St Michael's Primary School and Nursery, Colchester

NURSERY

Dates of inspection: 27 th – 30 th June 2005

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NURSERY

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 St Michael’s Primary School and Nursery - 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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NURSERY

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 St Michael’s Primary School and Nursery - 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. St Michael’s Primary School and Nursery - 4

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Primary School category: Community Age range of pupils: 3-11 Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 150

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Camulodunum Way Berechurch Hall Road Colchester Essex Postcode: CO2 9RA

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Telephone number: 01206 546412 Fax number: 01206 369871

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: Governing Body Name of chair of governors: Mr W Rea

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 18 th January 1999

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

St Michael’s Primary School and Nursery is located in the army garrison in the outskirts of Colchester in Essex. With 150 pupils, it is smaller than average. Mobility in and out of the school is very high due to the deployment of army-based families, with more than half the pupils across the age range being in school for less than two years. The proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals is average when using the usual criteria but above average if using the local authority’s criteria for forces families. Census information indicates that the socio-economic context of the school is largely average. About ten per cent of pupils are from minority ethnic heritages and eight pupils speak English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs is below average, with most of these needs being moderate learning difficulties. No pupils have a Statement of Special

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

Educational Need. On entry to the school children have skills that whilst highly variable are often below average for their age. The school is part of the Leadership Development Strategy, and has received Healthy Schools and School Achievement Awards in the last two years. St Michael’s Primary School and Nursery - 5

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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

21750 Mrs S E Hall Lead inspector Science Personal, social and health education and citizenship Religious education Art and design Design technology Special educational needs English as an additional language 11437 Mr A Anderson Lay inspector 29688 Mr M Brammer Team inspector English Information and communication technology History Geography 17543 Mr R Coupe Team inspector Mathematics Music Physical education The Foundation Stage

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

102 Bath Road Cheltenham Gloucestershire

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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). St Michael’s Primary School and Nursery - 6

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 9

Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects 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

St Michael’s Primary School and Nursery - 7

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OVERALL EVALUATION

This is a satisfactory school. The school warmly welcomes all pupils, including many from army-based families who sometimes have had several changes of school and may be based locally for only a short time. While standards are often below average for the age of the pupils, overall they achieve satisfactorily. The school gives satisfactory value for money.

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The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

• Provision for children in the Foundation Stage is consistently good. • Pupils have positive attitudes to learning and most behave well. • Teaching and learning in Years 1 and 2 are good. • The monitoring and evaluation of the work of the school lack rigour and are unsatisfactory. • Standards overall are below average, especially in English and mathematics. • Teachers, especially in Years 3 to 6, do not make good enough use of assessment information to ensure a consistently high level of challenge for all pupils. • The pastoral care and welfare of the pupils are good as are links with the community.

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The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

There has been satisfactory overall improvement since the previous inspection. There has been good improvement in information and communication technology (ICT) and for pupils’ cultural development. There has been satisfactory improvement in planning across the key stages, staff development and information to parents, but unsatisfactory improvement in writing and in monitoring the work of the school. Overall, standards remain similar to those seen previously.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

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

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

English C E E E 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, E* - very low. Similar schools are those whose pupils attained similarly at the end of Year 2.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

When considering the achievement of pupils in this school, it is vital to note that in every year group half the pupils joined the school other than at the usual time. Of the 108 pupils of compulsory school age, 37 joined the school this year. Because of this mobility, the school has to work hard to overcome gaps in pupils’ learning. However, in recent months the population has begun to stabilise. St Michael’s Primary School and Nursery - 8 St Michael’s Primary School and Nursery - 9 Achievement in the school is satisfactory overall. Children enter the school with skills that are widely varying and often below average for their age. In the nursery and reception groups they make good progress, achieve well and attain the expected targets for their age by the time they enter Year 1 and exceed these goals in their personal and social development. At the end of Year 2, standards are average in reading, well below average in

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

writing and below average in mathematics. Overall, in Years 1 and 2 pupils achieve well because teaching is consistently good. At the end of Year 6, standards are below average in English, mathematics and science. These pupils mostly achieve satisfactorily, although at times more able pupils do not achieve as well as they could, especially in writing. Girls and boys, those with special educational needs and those speaking English as an additional language all make similar progress. However, records show that those pupils who change school often achieve less well than those in school for a longer period. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good overall and the school has worked successfully to extend pupils’ multi-cultural experiences. Pupils have positive attitudes to learning and behaviour is generally good. Attendance is below average and a minority of parents do not do enough to ensure their children attend regularly. Punctuality is

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

The quality of education is satisfactory . The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory overall. Children in the Foundation Stage are well taught, enabling them to settle well and make good progress. Teaching and learning in Years 1 and 2 are also good, with teachers planning carefully to meet the needs of pupils who make different rates of progress. Teaching in Years 3 to 6, whilst satisfactory overall, is not as secure and effective as in other parts of the school and more could be expected of pupils on a consistent basis. Good quality support staff enhance the effectiveness of teaching across the school. A weakness in teaching, especially in Years 3 to 6, is that staff do not make good enough use of the range of assessment information available to ensure that activities are planned at a suitably challenging level for all groups of pupils.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

The curriculum is satisfactory overall and the school has improved provision for ICT. The heavy emphasis on literacy and numeracy has limited the time available for other subjects and there are several weaknesses, including in the planning for religious education where there is insufficient emphasis on the teaching of aspects of Christianity for older pupils. Care, welfare, and the health and safety of pupils are good. There are satisfactory links with parents and good links with the community.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Leadership, management and governance are satisfactory overall. Day-to-day management of the school is smooth and efficient and finances are managed well. The leadership of the headteacher and senior management team is satisfactory, although the many changes in pupils and staff have lessened the degree to which the headteacher and senior staff have focused upon the need to raise standards and the quality of provision, especially in Years 3 to 6 . Governors meet the statutory requirements placed upon them, although there are concerns about provision for religious education for the oldest pupils. Governors are aware of the strengths in school but less informed of weaknesses and the role they need to play in addressing these. The monitoring of the work of the school by the governors, headteacher, senior management team and subject co-ordinators lacks rigour and is unsatisfactory.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL St Michael’s Primary School and Nursery - 10 Parents are generally satisfied with the quality of education provided and pleased with the support offered to pupils who change school, although a small number believe, and inspectors accept, that the school does not always react to all their concerns. Pupils generally enjoy their time in school and the range of activities they take part in. St Michael’s Primary School and Nursery - 11 IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

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

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

• Raise the standards achieved by pupils across the school and particularly by the more able pupils in Years 3 to 6. • Ensure that assessment information is used better to make sure that teaching is as effective as it can be in overcoming gaps in pupils’ learning. • Extend the role of the governors, headteacher, senior staff and subject co-ordinators in the rigorous monitoring and evaluation of the work of the school. St Michael’s Primary School and Nursery - 12

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Standards achieved in areas of learning, subjects and courses

The achievement of the pupils is satisfactory overall. Achievement is good in the Foundation Stage and Years 1 and 2 and satisfactory in Years 3 to 6. Overall standards at the end of the Foundation Stage are average but below average at the end of Years 2 and 6.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children in the Foundation Stage and pupils in Years 1 and 2 achieve well because they are well taught. • Pupils in Years 3 to 6 achieve satisfactorily but more able pupils do not achieve all they could. • Standards are below average in English and mathematics at the end of Years 2 and 6 and in science and religious education at the end of Year 6. • Very high mobility across the school has had an adverse impact on the standards achieved by some pupils.

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Commentary

1. Children enter the nursery class with skills that are generally below average overall. They settle happily into the Foundation Stage routines and especially enjoy using the outdoor play area. Because they are well taught in the nursery and reception group, children achieve well and attain the standards expected for their age when they enter Year 1 in all areas of their learning and several children exceed the targets for their age. Children achieve very well in their personal and social development and attain above average standards in this area.

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Commentary

2. When considering the information available to make comparisons of the standards attained by different cohorts within the same school or with groups in other schools it is imperative to note the major considerations of the very high amount of mobility in and out of the school. This factor has a direct impact upon the standards achieved. Many pupils are children of army personnel based at the local garrison. Movement in and out of these schools is often high but, in recent periods of warfare, mobility has been extremely high with, for instance, the school losing 94 pupils in one year. Whilst many pupils have subsequently been admitted or re-admitted to school, some have had several changes, which disrupts their personal and academic development. Some year groups are also quite small and a larger proportion of pupils with special educational needs in such a year ‘skews’ the relevant data. In each year group at least half the pupils

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Commentary

have changed school, and 37 pupils have joined in the last year. This has a significant impact upon learning. Whilst assessment of standards may have to be made this must be done with extreme caution, because the data may not involve ‘like with like’ comparisons. St Michael’s Primary School and Nursery - 13

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Key Stage 1

3. In the national tests in 2004, pupils in Year 2 attained standards that were below the national average in writing and well below average in reading and mathematics. Compared to schools with similar proportions of pupils entitled to free school meals, standards were well below average in all three areas and amongst the lowest 5 per cent of similar schools in mathematics. Standards were similarly low in 2003. Inspection findings are that standards are slightly better overall than previously because of recent improvements to teaching in Years 1 and 2. Overall standards are currently average in reading, well below average in writing and below average in mathematics.

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Key Stage 1

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

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Key Stage 1

Standards in: School results National results Reading 14.3 (13.0) 15.8 (15.7) Writing 13.7(11.9) 14.6 (14.6) Mathematics 13.8 (13.2) 16.2 (16.3) There were 22 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Key Stage 2

4. In the national tests for pupils in Year 6 in 2004, standards were well below national averages in English, mathematics and science and in the lowest five per cent of schools in science. Compared to schools whose pupils attained similar test results in Year 2, standards were well below average in English and in the lowest five per cent of schools in mathematics and science. Inspection findings are that standards in all three subjects are below average and few pupils attain the higher levels in national tests. Many pupils have gaps in their learning as a result of moving around from school to school and they do not make up the lost ground quickly enough in Years 3 to 6.

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Key Stage 2

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

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Key Stage 2

Standards in: School results National results English 24.4 (23.3) 26.9 (26.8) Mathematics 24.0 (24.7) 27.0 (26.8) Science 24.4 (26.1) 28.6 (28.6) There were 14 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Key Stage 2

5. Standards in speaking and listening are average throughout the school. Pupils in Year 2 generally read at an average level for their age and are making good progress. However, pupils in Year 6 have below average reading skills and, whilst they make satisfactory progress, some could achieve more. Standards in writing are well below average across the school. This has been a key area of focus for the school recently and there are some improvements being made in Years 1 and 2, although more remains to be done in Years 3 to 6 to ensure St Michael’s Primary School and Nursery - 14 pupils achieve their best. Overall achievement in English is good in Years 1 and 2 and satisfactory in Years 3 to 6.

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Key Stage 2

6. Standards in mathematics are below average across the school. Pupils currently achieve satisfactorily in mathematics. Standards in science are average in Year 2, where pupils achieve well but below average in Year 6, where achievement is generally satisfactory. Pupils have a lack of confidence in using and applying what they know in mathematics and science in Years 3 to 6 but younger pupils generally display more confidence in this. Standards in ICT are average across the school. Weaknesses in the subject were identified in the previous inspection and have been addressed well, leading to good achievement now. Standards in religious education are average in Year 2 where pupils achieve well but below average in Year 6 where achievement is unsatisfactory.

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Key Stage 2

7. Pupils achieve satisfactorily overall. Children in the Foundation Stage and all groups of pupils in Years 1 and 2 achieve well because they are well taught. They make good progress in all subjects and standards are set to rise. Overall, most older pupils achieve satisfactorily because the teaching they receive is satisfactory. Pupils with special educational needs, those learning to speak English and those of average attainment generally achieve satisfactorily. Girls and boys achieve equally. However, older pupils of higher attainment do not always achieve as well as they could because teaching does not provide them with enough challenge to move their learning forward on a regular basis.

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Key Stage 2

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

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Key Stage 2

Pupils' attitudes and behaviour are good . Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good . Pupils' attendance is unsatisfactory and their punctuality is satisfactory .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Most pupils exhibit good attitudes and behaviour in the classroom and around the school. • Pupils' personal development and their relationships are good.

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Commentary

8. Most pupils behave well during lessons. Their attitudes to learning and to their teachers and fellow pupils are good overall. Discussions with pupils during the inspection revealed an appreciation that they are cared for and respected. The school council plays an important part in the day-to-day life of the school. Pupils appreciate that they now have a voice in the way the school is managed. There have been no recent pupil exclusions from the school.

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Commentary

9. The provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good overall. There are some elements of spirituality present during whole school assemblies but spiritual content is often lacking within pupils’ workbooks and classroom observations. The moral and social development of pupils at the St Michael’s Primary School and Nursery - 15 school is good and is enhanced by working and playing with other children. Most pupils have an understanding of the difference between right and wrong. Pupils’ appreciation of the richness and diversity of other cultures has been significantly improved since the last inspection. A good example of this was seen during the recent multi-cultural week in which each class represented a different country around the world. Religious education lessons studying world faiths provide good opportunities for pupils with different beliefs to demonstrate their knowledge.

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Attendance

10. The overall attendance of pupils at the school has fallen recently and currently is unsatisfactory while punctuality is satisfactory. A small but significant minority of pupils have poor attendance figures. The school is active in following up all absences and good use is made of external agencies to support attendance issues. A minority of parents are not supportive of the school in terms of helping to ensure that their children attend school regularly and promptly.

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Attendance

Attendance in the latest complete reporting year 2003/04

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Attendance

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data 5.3 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 satisfactory. Teaching and learning are satisfactory overall. The curriculum is satisfactory . The provision for pupils’ care, welfare, health and safety is good . Links with parents are satisfactory and those with the community are good .

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Teaching and learning

Teaching and learning are satisfactory overall. Assessment procedures are satisfactory , but the information gained from assessment is not used well enough.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children in the Foundation Stage and pupils in Years 1 and 2 are well taught. • Teaching in Years 3 to 6 is satisfactory but there is some lack of challenge for pupils, which affects their learning. • Teachers, especially in Years 3 to 6, do not make good enough use of the range of assessment information to plan challenging activities. • Teaching assistants throughout the school make a valuable contribution to supporting children’s learning and development. St Michael’s Primary School and Nursery - 16

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Commentary

11. Judgements of the quality of teaching and learning are based not only on the lessons observed but also on the quality of work undertaken recently. The teaching of children in the Foundation Stage is consistently good and sometimes very good. The teacher in charge, together with the generously staffed team of well qualified and experienced support assistants, provides plenty of well planned and managed activities that interest the children and make learning fun. Foundation Stage staff are skilled in welcoming children new to the school and area and in making them feel at ease and well cared for. Particularly good use is made of the outdoor learning area, which is well utilised to support imaginative play and current topics such as water. Because of the high expectations of staff, and the consistent level of challenge, which the children are keen to live up to, children make good progress and learn well.

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Commentary

12. Teaching and learning in Years 1 and 2 are good. The new staff team includes the recently appointed deputy head. The sample of pupils’ work throughout the year indicates a consistent level of challenge in Year 1 and some improvements in Year 2 during this term. The staff plan particularly thoroughly to ensure that tasks meet the needs of pupils of differing abilities and for pupils in the mixed Years 2 and 3 class. Good use is made of interactive whiteboards to interest the pupils and give information, which supports learning effectively. Staff explain things well, although very occasionally give too much instruction at the expense of encouraging pupil discussion.

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Commentary

13. Teaching in Years 3 to 6 is satisfactory overall. Staff have good relationships with pupils, who they praise and support well which enhances their self-esteem and attitudes to learning, especially following changes of school and emotional upheaval. Good use is made of support staff, who work effectively with pupils with special educational needs and those learning English. Teachers plan lessons conscientiously and adequately meet the needs of the majority of the pupils but do not clarify consistently enough how groups of pupils of different abilities are to be challenged at an appropriately high level. At times staff do not make enough demands on pupils both in terms of what they will achieve and of their behaviour and accept a limited effort. This particularly impacts upon the progress made by higher attaining pupils. The headteacher and other staff do not monitor planning, teaching and learning well enough to have a positive

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Commentary

14. Assessment procedures are satisfactory overall and have some good features. The school has good routines to assess pupils’ level of competence in English, mathematics and science, including use of on-line assessment procedures that are simple to apply and that provide staff with clear indicators of pupils’ competence across the attainment targets. However, assessment in non-core subjects is less well developed and sometimes informal. For instance, while the school has draft assessments drawn up for religious education these are not yet in use and current assessment in religious education is unsystematic and unsatisfactory. St Michael’s Primary School and Nursery - 17 15. A weakness, especially in Years 3 to 6, is that teachers do not make good enough use of the range of assessment information to plan activities that meet the needs of pupils who make different rates of progress. This particularly affects the learning of pupils of higher ability who are not challenged at a

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Commentary

consistently high enough level to ensure that they achieve all they are capable of.

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Commentary

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 29 lessons

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Commentary

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

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Commentary

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

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The curriculum

The school has a satisfactory curriculum . There are good opportunities to enrich the curriculum. The accommodation and learning resources are satisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses:

• The time allocated to some subjects is limited and not all subjects are covered in sufficient depth . • Good opportunities for curriculum enrichment make learning more enjoyable for pupils. • All pupils have equal access to the curriculum and are well integrated into school life. • Good accommodation has a positive effect on the pupils’ learning.

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Commentary

16. The planned curriculum is satisfactory and meets the requirements of the National Curriculum. Additional time is allocated to the teaching of literacy and numeracy and the school is wisely considering how to extend the curriculum especially in the arts. A lack of rigorous monitoring results in inconsistencies in provision, including in religious education for older pupils, where in Years 5 and 6 there is no recorded work this year on their developing understanding of Christianity. Discussion with pupils shows that opportunities are missed to develop musical knowledge. A key issue at the last inspection was to improve curriculum planning to ensure pupils in cross key stage classes received equal access to the curriculum and improvement since then is satisfactory.

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Commentary

17. The school extends the opportunities available to pupils by good enrichment of the curriculum. This includes activities to support a range of subjects including geography, history, physical education, science and religious education . The multi-cultural week enhanced the pupils’ understanding of the way other people live. Discussion with pupils shows how much they learn from visits to a museum and from expert coaching in a variety of sports. St Michael’s Primary School and Nursery - 18 18. The school is committed to equal opportunities. Pupils for whom English is an additional language and pupils with a variety of special needs are successfully integrated into the school. A satisfactory programme of personal, social and health education includes sex education lessons for older pupils and opportunities for pupils to be aware of the dangers of drugs.

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Commentary

19. The accommodation is good overall. Very good and extensive outside areas benefit all pupils, both for physical education lessons and for the range of activities that are available at break times. The classrooms are satisfactory although their design means that some classes are interrupted because they are used as a corridor. Some spare rooms give flexibility and this assists the school to develop links with parents.

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Care, guidance and support

The care, welfare, health and safety of the pupils are good . The procedures for supporting and guiding pupils through monitoring are satisfactory and those for seeking and acting on pupils' views are good .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Child protection procedures are well managed and effective medical records are well maintained. • School teaching and support staff know their pupils well. • The school's monitoring of pupils’ progress is satisfactory but there are weaknesses in the use of this assessment information. • The school plans a good range of activities to support personal, social and health education.

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Commentary

20. The teaching and support staff know their children well and provide a positive degree of welfare and pastoral support to individual pupils. Child protection systems and procedures are effective and all staff in the school know the reporting person. The school monitors pupils’ academic performance and personal development both formally and informally but there is an inconsistency in the use of this assessment information to move children forward.

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Commentary

21. The school operates a good first aid system for minor accidents and up-to-date medical files are maintained for each child. Fire drills are regularly undertaken. The school is active in maintaining a safe school site and in undertaking risk assessments for external visits out of school. The school caretaker helps to maintain a safe environment for children and has introduced very effective management systems for the maintenance of the school. A small number of minor health and safety issues emerged during the inspection and the school is already taking action to review and amend procedures.

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Commentary

22. Lessons such as personal, social and health education and circle time are used well as an aid to the promotion of the social, moral and personal development St Michael’s Primary School and Nursery - 19 of each child. The school acknowledges pupils' achievement through the praise given to them in the classroom and, more formally, in regular sharing and presentation assemblies. The school council is an effective provision and acts as a focus group for the benefit of all pupils in the school.

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Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

Links with parents are satisfactory and those with the local community and other schools are good .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The school's links with the community and other schools are good. • The views of parents about the school are mixed and a minority with concerns do not feel their views are welcomed. • The provision and use of the parents' and toddlers’ room are effective in developing early links.

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Commentary

23. Only a few parents attended the parents’ meeting with the inspectors and the parental questionnaire was returned by a moderate percentage of parents. A significant minority of parents have some concerns about how well they are informed about the progress of their child and how well the school is led and managed. Around one in five parents who returned the questionnaire also feels that the school does not seek their views. Inspectors accept these opinions.

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Commentary

24. The information provided by the school through the prospectus and annual report to parents is satisfactory. Communication with parents through regular and informative newsletters is good. The recent provision and use of the parents’ and toddlers’ facility are very positive features in supporting parents with young children and much appreciated by those involved. Annual academic reports to parents are satisfactory but some apparent targets for pupils' development are difficult to follow and lack clarity. These reports include a note of each child's attendance and any unauthorised absences but should also contain authorised absences. The additional provision of termly topic information to parents is good. The headteacher has clearly attempted to engage more parents in the day-to-day life of the school and has, for example, recently arranged weekly computer classes for the benefit of parents. However,

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Commentary

the parental take up of this and other initiatives has been low partly due to the high mobility rates linked to the school. 25. The school’s good links with the community have a positive impact upon learning. For example, a number of older pupils recently visited a Jewish Synagogue and others, both younger and older pupils, have visited Colchester Borough Council. Year 6 children have taken part in a residential visit. The school also has links with other local primary and secondary schools and there are good transitional arrangements for the eventual transfer of children to the main local school. Staff make good use of the local environment to enhance pupils’ curricular access and the range of extra-curricular clubs and activities is good for the size of the school. St Michael’s Primary School and Nursery - 20

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The leadership and management of the school are satisfactory overall . Governance of the school is satisfactory as is the leadership of the headteacher and key staff. Management of the school is unsatisfactory .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The monitoring of the curriculum by the governors, the headteacher, the senior management team, and the subject leaders is unsatisfactory. • There is a strong commitment to inclusion and to the promotion of equality. • The procedures for ensuring efficient financial management of the school are good.

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Commentary

26. The leadership and management of the school are satisfactory overall. The quality of leadership and management in the Foundation Stage is good and the leadership of Key Stage 1 is effective. This has ensured that both of these areas of the school are continuing to improve and provide well for the younger pupils. Furthermore, the school is rightly proud of the effectiveness of its inclusion policy, its provision for equality and for the way in which it deals with the concerns and needs of individuals. The headteacher provides satisfactory leadership and a positive steer to the work of the school. However, the corporate responsibility for the monitoring of the curriculum, shared among the headteacher, the governors, the senior management team and the subject leaders is unsatisfactory. Current checking procedures are neither sufficiently robust, nor systematically structured and regular. As a result, areas for

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Commentary

development identified persist for too long and any remedial action taken is not rigorous enough.

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Commentary

27. Procedures for monitoring the performances of staff and the provision of appropriate training for their personal and professional development are secure. Staff new to the school are satisfactorily supported in their induction year. Good systems are in place for financial management. The systems are routinely and efficiently carried out by the office manager and are rigorously and regularly checked by the responsible governor. The school has recently become part of a leadership project and staff have a much clearer appreciation of what works well in the school and what areas still require further improvement. Staff work well together and have begun, with the support of the local authority, to develop more effective monitoring procedures. However, some subject leaders currently do not have enough planned time to enable them to carry out their delegated duties efficiently and effectively. Newer governors have not yet had sufficient training to enable them to independently

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Commentary

evaluate and compare school statistics with national data. Consequently, they are not well equipped to challenge the information presented to them in order to assess standards, raise expectations and set realistic future targets for the pupils. St Michael’s Primary School and Nursery - 21 28. The governance of the school is satisfactory. Because of the distinctive nature of the school, the governing body experiences more changes than most. Whilst there is a core of valuable and experienced governors, the majority are relatively new and inexperienced. However, they are eager to learn and make a valuable contribution. Indeed, some of those most recently appointed have already undertaken governor- training courses. Governors collaborate with the headteacher and staff to set policies that reflect the school’s character and ethos and they study reports about curriculum progress with subject leaders. Whilst several have curriculum areas of responsibility,

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Commentary

many are new to these roles and have not yet learned how their impact can be effective. Statutory requirements are in place although there are concerns about the provision in religious education for the oldest pupils. There is a structured approach to the way the governing body conducts its business and all governors take their roles and responsibilities seriously. The day-to-day running of the school is smooth and efficient. Taking all factors into consideration, the school offers satisfactory value for money.

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Commentary

Financial information for the year April 2004 to March 2005

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Commentary

Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 498 189 Balance from previous year 32 223 Total expenditure 502 757 Balance carried forward to the next 27 655

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Commentary

Expenditure per pupil 3 669 St Michael’s Primary School and Nursery - 22

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AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Provision for children in the Foundation Stage is good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The staff work very well as a team and this leads to consistently good teaching, effective learning and high levels of inclusion. • There are very good procedures for assessing children’s attainment and the information gained from assessment is used well. • Leadership and management are good. • Relationships throughout the Foundation Stage are very good, leading to a strong and positive ethos.

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Commentary

29. There is a strong and positive ethos in the Foundation Stage of the school. Teachers are highly committed to full inclusion so that all children are made to feel welcome and secure. A qualified teacher, ably supported by a nursery nurse, leads the teaching staff and four other qualified assistants. Between them, they manage both the nursery and reception groups. Children enter school with skills that are often below average in all areas of their early development. They regularly benefit from exciting and challenging activities in both classrooms. Teaching is collaborative, consistently good and relationships formed with children are very good. Planning is also good and meets the needs of both individuals and groups well. It revolves around wide-ranging themes, offering high levels of challenge and excitement. All children are effectively supported by the staff and by good resources that ensure achievement is good.

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Commentary

Almost all children are on line to attain at least the early learning goals in the six areas of learning. Very good assessment arrangements are used well to record children’s progress and to plan for their next stage of learning, either individually, or as a group. The Foundation Stage leader directs her team well and her day-to-day management is also good. Resources and accommodation are good, but this does not prevent the school from seeking to provide additional, identified improvements.

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Commentary

30. By the end of the reception year, the children’s personal, social and emotional development is above the expected level. They achieve very well. Teaching is very effective and teachers act as very good role models. Very good relationships are quickly established so that children respect their teachers and each other. This is evident in the way they share, look after equipment, take turns and help tidy up. Collaboration and co-operation are very good. Children quickly grow in confidence and independence. They make good choices of activities and demonstrate a growing awareness of the needs of others. Their behaviour is very good. Social and cultural awareness is encouraged in children by their religious education, assemblies and through St Michael’s Primary School and Nursery - 23 circle time. In these activities they explore feelings and emotions and become aware of the practices, traditions and customs of others. Good use is made of

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Commentary

the outdoor area to promote imaginative play which has a positive impact upon social development.

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Commentary

31. Children achieve well in their communication and language development and by the end of reception, most are on line to attain the early learning goals. Good teaching ensures that children achieve well with a very high emphasis placed upon the good development of children’s speaking and listening skills. Children soon gain the confidence to respond to well-crafted questions, to discuss ideas when playing, or perform for others when presenting a spontaneous ‘show’. They enjoy stories such as The Selfish Crocodile , when they listen with great interest, share ideas about the characters, or predict how the story may end. Many recognise most letter sounds and some read simple words and sentences from books. Writing is developed satisfactorily. All children complete their name. Lower attainers independently produce recognisable letters, whilst high attainers write short but legible statements or sentences, such as “I can see a bee”.

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Commentary

32. Children’s standards in their mathematical development are at the expected level by the end of the reception year. Teaching, learning and achievement are good. Children confidently count to 20. However, many count beyond this and recognise larger numbers such as, 27 and 49. Children have a secure mathematical vocabulary and regularly use mathematical words such as ‘longer’, ‘heavier’ and ‘biggest’. They use weights and measures in play or when comparing their heights against the wall chart. Children gather information and illustrate it through simple pictograms and graphs. They also recognise and name mathematical shapes, such as squares, circles, triangles cubes and cylinders.

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Commentary

33. By the end of the reception year, children’s attainment in the area of knowledge and understanding of the world is in line with expectations and they achieve well. Children’s learning is effectively promoted through good opportunities to investigate and explore through practical experiences and good teaching. Food technology is introduced so that children have a satisfactory understanding of how things change through mixing, melting or cooking. They make sound use of a wide range of construction kits to make very imaginative hinged and wheeled models of exceptional height and length. Regular use of classroom computers ensures that mouse control skills are well developed. A number of visitors to the classrooms, such as the nurse and the policemen, enable children to become familiar with people who help them.

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Commentary

34. By the time they leave the reception class, children’s physical development is satisfactory. They show securely developed fine motor control when they use a wide range of tools, including paintbrushes, cutters and markers. When they construct models, children manipulate nuts and bolts using plastic screwdrivers and other tools effectively. They show effective control and change of speed and direction when manoeuvring large, wheeled toys and scooters. Children show satisfactory skills when climbing and sliding and they jump, run and skip with good control. They make good use of space, are aware of safety St Michael’s Primary School and Nursery - 24 precautions and avoid bumping into others. They demonstrate satisfactory balancing skills on stilts and one boy was overjoyed when he learned to hop for the first time, on his fourth birthday. Teaching, learning and achievement are good.

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Commentary

35. By the end of the reception year, children’s creative development is satisfactory. Children demonstrate their good knowledge when they describe and name colours. They use paint expressively in pictures, when printing and in model making. They use pencils well to draw the outlines of angel fish, or when drawing plants or insects they have observed. Other media, such as ink, chalks and pastels are also satisfactorily used. They select from wide range of materials to make collages and hanging mobiles. Children enjoy singing rhymes and simple songs. Sometimes they do this during impromptu concerts when they perform for each other with confidence and aplomb. Children enjoy making music together when they play tuned or untuned instruments and recognise that notes can be long, short, loud or soft. Children achieve well in this area through good teaching and learning.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The standard of the pupils’ writing is well below average and the standard of reading for older pupils is below average. • Good teaching helps pupils in Years 1 and 2 to achieve well. • Unsatisfactory management limits the progress that some pupils make. • The subject makes a good contribution to the pupils’ social and cultural development. • There are few opportunities for pupils to practise their writing in other subjects.

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Commentary

36. In the 2004 national tests, the attainment of pupils in Year 6 was well below the national average and well below average compared with pupils in other schools who attained similarly in the Year 2 tests. Pupils in Year 2 attained standards that were well below the national average in reading and below average in writing, and also well below average in comparison with similar schools. Trends in attainment have been low in Year 2 for the last two years but low over a longer period in Year 6. Inspection evidence is that when speaking and listening are taken into account, the attainment now of both older and younger pupils is below average. At the last inspection a key issue was to raise attainment in writing. Work has been done in this area but this has not been fully effective in resolving the shortcomings and recent changes have not yet had sufficient time to raise standards. The very high mobility of pupils has an

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Commentary

adverse effect on the standards attained. Currently pupils in Years 1 and 2 St Michael’s Primary School and Nursery - 25 achieve well and those in Years 3 to 6 achieve satisfactorily. Improvement overall since the last inspection is satisfactory.

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Commentary

37. Standards of speaking and listening are average. Pupils usually listen well to their teachers and to their peers and grow in confidence and many become more able to describe their thoughts and ideas. This reflects their good attitudes. Teachers in several classes make good use of ‘Talking Partners’ to encourage pupils to discuss their ideas with classmates and this is a strategy the co-ordinator is keen to develop even further.

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Commentary

38. In Year 2 standards of reading are average. Pupils learn the letter sounds well and practise building up words with increasing confidence. Higher attaining pupils read fluently and with expression and talk easily about books they enjoy. In Year 6 standards of reading are below average. Higher attaining pupils read widely and use the local library but standards overall reflect a number of pupils who have been in school for only a short time and have special educational needs.

p.25

Commentary

39. Standards in writing are well below average in both key stages. The school recognises the problem and is taking steps to address it through improved target setting. However, staff do not provide enough opportunities to write at length and in depth across other subjects of the curriculum and in some areas, including in history and geography, there are too many worksheets used, which do little to promote pupils interest in writing. Assessment procedures are satisfactory for younger pupils but the use of assessment is unsatisfactory for older pupils who are not given enough guidance on how to improve.

p.25

Commentary

40. Overall teaching and learning is satisfactory. The teaching of pupils in Years 1 and 2 is good and they learn well. Teaching and learning in Years 3 to 6 are satisfactory. Teachers have secure subject knowledge. They encourage pupils to give of their best and manage their class well. Good use is made of teaching assistants to support the learning of lower attaining pupils. While the teaching of older pupils is satisfactory, classes are not always well managed and pupils are not consistently challenged to do their best. While most older pupils’ learning is satisfactory, some higher attaining pupils could achieve more if challenged on a consistent basis. In lessons and in the care they take with their written work, the pupils have good attitudes. There are satisfactory links with ICT.

p.25

Commentary

41. Leadership of the subject is satisfactory. The recently appointed subject co- ordinator has taken immediate steps to analyse the present position. Overall management is unsatisfactory because she has not yet had the opportunity to rigorously monitor teaching and learning. However, the subject leader has the potential to develop the role well. The subject makes a good contribution to the pupils’ social and cultural development. Pupils work well with other pupils in discussions. Knowledge of stories and special weeks that focus on a different country help pupils to understand their own culture and that of other people.

p.25

Language and literacy across the curriculum

St Michael’s Primary School and Nursery - 26 42. The development of language and literacy skills across the curriculum is satisfactory overall but opportunities are missed for pupils to develop research and reading skills and to write at length in religious education, geography and history. This would allow pupils to practise their writing skills and to deepen their understanding of these other subjects.

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MATHEMATICS

The provision for mathematics is satisfactory

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The leadership and management of the subject are not sufficiently developed. • The procedures for gathering information about the progress pupils make, is good. • Teaching in Years 1 and 2 is enthusiastic and interests and motivates the pupils to try hard.

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Commentary

43. Inspection findings show that standards for pupils at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 are below the national average and pupils’ achievement overall is satisfactory. In the latest published statistics, pupils attained standards in line with the national average at the end of Year 2, but well below the national average at the end of Year 6. Standards compared with similar schools were well below average for pupils in both year groups. At the time of the last inspection standards were well below average at the end of Year 2 and below average at the end of Year 6. Overall improvement has been satisfactory. 44. The school now places clear emphasis on the raising of standards, but there is still some way to go. There are, however, significant reasons contributing to the previous low standards. Firstly, the school has experienced a turbulent time in replacing almost all members of permanent staff. During this time pupils

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Commentary

experienced several temporary and supply teachers and disruption to learning. Secondly, there is a large transition of pupils at unconventional times. Consequently, over half the current pupils have attended the school for less than six terms. The school has now implemented measures to assess, accommodate and provide better support for new admissions. Statistics show that pupils enjoying more settled education generally attain better. On the whole, pupils, including those with special educational needs and pupils with English as an additional language, achieve similarly to others. There is no significant difference in attainment between boys and girls.

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Commentary

45. By the end of Year 2, most pupils handle number processes satisfactorily and apply their knowledge and understanding when solving simple problems. Mental arithmetic skills are below average and pupils have limited knowledge, understanding and experience of weights, measures and time. By the end of Year 6, pupils demonstrate secure skills in handling numbers and talk about a variety of methods they use. They add, subtract, divide and multiply satisfactorily. Mental arithmetic skills are below average and pupils’ instant St Michael’s Primary School and Nursery - 27 recall of number facts is slow. Pupils are learning to apply their mathematical knowledge and understanding to solving problems. However, they find difficulties when required to use several processes to reach solutions when solving problems.

p.26

Commentary

46. The overall quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Planning shows clearly defined learning objectives and planned activities for differently attaining pupils. When available, class assistants work well with teachers and offer high levels of support particularly to those with low attainment. Teaching has improved and the teaching observed in Years 1 and 2 is consistently good with the sample of work showing further improvements following recent staff changes. Lessons are exciting, and are supported through a good range of resources, activities and displays. This is reflected in the good learning and progress of the pupils. The sample of recent work indicates pupils in Year 2 have experienced better teaching this term but this has not yet had a chance to impact on pupils’ attainment. Although some good teaching was observed in Years 3 to 6, generally teaching is satisfactory. Learning is also satisfactory, but

p.27

Commentary

the school’s record of low standards means that pupils are still catching up to where they should be. On some occasions the pace in lessons slows and when this happens, pupils lose concentration. However, pupils generally enjoy mathematics and often show good attitudes to learning. ICT is particularly used well to create graphs, tables and charts to support lessons in mathematics.

p.27

Commentary

47. Subject leadership and management are unsatisfactory . Whilst there has been some opportunity to monitor the quality of teaching and learning this has not been done regularly or rigorously enough to identify the steps necessary to bring about further improvement. The monitoring of planning by the headteacher or senior staff has also been insufficiently rigorous. Assessment procedures are good. They are used to track pupils’ progress, but they are not effectively used to identify individual pupils’ needs and lead them to their next stage of learning.

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Mathematics across the curriculum

48. The school is making satisfactory provision for numeracy across the curriculum. Pupils develop mathematical skills in ICT and science. They explore dates and use timelines in history and extend measuring skills in design and technology.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards in Years 3 to 6 are below average and pupils do not make all the progress they could. • Teaching in Years 1 and 2 is good and these pupils learn well. • Monitoring and evaluation of provision in the subject are under-developed and unsatisfactory. St Michael’s Primary School and Nursery - 28

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Commentary

49. Standards in 2004 for pupils in Year 2 were below average both in the proportion of pupils attaining the expected level and the numbers at the higher levels. Inspection findings are that standards are improving due to good teaching. Pupils achieve well and attain average standards by the end of Year 2. The results of national tests taken by pupils in Year 6 in 2004 indicated that standards were in the lowest five per cent of schools both nationally and compared to similar schools. Inspection findings are that standards are below average by the end of Year 6. Children enter the school with limited knowledge and understanding of the world. Most lower and average attaining pupils generally achieve satisfactorily, but there are very few pupils working securely at an above average level. Overall findings indicate that standards in Years 1 and 2 have risen since the previous inspection and remained as they were in

p.28

Commentary

50. By the end of Year 2, pupils have a satisfactory understanding of life processes and living things, of materials and their properties and of physical processes such as forces and magnetism. They have a good level of interest in the subject, concentrate well and try hard to conduct experiments such as making electrical circuits that include a switch. Their positive attitudes combined with good teaching lead to pupils in Years 1 and 2 achieving well. Pupils in Years 3 to 6 have a much less securely based understanding of the different areas of science. Many struggle to make sensible predictions in tests and do not work in a carefully considered manner where they apply what they already know to different activities. As in all other subjects, the high levels of mobility adversely affect pupils’ achievement. While overall achievement is satisfactory, older pupils’ skills in carrying out experiments and investigations are insecure and

p.28

Commentary

51. Teaching is satisfactory overall. In Years 1 and 2 it is good. Teachers plan well to ensure that tasks are well matched to pupils’ abilities and that there is a good level of challenge in pupils’ work. Teachers of the younger pupils have good expectations of what they can achieve which pupils are keen to live up to. Teaching in Years 3 to 6 is satisfactory. Staff encourage pupils well and support staff offer good levels of individual or group support that has a positive impact on pupils learning English and those with special educational needs. However, overall, teachers do not have high enough expectations of what pupils can achieve. This is epitomised in the teaching of older pupils where planning notes the low level that some pupils are working at but does not identify subsequent challenge to help them improve.

p.28

Commentary

52. Leadership and management of the subject are unsatisfactory overall. The subject co- ordinator works in a satisfactory manner to support colleagues but the monitoring and evaluation of work in science are under-developed. There has been little monitoring of planning in the subject, which has allowed a degree of low expectation to go unchallenged. Similarly there have been few opportunities to monitor the quality of pupils’ work or of teaching and learning.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

St Michael’s Primary School and Nursery - 29 Provision for information and communication technology (ICT) is satisfactory.

p.29

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Good teaching enables pupils to achieve well. • The pupils’ good attitudes and behaviour have a positive effect on their learning. • Leadership of the subject is good but the management is unsatisfactory. • ICT is used well to support learning in other subjects.

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Commentary

53. Pupils at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 attain the expected standards in ICT. At the last inspection the pupils’ attainment was below average and a key issue was to raise standards. There has been good improvement since the last inspection and pupils now achieve well. There has been a lot of work to extend the curriculum and ensure full use is made of improved resources. The pupils’ good attitudes are seen both in lessons and by the enthusiastic way in which they talk about the work that they do. They try hard and are proud of what they achieve. Pupils work well together when sharing a computer and this is good for their social development.

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Commentary

54. Teaching and learning in ICT are good. Teachers have secure subject knowledge, which they use to give clear demonstrations to pupils, which help them to learn well. Teachers are well supported by the teaching assistant who has responsibility for ICT. This benefits both teachers and pupils. Pupils are challenged consistently to learn and apply new skills. The good links with other schools are seen by the work that pupils in Year 6 do with the secondary school.

p.29

Commentary

55. Good subject leadership has led to an improvement in the standards that pupils achieve. Since the last inspection the school has had a new computer suite and interactive whiteboards have been introduced into classrooms. Training has been successful in increasing teachers’ knowledge and confidence. However, management is unsatisfactory because teaching and learning are not monitored rigorously to enable pupils to make even better progress. Resources are satisfactory overall but pupils have limited access to computers in their classrooms.

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Information and communication technology across the curriculum

56. Pupils make good use of ICT to support work in a range of other subjects. Literacy links include ‘PowerPoint’ presentations by Year 6 to demonstrate emotive language and to illustrate the greenhouse effect in science. Topics are researched in history and Year 4 pupils design a wedding invitation as part of lessons in religious education. Pupils in Year 2 record and compare their hand spans and feet sizes in science. St Michael’s Primary School and Nursery - 30

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HUMANITIES

57. During the inspection, two history lessons were seen but no lessons were seen in geography . The subjects were sampled and no overall judgements are made about provision, teaching and learning or leadership and management. The curriculum is planned using national guidelines.

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HUMANITIES

58. In the lessons seen in history, pupils in Years 5 and 6 researched a topic from the Victorian period and pupils in Years 2 and 3 learned some of the skills of historical enquiry as they found out about objects from Roman times. Analysis of the pupils’ work in history and geography shows that there is a heavy emphasis on worksheets. Pupils do not regularly deepen their understanding and practise their literacy skills by writing their own responses at length. In history the curriculum is brought to life for pupils by local visits and these make a good contribution to their social and cultural development. In geography pupils in Years 5 and 6 have little recorded work.

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HUMANITIES

Provision in religious education is unsatisfactory .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The curriculum is not well balanced for pupils in Years 5 and 6 where there is no recently recorded work on Christianity. • Teaching and learning in Years 1 and 2 are good and these pupils achieve well. • The school needs to allow more time for the co-ordinator to monitor the subject .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

59. Standards in religious education are in line with the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus at the end of Year 2 and pupils achieve well. However, standards are below expectations at the end of Year 6 and pupils’ achievement is unsatisfactory. This indicates that standards have fallen in Years 3 to 6 since the previous inspection. The first two inspections of the school both indicated that not enough work was undertaken to ensure that pupils had sufficient understanding of the main world faiths and of multi-cultural aspects of their own life. This has been addressed well. There is now a good emphasis in pupils’ work, particularly concerning the Hindu faith and in areas such as the multi- cultural week recently organised by the religious education co-ordinator which made an impact across the school.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

60. In Years 1 and 2 the curriculum is well balanced and appropriate for the age of the pupils. However, the first inspection of the school also identified that there was little evidence of religious education available and this is still the case in Years 5 and 6 where there is not enough recording of what the pupils do in discussions. The lack of recording is not effective in ensuring that pupils’ learning builds in a continuous and progressive manner on what they know and understand. Limited recording of pupils’ ideas and experiences does not provide any references for future learning or enough opportunities for pupils to St Michael’s Primary School and Nursery - 31 clarify their own thinking in their recording or help to develop writing skills across the curriculum.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

61. Teaching and learning are unsatisfactory overall but there are considerable variations. Teaching in Years 1 and 2 is good. Staff plan a good range of activities that include reference to pupils’ own experiences, celebrations and festivals in a range of faiths and some well known Bible stories. In these years there is some good work on the Hindu faith and in Years 3 and 4 some satisfactory tasks relate to Christian ceremonies, including a re-enactment of a Christian wedding. Teachers make good use of the knowledge of pupils of the Hindu faith who share their experiences with others in an effective manner. However, teaching and learning in Years 3 to 6 are unsatisfactory overall and there are some poor aspects to the work undertaken in Years 5 and 6 where teachers do not have high enough expectations of what pupils can achieve and do not make clear enough demands upon pupils to make sure they learn.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

62. Leadership of the subject is satisfactory with some good aspects. The co- ordinator has a clear grasp of her role and has worked well to organise a successful multi-cultural week that made a strong impact on pupils’ understanding. She has also undertaken a recent scrutiny of work that clearly identified the weaknesses in Years 5 and 6. However, management of the subject is unsatisfactory, as the co-ordinator has not had sufficient opportunity to monitor planning and evaluate the quality of teaching which makes it difficult to identify overall areas for improvement. The co-ordinator has identified weaknesses in assessment and drawn up draft plans to extend this, acknowledging that currently this is informal and unsatisfactory.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

63. No lessons were observed in art and design and design technology. Therefore, it is not possible to make judgements about the quality of provision in these subjects. A satisfactory curriculum is in place although the time available for teaching the subjects is not extensive.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

64. Work around the school indicates that art and design is not a high priority across the school. Whilst there is work that is very attractively displayed, the standard of pupils’ individual work is often of limited quality especially for the older pupils with some work in Years 5 and 6 being weak. Pupils’ sketchbooks show that they are not taught the basic art skills of drawing and painting well enough. For instance, pupils’ portrait work does not develop high levels of skill because teachers themselves do not know how to teach pupils the small technical steps needed to improve their work. There is little evidence of pupils producing preliminary designs for their work or of sufficiently good evaluations of their efforts. These weaknesses were identified in the previous report and the school has been slow to address them. As in other subjects, leadership and management of the subject is underdeveloped, and monitoring and evaluation

p.31

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

of planning, teaching and learning are not well enough established to identify areas for development. St Michael’s Primary School and Nursery - 32 65. Work on display in design and technology is of a slightly better general quality than in art and design. Pupils have reasonable opportunities to design, make and evaluate a range of items. The curriculum appears securely in place and there are examples of good work undertaken. In Year 1, pupils have designed and made simple box model houses and in Years 2 and 3 they have designed and made hand puppets and developed simple skills of stitching as part of their work. In Years 3 and 4 pupils have designed and made a healthy sandwich having considered the ingredients and carried out a bread survey. In Years 5 and 6 pupils have designed and made biscuits and constructed some interesting and well made musical instruments. There are good aspects to the teaching in both key stages. Subject leadership is under-developed with few

p.31

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

formal opportunities to monitor and evaluate the quality of planning, teaching and learning.

p.32

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

66. No music lessons were observed during the inspection. Judgements concerning provision, standards, teaching, achievement and learning are not possible. Pupils’ singing in assembly was satisfactory. Provision is made to enhance the curriculum through after-school activities for guitar and recorders. Teachers’ records show that work is planned for all pupils in accordance with the National Curriculum guidelines. However, discussions with pupils indicate that provision is minimal and erratic. Consequently, the school misses opportunities to develop this creative aspect of the curriculum.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

67. No lessons were observed in physical education and so it is not possible to make secure judgements about the overall provision, standards, achievement, teaching and learning. Examination of teachers’ planning records shows that the school provides a satisfactory curriculum, which covers the required programme of study. The school’s current development plan is focused on physical education. It is encouraged through the school’s participation in a national scheme that enables the school to share in a partnership involving other primary schools and the local high school and the sports college. Both staff and pupils benefit in the form of specialist skills training, coaching and participation in activities. Good curriculum enhancement is provided through after school clubs such as football and netball. Swimming lessons are at the local pool. They are enjoyed by pupils in Years 5 and 6 and lead to most of

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

them swimming at least 25 metres by the time they leave school. School leavers also benefit by taking part in a residential course, providing access to a range of outdoor adventure activities.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

68. Provision for personal, social and health education is satisfactory as is that to help pupils develop awareness of citizenship. Lessons are timetabled for all classes. In Year 1 pupils have the opportunity to recognise, name and deal with their feelings in a positive way and good use is made of ‘Talking Partners’ for pupils to discuss their responses to a story and how they deal with their own feelings. In Year 3 pupils discuss health awareness in the sun and create a short TV advert and poster about dangers in the sun. The school council provides pupils with the opportunity to make their views known and to help St Michael’s Primary School and Nursery - 33 influence school life. The school has received a Healthy Schools award but is aware that lunchtime and snack arrangements do not support a healthy eating regime. St Michael’s Primary School and Nursery - 34

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Overall standards achieved 4 Pupils’ achievement 4

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities 3 Attendance 5 Attitudes 3 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 5 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 4 How well the school seeks and acts on pupils’ views 3 The effectiveness of the school’s links with parents 4 The quality of the school’s links with the community 3 The school’s links with other schools and colleges 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The leadership and management of the school 4 The governance of the school 4 The leadership of the headteacher 4 The leadership of other key staff 4 The effectiveness of management 5

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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).

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