South Molton United Church of England Primary School

SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 21 st – 24 th February 2005

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SCHOOL

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 South Molton United CE Junior 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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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 South Molton United CE Junior School - 3 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. South Molton United CE Junior School - 4

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Junior school School category: Voluntary aided 1 Age range of pupils: 7 to 11 years Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 168

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: North Street South Molton Devon Postcode: EX36 3GN

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Telephone number: 01769 572656 Fax number: 01769 572656

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body Name of chair of governors: Mrs Angela Hulme

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 21 June 1999

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

South Molton United Church of England Junior School is a small voluntary aided school. It is situated close to the centre of the Devon market town, an area with a mixture of privately owned and rented accommodation and some social disadvantage. Currently, there are 168 pupils (99 boys and 69 girls) on roll, aged seven to 11 years. When children enter the school, their attainment is similar to that expected for their age. Almost all of the pupils are of white British origin. English is not the first language for less than 2 per cent of pupils, but none of these pupils are at an early stage of learning English. Sixteen per cent of pupils are known to be eligible for free school meals, which is similar to the national average. The proportion of pupils identified as having special educational needs is close to the national average. Two pupils have a Statement of Special Educational Needs. The proportion of

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

pupils who join or leave the school other than at the usual times of first admission or transfer to secondary school is similar to that found nationally. During the last two years there has been a high turnover of teachers, and at the time of the inspection, one temporary teacher was employed at the school.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

1 Because the school is a voluntary aided Church of England school, the inspection of religious education and collective worship is carried out under Section 23 of the Schools Inspections Act 1996 (Denominational Education) by the inspector approved by the Diocese and appointed by the governing body. South Molton United CE Junior School - 5 South Molton United CE Junior School - 6

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities 25406 Paul Nicholson Lead inspector Mathematics Information and communication technology Art and design Design and technology Physical education Special educational needs 31729 Bernard Harrington Lay inspector

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

27899 Georgie Beasley Team inspector English Science Geography History Music Personal, social and health education and citizenship

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Altecq Inspections Limited 102 Bath Road Cheltenham GL53 7JX

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

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). South Molton United CE Junior School - 7

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 9

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL 12

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

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS 28

South Molton United CE Junior School - 8

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OVERALL EVALUATION

South Molton United CE Junior School provides an acceptable standard of education, but it has serious weaknesses in some aspects of its work that have resulted in underachievement in some subjects. Teaching and learning are satisfactory and the school is satisfactorily led and managed. Following recent improvements, it gives satisfactory value for money.

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The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

• Pupils do not do as well as they should in mathematics, science and writing. • The leadership roles of staff are not sufficiently well developed, and so teachers have not been effective enough in ensuring consistency in the teaching across the school. • Teachers do not always make effective use of assessment data when planning activities. • The good teaching seen in Years 5 and 6 during the inspection has halted the decline in standards, and is contributing to slowly improving standards. • The provision for pupils’ personal development is good, and most pupils behave well. • The school takes good care of its pupils. • There is a good range of activities outside of lessons. • There are good links with parents, other schools and the community.

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The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

The school has made unsatisfactory progress since the last inspection because it was not rigorous enough in checking its performance or in tackling weaknesses in teaching. Standards declined, although they are now improving. Of the issues identified at the last inspection, the school has improved the provision for information and communication technology (ICT) and geography, but it has not completely addressed the quality of subject leadership and the monitoring and evaluation of teaching and learning.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Overall pupils’ achievement is unsatisfactory . Recent improvements in the teaching of literacy have been maintained, and so standards in English are average overall. Pupils’ achievement in this subject is satisfactory, though the writing of more able pupils, particularly boys, is not as good as it could be. Standards in mathematics and science are slowly improving as a result of better teaching in Years 5 and 6, but they remain below average, and achievement is unsatisfactory. In both subjects, pupils’ problem-solving and experimental skills are weak. Standards in ICT are average and achievement is satisfactory. Other subjects were only sampled during the inspection. However, examples seen of pupils’ artwork and their performances in dance lessons South Molton United CE Junior School - 9 were of a good standard. Pupils with special educational needs make satisfactory progress towards their individual targets.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

South Molton United CE Junior School - 10

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Year 6 results

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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Year 6 results

English D E C C mathematics C E E E science E E E E Key: A - well above average; B – above average; C – average; D – below average; E – well below average Similar schools are those whose pupils attained similarly at the end of Year 2.

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Year 6 results

Pupils’ personal development is good. There is good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development, and cultural development is satisfactory. Overall, pupils’ attitudes to school are satisfactory and their behaviour is good. Pupils’ rate of attendance and their punctuality are good.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The school provides a satisfactory quality of education. Teaching and learning are currently satisfactory overall, though this has not always been the case, and there are variations across the school. Following a significant turnover in staff, teaching in Years 3 and 4 is now satisfactory and in Years 5 and 6, it is good. The good teaching of older pupils is having a positive impact on raising standards, but has not been able to fully address earlier weaknesses in pupils’ achievement. Teachers deploy classroom assistants well, and together they ensure the personal needs of pupils are well met. Other aspects of teaching are inconsistent. While in some lessons, expectations are high, there is a clear focus to the learning and pupils are well managed, in other lessons, these aspects are at best satisfactory, and occasionally unsatisfactory. Assessment procedures are satisfactory overall, but teachers are not

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

using the information gathered consistently enough to identify what pupils of different abilities need to learn next.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The curriculum is satisfactory, but pupils have insufficient opportunities to use and apply their numeracy and ICT skills in other subjects. Opportunities to enrich pupils’ learning outside the classroom are good. Accommodation and resources are satisfactory, and the school makes good provision for pupils’ care and welfare. Links with parents, other schools and the community are good.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management in the school are satisfactory overall, but with some specific weaknesses. Governance is satisfactory and all statutory requirements are met. Governors are supportive and they have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. The leadership of the headteacher is satisfactory. She has a strong commitment to pupils’ personal and academic development. Management of the school is satisfactory overall, though there are weaknesses in South Molton United CE Junior School - 11 the roles of the key staff, whose leadership is unsatisfactory. They have not been rigorous enough in maintaining the good provision seen at the last inspection and in planning for the future. These aspects of leadership and management are improving, most noticeably in English, but are not yet fully effective in other subjects.

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Parents are satisfied with the work of the school. They feel the school is caring, but have significant concerns about the way that the school seeks their views, gives information on their children’s progress and gives homework. Inspection evidence shows that links with parents are good overall but that there are some inconsistencies in the quality of annual written reports and in homework given. Pupils expressed positive views of the school. They appreciate the help staff give them and they know who to seek advice from if they have a problem.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

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

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

• Raise standards and achievement in mathematics, science and boys’ writing. • Develop the role of the senior management team and subject leaders in the monitoring and evaluating of teaching and learning, planning for the future and in taking effective actions to bring about improvements. • Increase the proportion of lessons where teaching and learning are good or better, and remove inconsistencies in teaching across the school. • Improve the use of assessment data in planning for pupils of different abilities. South Molton United CE Junior School - 12

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Standards achieved in subjects

Overall standards are below average , though improving. Achievement is unsatisfactory , particularly in writing, mathematics and science. In English in Years 5 and 6 and for pupils with special educational needs, achievement is satisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards in recent years have not been high enough, and pupils’ achievement in mathematics, science and writing continues to be unsatisfactory. • Pupils’ achievement is improving, particularly in English, because of good progress in their learning in Years 5 and 6. • Progress in Years 3 and 4 is satisfactory overall but is patchy. • Pupils’ achievement in ICT has improved since the last inspection, and there is evidence of good achievement in art and design and in dance lessons.

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Commentary

1. At the time of the last inspection, standards in English, mathematics and science were reported to be broadly average. Pupils did well in art and design, but standards in ICT and geography were below national expectations. The school’s improvement since the last inspection is unsatisfactory. The school’s trend, shown by its overall performance in national tests at the end of Year 6, is below the national trend. The school’s performance has declined over the last three years, and pupils’ overall performance in national tests in Year 6 has been well below average and their achievement poor. Weaknesses in teaching and staffing difficulties have had a negative impact on pupils’ standards and achievement.

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Commentary

2. The school has successfully addressed some, but not all, of this underachievement through improving the quality of teaching and learning and developing a more interesting curriculum to help motivate pupils. Although much improved compared with recent years, pupils’ overall achievement is unsatisfactory, as pupils are not doing as well as they should. Achievement remains a serious weakness within the school. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 are now making better progress, which is helping to fill gaps in pupils’ previous learning. However, pupils are not making such good progress in Years 3 and 4, where learning is not always consistent enough to ensure satisfactory achievement. Pupils identified with special educational needs make satisfactory progress towards their individual targets in English and mathematics. This is because of the effective way teachers deploy classroom assistants to support their learning

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Commentary

in lessons. The progress of those pupils with identified behavioural needs varies from lesson to lesson. In a few lessons, where the management of pupils is less secure, their progress is limited. South Molton United CE Junior School - 13 3. In 2003, standards in English, mathematics and science were well below average compared with all schools and similar schools. Since then, the school has received a high level of good support from the local education authority and has had a significant number of new teachers. As a result, weaknesses are being addressed, and standards are beginning to improve. Following a focus on improving the teaching of literacy, test results in 2004 in English had improved and were average overall. However, standards in mathematics and science remained well below average.

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Commentary

Standards in national tests at the end of Year 6 – average point scores in 2004 2

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Commentary

Standards in: School results National results English 26.8 (23.7) 26.9 (26.8) Mathematics 25.5 (25.0) 27.0 (26.8) Science 26.4 (27.0) 28.6 (28.6) There were 49 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year.

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Commentary

4. Pupils in the current Year 6 are on target to reach average standards in English by the end of the year, and overall achievement in this subject is satisfactory. While standards in speaking, listening and reading are in line with national expectations, standards in writing remain below average because not enough more able pupils, particularly boys, are reaching the above average standards of which many are capable. In mathematics, standards are improving and are now slightly below average, but the gap has been far too great to completely overcome in the short time available, and achievement in the subject remains unsatisfactory. Similarly, in science, standards show some improvement this year but despite recent improvements to the quality of teaching, standards remain below average in Year 6, and achievement is unsatisfactory.

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Commentary

5. Improvements to the provision in information and communication technology (ICT), including a new computer suite, have raised standards since the last inspection. By Year 6, pupils’ standards in all aspects of the subject are in line with national expectations, and achievement is satisfactory. It was not possible to make full judgements on standards and achievement in other subjects. However, the lessons seen and the work sampled indicate that overall standards are at least in line with national expectations. Pupils’ artwork displayed around the school is of a good standard, and good quality performances were seen in dance lessons.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

Overall, pupils’ attitudes are satisfactory and their behaviour is good . The overall provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good . Attendance and punctuality are good .

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

2 The average points score provides schools with a single statistic to compare the overall grades attained by all of their pupils with the grades attained by pupils in another school, as well as an average for all schools nationally. The National Curriculum level attained by each pupil, for example, in mathematics, is given a score. A Level 3 = 21 points, a Level 4 = 27 points, Level 5= 33 points. Therefore, the average points score in mathematics is worked out by adding up all of the points based on the level attained by pupils and then dividing by the number of pupils who took the test. This means that a school whose average points score for mathematics in the end of Year 6 national tests is greater than 27.0 is one whose pupils are performing above that expected for their age. South Molton United CE Junior School - 14

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils’ spiritual, social and moral qualities are developed well. • Pupils behave well and they are adamant that any bullying or poor behaviour is sorted out quickly by adults. • In the main, pupils in Years 5 and 6 show positive attitudes towards their work. • A small number of pupils, particularly in Years 3 and 4, find it difficult to behave well and do not always do the best they can in lessons and when recording work. South Molton United CE Junior School - 15

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Commentary

6. The school fosters pupils’ spiritual, social and moral awareness well, and so relationships are good. Pupils’ spiritual awareness is promoted well by the positive ethos within the school and thoughtful daily assemblies, which provide pupils with time to reflect on the world around them. A well-planned curriculum for personal, social and health education and citizenship and new systems for managing and rewarding good behaviour have a positive impact on pupils’ social and moral development. Recent activities to raise money for victims of the Asian tsunami have raised pupils’ awareness of those less fortunate than themselves and has helped give them a greater insight into their own lives and personal benefits. The school council gives pupils a good opportunity to take an active part in how the school develops. A range of purposeful activities is provided outside of lessons. These are appreciated by pupils and support their

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Commentary

7. Pupils enter school with a wide range of social skills, and a significant minority of pupils have behavioural difficulties. The school does well to achieve good behaviour. The school’s system for managing and rewarding good behaviour is effective. Pupils like the green, yellow and red card system, and are proud of the green cards they have been awarded. Most say it is fair and is helping them to deal with difficult situations and to control their own behaviour. They appreciate the new Golden Rules, and most follow these because they like them. The school always deals with any issues in a positive way, so pupils respond well to adult advice. Pupils asked were adamant that the school deals swiftly and effectively with any bullying and falling out. Pupils have a good sense of right and wrong and get along well together. However, there is a small number of pupils in Years 3 and 4 who present challenging behaviour in some

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Commentary

lessons because teachers do not always make their expectations clear. Some concerns expressed by parents have been taken seriously by the school, which has worked hard to tackle the poor behaviour of a small number of pupils last year when there were five exclusions. Behaviour is better this year and there have been no exclusions in this school year to date. Pupils play well together on the playground because they have activities to keep them busy and quiet places where they can go for a chat if they choose.

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Commentary

8. Overall, pupils have satisfactory attitudes towards school, though attitudes during the inspection ranged from unsatisfactory to good. Pupils generally listen well to each other and to the teacher in lessons. In Years 5 and 6, attitudes to work are often good, particularly when lessons are lively and interesting, and so pupils have a better understanding of their own progress. Older pupils work well together in pairs and small groups, for example, when discussing their work in their dance performances. Pupils’ attitudes in Years 3 and 4 are satisfactory overall. Teachers’ expectations are not always clear enough. As a result, pupils do not always respect the contributions their classmates make, they are easily distracted and their work is often recorded untidily.

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Exclusions

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year South Molton United CE Junior School - 16 Categories used in the Annual School Census No of pupils on roll Number of fixed period exclusions Number of permanent exclusions White – British 172 2 3 White – any other White background 2 0 0 No ethnic group recorded 1 0 0 The table gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

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Attendance

9. The rate of attendance for last year was above the national figure. This good rate of attendance has been maintained over a number of years. All absences have been authorised and there has been an extremely small number of instances of lateness. Good attendance is encouraged as the school administrator follows up absences and closely monitors attendance. Pupils are rewarded with certificates for 100 per cent attendance each term. Each year, the school reminds parents that family holidays taken during term time interfere with pupils’ learning opportunities.

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Attendance

Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

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Attendance

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data: 4.9 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 satisfactory quality of education for its pupils, but has serious weaknesses that impact on pupils’ achievement. Teaching and learning are satisfactory overall but inconsistent across the school. The school’s curriculum is satisfactory , with good enrichment. The school takes good care of its pupils and there are good links with parents, other schools and the community.

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Teaching and learning

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory overall. It is good in Years 5 and 6 and satisfactory in Years 3 and 4. Assessment procedures are satisfactory overall.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• New staff and effective, recent training have contributed successfully to improving the overall quality of teaching and learning. • In Years 5 and 6, expectations of pupils’ learning and behaviour are high, but expectations are less consistent in Years 3 and 4. • Teachers make good use of pupils’ literacy skills in other subjects, but they do not make sufficient use of pupils’ numeracy and ICT skills. South Molton United CE Junior School - 17 • Teachers make effective use of support staff to help pupils in their learning. • Assessment data and marking is not consistently well used.

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Commentary

10. The school has not maintained the good quality of teaching reported at the last inspection. Evidence from recent national test results indicates that teaching since the last inspection has not always been satisfactory. The school has had significant changes to its staffing with half of the current class teachers new to the school. Over the last 12 months the school has received good quality support from the local education authority because of its concerns relating to the school’s poor performance in national tests. This support, together with changes in staffing and the work of the headteacher and staff, has resulted in steady improvements in teaching and learning. Currently, teaching is satisfactory overall and pupils are making satisfactory progress in their learning. The recent improvements to teaching are having a positive impact on raising standards, particularly in English, but have not had sufficient time to completely address all

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Commentary

of the previous significant underachievement. The school recognises that there is still a long way to go, and has satisfactory plans to continue to develop the quality of teaching and learning across the school.

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Commentary

11. Lessons seen during the inspection and evidence from pupils’ previous work show that teaching ranges from unsatisfactory to good. The quality of teaching is inconsistent, and there are variations between year groups and subjects. In the main, teaching is good in Years 5 and 6, and satisfactory in Years 3 and 4. Teaching in mathematics and science has not been as effective in raising achievement as that in English. There is insufficient good or better teaching to ensure pupils do well in all subjects and to ensure recent underachievement and the resulting gaps in pupils’ learning are quickly addressed.

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Commentary

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 25 lessons

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Commentary

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor 0 1 10 12 2 0 0 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

12. Teachers throughout the school value the contributions of the pupils and ensure their personal needs are well met. Pupils feel teachers help them when they are stuck and listen to their ideas. Teachers make effective use of the classroom assistants, who make a positive contribution in lessons to the learning of pupils with special educational needs. Staff use suitable subject language and ensure that there are frequent opportunities for pupils to discuss their work as a class or in small groups. This helps pupils to improve their speaking and listening skills, and gives them good opportunities to rehearse what they want to write. Teachers provide good opportunities for pupils to develop their literacy skills in other subjects, and this is having a positive impact on standards in English. Insufficient use is made of pupils’ numeracy and ICT skills in other subjects. Teachers are beginning to use the newly acquired computers, but the positive

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Commentary

South Molton United CE Junior School - 18 impact of their use and that of the interactive whiteboard, while seen in a few lessons, is not yet fully developed.

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Commentary

13. In the best lessons, teachers manage the pupils well, have high expectations of what pupils can do and have a clear focus on what pupils are to learn during the lesson. Teachers have good subject knowledge and activities are interesting and pupils are fully involved throughout the lesson. Consequently, behaviour and attitudes are positive and pupils make good progress in their learning. In many lessons that are satisfactory and in the small number of unsatisfactory lessons, teaching is not as consistent. In some lessons, pupils are not always well managed and a small number of younger pupils easily become distracted, and this slows the pace of the lesson. Lesson objectives are sometimes too broad and there is insufficient use of investigative and practical activities, particularly in science and mathematics, to reinforce pupils’ learning. As a result, teaching is not sufficiently well focused to ensure that pupils’ learning is

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Commentary

better than satisfactory and that pupils become fully confident in understanding what they have learned.

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Commentary

14. Following recent improvements, teachers gather a satisfactory range of assessment information in English, mathematics and most other subjects, but procedures in science and ICT are unsatisfactory. Information gathered from assessments is not consistently well used in planning activities and setting individual targets. Targets for attainment are set only for the end of Year 6. This has resulted in some low expectations at the end of Years 3 and 4. The quality of marking is also variable, ranging from good to unsatisfactory. In English, marking is consistently good in Years 5 and 6, and includes comments that encourage pupils and help them to understand what they can now do and what they need to learn next. However, in some other books, marking gave insufficient guidance to the pupils on how to improve the content and presentation of their work.

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The curriculum

There is a satisfactory curriculum. The school provides good opportunities for enrichment. Accommodation and resources are satisfactory .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils’ personal, social and health education is planned well. • Pupils in Years 3 and 4 do not receive the same good quality curriculum in mathematics and science as those in Years 5 and 6. • The linking of learning into topics is motivating pupils to learn, and achievement is improving as a result. • There has been underachievement for a number of years, and so pupils move to secondary school less well prepared than they should be. • A wide range of extracurricular clubs, visits and visitors brings learning to life.

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Commentary

South Molton United CE Junior School - 19 15. The quality of the curriculum has been maintained since the previous inspection and is organised to ensure all subjects of the National Curriculum are taught satisfactorily. Statutory requirements are met, which is an improvement since the previous inspection when statutory requirements for ICT were not met. Personal, social and health education is planned well so pupils have a good knowledge and understanding of how to keep safe and healthy. The school makes sure that pupils learn about sex and relationships relevant to their ages and that they are taught about the dangers of drugs and other dangerous substances as required. These topics are often taught alongside similar work in science so that the curriculum is relevant. The school is working towards achieving a Healthy Schools Award in recognition of its work to raise pupils’ awareness of the importance of eating a healthy and balanced diet and leading

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Commentary

16. Recent improvements are ensuring pupils now transfer to secondary school with the knowledge, skills and understanding they need in English and ICT. However, this is still not the case in mathematics and science because the curriculum has not been planned and organised well enough in the past to support learning in these subjects. Good improvements have been made to the planned curriculum for writing. All pupils are motivated to write because they are presented with interesting topics. However, while it is very evident that the science curriculum for pupils in Years 5 and 6 is currently developing knowledge, understanding and skills well, this is still not the case for pupils in Years 3 and 4. Evidence collected during the inspection indicates that not enough emphasis has been given to applying and using pupils’ knowledge in mathematics or developing pupils’ skills and scientific vocabulary in these year

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Commentary

groups, and the process of learning about science through first-hand scientific investigations is recent. As a result, pupils have not achieved as well as they should in these subjects over recent years.

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Commentary

17. A strength of the curriculum is the way teachers are developing useful links between subjects by planning and organising it in topics. As a result, learning in a number of subjects is linked so pupils are interested and apply the skills learnt in one subject to another. For example, in their studies about Shakespeare, pupils in Years 5 and 6 are designing and making their own model theatres in design and technology and developing a mechanism in science for working the curtains. They are also writing a program to control the lighting in ICT and learning about the lives of people at that time in history. This relevance is motivating pupils to research, learn and write about their work.

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Commentary

18. The school organises a good range of extracurricular clubs, which are well attended by pupils. This enriches their learning in sport and music in particular. Visits and visitors also enrich learning so pupils remember their work, especially in history, art and design, dance and music. The school compensates for the small space available in the grounds by taking pupils to the local secondary school for some sporting activities. Recent improvements to the organisation and regular use of computers are beginning to raise achievement in ICT. However, there is still an insufficient number of computers to support pupils’ work effectively in all subjects. South Molton United CE Junior School - 20

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Care, guidance and support

Pupils are well cared for and are provided with good support, advice and guidance. They are effectively involved in the work of the school from an early age.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Staff provide a high level of pastoral care for all pupils. • Health and safety procedures are well established. • The school council provides good opportunities for pupils to express their views. • There are good induction arrangements to help pupils when joining the school. • The use of assessment information is not consistent through the school.

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Commentary

19. Procedures for child protection are good. The headteacher has delegated responsibility for any issues that may arise to one of the teachers who has received recent training for this role. The headteacher acts in support and ensures that all staff are fully aware of the child protection procedures. Very good provision has been made for pupils with specific medical needs. The nominated first-aider has received recent training, and all teaching assistants have received training in first-aid, and a refresher course is to be held in school in the near future. All staff have been trained to support those pupils with allergies.

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Commentary

20. The governing body has ensured that there are good procedures to ensure pupils work in a healthy and safe environment. Governors carefully monitor health and safety assessments carried out by the local education authority, crime prevention surveys and the independent evaluations made by members of the governing body’s building committee. A daily report book provides the caretaker with guidance on any hazards identified by the staff. One teacher undertakes all risk assessments for school trips.

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Commentary

21. Pupils receive good pastoral support throughout the school, which is also formalised through the personal, social and health education and citizenship programme of study. Pupils understand the system for rewards and sanctions, and enjoy the prestige of being presented with a certificate in recognition of an accumulation of class awards for good work, good behaviour and other considerations. Most pupils agree that they have good relationships with adults in school and younger pupils appreciate the games that are led by a playground supervisor. Although academic targets are shared and are monitored through the records of personal achievement, assessments are new or inconsistent, and hence not fully effective in all classes in helping to target additional support and advice.

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Commentary

22. The school council has recently been reformed and has two representatives from each year group. Pupils present concerns and solutions to the headteacher and appreciate the fact that their views are being taken seriously. South Molton United CE Junior School - 21 All pupils know that the headteacher is available to see them should they need to speak to her.

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Commentary

23. Parents are pleased with the induction arrangements, which are extensive and are spread over a number of weeks. Almost all children are received from a single infant school, and existing friendships are encouraged.

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Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

The school has good links with parents. There are good links with other schools and with the community.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Overall, parents receive good formal and informal information about the school and its work. • There are some inconsistencies in the quality of information on pupils’ progress. • The school is not always sufficiently proactive in addressing parental concerns. • The school’s involvement with the local community has a positive impact on pupils’ learning and personal development. • Good links with the local community college ensure a smooth transfer at the end of Year 6.

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Commentary

24. Overall, parents receive good quality information about the school through formal documentation, such as the prospectus, and the regular newsletters and the annual letter from each class teacher. Useful information is provided on the curriculum, and informal meetings in the first term provide parents with a helpful overview of their children’s studies. Formal consultation evenings in the spring term support the publication of the annual reports, which in the main contain good academic information and the pupils’ academic and social targets for the end of the year. However, there are some inconsistencies across the year groups in the quality of annual individual progress reports. In some cases, they state what has been studied and not what the pupil knows and can do and how that compares with expectations for their age.

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Commentary

25. A small number of parents regularly help in school, making a positive contribution to pupils’ learning. During special events and for activities such as walking pupils to the swimming pool, there are always many volunteers. Some parents organise and run extracurricular clubs. The Friends of the School organise social and fundraising events during the year to provide additional learning resources, such as books and stage blocks. They also provide social support by providing refreshments at school performances, and are committed to supporting the resources in the computer suite.

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Commentary

26. The headteacher and staff make themselves available to parents at the beginning and end of each day, and parents are generally comfortable in South Molton United CE Junior School - 22 approaching the school with questions or concerns. There have been no parental complaints about the curriculum, and the school is reviewing its homework policy, as the perception of some parents is that it is sometimes unrelated to class work. The inspection found that, in the main, homework satisfactorily supported pupils’ learning, but at times more careful explanations were required to help parents support their children’s work. Overall, parents are satisfied with the work of the school. However, their concerns indicate that the school tends to be reactive to the identified needs of parents and has not sufficiently developed ways of taking the views of all parents into account.

p.21

Commentary

27. The school has good links with the local and wider communities, which support pupils’ development well. Pupils’ learning is well supported through participation in musical activities and local events and competitions. Links with local churches, including visits and visitors and participation in major Christian festivals, have a positive impact on pupils’ personal development. The school has very positive and supportive links with the local education authority that have helped in the recent raising of standards.

p.22

Commentary

28. Most pupils transfer to the local community college and there are well- established arrangements taking place throughout Year 6, involving pupils, parents and teachers, which provides for a very smooth and happy transfer. Good links with the college provide pupils with additional extracurricular sporting activities.

p.22

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management of the school are satisfactory overall. Governance is satisfactory . The headteacher provides satisfactory and focused leadership, but the leadership of key staff is unsatisfactory overall and contributes to the school’s serious weaknesses. Management of the school is satisfactory overall.

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Key aspects in monitoring and evaluating the school’s performance are unsatisfactory, and so the school has not tackled weaknesses in pupils’ achievement quickly enough. • Governors have a good knowledge and understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses due to their increased interest and involvement in monitoring standards and the quality of education. • Leadership of the curriculum is good and is helping to develop the curriculum in an innovative way. • The role of the senior management team and subject leaders is not sufficiently well developed as to ensure consistently good teaching across the school.

p.22

Commentary

29. The school’s senior leaders and managers have maintained the positive ethos of the school since the previous inspection, and recent improvements to the curriculum are leading to more interested and motivated learners. This is because the headteacher has a clear vision for the school’s ethos and is South Molton United CE Junior School - 23 passionate about pupils developing personally as well as academically. However, until recently, the senior management team has not looked closely enough at pupils’ progress to see that they were achieving as well as they should. Consequently, the school did not pick up pupils’ underachievement in English, mathematics and science until results fell in 2003. While the low results highlighted that a weakness existed, the school was unable to identify exactly where the weakness was because it didn’t have enough information about the school and pupils’ performances. Consequently, its development planning was

p.22

Commentary

unsatisfactory because the priorities for improvement did not necessarily support the school’s needs. Since then, the school has received considerable support, and the current plan satisfactorily seeks to address weaknesses in leadership and management and to raise standards in English, mathematics and science. The school now has satisfactory procedures in place to check pupils’ progress to give it a clear picture of achievement across the school as well as future development needs. The information shows that pupils were not achieving well enough in writing throughout the school, especially the boys, and that achievement in mathematics and science was inconsistent, highlighting a weakness in teaching in some classes and year groups.

p.23

Commentary

30. Overall, the management of the school is satisfactory because of recent improvements in the monitoring of performance data, but there is a weakness in the pace of bringing about improvements. The school now monitors its performance closely in English, mathematics and science and has identified exactly what the weaknesses are and where they lie. While it has had some success in improving achievement in English, there has not been enough time for senior staff to put effective action into place to tackle the weaknesses identified in mathematics and science. While the leadership and management of the curriculum are good because improvements are leading to more interested and motivated learners, leadership and management of teaching remain unsatisfactory because weaknesses have not been tackled effectively to raise pupils’ achievement quickly enough. This is a serious weakness.

p.23

Commentary

31. Governors provide satisfactory support, although they have not always challenged the senior managers enough about the quality of pupils’ education. As a result of falling standards, the governing body took it upon itself to get more information, and has been fully involved in checking and discussing whether improvements are effectively raising pupils’ achievements. Their increased involvement is ensuring that they have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and are using this knowledge not only to support senior managers but also to challenge them when necessary. Governors’ regular visits reflect their keen interest and commitment to the school. All statutory requirements are met.

p.23

Commentary

32. The school has organised training to effectively improve the quality of teaching and learning in English. This has involved teachers with particular expertise working alongside staff to help them look more closely at their own performances. While this has successfully improved provision in English and ICT, weaknesses remain in the teaching of mathematics and science. The school manages its finances satisfactorily and ensures that spending supports the school’s priorities in its development plan. South Molton United CE Junior School - 24 Financial information for the year April 2003 to March 2004

p.23

Commentary

Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 437 243 Balance from previous year (2 179) Total expenditure 433 008 Balance carried forward to the next 2 056 Expenditure per pupil 2 470 South Molton United CE Junior School - 25

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Recent improvements in teaching and learning have raised pupils’ achievement. • Careful checks on pupils’ progress are leading to more precise planning of pupils’ learning. • More able pupils, particularly boys, are not doing as well as they should in writing. • Opportunities for pupils to write in different subjects are motivating all pupils, but particularly boys, to write. • In Years 3 and 4, teachers’ expectations are not high enough. • The quality of marking is inconsistent.

p.25

Commentary

33. Standards at the end of Year 6 fell after the previous inspection and reached their lowest point in 2003, when standards in national tests at Year 6 were well below average. This was because pupils did not achieve as well as they should. Weaknesses are now being tackled effectively and, as a result, standards are rising again. The pupils’ performance in the 2004 tests was average overall, though the proportion of pupils reaching the higher standard, Level 5, was below average. Currently, achievement is satisfactory overall and standards are now average because progress in lessons is often good in Years 5 and 6.

p.25

Commentary

34. Achievement is satisfactory in speaking and listening and in reading, and current standards in both aspects are average at the end of Year 6. Achievement in writing remains unsatisfactory, and standards are below average because not enough more able pupils are reaching the above average standards of which many are capable. This is because boys in particular underachieved in writing until recently and, despite the better teaching and more interesting curriculum in Years 5 and 6, the gap has been far too great to be overcome in the short time available. The school is now checking pupils’ progress more closely and using the information well to put improvements in place to ensure that the achievement of all pupils, including those with special educational needs, boys throughout the school and pupils in Years 3 and 4, is currently satisfactory. This represents an improving picture, and provision is now similar to that found at the last inspection.

p.25

Commentary

35. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory overall. It is good in Years 5 and 6 because teachers have high expectations of what pupils can do, of the amount of work they produce in lessons and of the presentation of their work. South Molton United CE Junior School - 26 Teaching builds carefully on pupils’ skills because careful account is taken of what they can already do in these year groups. Opportunities for pupils to discuss their learning are used effectively across the school for pupils to rehearse what they want to write before putting pen to paper. This is helping them to improve their speaking and listening skills and the content of their writing. As a result, pupils use a good range of vocabulary in their stories to make them interesting. Inconsistent expectations of pupils are leading to some untidy presentation and careless mistakes in spelling and punctuation in Years 3 and 4.

p.25

Commentary

36. Guided reading takes place every day throughout the school, and targets are linked well to pupils’ individual needs so that they are learning what they should in most classes. Sometimes the targets are not challenging enough in Years 3 and 4, and so more able pupils spend too long reading at a lower level. Consequently, this group of pupils is still not always making fast enough progress in their reading in these year groups. Improvements to teachers’ marking is good and is ensuring that pupils get good guidance on how well they have done in lessons and on what they need to do to achieve even better. Again, the quality is consistently good in Years 5 and 6, while it is variable in Years 3 and 4. Targets for reading and writing are effectively raising pupils’ awareness of their own learning in Years 5 and 6 and so most know what they need to do to achieve higher standards.

p.26

Commentary

37. Leadership and management of the subject are satisfactory overall because the previous underachievement in the subject has been tackled successfully and standards and achievement are rising. Until last year, pupils’ achievements were not recorded in sufficient detail to give the school enough information about how well each pupil was doing. This has now been tackled successfully. This has led to a more clearly defined focus on tracking pupils’ progress and enabled the school to identify precisely where the underachievement was occurring and to take steps to remedy this. However, while targets are set for pupils’ attainment at the end of Year 6, these are not set at the end of each year as they move through the school. This has resulted in some low expectations in writing until recently. Although recent improvement has been satisfactory, improvement since the previous inspection has been unsatisfactory.

p.26

Language and literacy across the curriculum

38. The use of language and literacy across the curriculum to develop pupils’ English skills and to record learning in other subjects is good, and is a strength of the subject. Teachers plan interesting topics for the pupils to research, talk and write about. For example, pupils in Years 3 and 4 have recorded the information they found about the life and times of Henry VIII in different ways, developing their reading for information and writing skills and their skills and knowledge in history. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 have written detailed reports in a range of subjects. As a result, all pupils, but especially boys, are more motivated to write. Pupils look up information for their studies in history, geography and science. A weekly session in the library ensures they are developing satisfactory skills of finding the books and information they need. South Molton United CE Junior School - 27

p.26

MATHEMATICS

Provision in mathematics is satisfactory .

p.27

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils could do better in mathematics. • Pupils make inconsistent progress in Years 3 and 4. • Pupils make good progress in their learning in Years 5 and 6. • Information on how well pupils have done is not used as well as it could be. • The monitoring of teaching and learning has not been rigorous enough. • Insufficient use is made of practical resources, ICT and work in other subjects to support pupils’ learning and to help develop their understanding. South Molton United CE Junior School - 28

p.27

Commentary

39. Improvement in the quality of provision since the last inspection has been unsatisfactory. At that time, standards were average, and teaching and learning were reported to be good. Since then, standards have declined, and in the national tests in 2003 and 2004, standards were well below average in comparison with all schools and similar schools. The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard (Level 4) and the higher standard (Level 5) were well below average. Over the last two years, there has been significant underachievement in mathematics. The school has satisfactorily begun to address this weakness, and is now more carefully analysing results in order to identify areas for development.

p.28

Commentary

40. Evidence from the inspection confirms that recent initiatives and changes in staffing are having a positive impact, and standards are now rising and are currently slightly below average by Year 6. The school has correctly identified that pupils’ knowledge and understanding of shape and measures is weak and has introduced more frequent teaching of these aspects. Pupils use a suitable range of mental and written methods when working with numbers. However, many lack confidence in applying their knowledge when solving problems, in selecting appropriate strategies to overcome difficulties and in explaining their reasoning. While the majority of pupils, including those with special educational needs, are now making satisfactory progress, achievement over time remains variable and is unsatisfactory overall. In Years 3 and 4, progress noted in lessons and seen in pupils’ previous work was satisfactory overall, though

p.28

Commentary

inconsistent, and achievement is patchy. The good progress that was noted during the inspection in the older pupils’ recent work, though helping to raise standards, has not been sufficient to completely address all previous weaknesses.

p.28

Commentary

41. Teaching and learning are now satisfactory overall. Previous test results indicate weaknesses in the teaching. However, recent initiatives and staff changes have ensured that teaching and learning seen during the inspection were satisfactory overall. Most of the teaching seen was satisfactory, with a small amount that was unsatisfactory. An analysis of pupils’ work shows that learning ranges from unsatisfactory to good, and is satisfactory overall. Examples of good progress were seen in the workbooks of pupils in Years 5 and 6, where expectations are higher and activities are suitably challenging. There are a number of common strengths in the teaching, and some inconsistencies. Classroom assistants and voluntary helpers are deployed well in lessons. Their reinforcement of teaching ensures that the groups they support, including those with special educational needs, understand what is expected of them and that they make satisfactory progress. Staff make clear

p.28

Commentary

use of mathematical vocabulary, and they provide suitable opportunities for pupils to discuss their work, which helps pupils to develop their understanding satisfactorily.

p.28

Commentary

42. There is insufficient consistency across the school in other aspects of teaching to ensure pupils make better than satisfactory progress through the school. Teachers’ planning is satisfactorily based on the National Numeracy Strategy, South Molton United CE Junior School - 29 but sometimes activities lack the sharp focus on what pupils are to learn. The methods chosen often do not provide sufficient practical opportunities for pupils to develop their understanding or to use and apply their mathematical skills in everyday situations. Teachers do not always provide pupils with adequate access to resources, including number lines and multiplication grids, to help develop their understanding. An examination of pupils’ books showed that the quality of marking, target-setting and the presentation of pupils’ work all vary from class to class. In the main, strengths in these areas were more evident in Years 5 and 6. An effective use of the interactive whiteboard to support learning

p.28

Commentary

was seen in one lesson. However, insufficient use is made of ICT to consolidate and improve pupils’ learning in mathematics.

p.29

Commentary

43. The management of the subject is improving and is satisfactory as the subject leader now monitors pupils’ performance more closely and is beginning to identify where weaknesses lie. A satisfactory curriculum is in place, and resources are satisfactory. However, leadership is unsatisfactory, as it has not been strong enough to put effective action into place to tackle all the weaknesses identified and to raise pupils’ achievement quickly enough. The monitoring of teaching has not brought about sufficient improvements to remove inconsistencies in teaching and raise the overall quality of learning. Newly introduced assessment procedures are satisfactory, but are not consistently well used to help teachers check pupils’ progress and to plan work closely enough to match their needs.

p.29

Mathematics across the curriculum

44. Pupils’ use of their mathematical skills in other subjects is unsatisfactory. There are too few planned opportunities for developing their understanding and reasoning skills by using and applying mathematics in other subjects. Insufficient use is made of data-handling, number and measures in science, design and technology and geography.

p.29

SCIENCE

Provision in science is unsatisfactory .

p.29

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils do not make enough progress in Years 3 and 4 because work is not planned precisely enough. • The school does not have enough information about pupils’ learning to check progress and plan work to meet particular needs. • Pupils’ scientific skills and vocabulary are improving because the subject leader has started to tackle weaknesses in achievement in a focused and purposeful way.

p.29

Commentary

South Molton United CE Junior School - 30 45. Standards have been well below average for several years and achievement has been poor. In the end of Year 6 national tests in 2003 and 2004, standards were well below average in comparison with all schools and similar schools. The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard and the higher standard were well below average. The school has only recently started to tackle the weaknesses in teaching, learning and the curriculum, so despite recent improvements to the quality of teaching and learning, especially in Years 5 and 6, standards remain below average at the end of Year 6, and achievement is unsatisfactory. This shows some improvement this year; however, improvement since the previous inspection is unsatisfactory. Pupils with special educational needs make satisfactory progress when supported by classroom assistants.

p.30

Commentary

46. Teaching and learning are satisfactory overall because of good teaching in Years 5 and 6. The quality of teaching observed during the inspection was satisfactory. However, there is considerable evidence that it has been unsatisfactory for some time and not all of the weaknesses have been completely addressed. Learning for pupils in Years 3 and 4 is not planned sufficiently well for them to learn through first-hand experiences or to carry out scientific investigations themselves as often as they should. As a result, their skills in this aspect of science are weak, and achievement for pupils in these year groups remains unsatisfactory. Lesson objectives are too general, and consequently, pupils are often not clear about what they are learning and why. Teaching in Years 5 and 6 is better because pupils are fully involved in investigating and carrying out experiments independently. A greater focus is

p.30

Commentary

given to pupils using scientific vocabulary to explain what they are doing and to use the results from their investigations to draw conclusions about what is happening and why. This is improving their knowledge, understanding and skills well, and progress in lessons is often good. However, there has been too little time for pupils to make up for their previous underachievement in the subject.

p.30

Commentary

47. Leadership and management of the subject are unsatisfactory. However, there are signs of some improvement. The new subject leader has looked closely at pupils’ work and noted a weakness in pupils’ scientific enquiry skills and in their ability to use the correct scientific words when explaining their work. As a result, the school has built more planned opportunities for pupils to develop these skills into lessons, and pupils do far more investigations now, especially in Years 5 and 6. Learning is more interesting and relevant and, as a result, this is beginning to improve pupils’ scientific skills and vocabulary. Assessment procedures and their use remain unsatisfactory. Although assessments are carried out at the end of each unit of work, there is insufficient information for teachers to check pupils’ progress closely enough or to plan work matched to particular needs.

p.30

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

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

p.30

Main strengths and weaknesses

South Molton United CE Junior School - 31 • There has been a good improvement in the quality of provision since the last inspection. • At times, unsatisfactory behaviour in lessons in Years 3 and 4 slows pupils’ progress. • Information on how well pupils have done is not used as well as it could be. • The new subject leader has a very clear understanding of how to develop the subject, but has not had time to implement important changes. • Pupils make insufficient use of their ICT skills to support their learning in other subjects.

p.31

Commentary

48. The school has successfully improved the provision for the subject since the last inspection, when standards were below average because resources were inadequate and the control, monitoring and modelling aspects of the subject were not taught. Resources and access to these aspects have improved following the development of an ICT suite and better planning, though the number of pupils per computer remains above average. Planning is satisfactorily based on national guidelines, and includes all aspects of the subject. Consequently, standards have improved and are no longer below average.

p.31

Commentary

49. Evidence from pupils’ previous work was limited, but discussions with pupils and staff and observations in lessons show that pupils are on target to reach the expected standards by the end of Year 6. This represents satisfactory achievement. Pupils make satisfactory progress through their weekly visits to the ICT suite, where they develop their computer skills. They use a word- processing program with growing confidence as they move through the school. By Year 6, pupils have developed their skills sufficiently to produce multimedia presentations, use spreadsheets and control a sequence of lights.

p.31

Commentary

50. Overall, teaching and learning are satisfactory. During the inspection, lessons in the ICT suite ranged from unsatisfactory to good and were satisfactory overall. Teachers make satisfactory use of the new resources in the ICT suite, though insufficient use is made of the classroom computers. Teachers make effective use of the classroom assistants. Staff provide satisfactorily clear explanations and individual support as they circulate around the class. Methods used, such as putting pupils into small groups, work well, except when insufficient attention is given to ensure pupils take turns willingly. In the main, pupils share ideas and respect each other’s views. Pupils with special educational needs receive adequate support and they make similar progress to their classmates. The management of pupils is variable, and this at times slows the progress of younger pupils, as they become easily distracted, particularly when activities are

p.31

Commentary

not well matched to their needs. In the best lesson, the teacher’s very good subject knowledge and high expectations ensured pupils were attentive and well-motivated. Consequently, the pupils made good progress, giving instructions to control an alarm.

p.31

Commentary

51. Overall, leadership and management of the subject are unsatisfactory, but there are signs of some improvement. The newly appointed, temporary subject leader South Molton United CE Junior School - 32 has a clear vision for developing ICT within the school based on his wide experience of the subject. However, there has been insufficient time and opportunity for him to monitor teaching and learning, to develop staff’s knowledge and confidence in using new resources and to bring about improvements to pupils’ achievement. The subject leader has correctly identified that assessment procedures and opportunities for pupils to develop their understanding of what they can do and how to improve are currently unsatisfactory.

p.31

Information and communication technology across the curriculum

52. Pupils’ use of their ICT skills in other subjects is unsatisfactory, as skills are not used as effectively as they could be to support their learning. Although pupils have chances to use computers in some lessons, for example when searching a website for information, this is not a sufficiently regular occurrence. Staff make insufficient use of the interactive whiteboard to support their teaching, and opportunities to use computers, for example, to handle data in mathematics and science, are not planned for. There are not enough opportunities for pupils to make choices about when they will use ICT during the course of lessons. Opportunities tend to be decided by the teachers rather than pupils taking the initiative and using ICT as a natural part of their learning.

p.32

HUMANITIES

In humanities, work was sampled in geography and history. All the available pupils’ work was analysed and staff and pupils were interviewed. It is therefore not possible to form overall judgements about provision in these subjects because too little teaching was seen. Subject leaders have worked together to make improvements to the quality of the curriculum by looking at ways to link the two subjects. As a result, pupils are interested in their learning, particularly in history. There is every indication from the pupils’ work and from talking with them that standards are average.

p.32

History

53. Pupils talk excitedly about their work in history. They particularly like the times when visitors come into school or when they dress up as Roman soldiers or Victorians, because this makes learning more interesting. Pupils are confident when researching a new topic and use the information to write accurate accounts of different historical periods. Older pupils order the different historical periods correctly, and this shows their sound understanding of time and chronology. Links with other subjects make learning interesting. For example, in the Aztec topic, pupils made artefacts from clay and created brightly coloured portraits of people of that time.

p.32

Geography

54. Pupils’ work in geography indicates that there is a suitable balance between learning facts and developing skills. This is an improvement since the previous inspection, when the development of pupils’ geographical skills was a weakness. Visits into the local environment have provided good first-hand South Molton United CE Junior School - 33 experiences for the pupils to investigate and explore different environments and to identify similarities and differences between a contrasting environment to South Molton. The Internet has been used effectively to look up what the weather is like in other European countries so that pupils have relevant contexts through which to compare the weather in South Molton with that in countries around the world.

p.32

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

These subjects were not a focus for the inspection, and so it is not possible to make overall judgements on provision. Four lessons, one in music and three in dance, were observed. Teachers’ planning and samples of pupils’ work were seen. Discussions with staff and pupils provided additional evidence.

p.33

Art and design

55. Throughout the school, there are attractive displays celebrating pupils’ work in art and design. These examples show that pupils’ skills of drawing and painting are developing well. Some examples, such as the Year 3 and 4 pastel portraits and Aboriginal art designs, exceed expectations for pupils of this age. Pupils have good opportunities to study and learn from the work of well-known artists, such as Andy Warhol and Botticelli. In the one lesson observed in art and design, the quality of teaching and learning was good. The teacher’s secure knowledge of the subject helped the pupils to develop their knowledge and skills well and to gain a sense of achievement when discussing their ‘wheat fields’, painted in the style of Van Gogh. The teacher introduced and encouraged pupils to use technical vocabulary to enable them to talk about their work. Pupils enjoyed the various activities and were willing to work hard. They paid careful

p.33

Art and design

attention to the teacher’s guidance, and these positive attitudes contributed to their good progress. Opportunities to evaluate and discuss their work helped them to recognise good quality work and how they might improve what they had done. A good example of ICT being used appropriately to support work in art was seen in one class. Good links are made with other subjects, for example, linking the use of collage to work on Shakespeare in literacy and making clay models in the style of the Aztecs as part of a history project. South Molton United CE Junior School - 34

p.33

Design and technology

56. An analysis of teachers’ planning, pupils’ work and photographic evidence in design and technology indicates that the National Curriculum requirements are met. Pupils study how everyday objects work, design and make their own models and evaluate their own results. Examples of pupils’ models show broadly satisfactory making skills, as when using balsa wood to make fairground models. Photographs show pupils tasted a range of breads before designing and making their favourite sandwich. Pupils’ planning sheets show that they are taught to make a suitable range of artefacts. Their simple sketches are labelled to identify parts and materials, for example, when designing board games based on the Aztecs. They plan their activities using simple sketches, which vary in quality, but in the main, include labels and lists of materials needed. For some activities, pupils use printed worksheets to show what they did and to evaluate

p.34

Design and technology

their work. The quality of pupils’ written work on these sheets is variable across the school, and the use of such sheets often does not encourage pupils to develop their writing skills or to think carefully about what could be done to improve their work. Pupils’ mathematical and ICT skills, including using measurements, scale, tally charts and graphs to show the results of simple surveys, are not sufficiently well used in planning and evaluating work.

p.34

Music

57. Pupils are given good opportunity to perform in music through the annual productions they put on for parents. The poem ‘ The Quangle Wangle’s Hat’ is a good example of the interesting ways subjects are linked to make learning more interesting and relevant for pupils. Through this topic, pupils in Years 3 and 4 made their own musical instruments to add a percussion accompaniment to their group performance of this poem. They wrote down their musical composition in picture form so that each group could play each other’s part. While the curriculum is interesting, musical skills are not always specifically planned. Although pupils get good opportunities to listen and respond to different types of music, they are not always expected to consider well enough how different musical elements, such as rhythm and volume, are used to create different moods and effects. The one lesson observed in music was satisfactory.

p.34

Music

There are good opportunities for pupils to take part in a range of after-school musical activities and performances. Pupils enjoy these activities and they make a positive contribution to their social development.

p.34

Physical education

58. During the inspection, the focus for physical education lessons was dance. Pupils do well in this aspect of the subject because of good teaching. In all three lessons seen, which were well taught, pupils performed dances of a good standard. Pupils successfully remembered their sequence of movements previously learned, worked well in unison, in pairs and as larger groups, and used a wide range of movements with good control and fluency. Teachers showed good levels of subject knowledge and enthusiasm, and so pupils made good progress in developing their techniques, and they enjoyed performing. There were good links between the dances and pupils’ literacy work. Younger South Molton United CE Junior School - 35 pupils performed movements linked to the story of the ‘ Iron Man’ , while older pupils linked the theme of a ship at sea to their work on Shakespeare’s ‘ The Tempest’ .

p.34

Physical education

59. The school has a satisfactory curriculum that ensures that pupils are taught the full range of activities, including gymnastics, dance and games. The school has a good programme for swimming that involves pupils in Years 3 to 6 in a short series of weekly lessons. The majority of pupils swim the expected standard by the time they reach Year 6, and many exceed it. There are good opportunities for older pupils to take part in competitive sports and a range of after-school sporting activities over the year. These activities are enjoyed by pupils, and make a positive contribution to their social development.

p.35

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

This subject was sampled. Discussions took place with staff and pupils, and two lessons were observed during the inspection, which were both satisfactory.

p.35

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

60. The programme for personal, social and health education and citizenship is good overall. The caring school ethos supports pupils’ personal development well. There has been good improvement to the subject recently. The subject leader has looked very closely at the curriculum this year to ensure learning in personal, social and health education is linked to other subjects whenever possible. This ensures that when older pupils are looking at reproduction in science, they are learning about personal relationships at the same time in personal, social and health education. Pupils’ awareness of the dangers of drugs, tobacco and other substances is raised in science so that pupils have a good understanding about how to keep themselves safe by the end of Year 6. The school is currently working towards gaining a Healthy Schools Award for its work on raising pupils’ awareness of the need for a healthy diet and regular

p.35

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

61. In one of the lessons observed, careful questioning by the teacher helped older pupils to develop their understanding of the importance of having a purpose or aim in life. In the second short lesson, younger pupils satisfactorily linked their local studies work in geography with keeping safe. While the discussions helped develop pupils’ understanding, other tasks, such as completing unnecessary illustrations, did little to take their learning forward.

p.35

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

62. Family groups, which include pupils from different classes, take place every Friday, and these provide pupils with good opportunities to talk about and consider issues relevant to each group. For example, one group is thinking about ways to deal with bullying, thus giving each individual confidence to tackle this issue, both in and out of school. Pupils are given good opportunities to take part in community activities, for example, local competitions and the town’s fair. The school council is making a good contribution to pupils’ responsibilities as citizens. Whilst there have been no recent incidents of oppressive behaviour, the school council is considering training pupil leaders for those pupils who feel the need for support when at school. The international tsunami appeal inspired South Molton United CE Junior School - 36 the school council to raise funds, which were spent on a shelter box provided by

p.35

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

a local charity. Through this project, pupils of all ages have come to understand the natural hazards experienced by people in other parts of the world. South Molton United CE Junior School - 37

p.36

PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The overall effectiveness of the school 4 How inclusive the school is 4 How the school’s effectiveness has changed since its last inspection 5 Value for money provided by the school 4

p.37

PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Overall standards achieved 5 Pupils’ achievement 5

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities 3 Attendance 3 Attitudes 4 Behaviour, including the extent of exclusions 3 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

p.37

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 5 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.37