element of music is very good. The choir sings especially well with good diction and very good sense of rhythm, coping very well with songs based on complicated syncopated Parkwood Primary School - 37 patterns. Parents spoke very positively about the school’s musical provision. The co-ordinator specialises in teaching the subject and has a strong musical knowledge and background. Although it is not possible to make firm overall judgements, leadership and management in all these subjects are at least satisfactory. Resources are generally good and are likely to contribute well to teaching and learning. The range and quality of available musical instruments have improved in recent years and are now good. The co-ordinator intends to develop this provision further.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

89. Two lessons in physical education were observed, including a training session in cricket in Year 6, which was well led by a visiting coach. Pupils learnt new skills, worked enthusiastically and showed a developing team spirit. A lesson in Year 3 focused on teaching pupils how to link different exercises into a short sequence. Most pupils showed increasing control and skill, making satisfactory progress. Interruptions in the pace of this lesson prevented pupils from progressing more rapidly, largely owing to too much direction on the part of the teacher, resulting in periods of inactivity.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

90. Plans of what is to be taught indicate that a suitable range of opportunities to acquire skills are available in all required aspects of the subject. Resources are satisfactory overall, although space outside is restricted. Nevertheless, good use is made of facilities that are available, such as a fenced games area and a good-sized hall with equipment for climbing that includes bars and ropes.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

91. A good range of extra-curricular activities are offered in athletics, cricket, football, netball and other sports. Pupils attend these activities in good numbers, so overall standards are thereby enhanced. Playground climbing frames and apparatus, which go some way towards ameliorating the cramped areas, are available for pupils during play times. This provision also enhances standards.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

92. The programme for personal, social and health education is good. Lessons known as Circle Time provide occasions when pupils may raise matters of concern. Pupils stated that they find these lessons reassuring, as they offer advice about situations related to health, safety and their own wellbeing. A good programme of sex education, relationships and teaching about growing up is also provided. Older pupils stated that they receive information about the misuse of drugs and they know that such use is dangerous.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

93. Ideas of democracy and how to hold elections are part of teaching related to the school council. Pupils are pleased with this body, feeling that their ideas are heard. They gave improvements to the playground as a recent example. Parkwood Primary School - 38

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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

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities 3

Attendance 6 Attitudes 3 Behaviour, including the extent of exclusions 3 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 3

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The quality of education provided by the school 3

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

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The leadership and management of the school 3

The governance of the school 3 The leadership of the headteacher 3 The leadership of other key staff 3 Parkwood Primary School - 39 The effectiveness of management 3

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The leadership and management of the school 3

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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