Great Bridge Primary School

GREAT BRIDGE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 28 th February - 2 nd March 2005

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GREAT BRIDGE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 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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GREAT BRIDGE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. Great Bridge Primary School - 1

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Primary School category: Community Age range of pupils: 3 - 11 Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 407 School address: Mount Street Great Bridge Tipton Postcode: DY4 7DE Telephone number: (0121) 557 1526 Fax number: (0121) 557 7436 E-mail: terry.keasey@greatbridge.sandwell.sch.uk Appropriate authority: The governing body Name of chair of governors: Mrs M Reynolds Date of previous inspection: July 1999

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

This large primary school serves a community which, overall, experiences high levels of social and economic deprivation. Children’s levels of understanding and learning skills cover a wide range but are well below average overall when they enter the Nursery. In the Nursery, there is provision for children from across the local education authority who have marked learning difficulties. Most pupils are from white, western European backgrounds, but almost one in five comes from a range of other cultural backgrounds. This proportion is above average, as is the proportion which speaks English as an additional language (some four per cent). However, these pupils are reasonably fluent in English and their learning is not adversely affected.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

The school has 407 pupils on roll, of whom 126 are in the Foundation Stage. Seventy of these attend the Nursery part-time, so that the school has a full-time equivalent roll of 372 pupils. There are 78 pupils on the school’s register of special educational needs and, at 21 per cent, this proportion is above average. Nine pupils have statements of special educational needs, and, at 2.4 per cent, this proportion, too, is slightly above average. The nature of special educational needs includes moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and behavioural difficulties, speech and communication difficulties, physical impairment and autism. An above average proportion of pupils join and leave the school during the course of the year and there is clear evidence that this has an adverse effect on standards. In recent years, the school has received a School Achievement award, and the Nursery has

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

achieved Investor in Children status. In January 2005, the school moved into a new building with much improved facilities. Great Bridge Primary School - 2

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

10373 Mr A J Dobell Lead inspector Music Physical education 19374 Mrs W Sheehan Lay inspector 22452 Mrs M Farman Team inspector The Foundation Stage Mathematics Art and design Design and technology 16761 Mr M Hemmings Team inspector English as an additional language Science Information and communication technology 15011 Mrs M Wallace Team inspector Special educational needs English Geography History Religious education

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

The inspection contractor was: Tribal PPI 1 - 4 Portland Square Bristol BS2 8RR

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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 637 833) or Ofsted’s website (www.ofsted.gov.uk). Great Bridge Primary School - 3

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 6 - 9

Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 6 - 9

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL 10 - 15

Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

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OVERALL EVALUATION

This is a good school giving good value for money. Pupils throughout the school make good progress and achieve well because the quality of teaching is good overall with teaching being very good in about four lessons out of every ten. The headteacher’s experienced and effective leadership has enabled the school to emerge strongly from the major disruptions of the last 18 months.

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The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

 Good teaching enables pupils to achieve well overall.  Standards in science and information and communication technology are not high enough.  Pupils have good attitudes to learning and behave well because they feel secure and valued in the school.  Pupils benefit from a good curriculum with good opportunities for enrichment, but there are occasional instances when pupils are denied equality of access to the curriculum.  Pupils now enjoy very good quality care in accommodation of very high quality.  Good leadership and management have enabled the school to emerge well from a period of considerable disruption.  There is very good provision for children in the Foundation Stage and good provision for pupils with special educational needs.  The school has good links with the community and other schools, but information to parents is unsatisfactory.  Attendance is below average and punctuality is poor.

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The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

The school has improved well since its previous inspection and the issues from that inspection have been dealt with well. The school’s strengths far outweigh its weaknesses.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

all schools similar schools Results in National Curriculum tests at the end of Year 6, compared with: 2002 2003 2004 2004 English E E* B B mathematics E E* C C science E* E* E E Key: A - well above average; B - above average; C - average; D - below average; E - well below average; E* - in the bottom five per cent. Similar schools are those with a similar proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Achievement is good throughout the school. Children enter the Nursery with levels of understanding and learning skills which are well below average. They achieve well, but are unlikely to reach the standards expected nationally in communication, language and literacy, mathematical development and knowledge and understanding of the world. However, they are likely to reach these standards in their personal, social and emotional development, creative development and physical development. Pupils continue to achieve well in Years 1 to 6. However, standards are currently below average in Years 2 and 6 because an unusually high proportion of pupils in these year groups have special educational needs. Further, standards in Year 6 have been adversely affected by an unusually high turnover of pupils in this year group during Years 3 to 6. Standards in investigative science and in information and communication technology are not high enough.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Great Bridge Primary School - 5 Pupils’ personal qualities are good. They have good attitudes to learning and behave well both in and out of class. These good attitudes have a positive effect on pupils’ good achievement. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good overall, but attendance is below average and punctuality is poor.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The school provides an education of good quality. Teaching and learning are good overall, and very good in the Foundation Stage. Teachers encourage pupils to give of their best and, as a result, they work productively and learn effectively. However, pupils do not develop the capacity to work well independently. Teaching assistants support learning very well. Assessments of pupils’ work to promote further progress are satisfactory overall. They are used well in English, mathematics and science, but are less effective in other subjects.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The curriculum offered by the school is very good in the Foundation Stage and good in Years 1 to 6. There are good opportunities for enrichment out of class. The learning of pupils with special educational needs, and those who speak English as an additional language, is managed well. The quality of the accommodation is now very good. Pupils are cared for very well. The school’s partnership with parents is satisfactory, although the quality of information for parents is unsatisfactory. Links with the community and other schools are good overall.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management are good. The headteacher, well supported by all adults in the school, is providing effective leadership. His vision for his pupils is to enable them to achieve good standards while developing into confident and caring young citizens. His colleagues support him by practising this vision consistently throughout the school. Children get a very good start to their education in the Nursery and Reception classes because the Foundation Stage is led and managed very well. The school’s very clear commitment to equality of opportunity is not always achieved because there are isolated cases of pupils being denied access to some aspects of the curriculum. Management is good and teachers and teaching assistants are deployed well to support pupils’ learning. Governors have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and capacity for improvement and ensure that it meets its legal obligations. Finances are managed well and the

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

principles of best value are practised effectively.

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Parents and pupils have positive views of the school overall. Parents are pleased that their children enjoy school and are making good progress. They believe that children have to work hard, that they are treated fairly and that the school is led and managed well. Inspectors support these positive views. A minority of parents have concerns about bullying. In discussion, pupils agreed that bullying did occur but that the school mostly, but not always, ‘sorted it out’. Some parents are also concerned about the quality of information about their children’s progress and the ways in which the school consults them. Inspectors agree that there is some substance to these concerns. Again, some parents are concerned about a lack of support to help them as partners in their children’s learning. However, parents at the meeting held before the inspection felt that the school dealt with this well, and inspectors support this view.

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

Great Bridge Primary School - 6  Improve attainment in science and information and communication technology.  Introduce further strategies to improve attendance and punctuality.  Ensure that all pupils have full access to all aspects of the curriculum.  Improve the quality of information for parents.

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Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

Achievement is good throughout the school. Children enter the Nursery with levels of understanding and learning skills which cover a wide range but are well below average overall. By the end of Year 2 in most years, standards in reading, writing and mathematics are below average and this represents good achievement in the Foundation Stage and Years 1 and 2. Standards at the end of Year 6 in English, mathematics and science vary from year to year, but were average in 2004. This year group achieved well in Years 3 to 6. Standards in information and communication technology are well below average because resources were poor in the former building. In the other subjects of the curriculum, standards are generally below average in Years 2 and 6.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

 Achievement is good throughout the school and sometimes very good in the Foundation Stage.  Standards vary markedly from one year group to another.  While learning is managed well overall, assessment does not focus sharply enough on raising standards in subjects other than English, mathematics and science.  Standards in information and communication technology and investigative science are not high enough.  Pupils with special educational needs and those who speak English as an additional language achieve well.  The headteacher and his colleagues are determined to exploit the potential of the new building in order to raise standards.

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Commentary

1. In the national tests at the end of Year 2 in 2004, standards were below average in reading, writing and mathematics. Teacher assessment in science also judged standards to be below average. This is typical of results in most years. Since children enter the Nursery with levels of understanding and learning skills which are well below average, these standards represent good achievement in the Foundation Stage and Years 1 and 2. There is no clear pattern to differences in the achievement of boys and girls.

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Commentary

2. In the national tests at the end of Year 6 in 2004, standards were above average in English, average in mathematics, but well below average in science. This was because pupils’ skills in investigations and in experimental science were well below average. These results represented good achievement in Years 3 to 6 for this age group. However, these results were a marked improvement on those usually attained at the end of Year 6 because this was a particularly able year group. Again, there is no clear pattern in the attainment of boys and girls over time. Great Bridge Primary School - 7 Standards in national tests at the end of Year 2 – average point scores in 2004 Standards in: School results National results reading 15.0 (15.3) 15.8 (15.7) writing 14.3 (15.0) 14.6 (14.6) mathematics 15.5 (16.0) 16.2 (16.3) There were 60 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year.

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Commentary

Standards in national tests at the end of Year 6 – average point scores in 2004 Standards in: School results National results English 27.7 (23.0) 26.9 (26.8) mathematics 27.0 (23.2) 27.0 (26.8) science 27.4 (23.1) 28.6 (28.6) There were 42 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year.

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Commentary

3. Pupils achieve well throughout the school by building effectively on their prior levels of understanding. In the Foundation Stage, pupils achieve very well in personal, social and emotional development, creative development and physical development; they achieve well in communication, language and literacy, mathematical development and knowledge and understanding of the world.

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Commentary

4. While pupils achieve well, the standards they reach vary from one year group to another. For example, pupils in the current Year 2 are likely to attain lower standards in the national tests in 2005 because over one-third of them have a range of special educational needs. All these special needs cause learning difficulties for the pupils concerned. Similarly, in the current Year 6, over 40 per cent of the pupils have special educational needs, and, again, these special needs have an adverse effect on learning. Further, in this year group, 14 pupils have left the school since they took the national tests in at the end of Year 2, and seven have joined the school. Of those leaving, seven had above average results in Year 2, and six obtained average results. Of the seven joining the school, none had above average results, and the majority had below average results at the end of Year 2. This means that, although these pupils have made good

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Commentary

progress from their previous levels of understanding in Years 3 to 6, these factors are likely to mean that standards will decline significantly from those obtained in 2004.

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Commentary

5. Throughout the school, learning is managed well overall. However, assessment is concentrated on English, mathematics and on science in Years 3 to 6. In other subjects, progress is not tracked routinely so that targets for improvement are not set regularly to promote progress systematically. Because of this, opportunities are missed to use these subjects to develop pupils’ skills in literacy and numeracy. Since there is an overreliance on undemanding worksheets in some classes, so that pupils do not write at length for different purposes, further opportunities to develop literacy are missed.

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Commentary

6. The headteacher acknowledges that the school has concentrated on learning facts in science. As a result, pupils’ experimental and investigative skills are weak. The school accepts that this aspect of learning in science needs to be improved and has begun to take some steps to achieve this. However, this is still not planned for systematically. In information and communication technology, standards throughout the school are well below those expected. This is because resources were poor in the former building. For example, Years 5 and 6 were in temporary Great Bridge Primary School - 8 classrooms and had almost no access to computers. In the new building, the school has very good resources for information and communication technology, and the headteacher and his colleagues recognise that improving standards in this subject is an urgent priority. In the other subjects of the curriculum, standards are in line with expectations overall in geography, history,

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Commentary

religious education and design and technology. However, standards are below those expected in the current Years 2 and 6 because of the high proportion of pupils in these year groups with special educational needs. In art and design, standards are above those normally found by the time that pupils leave the school because the school sees provision in the creative arts as a priority. Standards in swimming are average by the end of Year 6, and there was not enough evidence to make a judgement about standards in music.

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Commentary

7. Pupils who speak English as an additional language make good progress and achieve well. They learn as effectively as other pupils. Pupils with special educational needs achieve well and make very good progress in specialist, withdrawn groups such as the ‘five-minute box’. The early identification of special educational needs, the provision of suitably challenging targets and very good support, particularly from teaching assistants, enable these pupils to achieve well. A range of school based and national tests are used to determine an individual pupil’s needs and individual education plans contain precise and achievable targets. These are reviewed regularly and programmes of study are adjusted as needed. Pupils with statements of special educational needs also achieve well because their learning is managed very effectively. As a result, these pupils achieve well in the national tests at the end of Years 2 and 6 in relation

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Commentary

8. The headteacher and his colleagues appreciate that moving into the new building with a much more attractive learning environment gives the school a unique opportunity to raise standards. They are determined to seize this opportunity, for example, by exploiting the much-improved provision for information and communication technology. This determination puts the school in a good position to raise standards.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

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

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Main strengths and weaknesses

 Attendance is unsatisfactory and adversely affects pupils’ learning.  Punctuality is poor and disrupts learning at the start of the day.  Pupils’ behaviour and attitudes to learning are good, creating a purposeful climate for learning.  The provision for pupils’ personal development is good overall and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

9. In spite of the school’s considerable efforts, the attendance rate in recent years has been declining against national averages and, in the autumn term of this school year, showed no improvement. The school has introduced ‘first-day contact’ with parents. However, this has yet to have any significant impact on attendance rates. An analysis of authorised absences show that over a quarter of these are due to holidays during term time. The education welfare officer works closely with the school to monitor this situation and to provide support. This unsatisfactory attendance rate has continued since the previous inspection and adversely affects the continuity of learning and achievement for a significant number of pupils. Great Bridge Primary School - 9

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Attendance

Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%) Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data 7.5 School data 0.2 National data 5.1 National data 0.4 The table gives the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.

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Attendance

10. Punctuality in the mornings is poor and this adversely affects the early learning activities provided by teachers at the start of the day. For example, a Year 4 class were carrying out handwriting practice during this first session on one day during the inspection, and pupils arriving late were unable to complete this. Far too many pupils drift in a few minutes late. Procedures are in place to monitor lateness but there has been insufficient improvement since the previous inspection. Punctuality is not helped by the fact that the Nursery starts five minutes later than the rest of the school. 11. The large majority of pupils, including those with special educational needs and those who speak English as an additional language, have good attitudes to learning. From the Nursery class onwards, pupils quickly develop these good attitudes to learning. Children in the Foundation Stage are very happy in their surroundings; they listen very well, concentrate for

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Attendance

suitable periods and greatly enjoy the varied activities offered. As pupils advance through the school, their confidence grows and they are happy to contribute to learning. Pupils are enthusiastic about the new building and are developing a renewed sense of pride in their surroundings. In discussion, school council members felt that the new building was helping pupils to behave better and promoting a friendly atmosphere. Pupils generally settle quickly in class and most respond willingly to questions. However, in some lessons, pupils do not listen to each other as well as they listen to the teacher. Pupils usually work effectively whether independently, in pairs or in small groups, and help each other to complete their tasks. For example, in a Year 1 numeracy lesson, pupils shared their ideas and supported each other when they struggled. Pupils who have special educational needs are given good support and feel

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Attendance

confident and valued so that they, too, have good attitudes in lessons. For example, in a Year 1 English lesson, the use of a tape recorder with lower attaining pupils helped them to recite the story of Goldilocks, to feel fully involved and to understand that their achievements were valued.

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Attendance

12. Pupils’ behaviour is good throughout the school day and playtimes are largely friendly, social occasions. This was clear during the inspection, even though there was no playground available for two days due to resurfacing. Behaviour management strategies are very effective and promote good behaviour well. Pupils whose behaviour is challenging are managed very well so that they do not interfere with the learning of others. As a result, lessons are generally taught at a good pace. The majority of parents who responded to the pre-inspection questionnaire agreed that behaviour is good . Procedures to monitor and record any instances of bullying or racism are fully in place. There had been a small number of fixed period exclusions during the previous school year but there have been none during this academic year. These positive attitudes and behaviour ensure that pupils benefit well from their learning

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Exclusions

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year Great Bridge Primary School - 10 Categories used in the Annual School Census Number of pupils on roll Number of fixed period exclusions Number of permanent exclusions White – British 407 3 0

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Exclusions

13. There is good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development overall. This is a good improvement since the previous inspection. Pupils’ spiritual development is adequately supported by opportunities in assemblies to raise pupils’ self-awareness and understanding of the needs of others. Pupils’ work and behaviour are well rewarded through stickers, certificates, ‘pupil of the week’ awards and positive praise. These help to raise pupils’ self-esteem and confidence in their learning. Pupils have a secure understanding of the difference between right and wrong and a clear appreciation of the possible impact that their behaviour might have on others. Pupils raise funds for charities, enabling them to reflect further on the needs of others. Opportunities for pupils to have responsibilities around the new school have yet to be fully developed. Social skills are developed effectively so that relationships

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Exclusions

between different age groups and with all adults are good. Pupils have a satisfactory appreciation of their own and others’ cultural traditions. For example, pupils have had the opportunity to work with visitors to extend their learning about the Chinese New Year and Rangoli patterns.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

The school provides an education of good quality. Good teaching enables pupils to achieve well. Provision in the Foundation Stage is very good and pupils with special educational needs and those who speak English as an additional language are well provided for. Pupils benefit from a good curriculum and good enrichment, and are now benefiting from very good accommodation. They enjoy very good care and their learning is supported by good links with the community and other schools. Parents support learning satisfactorily.

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Teaching and learning

The quality of teaching and learning is very good in the Foundation Stage and good in Years 1 to 6. Assessment is used very well to support learning in the Foundation Stage and satisfactorily in Years 1 to 6.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

 Very good teaching in the Foundation Stage enables children to make a very good start to their learning.  Throughout the school, teachers encourage pupils to achieve very effectively.  Teaching assistants contribute very effectively to learning so that pupils with special educational needs and those who speak English as an additional language achieve well.  Assessment is used well to promote learning in English and mathematics and in science in Years 3 to 6.  There are too few opportunities for pupils to use information and communication technology to support learning in other subjects.  An excessive use of worksheets in some classes does not help pupils to practise writing for different purposes.  There are some examples of pupils being denied access to learning in some subjects. Great Bridge Primary School - 11

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Commentary

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 52 lessons Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very poor

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Commentary

1 (2%) 21 (40%) 17 (33%) 13 (25%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 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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Commentary

14. The quality of teaching is very good overall in the Foundation Stage, with three lessons out of four being in this category. This is a significant improvement since the previous inspection. All adults in the Nursery and Reception classes have a very clear understanding of how young children learn. They lose no opportunity to offer the children new and exciting learning experiences and to encourage them to express themselves clearly and fully. Integration between the three classes is very effective so that all children have access to a wide range of learning experiences. As a result of this very good provision, children achieve very well in their personal, social and emotional development. This enables them to learn effectively overall. Careful planning of their learning and very good systems for assessing their progress mean that they are likely to achieve the standards expected nationally in the early learning goals

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Commentary

in personal, social and emotional development, and creative and physical development. However, because they enter the Nursery with levels of understanding and learning skills which are well below those normally found, they are unlikely to reach these standards in communication, language and literacy, mathematical development and knowledge and understanding of the world, although they have made good progress in these areas of learning.

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Commentary

15. Throughout the school, most teachers encourage pupils very effectively to give of their best. Because of this, in most classes, pupils work with good levels of interest and concentration and work productively. For example, in an excellent drama lesson in Year 1, pupils’ interests were fully engaged so that they worked with great enthusiasm in discussing the appearance of four animals in their ‘big book’. They described a crocodile as having ‘yellow eyes, a bumpy skin, and sharp teeth’, while a kudu has ‘horns, a beard and big ears’. They developed some highly realistic movements for the different animals because they had excellent support from their teacher and her two teaching assistants. On the other hand, in satisfactory lessons, there is not the same degree of challenge so that learning, whilst satisfactory because of accurate teaching, becomes routine and mundane. Overall, almost half the lessons in Years 1 and 2 have very

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Commentary

good or excellent teaching while this proportion is just over one-fifth in Years 3 to 6.

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Commentary

16. Teaching assistants contribute very effectively to learning, mostly, but not exclusively, with pupils who have special educational needs. These pupils are well taught overall and teaching and learning are often very good when they are withdrawn in small groups for specialist support. They are well supported in both whole-class and small group situations. Their individual education plans are written by their class teacher and the special educational needs co-ordinator, and contain good, short-term, achievable targets. Progress towards these targets is monitored regularly so that new targets can be set. Work is adapted well to the needs of these pupils and there are examples throughout the school, for example, in Year 2 and Years 5/6, of very good teaching enabling them to achieve very well. Special provisions are made where necessary, for example physiotherapy sessions for pupils with specific needs. Pupils

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Commentary

who speak English as an additional language are given extra support to enable them to be fully involved in learning, and so achieve well. Whilst many teaching assistants work with pupils who have special educational needs, they are also alert to learning needs throughout the class, Great Bridge Primary School - 12 and show very good initiative in moving to other tables where a quick intervention helps pupils to learn effectively.

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Commentary

17. Assessment is used well to promote progress for individual pupils in English and mathematics, and in science in Years 3 to 6. Pupils have target books to enable them to achieve well and to make progress. However, there is scope for this process to be more rigorous so that pupils could manage their own progress more effectively. Pupils’ results in the national tests are analysed so that areas of weakness can be identified and plans made to overcome them. These systems do not apply to other subjects so that, overall, the use of assessment to promote achievement is satisfactory.

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Commentary

18. Now that the school has moved into the new building, it has very good resources for information and communication technology. For example, all classrooms contain a computer- driven whiteboard. Teachers are becoming increasingly adept at using these in their lessons to support learning in other subjects. However, there are too few opportunities for pupils to use information and communication technology to support their learning in other subjects at this stage.

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Commentary

19. In some classes, there is an excessive use of undemanding worksheets. In many cases, these involve one word or very short answers. This means that pupils lose opportunities to practise writing at length. They do not have enough opportunities to write for different purposes. This has an adverse effect on the development of literacy skills in other subjects, and so depresses standards in English.

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Commentary

20. There are examples of pupils being denied access to some aspects of the curriculum. Pupils with special educational needs who are withdrawn from their class for a period of specialist teaching miss the teaching which takes place while they are out of the room. This was an issue at the previous inspection. The school has taken some effective steps to reduce the impact of these withdrawals, and pupils learn effectively when they are withdrawn because of good specialist support. However, the headteacher is aware of the need to ensure that these pupils can take a full part in learning when they return to their class. During the inspection, there was an occasion when two pupils who were unable to take part in physical education were placed in another class. As a result, they were denied access to the learning that was taking place in the physical education lesson. The headteacher accepts that this is unacceptable.

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Commentary

21. Now that the school has moved into its new building, there are new opportunities for teaching and learning of improved quality, for example, with the greater use of information and communication technology. Teachers are keen to take advantage of these new opportunities, and this means that the school is now in a good position to improve pupils’ achievement and to raise standards.

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The curriculum

The curriculum is broad and balanced with good opportunities for enrichment that extend beyond the school day. Accommodation is very good and resources for learning are good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

 The building provides a very good environment for learning.  Good enrichment opportunities add much to pupils’ learning. Great Bridge Primary School - 13  The provision for pupils with special educational needs and those who speak English as an additional language is good.  There is insufficient use of information and communication technology to support learning in other subjects, and the planning for scientific investigations is weak.  The provision for pupils’ personal development is good.  The accommodation is now of very good quality and resources for learning are good, as is the match of teachers and teaching assistants to the needs of pupils.

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Commentary

22. Most of the key issues relating to the curriculum from the previous inspection have been dealt with. For example, provision in the Nursery has been improved very well so that there is a much better balance between the six areas of learning. There is now more emphasis on promoting children’s independent play and their speaking and listening skills. As a result, curricular provision in the Foundation Stage is now very good. The new building provides accommodation of very good quality for pupils to learn in and resources for learning are very good. The provision for information and communication technology has been greatly improved, with the creation of a very well-equipped computer suite and computer-driven whiteboards in all classrooms. However, standards in information and communication technology are still well below average because of poor resources in the old building, and the use of information

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Commentary

and communication technology to support pupils’ learning in other subjects is inconsistent. Standards in science are below average, with the school acknowledging that insufficient improvement has been made in curricular planning to develop pupils’ investigational skills effectively. Because of this, most pupils find difficulty in interpreting scientific data and in using the findings to their investigations to make evaluative conclusions.

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Commentary

23. The curriculum meets all statutory requirements, including those of the locally agreed syllabus for religious education. Strong emphasis has been placed on ensuring the successful implementation of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies. As a result, although standards are below average in English and mathematics at the end of Years 2 and 6, most pupils have achieved well in relation to their poor skills on entry to school. Recent curriculum developments mean there are better-planned links between subjects. These enable pupils to use skills gained in one subject to support their learning in others. For example, pupils in Year 6 have combined their mathematical and design and technology skills to make ‘ wish boxes’ out of carefully measured ‘nets’. However, some aspects of the curriculum are not planned well and adversely affect pupils’ progress. This was seen, for example, in the way that an afternoon

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Commentary

science lesson in Year 6 was interrupted when pupils went for a physical education session. On their return, they were unable to show the same levels of concentration and time was wasted as the teacher had to remind them of their tasks and how to complete them.

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Commentary

24. The school ensures that pupils are able to take part in a range of interesting and exciting experiences in art and design, drama and music through the good opportunities for enrichment that it provides. Pupils are able to work with visitors, such as professional artists, musicians and theatre groups, to develop their skills across a broad range of activities. Pupils are also able to take part in a wide range of well-planned educational visits and extra- curricular activities. These include residential visits for pupils in Years 2 and 6. These activities add further noteworthy learning opportunities for pupils to enjoy .

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Commentary

25. Pupils’ personal development is promoted well, with all of them being effectively prepared for the next stage of their education . There is good provision for those pupils with English as an additional language, which enables them to make good progress and achieve well. The school fully meets the requirements of the code of practice for pupils with special educational needs. The provision for these pupils is good in class and very good in small group sessions. Great Bridge Primary School - 14 Individual support for reading contributes well to these pupils’ progress. This is good provision.

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Commentary

26. There is a good match of teachers and support staff to the curriculum. As a result, the needs of all pupils are met effectively.

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Commentary

27. The school has very recently moved into new premises, which provide a spacious, clean and safe learning environment. Some parts of the school are not yet fully in operation. For example, during the inspection, pupils were unable to use any of the playground for two days due to re-surfacing work. In discussion, pupils say that learning is much better in the new accommodation due to the computer-driven whiteboards and specialised rooms for information and communication technology and food technology. Resources are generally good, however, during the transfer to the new premises, some geography, history, and religious education artefacts were lost and have yet to be replaced. Prior to the move to the new building, the school audited the library and disposed of many books which were outdated or of a poor quality. As a result, the current number of fiction and non-fiction books and of bilingual books

p.16

Commentary

in the library is unsatisfactory for the number of pupils, and the library has yet to be developed into an effective learning resource. In some year groups, there are insufficient books for guided reading sessions. The school has suitable future plans to purchase more books and promote library skills. For example, ‘World Book Day’ was an opportunity for pupils to dress up as their favourite book character for £1, with proceeds going towards stocking the new library.

p.16

Care, guidance and support

Procedures to ensure that pupils work in a safe environment are very good. Pupils’ involvement in the school is good. Sound opportunities are in place to promote and guide pupils’ progress.

p.16

Main strengths and weaknesses

 The school’s provisions for health and safety and child protection are very good.  Systems to value pupils’ views and opinions are good.  Induction arrangements to settle children into school are very good in the Nursery and good throughout the rest of the school.  Pupils’ academic development is generally monitored soundly to set targets for improvement.

p.16

Commentary

28. Overall, the school’s systems to promote a healthy and safe environment are very good and have improved very well since the previous inspection. The new accommodation has resolved many of the issues raised in that inspection. Staff are fully aware of child protection procedures and the school is very diligent in monitoring the welfare of its pupils. First aid procedures have now improved and the recording of accidents is carefully documented. The site manager and deputy headteacher monitor the school’s health and safety systems and careful attention is paid to risk assessment, especially while there are still workmen on the premises.

p.16

Commentary

29. The school ensures that children enjoy a smooth transition into the Nursery class and very good opportunities are planned to help them to settle into the school. The overwhelming number of questionnaires returned by parents show that they agree that procedures for induction are good. These help children to make good progress in their learning as soon as they join the school. Pupils joining other year groups are soon integrated into the school and, in discussion, said they settled in well.

p.16

Commentary

30. Pupils’ views are carefully listened to both in lessons and through the school council. The school council has been in place for over a year and is beginning to develop well. Through Great Bridge Primary School - 15 fundraising, councillors have raised their own budget to spend and are keen to develop the playground further.

p.16

Commentary

31. Pupils are given targets for improvement in English and mathematics and in science in Years 3 to 6 to help them to know what they need to do next to improve their standards. These are regularly reviewed. However these targets are not matched to National Curriculum levels so that pupils are not aware of how their work links to national standards. Marking is generally good and helps to guide pupils in their learning. Teachers have good relationships with pupils and are alert to any personal concerns that may have an adverse effect on their personal or academic development. For example, in a Year 1 religious education lesson on special people, the topic of Mothering Sunday was sensitively managed. The progress made by children in the Foundation Stage is monitored very carefully, and this promotes their good achievement. Ongoing assessments by teachers and teaching assistants contribute well to the

p.17

Commentary

good achievement of pupils with English as an additional language. There are good records of the progress of pupils with special educational needs. All these pupils have their own targets which are reviewed regularly. Individual education plans are of good quality and good links are maintained with external agencies for specialist support. All these contribute to the good care which these pupils receive.

p.17

Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

The school’s partnership with parents is satisfactory overall, although information for parents is still unsatisfactory. Links with other schools and the community are good.

p.17

Main strengths and weaknesses

 Parents’ views of the school are generally positive.  Information for parents is unsatisfactory and procedures to seek parents’ views systematically are not in place.  Information for parents in the Foundation Stage is good.  The school works in close partnership with the local community.  Links with the neighbouring secondary school are very effective.

p.17

Main strengths and weaknesses

32. Parental views collected through the parents’ meeting and pre-inspection questionnaires show that the majority are pleased with most aspects of the school. In particular, the overwhelming majority of parents feel that their children enjoy school, are expected to work hard and make good progress . Some parents regularly help in lessons and support pupils’ learning well. However, attendance at parents’ meetings and curriculum workshops is generally low. This reflects some parents’ lack of interest in working in partnership with the school to support their children’s learning. The recently created parents’ association has already raised substantial funds to purchase resources and to enrich pupils’ learning experiences. For example, funding from this source has financed various visitors to the school and the purchase of books.

p.17

Main strengths and weaknesses

33. The quality of the documentation that the school provides for parents is unsatisfactory as reported during the previous inspection. Pupils’ annual reports do not consistently include appropriately detailed information about their progress in all subjects nor do they consistently report on what pupils need to do to improve further. The prospectus and governors’ annual report to parents provide adequate detail but provide minimal information about the curriculum or events that happen in school. Newsletters are sent out when required and provide information on visits and school procedures but they only provide infrequent reminders of advance dates and there is insufficient celebration of the many events happening in school. This lack of good quality information makes it difficult for parents to be fully involved in the school and in their children’s learning. The ‘target meetings’ with parents now include

p.17

Main strengths and weaknesses

curriculum information, which parents find most helpful. In some years, this information provides help on how parents can support curriculum work but this is still not consistent or fully developed. There is Great Bridge Primary School - 16 limited help in place to translate information for parents whose first language is not English. Although the governing body recently asked for parents’ views to compile a vision statement, at present the school does not yet seek parents’ views and opinions on a regular basis.

p.17

Main strengths and weaknesses

34. The Foundation Stage manager involves parents very effectively, creating a valued sense of partnership. This contributes very well to children’s good achievement from the time that they enter the Nursery. Parents of pupils who speak English as an additional language are kept fully informed of their progress and this contributes effectively to their good achievement. There are sound links with the parents of pupils with special educational needs. Parents are invited to meetings to discuss their children’s progress, and parents give these pupils good support by hearing them read.

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

35. The school has developed good links with the community, which help to broaden pupils’ learning experiences. A range of visits and visitors from the local community have enriched pupils’ educational experiences. For example, in Year 5, pupils have visited various retail outlets to help them to understand the role of the media in promoting business. During the inspection, visitors from the community, including fire personnel and a landscape architect, discussed their jobs and what qualifications are required to follow such careers. This helped pupils to broaden their knowledge of potential careers available. The potential for adult education classes in the new building are currently being explored. Opportunities to explore wider links, for example through information and communication technology, have yet to be developed.

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

36. Very good links exist with the neighbouring secondary school to which most pupils transfer, including transition projects for pupils moving from Year 6 to Year 7. Satisfactory links exist with neighbouring primary schools and pupils compete in sporting and other activities against them.

p.18

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management are good overall and very good in the Foundation Stage. Governance is good. The provision for special educational needs is very well managed. A very high turnover of pupils is a major barrier to achievement.

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

 Effective leadership from the headteacher has enabled the school to emerge strongly from a period of considerable disruption.  The school has good systems in place for managing its day-to-day routines and for the leadership of subjects.  The Foundation Stage is led and managed very well, as is the provision for pupils with special educational needs.  Governors have a secure understanding of the school’s strengths and potential for development.  Finances are managed well and the principles of best value are practised effectively.

p.18

Commentary

37. The school has been through a period of considerable disruption as its new building was built and the previous one demolished with, for example, some classes moving into temporary accommodation. Even when the school moved into its new building in January, demolition work continued on the old building with attendant noise and dust and limitations on play facilities. Further, a range of ‘teething troubles’ in the new building were still being dealt with, and workmen were in school making adjustments during each day of the inspection. Managing this process took a great deal of the headteacher’s time and energy, and his effective leadership has enabled the school to emerge from this disruption with little negative impact on teaching and learning. The school is now optimistic and forward-looking. Great Bridge Primary School - 17 38. The headteacher is supported well in leading and managing this large school by the deputy and

p.18

Commentary

assistant headteachers and the other members of his senior management team. The deputy and assistant headteachers have responsibilities covering the whole school. For example, the deputy headteacher has whole-school responsibility for health and safety. The assistant headteacher has overall responsibility for child protection. In addition, other members of staff have specific responsibility for Years 1 and 2, Years 3 and 4 and Years 5 and 6. As well as monitoring standards of teaching and learning in their year groups, they act as a link between the headteacher and the teaching staff. These different layers of management interlink effectively so that this large school is led and managed well. Subjects are also led and managed well and the ability of subject leaders to monitor teaching and learning is developing as more of them get opportunities to observe teaching and learning in their subjects. Currently,

p.19

Commentary

leadership and management are good in English, mathematics, science and information and communication technology, and satisfactory in other subjects.

p.19

Commentary

39. The Foundation Stage is led and managed very well and this is a marked improvement since the previous inspection. The leader of this provision has a very clear vision for the education of the children in the Nursery and Reception classes, and has succeeded in creating a strong team of adults who share her aims. All adults in the Foundation Stage work together very effectively so that children enjoy their learning and achieve well. Similarly, the provision for those with special educational needs is managed very well and these pupils achieve well. The special educational needs co-ordinator’s very well-organised systems ensure that all pupils receive appropriate support. She has some very effective and innovative systems. For example, ‘five-minute support sessions’ are used very well to reinforce and extend learning because time is used very effectively. The school works very well with outside

p.19

Commentary

agencies to support pupils with specific needs. However, there are no regular formal meetings between the special educational needs co-ordinator and teaching assistants and this is a minor weakness in the provision. The leadership and management of the provision for pupils who speak English as an additional language are good. The school provides extra help so that their needs are met and they achieve well.

p.19

Commentary

40. Governors visit the school when they can and so have a good appreciation of its strengths and potential for development. Governors ensure that the school meets its legal obligations. They are aware of the potential of the new building and are determined to ensure that pupils will benefit from it. Governors are alert to the needs of pupils and aware that many come from challenging backgrounds. They want the school to give these pupils good life chances and will scrutinise its procedures critically to ensure that this is being achieved. Governors understand that, in recent years, strategic planning has been dominated by the need to manage the move to the new building. Now that it is occupied, they are keen to plan to achieve its potential further for the benefit of the pupils. Governors are involved appropriately in strategic planning and in managing the school’s finances. This is an effective

p.19

Commentary

41. Finances are managed well by the school’s senior secretary and the visiting budget officer. Arrangements for ordering goods and paying for them are straightforward and successful. The school’s accounts were last audited in February 1999. The report made a number of recommendations for improvement to the school’s procedures, and the school has made significant progress in meeting them. Governors are very aware of the need to apply the principles of best value so that pupils benefit well from the school’s expenditure. For example, they have devoted considerable sums to improving the school’s information and communication technology provision in the new building. This is now very good, and is a good example of the effective implementation of best value principles.

p.19

Financial information

Financial information for the year April 2003 to March 2004 Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Great Bridge Primary School - 18 Total income 1,063,310 Balance from previous year 44,603 Total expenditure 1,049,378 Balance carried forward to the next year 58,535 Expenditure per pupil 2,905

p.19

Financial information

42. Given pupils’ good achievement, their good personal development, good teaching and learning and good leadership and management, the school gives good value for money, even though its costs per pupil are slightly above average. Since the school has very recently occupied its new, very good accommodation, it has the capacity to improve its provision and so to raise standards. The headteacher and his colleagues are determined that it will do so.

p.20

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

The provision for children in the Foundation Stage of learning is very good .

p.20

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Children settle quickly in the Nursery because of the very good teaching, teamwork and support that they receive. This high-quality provision is carried through to the Reception classes. It ensures that children continue to learn and develop very well. This is a marked improvement since the previous inspection. The majority of children enter the Nursery with levels of attainment that are well below those expected from most three-year-old children. Many have special educational needs. The Great Bridge Primary School - 19 enhanced learning support that these children receive enables them to learn and work effectively alongside their classmates.

p.20

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Very positive relationships help children to become very secure and confident with each other and with adults, and this increases their confidence and self-esteem very well. Children achieve well in all areas of their learning. Very good systems for measuring children’s progress are the basis for this development. All members of the Foundation Stage staff use these systems to give children work that meets their emerging needs. All adults work very closely together and this has a very positive effect on children’s learning and is an improvement since the previous inspection.

p.21

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

The Foundation Stage is very well led and managed. The manager takes every opportunity to involve parents and carers in their children’s development. This increases the sense of partnership between staff and parents very effectively. The smooth transition of the Foundation Stage into the new building is already having a significant effect on achievement and provision. Accommodation is now very good, even though the outside learning areas are not yet finished. This provision is having a very positive effect on children’s learning and is a very good improvement since the previous inspection.

p.21

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

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

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

 Very sensitive and skilful teaching from all adults ensures that children achieve very well in developing their personal and social skills.  Very good induction procedures mean that children settle happily into the school.

p.21

Commentary

43. The whole Foundation Stage team work very closely together. This ensures that all children flourish and blossom as they develop their personal and social skills. All adults work tirelessly to increase children’s self-awareness, independence and ability to take turns in using equipment. The enhanced learning provision ensures that all children join in the full range of activities. There is full inclusion of children with learning and physical difficulties in the work done in the Nursery and Reception classes. They gain confidence and self-esteem as they increase their ability to work well with each other and with adults. The provision of a daily mix of Nursery and Reception children and staff increases children’s awareness of each other’s achievements. This helps children to work harmoniously alongside each other and provides cohesion across the Foundation Stage. Children are very enthusiastic about their work and are

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Commentary

confident to ‘have a go’ at new experiences. For example, children in a Reception class responded very well to looking at and handling worms. Very skilful teaching ensured that children knew how to handle the worms carefully and that they washed their hands after picking them up. These very positive attitudes are consistent throughout the Foundation Stage. This is because the whole team gives all children considerable encouragement and very sensitive support. The team ensures that children learn to work and co-operate with a range of adults. This makes a very positive contribution to children’s attitudes and to relationships in the Nursery and Reception classes. There are good relationships with parents and carers through the very good entry arrangements to the Nursery and Reception classes. This ensures that children settle quickly to the expected routines. They become confident, secure and develop

p.21

Commentary

trust in adults. Most children in the Reception classes already meet the requirements of the early learning goals in this area of learning. There has been good improvement since the Great Bridge Primary School - 20 previous inspection because standards and relationships have improved, and the quality of teaching is very good.

p.21

COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Provision in communication, language and literacy is very good .

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

 Very good teaching ensures that children achieve well in developing their reading, writing and listening skills.  Children have many varied opportunities to increase their understanding and use of language but most do not achieve the standards expected nationally in the early learning goals.

p.22

Commentary

44. All adults in the Nursery and Reception classes work very closely together. They plan interesting work which ensures that children learn to listen carefully to adults and to each other. All adults share books and stories with children throughout the day, working as a class and in small groups. This interests children in books, makes them want to look for themselves and helps them to understand that print has meaning. Throughout the Foundation Stage, adults use puppets very well to motivate pupils. This assists them in re-telling stories to an audience.

p.22

Commentary

45. Teachers and teaching assistants give children every opportunity to hold and use pencils correctly and to develop an interest in writing. This is effective because children quickly understand that writing conveys meaning. Higher attaining children in the Reception classes are already beginning to write simple sentences. This is a result of the very skilful teaching and children’s high levels of interest and motivation.

p.22

Commentary

46. Many children do not speak clearly when they enter the Nursery. All members of staff give children a wide range of opportunities to increase their speaking skills. These include a specific programme called ‘Structured Activities for Language and Literacy in the Early Years’. This is effective and children achieve well in learning to speak clearly. It is particularly helpful for those children with specific difficulties in English and those who speak English as an additional language. As they move through the Reception classes, very supportive teaching enables children to use sentences when they answer questions. Most children achieve well in developing speaking skills and talk confidently with each other and with adults. However, their speaking skills are below those expected by the time they leave the Reception classes.

p.22

Commentary

47. Very good levels of support throughout the Foundation Stage help children who have special educational needs to join in with their classmates. The Reception classes build very effectively on the very good start that children make in the Nursery. Very careful planning ensures that Reception children have their Foundation Stage entitlement with provision to move on to work within the National Curriculum when they are ready. This is an improvement since the previous inspection. In spite of their good achievement, most children are unlikely to reach the expectations of the early learning goals when they enter Year 1. However, there has been good improvement since the previous inspection. This is because very good teaching ensures that children achieve well from a very low starting point.

p.22

MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in mathematical development is very good . Great Bridge Primary School - 21

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

 Children learn very well because they have many practical opportunities to explore number and shape.  Very good teaching and assessment build well on children’s previous knowledge.

p.23

Commentary

48. The whole Foundation Stage team give children an exciting and stimulating range of mathematical activities in the Nursery and Reception classes. This interests all children and motivates them very effectively to increase their skills in recognising and using numbers. By the time that they leave the Nursery, most children already recognise numerals and shapes such as circles and triangles. Very effective support for all children ensures that they increase their skills as they move through the Reception classes. They quickly learn to use comparative language such as taller and shorter, and increase their skills in writing numerals. Many, however, are still working below the expected levels. This represents good achievement from a very low entry base.

p.23

Commentary

49. Children enjoy counting throughout the Foundation Stage and join in counting sessions eagerly. They use everyday objects in their practical work, such as the beans that they are growing. This increases their understanding of the use of mathematics in everyday life. All adults working in the Nursery and Reception classes ensure that children with special educational needs have opportunities to work alongside their classmates. This increases their confidence and self- esteem and enables them to achieve well. Adults ensure that all children support their learning well by using computers. This increases their mathematical understanding as well as their computer skills as, for example, they identify and move two-dimensional shapes on the screen. The Foundation Stage team use assessment very effectively to give children work that meets their identified needs. This helps children to consolidate their understanding and knowledge

p.23

Commentary

before they move on to new learning. Improvement since the previous inspection has been good because of the improved teaching and achievement, and children’s very positive attitudes to learning.

p.23

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

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

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

 Consistently very good teaching increases children’s understanding of different cultures and of the world around them.  The Foundation Stage team encourages children to explore, experiment, ask questions, and to develop independent learning skills.

p.23

Commentary

50. Throughout the Foundation Stage, consistently very good teaching develops children’s confidence in investigating natural and manufactured objects. This increases their knowledge of living creatures and of the world in which they live. All adults make sure that children increase their awareness of the world around them. They take them out into the immediate local area and make very effective use of the school grounds. Work on the recent Chinese New Great Bridge Primary School - 22 Year helped children to become more aware of different cultures and beliefs. This work provides a firm base for work in religious education when children move into mainstream school. 51. Children enjoy exploring different situations and adults encourage them to try out their own ideas. This promotion of independent learning is a good improvement since the previous inspection. Adults give children interesting work that stimulates and motivates them to learn

p.23

Commentary

and achieve. By the time that they enter the Reception classes, most children are confident in using scissors and other cutting tools. They experiment with materials to join them together to make, for example, moving Chinese dragons. This increases their ability to make choices and to decide which methods work best.

p.24

Commentary

52. Very careful teaching ensures that all children learn the importance of planning their work. All adults ensure that children develop a keen interest in computers. They have secure skills in using the mouse and keyboard effectively to control movement on the screen. For example, children in the Reception classes complete simple programs and work confidently on the computer-driven whiteboards. These skills prepare children very well for their transfer to Year 1. Standards, however, are likely to be below those expected overall at the end of the Reception Year. This is good achievement from a low starting point. There has been good improvement since the previous inspection because of the development of independence, of questioning skills and very good teaching.

p.24

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in physical development is good .

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

 Overall, good quality teaching ensures that children achieve well in developing their awareness and use of space.  The effective use both of the indoor and the developing outdoor provision increases children’s ability to use and control an increasing range of tools and equipment.  Children’s ability to use gymnastic apparatus is sometimes restricted by management skills.

p.24

Commentary

53. All members of staff work hard to increase children’s skills in using and controlling their bodies. This results in satisfactorily developed skills in manoeuvring wheeled vehicles and using space sensibly. Skilful teaching ensures that children learn to hold and use tools such as pencils and scissors correctly. This increases their ability to write, draw and cut out objects. All children in the Foundation Stage have access to the outside learning area. However, the building programme is not yet complete. This limits the current outdoor provision, but it is still effective in increasing children’s skills in using space safely. All children in the Nursery and Reception classes have secure skills in using and controlling wheeled vehicles. Children clearly enjoy using the outdoor area and are well supported by adults. All adults use the area very effectively to develop independent learning and the children’s ability to work safely with

p.24

Commentary

54. The very effective co-ordinator has created a strong Foundation Stage, with each class having immediate access to outdoor learning. This gives all children opportunities to work outside on a range of surfaces. Children in the Reception classes also use the school hall for physical education. This prepares them well for transfer to Year 1. The management of apparatus work Great Bridge Primary School - 23 is not always as effective as it could be. This limits children’s achievement when too many of them try to use the apparatus at the same time.

p.24

Commentary

55. Most children’s skills already meet the expectations of the early learning goals in the Reception classes. There has been good progress since the previous inspection because of the improved teaching and provision.

p.25

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Provision in creative development is very good .

p.25

Main strengths and weaknesses

 Very good teaching ensures that children develop their imaginative skills very well.  All staff give children ample opportunities to plan their own work and to increase their independence.  Well-structured work ensures that children achieve very well in recognising and copying rhythms.

p.25

Commentary

56. Children begin to develop their imagination very effectively from entry to the Nursery. Very good quality teaching and organisation provides imaginative learning areas which interest and involve both boys and girls. These increase their thinking, speaking and co-operative skills. For example, children enjoy using ‘Jack’s Café’ and plan, with great delight, what they are going to eat. There are two daily structured planning sessions for children. These enable them to think about what is on offer and what they would like to do. Children and adults put much thought into these sessions and children mature significantly in developing the skills of independent choice and learning. These are all improvements since the previous inspection.

p.25

Commentary

57. All children learn to mix and use paint to create pictures and patterns and to use materials to make collages. Throughout the Foundation Stage, adults build very well on children’s early experiences. This helps them to develop their skills of using media and materials very well. For example, children learn how to join legs to bodies and have experimented with a range of materials to create three-dimensional collages. This is apparent, for example, in the moving dragons that form part of the very effective work on the Chinese New Year. All children practise their singing skills in a range of nursery rhymes and jingles in lessons and have specific music sessions. Children in the Reception classes achieve very well in identifying and copying the rhythms of well-known songs. Most children are likely to meet the standards expected nationally in the early learning goals by the end of their Reception Year. There has

p.25

Commentary

been very good improvement in this area of learning since the previous inspection because of the very good opportunities for imaginative work and the provision for children to plan their own work independently.

p.25

ENGLISH

Provision in English is good . Great Bridge Primary School - 24 Main strengths and weaknesses

p.25

ENGLISH

 Pupils throughout the school achieve well in relation to their prior attainment.  Pupils with special educational needs receive very good support in withdrawal groups and in class when working alongside others.  The quality of teaching and learning is very good in Years 1 and 2 and good overall in the rest of the school.  The leadership and management of the subject is very good.  The library is in the process of development and is currently not in use.

p.26

ENGLISH

58. Achievement is good throughout the school and all pupils make good gains in their learning in Years 1 to 6. Standards tend to reflect the numbers of pupils with special educational needs and levels of mobility in different year groups, which vary from one year to another. In 2004, pupils in Year 6 achieved very well, gaining above average results in national tests, a marked improvement on the previous year when standards were well below average. This year group was of above average ability and relatively few of these pupils left or joined the school over the years. Pupils in Year 2 achieved well although their standards in reading and writing were still below average in the national tests, since their levels of understanding were well below average when they joined the school. These standards were also average when compared to similar schools. Inspection evidence is that standards are below average in all aspects of English in the

p.26

ENGLISH

current Years 2 and 6 with particularly low standards in writing. Both of these year groups have a very high proportion of pupils who have special educational needs, and the large numbers in the current Year 6 leaving and joining the school since Year 2 have also adversely affected standards. Over one-third of pupils in the current Year 2 are identified as having special educational needs, whilst just under half of the Year 6 have special educational needs. Just under half of the pupils in Year 6 have either left or joined the school since Year 2.

p.26

ENGLISH

59. Pupils with special educational needs and those who speak English as an additional language make the same good progress as their peers. Since the previous inspection, there has been good improvement in the quality of teaching and learning throughout the school and this is enabling pupils of all levels of ability to achieve well.

p.26

ENGLISH

60. Standards observed in speaking and listening are below average in the current Years 2 and Year 6 but are broadly in line with expectations in other year groups. The school has worked hard to improve opportunities for speaking and listening, as this was identified as an issue in the previous report. Pupils experience regular drama sessions in which they are encouraged to develop confidence in communicating with others. When teaching is very good or excellent, pupils are given very good opportunities to talk to a partner in response to their learning task. Not all teachers use this effective method consistently, however. A good level of support is given to pupils with special educational needs so that they are helped to understand and participate. Different methods are used very effectively, for example the ‘sound machine’ is used to help pupils in Year 2 to clarify sounds in words. Pupils in Year 6 had a good

p.26

ENGLISH

opportunity to prepare and take part in a class debate focused around mobile phones in schools. This developed their speaking and listening skills well. In the better lessons, teachers use questions well to assess what pupils have learned and this provides a very good opportunity for pupils to develop their speaking and listening skills. Pupils in a Year 5 and 6 class, for example, were so enthused by the teacher’s introduction to the poem ‘Colonel Fazackerley’ that Great Bridge Primary School - 25 they were all eager to answer questions and talk about the characters and scene and the events as they unfolded. These good opportunities develop pupils’ speaking and listening skills so that they achieve well.

p.26

ENGLISH

61. Pupils also achieve well in their reading and are just below the levels typical for their age in Years 2 and 6. They are given a very good basis in learning letter sounds and other strategies to help them with their reading. Those with special educational needs are given additional help through programmes such as the ‘Enabling Reading’ scheme. They enjoy reading and are eager to read and talk to visitors about their books.

p.27

ENGLISH

62. Opportunities to learn how to locate books in the library have been reduced by the school building works. The school is aware of this and there are plans to develop the library further. Pupils in Year 6 read an appropriate range of books for their age but their knowledge of a range of authors and styles is limited. They are not always able to explain reasons for their likes and dislikes and are not always able to interpret meaning in the text. All pupils have a reading record book and targets for developing their skills in reading.

p.27

ENGLISH

63. Pupils achieve well in their writing. Throughout the school, pupils are encouraged to develop the basic skills of well-formed handwriting, punctuation and neat presentation of work. They are provided with good and appropriate examples of writing which are demonstrated well by teachers so that pupils are well prepared to write effectively. Consistent attention is given to handwriting and spelling. When teaching is very good, the computer-driven whiteboards are used well and pupils are given carefully timed activities to develop their handwriting skills. They make very good progress in their initial attempts to join their letters. Higher attaining pupils in Year 2 write in sentences, for example, when giving reasons why they like their new school. Average and lower attaining pupils need a lot of adult support in their writing in both Year 2 and 6. In Year 6, higher attaining pupils use appropriate punctuation and description

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ENGLISH

well. For example, one pupil wrote ‘Later that dark and gloomy night, an old, rich man rode along on a penny-farthing bike.’ However, this good quality writing is not typical of the year group as a whole.

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ENGLISH

64. The quality of teaching and learning is very good in Years 1 and 2 with instances of excellent teaching in Year 1. In Years 3 to 6, teaching is good overall, and ranges from very good to satisfactory. There has been good improvement in teaching since the previous inspection, and it has improved from good to very good in Years 1 and 2, and from satisfactory to good overall in Years 3 to 6. Teachers have good subject knowledge and teach all aspects of the subject progressively. Marking is good, and challenges and reinforces learning well. Teachers adapt the work set to meet the needs of pupils at different stages of learning. All pupils have targets for improvement in English and procedures to check on pupils’ progress are good. Information and communication technology is not consistently used, however, to enhance pupils’ literacy skills. Teaching assistants are very well organised and briefed, and make a very good

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ENGLISH

contribution to learning. In the excellent lesson, highly imaginative and stimulating teaching resulted in very enthusiastic responses from pupils who showed sustained concentration and interest and, as a result, achieved very well. A Year 1 pupil used description well, ‘The crocodile is green and yellow and has sharp teeth’.

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ENGLISH

65. The subject leader for English is very good and manages the subject effectively. She is experienced and knowledgeable and has a clear view of the strengths of the subject. There is regular monitoring of teaching and learning and a clear plan to improve the provision and standards within the school further. Monitoring is undertaken regularly through classroom observation and an analysis of pupils’ work. Resources are satisfactory and the school is in the Great Bridge Primary School - 26 process of developing books for group reading. The school is aware of the need to develop the library area and to extend the range of group reading books available.

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Language and literacy across the curriculum

66. Literacy skills are used effectively in some classes in all subjects so that pupils’ writing and reading skills are extended well. The use of literacy skills tends to reflect the quality of teaching and learning. When it is good, the better skills are used very well, but there are instances where the use could be improved. In Years 2 and 6, pupils use literacy skills well in history. The use of information and communication technology is patchy. In the better lessons, teachers make good use of information and communication technology skills to enhance learning. For example, Year 6 pupils have created an advertising leaflet on road safety and weather conditions and pupils in Year 5 have used literacy and information and communication technology skills well to research information about the ancient Greeks. However, this kind of learning is not developed consistently throughout the school.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

 Pupils of all abilities achieve well because they are well taught.  There is a strong focus on developing pupils’ use of investigation and problem solving skills.  Teaching is good and the effective use of assessment records enables pupils of all abilities to do their best.  There is not enough consistent use of marking to show pupils what they need to do to improve their work.  Pupils’ positive attitudes support their learning well in school and at home.  Good quality learning resources and effective use of information and communication technology give positive support to pupils’ learning.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

67. Standards in mathematics in the work seen during the inspection are below average in both Year 2 and Year 6. This reflects the findings of the previous inspection and, in Year 6, is below the 2004 national test results. However, there is a very high percentage of pupils with special educational needs in both year groups. In Year 2, 36 per cent of the pupils have special educational needs and, in Year 6, this figure is 42 per cent. In addition, from Year 3 to Year 6, 14 pupils in the year group left the school whilst seven new pupils joined. These factors, too, have had an adverse effect on standards in both Year 2 and Year 6. Overall, the school does well for its pupils because all groups make good progress and achieve well. This is an improvement since the previous inspection.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

68. Pupils with special educational needs receive good support and achieve as well as their classmates. The increasing number of pupils from ethnic minorities also receives effective and sensitive support which enables them to achieve equally well. There is no significant difference between the performance of boys and girls. This is a result of the school’s effective strategies to provide equality of opportunity for all pupils.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

69. The school has worked hard since the previous inspection to improve pupils’ standards and attitudes to learning. The quality of teaching has improved, particularly in Years 3 to 6. This has had a positive Great Bridge Primary School - 27 effect on pupils’ attitudes to work and their achievement. Pupils of all abilities respond very well to the range of problems set for them. They use accurate mathematical vocabulary in their reasoning and enjoy investigating mathematical problems. For example, some Year 6 pupils thought long and hard about how to solve real-life problems involving money and percentages. With skilful teaching and support, they understood how to work out percentages and began to appreciate their relevance to everyday life. Although most pupils enter the school with levels of mathematical understanding which are well below those expected, effective teaching means that they make good progress and achieve

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Main strengths and weaknesses

70. Standards of teaching are good overall throughout the school. No unsatisfactory teaching was seen during the inspection, and this good teaching has a positive effect on pupils’ learning and achievement. All teachers use their assessment of pupils’ work well to plan the next steps of learning. They do not, however, always use the marking of pupils’ work to the best effect. As a result, pupils do not always know what they have to do to improve in order to reach the next level of attainment in the National Curriculum. There has been a considerable focus on giving pupils interesting and stimulating work since the previous inspection. This, and the increased opportunities for individual work at home and at school, has made a direct contribution to pupils’ improved achievement.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

71. The subject leader is very new to the post but is already making an impact on the quality of provision. This is apparent in the more effective use of information and communication technology and the significantly improved learning resources. Pupils at different stages of learning use computers well to support and increase their skills in data handling. They clearly enjoy using the high-quality resources and this makes a positive contribution to their very positive attitudes to learning in mathematics. Improvement since the previous inspection is good because of improved achievement, attitudes, resources and the better use of information and communication technology and homework.

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Mathematics across the curriculum

72. Pupils make good use of their numeracy skills in subjects such as design and technology. They use their measuring and recording skills effectively in their planning. There is a strong emphasis on the use of information and communication technology. This is further developing skills in numeracy and in pupils’ ability to represent information in graphs and to interpret it accurately.

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SCIENCE

 Though standards are below average, most pupils achieve satisfactorily.  Planning to develop pupils’ investigational skills is weak and there is little use of information and communication technology to support learning.  Pupils have good attitudes to their work in science.  Accommodation and resources are very good. Great Bridge Primary School - 28 Commentary

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SCIENCE

73. Over the last few years, the results in the national tests for 11-year-olds have been well below average. Most of the pupils currently in Year 2 and Year 6 are working at levels that are below average. However, in the context of a high turnover of pupils, above average numbers of pupils with special educational needs and the disruption caused by the building of the new school, this represents satisfactory achievement.

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SCIENCE

74. Teaching and learning are satisfactory. Teachers have secure subject knowledge and so are able to use accurate scientific terminology, which helps pupils to extend their own vocabulary. Lessons are prepared well so that pupils have a range of good quality resources to interest them and stimulate their learning. There is effective management of behaviour so that pupils work at a good rate and are productive. Teachers are making satisfactory progress in their use of the new computer-driven whiteboards to act as a learning aid in lessons. This was seen, for example, when pupils in Year 6 were using a microscope linked to the whiteboard to further their understanding of the structure of crystals. In general, however, there is little use of information and communication technology to support or enhance pupils’ learning. Sometimes teaching is very good, for example when pupils in Year 2 were investigating ways of changing

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SCIENCE

the shape of materials. Because of the teacher’s expertise, all pupils made very good progress in their skills of testing the materials and recording their findings. In this lesson, as in others, teaching assistants played an important role in helping pupils to learn. They are particularly supportive of pupils with special educational needs and those who speak English as an additional language so that these groups are able to take a full part in lessons.

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SCIENCE

75. The school has not successfully tackled the key issue from the previous report of improving pupils’ scientific investigational skills. Curriculum planning does not place enough emphasis on developing these skills in a systematic way through structured, practical investigations. As a result, although pupils know what a ‘fair test’ is, they are not skilled at devising one and carrying it out independently of the teacher. There are not enough opportunities provided for pupils to consider what their findings of their work tell them. As a result, their conclusions to experiments tend to be descriptions rather than evaluations of what they have done. There is not enough emphasis on developing pupils’ skills in interpreting data to help them to identify and use patterns in their findings during experiments.

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SCIENCE

76. The attitudes of most pupils to their work in science are positive. They behave well and show interest and curiosity in what they are doing. They handle scientific resources carefully and are willing to listen to and to appreciate the ideas of other pupils. Such attitudes have a beneficial effect on the quality of their work and the progress that they make.

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SCIENCE

77. The leadership and management of the subject are satisfactory. The subject leader is developing strategies to improve the provision for scientific investigations. The curriculum makes a positive contribution to pupils’ personal and social development, for example, when they work collaboratively in pairs and small groups during their experiments. However, the interruption of lessons in Year 6 for physical education sessions adversely affects pupils’ progress. There are good opportunities for pupils to practise their numeracy skills. For example, pupils in Year 2 have made careful measurements to see how far toy cars travel down ramps of different heights. Procedures for assessment are satisfactory, but do not enable the school to track the progress of individual pupils effectively and then to set targets for them to improve their work. The new building provides very good accommodation and learning resources are very good. Apart from in the development of pupils’ investigative skills,

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SCIENCE

improvement since the previous inspection has been satisfactory. Great Bridge Primary School - 29

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Provision in information communication technology is satisfactory .

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

 Standards are well below those expected, although pupils are now achieving satisfactorily.  The computer suite provides very good accommodation.  There is insufficient use of information communication technology to support other subjects.  The potential for improvement is very good.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

78. The standards reached by most pupils in Years 2 and 6 are well below those expected for their age. This results from the poor provision of resources in recent years, which resulted in a lack of teaching of basic computer skills. The situation was made worse during the building of the new school when pupils in Years 5 and 6, housed in mobile classrooms, had almost no access to computers. The picture has been transformed during the few weeks in the new school. Vastly improved curricular provision now enables all pupils to be taught basic skills in information communication technology, and these are starting to be used to support learning in other subjects. As a result, the rate of progress that pupils are making is accelerating and they now achieve satisfactorily.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

79. Teaching and learning are satisfactory. Each class is timetabled to have one lesson per week in the computer suite. Teachers are growing in confidence in its use to give pupils ‘hands-on’ computer experiences and so to develop their skills more effectively than was possible before. Teachers have sound subject knowledge and this enables them to explain and demonstrate new ideas and techniques in a satisfactory way. However, there is a recognition of the need to improve teachers’ expertise in some areas. For example, training is to be provided to help them to make more effective use of the computer-driven whiteboards in each classroom. Some teachers are already using these well as a visual focus for lessons, to give pupils a clear understanding of what they are to do. This was evident, for example, in a science lesson for pupils in Year 2, when very effective use of these boards helped them make very good progress in using tables to record findings to their investigations. Teachers and

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

teaching assistants work well together in the computer suite so that all pupils have a high proportion of direct teaching. As a result, pupils have a high work rate and are productive when using computers. This support also helps pupils with special educational needs and those who speak English as an additional language so that they have full access to all activities and achieve well.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

80. Pupils have very positive attitudes to the subject and show a lot of interest and enjoyment when working on computers. They talk with enthusiasm about how their learning has been made more interesting by being able to use computers and the computer-driven whiteboard during lessons.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

81. The leadership and management of the subject are currently satisfactory, but the subject leader is having an increasingly positive effect on provision. His support role in lessons in the computer suite is helping teachers to improve their teaching skills. The high quality of his own teaching provides a very good role model for colleagues. However, curricular planning does not integrate information and communication technology effectively within other subjects. Assessment arrangements are satisfactory but not precise enough to enable the school to track the progress of individual pupils effectively and to set targets for improvement. The curriculum is enhanced because pupils can join the ‘grid club’ , held at lunchtimes and after school, to develop their skills further. The computer suite offers very good accommodation and there are very good learning resources throughout the school. These recent

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

changes to provision have enabled the school to improve satisfactorily since the previous inspection.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Information and communication technology across the curriculum Great Bridge Primary School - 30 82. Too few opportunities are provided overall for pupils to use information communication technology to enhance their learning in other subjects. In English, pupils use word processing to add interest to their writing by varying the style, size and colour of font. There is some use of datahandling packages to support pupils’ mathematical work. In history and geography, there is some use of the Internet to research information. The school recognises that this as a priority area for development.

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HUMANITIES

Provision in geography is satisfactory .

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HUMANITIES

 The subject is well planned and reflects good teaching and learning overall so that pupils build well on their prior attainment.  Information and communication technology is not used enough to enhance pupils’ skills, knowledge and understanding.

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HUMANITIES

83. Pupils achieve well in geography and build effectively on their prior attainment. However, in the current Years 2 and 6, standards are below those expected for pupils of these ages. This is because a high proportion of pupils in these year groups have special educational needs. Pupils who speak English as an additional language and those with special educational needs achieve well. Since the previous inspection, standards and the quality of teaching and learning have been maintained.

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HUMANITIES

84. Teaching and learning are good overall with some examples of very good and satisfactory teaching. An analysis of pupils’ work and discussion with Year 6 pupils confirms this judgement. Very good teaching and learning were observed in Year 2, for example, enabling pupils to develop an awareness of localities beyond their own. The teacher skilfully identified differences between Great Bridge and Tocuaro in Mexico and, as a result, pupils’ interest increased as the lesson progressed. The majority of pupils were able to identify differences with Great Bridge and Tocuaro. A higher attaining pupil was able to explain that Tocuaro has only one shop, one church and one road because only 600 people live there. Pupils have an awareness of different localities but they find it difficult to express views about these or to talk about how the environment is influenced by people. The teacher reinforced learning very well

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HUMANITIES

in the very good lesson, and challenged pupils to explain the difference between human and physical characteristics. A few higher attaining pupils were able to do this, but the majority had not retained the information from the previous week.

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HUMANITIES

85. In a Year 4 lesson, teaching and learning were satisfactory and pupils made sound progress in identifying the continents and understanding different climatic conditions around the world. There were missed opportunities to develop literacy skills in this lesson. Higher attaining pupils in Year 6 have a sound understanding of river formation but average and lower attaining pupils find it difficult to explain how a river develops over time.

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HUMANITIES

86. An analysis of pupils’ work shows that a lot of undemanding worksheets are used and this limits development of literacy skills for some pupils. Information and communication technology is used to support learning but not consistently across the whole school. A Great Bridge Primary School - 31 residential trip for pupils in Years 5 and 6 takes place in the summer term and older pupils benefit from geographical fieldwork on this visit. The quality of resources is satisfactory and the school has yet to replace resources damaged during the school building programme.

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HUMANITIES

87. The leadership and management of geography are satisfactory. There is a clear plan to develop the subject and the subject leader is enthusiastic and eager to develop this further. She monitors planning but has not yet monitored teaching and learning to help her to develop the subject. The use of assessment to monitor pupils’ progress and to guide the planning of their further learning is less well developed than in English, mathematics and science.

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History

 Pupils achieve well and make good progress in relation to their prior attainment because teaching and learning are good.  The subject is well planned and good use is made of visits and visitors to enrich learning.  The use of literacy and information and communication technology skills is not consistent in all classes.  The transition link with the secondary school and community links are strengths.

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Commentary

88. Pupils achieve well in history and build effectively on their prior attainment. In Years 2 and 6, standards are below those expected for pupils of their age, but standards are broadly in line with expectation in Years 1, 3 and 5. Pupils who speak English as an additional language and those with special educational needs achieve well. As they move through the school, pupils benefit from a carefully planned curriculum, which enables them to learn about significant people, places and events from both the recent and more distant past and to use different sources of information to help them to investigate the past. Since the previous inspection, standards and the quality of teaching and learning in Years 1 and 2 have remained broadly the same, while teaching has improved from satisfactory to good in Years 3 to 6.

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Commentary

89. Higher attaining and average pupils in Year 1 have a clear understanding of past, present and future because teachers have used the contrasting scenes of the old and new school buildings to enrich this aspect of learning. Higher attaining pupils discuss simple changes to their playground and the school. Good teaching ensures that pupils use vocabulary such as ‘diggers’, ‘builders’ and ‘bricks’ accurately. Photographs are used well to show changes and to help pupils to discuss the changes. Higher attaining pupils suggested how their new playground could be developed to improve on what they had known previously. 90. Pupils make good progress as they move through the school. Discussion with pupils and photographic evidence show that visits and visitors enhance learning because they are well planned. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 responded enthusiastically to a visitor dressed in ancient Greek clothes and asked questions about life in Ancient Greece. Drama was used well to act

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Commentary

out the Olympic Games. Good teaching and enjoyable activities ensured that pupils gained a basic understanding of Ancient Greece but discussion with pupils showed that many pupils’ ability to apply their knowledge and retain information over time is limited.

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Commentary

91. Literacy and information and communication technology skills are used well in Years 5 and 6. Older pupils have used the Internet to research information about the Ancient Greeks and to write about their findings. They have written a simple ‘curriculum vitae’ for a Greek scholar Great Bridge Primary School - 32 and then written their own. Pupils in Year 2 have developed their writing skills well in describing conditions encountered by Florence Nightingale in the Crimean War. Information and communication technology skills are not used consistently throughout the school to enhance learning in history. An analysis of pupils’ work shows that the use of undemanding worksheets limits the development of literacy skills.

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Commentary

92. The teaching observed was good overall. In the better lessons, pupils achieved well because the lessons were well planned, and built effectively on previous learning. Teachers plan interesting activities which motivate pupils and help them develop their observation skills. Photographic evidence shows that very good community links have supported learning well. For example, older pupils have helped to design the local memorial to soldiers killed in the war. The transition link with the secondary school to which pupils transfer is a strength, and Year 6 pupils benefit from working with teachers in the secondary school during their last term in this school.

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Commentary

93. The leadership and management of history are good. The subject leader is enthusiastic and has a clear action plan to develop the subject further. Resources are satisfactory, but many need updating. The subject leader has monitored teaching and learning in order to plan how to develop the subject further. However, the school acknowledges that, at this stage, assessment systems are not as thorough as in other subjects.

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Religious education

Provision in religious education is satisfactory .

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Religious education

 Pupils achieve well and build effectively on their prior attainment.  Pupils show respect for other religions.  Information and communication technology is not used enough and there is too much reliance on worksheets.  There are no visits or visitors to enhance learning.

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Religious education

94. Pupils achieve well in religious education and build effectively on their prior attainment. In Years 2 and 6, standards are below those expected for pupils of these ages. However, standards are broadly in line with expectations in Years 1 and Year 5. Both Years 2 and 6 have very high numbers of pupils who have special educational needs and the turnover of pupils has also been high for the current Year 6. Pupils who speak English as an additional language and those with special educational needs are well supported and achieve well. The school uses national guidelines for planning, supplemented by the locally agreed syllabus for religious education. It is currently in the process of implementing new lesson planning. Since the previous inspection, standards and the quality of teaching and learning have been maintained.

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Religious education

95. Pupils make good progress as they move through the school. An analysis of pupils’ work shows an appropriate balance of learning about Christianity and about other major faiths. Discussion with Year 6 pupils shows that they have an awareness and sensitivity to different religious beliefs and they show respect for other people’s religions. Their knowledge of different religions and ability to apply what they have learnt to current every day life is, however, limited. Great Bridge Primary School - 33 96. In a satisfactory Year 2 lesson with a focus on Mothering Sunday, all pupils were able to explain reasons why their own mum is special to them. They responded in simple sentences, for example, ’My Mummy is special because she looks after me.’ Pupils identified simple acts of kindness for their mum on Mothering Sunday. They did, however, need a lot of teacher support and prompting to achieve this.

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Religious education

97. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 have remembered some facts about the Muslim religion such as the practice of removing shoes before entering a mosque, washing before reading the Qu’ran, turning the prayer mat towards Mecca, and praying five times a day. Higher attaining and average pupils explained why the Qu’ran is placed in a special place and has to be handled in a particular way because they have been taught effectively.

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Religious education

98. Overall teaching and learning are satisfactory with instances of good teaching. When teaching is good, resources are used well and explanations are clear. In a good Year 5 lesson, for example, the teacher communicated enthusiasm for the subject and provided good opportunities for pupils to reflect on the language used in the Qu’ran. Pupils were challenged to use their literacy skills well and higher attaining pupils explained the meaning of ‘compassionate’ and ‘merciful’. The lesson contained good opportunities for pupils to discuss their ideas with a partner and all pupils made good gains in their learning during the lesson. However, an analysis of pupils’ work shows that there is too much reliance on worksheets which do not ask enough of pupils, and there is not enough use of information and communication technology to enhance learning.

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Religious education

99. The leadership and management of the subject are satisfactory. The subject leader has introduced new planning for lessons, but has not yet monitored teaching and learning throughout the school to help to develop the subject. There are currently no visits or visitors from different faiths to enhance understanding further.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

Art and design, design and technology, music and physical education were sampled.

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Art and design

100. Work in sketchbooks shows good achievement in the development of their skills and techniques as the pupils move through the school. Pupils experiment with different media and styles and apply the results well to their artwork. The quality of the artwork around the school indicates that standards are above average by Year 6. This, and the very effective use of textiles to produce wall hangings, is an improvement since the previous inspection. Work builds well on the skills learned in Years 1 and 2 and shows that pupils of all ages and abilities take great care over their finished work. There are good examples of collaborative work, for example in the Chinese New Year displays throughout the school, the use of Rangoli patterns to create a stained glass window and the William Morris wall hanging in Year 5. These make a positive contribution to pupils’ social skills and awareness of different cultures. They also

p.35

Art and design

show effective use of a wide range of media and materials such as acrylic paint, fabrics and a range of papers and cardboard. Again, this is an improvement since the previous inspection. The new and very good accommodation, good quality resources and an effective subject leaders have had a positive effect on pupils’ interest and achievement. Pupils visit a range of art galleries and have opportunities to work with artists and sculptors in school. These experiences have a strong and positive influence on pupils’ enthusiasm and skills in two- and three- Great Bridge Primary School - 34 dimensional work. Improvement since the previous inspection has been good, reflecting the emphasis that the school places on the creative arts.

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Design and technology

101. Evidence available from the limited range of work around the school indicates that standards meet those expected from most pupils in Years 2 and 6. This is an improvement since the previous inspection when standards were below expectations in Year 2. The good quality leadership of the subject ensures that all elements of the design and technology curriculum are taught through the school. All pupils plan and evaluate their work and produce well-finished products. For example, pupils in Year 2 have experimented with joining skills to make puppets and paid a good level of attention to the quality of the finished article. Pupils build on their skills as they move through the school. By Year 6, pupils have well developed skills of designing and making. The new and very good accommodation, including a dedicated food technology room, is making a positive contribution to the quality of pupils’ work. This, and the

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Design and technology

good quality resources are a significant improvement since the previous inspection.

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Music

102. The subject leader ensures that the National Curriculum is followed and that pupils develop skills systematically. A small amount of specialist teaching supports learning well. Pupils have opportunities to learn brass and woodwind instruments and about 20 take advantage of this. Pupils learning instruments, including those learning recorder, have opportunities to play in assemblies. There are good opportunities for pupils to experience performance, for example, in Christmas or summer concerts and by singing in the community at Christmas. The choir has sung in a schools’ concert in Symphony Hall in Birmingham. However, singing is not a routine part of assemblies, although pupils in Years 1 and 2 sing in one assembly per week and Years 3 to 6 have a weekly singing practice. Music is played as pupils enter and leave the hall for assembly, but the level of chattering is high so that this does not contribute effectively to their

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Music

cultural development or to their musical awareness. Pupils in Year 6 have an involvement with the high school to which most pupils transfer as part of their transition programme, and this enhances their musical understanding. Pupils have the opportunity to hear live music when brass and woodwind groups visit the school. Leadership and management of the subject are satisfactory.

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Physical education

103. The school ensures that the requirements of the National Curriculum for physical education are met. Pupils have opportunities for swimming in Years 3 to 6 and standards in swimming are average. Links with the local high school and other primary schools give pupils opportunities to experience competitive sport, for example in soccer and netball, and the school has a good record of success in knockout competitions. Pupils benefit from external coaching in a range of sports including soccer, rugby, cricket and baseball. The link with the local high school means that pupils have opportunities to join an after-school dance club – another element in the school’s emphasis on the creative arts. Pupils in Year 6 experience outdoor and adventurous activities on their residential visit. Resources for physical education are adequate and improving.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

Provision in personal, social and health education and citizenship is good . Great Bridge Primary School - 35

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Main strengths and weaknesses

 Pupils are given good opportunities to develop fully their personal and social skills, self- awareness and understanding of citizenship.  Teaching is good overall promoting good standards and good achievement.

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Commentary

104. Personal, social and health education and citizenship are seen as integral aspects of the curriculum. Regular personal, social and health education lessons and whole-class discussions are timetabled. The provision is managed well by an enthusiastic co-ordinator although systems of formally monitoring and assessing the school’s provision have yet to be fully developed. Planning appropriately includes the importance of relationships and the dangers of drugs and other substances. The school is currently developing a portfolio as part of its bid for a Bronze Award in the Healthy Schools Scheme. This reflects the value placed on this area of the curriculum.

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Commentary

105. Regular opportunities for whole-class discussions promote pupils’ speaking and listening skills well and help them to appreciate and respect the views of others. Their opinions and views are valued and taken seriously so that they develop confidence and a positive self-image. The school council and the work being developed through the Young Enterprise Project are helping pupils to develop good citizenship skills.

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Commentary

106. Teachers plan learning activities which engage pupils’ interest so that they achieve well. For example, in a very good lesson in Year 5, pupils were told of the nature of three different professions. They asked a good range of questions and some pupils took notes for future reference, thus reinforcing literacy skills. Pupils were totally fascinated by the requirements of different professions – fire fighting, chiropody and landscape gardening. This lesson very effectively developed their awareness of how society functions and so promoted citizenship skills very well. It was a very good example of the use of visitors to enhance learning. Great Bridge Primary School - 36

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Overall standards achieved 5 Pupils’ achievement 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities 3 Attendance 5 Attitudes 3 Behaviour, including the extent of exclusions 3 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

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