West Earlham Infant and Nursery School

WEST EARLHAM COMMUNITY FIRST SCHOOL

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 West Earlham Community First 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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WEST EARLHAM COMMUNITY FIRST 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. West Earlham Community First School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: First School School category: Community Age range of pupils: 3 – 8 Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 273

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Scarnell Road Norwich Norfolk Postcode: NR5 8HT

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Telephone number: 01603 451299 Fax number: 01603 504963

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The Governing Body Name of chair of governors: Mr N Rout

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 22 February 1999

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

West Earlham Community First School is larger than most primary schools and has 273 pupils on roll, including 104 children in the Nursery and Reception classes. Almost all pupils are from White British backgrounds with a few from minority ethnic backgrounds. The proportion of pupils who start or leave the school at times other than usual is average. Pupils’ attainment on entry to the Nursery is very low. The school serves an area of well below average socio-economic conditions. The percentage of pupils whose first language is believed not be English is slightly higher than average at three per cent. Six pupils are at an early stage of acquiring English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils entitled to a free school meal is well above average at 49 per cent. There are 50 per cent of pupils with special educational needs and this is well above average. The percentage of pupils with Statements of Special Educational Needs is average at two per cent.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

Pupils’ special educational needs include: speech and communication difficulties, social, emotional and behavioural difficulties and moderate, severe or specific learning difficulties.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

The school is a member of an Excellence in Cities Education Action Zone, which aims to raise pupils’ standards of achievement and broaden the curriculum through the provision of additional resources. It received an Achievement Award in 2002 and is actively working towards Level Three Healthy Schools Status. It provides adult education facilities, runs courses to help parents support their children at home and hosts Sure Start meetings as part of a family support programme. In two years’ time, it is proposed that the school will be re-organised into a Nursery and Infant School as part of a local education authority scheme for the area. West Earlham Community First School - 4

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

2592 Mr R Cheetham Lead inspector English Physical education Religious education English as an additional language Personal, social and health education and citizenship 9003 Mr B Findley Lay inspector 15658 Mrs A Dawes Team inspector Mathematics Art and design Design and technology 12954 Mrs P Claxtron Team inspector The Foundation Stage Information and communication technology Geography History 32249 Mr N Grimshaw Team inspector Special educational needs Science Music

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

Cambridge Education Associates Ltd 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). West Earlham Community First 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

This school provides a very good education for its pupils and gives very good value for money. The school enables pupils to overcome significant barriers to their learning. Standards in most subjects have improved each year since the previous report, pupils achieve very well and the school includes all pupils excellently in its provision. Teaching and learning are very good, the leadership of the headteacher and deputy headteacher is excellent and management is very good.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are: • Pupils achieve very well in most subjects and reach above the standards expected by Year 3 in mathematics, science and art and design. • Pupils do not have enough opportunities to develop their skills in ICT and standards are below average. • Pupils’ attitudes, behaviour and personal development are very good. • The quality of teaching and learning is very good. • The school provides a rich and highly relevant curriculum for all its pupils. • Pupils receive excellent advice, support and guidance. • Provision for pupils with special educational needs is excellent. • There are very good community links. • The school is well governed, very well managed and excellently led. • Many parents are not involved enough in their children’s education. • Attendance is below average.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school has made very good progress since it was previously inspected. Pupils’ attainment and achievement have improved especially in reading, mathematics and science (previous key issues) and there have been many other improvements, notably to the provision for pupils with special educational needs who form half the school population.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

all schools similar schools Results in National Curriculum tests at the end of Year 2, compared with: 2002 2003 2004 2004

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

reading E E E C writing C C D B mathematics E E D B Key: A - well above average; B – above average; C – average; D – below average; E – well below average Similar schools are those with similar percentages of pupils eligible for free school meals

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

The table above shows generally below average attainment compared to all schools and generally above average attainment when compared to similar ones. It does not show how well pupils achieve from very low starting points or how standards in speaking and listening, reading, mathematics, science and until recently, writing have improved year on year. This is confirmed by the fact that the school’s rate of improvement in standards is better than the national rate. Currently, pupils achieve very well . In the Foundation Stage, children achieve very well in all the areas of learning (the curriculum for under fives) except in physical development, where they achieve soundly, and in their knowledge and understanding of the world in which they achieve well. Few will achieve the level expected (the Early Learning Goals) by the start of Year 1. By Year 2, pupils achieve very well and reach average standards in speaking and listening and reading and

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

below average standards in writing. By Year 3, pupils achieve very well and reach the standard expected in speaking and listening and reading and below this in writing. By Year 2, pupils achieve West Earlham Community First School - 7 very well and reach above average standards in mathematics and science and by Year 3 they achieve very well and reach above the standard expected in these subjects. By Years 2 and 3, pupils achieve very well in art and design and reach above the standard expected. By the same time, pupils achieve well and reach the standard expected in design and technology and physical education. They achieve well in religious education and reach the standard expected in the locally agreed syllabus. In ICT, pupils’ achievement is unsatisfactory and most do not reach the expected standards by Years 2 and 3. There was not enough inspection evidence to report fully on standards and achievement in the remaining subjects. Pupils with special educational needs achieve very well

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

in the basic skills of oracy, literacy and numeracy and in social skills. Pupils learning English as an additional language achieve very well because their needs are identified early and effectively met. Gifted and talented pupils achieve very well because staff spot their potential and plan challenging work. The development of pupils’ personal qualities is very good. Their social development

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is excellent, their spiritual and moral development is very good and their cultural

development is good . They have very good attitudes to school and behave very well. Their attendance and punctuality are unsatisfactory.

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The school provides a very good quality of education and the quality of teaching and

learning is very good. Pupils learn very well together because teachers plan very carefully to meet their different needs. Teaching is stimulating and challenging and teachers use a range of methods to engage and keep pupils’ interest. Teachers and teaching assistants work very well together to include all the pupils in the lessons. Staff help older pupils to judge how well they are doing and where they need to improve. The Foundation Stage staff work very well together to plan a very relevant curriculum based on the six areas of learning. Staff assess children’s progress very well and intervene quickly to help pupils achieve very well. In Years 1 to 3, lesson planning is very good and focuses on literacy, numeracy and the successful linking of different subjects within themes. All pupils are fully included and have ample opportunities for speaking and listening. Different reading and writing strategies encourage them to work together well. Teachers get the

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The school provides a very good quality of education and the quality of teaching and

very best out of their pupils by regularly challenging them (especially gifted and talented pupils) through problem solving and investigations. Pupils are attentive and are keen to ask and answer questions because activities capture their interest. The teaching and learning of pupils with special educational needs are very good because very well trained staff make excellent evaluations of pupils’ barriers to progress. The curriculum offers pupils a very good range of activities and experiences to help them learn. Pupils benefit from excellent levels of support and guidance based on accurate assessments of their progress. The school strives to develop its good links with parents but many do not make a significant contribution to their children’s education.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The quality of leadership and management is very good. The headteacher and deputy headteacher provide excellent leadership with clear vision, commitment and a careful balance between high levels of care and a sustained drive to raise pupils’ achievement. In this they are very well supported by subject leaders and other middle managers who provide very good leadership and management to effective staff teams. They know their areas of responsibility very well because they monitor and evaluate them rigorously and use the information for further improvement. The school is governed well. Governors have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. They fulfil their statutory responsibilities well and help the school to evaluate, very well the value for money it provides.

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Parents think very highly of the school and pupils enjoy learning there and feel safe.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

The most important things the school should do to improve are: West Earlham Community First School - 8 • Improve ICT provision and raise standards achieved. • Improve parental involvement in the education of their children. • Improve attendance levels.

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Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

Pupils achieve very well from very low starting points. They overcome significant barriers to their learning and reach at least average standards by Year 2 and the standards expected by Year 3 in nearly all the subjects reported.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• In the Foundation Stage, children achieve very well in nearly all the areas of learning (the curriculum for children under five). • In Years 2 and 3, pupils’ standards of attainment in speaking and listening, reading, mathematics and science have improved year on year. • Their standards in writing also improved until recently, when they fell slightly. • Pupils in Years 2 and 3 reach above average standards in mathematics and science and above expectations in art and design. • In information and communication technology (ICT), pupils’ achievement is unsatisfactory and most do not reach the expected standards by Years 2 and 3. • Pupils with special educational needs make very good progress towards their individual targets. • Pupils learning English as an additional language make very good progress in learning the language and achieve as well as their peers. • Gifted and talented pupils achieve very well and reach above average standards in English,

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Commentary

1. Standards of attainment on entry to the Foundation Stage are very low. Children achieve very well but do not reach the Early Learning Goals (the standard expected) in the areas of learning, especially in physical development, by Year 1. This is because most start with a significant deficit in their skills and knowledge, especially in the communication, language and literacy and personal, social and emotional development areas of learning.

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Commentary

2. From 2000, pupils’ attainment at the end of Year 2 in national tests in English and mathematics and in teacher assessments in science improved year on year until 2004, when it fell slightly in writing. During this period, the school met the vast majority of its challenging targets and the trend in standards achieved was above the national trend. In 2004, pupils reached well below average standards in reading and below average standards in writing and mathematics. When compared with similar schools (those with a similar proportion of pupils known to be entitled to a free school meal), the school reached average standards in reading and above average standards in writing and mathematics.

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Commentary

3. In the current Year 2 and Year 3 groups, pupils continue to achieve very well. In English, pupils in Year 2 reach average standards in speaking and listening and reading and below average standards in writing. By Year 3, they reach the standards expected in speaking and listening and in reading and below those expected in writing. Improvement in writing standards is a main school priority. In mathematics, pupils reach above average standards in Year 2 and above the standard expected in Year 3. In science, pupils reach above average standards in Year 2 and above the standard expected by Year 3. Pupils make particularly good progress in investigative work. This continuing pattern of improvement is due to whole school commitment to the further raising of achievement, precise use of assessment West Earlham Community First School - 9 information and very well targeted support. The school has improved the achievement of both

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Commentary

boys and girls and there is little difference in the standards they achieve.

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Commentary

4. Pupils achieve very well in art and design and reach above the standard expected in Years 2 and 3. They achieve well in design and technology and in physical education and reach the standards expected by Years 2 and 3. They also achieve well in religious education and reach the standards expected in the locally agreed syllabus by Years 2 and 3. In ICT, most pupils do not reach the standard expected in Years 2 and 3 because the low level of subject resources does not give them enough opportunities to practise. There was not enough inspection evidence to report fully on standards and achievement in the remaining subjects.

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Commentary

5. Pupils with special educational needs make significant progress in the acquisition of basic skills of oracy, literacy and numeracy and achieve very well. This achievement is matched by that in self-esteem and social and behavioural skills. They make such progress because staff identify and pursue clear, small steps for improvement. Excellent support from the special educational needs leader also enables the pupils to reach their targets regularly and have more challenging ones set. Pupils learning English as an additional language achieve very well because their needs are identified early, support programmes are effective and because they benefit from many opportunities to improve their speaking and listening skills. Gifted and talented pupils achieve very well because staff spot their potential and plan demanding work to challenge them.

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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 14.5 (14.4) 15.8 (15.7) Writing 13.8 (14.6) 14.6 (14.6) Mathematics 15.6 (15.1) 16.2 (16.3) There were 55 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

Pupils have very good attitudes to learning and behave very well. Pupils develop very well during their time in the school and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good overall. Attendance and punctuality are unsatisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The school’s learning ethos is based successfully on the consistent application of rights, responsibilities, rules and routines. • Provision for social development is excellent and pupils make excellent progress. • Pupils with special educational needs make significant progress in behaviour and self-control. • The school works very hard to improve attendance. • A minority of parents do not give enough priority to getting their children to school.

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Commentary

6. This is an effective school community, in which all staff are unified in the interests of pupils and in understanding their individual needs. Most children entering the Nursery find it difficult to share, work together or control their feelings. Staff encourage them to co-operate, share resources and to think about how their behaviour affects others. They learn to do this well most of the time by the end of the Foundation Stage. The few who have significant difficulty in controlling their feelings and behaviour are very well supported by experienced, specialist staff. The one exclusion was properly handled. Pupils with special educational needs make West Earlham Community First School - 10 significant improvements in their behaviour. Individual pupils’ behaviour plans are very effective in enabling them to make good choices about how they act. The school has recently set up a Nurturing Group to integrate pupils with behavioural and social difficulties fully into

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Commentary

school life. These pupils have shown remarkable progress and targets for integration are well ahead of schedule. A system of ‘The Four Rs' (rights, responsibilities, rules and routines) works very effectively. Pupils respond very positively to clearly set out expectations and behave very well. Pupils have very good attitudes to their learning and pay attention in their lessons, because work is very well matched to their capacities and they are keen to please. Pupils work in an atmosphere free from all forms of oppressive behaviour. Parents agree that pupils like school, generally behave very well and are helped to mature.

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Commentary

7. Pupils make very good progress in their personal development because they feel valued members of the school. The quality of relationships among staff and pupils is very high. Staff are very good role models of how to treat others and this greatly influences the positive relationships among pupils. This is especially true of pupils with special educational needs, who take a genuine pride in their developing social skills. Pupils make excellent progress in their social development because work in the programme of personal, social and health education combines so well with pupils’ experiences in school. Pupils learn to listen carefully and communicate politely so that social skills develop in all they do. Pupils also take on responsibilities around the school, such as Year 3 pupils helping in the Nursery each day or those who organise the fruit distribution. Class councils give pupils an influence in the school

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Commentary

community. Children in the Foundation Stage make very good progress in their personal, social and emotional development. They learn to cope with routines and be aware of others’ needs but most will not reach all the Early Learning Goals by the start of Year 1.

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Commentary

8. Pupils’ spiritual development is very good because they have regular opportunities to reflect on how to respond to different events and emotions. Assemblies and acts of collective worship are used very effectively for this. Pupils’ moral development is very good because pupils learn values that enable them to see right from wrong. They also learn to consider moral issues; for example, pupils in the Nursery discussed how Goldilocks may have made some wrong choices. Pupils’ cultural development is good and the school is aware of the need to raise pupils’ recognition of cultures other than their own.

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Attendance

9. Average attendance has been well below that of most primary schools for a number of years, although the pupils are younger and can be more prone to illness than those in primary schools that cater for pupils aged four to eleven. Rates stay low because some parents do not give enough priority to getting their children to school, or cope well enough with daily routines. The school is very aware that many families operate in difficult circumstances and works closely with the parents of those with a poor record of attendance to encourage an improvement. Measures to improve punctuality have been more successful. The school is considering the use of initiatives that have improved attendance in schools in similar circumstances.

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Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data 7.4 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. West Earlham Community First School - 11

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Categories used in the Annual School Census No of pupils on roll Number of fixed period exclusions Number of permanent exclusions White – British 256 1 0 White – any other White background 2 0 0 Mixed – White and Asian 2 0 0 Mixed – any other mixed background 5 0 0 Asian or Asian British – any other Asian background 2 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – Caribbean 2 0 0 Black or Black British – any other Black background 2 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other ethnic group 2 0 0 The table gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

The school provides a very good education for its pupils and includes them excellently in its enriched curriculum. Pupils are taught very well. They are very well cared for and receive excellent support, advice and guidance. The school has good links with parents and very good links with the community and other schools.

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Teaching and learning

Teaching, learning and assessment are very good overall.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils learn very well together because teachers plan very carefully to meet their diverse needs. • Teaching is stimulating and consistently challenging and uses very effective methods. • Well-directed teaching assistants reinforce and support learning excellently. • Pupils are helped to judge the success of their work and set targets for improvement. • Although a minority of parents support their children’s learning well, most are not involved enough in helping their children to learn.

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Commentary

10. Children in the Foundation Stage benefit from the high adult to child ratio and the very good quality of teaching and support. In addition, child care students and parent helpers are effectively deployed to lend additional support. This very good provision is driven by the headteacher’s determination to give all children the opportunity to succeed. Staff work very well together to plan a very relevant curriculum based on the six areas of learning and informed by expert knowledge of young children’s learning needs. Staff create a calm learning atmosphere which has a strong emphasis on early intervention to encourage the development of communication and social skills. One lesson was untypically unsatisfactory West Earlham Community First School - 12 because the children were unsettled by a short notice alteration in arrangements and found it hard to adjust. Teachers carry out detailed and regular assessments of children’s

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Commentary

achievement and use the information very well to plan further learning.

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Commentary

11. In Years 1 to 3, lesson planning is very good and is based on accurate assessments of pupils’ progress. It has a clear focus on the basic skills of literacy and numeracy and a successful integration of different subjects within themes. All pupils are fully included because they have ample opportunities for speaking and listening, and different reading and writing strategies encourage them to work together well. The teachers take advantage of the accommodation to organise learning very well. They provide pupils with access to materials and some choice over where to learn. Pupils find learning vivid, real and fun because it is very relevant to them. Teachers get the very best out of their pupils by regularly challenging them, especially those who are gifted and talented, through problem solving and investigations. Pupils are attentive and are keen to ask and answer questions because activities capture their interest. Very

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Commentary

occasionally, overlong teacher explanations cause pupils to lose interest, but more usually, judicious grouping enables staff to work effectively with all pupils. Although homework is set, the reluctant response by many parents blunts its effect. Staff maintain very high standards of behaviour and extend pupils intellectually, creatively and physically. They treat pupils with respect and value their contributions. They are attentive to the needs of pupils learning English as an additional language and give them many opportunities to practise their speaking and listening skills. Throughout the lessons, staff judge pupils’ understanding of their learning through questioning and observation. When revising what they have learnt, pupils are encouraged to think about how well they have understood it. Marking of work is up-to-date and older pupils are beginning to use the marking code to improve their own work. This

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promotes their personal development very well.

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Commentary

12. The teaching and learning of pupils with special educational needs are very good because very well trained staff make excellent evaluations of pupils’ barriers to progress and help them overcome them. Teachers plan the work with teaching assistants meticulously so that they can work very effectively with small groups. They manage reluctant learners very well and build their independence. Staff use a range of innovative programmes such as the Nurture Group to raise achievement further. Pupils have individual plans with clear targets and teachers’ planning takes these fully into account. Teachers follow the special educational needs co-ordinator’s advice on support and resources to provide for specific learning needs. Teaching assistants ensure that pupils take a full part in lessons and they undertake a range of teaching, assessment and recording tasks extremely well. Pupils are included regularly in

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Commentary

discussions about their progress and staff value their contributions.

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Commentary

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 33 lessons

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Commentary

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Commentary

3 (9%) 15 (46%) 9 (27%) 5 (15%) 1 (3%) 0 0

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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; figures in brackets show percentages where 30 or more lessons are seen.

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The curriculum

The school provides a very good range of activities and experiences to help pupils learn. They cover the requirements of the National Curriculum and of the locally agreed syllabus for religious education. The curriculum includes a very good range of out of lesson activities and opportunities. Accommodation and resources are very good overall.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The imaginative curriculum design promotes very good achievement. • All pupils enjoy excellent access to the very rich and highly relevant curriculum. West Earlham Community First School - 13 • The highly skilled teaching and support staff are a major resource. • There is a very good range of clubs, out-of-school activities and visitors, and these motivate the pupils and contribute to their achievement. • Limited resources restrict pupils’ progress in ICT. • Provision for pupils with special educational needs is excellent.

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Commentary

13. The children in the Foundation Stage benefit from a curriculum with a strong emphasis on literacy and social skills development. The curriculum promotes learning through a very good range of experiences that encourage children to think, discuss, question and co-operate. As a result, the children make very good progress. The curriculum in Years 1 to 3 is very well organised. English and mathematics are at its heart and pupils practise literacy and numeracy skills at every opportunity. For example, they learn how to listen carefully and share ideas in small groups. Many subjects are blocked together (taught in concentrated periods of time), which helps pupils understand the relevance of what they are learning. For example, following a geography lesson about human and physical features at the seaside, pupils used bar-charts and Carroll diagrams to sort their information. Personal, social and

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Commentary

health education is woven throughout the curriculum, which includes sex and relationships and drugs education. Pupils develop confidence and responsibility through playing active roles in class councils and making choices in real situations. For example, they learn how their behaviour can affect others and agree rules about playground games. The school is working within the Healthy School Scheme and staff reinforce healthy eating messages.

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Commentary

14. Extension activities support pupils with particular talents very well. For example, pupils work with a visiting sculptor to develop their carving techniques or discuss their ideas with Philosophy Bear (a puppet used to facilitate discussions). Collaboration with other schools, such as during chess competitions and arts week, also provides opportunities to extend pupils’ skills. Pupils take part in out-of-school activities that give them opportunities to take responsibility and develop social skills. For example, there are clubs to encourage creative and sporting activity as well as those to support language development. Visits and visitors enrich the curriculum. For example, as part of a visit, pupils’ work was displayed at Norwich Anglican Cathedral, an authoress worked in school during Book Week and a county chamber music group played for the pupils. Although provision for ICT as a discrete subject is

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Commentary

satisfactory, insufficient resources restrict pupils’ opportunities to practise skills, which limits their progress in this subject. The very good staff training programme is having a very positive effect on pupils’ learning so that the curriculum continually prepares pupils very well for their next stages of education. Staff are open to new ideas and carefully consider the likely effect before making changes. An example of this is the considered introduction of the Write Dance Project to improve pupils’ handwriting. As part of it, teachers use a movement and music theme inspired by a volcanic eruption to encourage pupils to use their whole bodies to interpret its action. They record ideas on large sheets of paper before refining these movements in their handwriting.

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Commentary

15. Teachers plan exciting and challenging activities for all pupils, but are very aware that many need more specific support. The programme of well-targeted, flexible support for pupils with special educational needs has excellent strategies to identify and provide for them. This innovative programme strikes the right balance between improving behaviour and social skills and raising academic achievement. Making effective use of the good accommodation, the Nurture Group is a good example of innovation whereby pupils are taught partly in a well- resourced separate classroom and partly with their peer group. The school provides a very good match of teachers to the curriculum and an excellent match of support staff. For example, teaching assistants work in classes and provide specialist support in, for instance, speech and language and social skills.

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Care, guidance and support

West Earlham Community First School - 14 Pupils benefit from excellent levels of support and guidance. There are very good arrangements for pupils’ care, welfare and safety. The school takes very careful account of pupils’ views.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• There is excellent use of pupil assessment data in English, mathematics and science. • Excellent levels of support meet individual needs very well. • Pupils develop implicit trust in staff. • There are very good arrangements for health and safety. • Class councils very effectively canvass views and involve pupils in school life.

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Commentary

16. The headteacher and senior managers take a strong lead in developing systems for monitoring and tracking pupils’ progress and setting targets for improvement. The headteacher involves the staff in analysing the information, which produces an excellent action plan that clearly identifies the school’s current and future priorities in promoting pupils’ progress. As a result, pupils achieve very well. Pupils with English as an additional language are accurately assessed on entry and their progress is carefully tracked so that their achievement is promoted very well. Accurate assessments of need are used effectively to inform programmes to support pupils with special educational needs. They receive excellent support from very well trained staff and make very good progress. Targets for improvement are increasingly shared with pupils and it is intended that this will be further developed.

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Commentary

17. This is an extremely caring school, in which each child is valued highly. Pupils are inducted into the school very well and parents are very pleased with the very good transfer arrangements when their children join the school from the pre-school nursery. The support for pupils’ emotional and behavioural needs is closely linked to specific areas of need, including social and language skills. Pupils’ care and guidance are organised very effectively and include a range of staff to meet identified needs. One such is the pastoral care worker who works closely with a few pupils who become unsettled, often through family circumstances. Very effective partnerships between teachers and teaching assistants ensure a very consistent level of care. Secure environments such as the Nurture Group and lunchtime groups help pupils develop the confidence and skills to relate well to others and to involve themselves positively in school life. Through all these ways, pupils form very trusting

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relationships with members of staff and are comfortable discussing any worries.

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Commentary

18. Arrangements for health and safety are very good because procedures to make the school safe are followed rigorously. Safety checks are thorough and interim problems are attended to promptly. First aid expertise is on hand at all times. Child protection arrangements are very good and in line with those recommended locally. There is very good monitoring of accidents, bullying and racially motivated behaviour. Class councils give pupils the platform to express their views and to discuss issues with others. Pupils run their own sessions and create their own agenda. Teachers empower the pupils to consider sensibly what is good or bad about topics such as toilets, displays and litter.

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Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

There are good links with parents. Links with the community and with other schools are very good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• There are very good transfer arrangements. • The school makes increasingly effective use of its involvement with joint agency initiatives. • The school provides very good quality information for parents. • Many parents do not make a significant contribution to their children’s education. West Earlham Community First School - 15

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Commentary

19. Children attend part-time sessions before starting and parents are encouraged to stay and to help them settle. There are very close links with West Earlham Middle School, particularly with regard to pupils with special educational needs. The transfer of information is efficient and the programme is very well supported by learning mentors.

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Commentary

20. The school plays a productive part in a network of joint agency initiatives funded by the Excellence in Cities programme. These include a specialist team, supported by the Behaviour Improvement Programme, which focuses on families in need. Learning mentors also work very effectively with families across local schools to improve attendance and raise achievement. The lead teacher for gifted and talented pupils meets with a link teacher to design appropriate programmes of work. The co-ordinator of provision for pupils with special educational needs has close links with the local agencies. The school is part of the University of East Anglia associate student scheme, providing experience for students who are considering a teaching career.

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Commentary

21. Parents’ newsletters and publications such as the prospectus are thoughtfully prepared to keep parents up to date and to remind them, for instance, of the need for regular pupil attendance. Parents are kept very well informed about their children’s progress through termly consultations and reports, which give a clear idea of progress together with areas for improvement. Parents are very pleased with the school’s provision and a minority support its work by helping with events, helping their children with homework or supporting the fund- raising efforts of the parent--teacher group. However, many parents give education a low priority and have low educational expectations of their children. This is reflected in the pupil attendance figures and in the level of support for homework. The school works hard to improve matters and responds very well to their concerns. It organises meetings with talks on

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Commentary

how to help their children, holds book sharing sessions with their children before school starts and organises coffee and discussion sessions afterwards. The school has conducted a survey to determine parental skills and needs and potential support, and a home learning package is ready to be launched.

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Commentary

22. Pupils with special educational needs benefit from very good inter-agency links and parents are kept very well informed about their child’s progress. However, many parents are reluctant to become involved and the school is working hard to increase their involvement through direct personal contact.

p.15

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The school’s leadership and management are very good. There is excellent leadership from the headteacher and deputy headteacher, very good management and good governance.

p.15

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The headteacher and deputy headteacher provide excellent leadership. • Subject leaders and other middle managers provide very good leadership and management. • The school uses its rigorous self-evaluation to very good effect. • The school is governed well.

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Commentary

23. The headteacher is quietly and highly effective in major areas of the school’s work. Her leadership combines high levels of care for the pupils with a strong determination to improve their achievement. Her ambitious vision for the school’s improvement is shown in the clarity of strategic planning, which has brought about incremental improvements to pupils’ achievement since she took up post. She has developed an effective staff team by wisely delegating West Earlham Community First School - 16 leadership of significant areas of school management and has built in accountability through a rigorous process of evaluation. This enables the school to determine precisely its strengths and weaknesses and to refine the foci of its efforts. She has invested shrewdly in staff training and deployment so that teachers’ subject knowledge is up to date and teaching assistants make an excellent contribution to pupils’ achievement and to their full inclusion.

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Commentary

She is a very strong influence on the school and enjoys the respect of all staff, who are highly motivated by her high expectations and care of them and the pupils. Her development of the school’s ethos framework of the ‘The Four Rs’ (rights, responsibilities, rules and routines) influences very positively the actions of staff and pupils alike. 24. The deputy headteacher is a highly effective partner in the school’s leadership team. She shares the headteacher’s aspirations for the school and this is perhaps best shown in her exemplary leadership of the school’s extensive provision for pupils with special educational needs. She combines a broad overview with meticulous attention to detail through her excellent communications with all staff and external support agencies. As the headteacher analyses the progress of all pupils, so the deputy headteacher focuses on that of pupils with special educational needs. She has devised a very good programme of staff training and

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Commentary

constantly looks for initiatives to support the learning of special educational needs pupils. These include the Nurture Group, a programme to develop gross motor skills (large physical movements) and speech and language programmes. The link governor for special educational needs supports and evaluates the provision very well and has helped the school to attract additional funding.

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Commentary

25. The Foundation Stage is very well led. Strongly supported by the headteacher, the co- ordinator leads a very effective staff team committed to continuous improvement. Other staff with responsibility for subject or aspect leadership (such as provision for gifted and talented pupils) carry out their duties very well. They provide very good role models and create highly effective teams. A good example of this is the leadership of the Nurture Group provided by a skilled and qualified teaching assistant. Leaders have a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of their subjects or aspects based on effective monitoring and evaluation of provision and pupils’ outcomes. They use this information to decide on action plan priorities and the headteacher uses them to contribute to overall school priorities and targets. Staff also have additional responsibilities for the leadership of staff performance management, induction

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Commentary

and the school’s provision for initial teacher training. They carry out these duties very effectively, so that new staff quickly become fully effective. They all benefit from professional development opportunities and trainee teachers benefit from as well as contribute to the school’s provision.

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Commentary

26. Governors fully appreciate the quality of school leadership and fulfil their statutory responsibilities. They have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses through their own involvement as well as from high quality reports from the headteacher and other staff. They are fully committed to the school’s full inclusion of all its pupils and support the staff well in their work. They have evaluated their work as governors and have an action plan to bring about further improvement. They are involved in school improvement planning and seek to improve this through an earlier contribution to strategic targets. They support the school’s very good financial management and can properly account for the larger than usual under spend (this is money held back for financing the implementation of planning and preparation time for teachers and for building modifications in preparation for school re-

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Commentary

organisation). They have made sensible arrangements for any effects on staffing that may come from reorganisation and support the school’s very good attention to best value principles.

p.16

Financial information for the year April 2004 to March 2005

Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 842,246 Balance from previous year 56,930 West Earlham Community First School - 17 Total expenditure 809,726 Balance carried forward to the next 89,450

p.16

Financial information for the year April 2004 to March 2005

Expenditure per pupil 3,706 West Earlham Community First School - 18

p.17

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Provision for children in the Foundation Stage is very good and this is an improvement since the previous inspection. Most children attend the school’s Nursery part-time and are inducted into the school very well. They start full-time education at the beginning of the academic year in which they are five after a part-time induction period of three weeks. The provision for pupils with special educational needs is excellent and they achieve very well. Leadership and management are very good.

p.18

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

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

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils have very low starting points and achieve very well. • The quality of teaching and learning is very good.

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Commentary

27. The area of personal, social and emotional development is very well taught and most children achieve very well from a very low starting point. They make impressive gains in this area of learning but do not reach the Early Learning Goals by the time they start Year 1. This is because many children entering the Foundation Stage find it difficult to share resources, work with others without conflict, control their feelings or be concerned how their behaviour affects others. Teachers and staff provide good role models and are quick to intervene, quietly reminding children of acceptable behaviour and providing one-to-one time out when necessary. They plan activities which encourage children to co-operate to complete tasks and to be aware of how others feel. Consequently, by the end of the Foundation Stage, most children are able to work more confidently in small groups and be more considerate to others.

p.18

Commentary

The small number of children who continue to have significant difficulty in controlling their feelings and behaviour are very well supported by experienced and specialist staff.

p.18

COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Provision in communication, language and literacy is very good .

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

• On entry, many pupils have significant limitations. • They all go on to achieve very well because they practise their skills regularly.

p.18

Commentary

28. Teaching in communication, language and literacy is very good and children achieve very well, mainly because staff take every opportunity to develop children’s language skills. Many children entering the Foundation Stage have a limited range of words and a significant number have speech problems that require specialist intervention. Teachers respond by planning activities across all areas of learning that centre on stimulating children to discuss, question and reason. Teaching assistants, deployed as “Talking Partners”, work with individuals and small groups of children to extend their language skills and promote confidence. For example, a child who had previously been reluctant to speak enthusiastically responded to questions about “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”, having gained confidence by being encouraged to speak through a Goldilocks puppet. The children like books and take West Earlham Community First School - 19

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Commentary

care with them. One child selected a book and carefully turned the pages, quietly singing about the characters, expressing character by changes in pitch and tone. By the time children start Year 1, most have a secure understanding of letters and letter sounds and can construct simple sentences. They will achieve the expected goals in these aspects, but not overall.

p.19

MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in mathematical development is very good .

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teachers use resources and displays very well to help children achieve very well.

p.19

Commentary

29. Teaching is very good in mathematical development and children achieve very well. Classrooms are alive with number, from displays to activities and resources. Children learn through lively counting songs and rhymes, joining in with enthusiasm and joy. Teachers make very good use of resources to engage and hold children’s interest. A request from ‘Spike’, a glove puppet, to help him by giving clues to a shape evoked the response from one child, “It’s got a little line with a semi-circle on it.” By the time they start Year 1 most can recite numbers in sequence to ten, understand ‘more’ and ‘less’ and sort shapes by simple descriptions. A few can make comparisons of position, shape, size, and pattern and can describe two and three dimensional shapes. The majority will not achieve the expected goals in mathematical development by the end of the Foundation Stage because of their low level of mathematical

p.19

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Provision in knowledge and understanding of the world is very good .

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Visitors and practical, exploring activities promote children’s learning well. • ICT skills are not promoted enough.

p.19

Commentary

30. In the area of knowledge and understanding of the world, teaching is very good. Although the children achieve well, most will not reach the Early Learning Goals by the start of Year 1. Teachers are very aware that most children enter the Foundation Stage with little experience of the world around them and so they plan an exciting range of real experiences to stimulate interest. Children learn about directions, starting with simple routes and treasure hunts based on stories shared and developing into plotting individuals’ routes to school. The theme of ‘People Who Help Us’ brings adults who help the community such as policemen and nurses into the classrooms and children are encouraged to extend their understanding through role play. They learn about life cycles through planting flowers and investigating their growth. Older children explore the life cycle of a chicken after a real chicken and eggs were bought

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Commentary

into school. A small number of computers are available so that children may practise their mouse and keyboard skills but this aspect is not sufficiently promoted. West Earlham Community First School - 20

p.19

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in physical development is satisfactory .

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

• On entry, most children have very low skills. • Their progress is slowed by the level of their co-operative and social skills.

p.20

Commentary

31. Teaching in physical development is satisfactory, as is children’s achievement. The majority will not achieve the expected learning goals by the time they start Year 1. This is because most children’s co-ordination and skills, especially when handling small equipment, are not developed enough to reach the expected levels. Many children find it difficult to listen and follow instructions when in a larger environment. For example, children working with balls and hoops in the hall continued to run about and fidget with equipment after they were instructed to sit down, causing the teacher to stop the lesson and remind the class of safe behaviour.

p.20

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Provision in creative development is very good .

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The quality of teaching and learning is very good. • Children achieve very well from low starting points but most will not reach the Early Learning Goals by the end of the Foundation Stage.

p.20

Commentary

32. Teachers plan many opportunities for children to develop their fine handling skills such as using pencils, paintbrushes and scissors. Children learn to use paint, make choices about suitable materials for tasks and handle cutting tools safely. For example, children in the Nursery making ‘sorry’ cards for Goldilocks to send to the bears chose and stuck on decorations and discussed their choices in simple terms. In the Reception class, children made detailed miniature washing lines using saws and drills to go with their story. By the end of the Foundation Stage a significant number of the children find activities such as colouring inside a defined shape challenging but they work with enthusiasm. Children make music and create simple compositions enthusiastically using untuned instruments. Children are keen to discuss their work and are confident to ask for help. For example, a child making a mobile of

p.20

Commentary

the life cycle of a chicken, totally engrossed in putting it together, suddenly stopped and said to the teacher, “ Not sure what to put first, the chicken or the egg.”

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils achieve very well. • The school has the development of literacy skills at the heart of its work. • The subject is very well led and managed. West Earlham Community First School - 21

p.20

Commentary

33. Pupils make significant improvement from their below average starting points in Year 1. In speaking and listening, and in reading they reach average standards by Year 2 and expected standards by Year 3. Although they achieve very well in writing, their starting points are slightly lower and their attainment by Year 2 is below average and below that expected by Year 3. This overall rate of achievement, coupled with an advance in standards, marks very good improvement since the school was previously inspected. It is the result of very well led, whole-school concerted effort and significant gains in pupils’ confidence and interest.

p.21

Commentary

34. Pupils’ listening skills develop very well because staff routinely stress the importance of careful listening. Pupils get plenty of speaking and listening practice because there are regular timetabled discussions. Most teachers use the strategy of talking partners (pupils talking with a partner on a topic set by the teacher) in all subjects so that all pupils are included during the discussions. This is particularly effective in promoting the very good achievement of pupils who are learning English as an additional language. Teachers manage discussions well and show through their responses that they value what pupils say. Pupils learn to apply the rules for discussions in many different situations. For example, in the Nurture Group lessons, pupils learn to ask one another for items politely and are thanked in return. They learn to respect what others say, and by Year 3 use the ideas of others as part

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Commentary

of their answers. The emphasis on speaking and listening skills enables pupils with special educational needs to achieve very well. Pupils’ greatest difficulties lie in using an extended vocabulary to express their increasing understanding of complex ideas. A good example of this was in a Year 3 discussion when pupils came across the word ‘despair’ and were trying hard to define it. After several attempts, one pupil volunteered, “It means like being out of it.”

p.21

Commentary

35. Pupils enjoy reading very much and by Year 3 are expressing preferences for authors and can retell the main points of stories. Pupils join in enthusiastically with the teacher reading together from Big Books. When prompted by skilled teaching assistants, they read text expressively to show their understanding. Pupils use a range of strategies to find the meanings of unfamiliar words. Principally they use the sounds letters make to build up the sequence in longer words and then try them out in the context of the sentence. Younger pupils rely also on clues from illustrations and older ones make deductions for the overall sense of the sentence. Relatively few self correct the detail of any mistakes when reading aloud if the overall sense is clear. Pupils get satisfaction from understanding what they have read and this increases their motivation to reach reading targets.

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Commentary

36. Pupils’ attainment lags slightly behind that in other aspects of English partly because a large minority have difficulties with pencil control and so find the physical process of writing problematic. It is also because their relative lack of a wide vocabulary reduces their ability to express themselves fluently and adventurously. Staff are helping pupils overcome this barrier to their learning through initiatives such as the Write Dance programme and by ensuring that pupils have good reasons for writing. For instance, lower-attaining pupils in Year 1 write unaided pieces derived from their favourite stories, supported by illustrations to help them sequence ideas. From their own experience, more able Year 1 pupils write poetic sentences such as, “In my magic box I will put the smell of my Mum’s roast.” Older, more able pupils are beginning to write more complex sentences and have an awareness of the use of paragraphs.

p.21

Commentary

They develop these skills very well because teachers help them with writing frames (different sentence constructions).

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Commentary

37. The very good quality of teaching and learning stems principally from excellent subject knowledge and lesson planning and the highly effective partnership between teachers and teaching assistants, which ensures that all pupils are fully included. The least effective aspect of teaching is that the work the school sets for completion at home is not consistently supported by a large minority of parents. However, those pupils who are encouraged at home benefit from this. Staff assess pupils’ work very closely and refine their teaching as a result. West Earlham Community First School - 22 They are consistent in their praise for pupils’ efforts and encourage them to persevere and work in small groups to good effect. 38. There is a very effective partnership to the leadership of English. One teacher is the substantive leader of all speaking and listening initiatives and the other takes temporary responsibility for other aspects of English. In practice, they share their expertise and the

p.21

Commentary

workload to the school’s benefit. They work excellently with teams of colleagues to promote aspects of literacy and together with the headteacher monitor provision and its impact on pupils’ progress in an exemplary fashion. This enables them to meet pupils’ learning needs precisely through different ways of grouping pupils and using a range of teaching strategies. It also enables them to plan for continuing improvement through precise action planning.

p.22

Language and literacy across the curriculum

39. Staff pursue the school aim of improving pupils’ language and literacy skills by practising and extending them in other subjects. A high priority is the development of speaking and listening skills and staff provide very good role models of clear speech and intensive listening. They use teaching techniques such as talking partners to encourage dialogue. The most skilled teachers ask open questions that invite extended answers from the higher-attaining pupils. Displays of pupils’ work encourage involvement, and writing opportunities in history, for example, enable pupils to empathise with historical characters and to express themselves creatively. There is satisfactory use of ICT in the subject but further development is limited by the number of computers available.

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils achieve very well. • The quality of teaching and learning is very good. • The subject is very well led.

p.22

Commentary

40. The school has made very good progress since the previous inspection and pupils’ attainment has improved significantly. Year 2 pupils reach above average standards in all aspects of mathematics and achieve very well. They recognise number patterns such as those made by odd and even numbers, use measurements and represent information in bar charts. Higher attaining pupils achieve very well in remembering addition and subtraction facts beyond 20 and interpreting Carroll diagrams. Year 3 pupils continue to achieve very well and are beginning to organise their work and check it for accuracy. They recall their two, five and ten times tables and understand reflective symmetry of two dimensional shapes.

p.22

Commentary

41. Lessons are planned very well and teachers make good use of national guidance to ensure that pupils develop and practise skills regularly. Teachers use the individual plans for special educational needs pupils to plan work for them and to enable them to achieve very well. Teachers use resources very well to help pupils learn. For example, in a Year 2 lesson, the teacher used the theme of the seaside to capture pupils’ interest and help them make connections before sorting and organising their information into bar charts and Carroll diagrams. Teachers have very high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. They respond very positively and enjoy the challenge of their mathematics work. The assessment of pupils’ progress is rigorous and marking helps pupils to make improvements in their work by setting targets, making suggestions and following these up. Teachers strongly encourage the development of speaking and listening skills through their classroom management. This

p.22

Commentary

includes setting work for groups of pupils that is matched to their capabilities and asking separate questions of differing abilities. Well-trained teaching assistants are deployed and West Earlham Community First School - 23 used very well to help pupils learn, both by teaching groups of pupils under the teachers’ guidance, and by supporting individual pupils during whole-class lessons. Although homework is set, patchy support from parents for its completion limits its effect. 42. The co-ordinator leads the subject very well. She has ensured continuity of pupils’ learning through intensive staff training and rigorous monitoring of teaching, provision and pupil outcomes.

p.22

Mathematics across the curriculum

43. Teachers plan very good opportunities in other subjects for pupils to use their skills. In Years 1 and 2, the use of mathematics is becoming a natural part of classroom activities. In design and technology, pupils use pictograms to explore favourite fruits before making fruit smoothies of their choice. In Year 3, pupils demonstrate lines of symmetry in their gymnastic actions and paint butterflies with symmetrical wing patterns. There is satisfactory use of ICT, but this is limited by the access pupils have to computers.

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils’ attainment has improved considerably since the previous inspection. • The teaching of science has been designed thoughtfully to meet the needs of all pupils. • Pupils have very good attitudes to science. • The assessment and tracking of pupils’ achievement is very good. • The subject is very well led.

p.23

Commentary

44. The school has made very good progress since the previous inspection. At that time pupils’ attainment was below that expected nationally. Now pupils reach above average standards by Year 2 and reach standards above those expected in Year 3. Pupils achieve very well.

p.23

Commentary

45. The school has successfully redesigned the teaching of science into concentrated blocks of time throughout the school year. There has been a greater focus on investigative and experimental work and the pupils have responded very well to this and standards have risen sharply. Because of the redesign of the curriculum, it was not possible to observe any lessons in science during the inspection. Evidence was gathered from scrutinies of pupils’ work, from discussions with pupils, the subject leader and other staff, and from an analysis of resources, teachers’ planning and assessment results.

p.23

Commentary

46. Pupils are enthusiastic about science and are very well motivated. Year 3 pupils have a very good understanding of the different forces of pulling and pushing. They are knowledgeable about their work on ‘light and dark’ and use correct scientific vocabulary, s when dealing with the differences between opaque, transparent and translucent. They understand how shadows and silhouettes are formed and that shadows change in length. The more able pupils relate this to the movement of the Earth and the relative position of the sun. They readily identify the basic requirements for growth in plants and in animals. They differentiate between healthy and unhealthy foods and explain how diet can affect human health. Pupils in Year 2 are already able to describe how to plan and carry out a fair test and record their findings in a variety of ways.

p.23

Commentary

47. Teachers make links between science and other areas of the curriculum wherever possible. This is illustrated by the display of Year 1 work on ‘The Five Senses’ which links science with mathematics (through shapes and block graphs), and English (through the use of descriptions such as, ‘a soft sound like water flowing in a stream’). Teachers’ planning is very detailed and West Earlham Community First School - 24 clear. The focus is on encouraging pupils to work together and discuss their work. This supports the learning of pupils with special educational needs and enables them to achieve very well. Pupils enjoy working in groups and supporting each other and recognise that they can all benefit from this joint working. Appropriate resources and excellent support from the teaching assistants enable pupils with special educational needs to take full part in investigations and make very good progress. Teachers assess pupils’ achievements at the

p.23

Commentary

end of each topic and use this information to amend lessons so that all pupils’ needs are met.

p.24

Commentary

48. The subject leader has improved the teaching of investigations by introducing a new scheme and through staff training and support. This has improved pupils’ investigative skills and encouraged their positive attitudes to the subject. She has purchased a range of resources and organises them effectively. She monitors teaching, learning and pupils’ achievement thoroughly and is keen to bring in more outside expertise to generate even more pupil interest in science.

p.24

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Provision in information and communication is unsatisfactory .

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

• By Year 2 and in Year 3, standards are below those expected and pupils make unsatisfactory progress. • Teachers have good subject knowledge and pupils have good attitudes to learning. • Resources for learning and teaching are well below those recommended and so pupils have insufficient one-to-one access to computers. • Assessment of individual pupils’ progress is insecure.

p.24

Commentary

49. Unsatisfactory achievement is the result of the low level of resources, which frustrates teachers’ efforts to provide pupils with enough time for using technology to develop their skills and understanding satisfactorily. Nearly half of the computers do not meet the national minimum specifications. Standards have declined since the previous inspection when attainment of Year 2 pupils was close to average and was better than that in Year 3.

p.24

Commentary

50. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. In the one lesson seen, the teacher used her good subject knowledge to overcome some of the resource difficulties she encountered. Pupils had difficulty seeing the small screen but continued to concentrate. The follow up activity required pupils to convert data into a picture graph but, because of the small amount of equipment, pupils had only a few minutes to develop their skills. This level of access to computers is common to all classes and slows pupils’ achievement in learning computer skills, particularly as many do not have access to computers at home to support their learning. Pupils sharing computers have good attitudes to learning. They enjoy their work and organise themselves very well to make sure everyone has their turn. Pupils can find programs and save and print their work. However, their keyboard skills are weak. Year 3 pupils use control

p.24

Commentary

technology by programming a screen and floor turtle. They were enthusiastic about their use of the Internet to copy and paste information from wider sources and the recent opportunities to use digital photography. However, their understanding of the specific subject language, such as control and graphics, to describe learning in the subject is limited.

p.24

Commentary

51. The leadership of the subject is satisfactory. The subject leader has taken every opportunity to provide other members of staff with training to improve their subject knowledge. She monitors teachers’ planning and supports learning and teaching well. She has introduced an assessment sheet for teachers to record pupils’ progress, but whilst pupils are sharing computers it is difficult for teachers to judge the achievement of individuals precisely. The headteacher and the governors have been concerned for some time about ICT provision but West Earlham Community First School - 25 external delays in meeting the school’s needs have limited the school’s progress. Consequently, they have identified the subject as an area for development that includes the creation of a small suite of computers.

p.24

Information and communication technology across the curriculum

52. Satisfactory use is made of ICT across the curriculum. Teachers provide pupils with opportunities to use their ICT skills in subjects such as English, history and geography. Pupils use the Internet for research, for example to find out about famous people such as Florence Nightingale. Pupils’ access to the Internet is carefully controlled by the teachers, who download websites for pupils to use. Pupils combine text and graphics to create stories in English and to explore the lives and work of famous artists. They use programs that help them understand the past but many older pupils lack the skills and understanding to access ICT for independent research.

p.25

HUMANITIES

53. Religious education is reported on fully and geography and history were sampled. Two lessons were seen in geography and teachers’ plans, pupils’ work and classroom displays were examined in both geography and history. In both these subjects, outline planning is from national guidance and the school complies with statutory requirements. Detailed planning further refines the subjects well to meet the needs of all pupils. Assessment of both subjects is satisfactory. It identifies what pupils have achieved and informs further planning but does not set individual targets for improvement.

p.25

HUMANITIES

54. The teaching and learning in one Year 2 geography lesson were very good and in the other they were excellent. Pupils’ attainment in these lessons was in line with that expected and their achievement was very good. Pupils are enthusiastic about geography and have access to a good range of opportunities to learn about the world. These include visits to the local playground to consider use and design in their own locality, learning about the water cycle and how weather affects environments and humans. Year 2 made detailed models of the imaginary Isle of Struay and compared life there to life in the British Isles. Pupils learned about life in Africa when a Masai dance troupe visited the school and they interpreted the experience through art.

p.25

HUMANITIES

55. Pupils enjoy their work in history . Younger pupils learn about famous people such as Mary Secole and concepts such as change over time, for example comparing aspects of life in Victorian times to those of the present day. Older pupils learn about the cause of the Great Fire of London and ancient cultures such as those of the Vikings and the Ancient Egyptians. The learning is well supported by planned links to other subjects such as art and design and design and technology. For example, pupils made clay rune stones to explore the writing and beliefs of the Vikings.

p.25

Religious education

Provision in religious education is good .

p.25

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils achieve well. • The quality of teaching and learning is good. • The subject contributes very well to the school’s curriculum. • There is good subject leadership.

p.25

Commentary

56. Pupils achieve well in their knowledge of Christianity and other major world religions. By Years 2 and 3, most reach the standard expected in the Norfolk Agreed Syllabus. They have West Earlham Community First School - 26 a good understanding of different religious festivals and their significance to believers.

p.25

Commentary

Through the school’s approach to using characters (large drawings of children from different faiths), they relate well to different tenets of belief and see the significance of religious artefacts.

p.26

Commentary

57. During the inspection, there was no opportunity to observe teaching and learning in Year 3 and so the following refers largely to Years 1 and 2. Teachers plan well and make effective use of school guidance drawn from the locally agreed syllabus. They make extensive use of resources and incorporate themes from religious education into other subjects such as exploring light in art and design and science. Teachers use discussion extensively to develop their pupils’ understanding. Talking with their partners or in small groups, pupils develop positive attitudes to religious education and behave very well. This especially supports the learning of pupils with special educational needs and enables them to achieve very well. They listen with respect to other pupils’ ideas and offer their own with increasing confidence. They are prepared to persevere with examining difficult concepts with which the school challenges

p.26

Commentary

them. “What is a soul? What is special about me?” These are two of a sequence of challenging questions skilfully introduced in collective worship that pupils then follow up in class to good effect. In a Year 1 class, most could specify what was special about themselves and when the teacher urged them to be more specific, one commented, “It’s a bit tricky this”, before going on to try. Pupils take pride in their written work in religious education; this helped them reflect on a visit to Norwich Cathedral that prompted one to write, ”It’s very cold here and when the sun shines on the stained glass window, the room lights up like when Jesus rose. It’s like the colour of a miracle.”

p.26

Commentary

58. The good quality of subject leadership has enabled the school to make good progress since the previous inspection. Standards have been maintained and pupils’ achievement improved. Pupils’ progress is now more accurate and the curriculum broadened. The subject leader has introduced some innovative teaching materials such as the faith characters supported by the LEA that are improving pupils’ access to quite difficult concepts. She monitors and evaluates provision excellently. This enables her to plan accurately for further improvement and enables the subject to continue to make a very good contribution to pupils’ personal development.

p.26

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

59. Art and design, design and technology and physical education are reported fully and music was sampled. In music , part of one lesson was observed and other inspection evidence was gained from teachers’ planning and assessments, a video of a recent school production, and discussions with staff and pupils. Pupils are extremely enthusiastic about their music and Year 3 pupils enjoy playing instruments and working in groups to produce their own compositions. They enjoy singing, especially singing along to recorded music. They know their favourite instruments and why they like them. One pupil described the harp as “making soothing, safe sounds that relax you”. More able pupils know the difference between acoustic and electric guitars. In the part lesson observed, the teaching was very good and was based on very good subject knowledge and very well prepared resources. The pupils worked very

p.26

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

well together when making instruments from scrap materials and produced sequences of sounds from them. Most could maintain the rhythm and beat with their instruments and could sing along melodically.

p.26

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

60. Opportunities through choir, recorder groups and visiting musicians are made available to pupils showing talent. The school invites a broad range of visiting musicians, such as the Masai group or classical quartets, to enliven the curriculum and these together with the resources, provide pupils with experience of music from different cultures. The music leader has ensured the subject has progressed well through a new scheme of work, additional resources and her monitoring and evaluation of provision and pupils’ progress. West Earlham Community First School - 27

p.26

Art and design

Provision in art and design is very good .

p.27

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils have very good attitudes and achieve very well. • The quality of teaching and learning is very good. • The subject is well led and has improved well since the previous inspection.

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Commentary

61. By Years 2 and 3, pupils’ standards of attainment are above those expected and their evaluative skills are good. Pupils talk with enthusiasm about their artwork and a number are identified on the gifted and talented register for their art skills. Older pupils know their favourite artists and why they like them. Year 3 pupils appreciate how Vincent Van Gogh used bright colours and bold shapes to paint sunflowers. This influenced their own well- crafted images of chrysanthemums using oil pastels, watercolours and charcoal and the designing of salt dough plant plaques.

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Commentary

62. Teachers provide many opportunities for pupils to explore and develop their own ideas, using a wide variety of materials and tools. Art and design is linked well to work in other subjects such as geography and science. For example, pupils design clay Thor hammers in their Viking project and paint clowns to hold a simple circuit with flashing light for “Red Nose Day”. Pupils work diligently to produce pleasing results as the teacher prompts them to make comparisons and improvements. They are encouraged to use computer programs such as Paint to enhance their work.

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Commentary

63. The school is using the subject leader’s knowledge effectively to organise and extend the curriculum. Careful recording of pupils’ attainment and rigorous monitoring of provision are developing pupils’ creativity well and enabling pupils with special educational needs to achieve very well.

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Design and technology

Provision in design and technology is good .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils achieve well. • Pupils have good attitudes as teachers take every opportunity to provide relevant experiences. • The subject is well led and has improved well since the previous inspection.

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Commentary

64. By Years 2 and 3, pupils reach the standards of attainment that are expected and they achieve well. They design their products imaginatively and work carefully with a variety of tools and materials to make quality products. For example, younger pupils use their skills in measuring and cutting to achieve success and older pupils use control mechanisms such as pneumatics. Following their detailed designs, Year 1 pupils attached string, pipe cleaners and cardboard to construction blocks to create intricate slides, swings and roundabouts and investigated ways to make models move. Year 3 pupils used plastic syringes and tubing to launch rockets. When models are completed, younger pupils discuss their likes and dislikes and offer ways in which they could improve their work. Older pupils have begun to test out their ideas and make improvements to their work. Pupils are beginning to use digital cameras

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Commentary

to record their work. Pupils with special educational needs co-operate well and this helps them achieve well. West Earlham Community First School - 28 65. The quality of teaching and learning is very good. Imaginative teaching methods lead to a high level of interest from most pupils. Individual needs are well catered for and teaching assistants make a significant contribution to including all pupils in the lessons. For example, they worked alongside pupils devising wind up mechanisms to investigate how Father Christmas came down the chimney. They also enjoyed, with the pupils, designing healthy sandwiches for members of staff as part of their Healthy Schools project. Following a puppet theatre visit, Year 2 pupils designed their own puppets and presented their plays to each other, giving them an excellent opportunity to practise their speaking and listening skills.

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Commentary

66. The subject leader has set up effective systems for monitoring pupils’ progress. She has overseen the planning of pupils' work, evaluated teaching quality and organised resources well. She has a clear vision for how the subject should develop throughout the school and supports other colleagues very well to work towards that vision.

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Physical education

Provision in physical education is good .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils achieve well owing to some good quality teaching. • The curriculum is meeting pupils’ needs increasingly well. • The subject is well led and has progressed well since the previous inspection.

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Commentary

67. By the end of Year 3, pupils reach broadly average standards in games skills (the aspect inspected) and make good progress from their below average starting points at the start of Year 1. Their skills of throwing and catching improve at a faster rate than their positional sense largely because teachers focus on these skills. Pupils’ hand–eye co-ordination improves through regular practice and their awareness of space increases well. They work together increasingly well in games situations as their strategic sense improves.

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Commentary

68. The quality of teaching and learning is good. Pupils enjoy physical education and are keen to improve. They respond very well to the teachers’ instructions, so that they learn safely and little time is lost. Lessons are planned well. Teaching assistants ensure that all pupils are included in the activities by encouraging those who lack confidence or who have special educational needs to take part and achieve well. Lessons have a good structure and during warm ups, pupils learn about the effects of exercise on their bodies. Pupils enjoy the variety of activities and put a lot of effort into practising their skills individually and in groups. They learn to consider others, take turns and play by the rules. In these ways, the subject makes a very good contribution to pupils’ personal development. Teachers’ subject knowledge is satisfactory and this helps the pupils to begin to evaluate their progress. However, most

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Commentary

teachers do not coach the finer skills of positioning, stance and balance to enable pupils who do not have these skills naturally to acquire them.

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Commentary

69. In common with most other subjects, physical education now benefits from a timetabling arrangement that enables staff and pupils to focus on developing a set of key skills within a defined period. This has helped to improve pupils’ achievement. Beyond the lessons, the school provides a good range of additional activities to improve their physical skills, which makes good use of the range of resources. For instance, at play times, pupils help to set out equipment in the playground for all to share and develop their co-ordination skills. Through involvement with the local community, teaching assistants provide additional sporting activities after school and all Year 3 pupils have the opportunity to learn to swim. Within the wider movement curriculum, the school encourages dance and links this well to music through initiatives such as the Write Dance project. West Earlham Community First School - 29

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Commentary

70. The subject leader uses her expertise to develop a system for assessing pupils’ progress as they move through the school. This has recently been introduced and is not yet fully effective. She has ensured that staff are well supported through curriculum guidance and her monitoring and evaluation of provision. The subject action plan outline has the right priorities to maintain the subject’s improvement.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

71. This subject was sampled and only one lesson was observed. Other evidence was gained from discussions with pupils and staff, scrutiny of documentation, and observation of activities around school.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

72. The school is actively working towards Level Three Healthy Status and healthy eating continues to be promoted through fruit snacks and attention to diet at lunchtime. Each class has a class council and pupils take their involvement in decision-making very seriously. Visitors from the community broaden pupils’ understanding of citizenship and this is significantly strengthened by the school’s ethos framework of ‘The Four Rs’, which are regularly considered in class and assemblies and permeate all aspects of school life. Staff very effectively develop very good relationships, and pupils get regular opportunities to discuss their views and feelings.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

73. In the one lesson observed, teaching and learning were good. Year 1 pupils contributed maturely to a discussion about the outward signs of not feeling well. They discussed animatedly as talking partners and offered sensible points to the whole class. This lesson and others involving class council business contribute very well to pupils’ personal development. West Earlham Community First School - 30

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The overall effectiveness of the school 2

How inclusive the school is 1 How the school’s effectiveness has changed since its last inspection 2 Value for money provided by the school 2

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities 2

Attendance 5 Attitudes 2 Behaviour, including the extent of exclusions 2 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2

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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 2 Pupils’ care, welfare, health and safety 2 Support, advice and guidance for pupils 1 How well the school seeks and acts on pupils’ views 2 The effectiveness of the school’s links with parents 3 The quality of the school’s links with the community 2 The school’s links with other schools and colleges 2

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The leadership and management of the school 2

The governance of the school 3 The leadership of the headteacher 1 The leadership of other key staff 2 The effectiveness of management 2

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The leadership and management of the school 2

Inspectors make judgements on a scale: excellent (grade 1); very good (2); good (3); satisfactory (4); unsatisfactory (5); West Earlham Community First School - 31 poor (6); very poor (7).

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