Tunbury Primary School

TUNBURY PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 31 January – 2 February 2005

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TUNBURY PRIMARY SCHOOL

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 Tunbury Primary School - 2 This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated.

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TUNBURY PRIMARY SCHOOL

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. Tunbury Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Primary School category: Community Age range of pupils: 4 to 11 years Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 531

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Tunbury Avenue Walderslade Chatham Kent Postcode: ME5 9HY

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Telephone number: 01634 863085 Fax number: 01634 672505

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body Name of chair of governors: Mrs C Hughes

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 19 April 1999

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

Tunbury Primary School is much bigger than other primary schools with 255 boys and 276 girls. Currently about 4.6% of pupils are in receipt of free school meals and this is lower than most other schools. Pupils come mainly from White British backgrounds and the area in which the pupils live consists of mainly private accommodation.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

The percentage of pupils for whom English is an additional language is low and the proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is very low. The percentage of pupils identified as having special educational needs, including statements, is broadly in line with the national average. These pupils receive support for autism, moderate learning difficulties, emotional, behavioural and social difficulties and hearing and visual impairment. The percentage of pupils with statements of special educational needs is below the national average. The number of pupils who join or leave the school other than at the normal time of admission is low. The socio – economic circumstances of the school are above average. The attainment of most pupils on entry to the school is average although most do have particular strengths in language and personal, social and emotional development. The school has received the Healthy Schools’ Award.

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

22999 George Loizou Lead inspector English as an additional language Art and design Geography 19436 Michael O’Malley Lay inspector 22033 Peter Nickoll Team inspector Mathematics Information and communication technology History 33167 Carol Witherden Team inspector Science Design and technology Religious education 24104 Michael Marsh Team inspector English Physical education 33541 Clare Wesson Team inspector Foundation stage Special educational needs Music

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

Demeter House Station Road Cambridge CB1 2RS

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be made initially to the inspection contractor. The procedures are set out in the leaflet ‘Complaining about Ofsted Inspections’ , which is available from Ofsted Publications Centre (telephone 07002 637833) or Ofsted’s website (www.ofsted.gov.uk). Tunbury Primary School - 5

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 8

Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 8

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL 11

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

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OVERALL EVALUATION

Tunbury primary school is a good school, providing a good standard of education for its pupils. It has made significant improvements since the last inspection. It is well led and managed, and looks set to continue to improve. Pupils’ achievement is good because of their very good attitudes to learning and the good quality of teaching found throughout the school. As a result, standards are rising and the school provides good value for money

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are: • Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour are very good. • There are very good induction procedures for newly appointed staff. • Pupils achieve above average standards in English, mathematics, science and information and communication technology. • Teaching is consistently good throughout the school, with a high proportion of good and very good lessons. • The leadership of the headteacher and governors is good. • The school provides very good accommodation in the Foundation Stage. • Pupils’ care, welfare and safety is very good. • Assessment in several subjects does not help pupils to be aware of well they doing and how they can improve. • There are limited opportunities for pupils to work independently and be involved in their own learning.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school has made good improvement since it was last inspected in 1999 and all the key issues have been addressed. By the end of Year 6, pupils attain standards in information and communication technology above those expected for their age. The range of extra curricular activities is now good and school’s links with the local community are now well developed. Procedures for monitoring and evaluating provision for pupils with special educational needs are now effective. The school has moved forward since the last inspection and is well placed to continue to improve.

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

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

The overall achievement of pupils is good. Children’s attainment is in line with national expectations when they join the reception classes but with particular strengths in language and personal, social and emotional development. They make good progress and most are on track to achieve the expected levels in all areas of learning by the time they reach Year 1. In Years 1 and 2, pupils’ achievement is good. In Year 2, most pupils are working to a good standard in writing and reading and they have above average standards in speaking and listening. Standards in science are at least average. Standards in mathematics are now close to the national average for the current Year 2 pupils. Achievement is good with nearly all pupils, including those pupils who are gifted and talented, making good progress. Tunbury Primary School - 7 Pupils in Years 3 to 6 also achieve very well. The current Year 6 pupils are on track to reach

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

standards of attainment in English, mathematics, science and in information and communication technology (ICT) that are above average by the summer.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Standards of pupils’ work in physical education are above national expectations throughout the school.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills are used very effectively in other subjects, particularly in geography, history and science. Their very good skills in ICT are well used to support work across most subjects. The trend in the school’s Year 6 results from 2000 to 20004 was above the national trend for improvement. The school set ambitious targets for Year 6 pupils’ results in English, mathematics and science in 2004 and these were almost achieved. The targets for 2005 are sufficiently challenging.

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Pupils’ personal qualities, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are

good. The behaviour and attitudes of the pupils are very good and they show respect and concern for each other. The school provides good opportunities for developing pupils’ awareness of other cultures and older pupils have pen pals in a Gambian school. Attendance is above the national average.

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The quality of education provided by the school is good. The quality of teaching and

learning is good, with a high proportion of good and very good lessons. The planning and preparation of teachers are good and their high expectations and effective questioning skills enable most pupils to achieve well. Pupils are very keen to learn and respond well to challenges set by their teachers. Strong and effective leadership by key staff and governors has successfully focused on raising standards. The construction of the new Foundation Stage building has considerably improved provision for the Reception pupils. The curriculum is broad and there are very good opportunities for pupils to use literacy, numeracy and ICT across the curriculum. Some lessons are too long and pupils lose interest in their learning. There are too few opportunities for pupils to work independently and to develop their research and enquiry skills. Provision for pupils with special educational needs is good and they achieve well.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Overall, leadership and management are good. The school is well led and managed by the headteacher. The governing body provides good support and effective challenge to the school. All statutory requirements are met. There is a strong commitment from the headteacher and senior management team to continue to improve the school. Much work has been successfully put into place to raise standards in ICT as well as providing very good facilities in the Foundation Stage. Financial management is very good and the school budget is spent effectively to raise standards and improve facilities.

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

The majority of parents are very pleased with the education their children receive and support the school well. There are very strong links between home and school. Pupils have an equally favourable view of the school.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

The most important things the school should do to improve are: • Provide more opportunities for pupils to work independently and be more involved in their learning. Tunbury Primary School - 8 • Review the use of time allocated for lessons in order to make them a reasonable length. • Continue to develop methods for assessing pupils’ work in several subjects to bring them up to the good standards found in English and mathematics. Tunbury Primary School - 9

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Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

Standards are above average throughout the school and most pupils achieve well. The attainment of boys and girls is similar and those from different backgrounds also achieve similar standards. Pupils with special education needs make good progress. The ambitious targets set for 2004 were almost achieved and those for 2005 are suitably challenging.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards in Year 6 are above average in English and science. • Standards in ICT and physical education are above national expectations throughout the school. • Pupils with special educational needs make good progress. • Standards in mathematics in Year 6 are well above national averages.

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

Standards in: School results National results reading 15.6 (15.8) 15.8 (15.7) writing 14.3 (14.2) 14.6 (14.6) mathematics 16.0 (15.8) 16.2 (16.3) There were 85 pupils who registered for Key Stage 1 in the year group, 39 boys and 46 girls. The school was involved in the Key Stage 1 trial teacher assessment for 2004. Figures in brackets are for the previous year.

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

1. Children’s attainment is in line with national expectations when they join the reception class but with particular strengths in language and personal social and emotional development. They make good progress in the Foundation Stage and are on track to meet most of the goals that children are expected to reach by the end of Reception.

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Years 1 and 2

2. In the 2004 National Curriculum teacher assessment trial taken at the end of Year 2, pupils’ attainment was average in reading and below average in mathematics and writing. When compared to similar schools pupils’ attainment was well below average. Over the period 2002 to 2004, pupils’ attainment in reading was above the national average but below in writing. Standards in mathematics were close to average. Performance of boys over the last three years was below the national average in writing and mathematics. When compared to similar schools over the same period, standards were well below in mathematics, writing and reading. During this period, there were significant barriers to improvement including a high turnover of teachers and significant levels of long-term staff absence as well as substantial building work on the new Foundation Stage teaching area. However, the strategies put into place by the

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Years 1 and 2

school to improve standards are having a positive effect and the performance of boys in writing and mathematics has significantly improved. Current standards of attainment in English are above average, while in mathematics standards are similar to those found in most schools. Standards in ICT are above national expectations. There was insufficient evidence to make a judgement in science but work scrutiny and discussions with subject co-ordinators strongly indicate that standards are at least in line with national standards. Achievement is good with nearly all pupils, including those pupils who are gifted and talented, making good progress. Tunbury Primary School - 10

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

Standards in: School results National results English 27.5 (27.8) 26.9 (26.8) mathematics 29.1 (28.3) 27.0 (26.8) science 29.5 (29.3) 28.6 (28.6) There were 64 pupils who were registered for Key Stage 2 in the year group, 31 boys and 33 girls. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Years 3 to 6

3. The results of the 2004 National Curriculum test results were well above the national average for all schools in mathematics, above average in science and average for English. When the results are compared with schools whose pupils had attained similarly at the end of Year 2 they were above average in English and science, and well above average in mathematics. Over the period 2000 to 2004, the trend of the school’s results was above the national trend for improvement.

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Years 3 to 6

4. Boys’ performance in English and mathematics is well above the national average during the period 2000 - 2004. The standards of the current Year 6 pupils in English, mathematics and science are above average. Standards are also above average in information and communication technology.

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Years 3 to 6

5. Only one lesson was observed in history and geography, and only one lesson was seen in religious education and it not possible to form an overall judgement about the school’s provision in these subjects or the quality of teaching and learning but there are strong indications, based on curriculum planning, analysis of pupils’ work and discussions with subject leaders, that standards of attainment are in line with nationally expected levels. Again, insufficient work was seen in art and design, design and technology and music but indications suggest that standards are in line with nationally expected levels. Standards of pupils’ work in physical education are above national expectations throughout the school.

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Years 3 to 6

6. Pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills are used very effectively in other subjects, particularly in geography, history and science. Their good skills in ICT are well used to support work across most subjects.

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Years 3 to 6

7. Pupils with special educational needs are well supported throughout the school and most of them make good progress mainly because they are included in all classroom activities and have good individual education plans that have clear and identifiable targets.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour are very good. Their spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development is good. Attendance and punctuality are good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils are very interested in their lessons and other school activities. • Pupils know what is expected of their behaviour and respond very well to these expectations. • Relationships between adults and pupils and among pupils are very good. • Pupils’ personal development is good. Tunbury Primary School - 11

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Commentary

8. Pupils like school and they are keen to learn. They work hard in lessons and many take part in activities outside class. Pupils behave very well. The school sets very high expectations for pupils conduct and all the staff work very effectively to achieve this.

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Commentary

9. Assemblies include themes such as “inner light” and “journey of life”. They include stories, symbols, prayer and reflection that help pupils consider values and a wide range of beliefs. The pupils are confident to talk about themselves and draw on their personal experiences. Pupils respect and show concern for each other. There is little bullying, and any isolated incidents are effectively tackled. Disagreements and rough play are quickly sorted out. Racism is rare. Pupils can distinguish clearly between right and wrong, and they are encouraged to think through the consequences of their actions.

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Commentary

10. The school takes every opportunity to build pupils' self esteem and help them to understand their community responsibilities. Therefore, all pupils, including those with special needs are self-assured, and develop confident attitudes to school. Pupils with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties are effectively supported. They are withdrawn for short intensive sessions and are taught to play with others, manage their own emotions and are helped to develop positive attitudes towards learning. Pupils are keen to take responsibility, such as being school council representatives, “maths mentors”, and helping with class routines. They carry out these duties very well. Pupils regularly raise funds for charity, and look after the environment through recycling, composting, and litter picking.

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Commentary

11. Pupils’ cultural development is good. There are many opportunities for pupils to learn about their own cultural traditions through assemblies, many visits and visitors, a wide range of extra-curricular activities, and studies in class. Since the last inspection, the school has increased pupils’ awareness of Britain’s multi-cultural society and this provision is now satisfactory. Assembly themes include stories from different cultures and discussion about different places of worship. The pupils learn about Judaism, Islam and Hinduism in religious education. Studies in other subjects such as art, music, and dance refer to other cultures. There is a Spanish Club, and French is taught from the foundation stage onwards. The older pupils have pen pals at a Gambian School.

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Commentary

12. In the Foundation Stage, good attention is given to the provision for children’s personal, social and emotional development. Children feel safe, happy and secure and develop a sense of trust. Children share equipment, take turns and co-operate sensibly. Activities are well organised and interesting and help the children to develop confidence and independence.

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Attendance

13. Attendance is above the national average. Unauthorised absence is nil. Pupils are punctual and lessons start promptly. Attendance can be improved further by reducing the number of holidays taken during term time. Approximately 1 in 3 pupils take holiday during term time, and this disrupts their education.

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Attendance

14. There are effective procedures for monitoring and promoting good attendance. Absence and lateness are monitored well. Unexplained absence and unsatisfactory attendance are followed up. 100% attendance is rewarded, and the importance of good attendance is promoted well.

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Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data 4.5 School data 0.0 Tunbury Primary School - 12 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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Exclusions

There were no exclusions in the previous academic year.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

The school provides a good quality of education overall. A high proportion of lessons are good or better. Visits, visitors and clubs enrich the broad curriculum.

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Teaching and learning

The quality of teaching and learning throughout the school is good. A significant proportion of the teaching was good or very good and only one lesson was judged to be unsatisfactory. Assessment is satisfactory but its quality varies between subjects too much.

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Teaching and learning

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 51 lessons

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Teaching and learning

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Teaching and learning

1 (2%) 17 (33%) 25 (49%) 7 (13%) 1 (2%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%)

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Teaching and learning

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

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teachers’ insist upon high standards of behaviour. • The assessment of pupils’ learning is inconsistent throughout the school. • Overall, teachers’ planning is good. • Teachers’ questioning skills are good and they receive extended and thoughtful answers from the pupils. • Pupils’ application, engagement with learning, concentration and productivity are good. • On a small number of occasions, teachers did not sufficiently engage the pupils and as a result, they did not achieve as well as they might. • Teachers and support staff work well together to meet the needs of pupils.

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Commentary

15. The teachers have very high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Nearly all make these expectations explicit and have well developed strategies for managing pupils’ behaviour. This together with very positive relationships between the teachers and their pupils ensures that nearly all classrooms are calm and purposeful, and conducive to learning taking place. This makes a very positive impact upon pupils’ attitudes to learning, enables them to work hard throughout lessons and ultimately has a positive impact upon their achievement.

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Commentary

16. The planning and preparation of teachers are good. Plans are sufficiently detailed and clear to ensure that all learning is designed for specific purpose that are related to the needs of the learners. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress and learn successfully because teachers plan well, set individual targets and effectively use teaching support assistants. The plans identify clear learning objectives; these are shared with the pupils and ensure that they have a clear understanding of what it is they are going to learn. In the mathematics lessons, where pupils have been set according to their prior attainment, most teachers take account of the need to ensure that the most or least able in the group are provided with increased challenge or support as appropriate. However, occasionally, this Tunbury Primary School - 13 support and challenge was not provided, and as a result, pupils’ attention and engagement

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Commentary

levels were not high and this had a negative impact upon their learning.

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Commentary

17. On a very small number of occasions, teachers did not sufficiently challenge or engage their pupils. Pupils sat for too long listening to their teacher and watching others without being challenged or engaged. This had a negative impact both upon their behaviour and their learning. For example, in a history lesson, the pupils sat for too long listening to each other and as a result, many became inattentive or fidgety and did not make the necessary gains in their learning.

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Commentary

18. Where teaching is very good, teachers take into account pupils’ achievement in previous lessons. This ensures that the teaching is well matched to what the pupils need to know next and ensures that good learning takes place. However, this practice is not employed consistently throughout the school.

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Commentary

19. Teachers’ subject knowledge is good; this enables them to ask searching questions, extend learning effectively to the next stage where this is appropriate, and to tailor learning experiences to the needs of pupils. It also enables them to use resources effectively, and design good resources themselves. Teachers use ICT well. In some lessons, teacher have written their own programs in order to support and enhance pupils’ learning. When available, teachers made good use of whiteboards and other technology in order to support pupils with their learning. The use of the whiteboards had a very positive impact upon pupils’ motivation and levels of engagement in their learning.

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Commentary

20. All adults who support pupils are very well prepared and have a very clear understanding of their role and of the needs of the pupils with whom they work. This results in teaching assistants and other adults providing good support both to teachers and to pupils. The teaching assistants who support pupils with special educational needs know each pupil’s targets and are skilled at helping to make good progress.

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Commentary

21. Where teaching is at its very best, for example in an excellent Year 6 Literacy lesson or in a Year 6 top set mathematics lesson, this is because: - • there is excellent planning and preparation; • learning objectives are clearly displayed, discussed and understood; • assessment is used very well; • there are excellent behaviour and classroom management strategies which enable all pupils to achieve as learners without disruption; • learning opportunities are well planned; • pupils are very active participants and are given regular opportunities to reflect upon their learning, discuss it with others and then move on; • teachers constantly challenge pupils’ thinking and understanding; • teachers use a wide variety of teaching and learning styles; and • teachers make excellent use of ICT, both to enable the pupils to visualise their learning but also as a tool to enhance pupils’ interest and motivation.

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Commentary

22. Where teaching and learning are not quite so highly effective, lack of challenge and interest causes pupils to lose concentration and the pace of learning drops from its otherwise high levels.

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Commentary

23. The teaching of children in the Foundation Stage is good because effective planning, assessment and target setting strategies are in place to support children’s learning. Teaching and support staff work well together as a team to help the children learn.

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Commentary

24. In the rest of the school, there have been some good developments in the effective use of assessment, especially in English and mathematics where assessment information is used effectively to set targets for all pupils and to match the teaching to pupils’ learning needs. In these subjects, marking explains to pupils what they need to do to improve their work. There Tunbury Primary School - 14 is a whole-school system for assessment in science but it does not give enough information about the progress of individual pupils. In several subjects, such as history, there are not whole-school assessment systems. Tunbury Primary School - 15 25. The quality of the presentation of pupils’ work is consistently good throughout the school. Teachers have high expectations and ensure that pupils take care when undertaking their written work in books. Nearly all pupils’ work is marked. Some marking is of good quality.

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Commentary

This enables pupils to have a clear understanding of how well they have achieved and also gives clues as to what they need to do in order to improve. However, this practice is not firmly established across the school. Pupils have sufficient opportunities to work collaboratively. This they did well. All pupils, even the very young, are able to work co-operatively together and share ideas and materials.

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Commentary

26. The school has a good homework policy, which is used consistently and rigorously across the school and teachers regularly follow up homework in lessons.

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The curriculum

The school offers a broad curriculum, with the balance weighted towards English and Mathematics. There are very good opportunities for pupils to use literacy, numeracy and ICT across the curriculum. The curriculum meets the statutory requirements to teach the subjects of the National Curriculum, religious education, health and sex education.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• There is an effective programme for personal, social, health and citizenship education. • Equality and access, for all pupils to the curriculum is good. • The school provides well for pupils who have special educational needs. • There is a good level of enrichment in the curriculum. • The good use of ICT as part of the curriculum for other subjects. • Some lessons in Years 1 to 6 are too long and pupils lose interest in their learning. • In some subjects, there is a lack of independent work involving enquiry and research.

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Commentary

27. Since the last inspection, the school has worked diligently to improve the provision for ICT and now all strands of this area are covered by the ends of Year 2 and Year 6. Improvements have also been made to the design and technology curriculum and the design element is now taught throughout the school. As a result of these improvements pupils now make good progress in both subjects.

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Commentary

28. The school has long-term curriculum maps, which reflect a broad curriculum. There is an emphasis on the teaching of literacy and numeracy and this is having a positive impact on raising standards. In some subjects, there is a lack of opportunities for independent work that limits pupil’s involvement in developing their enquiry and research skills. The school has begun to make satisfactory cross-curricular links between subjects and good use is made of ICT across the curriculum. This allows pupils to develop, then use and apply the skills they learn in discrete ICT. Good use is particularly made of Internet websites, which enhances curriculum delivery in many subjects. The school has made good provision for the teaching of a modern foreign language and French is taught right across the school and the curriculum includes a visit to France for Year 5 pupils.

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Commentary

29. A rigorous analysis of pupils’ test papers has been undertaken and this has identified areas of strength and areas for development. The school has made good use of this information to improve the quality of their curriculum. An example of this being the way that a whole school policy has now been developed to improve the quality of pupils’ independent writing

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Commentary

30. Pupils with special educational need benefit a curriculum that is carefully matched to their needs. This contributes to these pupils achieving well during lessons. Tunbury Primary School - 16 31. The provision for personal, health, social and citizenship education is good. It ensures that pupils are developing confidence and responsibility, learning to play an active roll as citizens, and developing a healthy lifestyle. The school is particularly effective at developing good relationships, and pupils regularly get the opportunity to discuss their views, concerns and feelings. The teaching programme includes sex education and relationships education and drug and alcohol abuse. There are satisfactory arrangements in place to prepare pupils for their transfer to secondary education.

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Commentary

32. Parents receive termly documentation that shows curriculum coverage for each year group and this allows them to support their children at home. Documents and curriculum workshop sessions have been produced and run to support parents in helping children with their reading, spelling and mathematics.

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Commentary

33. There are plenty of opportunities to represent the school in sporting and musical events and there is a wide range of extra curricular activities that are well attended by pupils. The school has a very good focus on developing pupils sporting abilities and attends local and county sporting events. Appropriate educational visits support learning and good use is made of the local environment. The curriculum is also enriched through a number of visitors to the school that have specialist knowledge, such as sports coaches, authors and musicians.

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Commentary

34. The quality and range of learning opportunities for pupils in the Foundation Stage are good and the children are able to take part in a wide range of activities and experiences.

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Commentary

35. There is a good level of staffing by teachers with the necessary qualifications and experience. Also, there is a good provision of support staff who have significant skills in developing pupils’ learning. Resources are generally good across the curriculum and good use is made of them in lessons. Accommodation is good and well maintained. Outside the grounds are spacious and include large play areas for team games. There are safe indoor and outdoor spaces for the youngest pupils.

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Care, guidance and support

Arrangements to ensure pupils’ care, welfare, health and safety are very good. The provision for support and guidance is good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The school takes very good care of pupils and takes good account of their views. • There are good arrangements for monitoring pupils' achievements and supporting their development.

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Commentary

36. The school takes very good care of pupils' medical, social, and emotional needs. The staff make sure that all pupils are secure and confident to get on with their learning. There are effective procedures for child protection and very good arrangements for health and safety. There is very good provision for first aid and staff make sure that pupils learn and play safely. The school regularly checks the premises for hazards and improvements are made where necessary. There are good arrangements to help new pupils settle into school. Pupils are confident there is someone to turn to if they have problems, and the school takes good account of their views and concerns both formally and informally.

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Commentary

37. Achievements are regularly celebrated and this builds pupils’ confidence and enthusiasm. Pupils who need extra help are given good support. Teaching assistants are trained well, and provide good additional support for pupils’ personal development and learning. Pupils get extra help with a good range of additional programmes including booster classes in mathematics, and extra support with reading and writing. Tunbury Primary School - 17 38. Pupils’ personal development is monitored well. Staff know the pupils well. They are quick to note where pupils need extra help and they provide many opportunities for pupils to build confidence and practice their social skills. There is good support from outside agencies. There are additional programmes to help some pupils improve co-ordination, fine motor skills, and concentration. Pupils with emotional, social, and behavioural problems are given good

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Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

The school has a very good partnership with parents so they can support their children’s education. There are good links with the community and a satisfactory partnership with other schools.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The information provided for parents about the school and their children’s progress is very good. • The school works closely with parents so they can support their children's education • Parents are involved and give good support to the school’s work. • Links with the community provide a good range of opportunities to enrich the pupils' education and support their personal development.

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Commentary

39. The school keeps parents very well informed about what is going on through monthly newsletters, notices, and meetings. The prospectus, governors’ annual report, and website provide a good summary of the school's aims, provision, and achievements. Parents are kept well informed about what is taught and how they can help. The vast majority of parents are pleased with the arrangements for keeping them informed about their children's progress. In particular, the teachers are readily accessible and parents feel welcome in school. This gives them the confidence to ask questions and get involved. End- of- year reports are good.

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Commentary

40. The school encourages parents to raise concerns, and keep the school well informed about their children. The school has surveyed parents’ views on matters such as school meals and the travel plan. The vast majority of parents are confident that the school takes good account of their suggestions. There are good procedures for introducing parents and their children to the school. The arrangements for homework are good. Many parents encourage their children to take part in after school activities. Open evenings are very well attended and many parents support their children at class assemblies, plays, and concerts. Many parents help in school particularly with the younger pupils. A very active school association organises social events and raises significant funds. The school continually looks for ways to help parents to get involved, such as the regular curriculum evenings and maths workshops.

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Commentary

41. There are good links with the community. The Medway Business Partnership organises speakers and sponsors activities such as the ECO engineer’s kit car competition. Staff from BUPA help with pupils’ reading. The Baptist minister takes assemblies and the pupils visit the church. The pupils visit the theatre, museums, and other places of historical interest. Many visitors to the school including authors, musicians, and historians, broaden pupils’ first hand experience and significantly raise their interest in learning. The band and choir take part in the Leeds Castle concert, and pupils visit Rochester Cathedral for the Christingle Service. Year 4 pupils go swimming at Larkfield Leisure Centre. REAL 60 football club and Adults Keep Fit use the school facilities.

p.17

Commentary

42. There is a satisfactory partnership with other schools. There is a good link with Aylesford secondary school to promote sport, and the pupils take part in sport fixtures with other local schools. Teachers share expertise and training with the Malling Schools Cluster and there is a good partnership with Canterbury Christ Church University for initial teacher training. Work experience students help in school. There are good arrangements to help pupils and parents choose secondary schools, and for pupils to have a smooth transfer between schools. Tunbury Primary School - 18

p.17

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The leadership and management of the school are good. The headteacher provides good leadership and management. The leadership and management shown by other key staff is also good. The governance of the school is good and all statutory requirements are met. The school is effective in working to ensure any barriers to learning are overcome.

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The headteacher provides a clear sense of purpose and direction to the work of the school. • The governing body provides good support and effective challenge for the school. • Induction procedures for new staff are very good. • The school’s self – evaluation and its use are good. • Very good financial management brings about improvements and benefits to pupils.

p.18

Commentary

43. The headteacher has worked effectively to provide a positive and purposeful education direction for the school. Her capacity to manage change is good and the under her leadership the school has made good improvements since the last inspection. For example, standards have risen in ICT and the range of extracurricular activities provided by the school is now good. The headteacher’s vision for the school, and her determination to enhance facilities for the pupils, have led to significant improvements in teaching and learning as well as raising standards in subject areas such as ICT. The headteacher has created a positive ethos where pupils feel secure and all staff share a common purpose. She has a clear view of the improvements she wants to implement and is currently working with the senior management team to improve the quality of assessment in several subjects.

p.18

Commentary

44. The governing body is aware of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. The governing body has efficient committees that meet regularly and has effective involvement in the school’s annual strategic planning. The chair of governors is knowledgeable about the school and is committed to ongoing school improvements.

p.18

Commentary

45. The school has managed effectively the significant turn over of staff during recent years by making use of well- documented staff induction procedures. There is very good provision for the induction of new staff and very effective support for professional development of all staff, an achievement recognised during the school’s recent Investor in People re-assessment. The newly qualified teachers in the school are well supported and receive very good help and advice from experienced colleagues.

p.18

Commentary

46. The school has in place good systems for performance management and good management processes. Information about the school’s performance is gained from an analysis of test data and tracking of every individual pupil to monitor progress in English and mathematics. Any pupil under-achievement is identified and the school puts into place appropriate support.

p.18

Financial information for the year April 2003 to March 2004

Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 1,427,166 Balance from previous year 295,684 Total expenditure 1,333,786 Balance carried forward to the next 88,380

p.18

Financial information for the year April 2003 to March 2004

Expenditure per pupil 2,550 Tunbury Primary School - 19 47. The school has effectively used its financial resources to bring about improvements and benefits for pupils. The medium – term school improvement plan effectively planned and costed for a purpose built unit for the Foundation Stage in order to remove mobile classrooms and improve provision for children in the early years.

p.18

Financial information for the year April 2003 to March 2004

48. The plan also provided for significant resources to be allocated for improving ICT provision and was one of the reasons why pupils’ competence in ICT is now good. Great care is taken in ensuring that the school gets best value for money. The school planned a surplus slightly larger than 5% of the budget in case building costs for the Foundation Stage exceeded estimates. The latest financial audit stated that finances were well managed.

p.19

Financial information for the year April 2003 to March 2004

49. The school has effective management systems in place and has successfully retained its Investor in People accreditation following a successful reassessment. Tunbury Primary School - 20

p.19

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Provision for children in the foundation stage is good.

p.20

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

At the time of the inspection, the foundation stage classes had only just moved into new, purpose- built accommodation and the majority of the children had been in school for just three weeks. The new accommodation is well planned, spacious, light and airy with very good facilities for outdoor learning. There is a very good range of stimulating and attractive resources.

p.20

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

The staff are still in the process of developing ways to exploit the potential of the new facilities to maximise the development of pupils’ independent learning. Children join the school with attainment in line with national expectations for their ages but with particular strengths in language and personal social and emotional development. The headteacher and foundation stage leader share a clear vision for the development of the foundation stage and have created a very good staff team which shares a common understanding of the needs of young learners, is skilled at working with the pupils and is highly motivated and enthusiastic about their work. Staff use assessment well to plan for the next steps in children’s learning.

p.20

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Children with special educational needs make good progress during their time in the foundation stage. Children transfer to Tunbury Primary School from several local pre-schools that have well- established links with the school. There is a comprehensive induction programme to ensure that the children settle down happily. Foundation stage staff forge good links with the parents to ensure their involvement in the children’s learning and their understanding of the aims and methods of foundation stage education.

p.20

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

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

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The children are eager to learn and very well behaved. • The children make very good relationships with staff and with each other. • The children are confident and independent.

p.20

Commentary

50. Teaching and learning are good and every opportunity is taken to make the children feel safe and develop a sense of trust. The children come into school with above average levels of attainment in personal, social and emotional development. The teachers build on this and move the children on so that when they leave the foundation stage nearly every pupil has met the national expectations and many have exceeded these. The children’s achievement is very good.

p.20

Commentary

51. The children are enthusiastic and interested in lessons because teachers plan well and set high standards of behaviour. The children understand what is expected and live up to this. They listen attentively and are confident to speak in front of the whole class. For instance, the staff have taught the pupils to sit in a circle and in a class group. The children move between these different seating arrangements without any fuss and very quickly. They sit still, listen to each other, respond promptly to instructions and use resources carefully. Tunbury Primary School - 21 52. The children play cooperatively with each other, are considerate to each other and ready to help one another. For instance, two children helped another to get sand off her clothes and all the children in one class worked successfully in small groups to build large outdoor sculptures using natural materials. They listened to each other’s ideas, negotiated and compromised to

p.20

Commentary

achieve a group solution that everyone was happy with. The staff promote this social development by grouping the children on entry to school on the basis of established friendship groups and by modelling high levels of care, concern and respect for the children. The occasional times that children were upset, staff comforted them sensitively.

p.21

Commentary

53. In the child - initiated sessions they display high levels of independence. They move confidently around the whole setting, including the outdoor area, choose activities and organise their own resources. The staff support this independence and focus them on what they have learned in the sessions by encouraging the pupils to plan and review their work. The use of a digital camera and electronic whiteboard was excellent in stimulating the children to reflect on and talk about their work.

p.21

COMMUNICATION LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Provision in communication, language and literacy is very good .

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The children enter school with standards above national expectations in listening and speaking. • The teachers are very skilled at developing children’s spoken language and by the end of foundation stage, nearly all the pupils achieve the standards expected and many exceed these.

p.21

Commentary

54. Teaching is effective because staff are very skilled at asking probing questions which encourage the children to develop their thinking and express their thoughts and opinions. Children respond in complex sentences with clear articulation and ambitious vocabulary. For instance during an art lesson the teacher held up a picture of a cave-like sculpture by Andy Goldworthy and asked, “How do you feel when you look at this picture?” The responses included the following; “It feels as if on this page you are allowed right inside it”, “It feels comfortable”.

p.21

Commentary

55. Staff often ask the children to discuss their work in pairs. This is a good teaching technique because every child has to get involved and they all get much more opportunity to use language than if the exchange was always between child and teacher. After a paired talk activity, the teacher asked several children to feed back to the whole class what their partner had said. Thus, she sets up the expectation that the pupils listen attentively to each other and they do. The staff are skilled at maximising learning opportunities in language and literacy for the children. For instance, when they take the register they use different strategies. In one class, the children answered in Spanish or French. They spoke in clear voices with a good accent in both languages. In another, the teacher asked them to find and touch their own name on the electronic whiteboard. Children’s achievement is good.

p.21

Commentary

56. In reading, many children know that information can be gained from books. They listen to stories and rhymes with attention, understanding and enjoyment and relate stories to their play. During the inspection, children sequenced the events in the story of the Bear Hunt by making a large floor picture.

p.21

Commentary

57. The inspectors saw some good examples of children’s writing. Many of the older children are developing clear handwriting with well-formed letters. They use their developing knowledge of sounds to make phonetically plausible attempts at spelling words. This showed that the children are making good progress.

p.21

MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Tunbury Primary School - 22 Provision in mathematical development is good .

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The children are good at numbers and counting. • The quality of the direct teaching in mathematics is good.

p.22

Commentary

58. Teaching and learning are good and children achieve well. The children achieve higher levels of attainment than average in the numbers aspect of maths because teachers plan well and provide the children with a wide range of activities to encourage them to learn. Teachers introduce the correct mathematical vocabulary and link their teaching to what the children observe around them. Their attainment is in line with national expectations in calculating and shape, space and measures. In the lessons observed, the teachers made the activities fun for the children by linking the teaching to the story of Goldilocks and by using beautifully prepared resources. Children put three delightful model beds, three chairs and three bowls in order of size. They estimated and counted bear footprints to the house front door. They sorted little toy bears by colour and by size. They went outside and counted their own footsteps along a

p.22

Commentary

path to the wall. They parked the ride on toys in numbered spaces. All children achieve well.

p.22

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Provision in knowledge and understanding of the world is good .

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teachers make very good use of ICT to support pupils learning.

p.22

Commentary

59. The children’s progress in ICT is good because teachers plan well to provide stimulating learning experiences for them. They use the computer and the electronic whiteboard confidently and their achievement is good. They have experience of using a programmable toy and they know about digital cameras. In one lesson, the children took turns to talk to each other and to the teacher on a toy telephone.

p.22

Commentary

60. The children are developing a sense of place. During the inspection, teachers took them out on a bear hunt and the children were able to identify features of the school grounds on a pictorial map and showed confident knowledge of the school grounds.

p.22

Commentary

61. Most children are expected to reach the expected standards on entry to Year 1 because good teaching ensures that they achieve well and make good progress.

p.22

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Provision in creative development is good .

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The children have access to a range of stimulating resources for designing and making and for imaginative role-play during the pupil-initiated sessions. • The children are developing a wide repertoire of songs and sing with confidence, enjoyment and good memory for the words.

p.22

Commentary

Tunbury Primary School - 23 62. Children were observed in the pet corner caring for animals by feeding and stroking them. They used a diary to book animals in for appointments at the vet.

p.23

Commentary

63. Many children chose to make pictures and puppets during the pupil-initiated sessions. Their work was imaginative and showed they had a good understanding of colour and could use glue, scissors and collage materials confidently. Most children are in line to meet the expected standards in this area of learning by the start of Year 1. Their achievement is good.

p.23

Commentary

64. Teaching is good. Teachers plan imaginatively and have a good knowledge and understanding of the wide range of skills that children need in order to develop creatively in the early years. The teachers used many songs with the pupils throughout the day to enhance the learning in different subjects. For instance when the children were out on their bear hunt the teacher led the pupils in singing a song each time they stopped to read a new clue. The children responded confidently. All joined in and some of the older ones knew every word of every song.

p.23

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in physical development is good .

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The children are good at moving with confidence, control and awareness of space.

p.23

Commentary

65. Teaching and learning are good and the children achieve well. In a taught session in the school hall, children used their imagination well in making up a range of movements. They were able to spread out and use the space without bumping in to each other.

p.23

Commentary

66. Teachers plan the outdoor activities carefully to ensure children have opportunities to develop their balancing, climbing and moving skills. In child-initiated sessions, many children chose to work outside. They were able to climb up a climbing frame, balance on a low beam, attempt walking on stilts, pedal tricycles and jump with both feet together on landing. Most children are likely to attain the expected standard in this area of learning by the time they enter Year 1.

p.23

Commentary

67. Teachers are encouraging the children to think about healthy eating choices at fruit time. Tunbury Primary School - 24

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching and learning are good and pupils achieve well as a result of this. • Leadership of the subject is good. • Pupils have very good speaking and listening skills, which are developed well in English lessons across the school. • The focus that the school has had on pupils producing independent writing is having a positive impact on raising standards. • Teachers and pupils make very good use of ICT to support teaching and learning.

p.24

Commentary

68. At the end of Year 2 in the 2004 national tests, reading results were average when compared with all schools and writing results were below average. In comparison with similar schools, standards were well below national averages in reading and writing. Current standards show an improvement and most Year 2 pupils are attaining above average standards. Pupils’ achievement in Year 2 is good with all pupils achieving well, due to effective teaching. Achievement is also good in Year 1.

p.24

Commentary

69. Standards attained in English at the end of Year 6 in 2004 were in line with average standards attained nationally for all schools, but above average when compared with similar schools. The current Year 6 pupils are achieving well and reaching standards that are above national standards.

p.24

Commentary

70. Teaching and learning are never less then satisfactory and at times excellent. Teachers have very good subject knowledge and use a wide range of interactive teaching strategies to engage pupils, which leads to good learning. Pupils’ good behaviour, their attentive listening skills and good application to the tasks set are important factors contributing to their good achievement. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress, because they are well supported through targeted additional help from learning support assistants. The school has made satisfactory progress since the last inspection by maintaining the good teaching and learning, and pupils’ good achievement.

p.24

Commentary

71. Pupils read well and enjoy reading. They have a positive and enthusiastic attitude to improving their skills. In a Year 2, lesson pupils read fluently and with a good understanding and the more-able pupils are beginning to empathise with the characters in stories. In Year 6, pupils of all abilities read well and the more able use inference and deduction when answering questions about the text they are reading. Pupils in Year 6 regularly use the library, find books by classification and then use skimming and scanning techniques to find the information they require.

p.24

Commentary

72. Many opportunities are given for pupils to develop their speaking and listening skills, which are well above national expectations. In all lessons seen, pupils either read out their work and discussed how it could be improved, or discussed their learning. Pupils listened carefully to one another and made constructive comments. In a Year 5 lesson, groups of pupils working collaboratively were prompted to criticise a piece of descriptive writing based on the ‘Minotaur’ and pupils were able to identify and discuss in depth the lack of ambitious vocabulary, that there were too many short sentences due to a lack of connectives and that the work lacked a range of good quality sentence openers. Tunbury Primary School - 25 73. Independent writing has been a focus for the school and writing is taught well with pupils making good progress. Targets are set for pupils and marking explains to them what they

p.24

Commentary

need to do next to improve their work. In a Year 6 class, pupils were provided with a ‘writing toolkit’, which enabled them to use a range of descriptive techniques in their writing, such as personification, the use of metaphors and similes, and the use of alliteration. In lessons teachers often use the technique of shared writing, gathering ideas from pupils and then writing them down, but little use was seen of the modelling of writing, where the teachers write down their own ideas and explain them to pupils giving them a clear framework from which to work. All pupils are given the opportunity to explore a variety of genres and formats. Very good use was made of computers and interactive whiteboards by teachers and pupils to enhance teaching and learning in this subject.

p.25

Commentary

74. The English co-ordinators lead the subject well. The strengths and weaknesses of the subject have been recognised through effective monitoring and evaluation which include classroom observation, scrutiny of teachers’ planning, scrutiny of pupils’ work, and analysis of pupils’ assessments. Changes have been made to the curriculum, teaching and learning following this monitoring and evaluation and this is having a positive impact on raising standards in writing. The co-ordinators have led training on a number of different areas with the staff, such as assessment for learning and the use of a phonics programme.

p.25

Language and literacy across the curriculum

75. Very good links were seen between a range of subjects and literacy. For example, in a Year 1 history lesson, pupils used their recount skills to write about Guy Fawkes and pupils in a Year 5 design and technology lesson used a variety of literacy techniques to produce recipes for baking bread.

p.25

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The mathematics co-ordinator monitors the standards achieved by pupils throughout the school very well. • Achievement in mathematics for pupils in Years 1 to 6 is good. • Teachers’ subject knowledge is good. • Teachers’ planning is very good. • The teachers had very high expectations both of pupils’ behaviour and of the quality of the work that they achieved. • The positive impact of the initiatives designed to raise standards of mathematics.

p.25

Commentary

76. Standards attained in mathematics at the end of Year 2 in the 2004 national test were in line with standards attained nationally by all schools, but well below average, when compared with similar schools. However, the standards of the current Year 2 pupils are now close to the national average. Achievement is good with nearly all pupils, including those pupils who are gifted and talented, making good progress. The good achievement is a result of effective assessment practices where teachers identify what the pupils already know and match the teaching and learning appropriately to meet their assessed needs.

p.25

Commentary

77. Overall, the achievement of pupils in Years 3 to 6, is good. This good achievement is a result of effective teaching and good assessment practices, allowing teachers to match learning closely to pupils’ needs. These good practices and the setting of challenging activities mean that the gifted and talented pupils achieve very well. The achievement of pupils with special Tunbury Primary School - 26 educational needs is also good. Early identification and appropriate learning targets, together will good quality support from the learning support assistants, ensure that pupils with special educational needs make good progress and achieve well.

p.25

Commentary

78. Standards attained by the Year 6 pupils in 2004 were well above average in comparison to all schools. When compared to similar schools, the results were well above average. A significant feature of the standards is the high proportion of pupils who achieved the higher Level 5. The current Year 6 are on track to reach above - average standards by next summer. Standards have improved significantly since the last inspection. The impact of the continued implementation of the National Numeracy Strategy, the improved teaching, together with the very effective support from the subject co-ordinator, account for this improvement.

p.26

Commentary

79. Mathematics is taught in sets to pupils in Years 2 to 6, who have been grouped by similar ability. Overall, the quality of mathematics teaching is good. Teaching is good throughout the school with a significant proportion of very good teaching. In nearly all lessons, very good planning and the sharing of learning intentions with pupils had a positive impact upon pupils’ learning as it enabled most pupils to understand what they were going to learn. In a majority of lessons, teachers made very effective use of ICT, including using the interactive whiteboards and writing their own computer programs in order to support pupils’ learning and sustain their interest. Diagrams, charts and displays were used well by teachers to support the visual learners whilst well-placed breaks were included in a few lessons to help the pupils sustain their concentration and maintain an interest throughout the lesson. In response to

p.26

Commentary

teachers’ questions, the pupils were given numerous opportunities to discuss with each other what it was they were learning. This shared talk had a positive impact upon pupils’ learning as it encouraged all pupils to participate and share with their partner or group what it was that they were learning. Pupils of all ages, were highly skilled in describing their thinking and explaining the processes in response to pupils questions.

p.26

Commentary

80. In the very best lessons, teachers made very good use of their day-to-day assessment. Teachers modified their planning to take account of what the pupils had learnt from previous lessons. In a Year 2 top set, the teacher had identified a small group of 6 pupils who were not confident in halving and doubling. However, following focussed teacher input and practice on a computer program written by the teacher, the pupils made rapid progress and achieved as well as their peers later in the lesson. The teacher also provided increased challenge for the most-able pupils. This practice of providing for the assessed needs of all pupils was not consistently applied, for example in the Year 2 middle set; the teacher did not provide this increased challenge for the more able.

p.26

Commentary

81. Another notable feature of the best teaching was how the teachers made the learning challenging, pacy and fun. This kept the pupils highly motivated and on task. In the Year 6 top set and lower set, excellent use of ICT helped to maintain pupils’ interest but also acted as an aid to their learning. The top set pupils used the projected image to increase their knowledge and understanding of reflection and rotation, whilst the lower set used the visual frame to provide them with a means of successfully solving problems.

p.26

Commentary

82. Teachers always conclude their lessons with the recommended plenary session; however, on several occasions these plenaries were too short and did not allow the pupils sufficient opportunities to reflect upon what they had learnt and what it was that they had to learn in order to improve.

p.26

Commentary

83. Teachers and classroom assistants provide good support for pupils who have special educational needs. This ensures that these pupils make good progress and achieve well. The school employs a specialist teacher of mathematics to support the teaching in mathematics. This has a very positive impact upon the standards achieved. Tunbury Primary School - 27 84. All aspects of mathematics are planned for and taught. Appropriate attention is given to the teaching of number and problem solving. Whilst pupils are given opportunities to undertake investigations, these are often separate from the other aspects of mathematics and need to be fully integrated into the teaching of the other aspects.

p.26

Commentary

85. The subject is very well led by an enthusiastic subject co-ordinator. The co-ordinator has very good subject knowledge and undertakes thorough monitoring and evaluation of standards and analysis of test results. This has enabled her to have a real understanding of the strengths and weaknesses across the school and she has well-developed plans for further improvement. Practical steps are being taken to raise the attainment of those pupils who do not achieve the nationally expected levels of attainment. An imaginative initiative is one where Year 6 pupils act as mentors to support the learning of identified pupils in Year 3 and 4. The mentors are trained by the co-ordinator and once a week, at lunchtimes, provide effective support to the younger pupils. During the inspection, a Year 4 group was observed being supported to help pupils tell the time. The atmosphere was purposeful and fun and the pupils

p.27

Commentary

were all receiving benefit from being involved with this initiative. Parents are invited into school and provided with support in order to increase their own numeracy skills. Again, this initiative is proving to be popular and valuable and is having a positive impact upon the mathematics provision at the school.

p.27

Commentary

86. The co-ordinator has had no opportunities to undertake regular and thorough monitoring and evaluation of teaching and learning. However, there are plans for her to do so in the subject action plan. The co-ordinator provides very good support and advice for colleagues; colleagues value these activities. The co-ordinator also monitors teachers’ planning and examines samples of pupils’ work.

p.27

Commentary

87. Resources for the teaching and learning of mathematics throughout the school are good. The school has made significant improvements since the last inspection in mathematics and is well set to continue to improve the quality of its mathematics provision in order to raise standards even further.

p.27

Mathematics across the curriculum

88. Effective examples of the application of mathematics across the curriculum were observed in measuring and data handling in science and ICT lessons. Pupils make very good use of their numeracy skills in other subjects.

p.27

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards are above the national average at the end of Year 6. • Achievement is good. • Good use of ICT enhances learning. • Committed and knowledgeable subject leaders help raise standards. • The quality of teaching is good and has improved since the last inspection. • There is insufficient focus on teaching of scientific enquiry skills. • Opportunities for pupils to work independently are limited.

p.27

Commentary

89. Pupils’ achievements are good overall and all pupils make good progress including those who have special educational needs, as well as high-attaining pupils. Standards have been maintained since the last inspection and are still above average at the end of Year 6. Taking the performance of both boys and girls over the last three years from 2002 to 2004 their Tunbury Primary School - 28 results in the national science tests has been consistently above the national average. This is because pupils are keen to learn, the quality of teaching is good and effective use is made of available resources including ICT. Because of timetabling and a main focus of the inspection on reading, writing and mathematics standards in Years 1 and 2, it was not possible to see many lessons in science and therefore it was not possible to make a secure judgement on provision and teaching and learning. However, scrutiny of pupils’ work, curriculum planning,

p.27

Commentary

discussions with co-ordinators strongly indicate that standards of attainment are in line with nationally expected levels.

p.28

Commentary

90. Since the last inspection, the use of ICT has contributed well to the good standards in science and pupils are given opportunities to use programs and equipment that enhances their knowledge and understanding of science.

p.28

Commentary

91. There are two subject leaders for science, one for Years 1 and 2, and one for Years 3 to 6, and this sharing of responsibility ensures that the learning needs of all pupils are well provided for. Planning is carried out by class teachers and then overseen by both co-ordinators who check for continuity and progression in science. Both subject leaders are scientists and this is of great value to the school because they have a clear idea of standards and are aware of areas for improvement, such as providing pupils with more opportunities to develop their investigative skills. They monitor pupils’ work regularly but do not monitor teaching and learning. There is a common format for assessment of science but this does not allow opportunities for comments on individual pupils.

p.28

Commentary

92. In the majority of lessons seen, teaching is good or better. Teachers’ questioning is very good, often leading pupils on to a higher level of thinking. Instructions are clear and the introductions to the lessons are presented in a way that encourages pupils to take part enthusiastically. Teachers’ knowledge is good. New concepts are introduced confidently to the pupils and this helps them to achieve a clear understanding. Pupils are able to talk confidently about what they know, and evidence from books show sound knowledge and clear explanations of the concepts learned. There is little opportunity, however, for pupils to plan their work independently. Investigations are often teacher led with limited opportunities for pupils to be responsible for their own learning. In some of the work books seen, marking is carried out effectively with comments relating to the work set and relevant questions intended

p.28

Commentary

to take pupils’ understanding further. This is not the case in all books, however.

p.28

Commentary

93. Pupils work well together. They are enthusiastic about the tasks they are given and are generally focused on what they are doing. In Year 2, pupils demonstrate a clear understanding of the concepts they are learning and have enough background knowledge to allow them to access new knowledge confidently. In a Year 5 class where the pupils had learned about evaporation, they were able to explain that evaporation was a change of state. In a Year 3 class, where pupils were testing to find the most absorbent material, they were able to talk confidently about their investigation and show understanding of how they make their test fair. They were able to explain their results giving scientific reasons.

p.28

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

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

p.28

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards in Years 2 and 6 are above national expectations. • Very good improvement since the last inspection when standards in ICT were judged to be unsatisfactory. • Subject leadership is very good. The co-ordinator has very good subject knowledge and provides very good support and training to colleagues. Tunbury Primary School - 29 • Consistently good standards of teaching across the school. • Improved resources including the development of an ICT suite. • Good use of ICT in other subjects.

p.28

Commentary

94. Standards have improved considerably since the last inspection and by Year 6, standards of attainment in ICT are above the national expectations. Pupils in Year 6 confidently and accurately manipulate text, import pictures from the Internet, handle data and use graphics. They have a good understanding of safe use of the Internet. Most combine and amend different forms of information from the Internet. The more able understand how to create hyperlinks.

p.29

Commentary

95. Younger children are now beginning to gain from the investment in ICT and there is good use of the information and communication technology suite by the younger pupils. Many pupils are able to control a device by writing a set of instructions to make it do what they wanted. Achievement in ICT is now good.

p.29

Commentary

96. The teachers’ improved confidence, following effective training and the provision of good support from the subject co-ordinator, has resulted in good teaching across the school. Some very good teaching was observed. Teachers have good subject knowledge and high expectations of pupils’ achievement. Good explanations by the teachers result in good achievement by the pupils. Teachers share examples of high achievement with the rest of the class and, as a result, more pupils achieved well. In Year 2, the teachers allowed pupils to investigate, this resulted in moments of excitement when groups produced visually pleasing shapes. The teacher celebrated this achievement and allowed the pupils to describe to their peers what they had done.

p.29

Commentary

97. The improved resources have transformed the subject since the last inspection. The school has invested in an ICT technician who provides good support for both the teachers and pupils in the ICT suite. When working in the ICT suite, the pupils display high levels of interest and confidence. Many can describe what they are learning clearly. The learning environment within the ICT is enhanced with quality displays of pupils’ work.

p.29

Commentary

98. The enthusiastic co-ordinator acts as a good role model for other staff and has provided considerable support to her colleagues, both through providing training but also in the provision of good advice and support with planning. She has designed and manages the schools own web site. This provides useful information for parents and others but also has examples of pupils work. She is establishing an after school computer club where the pupils will begin to redesign the website making it more child friendly.

p.29

Information and communication technology across the curriculum

99. Teachers use ICT well in their lessons for other subjects. They use interactive whiteboards and multi media projectors well to display learning intentions to help pupils visualise their learning and to help pupils remain on task and sustain concentration. The school has plans to increase the number of interactive whiteboards across the school. Digital cameras are also used well to support learning. The overall use of ICT across the curriculum is good. There has been good progress made in linking with literacy, mathematics, science and art and design lessons.

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HUMANITIES

100. The humanities, consisting of history, geography and religious education, were not a main focus during the inspection. Only one lesson was observed in history and geography, and only one lesson was seen in religious education. It is not possible to form an overall judgement about the school’s provision in these subjects or the quality of teaching and learning but there are strong indications, based on curriculum planning, analysis of pupils’ Tunbury Primary School - 30 work and discussions with subject leaders, that standards of attainment are in line with nationally expected levels.

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HUMANITIES

101. History and geography are taught in blocks as part of a rolling programme. An appropriate range of topics is covered within each subject and pupils have adequate opportunities to develop the relevant skills and understanding. Teachers plan using national guidelines. A result of the way that the subject is planned means that there are considerable lengths of time when pupils are not receiving any history or geography. This is likely to have a negative impact upon their achievement, as teachers need to revise past learnt skills before they can develop new ones.

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HUMANITIES

102. The curriculum for religious education is based on the locally agreed syllabus. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 are developing an understanding of the basic beliefs of Christianity and learn of the significance of bible characters through stories. By the end of Year 6, pupils are able to compare Christian beliefs with those of other religions such as Islam. The school has been without a subject leader for some time and the headteacher has filled the role. The headteacher has monitored lessons and pupils’ books since taking on the role.

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HUMANITIES

103. The history and geography curriculum is enriched by ‘theme days’. For example, pupils in Year 5 had a very successful Victorian Day. A wide range of visits and visitors to the school these include visits to Rochester and Maidstone Museums, Lullingstone Villa and Hampton Court. Both history and geography subject leaders support their colleagues by monitoring their planning and standards in pupils’ book. They have had no opportunities to monitor the quality of teaching and learning. As yet, there are no whole-school systems to assess pupils learning in history.

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HUMANITIES

104. Resources for the teaching of history are sufficient they include a range of artefacts and resource books. However, some of these are tired and old and are in need of replacement.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

105. Inspectors did not see any music lessons in Years 1 and 2 and only saw two lessons in Years 3 to 6 so there is insufficient evidence to make firm judgements about teaching and standard. There is a comprehensive teaching programme for music and it is taught throughout the school.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

106. The quality of singing across the school was satisfactory. The provision of a choir has helped to improve the quality of singing in the upper years since the previous inspection. Pupils have regular opportunities to sing in public at whole-school concerts and to rehearse and improve their singing. The quality of singing across the school was satisfactory. The provision of a choir has helped to improve the quality of singing in the upper years since the previous inspection. Pupils have regular opportunities to sing in public at whole-school concerts and to rehearse and improve their singing. Pupils in Year 3 composed a soundscape to enhance a short story. They listened attentively to music and were able to talk about the characteristics of several short excerpts of expressive music. Pupils are offered instrumental tuition on wide range of brass, woodwind and string instruments. The pupils are then able to practise and

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

enhance their musical skills by playing in the junior or senior band. All Year 3 pupils are taught to play the recorder for a term and are then offered the opportunity to continue playing and attend a recorder club after school.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

107. The subject leader works closely with a Year 6 teacher to choose an exciting repertoire of new songs to learn in order to motivate all the pupils. Teachers could now benefit from some professional development on how to improve the quality of singing still further by teaching the pupils good technique. Leadership and management in music is satisfactory. The subject leader has monitored the quality of planning for music and ensured that all pupils receive a

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

broad curriculum. She has good subject knowledge and enthusiasm for the subject. She Tunbury Primary School - 31 would now benefit from the opportunity to work alongside colleagues, modelling good music teaching and coaching less experienced colleagues.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

108. Only one lesson was observed in art and design , in Year 6, and therefore it is not possible to make an overall judgement on the quality of provision. Evidence from planning and work scrutiny as well as displays and photographic evidence show that standards are at least in line with those expected nationally at the ends of Years 2 and 6. Discussions with pupils demonstrate they have a good knowledge of the styles used by different artists. Year 3 pupils were able to discuss the work of Bridget Riley and produced a good display of patterns in art using colour and tone. Pupils in Year 5 used Clarice Cliff as a stimulus to create colourful plates. In Year 6, pupils effectively designed and made three-dimensional facemasks. The art co-ordinator has a development plan for the subject and is reviewing the planning for Years 1 and 2 and has recently started gathering evidence to include in a portfolio of pupils’

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

work. The range of work shows clearly that pupils’ cultural knowledge is improved greatly by what they completed in art.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

109. In design and technology , no lessons were observed and therefore, no judgements can be made about standards, achievement or teaching and learning in this subject. Discussions with the design and technology coordinator and scrutiny of the many samples of work on display in the school showed that pupils are using a range of materials and techniques. They are developing the subject skills through designing, making and evaluating a variety of products.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

110. Design and technology is well led. The subject leader makes sure there is a good stock of resources that allow all pupils to carry out the activities planned. The subject leader reviews these once a year. There is some use of ICT in the form of control modelling.

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Physical education

Provision in physical education is very good .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Leadership and management of the subject is good. • Teaching and learning was good in the lessons seen. • The pupils took part with controlled enthusiasm and standards of their work are above national expectations. • Pupils have the opportunity to attend a wide range of extra- curricular provision.

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Commentary

111. Standards of pupils work in both Year 2 and Year 6 are above national expectations and pupils achieve well. Pupils in Year 6 carefully create and perform dances using a range of steps and movements based on a rhythmical pattern. During a Year 6 games lesson, pupils applied well the dodging and marking skill that they had learned in a netball game. Pupils in a Year 2 gym lesson created a sequence involving a balance and a variety of rolls, which they then evaluated well. Year 4 pupils go swimming and the majority achieve national standards in with a number achieving above the national standards. Pupils with special educational needs are involved in all the lessons and make good progress.

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Commentary

112. Teachers carefully explain the learning objectives to pupils, which results in pupils understanding what they are expected to learn. Instructions and demonstrations by teachers are very clear, as in the Year 2 gym lesson when a teacher perfectly modelled a symmetrical roll, which pupils were then able to copy. Teachers offer good levels of challenge and pupils are encouraged to evaluate the quality of their work, which leads to an improvement in the standards of pupils’ skills and understanding. Teachers have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour as well as of their learning, and pupils rise to these. They collaborate well when Tunbury Primary School - 32 practising skills and work well together in teams. Pupils are enthusiastic and enjoy the different areas of this subject.

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Commentary

113. Much work as been carried out by the subject leaders working with the secondary school teacher linked to the new national initiative on raising standards in this subject. Recently subject leaders have carried out monitoring and evaluation, including the scrutiny of planning and observation of lessons. Evaluations from this monitoring have been fed back to staff and used in school development planning. The subject leaders and LEA staff have led teachers in professional development in dance and gym and this has had a positive impact on teaching and standards in both areas.

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Commentary

114. There is a good range of resources covering all strands of the subject and they are well stored and easily accessible. The two playgrounds, good-sized field, and two halls provide good facilities for pupils to experience a wide range of activities. The school now offers a wide range of extra curricular sport, which includes football, netball, Kwik cricket, hockey, short tennis, table tennis, athletics and tag rugby. Pupils have the opportunity to represent the school in a number of sporting fixtures against other schools.

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Commentary

115. There has been good improvement since the last inspection when standards, teaching and resources were judged to be satisfactory. All these areas are now good. The school recently gained the Active Gold award.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

116. Personal, social, health and citizenship education (PSHCE) could not be inspected in detail, and only one lesson was observed. However, discussions with pupils and staff, scrutiny of documentation, and observation of activities around school suggest the provision is at least good.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

117. There is a comprehensive programme of work. Timetabled classes are supplemented with activities outside class. Together they ensure that pupils are developing confidence and responsibility. They are learning to play an active role as citizens, and they are developing a healthy lifestyle. The teaching programme includes sex and relationships education, and drug and alcohol abuse. The Life Education Bus, and visiting theatre group make a good contribution to drugs education. Parents have been kept well informed about PSHCE through a curriculum evening.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

118. Two teachers lead and monitor this provision well. The school has received the Healthy Schools Award. Healthy eating continues to be promoted through fruit snacks, and the school travel plan has been successfully completed. The school is confidently working towards an eco friendly award, with recycling, composting, and litter picking projects. The school council is well established and representatives take their responsibilities seriously. Many visitors from the community broaden pupils’ understanding of citizenship. The school is particularly effective at developing good relationships, and pupils regularly get the opportunity to discuss their views, concerns, and feelings.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

119. One lesson was observed. This Y ear 5 lesson on drugs education was taught well. Pupils contributed sensibly to the role-plays and discussion. They were confident and articulate. They respected each other’s contributions and improved their confidence to withstand peer pressure on such things as drugs. Tunbury Primary School - 33

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The overall effectiveness of the school 3

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

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities (ethos) 2

Attendance 3 Attitudes 2 Behaviour, including the extent of exclusions 2 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 3

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The quality of education provided by the school 3

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

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The leadership and management of the school 3

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

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The leadership and management of the school 3

Inspectors make judgements on a scale: excellent (grade 1); very good (2); good (3); satisfactory (4); unsatisfactory (5); Tunbury Primary School - 34 poor (6); very poor (7).

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