Southbourne Junior School

SOUTHBOURNE JUNIOR SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 25 th – 27 th January 2005

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SOUTHBOURNE JUNIOR SCHOOL

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 Southbourne 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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SOUTHBOURNE JUNIOR 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. Southbourne Junior School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Junior school School category: Community Age range of children: 7 – 11 Gender of children: Mixed Number on roll: 231

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: New Road Southbourne Emsworth Hampshire Postcode: PO10 8JX

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Telephone number: 01243 375878 Fax number: 01243 370572

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body Name of chair of governors: Gareth Webb

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 18 th January 1999

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

The school serves a suburban and rural community just outside Chichester and has 231 children. No children come from ethnic minority backgrounds and none has English as an additional language. A few come from travelling families. When they enter the school in Year 3, children’s attainment is broadly average. More than a quarter of the children have special educational needs, which is above the national average, and five have statements for this, which is also high compared with national figures. Mobility is average. Fewer than ten per cent of children claim free school meals, which is lower than average. However, cooked lunches are not provided by the local authority, and so some eligible families do not claim their entitlement. The school gained the Investors in People standard in 2003 and a Schools Achievement award in 2001. Southbourne Junior School - 4

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

7320 Rob Crompton Lead inspector Science Information and communication technology Design and technology Music Citizenship 13874 Jane Chesterfield Lay inspector 21090 David Manuel Team inspector Mathematics Geography History Physical education 18498 Denise Morris Team inspector English Art and design Religious education Special educational needs

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Altecq Inspections Ltd 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 inspection contractor. The procedures are set out in the leaflet ‘Complaining about Ofsted Inspections’ , which is available from Ofsted Publications Centre (telephone 07002 637833) or Ofsted’s website (www.ofsted.gov.uk). Southbourne Junior School - 5

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 8

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL 10

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

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OVERALL EVALUATION

This is a very good school with many excellent features. Children thrive in response to the rich variety of learning experiences. Standards are good because highly effective teaching across the curriculum helps children of all abilities to achieve very well. An excellent ethos underpins school life. Relationships are very good and children behave very well, reflecting the school’s aim to promote care, courtesy and concern. Leadership and management are very effective and governors provide good support. The school provides very good value for money.

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The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

• The headteacher’s outstanding vision inspires adults and children to seek excellence in all they do. • Very good teaching and learning means that children achieve very well in a wide range of subjects. • Children respond very positively to the stimulating curriculum and behave very well. • Curriculum leaders successfully promote high standards by supporting colleagues highly effectively. • Children’s achievements are carefully tracked to ensure that their wide ranging needs are met. • Parents’ and children’s views are valued, and there is a strong sense of partnership and common purpose. • The school’s constant search for improvement means there are areas for development but no significant weaknesses.

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The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

Good progress has been made since the last inspection. Weaknesses in the provision for information and communication technology (ICT) have been overcome, and this is now very good. The role of subject co-ordinators has improved significantly. Their strong leadership now has a very positive impact on children’s achievements in English, mathematics and science, and also in creative and practical subjects, such as art and design and design and technology. Provision for cultural development has improved. The overall quality of education remains very good and now has excellent features.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Overall achievement is very good . The grades in the table below conceal the fact that six children in Year 6 in 2004 had a statement of special educational need – a far higher proportion than is typical. Across the school, the proportion of children with special educational needs is above average. Through good support, they make good progress. Performance across the ability range reflects the school’s success in achieving its aim to be as inclusive as possible.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

The inspection found that much work is of a high quality, with children achieving very well and reaching above average standards in English. They make good progress and achieve average standards in mathematics. Attainment is well above that expected by Year 6 in art and design and in design and technology. Children progress well in science, ICT, history, religious education and physical education, reaching good standards in science, ICT and history, and the expected standards in religious education and physical education. This profile of achievement across a wide range of subjects reflects the school’s success in Southbourne Junior School - 7 promoting high standards across the curriculum. Although some good work was seen in geography and music, it was not possible to judge overall standards in these subjects.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

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

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

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

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Children have very good personal qualities, resulting from the very effective provision for their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. They respond enthusiastically to all the school offers them. They have very positive attitudes and behave very well. Attendance is good and children are punctual.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The quality of education is very good . Teaching is highly effective . Lessons are lively, motivating and challenging. As a result, children are eager to learn and make every effort to improve. Imaginative approaches to the way children record work lead to high standards of presentation and help them to remember what they have learned. Through very careful assessment and meticulous planning, teachers cater for all abilities. Teaching assistants support children’s learning well. The very good curriculum is a major strength of the school and an extremely significant factor in children’s achievement. Highly appropriate links are made between subjects, and most topics are centred on direct experience and practical activities. The school effectively promotes excellence through enjoyment, in line with national priorities. There is a very strong partnership with parents. They are kept very well informed through home school diaries, newsletters and a helpful website. Most parents make a

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

significant contribution to their children’s achievement.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management are very good overall. The headteacher provides very good leadership and is extremely well supported by the deputy head and senior staff. They share the same sense of common purpose and have the confidence of all colleagues. There is an exceptional team spirit. All aspects of the school’s provision are managed very effectively and regularly monitored to ensure that standards are maintained. Governance is good. Governors support the school well, and all statutory requirements are met.

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PARENTS’ AND CHILDREN’S VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

The vast majority of parents are very satisfied with the school. Concerns raised by a small minority of parents were explored by the inspection team but were not substantiated. Children are highly enthusiastic and make a good contribution to school life through class and school councils.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

The inspection did not identify any significant weaknesses. Southbourne Junior School - 8

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Standards achieved in subjects

Children achieve very well and reach good standards in a range of subjects.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children achieve at least well in all year groups. • Children of different abilities make good or very good progress. • Standards have risen since the last inspection.

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Commentary

1. The standards seen during the inspection closely match last year’s test results when compared with schools nationally and those with similar characteristics. A strong emphasis on English means that children are making very good progress in English and reaching well above average standards. They achieve well in science and reach above average standards. Following a slight downturn in attainment in mathematics, new strategies were introduced, and children are now making good progress and standards are well within the range expected by Year 6. Gender differences are not great but are against the national trend with boys doing better in English and girls doing better in mathematics over the last three years.

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Commentary

2. Without exception, teachers in each class are effective in enabling children to make good progress. The emphasis on excellence through enjoyment in learning pays off. Children do well in all the subjects inspected 1 , reaching very good standards in art and design and in design and technology. Attainment in ICT and history is good. Overall standards in physical education and religious education are as expected and children’s games skills are particularly good. This impressive profile of achievement is due to the effectiveness of leadership in promoting high standards of teaching and learning across the curriculum.

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Commentary

3. At the time of the last inspection, standards in English, science and design and technology were average. They have risen significantly and are now well above average. Similar progress has been made in ICT, with standards moving from below to above those expected. Attainment in art and design has improved and history remains strong. The only exception to improvement has been in mathematics, where standards were good and are now average. The overall rise in standards since the last inspection has been good, reflecting the school’s efficiency in self-evaluation and the quality of assessment, curriculum development and performance management.

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Commentary

Standards in national tests at the end of Year 6 – average point scores in 2004 Standards in: School results National results English 29.4 (26.1) 26.9 (26.8) Mathematics 27.3 (26.2) 27.0 (26.8) Science 29.0 (29.9) 28.6 (28.6) There were 54 children in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year.

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Commentary

1 Due to the cycle of topics, geography was not being taught during the inspection. Some observations of music took place, but not enough to evaluate the overall provision. Southbourne Junior School - 9

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

Children’s attitudes, behaviour and personal development are very good . The school’s provision for their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good . Attendance levels are above average .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The excellent ethos helps children to develop a strong sense of belonging to the school community. • A wealth of different experiences contributes significantly to children’s personal development.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

4. Children’s attitudes and behaviour are very good throughout the school. All adults adopt a consistent approach so that children have very clear guidelines. Children themselves are involved in drawing up rules for their classes and for the school, and this contributes much to the excellent ethos. Across the school, children have mature attitudes and carry out responsibilities conscientiously, for example, in looking after animals or setting up equipment. Year 6 children take their role as playground mediators very seriously. Children show consideration for others and get on very well with one another. The school has successfully instilled a love of learning in most children and this is a significant factor in their achievement. In lessons, behaviour is often impeccable and children behave very well when they are not under the immediate eye of an adult. There have been no recent exclusions.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

5. A rich variety of activities promotes personal development very effectively. Spiritual development is promoted very well through assemblies and through literature, art and religious education. Children are encouraged to make connections between aspects of their learning, and lessons such as science and ICT often contain an element of wonder as children see the results of experiments or the power of technology. Opportunities for expressive and creative work abound. Children have a strong sense of empathy and compassion towards the needs of others and support numerous charities. Social and moral development are significant strengths. The class and school councils provide children with opportunities to express opinions in a safe environment. They learn to respect one another’s views and to realise that everyone has both opportunities and responsibilities as citizens. There has been a great improvement in the number, range and quality of extra-curricular activities since the

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Main strengths and weaknesses

last inspection, and this has had a big impact on children’s social development. By learning to play an instrument or competing in sporting tournaments, the children learn a lot about their own capabilities and about working with other people. Outings to places linked with the curriculum similarly give children the chance to show how they can represent the school, and provide them with very worthwhile and memorable experiences.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

6. Good progress has been made since the last inspection in supporting children’s cultural development, and much has been achieved on the art, music and drama front. Children’s understanding of cultural diversity is developing well through contacts with other schools around the world and through their studies in geography and religious education. Links with schools in different areas of the United Kingdom are being forged to increase children’s awareness of the cultural diversity within this country. Southbourne Junior School - 10

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Attendance

Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%) Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data 4.5 School data 0.2 National data 5.1 National data 0.4 The table gives the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

The quality of education is very good . Teaching, learning and the curriculum are very good and have excellent features. Children are well cared for – they receive very good guidance and are fully involved in school life. Very close links with parents contribute to the school’s success.

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Teaching and learning

Teaching, learning and assessment are very good .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Lively and dynamic teaching holds children’s attention and motivates them to do their best. • Teachers stimulate children’s curiosity through making links between subjects. • Very careful tracking of children’s day-to-day progress means planned work is frequently refined to meet their emerging needs. • Teaching assistants play an important part in children’s learning.

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Commentary

7. In all lessons observed, the teaching and learning were good or better. Indeed, in over half they were very good or excellent. Teachers are extremely skilled in managing behaviour and in promoting a love of learning. The main factor in their success is their imaginative approach, firmly grounded by expertise in a wide range of subjects. This was clearly evident during very effective lessons in English, science and art and design, where children were eager to learn because teachers brought the subjects to life. The use of worksheets is refreshingly rare. Teachers are particularly good at devising interesting ways for children to record their work. Children are justifiably proud of their work and delight in describing how they make concertina books, large ‘theme sheets’, pamphlets and multimedia presentations. They take as much care in recording their findings in science as in creating pictures, designs and clay sculptures. This

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Commentary

emphasis on presenting work in the most appropriate way is very successful in helping children to remember facts, as well as motivating them to produce work of high quality. 8. Teachers are skilled in identifying links between subjects. This means that lessons are not planned in isolation but in a way that helps children make sense of their studies. In many science lessons, for example, reference is made to work in mathematics, history and ICT. Similarly, in history, children often draw on their work in drama, art and design or in design and technology, which extends their understanding and skills. 9. Highly effective use is made of the school’s very good assessment systems. Although work is meticulously planned, teachers analyse assessment information on a daily or weekly basis and often modify their plans accordingly. Comments written on plans, Southbourne Junior School - 11 such as ‘ Did not show this method. Children not ready. Show next time’ , or, ‘Need to

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Commentary

go over again with the red group’ , indicate how teachers closely monitor children’s progress during lessons. These strategies mean that children of all abilities are set appropriate work and progress well and often very well during lessons. Assessment information is also used to decide on the level of support children are given by teaching assistants. In fact, teaching assistants are frequently involved in assessment. While the teacher is talking to the whole class, for example, they will record which children seem to have grasped new ideas and which are more hesitant in their responses. They meet regularly with teachers to share information and to plan. As a result, they are well placed to provide valuable extra support and are particularly effective when helping children with special educational needs.

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Commentary

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 29 lessons Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Commentary

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

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The curriculum

The curriculum is very good . A very wide range of additional activities provides very good enrichment opportunities. Accommodation and resources for learning are very good .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The breadth of curricular opportunities on offer at the school is very good. • Curriculum planning is of a very high quality and it meets the needs and abilities of the children very well. • Curriculum development and innovation are major strengths, leading to a very positive learning environment and a high quality of education. • The range of additional activities offered at the school, particularly the residential activity for Year 6, is excellent. • The very well qualified and experienced staff team impacts very positively on children’s achievement.

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Commentary

10. The curriculum has improved since the last inspection, when it was good overall. The rich range of activities is imaginatively designed so that children are inspired to become fully involved and try their best. The curriculum is reviewed and updated regularly so that it is continually being improved, resulting in highly relevant programmes that children enjoy.

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Commentary

11. Planning is thorough and rigorous, ensuring that all aspects of each subject are very well taught. The needs of different groups of children are well met through the planning process, ensuring good provision for children with special educational needs and those who are gifted and talented. It enables children to make good progress at their own level and receive the amount of support that they need. A good programme of personal, social and health education is woven into the planning to reflect the school’s ethos of ‘care, courtesy and concern’. This results in the very high standards of behaviour and attitudes evident in the school at all times, and ensures equality of opportunity for every individual. Southbourne Junior School - 12 12. Cross-curricular links are very well integrated at the planning stage, providing a rich environment for learning. The themed approach is very popular with children. Their

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Commentary

high quality ‘theme sheets’ provide evidence of very good learning in a wide range of subjects. During the inspection, a history topic on the Romans was being used very well as a vehicle for the development of creative writing in Years 3 and 4. This approach was very successful as children used their knowledge of the period to empathise with the lives of Roman soldiers. Older children were using the story of Beowulf very well as a starting point for much of their work across the curriculum, improving and developing their knowledge on a daily basis.

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Commentary

13. Children participate enthusiastically in a range of sports clubs and many are learning to play a musical instrument. A major strength is the annual residential trip by Year 6 children to the Isle of Wight. The very high quality of work resulting from these visits shows how valuable they are to children’s achievements. The curriculum is regularly enriched by visits to places of interest and by visitors to the school who talk about their own lives and the work that they do. A recent visit from a storyteller had a positive impact on children’s skills in telling stories, presenting their work and expressing themselves. Very high quality portfolios of recent work linked to themed days, such as a ‘Tudor’ or ‘Roman’ day, show the value of these experiences to promote learning. Around the school, there are many examples of such activities, including very good work in art and design and in design and technology.

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Commentary

14. Staff make best use of the spacious indoor accommodation and very good outdoor spaces. Displays of children’s work are a major strength, enhancing the environment and forming a rich history of past work. The quality of staffing is a major strength and the main factor in the very good progress that children make. The very well qualified and experienced staff work extremely hard to provide opportunities for all children that will inspire learning and promote excellence.

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Care, guidance and support

The attention given to children’s care, welfare, health and safety is good . Support, advice and guidance for children, based on monitoring, are very good . Involvement of children is very good .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Relationships between adults and children are consistently very good. • Children are very well guided throughout their school career. • Children are very much encouraged to do their bit for the school community.

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Commentary

15. Throughout the school day, children are used to being treated with consideration and respect by the adults around them. In class, teachers are interested in their ideas and value their work. The trusting relationships between teachers and children are very obvious in circle time 2 sessions, where all the participants are confident about expressing their thoughts because of the supportive environment which has been created. At lunchtime, teaching assistants fill the roles of midday supervisors, and this provides the children with a sense of continuity and security. Midday staff know their

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Commentary

2 During Circle Time, children discuss a wide range of personal and general issues. It is agreed that no interruptions should occur, and only one person at a time will speak. Children’s views are respected so that they feel confident in talking with ease and free from any form of interference or interruption. Southbourne Junior School - 13 charges and get on well with them, looking after them vigilantly and helping organise their games. Since the last inspection, the school’s child protection procedures have improved and are now satisfactory.

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Commentary

16. The school monitors children’s progress, both personal and academic, very closely. Personal records are well kept and easy to use so that any issues can be swiftly tracked. Assessment of children’s achievement is very thoroughly undertaken and extensively applied to plan further work. This means that children’s targets for improvement are accurately matched to their needs, and tasks geared to help them make progress. When children transfer to the school from the infants, they undergo a very good induction process which enables them to settle quickly. The buddy system – where new children are paired with children in Year 5 – works very successfully, and is much appreciated by parents. In particular, the welcome book is an excellent resource because it has been written by children, and focuses on settling in from a child’s perspective.

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Commentary

17. Every child in the school has the chance to have their say and make a difference through the class councils and the school council. Recent priorities have included developing equipment to improve playtimes and, on a wider scale, organising charity fundraising to improve things for others. Children are very keen to take on responsibility, for example as ‘CCC carers’ (care, courtesy and concern) at break times or as members of the ‘animal squad’, which looks after the chickens and guinea pigs. They are conscientious about carrying out their duties as fully as they can.

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Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

The school’s links with parents are very good . Links with other schools and the community are satisfactory .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Day-to-day communication through the home-school diaries is very good. • Information about the school is lively and interesting. • The school is committed to consulting parents and listening to their views.

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Commentary

18. The outstanding strength in the school’s relationship with parents is the way in which it encourages them to be equal partners in their children’s education. The home-school diaries are a prime example of this. The school has put a great deal of effort into refining them so that they contain exactly what is wanted, and the way they are used is evidence of genuine partnership in action. Parents, teachers and children communicate regularly and openly through this channel, and other people involved with the child, such as the headteacher or the SENCO (special educational needs co- ordinator), make comments as necessary. The child’s targets and awards, school dates and guidance on the curriculum are all readily to hand for parents.

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Commentary

19. More general information for parents is also very good, particularly the website and the monthly newsletter ‘Satellite’. Again, these sources of information seek to involve parents and have them play an active role in school life. Annual reports to parents on their children’s education are good because they focus on what children have achieved and what they need to do to improve. However, unlike the newly introduced mid-term reports, they do not always make it clear to parents how well children are doing for their age, so that parents can put their achievements in context. Southbourne Junior School - 14 20. The school has only recently made systematic consultation with parents an established part of development planning. However, it takes parents’ views very seriously and has already made a number of significant improvements based on parents’ suggestions. As a result of the parent questionnaire undertaken last summer,

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Commentary

for example, the number of consultations each year has been increased, interim reports introduced, home-school diaries revised, and curriculum information posted on the website. This openness to ideas and readiness to change is typical of the school’s approach to improvement through working in partnership with the whole school community.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management are very good overall. The headteacher provides very good leadership. The leadership of other key staff is also very good . Management is very good . Governance is good . Governors know and support the school well.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The very good leadership and vision of the headteacher are major factors in the school’s success. • The monitoring of teaching and learning has been very effective in improving the quality of education in most subjects of the curriculum. • A strong team spirit exists between teachers and support staff and priorities are managed very well. • The governing body makes a good contribution to the management and development of the school. • Finances are controlled and managed very well.

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Commentary

21. The previous inspection judged that the headteacher provided good leadership and management. Since then, further improvements have taken place to the benefit of teaching and learning and the all round development of children. The headteacher’s highly effective leadership has taken the school from one where there were a few weaknesses in leadership and management and the curriculum, to one where there are considerable strengths in most areas of the school’s work and where children achieve very well.

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Commentary

22. Previous weaknesses in the roles of subject co-ordinators have been improved, with much closer monitoring of provision across all subjects. Learning is made meaningful and stimulating for children by keen staff who lead their subjects very well. The school’s Intranet streamlines the planning process as it enables staff to access curriculum plans and a host of support materials. With the very good support of all staff with management responsibilities and the governing body, there is a strong, shared commitment to improvement and to high achievement. The headteacher has successfully motivated everyone to become part of the process to provide a stimulating learning environment.

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Commentary

23. The headteacher and senior staff have been very effective in monitoring teaching and learning, and this has contributed to the considerable improvement in the quality of teaching. Regular self-evaluation takes place and the findings are used effectively. Standards have risen in many subjects and aspects since the previous inspection as a result. Lessons are observed regularly and appropriate points for development are noted. New members of staff are given good support by designated colleagues. The Southbourne Junior School - 15 management of the school’s arrangements for children with special educational needs has improved, is now good and is effective in improving the learning of the significant minority of children who need extra support.

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Commentary

24. Governors know the school well and share the vision for its future development and raising standards. Governors take specific responsibility for a subject and also are linked to a particular class. They visit the school and report on activities and learning, and are not solely dependent on the headteacher and staff for information. They have a very good appreciation of the need to apply the principles of best value in the school’s work, including comparing how well the school is doing with schools nationally and locally. They ensure that, in identifying spending priorities, judgments are made about the benefits and impact on children’s learning and on continuing improvements in provision. All legal requirements are fully met.

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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 579 799 Balance from previous year 32 561 Total expenditure 584 952 Balance carried forward to the next 27 408

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Financial information

25. The school office is run very efficiently. Financial planning and controls are very effective. All relevant personnel are involved where necessary, and fully support the areas of improvement identified in the school’s development plan. The school’s bursar and the finance committee ensure that financial controls are very well structured and rigorously monitored. The most recent audit by the local authority confirmed the very good financial management, raising only two minor issues, which have since been dealt with. Given the very effective teaching, children’s very good achievement and the average spending costs, the school provides very good value for money. Southbourne Junior School - 16

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children achieve very well and reach above average standards in all aspects of English by Year 6. • Teaching is very good with particularly strong planning and very good questioning that extends children’s skills. • The topic approach to the English curriculum successfully enriches children’s learning. • Excellent leadership and management have a very positive impact on the high standards children attain. • Children’s skills in literacy are promoted very successfully across the curriculum

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Commentary

26. The national comparative data for the 2004 tests showed that children attained standards well above average by the time they complete Year 6. Taking into account the fact that children enter Year 3 with broadly average standards and the above average levels of children with special educational needs, achievement across the school is very good. This is due to the very good teaching that children receive and to the high quality curriculum and leadership of the subject, all of which have a very positive impact on learning. The work seen during the inspection indicates that above average standards are being maintained and that there has been good improvement in provision since the last inspection.

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Commentary

27. Standards in speaking and listening are good because of the importance placed on learning through drama or practical approaches. The wide range of opportunities for children to express themselves, explore different situations and consult with their peers helps them to practise and improve their communication and language skills on a daily basis. They benefit from very good questioning as they take part in ‘hot seating’ and presentation activities. A good example of this was seen in Year 4, where children were researching information about the life of a Roman soldier. They were preparing to write a letter home as a soldier and they worked very well together in small groups to present their ideas to the rest of the class. Excellent questioning extended children’s thinking and improved their ideas and use of language. They were keen to express themselves and their presentation improved as they grew in confidence. In other

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Commentary

classes, language skills were carefully extended through discussions and drama. Year 6 children used ‘talking partners’ very well to discuss the story of Beowulf. They showed that they had studied three different versions of the story as they compared similarities and differences with their partners. Again, very good questioning helped them to achieve very well. They improved their speaking skills and showed very good understanding of the rules of conversation, using high quality, varied vocabulary.

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Commentary

28. Standards in reading are above average. The very good home/school links, including homework, help children to practise and improve their reading regularly. Daily quiet reading in class is helping to develop a love of books. Year 6 children talked excitedly about some of the books they had read, their use of the school library and their Southbourne Junior School - 17 favourite texts. They showed very high levels of enthusiasm for reading and benefited from continuous opportunities to read aloud in class. The school reading strategy is very well organised and children regularly change their own books, entering data on the school’s library system. The very good example set by teachers encourages children to read for pleasure. Teachers often trial new children’s literature and express their opinions during assemblies, successfully encouraging children to try the books for themselves.

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Commentary

29. Standards in writing have improved significantly following a focus on improving spelling and writing skills. This has led to very neat presentation, fluent and accurate styles, and good spelling and punctuation. Children are proud of their achievements. High quality marking of their work, with clear targets for improvement, promotes very good standards. Some very good extended writing was seen as part of topic work. Thoughtful and lively pieces had been developed from research. For example, the recent topic on the Romans led to in-depth study of aspects of Roman life and resulted in some very interesting and well presented factual accounts by Years 3 and 4 children. High quality ‘concertina’ books on a range of topics show how well children’s writing is celebrated and promotes high self-esteem.

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Commentary

30. Children of all abilities achieve very well in lessons. Those with special educational needs are well supported and benefit from modified tasks and help from teaching assistants so that they successfully achieve their targets and improve their skills. Children of higher attainment benefit from appropriate extension activities which offer further challenge.

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Commentary

31. The quality of teaching and learning is very good. Teachers are very skilled and show high levels of enthusiasm for the subject. Because of these factors, children enjoy lessons. Particularly good questioning keeps them focused and extends their understanding. Lessons are very well planned to meet the needs of all children in the class. Planning to incorporate cross-curricular themes is a major strength. It leads to very exciting activities, which bring English to life and enrich children’s learning. The recent visit of a storyteller, for example, has encouraged children to structure their stories carefully and to use expression and volume for effect in their drama activities. A history day encouraged children to use their literacy skills in all areas of learning. Staff have worked very hard to put a rich range of activities in place, and links with subjects such as history and geography are major factors in children’s enjoyment of English.

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Commentary

32. Leadership of the subject is excellent. Very thorough analysis of standards is helping to further improve children’s achievements. Regular monitoring of lessons, and particularly of children’s work, has led to high levels of consistency in presentation and marking of work, which is all contributing to the good standards that children attain. There is a clear vision for the future development of the subject and very effective action planning to maintain improvements.

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Language and literacy across the curriculum

33. Literacy skills are used very well across many other subjects of the curriculum. The topic approach to planning ensures that there are close links between subjects, and this leads to many opportunities for the development of speaking, reading and writing skills. High quality extended writing as part of history, geography and religious education is a key feature of these subjects. Children across the school use writing very well in science, for example, to describe their experiments and label their diagrams. At all times, presentation is equally good, showing how children value their own skills. Southbourne Junior School - 18

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children achieve well because teaching is consistently good. • Standards are at expected levels and are rising. • Good teaching and planning of learning activities challenge children of different capabilities and stimulate their interest in the subject. • Very good subject co-ordination has improved provision within the subject. • Good links are made with other subjects in the curriculum to reinforce numeracy skills.

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Commentary

34. By the end of Year 6, standards are likely to be at expected levels. The latest test results in 2004 were average when compared to national levels and when compared to similar schools. For the two years before this, results were below the national average. The school identified that planning needed to focus more closely on problem-solving, and gradually standards have risen. The school still has a larger proportion than normal of lower-attaining children, and the new strategies have helped improve the learning of these children in particular. Teachers’ methods and strategies are effective in stimulating children of all capabilities to think beyond structured calculation and tackle new challenges using their knowledge and understanding. Boys and girls respond with good levels of interest and achieve equally well.

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Commentary

35. Children in Years 3 and 4 make good progress in their learning and have a sound knowledge and understanding of number, shape, measurement and methods of calculation. They are gaining confidence at problem-solving, using addition and subtraction in different ways to provide answers. Children use a range of measures accurately in different standard and non-standard units. The larger than normal proportion of children with special educational needs achieve well and work hard to overcome any learning difficulties as a result of the good support they receive. All children gain increasing confidence in numeracy.

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Commentary

36. Learning and achievement in Years 5 and 6 are good overall as children systematically extend their learning and develop their knowledge, skills and understanding in numeracy. Good assessment procedures contribute effectively to teachers’ tracking of progress in relation to set targets, and detailed information is shared with children, who are involved regularly in self-assessment. Feedback provided by teachers in the form of marking and comments during lessons is good. It is constructive and designed to help children improve. By Year 6, most children confidently and accurately calculate and solve problems using a full range of processes. They work together well, trying different strategies to overcome difficulties. The standards achieved by children are within a range that is at expected levels.

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Commentary

37. The quality of teaching and learning is good overall and occasionally very good. Teachers are currently focusing on providing more opportunities for children to use and apply their good basic skills to practical situations. Other key strengths shared by all teachers include the good quality of their planning. This takes careful account of the different capabilities of children and has a beneficial influence on the rate of children’s learning. As children develop a wider range of skills, teachers introduce ever- increasing challenges to extend their learning. Teachers use questions and prompts Southbourne Junior School - 19 skilfully to promote further understanding and to stimulate different ways of approaching a problem. Support staff are used well to work with different groups of children and help them progress. Other strengths include high expectations of work and behaviour and the establishing of very good relationships, which together

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Commentary

challenge and encourage children to achieve well. Homework is set regularly to reinforce the learning of established and new skills.

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Commentary

38. The new co-ordinator provides very good leadership and management. He has successfully analysed children’s performances and highlighted specific areas for development. Resources are good in quantity and quality, and are used effectively to support learning. Taking the period as a whole, improvement since the previous inspection has been satisfactory with some fluctuations but noticeable improvements in the past year and a half. The subject is well placed now to move forward more rapidly.

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Mathematics across the curriculum

39. Children have good, regular opportunities to use their mathematical knowledge in other subjects. Particular strengths include the use of data-handling in ICT lessons to present the results of surveys in a range of graphs and charts. Various measurements are practised regularly in science and other subjects, and due emphasis is placed on accuracy.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Challenging practical activities motivate children and effectively support their learning. • Regular assessment enables teachers to modify plans to meet children’s needs. • Links with other subjects, particularly ICT, successfully enrich children’s understanding. • Very good leadership and management have helped to drive up standards.

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Commentary

40. Very effective leadership and management have contributed to the good progress made since the last inspection. Standards have improved and are now good with children achieving above average results in the national tests. Children’s investigative skills are very good and are underpinned by a secure knowledge of scientific facts and ideas. This is evident from their extremely well presented accounts of their work on forces, such as magnetism and friction. Through a variety of exploratory activities, they learn to measure accurately using instruments such as Newton meters and to organise their findings clearly using tables and charts. Exploded diagrams of flowers or the human eye indicate that children have a good knowledge of living things, and the effort put into these illustrations and other recorded work reflects their enthusiasm for the subject. These positive attitudes contribute to children’s very good learning and are the

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Commentary

direct result of very effective teaching. Teachers, very well supported by teaching assistants, devise practical activities that appeal to children. Their secure knowledge of the subject enables them to pose thought-provoking questions and to respond well to Southbourne Junior School - 20 children’s misconceptions. Lessons move at a brisk pace but leave children with time to reflect on what they are doing and draw conclusions.

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Commentary

41. Children’s progress is assessed each half term and recorded on a well-designed spreadsheet. This enables teachers to track their achievements in each strand of the subject and to systematically build up a picture of children’s developing skills. The information is used to refine existing plans – for example, by revisiting a topic that children have found difficult or by providing more challenging work for the more able. Assessment records show that most children make better than the expected progress through the school and this was evident in the lessons observed.

p.20

Commentary

42. The main characteristic of the provision is the way learning in science is carefully related to children’s everyday experiences. Work going on during the inspection illustrates this very well. Bicycles were being used as the starting point for different subjects, particularly history and art. In science lessons, children used their developing knowledge of forces to identify which type of force was operating as they looked at the mechanisms of bicycles, penny farthings and scooters. This resulted in some interesting comments, such as, ‘The amount of force to start the bike initially needs to be more than once you are going and you also need more force for going up hills’. The three-dimensional diagrams children produced further indicated how effective such approaches are in developing scientific knowledge and understanding.

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Commentary

43. The use of computers in science has increased significantly since the last inspection. In addition to creating multimedia presentations on science topics, children use sensors to accurately record changes in temperature and sound. For example, when investigating the effectiveness of different materials in keeping a mug of tea warm, children in Years 5 and 6 used temperature probes to log changes over time and produced comparative graphs with the associated software. Children in Year 3 had great fun when challenged to make a ‘sound hat’, linking work in science closely with a design and technology task. In order to find out which was the most efficient in protecting ears, they used sensors linked to the computer to measure in decibels the sound received by the wearer and recorded their results systematically.

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Commentary

44. The subject leader has a very good knowledge of standards through careful analysis of assessment information and by regularly reviewing children’s workbooks. He has introduced regular half-termly assessments to enable close tracking of individual progress and the monitoring of year groups as they move through the school. He has completely revised the science curriculum to provide meaningful links with other subjects. Other successful initiatives include a bank of practical activities for teachers to draw on, further staff training and a science club. These strategies have had a clear impact on achievement.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Provision in information and communication technology (ICT) is very good .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• As a result of very successful teaching, children progress well and reach good standards. • Very good progress has been made since the last inspection due to excellent leadership and management. • ICT is fully integrated with other subjects. Southbourne Junior School - 21

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Commentary

45. Children respond enthusiastically to the lively and challenging teaching. Children of all abilities achieve well as they move up the school and, by Year 6, standards are above those expected. All teachers are confident in the subject – they introduce new skills very well, skilfully using interactive whiteboards 3 . This was evident during a Year 5 lesson, for example, when children’s learning moved on apace as they were introduced to new features to enhance their multimedia presentations. Children in the Year 3 classes were spellbound as teachers showed them a program for creating ‘virtual’ circuits. They soon got to grips with the software, applying to good effect the knowledge of electricity gained in science. Children have very good general computer skills and do well in all aspects of the subject. They develop good skills word-processing, constructing and interrogating a database and using spreadsheets, and confidently tackle more demanding tasks involving

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Commentary

the use of sensors and control technology.

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Commentary

46. All the weaknesses identified in the last inspection have been overcome. Indeed, the subject is now a strength of the school. This is the result of the combined efforts of teachers, support staff and governors under the excellent leadership of the co-ordinator. The school now has 44 high specification computers, including a class set of laptops. This equipment is put to good use throughout the day. As well as providing excellent curriculum guidelines for staff, the co-ordinator has produced a comprehensive and manageable assessment system. This enables children’s progress to be tracked closely so that the effectiveness of the provision can be monitored and evaluated. This approach has been used by the local education authority as an exemplar for other schools, as has the superbly presented portfolio of children’s work.

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Information and communication technology across the curriculum

47. Links between ICT and other subjects are a real strength. Most computer activities have a genuine purpose and help children to see how the technology is used in everyday life and work. For example, children learn quite sophisticated desktop publishing skills as they create illustrated pamphlets or newspapers on aspects of geography and history. They see how traffic lights are controlled by learning how to write sequences of commands. Frequent use is made of the Internet for research, and the older children display mature attitudes as they discuss some of the inherent dangers of Internet ‘chat rooms’ and unsolicited e-mail. Creative use is made of digital cameras and graphics programs to produce and manipulate images and, with adult support, children frequently contribute to the school’s website.

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Religious education

Provision in religious education is satisfactory .

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children achieve well in religious education lessons. • Good teaching is improving children’s confidence in the subject. • The scheme of work is not yet fully developed but has improved since the last inspection.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

3 These project the computer image onto a large ‘touch screen’, and allow the teacher and children to write or move objects around the screen with their fingers rather than use the keyboard. Southbourne Junior School - 22

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Commentary

48. Standards in religious education are in line with those expected in the locally agreed syllabus. Good improvement has been made since the last inspection due to very good leadership and management, and children continue to achieve well. Younger children are aware of different Christian festivals and talk knowledgeably about some of the works of Jesus. They showed good levels of empathy, for example, with the lepers as they studied the stories of the miracles. Drama promoted children’s understanding as they took the part of some of the characters in those stories. Older children were studying Islam during the inspection. They benefited from the use of some good resources which helped them to understand the significance of the Qur’an, for example. Children know and understand that the Muslim faith is different from Christianity, and they are able to find several similarities between the two religions.

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Commentary

49. Teachers make the best use possible of the available resources and use the community well to supplement them. Children have had opportunities to visit and study the local church and a Hindu temple, making comparisons between them. A key feature of lessons is the very good questioning which extends knowledge and helps children to learn about the different world faiths. The use of drama is also very good, enabling children to empathise with characters from the stories they hear, and improve their confidence in talking about them. Literacy skills are used well to improve knowledge and promote good learning in lessons. 50. A good scheme of work has been developed by the new co-ordinator to cover the first year of a two-year cycle. This is well documented and is being well used by staff to improve children’s understanding of religion. The scheme is not yet complete, but plans are in place to develop this during the second year of the cycle. The co-ordinator

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Commentary

is very knowledgeable, and a positive start has been made on improving provision for the subject and a good portfolio of work is being developed.

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children achieve very well and have very good levels of historical knowledge and understanding. • Teaching is very good and stimulates children’s learning. • Cross-curricular links are very well developed. • Excellent resources support learning very well. • The co-ordinator provides very good leadership of the subject.

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Commentary

51. All children achieve very well, and by the end of Year 6, standards in history are above expected levels. This is a similar judgment to that made during the previous inspection. Since then, there has been good improvement. Standards have been successfully maintained and in some areas, improved. The curriculum has been developed very effectively and children achieve very well in lessons and when researching topics. Children of all capabilities are inspired to learn.

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Commentary

52. In Years 3 and 4, children show a good understanding of the past. They develop a good sense of historical enquiry and identify which aspects of Roman history are still evident today. The local area is very rich in Roman history, and stimulating visits are Southbourne Junior School - 23 made to Fishbourne Roman Palace and Chichester to support learning. Very good links are made with other subjects, for example, in geography when studying the local area, in literacy when writing as Roman centurions or describing key events and in art and design when recording pictures and patterns and sketching historical artefacts. Children successfully develop a wide range of skills in their work.

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Commentary

53. The quality of teaching and learning is very good. Teachers encourage children to look very closely at artefacts, events, characters and the changes that took place and what can be learned from them. These skills are further developed in Years 5 and 6. Close links continue with literacy, geography, art and design and ICT in particular and are used very effectively by teachers to make the subject very interesting and meaningful. These qualities were seen to very good effect in Year 4, where children’s good knowledge and understanding of Roman artefacts and events were very apparent. In Year 6, very good learning was evident when children studied the development of bicycles from the nineteenth century, and identified key steps in the chronological development of the technology involved. In both lessons, supported by the teachers’ very good subject knowledge and very high expectations, children thoroughly

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Commentary

evaluated information sources and challenged one another’s evidence.

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Commentary

54. An excellent range of resources has been collected and these, plus regular visits into the locality, inspire children to show high levels of enthusiasm and interest, resulting in very good achievement and learning. Children handle the artefacts with great care when studying or drawing them and enjoy sessions when they dress up in authentic clothing to participate in drama and assembly presentations. Further very good links with ICT are made when children gather data and create their own database to support their writing accounts based on local and other historical evidence. Their multimedia presentations and classroom displays are of a very high quality. Assessment procedures are good. Work is assessed regularly to identify strengths and areas for improvement.

p.23

Commentary

55. The new, enthusiastic co-ordinator has continued the very good leadership and management of the subject. Well organised visits to museums and historical buildings enhance and develop children’s knowledge and understanding. One area for further improvement, identified by her, is the creation of a subject portfolio which emphasises the strong cross-curricular skills of children. This is now underway.

p.23

Geography

56. No lessons were observed in geography and so the subject could only be sampled. This means that no judgement can be made on provision. Judging by teachers’ planning and work seen, the curriculum is at least satisfactory with very good links with history work in particular. This includes elements of map work, looking at the environment, identifying changes and making comparative studies. In addition, when studying the Greeks or Egyptians, for example, children consider the different aspects of the countries involved and particular aspects of areas different from their own and the lives of people there. The school’s wide range of stimulating visits within the locality, such as Chichester and the Isle of Wight, successfully promote children’s learning in geography. Southbourne Junior School - 24

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Art and design

Provision in art and design is very good .

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards in art and design are well above expected levels. • Children achieve very well in art activities. • Teaching is very good, leading to some exciting experiences. • Leadership and management are excellent and have a significant impact on the provision. • The display of children’s work around the school is a major strength.

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Commentary

57. Standards in art and design are well above those expected by the end of Year 6. This is because of the very good provision for the subject in all areas of the school. There has been good improvement since the last inspection. Children use the topic approach very well to develop their skills and enhance their designs. A very good lesson in Year 4, for example, showed how links with ‘The Romans’ topic had provided a focus for the development of mosaic pictures. Very high quality visual and tactile approaches were used to produce a mosaic effect through finger painting. Children showed very good levels of knowledge about mosaics and talked animatedly about their designs. Because the work had previously been linked to that of the artist Seurat, children had very good examples upon which to base their ideas. Year 5 children produced some very good sketches as they prepared to create an abstract picture of a bicycle in the

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Commentary

style of the artist Delaunay. High quality demonstrations by the teacher and use of the artist’s work, led to clear understanding of how paintings can be developed progressively and how colour and shading can be used to highlight certain shapes.

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Commentary

58. Some very high quality watercolours of observational drawings of flowers showed how children’s visual and painting skills have been successfully refined. Observational portraits from photographs, completed as mono-prints, showed careful study of faces, and the range of grey tones needed to complete realistic copies are well above the standards usually seen by this age group. High quality three-dimensional artwork is evident around the school. A good example is the Greek masks, which are very realistic and show very high levels of detail.

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Commentary

59. Children achieve very well due to the very skilled teaching that they receive and the very good preparation that is planned before each task. The rich range of learning opportunities provides teachers with excellent ideas, and they use these to improve all aspects of art and design. Very good demonstrations and modelling ensure that children always know what is expected, and very good use of exciting resources promotes high levels of enthusiasm.

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Commentary

60. Leadership of art and design is excellent. The enthusiasm and commitment of the co- ordinator results in a very positive learning environment that is rich in examples of works of art from professional artists alongside those of the children. The quality of displays is outstanding and shows how well children’s work is valued across the school. Southbourne Junior School - 25

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Design and technology

Provision in design and technology is excellent .

p.25

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children achieve very good standards because teaching is highly effective. • Children enjoy an excellent range of challenging tasks. • Excellent leadership and management contribute significantly to the quality of provision.

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Commentary

61. A wide range of challenging tasks makes high demands on the children. The activities build very effectively on skills in other subjects, such as mathematics and science. Through very good teaching, children have a thorough grounding in the design-make- evaluate process, and progressively build on their skills as they move up the school. In Years 3 and 4, for example, they make wheeled model buggies using a range of carpentry tools, and develop construction skills further as they construct mazes in Years 5 and 6. Such careful attention to progression from class to class is also evident in work with clay. After learning to make plant holders in the younger classes, children refine their techniques as they make ‘tourist mugs’ as part of a geography topic. More complicated techniques in book-making are introduced from year to year.

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Commentary

62. The outcomes of each project are evaluated and children make sensible and informed suggestions about how they might improve their designs. For example, after making their own recipes for bread flavoured with herbs and spices, tasting sessions are held to see which might appeal to different consumer groups. Similarly, packages for cosmetics are tested to see if they provide airtight seals.

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Commentary

63. Children’s enthusiasm for the subject and their rapid progress owes much to the way the provision is led and managed. The rich and varied curriculum has been established for some time and is carefully reviewed and modified to provide ever closer links with other subjects. Children’s work is regularly assessed and they are increasingly involved in making their own judgements. This enables the co-ordinator to monitor standards and, if necessary, to refine the curriculum guidelines. There has been very good improvement since the last inspection.

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Music

64. Due to timetable arrangements, it was not possible to judge overall provision in music. Following the departure of two music specialists, good efforts have been made to maintain standards. Various published teaching schemes are being trialled, and the school is benefiting from outside consultancy. In the assemblies observed, children sang tunefully and expressively, enjoying the challenge of singing in rounds. A group of 12 Year 3 and 4 children performed well on glockenspiels. Several children have individual tuition on the clarinet or flute. Parents and children talked enthusiastically about the various musical productions, and it is evident that music remains an important element of school life. Southbourne Junior School - 26

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Physical education

Provision in physical education is good .

p.26

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The curriculum is considerably enhanced by a very good range of extra-curricular activities. • Teachers’ expertise and confidence help all children learn well. • The co-ordinator leads developments in the subject very well. • Good resources and facilities are used very well.

p.26

Commentary

64. At the time of the previous inspection, very few lessons were seen and no standards were judged. Children’s progress was described as satisfactory. Since then the school has been successful in improving the overall provision and the range of experiences in particular. Standards are now at expected levels in dance, games, gymnastics and swimming, and pupils are achieving well in response to these improvements. Boys and girls achieve equally well.

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Commentary

65. As a result of the improved provision, it is clear that children’s learning in dance, games and gymnastics is now at least satisfactory and standards in lessons seen were at expected levels. Most children meet or exceed the required standard of being able to swim 25 metres, many much further distances. The very good range of opportunities for children to follow their particular interests enables them to participate in extra- curricular activities, extends the skills learned in lessons and supports their personal development. Good links are also made with the local secondary school.

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Commentary

66. The quality of teaching and learning is good. Teachers have good subject knowledge and skills and are confident when demonstrating skills. Lessons are managed well, resulting in good behaviour and positive attitudes. Children are encouraged to watch each other and constructively evaluate one another’s performances in order to refine and improve their work. There is a strong focus on the quality of children’s movements as they were constantly being challenged to improve their work. Those with above average physical skills responded well. Particularly good support is provided for children with less than average physical skills and for a very small number of pupils with physical disabilities. As a result, they all achieve their full potential.

p.26

Commentary

67. The co-ordinator provides very good leadership and management. He regularly reviews provision and has good ideas about areas for development. These have resulted in improving teachers’ confidence and expertise, providing more opportunities for competitive sport and refining assessment procedures. Resources are of good quantity and quality, and are used very well to enable all children to participate fully and to improve their skills.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

65. No judgement is made about overall provision as no lessons were seen. However, the school clearly places a high emphasis on children’s personal development.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

66. Extensive opportunities in class and through extra-curricular activities enable children to develop into confident, healthy and motivated individuals who want to learn and Southbourne Junior School - 27 succeed. Each class has time each week to reflect and discuss. During class councils, they debate class and school issues sensibly, come up with suggestions and vote. Less formal sessions provide good opportunities for children to express personal opinions and concerns in a secure and confidential environment. The programmes for sex and drugs education are well established. Children benefit from an enriched curriculum that gives them many opportunities for learning beyond the school in terms of visits and visitors. The consequences of this provision are seen throughout the school, where children work and play together in harmony.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

67. The peer mediation system allows children to contribute meaningfully to the life of the school and to learn about citizenship through practical involvement. The school council has been established some years and plays a central role in the programme of education in citizenship. Southbourne Junior School - 28

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Overall standards achieved 3 Children’s achievement 2

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Children’s attitudes, values and other personal qualities 2 Attendance 3 Attitudes 2 Behaviour, including the extent of exclusions 2 Children’s 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 2 The quality of teaching 2 How well children learn 2 The quality of assessment 2 How well the curriculum meets children’s needs 2 Enrichment of the curriculum, including out-of-school activities 2 Accommodation and resources 2 Children’s care, welfare, health and safety 3 Support, advice and guidance for children 2 How well the school seeks and acts on children’s views 2 The effectiveness of the school’s links with parents 2 The quality of the school’s links with the community 4 The school’s links with other schools and colleges 4

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

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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.28