Shottermill Infant School

SHOTTERMILL INFANT SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 9 th – 11 th May 2005

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SHOTTERMILL INFANT SCHOOL

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 Shottermill Infant 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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SHOTTERMILL INFANT 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. Shottermill Infant School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Infant School category: Community Age range of pupils: 4 – 7 years Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 173

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Lion Lane Shottermill Haslemere Postcode: Surrey

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Telephone number: 01428 642902 Fax number: 01428 644274 Appropriate authority: Governing body Name of chair of governors: Mrs Val Ashwood

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

Shottermill Infant School caters for 173 boys and girls between the ages of 4 and 7 years. The school serves the families of the local area and almost all children are from white British backgrounds. Although a few children speak English as an additional language, all children are fluent English speakers. Overall, skills and knowledge on entry to the school are above those expected. The percentage of pupils who need support for a range of learning and behavioural needs is lower than the national average. Two children have statements to support their special educational needs. Seventeen children are eligible to receive free school meals, which is below the national average. As part of its development programme, the school participates in the Primary Leadership Strategy and the Primary Strategy Learning Network. The school received an Achievement Award for results in national tests in 2003 and an ‘Investors in People Award’ in 2005.

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

23233 Jo Cheadle Lead inspector English Physical education Personal, social and health education and Citizenship Special educational needs 9577 Elaine Parrish Lay inspector 32226 Teresa Quick Team inspector Mathematics Religious education Art and design Design and technology Foundation Stage 12367 Anthony Green Team inspector Science Information and communication technology History Geography Music English as an additional language

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

Altecq Inspections 102 Bath Road Cheltenham Gloucestershire GL53 7JX

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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 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). Shottermill Infant School - 5

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 8

Standards achieved in areas of learning, subjects and courses Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL 10

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

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OVERALL EVALUATION

Shottermill Infants is an effective school where children achieve well to reach overall standards that are above expected levels. Teaching and learning are good. Overall leadership and management of the school are satisfactory. Governors are very supportive of the school and ensure that all statutory requirements are met. Governance of the school is satisfactory. The school gains good value from the money it spends.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are: • Pupils’ very good achievement in English and science; • The very good quality of teaching in Year 2 leading to very good learning for the majority of pupils; • The school’s very good provision for pupils’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural development, which results in their excellent attitudes to learning and very good behaviour; • The school’s very positive ethos that is built firmly on high levels of care and respect and very good relationships; • The school does not have robust information about how well children build on their starting levels to ensure that they do well enough in all subjects and that timely and appropriate support is given to individuals and groups to ensure consistent progress; • While teaching and learning are good overall, there are inconsistencies in teaching that have not been dealt with rigorously enough.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school was last inspected in May 1999. Since this time there have been satisfactory improvements overall. The most significant improvement has been made to the provision for information and communication technology (ICT) and pupils now attain levels that are better than expectations. Subject managers have a clearer understanding of their whole school roles and responsibilities. The school now has positive links with the local community, other schools and parents. Governors are more involved with the work of the school and contribute suitably to its development. The outdoor accommodation for children in the Foundation Stage has been improved and there are plans to improve further.

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Year 2 results

all schools similar schools Results in National Curriculum tests at the end of Year 2, compared with: 2002 2003 2004 2004 reading A* A* A* A* writing A* A A A mathematics A* A* A* A Key: A - well above average; B - above average; C - average; D - below average; E - well below average Similar schools are those with similar percentages of pupils eligible for free school meals

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Year 2 results

Pupils’ achievement is good. On entry to the school, the majority of children have skills and knowledge that are higher than would be expected for their age. Children achieve well in the reception classes and good starting levels are built upon effectively so that, by the end of Year 2, high standards are maintained and pupils develop confident, mature, Shottermill Infant School - 7 inquisitive and respectful attitudes. Standards in English and science are well above expected levels and pupils achieve very well in these subjects. In national tests at the end of Year 2, a much higher proportion of pupils gain the expected levels than found nationally. The large proportion of pupils who reach the higher levels in tests positively influences the school’s overall results. High results have been maintained for the past three years. Standards of work in many subjects exceed the levels expected by the end of Year 2,

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Year 2 results

Pupils’ personal qualities, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, are very good . Pupils have excellent attitudes to their work, very much enjoy learning and behave very well in lessons and around the school. Attendance rates are above the national average.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The school provides a good quality education for its pupils . Teaching and learning are good. Teaching is particularly strong in Year 2 and this ensures that, where there are inconsistencies in teaching and learning in other year groups, these do not impact on pupils’ standards overall. The curriculum is good and enriched very effectively by visits, visitors, clubs and special events. Provision for pupils with special educational needs is effective. The school has good links with the local community, other schools and parents and these links impact well on pupils’ learning.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Overall leadership and management of the school are satisfactory. The headteacher provides satisfactory leadership and has encouraged staff to take on more whole school responsibilities. Senior managers are committed to the school and carry out their roles suitably. The headteacher has positively influenced relationships with parents, other schools, the local community and governors. Governors take their role seriously and know the school’s strengths well. Governance of the school is satisfactory. Insufficient attention has been given to ensuring that inconsistencies in teaching and learning are ironed out. In addition, the school has not been rigorous in its tracking of how well pupils are doing so that plans are effectively put in place to ensure very good achievement in all subjects.

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Parents are mainly happy with the school and what their children are offered. Some parents would appreciate more detailed information about how well their children are doing and whether the levels they reach are good enough. Inspectors agree that the school could make improvements in this area of communication with parents. Pupils are very happy at school and enjoy their learning very much. They talk with great enthusiasm about the interesting lessons they have.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

The most important things the school should do to improve are: • ensure that inconsistencies in the quality of teaching are remedied through monitoring that highlights where there are areas for development, more regular sharing of good practice and clear feedback to teachers about how they need to improve; Shottermill Infant School - 8 • regularly review how well pupils are achieving based on their starting levels so that, where there is a need to revise and amend how and what pupils are taught, this is done quickly and effectively to encourage very good achievement overall. Shottermill Infant School - 9

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Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

Pupils of all abilities, including those with special educational needs, achieve well on good starting levels to maintain high standards and reach levels that are higher than expectations. There are no significant differences in how well boys and girls do in national tests.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils achieve very well in English and science; • There is little evidence to show that pupils with particular gifts and talents reach higher standards than their peers.

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Key Stage 1

1. Children begin school with varied skills, knowledge and previous experiences, but overall standards on entry are better than would be expected for their age. Children settle quickly into school routines and soon become accustomed to their teachers’ expectations of behaviour and application to work. They make very good progress in their social and personal developments and gain well in their knowledge and skills. Standards on entry to Year 1 exceed the levels expected. Despite some inconsistency in progress before Year 2, pupils learn very well in Year 2 and overall achievement is good. High standards are maintained and children do well in national tests. Results have been consistently better than the national averages for attainment at Levels 2 and 3.

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Key Stage 1

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

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Key Stage 1

Standards in: School results National results reading 19.2 (19.1) 15.8 (15.7) writing 16.5 (16.9) 14.6 (14.6) mathematics 18.7 (18.9) 16.2 (16.3) There were 58 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year.

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Key Stage 1

2. Pupils do particularly well in English and science and standards in both subjects are very high by the end of Year 2. English test results in 2004 reflected these high levels, with more than two thirds of children attaining at the higher Level 3 in reading and, in writing, a much higher proportion of children attaining at the expected level or above in comparison with the national average. Teacher assessments in science placed two thirds of the children attaining at the higher levels. Work seen during the inspection showed clear evidence of breadth and depth in both subjects that supported high levels of attainment. Standards of work in ICT and religious education also exceed expected levels by the end of Year 2.

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Key Stage 1

3. While there are no significant differences in the test results of groups of pupils at the school, the achievements of gifted and talented pupils have not been effectively Shottermill Infant School - 10 monitored to show evidence of higher levels of attainment in areas where they have particular strengths. The school has identified individual pupils, but further work to provide effectively for their needs, and ensure high levels of achievement, is in the development stages.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

Behaviour is very good and is very well managed. Pupils have excellent attitudes to their work and in their relationships with others. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good overall. Attendance is good .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils are highly motivated and eager to learn; • Relationships between adults and pupils are excellent and promote a happy learning environment. Pupils feel secure and confident and are keen to come to school; • Pupils are free from any racism, bullying or harassment; • Spiritual and moral development is excellent.

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Commentary

4. Pupils have an excellent attitude to school; though parents were very positive about this at the time of the last inspection, there has been further positive improvement in this area. Behaviour has continued to be very good, as it was at the time of the last inspection. Pupils are very well managed and consistently behave very well when challenged appropriately. Relationships between adults and pupils are excellent and promote a happy learning environment. Throughout the school, including children in the reception class, pupils feel secure and confident and are keen to come to school. They enjoy their break times, playing happily and encouraging others to join them.

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Commentary

5. Teachers have very high expectations of behaviour and the pupils behave well, both in lessons and around the school. Together with their excellent attitudes to learning, this enables pupils to make good progress because they are highly motivated and eager to learn. There is no evidence of physical or racial abuse, bullying or any form of oppressive behaviour. Good systems are in place that ensure that these do not occur. There have been no exclusions at the school.

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Commentary

6. The provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development has improved since the time of the last inspection and is now very good. Spiritual development is excellent. Pupils have excellent self-knowledge and spiritual awareness. Spiritual awareness is developed through assemblies, religious education, art and design, music and English. Pupils listen well and show great respect for the values and beliefs of others. Moral development is excellent pupils respect the class rules and the code of behaviour expected throughout the school. Even the youngest reception children know right from wrong and all children are aware of how their actions affect others. Pupils work and play very well together and harmony is a strong feature of the school. Social development is very good because of the excellent relationships between the adults and the pupils. Pupils feel secure, confident and happy to come to school.

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Commentary

Fund-raising activities for charities help pupils to gain an awareness of others less fortunate than themselves. Pupils’ cultural development is good through music, art and dance. Within the religious education curriculum, pupils gain an insight into world faiths and cultures.

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Attendance

Shottermill Infant School - 11 7. Attendance is above the national average and the school has developed rigorous procedures to ensure that these impressive levels of attendance are maintained. Punctuality is good and this enables lessons to get off to a prompt start. Shottermill Infant School - 12 Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

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Attendance

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data: 4.5 School data: 0.0 National data: 5.1 National data: 0.4 The table gives the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

The school provides a good quality of education. The curriculum is good and very effective enrichment activities positively support pupils’ learning. There is a very good range of extra- curricular clubs that are very well attended. Teaching and learning are good and pupils are well cared for. Good links with parents, the local community and other schools support pupils’ learning well.

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Teaching and learning

Teaching and learning are good overall. Assessment is good and, in the main, good use is made of day-to-day information about how well pupils are learning to plan for the next steps in their work.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching in Year 2 is particularly strong and pupils learn very well in lessons; • Teachers make very good use of questioning to encourage pupils to think carefully and make clear responses, leading to very good learning; • Teachers ensure that pupils make effective use of their literacy and numeracy skills through all subjects and this has a very positive impact on the development of basic skills and learning across the curriculum; • Teachers are consistent in their development of pupils’ personal and social skills through all aspects of learning and have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour; • There are inconsistencies in the attention given to whether work is of a suitable challenge for all pupils; • Some lessons lack pace and pupils are not as interested as they should be.

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Commentary

8. During the inspection, all excellent lessons and three of the very good sessions were observed in Year 2. Pupils in this year learn very well because lessons are highly interesting, encourage children to be independent and think for themselves, and learning is really good fun. Subjects are very well combined so that children see relevant links that make learning really meaningful. In one excellent literacy session, the challenge to all pupils was so carefully matched to the needs of individuals that every child maintained high levels of concentration throughout the complete session. Developing inference and deduction skills, pupils took on the roles of ‘text detectives’ and were so engrossed in their learning that, when asked to discuss with their talking partners, not one child even thought to deviate from the topic in hand. Motivation levels were extremely high and the majority of pupils demonstrated skills in inferring

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Commentary

and deducing from the text that were well above expected levels.

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Commentary

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 30 lessons Shottermill Infant School - 13 Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very poor

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Commentary

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

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Commentary

9. Teachers are adept at using questioning effectively, not only to assess how well pupils have understood, but also to move pupils forward in their learning. In many lessons, questions encourage pupils to think carefully before responding, inviting pupils to think about the possibility that there may be more than one right response. When pupils answer, teachers are always ready with an additional aspect to the question that demands even greater thought and consideration. Challenge within questions is directed appropriately and teachers skilfully amend language and structure to meet the needs of individuals and ensure they build successfully on prior levels of understanding. In questions sessions, teachers make sure that everyone has a chance to contribute, ever mindful of the need to include all pupils.

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Commentary

10. A key strength of teaching is the consistent expectation that pupils will develop and use their literacy and numeracy skills in other subjects. In inventive ways, such as writing thank you letters to the Good Samaritan in religious education, pupils demonstrate and improve their basic skills and extend their learning in all subjects of the curriculum. Through the delightful task of creating addresses for the Good Samaritan, pupils demonstrated their creative skills in writing and their skills in formatting letters accurately. The task developed literacy skills, furthered pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the Good Samaritan story line and encouraged them to think about the actions of the people who hurried past the traveller and the implications for their own actions. This work was beautifully presented, giving good evidence of pupils’ high level of handwriting skills. Moreover, pupils were enthusiastic

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Commentary

about their work because it was good fun and interesting.

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Commentary

11. While only two sessions were observed where personal and social development was planned for specifically, teachers are consistently effective in encouraging good learning in these aspects through all other subjects. Social, personal and spiritual development are not ‘add-on’ aspects to pupils’ work, but totally incorporated into all that teachers provide in lessons.

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Commentary

12. There are many strengths in teaching that encourage pupils to learn well. However, there are areas where individual teachers need to develop their skills to ensure that there are no dips in progress that might impact on pupils’ overall achievement. These inconsistencies have been noted in the past, but not effectively dealt with to ensure very good standards overall. In some lessons in Year 1, the challenge afforded to pupils is not appropriate to the levels they have already reached and they quickly finish work with little thought or effort. Pupils continue to behave very well even when they have good reason to lose concentration because work is not very demanding of them. They demonstrate similarly respectful attitudes when teachers talk for too long and the pace of the lesson is slow. Even though they are itching to get on with tasks, they listen patiently and wait until they may begin. Learning for the majority of pupils in

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Commentary

such lessons is unsatisfactory as they do not build speedily enough on the things they have already learned. In lessons observed where this was the case, lower attaining pupils and pupils with special educational needs learned best of all, as teaching assistants quickly began work with small groups matched very well to their needs.

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The curriculum

Shottermill Infant School - 14 The curriculum provision is good . The opportunities for the enrichment of the curriculum through a range of visits, visitors and extra-curricular activities are very good . Accommodation and resources are good .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• A very good range of first-hand experiences, including extra-curricular activities, enrich the curriculum very effectively; • The provision for pupils’ personal, social and health education is very good; • The provision for pupils with special educational needs is good; • Pupils are very well prepared for the transition from Year 2 to the junior school of their choice. Shottermill Infant School - 15

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Commentary

13. The good curriculum has been maintained since the previous inspection and is securely based on the National Curriculum and the locally agreed syllabus for religious education. The overall excellent attitudes and interest of all pupils reflect that they find lessons and extra-curricular activities very interesting and stimulating and support the good achievement of pupils overall and their very good achievement in English and science. The provision for pupils with special educational needs is good. Pupils have appropriate individual education programmes that are monitored regularly to check progress towards the targets that are set. The curriculum for children in the Foundation Stage is good and encourages the very good development of social and personal skills, together with building successfully on children’s good levels on entry to school.

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Commentary

14. The national strategies for literacy and numeracy are used well and contribute to the very good levels of achievement of pupils in English and their good achievement in mathematics. Provision for personal, social and health education (PSHE) is very good and permeates through many aspects of the curriculum. This results in pupils who relate very well to each other and to adults, who are extremely confident and who are very sensitive to the feelings, values and beliefs of others. A strength of the curriculum is the way in which distinct subjects are woven together to produce a curriculum that is relevant to pupils. For example, a Year 2 topic on ‘ Water’ brings together science, mathematics, literacy, art, music, ICT, history and PSHE. The very good presentation of work in portfolios and on display enhances pupils’ spiritual development. Very good use is made of visits and visitors to give pupils first hand opportunities in many

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Commentary

15. There is a very good range of sports and arts activities, which are very well attended by boys and girls and support pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Some after-school clubs, such as art, computers, bird watching, recorders and physical education, are organised by the school and others, for example French and football by outside organisations. All teachers generously give of their own time to run at least one after-school activity a week. Pupils are prepared very well for the transition from Year 2 to Year 3. Good links have been established with the junior school that the majority of pupils transfer to which ensure a very smooth transition.

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Commentary

16. Accommodation and resources are good. Classrooms, corridors and shared areas are bright and well maintained and provide a stimulating and safe environment for learning. The new library is inviting. Each class has an interactive whiteboard to support teaching and the computer suite is equipped with new laptop computers. The spacious grounds with an established pond support pupils’ learning and their social interaction well, though the hard playground area has been identified by the school as an area for further development.

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Care, guidance and support

Pupils are very well cared for and there are very good relationships between staff and pupils. Satisfactory academic guidance is provided for pupils and their views are taken into account in a suitable way.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The school provides very good levels of care and welfare; Shottermill Infant School - 16 • Teachers and support staff know their pupils well and pupils have very good and trusting relationships with them; • Routine procedures for reviewing pupils’ achievements are not fully in place; • Some parents would like more time spent on the induction process as well as a staggered entry for the youngest children into the reception class. Shottermill Infant School - 17

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Commentary

17. This is a happy school that provides pupils with very high standards of care. Pupils feel safe in the school’s warm and caring atmosphere and this enables them to settle down well and to learn effectively. There is very close co-operation with parents and with various responsible agencies to ensure the pupils’ welfare. Every effort is made to find out about pupils’ health and dietary needs when they join school and the administration of medicines follows clear guidelines. Child-protection procedures are well understood by all staff and the governing body closely monitors health and safety procedures.

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Commentary

18. There are very trusting relationships between teachers and pupils and these are the key to the school’s good quality pastoral care. Teachers know their pupils well; they recognise their talents and know what they find hard. Teachers use praise readily and smile so that pupils of all abilities and backgrounds feel able to make a contribution in lessons. This makes a real difference to their self-esteem. Pupils told inspectors that teachers are easy to approach and that they never worry about asking for help when they are stuck or worried. The school takes great care to acknowledge pupils’ achievements, particularly when they have made efforts and tried hard. There is a good system of rewards that is prized by the pupils and encourages them to work well and do their best.

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Commentary

19. Although teachers know their pupils well and assess their day-to-day performance in lessons, systems for regularly and rigorously tracking how well they move on from their starting levels are not fully in place. For this reason, the school does not have robust information about exactly how well individuals achieve in their personal and academic developments, nor indications of where there may be gaps in achievement.

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Commentary

20. At the parents’ meeting, in the questionnaires and when talking to parents during the inspection, a few parents raised concerns about induction procedures into the reception class. At present, parents and children are visited at home by a member of staff and spend one half day visiting the school in the term before reception. Those parents who commented would like their children to have more time in school before they start in September. In addition, parents of children who are only just four years of age at the start of term would like children to start later in the year or begin on a part-time basis. Although the school accommodates parents’ wishes in this respect, parents would like more formal arrangements for a delayed start which would take the younger child’s needs fully into account. One or two parents suggested that they felt ill at ease when making such requests. Inspectors agree that parents should have

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Commentary

further opportunities to discuss these issues and reach a decision with the school.

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Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

Partnership with parents is good and parents have positive views of what the school provides. There are good links with the community and with other schools which make a good contribution to pupils’ learning.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Parents are supportive and pleased with the improved openness of the school; • The school provides good information for parents to support their children’s learning; • Although annual reports give a lot of information about what pupils have done, they do not give any indication of how good this is; • Links with the community and with other schools make a strong contribution to pupils’ learning and the life of the school.

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Commentary

Shottermill Infant School - 18 21. Partnership with parents is good and this shows good improvement since the last inspection. Many parents speak appreciatively of the way in which the headteacher has created an open and welcoming school. Teachers are approachable and always willing to help parents support their children’s learning at home. The vast majority of parents view the school in a positive light and are pleased with their children’s progress. Some parents make a regular commitment to help in classes, on outside trips and with extra-curricular clubs. Parents know that the school values the contribution they make.

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Commentary

22. The school provides parents with good quality information. There are regular newsletters, which are informative and well written, as well as easy to read updates about the curriculum. Term consultation evenings are always well attended. Parents of pupils with special educational needs are regularly invited to attend annual progress reviews. Parents’ opinions are important to the school and the school listens carefully to comments and concerns. Annual reports are comprehensive and give much information about what pupils have done, but not about the National Curriculum levels they are working towards. In general, parents would like more information about their children’s progress and whether this has been good enough.

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Commentary

23. The school has established productive links with the local community. The school prides itself on its knowledge of the locality and capitalises well on local expertise and resources to improve pupils’ learning and the quality of school life. These have a direct impact upon the progress pupils make through links with local shops, police and fire brigade, recycling projects, local community arts groups and places of worship. Pupils in the school benefit from these links because they enrich the curricular provision. Staff make good use of the local area for educational visits. A strong partnership has also been developed with the junior school and with other schools within the cluster group to ensure good curricular links and good transition arrangements.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The leadership and management of the school are satisfactory overall. The headteacher provides satisfactory leadership and key staff fulfil their roles suitably. Governance of the school is satisfactory. School management is satisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Good relationships support the school’s very good ethos and staff work very well as a team; • Well planned developments in ICT have resulted in improved standards; • There have been limited monitoring and development of teaching and learning; • Subject leadership is in the early stages of development and there is not a whole-school approach to tracking pupils’ achievements carefully.

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Commentary

24. The headteacher’s leadership of the school is satisfactory. Good links have been encouraged with parents and the local community and good relationships developed with an enthusiastic group of governors. The school’s very good ethos is firmly centred on strong internal and external relationships and teamwork is very good. Standards reached in national tests have been well maintained over time and the school sets high expectations for the majority of its pupils. Developments in ICT since the last inspection have been well managed and standards are now high. However, there are inconsistencies in teaching and learning that have not been focused on rigorously enough and do not feature in the school’s current development plan. These inconsistencies continue because there is not a rigorous approach to tracking how well pupils are doing, highlighting the gaps in their achievements throughout the school. This does

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Commentary

not support the school in answering parents’ questions about whether their children are doing well enough. The work of senior managers is satisfactory in supporting and maintaining the school’s strengths, but the role of school leaders in developing and improving the work of Shottermill Infant School - 19 others is not well developed. Excellence that is apparent in some areas of the school’s work is not shared effectively enough to improve the overall provision.

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Commentary

25. Governors ensure that the school fulfils its statutory duties. They are very supportive and committed to maintaining high standards. Governors know the school strengths, but are not successful in identifying and acting upon areas where the school could improve further. Overall governance is satisfactory. Finances are managed well and the school makes suitable consideration of best value to ensure that its funds are spent wisely. Money carried forward to next year has been earmarked for further improvements to the outdoor area for children in the reception class. Evaluation of how spending impacts on pupils’ achievements is not an integral part of the governors’ work at present.

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Financial information

Financial information for the year April 2003 to March 2004

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Financial information

Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 496,406 Balance from previous year 33,581 Total expenditure 463,957 Balance carried forward to the next 32,448 Expenditure per pupil 2,797

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Financial information

26. Day-to-day management of the school is good and systems run smoothly and effectively. Office staff contribute well to the school’s orderly environment. The headteacher has identified the need to develop subject management further and roles and responsibilities have been re- identified. The impact of effective subject management is not felt across the school in all subjects. The provision for English is very well managed and pupils achieve very well. ICT developments have been managed well and these have impacted positively on standards. In other subjects, not all managers are fully aware of standards and achievement beyond their own classes, there is no overview of provision through the school and monitoring and evaluation does not feed into whole school strategic planning. The overall effectiveness of management is satisfactory. Shottermill Infant School - 20

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AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Provision for the Foundation Stage is good.

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AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Children make an effective start to their education in the reception classes and achieve well. Attainment on entry is above that expected for children of a similar age nationally. By the end of the reception year, most children are on course to exceed the goals for their early learning. At the time of the inspection, approximately a third of the children had already achieved the early learning goals and were working on aspects of the National Curriculum. The quality of teaching and learning is good overall, with some very good features. Joint planning between the staff ensures that all children receive the same richness of activities. The children are secure, happy and confident. With the supportive relationships and a well-organised environment, children become independent learners. Assessment is good and activities take good account of the different ability levels of the children. The curriculum and resources to support learning are good. Leadership and

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AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

management of the Foundation Stage are good. There has been satisfactory improvement since the last inspection.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

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

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• This area of learning is well planned; • Children are quickly settled into the school routines; • Behaviour is very good and the children’s attitude to their learning is excellent; • Confidence and independence are developed well in the free-choice areas.

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Commentary

27. Very good teaching in this area of learning means the children achieve very well. By the time they leave the reception classes, all reach the required standards and most children exceed them. The area receives a high focus. It is central to all the teaching and learning. The children are very keen to learn. They are rapidly acquiring the key skills. Teachers and teaching assistants work closely to encourage qualities of caring and sharing. As a result, the behaviour of the children is very good and their attitude to learning is excellent. The ‘pupil of the week’ is a very good feature for both the children’s social and personal development. It aids their self-esteem. They show good levels of confidence and responsibility in choosing what to do. They work independently on their tasks for the day, marking the chart as each task is completed. The adults are skilled at knowing how young children learn effectively and plan

p.20

Commentary

activities that lead to sustained interest and very good levels of motivation.

p.20

COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Provision in communication, language and literacy is good.

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

Shottermill Infant School - 21 • There is a strong emphasis on children acquiring language skills across all areas of learning; • Good emphasis is placed on the children developing reading and writing skills through structured play activities; • The formal teaching of handwriting skills and phonics prepares the children well for their transfer to Year 1. Shottermill Infant School - 22

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Commentary

28. The children achieve well in this area of learning because of good teaching. As a result, some children had already attained the early learning goals and most children attain them by the end of the reception year. Evidence shows that some children are entering school with less well developed communication skills. The provision is very good and staff focus well on developing the children’s speaking skills. Literacy skills are taught well and the children are well prepared for their transfer to Year 1. Children use reading and writing skills as part of their play activities. Group teaching activities are well matched to the children’s level of ability. Emphasis on the teaching of phonics ensures that the children have secure skills to support their reading and writing. The children write in many contexts and are given good support to improve their letter formation and to read aloud what they have written. Good use is made of interesting

p.22

Commentary

activities to promote language. Their work in the environmental area searching for mini-beasts encouraged the children to develop their speaking and listening skills well as they asked questions and listened carefully to the answers given. The children are developing a love of looking at different types of books and listening to stories. Children enjoy books they have made, one of which they were very proud was ’Farm Facts’.

p.22

MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in mathematical development is good.

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• There is a strong emphasis on helping the children learn the language of mathematics; • Early numeracy skills are taught well.

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Commentary

29. Good teaching enables children to achieve well. Almost all the children reach the required standards and many had exceeded expectations at the time of the inspection. In the numeracy lessons there is a very good focus on helping children use mathematical language confidently. Questioning encourages the children to think. Problems are posed relevant to their experience and mathematical ability. Children estimate, write the figure on their white board and then count. The activities give very good opportunities for the development of speaking and listening. Children understand ‘half’ and ‘whole’. The children develop an understanding of the concept of measuring and weighing. Children were totally absorbed and worked for a long time on a weighing task to find which object was the heaviest. Most children are accurately recording addition and subtraction sums up to twenty and a group of children during

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Commentary

an observation were handling numbers to a hundred orally.

p.22

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Provision for knowledge and understanding is good.

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The rich curriculum provides a wealth of opportunities for children to learn about the world; • The school grounds are often used to investigate the natural world; • Children have good opportunities to use computers; Shottermill Infant School - 23 • Children are given the opportunities to choose their own materials when making models.

p.22

Commentary

30. Teaching is good and ensures that children achieve well. Children reach the expected levels and many had achieved them at the time of the inspection. Children have a great number of opportunities to learn about the world through an interesting curriculum and good resources. In the outside area are colourful troughs of flowers and a tub of herbs. Notices ask the children to look at the flowers and smell the herbs. Children are encouraged to see the beauty around them, heightening their sense of wonder and awe. In religious education, the focus was on prayer. Children made up their own prayers, at first with the support of the teacher. The imaginative play areas are changed regularly to keep interest levels high and fit the needs of the topic. Teachers understand the importance of learning through investigation and, whenever possible, the grounds are used to help the children find out about the natural world.

p.23

Commentary

The pond and environmental areas are used very well for the mini-beast topic. Cross- curricular links are good. Children talked animatedly about their finds: they made a close observation of a butterfly chrysalis. They used magnifying glasses, made models, read and wrote about their discoveries. Children investigated magnetic toys and with a metal detector found coins in the sand. Others made bubbles. Bystanders watched fascinated and then took their turn. In the outside area a boy was seen digging in peat, feeling the peat and talking about it. Children record when their investigation is completed. They move confidently to their next activity. Children make models using differing materials. The work is valued and pupils are very proud to have their models displayed. The children’s ICT skills are good because computers are readily available and used effectively to support different areas of learning.

p.23

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in physical development is good.

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children make good gains in their learning through regular physical education sessions in the school hall; • The outdoor provision does not provide continuous access to a secure outdoor play area.

p.23

Commentary

31. Teaching is good so all the children will reach the expected levels and half will exceed expectations. The school hall is used regularly for physical activities. The number and variety of wheeled toys have improved since the last inspection. The outdoor provision does not provide continuous access to a secure outdoor play area. During the inspections, children were taken up steps to the playground where they use the equipment. There is also a sloped path adjoining the covered play area, which makes access easier, but supervision is necessary at all times and this restricts children’s ability to make their own choices and be independent. The wheeled toys are used each playtime in rotation and at other timetabled times each week. The playground is marked to provide tracks for the vehicles. Children are developing their fine motor skills well through the regular use of pencils, scissors, brushes and other tools. They

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Commentary

are developing awareness of a healthy lifestyle and to have healthy snacks. Shottermill Infant School - 24

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Provision for creative development is good.

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

• There are good opportunities for imaginative play.

p.24

Commentary

32. Teaching is good in both classes and so children achieve well. Nearly all children will reach expected levels. About a third of children have already reached the early learning goals in this area of learning. A variety of opportunities for imaginative play is provided in the role-play areas. There are many activities for art and craft skills to be developed: some providing children with their own choice of medium, others directed by an adult. Children are learning through their senses: they touch the peat, feel the furry shapes, smell the herbs and see the colours of the flowers. Activities included the making of observational drawings and making clay models of an insect. These directed challenges provided a very good opportunity for the development of language and the children learned new skills. Children talked about their work and new vocabulary was introduced to them. Although music is a feature of the curriculum, little

p.24

Commentary

was seen. Some singing was heard and children made their own musical instruments in their free play and talked with enthusiasm about them.

p.24

ENGLISH

The provision for English is very good .

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils achieve very well in English; • Literacy skills are very well developed through other subjects and used well to aid learning across the curriculum; • Teaching in Year 2 is of a very high quality; • The subject is led and managed very well; • There is limited sharing of effective practice, which means that inconsistencies in teaching are not effectively resolved.

p.24

Commentary

33. Standards in speaking and listening, reading and in writing exceed expectations by the end of Year 2. Attainment within Level 3 is good, and some pupils attain aspects of Level 4 in their work. The majority of pupils, including those with special educational needs, achieve very well. All pupils who speak English in addition to another language are fluent English speakers. This group of children achieve as well as all the others. While the school has identified pupils who are particularly gifted in literacy work, special provision is not made for them specifically. However, challenges set for them in some lessons, especially in Year 2, ensure that they remain highly motivated and enthusiastic about learning. Pupils build very well on their good starting levels. Pupils speak in mature, well-constructed sentences, showing confidence in their choice and use of vocabulary and trying very hard to use the specific words they are taught in

p.24

Commentary

Shottermill Infant School - 25 subjects such as science, art and design and mathematics. By the end of Year 2, pupils write at length for a variety of purposes and in a wide range of styles. Pupils’ reading skills are very well developed and assist their learning in all subjects.

p.25

Commentary

34. Teaching and learning in English are very good. Teachers feel confident with the subject and plan well to meet the needs of the pupils. Teaching is extremely effective in Year 2 and reading, writing, speaking and listening are given ample emphasis in all lessons, not just for planned literacy work. Teachers in this year have very high expectations of pupils and show examples of their own commitment to high standards in the way that all work is beautifully presented in anthologies, collections and folders. The pupils themselves present their work very well and take great pride in finished pieces. Work is always completed and they accomplish a huge amount of written work that demonstrates their learning in many subjects, ranging from personal reflections on ‘Who I couldn’t live without’, following work related to the Titanic, to evaluations of work completed in design and technology. All written work is produced to the same

p.25

Commentary

high standards. Lessons in Year 2 are interesting and motivating. Teachers think carefully about how to make work that appears to be very mundane into a fun activity. Thus, work on connectives is presented as an interesting puzzle to solve, with the challenge set for ability groups meeting their needs exactly. Pupils are very enthusiastic about their learning and in all English lessons observed they worked with sustained concentration and obvious enjoyment. Teaching is not always of the same high quality in all classes and action to deal with the inconsistencies that exist has not been rigorous enough.

p.25

Commentary

35. The subject is very well managed and there is consistency in the organisation of work throughout the school. Leadership is good. Literacy work has a very high profile in the school and is effortlessly incorporated into all that pupils do. An area for development within the leadership of the subject is the aspect of modelling good practice. There have so far been limited opportunities for all teachers to learn from the excellent practice of the subject manager. Resources for the subject are good and a well planned and attractive library area supports the development of reading skills effectively. Individual teachers use day-to-day assessment to plan for new learning, but regular and rigorous review of how well pupils are doing throughout the school is not a routine feature of the co-ordinator’s work. However, it has been recognised that the language skills of some children on entry to the school are now lower than usual

p.25

Commentary

and strategies are in place to meet the needs of these children and ensure that achievement remains very good. Improvement since the last inspection has been satisfactory.

p.25

Language and literacy across the curriculum

36. This is a strength of the school’s work and there are numerous examples of how literacy is developed through other subjects and contributes to pupils’ learning in other subjects. Very good literacy skills are the basis of pupils’ overall successes. Vocabulary is very well developed as a planned aspect of most lessons.

p.25

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils in Year 2 learn very well because of very effective teaching; Shottermill Infant School - 26 • Numeracy skills are applied very well in other subjects; • Teachers assess pupils’ work regularly, but achievements are not rigorously tracked from year to year; • Pupils work with pride and standards of presentation are high.

p.25

Commentary

37. The majority of pupils achieve well in mathematics to reach standards that exceed expectations. In the 2004 national tests at the end of Year 2, the pupils’ performance was well above the national average. There has been consistently good performance in the tests over the last four years. There is no statistically significant difference between the performance of boys and girls.

p.26

Commentary

38. The quality of teaching is good overall, but varies from unsatisfactory to very good. In the best lessons, pupils learn very well. Questioning is probing and pupils concentrate well as they know the teacher will ask them to explain their answers. In each class, teaching assistants support pupils effectively, ensuring that all pupils are able to be included and succeed. Pupils’ attitude to their mathematics in the best lessons is excellent. They are motivated and they want to work and do well. When discussing problem solving they say, ‘if mathematics was easy we wouldn’t feel we were learning’. Work provided meets the needs of all pupils and is challenging to all abilities in most lessons. There is a good emphasis throughout the school on mental mathematics. Pupils are encouraged to share their ideas of different ways of finding a mathematical answer. Imaginative strategies are employed to support the very good

p.26

Commentary

development in problem solving. Pupils enjoy their mathematical games. The majority of pupils are confident and self-evaluative of their learning. In the unsatisfactory lessons, there was a lack of challenge for the higher achieving pupils. The presentation of pupils’ written work is of a high standard, with pupils showing real pride in their work.

p.26

Commentary

39. There has been a satisfactory start to leading the subject by a new co-ordinator. Good subject knowledge is guiding development work well, but there has been limited opportunity for observing teaching and learning or pupils’ work. Pupils’ achievements over time are not tracked closely enough. This means that the strengths and weakness of the subject are not firmly understood and planning for improvement is difficult. Improvement since the last inspection has been satisfactory.

p.26

Mathematics across the curriculum

40. Mathematics skills are used very well across the curriculum. The success of initiatives to extend pupils’ ability to apply skills learned in mathematics is particularly evident in their work in science, art and design and design and technology. There has been a successful whole school emphasis to develop ICT in mathematics.

p.26

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards are well above average; • Very good use is made of practical activities to develop pupils’ scientific thinking; • Teaching is very good overall; Shottermill Infant School - 27 • Teaching assistants support pupils very well; • Pupils behave very well in lessons and enjoy science.

p.26

Commentary

41. Standards by Year 2 are well above the national average and have improved since the previous inspection when standards were above average. The achievement of all pupils, including those with special educational needs, is very good. Pupils’ knowledge and understanding are well above average. For example, Year 1 pupils have a very secure understanding of the properties of magnets and explain why two magnets repel or attract and predict which materials are attracted to a magnet and why.

p.27

Commentary

42. A particular strength of the very good teaching is the practical element, which encourages pupils to think and reason, draw conclusions and use scientific vocabulary. By Year 2 the majority of pupils have a good understanding of a ’fair test’, where one variable is changed whilst the others remain constant. For example, in an excellent Year 2 lesson to test the ‘best paddle for a boat’, the practical nature of the activity, the very skilful questioning by the teacher and the high level of discussion by pupils, with the expectation that they must justify their conclusions, resulted in excellent learning and a very good understanding of how the shape of a paddle affects its efficiency in the water.

p.27

Commentary

43. The quality of teaching is very good overall and leads to very high standards. Lessons are well planned and resourced and include practical activities, demonstrations and investigations that interest and motivate pupils to work hard and improve their knowledge and understanding. Teachers have very high expectations, which have been maintained since the previous inspection. Presentation of work is very good, which also contributes very well to pupils’ literacy skills. Teaching assistants effectively support pupils’ learning, particularly lower attaining pupils and those with special educational needs. Teachers manage behaviour very well overall, which results in pupils being able to concentrate on their investigations and learning and so they make very good progress in lessons and over time. Pupils co-operate very well with each other and support each other’s learning in group and paired activities. As a result of very good teaching, all pupils achieve very well. Teachers’

p.27

Commentary

day-to-day marking and assessment of pupils’ work are good and used well to match work to pupils’ prior attainment, which leads to the very high standards by Year 2.

p.27

Commentary

44. The leadership and management of the subject are satisfactory. Science has not been a focus for the school recently and so the co-ordinator has only had the opportunity to monitor pupils’ books and teachers’ planning. She has not had the opportunity to evaluate teaching and learning rigorously by observing lessons or working alongside colleagues. Very good links have been made to literacy and mathematics which support the very high standards of presentation in books and displays, speaking and listening and the recording of results in the form of graphs and charts. Good links are made with ICT, art, history and geography which make the science curriculum very relevant and meaningful to pupils. Lessons support the development of pupils’ spiritual, social and personal development well.

p.27

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

The provision for ICT is good . Shottermill Infant School - 28

p.27

Main strengths and weaknesses

• ICT skills are used well in other subjects; • Pupils are enthusiastic and motivated by activities; • Some teachers need further support to ensure that pupils always learn well.

p.28

Commentary

45. There have been good developments since the last inspection and pupils now achieve well to reach standards that are above expected levels by the end of Year 2. Year 2 pupils confidently used a search engine to locate suitable pictures for their topic on wolves. Pictures were saved from the Internet to specified files on the computer for use at a later stage. Pupils talked through the use of pictures already stored in programs on the computer, but recognised the limitations of the collection. They were astounded by the ability of the search engine to locate pictures in a very specific field. The wonders of the World Wide Web were discussed enthusiastically, contributing well to pupils’ spiritual development.

p.28

Commentary

46. Teaching and learning are good overall, but one unsatisfactory session was observed. While not all teachers are fully confident with the subject, all have made good progress and most demonstrate effective skills in working with ICT that motivate pupils to learn well. Expectations are high and teachers make good use of the skills of higher attaining pupils to demonstrate for others and encourage good learning. Pupils are very enthusiastic, work confidently and enjoy using the computer. In some lessons, pupils assist the teacher by controlling the interactive whiteboard for whole-class sessions. The development of pupils’ ICT skills and the high levels of confidence they develop prepare them very well for the next stages in their education.

p.28

Commentary

47. The subject is well led and managed and there is a clear plan for further developments. Considerable efforts have been made to ensure that all staff have developed the skills and knowledge necessary to plan effectively for learning. There remain aspects of teaching that need development in order for there to be consistently good learning in all lessons.

p.28

Information and communication technology across the curriculum

48. Where teachers are confident and handle equipment and programs with ease, very good use is made of ICT across the curriculum. ICT supports learning in art and design, history, geography, literacy and mathematics. ICT skills are developed and consolidated in many subjects.

p.28

HUMANITIES

49. No lessons were observed in either geography or history, so it is not possible to make overall judgements about the provision in these subjects. In geography , analysis of teachers’ planning and pupils’ work indicates that the geography curriculum is well planned and is made relevant to pupils via links with other subjects. Maps of the local area are used well by pupils to show their route from home and world maps are used to indicate developments in transport as part of their history topic. In history , analysis of teachers’ planning, pupils’ work and good-quality displays around the school indicates that the history curriculum is well planned and is made very relevant to the pupils. Pupils study a wide range of topics and famous people. For example, Florence Nightingale, transport, including the development of trains from Stephenson’s ‘Rocket’ , Shottermill Infant School - 29 and the impact of the sinking of ‘The Titanic’ on the lives of those involved. In both

p.28

HUMANITIES

subjects, good use is made of visits for first-hand experiences. For example, pupils visit a local wood to study changes in the environment and Hampton Court Palace to look at life in the Tudor period. Portfolios of work for both subjects show very high expectations of work and presentation by teachers, with good links between other subjects, especially literacy, numeracy, ICT and art.

p.29

Religious Education

Provision for religious education is good .

p.29

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Lessons are interesting and pupils learn well; • Very good links are made with other subjects.

p.29

Commentary

50. From the evidence seen, standards at the end of Year 2 are above the expectations of the Surrey Locally Agreed Syllabus for religious education. Achievement is good. Standards are broadly the same as at the time of the last inspection. Pupils’ work shows that they have a secure knowledge and understanding of aspects of Christianity. There is some good work on Islam. Display evidence of photographs and artefacts shows interesting teaching on Judaism. Some very good work in Year 2 shows the comparison between Christianity and Islam. Each pupil in Year 2 produced a delightful little book linked to their visit to the church. It contained pictures and writing about the various features of the church and some of the symbols of the Christian faith.

p.29

Commentary

51. No lessons were seen but, from the large amount of evidence provided, teaching and learning is good. Resources have been used well. The very high quality of the pupils’ work shows an interest and an understanding of what has been taught. Pupils are proud to show their work and talk about it. Discussion shows that teachers are very effective in promoting pupils’ spiritual development through religious education. Pupils have very good attitudes to their work in religious education. Care is taken over the work and it is very well presented. There are very good links to literacy with very good extended writing on the story of Noah and poems linked to Remembrance Day, ’Poppies’. Work on the parable of the Good Samaritan shows a clear understanding of the story of the Good Samaritan and the fact that the victim’s people did not help. High quality work on the Good Samaritan takes the form of letters of thanks to the

p.29

Commentary

Samaritan. The very good content is written in the correct letter format with an addressed envelope and stamp of the pupils’ own design. The pupils understand that Jesus used parables to help people understand his teaching. Links to other subjects include mathematics and art, with the Rangoli patterns. The Christmas production Baboushka further supported the learning in religious education.

p.29

Commentary

52. The leadership and management of the subject are satisfactory. The subject leader has received training to support her role in leading the subject. Planning is checked, but there has been no release time to enable her to monitor teaching and learning throughout the school. Assessment is mainly satisfactory. From the evidence given, there has been satisfactory improvement to the provision for religious education since the time of the last inspection. Shottermill Infant School - 30

p.29

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

Only two full sessions were seen in physical education and one in music. No lessons were observed in art and design and design and technology. It is therefore impossible to make overall judgements about provision in any of these subjects.

p.30

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

53. In art and design , evidence from discussions with pupils and analysis of work indicates that the subject is taught regularly and to a high standard. Pupils develop a good level of expertise in painting, drawing, collage and clay work. In each class, pupils learn to appreciate the work of other artists. Examples of good work produced by the art club are on display.

p.30

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

54. In design and technology , evidence from discussions with pupils and analysis of work displayed around the school indicates that the subject is taught in each class. Some of the Year 1 card models with moving parts are of a good standard. The Year 2 topic on travel provided some good cross-curricular links with design and technology. Pupils were able to design, make and evaluate their model aeroplanes, boats and wheeled vehicles.

p.30

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

55. In the Year 2 music lesson seen, teaching and learning were excellent. The teacher’s excellent subject knowledge and use of questioning supported the development of pupils’ very high-level appreciation of Holst’s ‘Planet Suite’. An analysis of teachers’ planning and portfolios of pupils’ work indicates that an appropriate curriculum is in place, although the school has identified music as an area for further development. Good links are made to other subjects. For example, in history pupils learn about famous composers such as Bach and Mozart. In ICT they use a computer art program to represent Handel’s ‘ Firework Music’ and in personal, social and health education pupils discuss and write about their feelings and reactions to music. In whole school singing assemblies pupils are encouraged to assess the quality of their own singing and to consider how it has improved. Pupils sing very tunefully.

p.30

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

56. Teaching and learning in the two full physical education observed were satisfactory. Both lessons were planned around a taped lesson for the development of pupils’ dance skills. Both lessons lacked challenge and interest for higher attaining pupils. The school’s physical education curriculum meets statutory requirements and pupils have suitable opportunities to engage in physical activities.

p.30

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP (PSHCE)

57. Only one full lesson was seen in PSHCE. Comments on the quality of work in PSHCE are included in various sections of this report. The school places great importance on the development of pupils’ social and personal skills and many lessons incorporate planned opportunities for the development of these aspects. Pupils are given good opportunities to take responsibility, make choices and develop their social skills from the time they start school and these reinforce the messages they are given in lessons. Shottermill Infant School - 31

p.30

PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

p.31

PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Overall standards achieved 3 Pupils’ achievement 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities 2 Attendance 3 Attitudes 1 Behaviour, including the extent of exclusions 2 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The quality of education provided by the school 3 The quality of teaching 3 How well pupils learn 3 The quality of assessment 3 How well the curriculum meets pupils’ needs 3 Enrichment of the curriculum, including out-of-school activities 2 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 4 The effectiveness of the school’s links with parents 3 The quality of the school’s links with the community 3 The school’s links with other schools and colleges 3

p.31

PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Inspectors make judgements on a scale: excellent (grade 1); very good (2); good (3); satisfactory (4); unsatisfactory (5); poor (6); very poor (7).

p.31