Warthill Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

WARTHILL CE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 31 January – 1 February 2005

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WARTHILL CE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 Warthill CE 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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WARTHILL CE 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. Warthill CE Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Primary School category: Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils: 4 – 11 Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 25

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Warthill York North Yorkshire Postcode: YO19 5XL

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Telephone number: 01904 489296 Fax number: 01904 489296

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body Name of chair of governors: Councillor Clare Wood

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 30 November – 2 December 1998

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

Warthill CE Primary School is a very small school with 25 pupils aged four to eleven on roll. There are significant variations in the number of pupils in different year groups ranging from one to six. The school serves the villages of Warthill and Holtby, and the surrounding area. Pupils are from a variety of social backgrounds, all are of white British background and none speaks English as an additional language. Two pupils have been identified as having special educational needs and there are no statements. None of the pupils are eligible for free school meals. Most children entering the school have had limited pre-school education. Their attainment on entry is very varied from one year to another and overall is slightly below average.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

There are two classes. The first caters for pupils aged four to seven and covers the Foundation Stage and Years 1 and 2. Currently, there are three children in the Foundation Stage and nine in Years 1 and 2. The second class caters for pupils aged seven to eleven and covers Years 3 to 6. At present there are 13 pupils in this class. The school has received achievement awards in 2002 and 2003 as well as the Basic Skills Quality Mark and local education authority Special Educational Needs Quality Mark. It has been placed in the local education authority ‘highly effective schools’ category for the past two years.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

The school has just started to work alongside another small school as a confederation. The headteacher of Warthill School has been appointed as headteacher of the confederation and as a result will no longer have the role of class teacher. This inspection focuses entirely on the provision made at Warthill School. Warthill CE Primary School - 4

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

1718 Kay Charlton Lead inspector Foundation Stage English Information and communication technology Geography History Physical education Religious education 9348 Mary Le Mage Lay inspector 1516 Michael Warman Team inspector Special educational needs Mathematics Science Art and design Design and technology 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). Warthill CE 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 10

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

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OVERALL EVALUATION

Warthill CE Primary School is a very good school. Pupils of different ages and abilities achieve very well and attain very high standards. Overall, the quality of teaching and learning is very good. The leadership and management are very good. Although inevitably in a very small school the costs per pupil are high, the school gives good value for money.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are: • Pupils achieve very well in English, mathematics, science, and in information and communication technology. • Pupils are treated as individuals, and staff challenge and support those of different abilities very well. • Pupils’ personal development is very good and they show very good levels of maturity by Year 6. • Strong leadership provides clear direction and high aspirations for all pupils within the school’s Christian ethos. • The school provides very good levels of care and support. • The curriculum is organised very well to take account of the small school situation. • Provision for children in the Foundation Stage is good but still could be improved.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school has made good improvement since its previous inspection. The quality of teaching has improved and standards in English, mathematics and science have improved at a greater rate than the national trend. All the key issues from the last inspection have been addressed with very good improvement in information and communication technology. The school’s provision for children in the Foundation Stage continues to be good and further improvements can still be made in this aspect of the school’s work.

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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* A A A mathematics A A A B science A* A A C 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 6. Caution is needed in interpreting the results because of the very small numbers of pupils involved.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Overall, pupils’ achievements are very good.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Over the last five years the school’s results in English, mathematics and science have been consistently well above the national average and at times in the A* category, that is in the top five per cent in the country, for pupils aged eleven. When the results are compared with similar schools, they are generally very good. They are particularly impressive in comparison with the children’s attainment on entry to school which, taken overall, is just below average. The results for seven- year-olds are not quite as consistent as those for eleven-year-olds, but they still show that pupils make very good progress, achieve very well and standards are generally very high. The inspection findings confirm this picture of pupils achieving very well in English, mathematics and science by the end of Year 2 and Year 6 and as a result standards are well above those expected. The current Year 6 are on course to attain the challenging targets set by the school in English, mathematics and

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

science for 2005. Warthill CE Primary School - 7 Warthill CE Primary School - 8 The youngest children, who are in the Foundation Stage, make a good start to their education and achieve well. The majority have had limited pre-school education but once they start school they quickly catch up with children of the same age. By the end of the Foundation Year almost all attain the expected goals and a significant number exceed them. Nevertheless, children’s achievements are not as good as in other year groups in the school and more can still be achieved.

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Overall, pupils’ personal qualities, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural

development, are very good. Their cultural development is good. Pupils behave very well and have very positive attitudes to school and learning. Relationships are very good and pupils of different ages get on very well together. Attendance rates are well above the national average and pupils arrive at school on time.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The quality of education is very good. Teaching is very good and this leads to very good quality learning. There is consistently very good and sometimes excellent teaching in Years 3 to 6. Teaching in Years 1 and 2 is very good and that of the children in the Foundation Stage is good. Throughout the school, teachers provide a high level of individual support to pupils and give them confidence as learners. Work is very carefully matched to each pupil’s levels of understanding so that they are challenged very effectively. Staff have particularly high expectations of pupils who are in Years 3 to 6. Very effective provision supports those pupils with special educational needs and those who have been identified as gifted or talented. The teaching in the Foundation Stage is good overall but, because of limitations in space, opportunities for children to extend their learning are lost.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The curriculum is very good and enriched by a wide range of interesting activities. Very effective links are made between subjects. Provision for pupils’ care, guidance and support is very good and pupils are very well supported in their learning. The involvement of pupils in the life of the school by seeking and acting on their views is good. There is a very good partnership with parents, and good links with other schools and the community.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The leadership and management of the school are very good overall. The headteacher, along with key staff, provides very effective leadership. She has high aspirations for pupils of all abilities and actively promotes the school’s strong Christian ethos. Governance, and also the school’s management systems, are good. Teachers have very enthusiastically taken on the role of co- ordinators to ensure key developments have been implemented successfully. They have worked together very well to match the requirements of the Foundation Stage curriculum and the National Curriculum to the needs of a very small school and also to ensure that significant development has taken place in the provision for information and communication technology. Monitoring systems are good. Overall, resources are good and the accommodation is satisfactory. However, the accommodation places particular constraints on the provision in the Foundation Stage. The school

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

improvement plan highlights the need to provide more space for the youngest children and governors have set aside capital to undertake major development work. All statutory requirements are met.

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Parents are very satisfied with the school and pupils are proud of their school. Pupils indicate that they have to work hard and they get help when they are stuck.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

The most important thing the school should do to improve is: • Improve the provision for children in the Foundation Stage. Warthill CE Primary School - 9

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Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

Overall, pupils make very good progress and achieve very well. By Years 2 and 6 they attain standards well above those expected. Girls and boys achieve equally well.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils of different abilities achieve very well in English, mathematics, science and in information and communication technology. • Children achieve well in the Foundation Stage but not as well as in other year groups. • Those pupils identified as having special educational needs and those who are more able are very well supported so that they achieve very well. • Pupils achieve very well in religious education and this makes a strong contribution to their personal development.

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Commentary

1. Children make good progress and achieve well in the Foundation Stage. Their achievements, however, are not as good as they might be because of limitations in the provision. In personal, social and emotional development, communication, language and literacy, mathematical development, and knowledge and understanding of the world, children’s achievements are good. Their achievements in creative development are satisfactory. The area of physical development was not observed.

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Commentary

2. By Years 2 and 6, pupils’ achievements are very good. For the past five years the national test results for Year 6 in English, mathematics and science have consistently been well above the national average and often in the top five per cent in the country. Those for Year 2 have invariably been above average and at times well above average. Taken overall, since the time of the last inspection, the school’s results at the end of Year 6 have shown a trend of improvement that is better than the national trend. The current Year 6 pupils are achieving very well and are on course to reach the challenging targets set in English, mathematics and science for summer 2005. Given the wide range of attainment on entry to the school, the school’s performance is particularly impressive.

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Commentary

3. The inspection findings confirm that pupils achieve very well in English, mathematics and science and by Years 2 and 6 are attaining well above the levels expected. They achieve very well because there is a very systematic build up of their skills through the school and they receive a lot of individual attention.

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Commentary

4. In all aspects of English, pupils achieve very well. Pupils of all ages read with interest and show good understanding of the text for their age. They learn to write for a range of purposes and by the time they are in Years 5 and 6 there are examples of some good quality work. The development of pupils’ skills in speaking and listening is also very good and by Year 6, pupils are confident to speak at length, using a wide vocabulary and they show good appreciation of their audience. They say that they have developed their skills very well because others listen to what they have to say and because of the opportunities they have to speak in front of an audience, for example they tell others about their school on ‘Education Sunday’ at the parish church.

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Commentary

5. In mathematics, pupils achieve very well and many are very confident to work out problems independently. They are keen to explain different ways in which they work out answers. They say that they enjoy the challenges set in mathematics and their achievements reflect this. Warthill CE Primary School - 10 6. In science, there is a strong emphasis given to investigative science and this has a very positive impact on pupils’ learning.

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Commentary

7. In information and communication technology, pupils’ achievements are very good across the school and have significantly improved since the last inspection when they were unsatisfactory. Pupils are very confident to solve problems for themselves when using the computers and by Years 2 and 6, they attain above the expected levels.

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Commentary

8. In religious education, pupils show very good understanding about a range of different religions and by Year 6 pupils’ attainment is above the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus. The sensitive way in which pupils are encouraged to reflect and also discuss issues of a personal nature makes a significant contribution to their overall development.

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Commentary

9. The school provides a very inclusive learning environment and ensures equality of opportunity for all. Throughout all age groups, pupils with special educational needs and those who are more able receive very good support and overall their achievements are very good. More able pupils are well catered for and achieve well.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

Throughout the school, pupils’ attitudes to learning are very good and their behaviour is very good. Overall, pupils’ personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is very good. Pupils’ attendance is also very good, as is their punctuality. The school has maintained the high standards noted at the time of the previous inspection.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The school’s Christian values permeate its work. • Pupils are eager to learn and show interest in all school activities. • Pupils’ personal development is given high priority. The school builds pupils’ confidence and independence in a supportive and orderly atmosphere. • There are relatively few-first hand opportunities to promote pupils’ awareness of cultural diversity in Britain today.

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Commentary

10. The school’s values, founded on a strong Christian ethos, are successfully incorporated into all aspects of school life. This has a significant impact on pupils’ attitudes to learning, and they try hard and concentrate well on their work. Pupils of all abilities are very interested in their lessons and over time become confident learners with high self-esteem. Adults in the school know the pupils very well and relationships are very good. They are very effective at raising the self-esteem of any pupil who might lack confidence and they help pupils to understand their feelings and emotions, and the importance of learning from one’s mistakes.

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Commentary

11. Pupils’ personal development has a high priority and underpins all activities. Throughout the school, pupils are encouraged and supported to become independent and increasingly to take responsibility. Pupils know what is expected of them and respond very well. They readily accept responsibility for tasks and show pleasure in the achievements of others. As pupils progress through the school, more and more opportunities are presented to them to enable them to show initiative and take responsibility for their own learning. Homework for older pupils is often an open-ended task where pupils are encouraged and supported to use and apply the skills they have learnt in specific subjects to a wider project. There are very large elements of choice and personal responsibility in such activities.

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Commentary

12. There are clear strategies to help pupils develop socially and they respond to these very well. They are founded on self-discipline and the ability to make choices in life. Pupils work well together when paired for particular activities and they are polite, to each other, adults and Warthill CE Primary School - 11 visitors. The behaviour code is very well known by pupils who understand, and respect, the rewards and also the sanctions that are used. Staff work very well together as a team and consistently reinforce good behaviour. A small number of pupils find self-discipline difficult, but they are managed very well by staff in the school, so that learning of others is not affected. Overall, behaviour in the school is very good.

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Commentary

13. Pupils’ moral education is very good and they develop a very clear understanding of what is right and what is wrong. There is explicit teaching considering rights and responsibilities in different situations and pupils are also given opportunities to consider moral issues. Pupils learn respect for others and to appreciate that everyone is different. Their spiritual development is very good. Assemblies are reflective and pupils are encouraged to discover the value of prayer. They show wonder at their discoveries in science lessons and learn to respond to the beauty of the landscape on visits out of school, for example by talking about how they feel when looking at the view. Art lessons further contribute by helping to develop pupils’ self-expression as a foundation for spiritual development. Links with the parish church are used to advantage to support pupils’ spiritual development.

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Commentary

14. Pupils’ cultural development, although good overall, is limited in terms of the first-hand opportunities they have to learn about life in multicultural Britain. Visits to theatres, art galleries and museums and also visitors to school, for example a recent visit by an Indian dancer, are all used well to build up their understanding of different cultures. They have also developed very good knowledge of other faiths through their religious education lessons and school assemblies, but they have limited first-hand experience of different cultures in everyday life situations. The school is actively building up a range of visits and links with other schools to address this issue.

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Commentary

15. The positive approaches to learning cultivated by the school contribute to the very good level of attendance and punctuality at the school. There have been no unauthorised absence and no exclusions during the last reporting year.

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Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data 3.7 School data 0.0 National data 5.1 National data 0.4 The table gives the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

Teaching and learning are very good and so is assessment. The quality of the curriculum is very good as are the care, guidance and support given to pupils. The school has very good links with parents. Resources are good and the accommodation is satisfactory.

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Teaching and learning

The overall quality of teaching is very good. Assessment is very good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Staff match work very well to pupils’ levels of understanding. • Staff have high expectations of pupils. • They establish very supportive relationships and pupils are managed very well. • Teaching of English, mathematics and science is very good. • Teaching and learning in Years 3 to 6 are very strong. • Teaching in the Foundation Stage is good but not as good as in other year groups in the school. Warthill CE Primary School - 12 • Assessment is used very well to ensure pupils are suitably challenged.

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Commentary

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 14 lessons

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Commentary

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Commentary

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

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Commentary

16. Teaching is very good overall and this leads to very good learning. The quality of teaching in Years 1 to 6 is very good and sometimes excellent in Years 3 to 6. This is an improvement since the last inspection when teaching was judged to be good. The quality of teaching of children of the Foundation Stage continues to be good, as noted at the last inspection.

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Commentary

17. Throughout the school, staff plan lessons very thoroughly and match work carefully to pupils’ levels of understanding. In the small classes there is generally a very good level of discussion throughout the day and staff generally question pupils very well so that each pupil is challenged in their thinking, for example when the teacher questioned pupils in Years 1 and 2 about the properties of different mathematical shapes. In all age groups, a very good level of support is given to pupils who have been identified as having special educational needs. This ensures that these pupils achieve the targets set out in their Individual Education Plans. Staff also provide a very good level of challenge for those pupils who attain highly so that these pupils are catered for very well.

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Commentary

18. Teachers’ expectations of all pupils are high and, in turn, pupils try hard and show increasing levels of concentration as they move through the school. In the older class, staff expectations are very high indeed and the pupils respond by giving of their best in everything they do; for example, as they completed a piece of persuasive writing that they had to present to the class one pupil said ‘he was sorry he had not got time to talk’ because he wanted to finish his task. He was determined his work would be of high quality.

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Commentary

19. Teaching is underpinned by close, very supportive relationships which are established very quickly within the ‘family atmosphere’ of the school. Staff use positive approaches and manage pupils’ behaviour, particularly the small number of pupils who find self-discipline difficult, very well. They make very good use is of the agreed behaviour policy and there is a calm and consistent approach throughout, resulting in a good working atmosphere for all.

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Commentary

20. In all age groups, staff give particularly good attention to the development of pupils’ skills of speaking and listening, reading and writing and, overall, the teaching of English is very good. Staff provide good role models for children’s spoken language and effectively help to broaden pupils’ vocabulary. Reading and writing are taught very systematically through the school so that pupils increasingly become confident to apply these skills across all subjects of the curriculum.

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Commentary

21. Teaching of mathematics and science is very good. In these subjects, staff place a high emphasis on pupils learning through undertaking their own investigations and solving problems. This is particularly effective in helping pupils develop an understanding that there are many ways to approach a problem and also to appreciate how much each and everyone, whatever their age or ability, has to contribute to the process of learning. This was very noticeable in a Years 1 and 2 science lesson where pupils challenged each other’s thinking very well.

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Commentary

22. Overall, staff use resources to very good effect. With all groups, they make particularly good use of information and communication technology to enhance both the quality of their own teaching and also pupils’ learning. Very good use is also made by staff of visits and visitors to help motivate the pupils in their learning. However, there are limitations in the use of Warthill CE Primary School - 13 resources for children in the Foundation Stage and, as a result, opportunities for the children to revisit activities to consolidate and extend their learning are lost. This is because there is not sufficient space in the present accommodation to organise the resources associated with a particular topic in a way that allows the children free access to them over time. This also places restrictions on the choices children can make both about the activities they undertake and the resources they might use. There are improvements in the outdoor provision since

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Commentary

the time of the last inspection but there are still some restrictions in its use for the youngest children because they do not have sufficiently free access to it.

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Commentary

23. Homework is very good overall. A recent review has resulted in a very clear pattern of homework being set that underpins the work undertaken in school. The older pupils are very enthusiastic about the extended projects they are set. Recent ones they have completed about the Tudors are of a very high standard.

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Commentary

24. Assessment is very good. All pupils are well known to staff, and staff track the progress they make very effectively. Staff use assessments of pupils’ learning very well. They are very clear about what pupils already are able to do and adapt activities to their level of understanding. Books are marked carefully, and, particularly for older pupils, often include very comprehensive advice about the ways in which they might improve in future.

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The curriculum

Overall, the curriculum provided by the school is very good . It is fully inclusive and is very well enriched by many opportunities and activities. The accommodation is satisfactory overall and resources are good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Very good account is taken of individual pupils’ needs. • Provision is very well organised to take account of the small school situation. • A wide range of interesting and enjoyable opportunities is provided and the curriculum is enriched by visits and visitors. • The Foundation Stage curriculum is good but the accommodation limits the provision.

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Commentary

25. The range of learning opportunities is very good. The curriculum fully meets statutory requirements and is very well matched to individual pupils’ needs. This is an improvement since the previous inspection. The planning for the Foundation Stage and also Years 1 to 6 has improved and now ensures that there is systematic teaching of skills and knowledge in all subjects through the school, with full account taken of individual pupils’ abilities. Provision for pupils with special educational needs is very good and these pupils are very well supported. Individual Education Plans are carefully worked out to ensure that pupils’ needs are met and they make progress.

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Commentary

26. The curriculum is organised very well to take account of the small school situation. Planning is carefully worked out to cover the expected areas set out for the Foundation Stage and for Years 1 to 6 of the National Curriculum in classes containing many different year groups. Opportunities for older and younger pupils to learn from each other are used to advantage so that both age ranges gain. Not only do pupils learn to collaborate with pupils of different ages, but also they consolidate and challenge each other’s understanding, for example when Years 5 and 6 taught Years 3 and 4 about how to extend their use of a word processing program.

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Commentary

27. There is a very good range of enrichment of the curriculum that is often achieved by particularly effective use of cross-curricular links and through work in the immediate school locality. Visitors, such as musicians and the local clergy, and visits out, such as the Years 5 and 6 residential trip to Cranedale Centre, add depth and relevance. Pupils’ participation in Warthill CE Primary School - 14 the arts is good. Every pupil in Years 3 to 6 learns to play an instrument and takes part in the school’s dramatic or musical productions. The curriculum prepares pupils very well for their move to secondary school, a fact remarked on by pupils in Year 6 and also by parents at the parents’ meeting.

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Commentary

28. Pupils receive very good support for their personal development. There are effective drugs awareness and sex education programmes as well as a wide range of other activities that successfully promote pupils' personal, social and health education. Pupils of all ages are encouraged very well to become responsible members of the community. The school’s link with the parish church plays an important part in developing pupils’ understanding.

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Commentary

29. The school is very well staffed with teachers and other staff to meet the demands of the curriculum. The accommodation is satisfactory. For Years 1 to 6 the accommodation is generally good, although there are restrictions in terms of the physical education programme as there is no hall. This situation is soon to be resolved by making use of the hall in the partner school that is part of the recently formed confederation. The accommodation for the Foundation Stage is barely satisfactory and there are constraints on the sorts of activities that can be set up to meet the needs of children of this age. The school grounds provide a valuable resource for play and learning but access to this for the youngest pupils is limited by the layout of the building and, to date, a relatively small area has been set up with their needs in mind. The school has clear plans to improve the accommodation for children in the

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Commentary

Foundation Stage both indoors and outdoors. Plans for indoor development have already been approved and extra outdoor space has very recently been acquired.

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Commentary

30. Resources for learning are good. The range and variety of books available in the school library are good. Resources for information and communication technology are good and significantly improved from the previous inspection. They have played their part in improving standards in the subject and also in improving the quality of pupils’ learning across the curriculum.

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Care, guidance and support

The provision for pupils’ care, welfare, health and safety is very good. Pupils are very well guided, advised and supported throughout their time in school. The school involves pupils effectively in its continued development.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The arrangements to ensure pupils’ health, safety and well-being are very good. • All staff know pupils very well and support them in their personal development very well so that they are able to learn quickly and do their best. • The school council makes an active contribution to achieving changes that benefit all pupils.

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Commentary

31. The school has very good procedures to ensure the safety and well-being of all its pupils. Child protection procedures meet requirements, and close attention is paid to health and safety, both in lessons and through regular checks. Pupils feel safe in school and particularly value the fact that there is an adult to turn to in time of need.

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Commentary

32. Pupils’ personal and academic development is monitored very well. Teachers and support staff know the pupils very well as individuals and are very aware of each one’s strengths and the areas where improvement is needed. Pupils are willing to seek support and guidance when they have concerns, confident that they will be readily available. The school analyses the outcomes of assessments and uses the results to set challenging targets for pupils. Teachers use marking and discussion to help pupils to understand how to achieve their targets and how to improve their work. As a result, older pupils can talk easily about what they need to do to move from one level of the National Curriculum to a higher level. Individual Warthill CE Primary School - 15 Education Plans for pupils with special educational needs have clear targets so that pupils are able to learn effectively in small steps. The pupils and their parents are fully included in

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Commentary

reviewing pupils’ progress and agreeing ways forward.

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Commentary

33. Pupils are confident that their views are heard because changes result. The school council seeks suggestions and ideas from each class. Pupils are elected to represent their class and take their responsibilities seriously. They enjoy helping others by contributing to school development.

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Commentary

34. Overall, in this aspect, the school has maintained the strong provision seen at the time of the last inspection.

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Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

The school has very good links with parents. Links with the community and with other schools and colleges are good. The school has maintained the strong links with parents noted in the last inspection.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The school values the views of parents and responds positively to them. • Parents are encouraged and supported to be fully involved in their children’s learning. • The regular access parents have to class teachers ensures early resolution of any concerns. • Written reports to parents on foundation subjects lack detail.

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Commentary

35. All parents, who expressed a view during the inspection process, are very supportive of the school. They find it very open and approachable, and they feel their views are valued. The inspection confirms this positive picture with evidence that the school works with parents to resolve any issues should they arise. There are formal surveys of parents’ views from time to time. Most information is gathered informally and in the small school situation this works very well. Staff are available to speak with parents at the beginning and end of each day when parents are delivering and collecting their children. This informal contact enables issues and suggestions to be acted upon at the earliest opportunity. The school holds two parents’ evenings each year. One of these events was moved from the spring to the summer term in response to parental request.

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Commentary

36. Parents support the learning of their children very well, often through involvement in regular homework, and they support fund-raising events to provide additional resources for the school. When their child joins the school, parents receive a booklet which contains very succinct advice as to how they might help their child in their learning. It is very reassuring and easy to read. If parents are not confident themselves, because methods have changed in mathematics for instance, the booklet invites them to talk things through with a member of staff. As pupils mature their homework includes extended work on a project and parents are encouraged to support these activities with additional visits or research. Other information to enable parents to support learning is passed on verbally, for example about the television programmes to watch, or record, that are relevant to topics being studied. These informal

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Commentary

channels are very effective because of the very small numbers involved.

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Commentary

37. Parents are kept well informed about day-to-day events at school. The annual reports they receive about the progress of their children are good for English and mathematics. However, in other subjects they often lack detail to reflect individual pupils’ achievements. The school is in the process of introducing a new system of individual pupil target setting to help improve the information parents receive about their child’s progress. Warthill CE Primary School - 16 38. Overall, the school has good links with other schools and colleges, particularly with the local teacher training college. There are effective mechanisms to ensure smooth transition to the receiving secondary school. There are good links with the community that are particularly evident at times when there are special occasions, such as the Harvest Festival.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The overall quality of leadership and management provided by the headteacher, key staff and the governing body is very good. The leadership of the headteacher and key staff is very good. That of the governing body is good as is the management of the school.

p.16

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The headteacher is a very effective leader and along with key staff manages the school very well. • The school has a high commitment to the inclusion of all as important members of the school community. • The governing body is effective and along with the headteacher has a shared vision for the school and a clear understanding about how it can develop and grow. • Governors have a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses.

p.16

Commentary

39. There has been good improvement in the overall leadership and management of the school since the last inspection.

p.16

Commentary

40. The headteacher is a very effective leader who actively works to promote the school’s strong Christian ethos. Her vision, strong sense of purpose and commitment to the inclusion of every child as an important member of the community underpins all of the school’s work. She has led the school forward successfully since the last inspection and has a clear view of how the school should continue to develop in future. She is very effective as a team leader in expecting and enabling colleagues to take part in and achieve the school’s aims. She leads by example and has ensured the staff team’s commitment to continuing improvement. As a result, staff are enthusiastic about their role in future developments.

p.16

Commentary

41. The headteacher is very ably supported by key staff and together they have very successfully overseen developments in the core subjects of English, mathematics, science, information and communication technology, and religious education since the last inspection. The co- ordination of special educational needs is very effective.

p.16

Commentary

42. Although many governors are relatively new, they have a clear view of the needs of the school and what must happen to promote further development. Governors feel well informed by the headteacher and are actively involved in all aspects of the school’s work. The governing body has a suitable committee structure that enables the main committee to concentrate on major decisions. It has improved its systems to check on the school’s effectiveness since the last inspection and these are now good. As a result, governors are now clear about the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Efficient systems ensure that the budget is used to best effect and in line with educational priorities as set out in the school improvement plan. Performance management procedures are closely monitored by the governing body, which carries out its statutory duties effectively. Governors take their responsibilities seriously and are successful.

p.16

Commentary

They work closely with the headteacher, and are able to both challenge and support within a climate of mutual respect and trust. There is full compliance with all statutory requirements.

p.16

Commentary

43. The quality of management is good. The school has effective systems that help it understand its current position and plan for improvement. The school sets challenging targets, particularly in the core subjects, for individual pupils’ progress resulting from a careful analysis of their results. Much of the monitoring of the quality of teaching and learning has been largely Warthill CE Primary School - 17 informal to date as a result of the headteacher’s high teaching load. With such a small and stable staffing situation this has been effective. As the school moves forward as a partner school in a confederation, more formal arrangements are rightly being put in place. The performance management of staff is well established and has had a significant impact in bringing about improvements in the school. Administration is very effective and the budget is managed very well. Careful budgeting over time means that the school is now in a position to

p.16

Commentary

undertake major building work to improve the provision for the Foundation Stage. This explains the higher than average carry forward in the budget. The headteacher and governors are careful in applying the principles of best value. This is a very small school and consequently costs per pupil are very high but because standards are very good it gives good value for money.

p.17

Financial information for the year April 2003 to March 2004

Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 157,014 Balance from previous year 41,240 Total expenditure 159,109 Balance carried forward to the next 39,145

p.17

Financial information for the year April 2003 to March 2004

Expenditure per pupil 5,893 Warthill CE Primary School - 18

p.17

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Provision in the Foundation Stage continues to be good , as at the time of the last inspection. Children are taught in a mixed class with Years 1 and 2 pupils. Teaching is good overall and children make good progress. They achieve well in personal, social and emotional development, communication, language and literacy, mathematical development and knowledge and understanding of the world. Almost all meet the expected goals and a significant number attain beyond them in these areas. In creative development, children achieve satisfactorily and on course to attain the early learning goals. It was not possible to observe the area of physical development during the inspection.

p.18

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

The Foundation Stage is well led and managed. There is a clear commitment to ensure improvements take place in future. Very good induction procedures ensure that the children settle quickly into school routines. Curricular planning is clearly linked to the national guidelines and much improved since the last inspection.

p.18

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Assessment procedures are very good overall. Staff are very thorough in their approach. They make careful observations of children’s achievements in relation to the ‘stepping stones’ and complete the Foundation Stage profile with good attention to detail. Particularly in the areas of personal, social and emotional development, in communication, language and literacy, and in mathematical development, they use this information very well to match activities to their levels of understanding.

p.18

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in personal, social and emotional development is good .

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Staff treat children as individuals and promote very good attitudes to learning. • Well structured activities and clear routines enable children to develop confidence and independence. • Children work and play very well together and relationships are very good. • Children do not always have sufficient opportunities to make choices about the activities they will undertake and the resources they will use.

p.18

Commentary

44. Children achieve well as a result of good teaching. They are happy to come to school and are very well cared for in a safe and secure learning environment. They work and play together very well. They respond positively to staff’s high expectations and behaviour is usually very good. Children learn in a very supportive environment and form very good relationships with each other and with adults. They develop good personal skills and independence as they put on coats and aprons, and help tidy up after activities. They learn to take turns, share resources and handle equipment with care. Children are treated as individuals and as a result, children develop very good attitudes and concentrate well on tasks. However, they do not always have sufficient opportunities to make choices about the activities and resources they wish to use, or to initiate activities for themselves, and this limits aspects of their growing

p.18

COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Provision in communication, language and literacy is good . Warthill CE Primary School - 19

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The quality of teaching is good overall. • Staff match activities particularly well to children’s levels of understanding. • Children have very good attitudes to their work because it is interesting and fun. • Role-play activities do not always extend children’s language development sufficiently.

p.19

Commentary

45. Teaching is good overall and children achieve well. Staff know the children very well as individuals and take great care to match activities to their level of understanding. Throughout the day there is a high level of discussion between adults and individual children, and also very good opportunities to develop children’s skills through class and small group discussions. Staff present good models of language and they reinforce and extend the children’s vocabulary well, for example when discussing their work. However, there are limited opportunities for children’s learning to be fully extended using role-play situations, for example to make the most of the interest that had been engendered as a result of making porridge for ‘The Three Bears’. Staff engage children’s interest very well when telling stories and the children listen with interest and enjoyment. They follow the text correctly and show good

p.19

Commentary

understanding. They know that words and pictures carry meaning and learn to read simple texts well. They develop good understanding of letter sounds and effectively develop their skills in writing. Writing skills and letter formation become noticeably more controlled as the children move through the year.

p.19

MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in mathematical development is good .

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching and learning are good. • Activities are matched to individual children’s levels of understanding. • There is a well-planned range of activities to engage the children’s interest and concentration. • Children enjoy investigating but resources are not always available to extend their learning.

p.19

Commentary

46. Teaching and learning are good. Activities are set to match children’s levels of understanding and throughout the day there is a high level of interaction with children and, overall, they achieve well. Resources are set up carefully for specific activities and children enjoy using these to investigate and develop their understanding. However, there are missed opportunities to fully extend and consolidate children’s learning as resources usually have to be cleared away at the end of sessions; for example, just as the children started to make, name and discuss the properties of mathematical shapes they had made using construction equipment. Nevertheless, children develop mathematical language effectively, for example as they use different sized containers in the sand tray. They learn to compare objects of different lengths, and to order and count numbers accurately to ten and beyond. They learn to

p.19

Commentary

calculate and show good appreciation of patterns in numbers and shapes. Children show very good attitudes because learning is interesting.

p.19

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Provision in knowledge and understanding of the world is good . Warthill CE Primary School - 20

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching and learning are good. • A wide range of very well thought-through activities form the basis of the learning programme. • Visits and visitors are used effectively to stimulate children’s interest. • There are limitations in the materials and tools that it is possible for staff to set out in the present accommodation and this limits aspects of children’s learning.

p.20

Commentary

47. Teaching and learning are good and children achieve well. Very well-planned, interesting opportunities give a good focus to ‘first-hand’ experience and successfully build on children’s natural curiosity in wanting to finding out about the world in which they live. Children learn to explore and observe particularly well, for example as they find out about ‘pushing’ and ‘pulling’ as they use bicycles, scooters and trolleys to move sand from one part of the playground to another. Careful questioning by staff, where they ensured that children used the correct terminology, helped the children to notice similarities and differences. It was noticeable, in this situation, how well staff used open-ended questions, such as ‘What will happen if?’, ‘Why?’ to challenge the children’s thinking. Children enjoy building and constructing using different materials. Nevertheless, there are some restrictions in the materials and tools that

p.20

Commentary

are set out in the present accommodation, thus creating some limitations in the children’s thinking, for example about the best way to join two different materials together. There are regular opportunities for children to use information and communication technology, and children develop good understanding in this area. Children develop a good sense of time and a good knowledge of place.

p.20

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Provision in creative development is satisfactory .

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching and learning are satisfactory. • Suitable opportunities are provided for children to be creative in learning about colour. • There are limitations in children’s imaginative play.

p.20

Commentary

48. Children of all abilities achieve satisfactorily and are on course to meet the expected outcomes. Children can achieve more in this area. Planning shows that a wide range of suitable activities are organised over time. However, the constraints of the building limit these and children do not have sufficient ongoing opportunities to explore materials and equipment, and express themselves creatively. Even so they enjoy making objects from recycled materials, for example cardboard boxes, and they show some good ideas. Children’s work shows that they develop their ideas in both two and three dimensions and they are actively encouraged by staff to use their senses to find out about those materials that are available, for example when they work in the sand tray and when they bake. Staff work with children and pretend to take on different roles; however, these are not sufficiently extended through the children’s own imaginative play. Children learn by heart a good repertoire of

p.20

Commentary

songs and they sing with enthusiasm. Occasionally, however, the questioning by support staff is too closed, for example by just requiring a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer, rather than encouraging an imaginative response from the children in the way that you would expect in this area of learning. Warthill CE Primary School - 21

p.20

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

49. In the short time available for the inspection it was not possible to observe all areas of learning, so physical development was not observed. However, teachers’ planning and a consideration of children’s work show that a suitable programme is in place.

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Speaking and listening are given a strong focus and pupils achieve very well. • Staff use very consistent approaches to the teaching of reading and writing, and pupils achieve very well. • Pupils’ individual levels of understanding are taken into account and pupils of all abilities achieve very well. • Pupils try hard and give of their best.

p.21

Commentary

50. Pupils achieve very well in developing their skills in speaking and listening. There is a high level of adult interaction with pupils and by Year 6 pupils’ attainment is well above the levels expected. Older pupils are confident speakers, both in class and in more formal situations, and they are keen to express opinions. Throughout the school, pupils respond very well to the teachers’ encouragement to contribute to class and small group discussions. They did this particularly well in a lesson when Years 1 and 2 pupils retold a traditional tale, showing very good appreciation of how they might use key phrases from the original story. Pupils of all ages answer questions and make comments thoughtfully as they listen actively and attentively in lessons. Their vocabulary is extended very effectively in all subjects of the curriculum so that pupils are able to talk about their learning in a very knowledgeable way.

p.21

Commentary

51. Pupils achieve very well in reading and writing, and by Year 6 standards are well above those expected. In reading, older pupils appreciate the underlying ideas and subtleties in the text and can refer to what they consider to be successful use of writing techniques by the author. All are fluent readers and are able to explain why they like certain books, giving informed reasons for their choice. They often refer to key features of the text or relevant phrases to support their views, for example when one pupil referred to a particularly humorous section in the book of his choice. Throughout the school, pupils learn to use a library, indexes, glossaries and contents pages and find information from books to support their learning. When writing, pupils develop a clear understanding that writing needs to be organised in different ways depending on its purpose, for example when writing a play or a letter. Their

p.21

Commentary

writing is logical and often shows original ideas which capture the interest of the reader, for example when Year 4 pupils wrote ‘snappy slogans’ on posters to publicise holidays in the mountains.

p.21

Commentary

52. Teaching is very good. Teachers plan thoroughly and conscientiously and a strong emphasis is given to the development of pupils’ skills throughout the school. There is consistency of approach across age groups and work is very well matched to pupils’ levels of understanding. Pupils receive a significant amount of individual attention from adults and this has a very positive impact on learning for pupils of different abilities. Staff set high expectations of pupils and discussion is used very well to develop pupils’ understanding. In a supportive environment, discerning feedback from staff and from other pupils is often used very Warthill CE Primary School - 22 effectively to show how work ‘might be even better if’ certain improvements were made. Throughout the school, pupils show very positive attitudes to the subject and work hard in lessons. Older pupils show very good appreciation of the need to work within set timescales.

p.21

Commentary

53. English is led very well. The subject leader is very knowledgeable in the subject and the teaching of English has improved well since the last inspection. Standards of attainment and also standards of teaching and learning are monitored carefully. Once strengths and weaknesses are identified, attention is focused on bringing about improvement. Very good use is made of information and communication technology to support pupils’ learning in English.

p.22

Language and literacy across the curriculum

54. The National Literacy Strategy has been implemented and adapted successfully to suit the small school situation. Pupils use their skills of speaking and listening, reading and writing very well in subjects like science and religious education.

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards are well above average and pupils achieve very well. • Pupils learn to investigate and solve problems very effectively. • Pupils are very well taught and make very good progress. • The subject is very well led. • Good use is made of assessment to modify the curriculum, to track individual pupils’ progress and to set targets.

p.22

Commentary

55. Standards in Year 6 are well above average, and pupils are on course to achieve very good results in the 2005 national tests. This is because they are taught to a consistently high standard throughout the school and their current teacher has high but realistic expectations of what they can achieve with effort. The pupils themselves enjoy mathematics and are very keen to be successful. This can be seen in the way they tackle the challenging problems and investigations they are set in lessons. This was seen in a very good lesson when pupils in Years 5 and 6 were developing strategies to calculate percentages of large numbers.

p.22

Commentary

56. The quality of teaching is very good. Teachers have a secure mathematical knowledge and they plan very thoroughly for the different ages in the class. They draw on and adapt the guidance in the National Numeracy Strategy, and take great care to set work that challenges and interests pupils at the correct level of difficulty. In one very good lesson seen the pupils clearly enjoyed grappling with the progressively more challenging activities. All pupils learn very effectively because they are taught the strategies that will help them to solve large or complex number problems successfully and consistently by continually being asked to explain how they arrived at a particular solution. Mathematical language is used very effectively by teachers and pupils and this increases pupils’ mathematical understanding and confidence. Pupils of differing abilities are fully included in lessons. Those with special educational needs

p.22

Commentary

receive individual help when needed and pupils who are particularly gifted in mathematics are supported very well. They are provided with work that challenges and makes them think and achieve highly.

p.22

Commentary

57. The subject is very well led and managed. School and national tests results are analysed very carefully and changes are made to the curriculum where necessary. Pupils’ progress is tracked carefully year by year, and targets are set that are realistic as well as challenging. Warthill CE Primary School - 23 The school has worked hard to ensure that the National Numeracy Strategy has been adapted very well to the small school situation. Overall, there has been good improvement since the last inspection.

p.22

Mathematics across the curriculum

58. Pupils make very good use of their numeracy skills in other subjects by, for example, making accurate measurement in science, and understanding the sequence of historic events. In one lesson seen, pupils in Years 5 and 6 used a line graph very well to plot the results of a scientific investigation to see if there was any change in the temperature of hot water when other material was added.

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards are high and pupils achieve very well. • The quality of teaching is very good. • There is a strong emphasis on investigational science. • Resources for learning are good and used very effectively.

p.23

Commentary

59. Pupils of different abilities achieve very well in all aspects of the subject. Pupils achieve a high standard of investigative work, with increasing development of scientific skills as they move through the school. All their recorded work shows a developing understanding of science. Pupils’ developing knowledge of scientific vocabulary is evident, for example when older pupils explain the differences between solids, liquids and gases. Their understanding of materials was also demonstrated well in a discussion about whether or not different materials would dissolve and why. Younger pupils showed a good understanding of the effects of air pressure as they investigated the rate at which water flowed out of holes in plastic bottles.

p.23

Commentary

60. The quality of teaching in science is very good overall. The teachers’ very good subject knowledge enables them to teach confidently through the age ranges in classes. Very good use of resources and a bias towards practical investigation is really putting life into science lessons and pupils report that they enjoy these lessons very much. The teachers use a good range of strategies to ensure pupils’ interest is maintained and that their active involvement is ensured. All this results in very good and purposeful learning. Planning is carefully thought out so that questioning and tasks are matched to pupils’ different abilities. This ensures that all pupils have the opportunity to make progress at their own rate, building up their knowledge and understanding in science. Learning is also very effective because teachers use questioning particularly well to establish how much pupils have remembered from earlier

p.23

Commentary

lessons and to ensure they understand the scientific vocabulary they will be using. In both classes pupils co-operate with one another, hold discussions and respect each other’s views and these are key factors contributing to the high quality of their investigative work.

p.23

Commentary

61. The subject is led very well. Overall, there has been good improvement since the last inspection. The teachers plan well together and plans provide good working documents that ensure effective implementation of national guidance in a small school situation. A strong focus is given to investigative work and this is effective. Assessment is very effective and the information is used to guide future work for each individual pupil.

p.23

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Provision in information and communication technology is very good . Warthill CE Primary School - 24

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards have risen since the previous inspection • Pupils make very good progress and achieve very well. • Information and communication technology is used very well across other curriculum subjects.

p.24

Commentary

62. Standards have risen since the previous inspection and now pupils of all ages achieve very well and attain standards above those expected by Years 2 and 6. The school has invested in a good range of hardware and software and pupils of all ages enjoy using the computer and also other equipment, such as a digital camera, a projector and whiteboard, as a regular part of their learning. In Years 1 and 2, pupils use the computer for a wide range of purposes, for example to write, draw pictures, analyse data, make music and play games. They also have opportunities to use a programmable toy, giving it a series of commands in order to produce pre-planned movements. Throughout Years 3 to 6, pupils continue to improve their skills. By Year 6, they use information and communication technology very competently, for example to present information using a multimedia package, and exchange information and ideas with

p.24

Commentary

others in a variety of ways, including through the use of e-mail and the Internet. They learn to control events and also to interpret data that has been collected through sensing devices, for example for the temperature of liquids. Throughout the school, pupils show very good levels of confidence in solving their problems when using information and communication technology and they talk knowledgeably about its use in everyday life.

p.24

Commentary

63. The quality of teaching is very good. Staff have improved their understanding since the time of the last inspection and are now very confident in the subject. Pupils learn very well because they are given clear instructions and plenty of opportunities to experiment, practise and learn from their mistakes. They also learn quickly because tasks are interesting and teachers’ own positive approaches and interesting ideas catch their attention; for example, pupils in Years 3 and 4 learned about the most effective ways of presenting information using a range of different techniques, such as text wrapping. Pupils support each other very well when using information and communication technology and even when someone has been absent they quickly catch up, not only because of the very good level of support from staff but also from other pupils. There is a clear system of assessment in the subject.

p.24

Commentary

64. The subject is very well led and managed with significant improvements over time. Resources are much improved and used to good effect. The planning takes very good account of the small school situation, with specific skills matched to particular age groups within each class.

p.24

Information and communication technology across the curriculum

65. Very good use is made of information and communication technology across the curriculum. Staff plan carefully so that best use is made of pupils’ skills in all subjects.

p.24

HUMANITIES

66. No geography or history lessons were seen during the inspection so it is not possible to make an overall judgement on the overall provision, standards or the quality of teaching. A scrutiny of pupils’ work and discussions with them show an appropriate emphasis on developing pupils' practical understanding of geography and history which supports their learning very well. It is also evident that pupils’ knowledge as shown in discussions with them is good. Co-ordination of the subjects is good, with a clear programme based on national guidance which ensures that pupils are gaining appropriate skills and knowledge. A wide range of visits out of school, such as the residential visit for the older pupils and visits to York

p.24

HUMANITIES

Minster, Leeds Armouries Museum and around the local area, supports these subjects very Warthill CE Primary School - 25 well. Older pupils remember well a project undertaken on environmental issues and talk about the need to conserve resources with understanding.

p.24

Religious education

Provision in religious education is very good .

p.25

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils develop their understanding very well and the subject makes a very positive contribution to pupils’ personal development. • Acts of worship make a very good contribution to the development of pupils’ knowledge and understanding. • Pupils reflect very well about issues raised.

p.25

Commentary

67. By the end of Years 2 and 6, standards are above the expectations set out in the locally agreed syllabus. Pupils’ achievement is very good across the school and their growing understanding supports their personal development very well. The school has maintained the high standards seen at the last inspection.

p.25

Commentary

68. By the end of Year 2, pupils have a good knowledge of the major religions of the world through their work. They show a clear understanding of special places, such as churches, and also special ‘things’ used by Christians. This was exemplified well when they talked about the use of a font in the local church. In Years 3 to 6, pupils extend their knowledge of Christianity, Islam and Judaism and begin to appreciate why religion is important to people. By Year 6, pupils are learning about the importance of sacred books to people of different faiths, for example the Torah, and know when they are used and the significance of their teachings. They show particularly good understanding of the features they would include in a church service and, whilst designing one that might take place in their local church, they also showed very good appreciation of the significance of worship in the lives of believers.

p.25

Commentary

Assemblies are well planned and delivered, and make a very good contribution to the development of pupils’ knowledge of the Christian and other faiths.

p.25

Commentary

69. Teaching is very good overall. On occasion, it is excellent. Pupils are very motivated by interesting activities, very effective questioning, and the good use of technical vocabulary and resources. All teachers have high expectations of pupils and they manage them very well. As a result, pupils show very good attitudes to their work and behave very well. Relationships are very good and staff are skilful at helping pupils discuss issues associated with their feelings and emotions. Pupils reflect very well about important issues; particularly the older pupils who show a high level of appreciation that there are differences between faiths but also significant common features also. In one lesson in the older class the teacher showed such a high level of sensitivity to the subject and to the pupils’ thoughts and feelings that she helped them create a situation where there was a very real sense of reverence and spirituality for all.

p.25

Commentary

70. The curriculum is carefully planned to ensure that the requirements of the locally agreed syllabus are met. Leadership of the subject is very good. The enthusiastic co-ordinator is very well supported by all staff. Resources for the subject are good. The school’s links with the parish church help to support this subject very well.

p.25

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

71. Very few lessons were seen in these subjects. Therefore, no secure judgements on the quality of teaching and learning, achievement or standards were possible. 72. In art and design , a scrutiny of pupils’ work, teachers’ records and planning, together with discussions with pupils, show that pupils experience working with a wide range of techniques Warthill CE Primary School - 26 and materials and find out about a good variety of different artists. They develop their skills systematically as they move through the school. Pupils say that they enjoy art and design lessons. The subject is well led.

p.25

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

73. A scrutiny of pupils’ work shows that in design and technology due weighting is given to each element of the process. Pupils have a good understanding of the importance of planning out their work in advance, the need for accuracy when making items and critical evaluation in order to improve their work. All of the work seen shows pupils are developing their making skills effectively as well as their creativity and imagination. Teachers’ planning and records shows there is a suitable range of activities undertaken that includes producing food, working with textiles and creating objects from paper and wood. The subject is led effectively.

p.26

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

74. In music , conversation with pupils, teachers’ planning and records show there is a wide range of activities which give pupils opportunities to develop their skills in singing, listening to music, appraising and composing. A good range of different types of music is studied. In assemblies pupils sing with enthusiasm and show good appreciation of the music of the week. Pupils take part in many musical activities outside the curriculum, including learning to play an instrument and taking part in concerts and school productions. Co-ordination of the subject is effective.

p.26

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

75. In physical education , there is suitable coverage of all areas of the curriculum. Pupils have opportunities to participate in an appropriate range of physical activities, including games, swimming, dance and athletics, outdoor and adventurous activities and also some gymnastics. Teachers’ planning shows that the National Curriculum requirements are met. The lack of a school hall has placed restrictions on gymnastics in particular but this situation is soon to be resolved by sharing the facilities of the partner school in the confederation. The subject is well led and managed by the co-ordinator.

p.26

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

76. No overall judgement of provision is possible because no lessons were seen during the inspection. However, pupils’ personal development is a very high priority within the school and pupils develop very good levels of maturity by the time they leave. Pupils of all ages are given a wide range of opportunities to discuss ideas, feelings and matters of importance within a context of trust and mutual respect. Discussions with them about their work indicated that they develop firm personal views, and learn to respect those of others with different opinions. Pupils are made fully aware of social and moral issues appropriate to their ages and levels of understanding, and are actively encouraged to develop a healthy lifestyle. Warthill CE Primary School - 27

p.26

The overall effectiveness of the school 2

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

p.27

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities 2

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

p.27

The quality of education provided by the school 2

The quality of teaching 2 How well pupils learn 2 The quality of assessment 2 How well the curriculum meets pupils needs 2 Enrichment of the curriculum, including out-of-school activities 2 Accommodation and resources 3 Pupils’ care, welfare, health and safety 2 Support, advice and guidance for pupils 2 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 3

p.27

The leadership and management of the school 2

The governance of the school 3 The leadership of the headteacher 2 The leadership of other key staff 2 The effectiveness of management 3 Warthill CE Primary School - 28 Inspectors make judgements on a scale: excellent (grade 1); very good (2); good (3); satisfactory (4); unsatisfactory (5); poor (6); very poor (7).

p.27