Uley Church of England Primary School

PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

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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. Uley CE VC Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Primary School category: Voluntary Controlled Age range of pupils: 4 – 11 Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 98

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Woodstock Terrace Uley Dursley Gloucestershire Postcode: GL11 5SW

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Telephone number: 01453 860350 Fax number: 01453 861238

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: Governing Body Name of chair of governors: Mrs R Opher

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

This small, Voluntary Controlled Church of England school serves the village of Uley and surrounding villages. There are 98 pupils on roll between the ages of four and eleven. Pupils come from a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds, but the proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is average. The socio-economic circumstances of the school are average. All pupils are of white ethnicity and no pupils are new to speaking English. There is no significant mobility of pupils. Attainment on entry varies each year, but is average overall. Eight per cent of pupils have a special educational need which is well below the national average, but the proportion in some year groups is above the national average. Three per cent have a statement of special educational needs, which is above the national average. In some year groups the proportion of pupils with complex learning needs is very high. The headteacher started in the school in the summer 2004,

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

but since then unforeseen illnesses, staff absence for professional reasons and major building works have impacted on the school’s development. Uley CE VC Primary School - 4

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

31862 Dr J Coop Lead inspector Foundation Stage English Religious education History Music Physical education Special educational needs 13526 Mr R Barnard Lay inspector 22942 Mrs J S Cousins Team inspector Mathematics Science Information and communication technology Geography Art and design Design and technology Personal, social, health and citizenship education

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

Cambridge Education Associates Ltd Demeter House Station Road Cambridge CB1 2RS

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

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

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 8

Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 8

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL 11

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

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OVERALL EVALUATION

This is a good school with some very good features. Good leadership and management and good teaching ensure that pupils achieve well overall. Very good attitudes to learning are nurtured within a highly supportive family atmosphere. The school provides good value for money.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are: • The new headteacher provides dedicated and caring leadership. He is well supported by staff and governors, although the role of subject leaders is not yet fully developed. • Standards are well above average in English, mathematics and science by the end of Year 6. • Teaching and learning are good, although teachers’ marking does not consistently focus on how pupils could develop their work or make links to individual learning targets. • Assessment procedures are good in the Foundation Stage, English and mathematics, although they are not yet fully developed in other subjects. • The curriculum is enriched by a very wide range of activities, but time is not used well enough to ensure that pupils’ subject skills are regularly and progressively developed in all subjects. • Very good relationships, attitudes, behaviour and personal development are developed within a

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OVERALL EVALUATION

supportive family community in which all pupils are highly valued. • The school cares for its pupils very well and provides very good pastoral support and guidance. • Children in the Foundation Stage make good progress overall, but limited classroom space and restricted access to a secure outside area affects progress in some areas of learning. • The school has established very good links with parents and the community and good links with other schools, which add greatly to pupils’ enjoyment and the quality of education.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

Good improvement has been made since the last inspection. All issues identified in the last report have been addressed well. The curriculum has improved in geography and the Foundation Stage, so that pupils are making better progress, but the school recognises that curriculum planning in some other subjects, such as history, could be developed further. The governors have a greater influence on the school’s development so that the school is well placed to make further improvements.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

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

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

English C A* E E mathematics B A E E science B A D D Key: A - well above average; B – above average; C – average; D – below average; E – well below average

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Pupils of all abilities achieve well at each stage of their education, but small numbers make it unreliable to make year-on-year comparisons. Children in the reception class make good progress overall. By the time they start in Year 1, most are likely to exceed the standards expected in their personal, emotional, social, communication, language, literacy and mathematical development. They are on course to meet expectations in other areas of learning. In the 2004 national tests at the end of Year 2, standards were well above the national average in reading and writing and above the national average in mathematics. Current standards at the end of Year 2 are above average in reading and writing and well above average in mathematics. At the end of Year 6, in the 2004 national tests, standards were well below the national average and that of similar schools in mathematics and English and below the national average and similar schools in science. However,

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

in this year group a very high proportion of pupils had a statement of special educational needs and did not take the national tests. This significantly impacted on overall standards attained. Current standards at the end of Year 6 are well above average in English, mathematics and science. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress. Boys’ achievements have improved and are Uley CE VC Primary School - 7 similar to the girls’, particularly in mathematics and science. Standards in religious education are in line with those expected in the locally agreed syllabus. Standards in geography are above average. Evidence indicates that standards in other subjects are average.

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

are very good overall. Pupils have very good attitudes to learning and behave very well. Boys are increasingly motivated to learn. Pupils are very caring of pupils with special educational needs. Pupils really enjoy coming to school; their punctuality and attendance are very good.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The quality of education is good. The quality of teaching and learning is good overall. Relationships are very good so that pupils try hard to do their best, as a result. The teaching assistants provide effective support, and this makes a good contribution to learning in all classes. The marking of pupils’ work is effective in English, so that pupils have good understanding of what they need to do to improve. In other subjects, marking is not as consistent or as supportive of learning, while target setting and the use of lesson ends are not used consistently to improve pupils’ knowledge of their own learning. Assessment procedures are good in the reception class, English and mathematics, but are not fully developed in other subjects so as to ensure that pupils’ subject skills are progressively developed.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The curriculum is satisfactory. It is enriched very effectively by an interesting range of additional activities. Current planning arrangements restrict learning in some non-core subjects. The curriculum is satisfactory in the Foundation Stage, due to limited space to develop some aspects of learning. The care of pupils is very good and the school guides and supports them well overall. Partnerships with parents and the community are very good, coupled with good links to other schools these make a successful contribution to the life of this small village school.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The leadership and management of the school are good. The leadership of the new headteacher is good. He has overcome difficulties related to the new building and illness to develop a good team spirit. The management of the school is good. The headteacher has made a good start in identifying strengths and development needs, which have already led to improvements, but subject leaders’ action plans, are not yet specific enough to help raise standards in all subjects. Governance is good. The governing body is supportive and influential. Governors fulfil all their statutory duties well.

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Parents are very happy and supportive of the school. They appreciate the caring, family atmosphere. Pupils are equally very happy with the school and like the recent changes.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

The most important things the school should do to improve are: • Develop the role of subject leaders ensuring that their action plans have a clear set of criteria against which success can be measured. • Make more effective use of marking, target setting and lesson ends to improve pupils’ knowledge of their own learning. • Build on the start to develop the curriculum and assessment procedures to ensure that pupils’ subject skills are consistently and progressively developed in all subjects. • Improve the accommodation for children in the reception class. Uley CE VC Primary School - 8

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Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

Achievement is good overall. Pupils with special educational needs achieve well. Standards are well above average in English, mathematics and science by the end of Year 6.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children in the reception class make good progress and achieve well overall, but progress is hindered by unsatisfactory accommodation which limits some learning opportunities. • Pupils make good progress and achieve well in English, mathematics and science. They achieve very well in reading by the end of Year 6. • Boys have not attained as well as girls in the past, but this is improving. • Standards in geography are above average by the end of Year 6. • There is potential for standards to be higher in some other subjects, but they are inhibited by current planning arrangements and subject skills are not always progressively developed.

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Commentary

1. Standards vary considerably each year owing to the small number of pupils and the wide spread of ability in each year group. In some years there is a significant proportion of pupils with complex learning needs. This makes any year-on-year comparison of standards unreliable when compared to all schools nationally and to similar schools. Nevertheless over the past three years, when taken together the overall performance of pupils at the end of Year 6, has been above the national average.

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Commentary

2. Assessment data shows that the attainment of children who start in the reception class varies each year, but overall children start with average skills. The current group of children have started with average skills. Children benefit from working with older friends who share the class. They are very happy and settled and learn well overall. They are in line to exceed the expected standards in their personal, social and emotional development and in their communication, language and literacy and mathematical development. Despite being provided with interesting activities, progress in other areas of learning is satisfactory, where they are in line to meet expected standards by the time they start in Year 1. Progress is hampered by unsatisfactory accommodation which limits the range of practical learning opportunities available.

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

Standards in: School results National results reading 17.3 (16.1) 15.8 (15.7) writing 16.9 (14.4 ) 14.6 (14.6) mathematics 17.3 (17.0 ) 16.2 (16.3) There were 14 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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

3. In the 2004 national tests at the end of Year 2, standards were well above the national average in reading and writing and above the national average in mathematics. Compared to schools with similar socio-economic circumstances, standards were well above average in writing, above average in reading and average in mathematics. Standards in mathematics were not as high as reading and writing because fewer pupils attained the higher Level three. Results from teacher assessments in science show that all pupils attained the expected standard, so that overall standards were very high when compared to the national average Uley CE VC Primary School - 9 and similar schools and in the top five per cent of all schools nationally. However, the proportion of pupils attaining the higher Level 3 was below the national average. Taking the past three years together standards have been well above the national average.

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

4. Inspection evidence confirms that current standards are well above average in mathematics and science and above average in reading and writing. More pupils this year are attaining the higher Level 3 in mathematics and science. In this year group 12 per cent of the pupils, well above the national average, have a statement of special educational needs and have communication and language difficulties. This has impacted on overall standards attained, particularly in reading and writing.

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

Standards in: School results National results English 25.5 ( 30.0) 26.9 (26.8) mathematics 25.5 (28.7) 27.0 (26.8) science 28.0 (31.0) 28.6 ( 28.6) There were 12 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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

5. In the 2004 national tests at the end of Year 6, standards were much lower than previous years. Standards were well below the national average and schools that attained similar standards in the Year 2 tests in English and mathematics. Standards in science were below the national average and similar schools. However, in this year group 17 per cent of pupils had a statement of special educational needs and did not take the national tests. This influenced overall standards attained. Taking these pupils out of the calculations it is highly likely that a different picture would emerge. The indications are that results for the remaining pupils would be well above the national average in science, above the national average in English and in line with the national average in mathematics.

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

6. Current standards are well above average in English, mathematics and science. Pupils are achieving well and have made good progress in all three subjects in relation to their attainment in the 2001 Year 2 national tests. Standards in reading are very high and pupils achieve very well in this aspect of English. However, over the past three years, boys have not attained as well as the girls in the national tests, or attained as well as all boys nationally in all three subjects. In particular, there has been lower attainment than girls especially in writing. In the past year, the English coordinator with the support of the new headteacher and has worked hard to motivate boys and raise their level of achievement. The English co-ordinator has also introduced drama and other activities expressly to motivate the boys to write. Evidence shows they are now achieving as well as girls in mathematics and science and their

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

level of achievement in writing has picked up, so that all boys are attaining expected standards this year. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress because of effective support in lessons.

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

7. Standards in geography are above average at the end of Year 6 and indications are that standards in all other subjects, including information and communication technology (ICT) are average. Standards in religious education are in line with those expected in the locally agreed syllabus. Inspection evidence shows that there is potential for standards to be higher in these subjects, but they are restricted by current curriculum planning and assessment arrangements that do not ensure that pupils’ subject skills are progressively developed and extended. This puts a limit on their level of achievement which, although satisfactory, has the potential to be higher.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

Uley CE VC Primary School - 10 Attitudes and behaviour are very good. Pupils’ spiritual, social, moral and cultural development is very good. Attendance and punctuality are very good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils really enjoy coming to school. • Standards of behaviour are high and the school sets a very strong moral code. • Relationships are very good because of the very strong emphasis on social development

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Commentary

8. The pupils say they love coming to school and appreciate what is provided for them. They are very keen on all school activities. Throughout the school they show a very good interest in their lessons. This was evident in the very good attitudes displayed by the children in the reception class. They have settled quickly into class routines, concentrate well and respond enthusiastically to teaching. It is hard to tell them apart from their Year 1 friends in the same class. Throughout the rest of the school, as found at the last inspection, attitudes are generally very good. Pupils work diligently, are very keen to answer questions and listen attentively.

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Commentary

9. Behaviour around the school is very good. This is helped by the very good range of play activities provided and the imaginative use of the grounds. Pupils and parents say there is no bullying, racist or sexist behaviour. This is confirmed by the fact that there have been no temporary or permanent exclusions over the last few years. On a few occasions a small minority, mostly boys, are silly and restless in lessons. The school is working to motivate them and as a result, this immature behaviour is improving and does not detract others from learning. Girls tend to take a lead in many activities, but the older boys feel that the headteacher now provides a good role model to encourage them to play a more responsible role. Relationships in the school are very good. Pupils feel the school is a big, happy family where all know each other well. Overall, pupils’ enjoyment of learning has a major impact on

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Commentary

10. There is very good provision made for their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The moral and social aspects are particularly strong. Achievement and effort are celebrated and rewarded. The inspection week’s theme of talents and using them to help others is typical of the school’s approach to social development. Pupils are very effectively shown what is right or wrong. Pupils show very good appreciation of the needs of others. Care shown to friends with complex learning needs contributes to all pupils being included very well in all lessons. Pupils’ cultural development is good overall and pupils have a sound awareness of other religions and cultures especially through studying festivals in assemblies, although the school recognises their need to develop further experiences of multi-cultural life in Britain. Spiritual development is good. There is a spiritual atmosphere in assembly and pupils have numerous

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Commentary

11. Attendance levels are very good because pupils like coming to school. They have been consistently well above the national average for the past two years and have improved significantly since the last inspection. Levels of unauthorised absences are extremely low. Punctuality is very good enabling lessons to start promptly.

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Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data 4.3 School data 0.0 National data 5.1 National data 0.4 The table gives the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year Uley CE VC Primary School - 11

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

The quality of education is good. Teaching is good overall. A satisfactory curriculum is enriched by a very good range of learning opportunities. The care of pupils is very good. There are very good links with parents and the community and good links with other schools.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 22 lessons

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

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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Teaching and learning

The quality of teaching and learning is good overall. Assessment procedures are satisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Despite accommodation restrictions teachers make learning interesting for the youngest children. • Teachers have high expectations about behaviour and very good relationships ensure pupils learn well. • Planning is thorough, but learning intentions are not always clear enough to help pupils evaluate their own learning in the lesson ends. • Classroom assistants make a good contribution to the learning of pupils with special educational needs. • Although teachers use questions and discussions well to support learning, their marking does not consistently focus on showing pupils how to improve. • Assessment procedures are good in the foundation stage, English and mathematics, but these are not fully developed to support learning in other subjects.

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Commentary

12. During the inspection the reception class teacher was absent for professional reasons and temporary teachers were employed who had not worked in the class previously. As a result, the quality of teaching and learning observed in lessons is not a true reflection of the quality of teaching in this class. Nevertheless, evidence shows that the children make good progress because planning is based firmly on their learning needs and matched carefully to the different abilities of the children. The staff plan a wide range of interesting practical activities that motivate the children, who blossom in this warm and supportive learning environment. However, the restricted accommodation impacts on the range of activities that can be available at any one time and limits the opportunities children have to make choices about their learning.

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Commentary

13. In all classes, teachers set very high standards for behaviour and have very good class management skills. Together with very good relationships and good subject knowledge that is used to teach basic skills well, this provides an effective platform for learning. Teaching assistants are used effectively to support pupils with special educational needs or others in the class. They are caring and professional in their work and make a good contribution to learning in lessons.

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Commentary

14. Teachers plan lessons carefully and endeavour to make lessons interesting. They are becoming more skilled at motivating the boys, who are making the same progress as girls in lessons. The learning intentions are explained at the start of the lesson, for example ‘To look at amusing poems’, but these are not specific enough to help pupils recognise if they succeeded in achieving this aim in the lesson ends. In addition, whilst lesson ends are used to celebrate good work, they are rarely used to recap on learning and to encourage pupils to Uley CE VC Primary School - 12 think about what they have learned and what they might need to do to improve next time. In addition, pupils do not recall what their learning targets are in literacy or numeracy because of the long gap between the target being given and its review. As a result, pupils are not yet skilled at reviewing their own progress.

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Commentary

15. Teachers provide good support in lessons and use questions well to probe pupils’ thinking, but the marking of their work is not consistently helpful and supportive of learning. Where it is effective, such as in literacy, marking is encouraging and helpful so that this leads to an improvement in pupils’ writing or presentation.

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Commentary

16. The quality of assessment is satisfactory overall. Assessment procedures are good in English, mathematics and in the foundation stage. In science, teachers assess pupils’ work only against National Curriculum levels in Year 2 and Year 6, so that they do not have a secure means by which they can track progress in all year groups and act upon what is found. Whilst teachers have a broad and satisfactory knowledge and understanding of pupils’ abilities in other subjects, they do not have a means to track pupils’ skill development in relation to National Curriculum levels. As a result, planning in other subjects focuses on the development of topic knowledge, rather than the progressive development of subject skills.

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The curriculum

The curriculum is satisfactory overall and is enriched very well by the extra activities provided. The accommodation and resources are satisfactory overall.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils are prepared well for the next stage of education. • Extra-curricular activities are very good. • Pupils with special educational needs are provided for effectively. • Resources are rather limited for ICT throughout the school and the accommodation and outside play facilities of the reception class are unsatisfactory. • The way time is allocated to subjects such as design and technology and history is not helping the school to raise standards. • Pupils’ personal, social, health and citizenship education is well planned.

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Commentary

17. Overall the school provides a broad curriculum that meets statutory requirements. The curriculum in the Foundation Stage is satisfactory. However, the accommodation inside and outside for the reception class is making it difficult for the school to develop a really varied curriculum of activities, especially for children’s physical and creative development.

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Commentary

18. Most pupils are prepared effectively for the next stage of learning because their key skills in English, mathematics and science are developed well. An effectively planned programme of study is in place for these subjects as well as pupils’ personal, social, health and citizenship education. Good attention is paid to teaching sex education and drugs awareness suitable for pupils of this age.

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Commentary

19. A significant improvement since the last inspection is in the well developed termly plans of work that gradually increase pupils’ knowledge and skills in geography and in the reception class. Planning for all other subjects on an annual and termly basis is satisfactory. However, some non-core subjects have long periods of time where the school is not teaching pupils the key subject skills. This means that, for example, in design and technology and history pupils do not have regular opportunities to gradually improve their design, make and evaluation skills or to use an apply their literacy, numeracy and ICT skills consistently in other subjects.

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Commentary

20. Extra-curricular activities are very effective in offering pupils opportunities to develop their skills further in many areas. Pupils can take part in a very wide range of sporting competitions Uley CE VC Primary School - 13 and trips in an around the community. The very wide range of after-school clubs such as art, music and sport activities is impressive for a small village school. Many pupils are now learning to play an instrument because of the provision of extra music tuition.

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Commentary

21. The provision for pupils with special educational needs is good. Their needs are identified early and the part time specialist teacher ensures that their learning needs are well met. A strength is the way that the school welcomes and includes pupils with more complex learning needs. They are fully included in the life of the school and participate in all activities due to the good quality individual support that they receive. The skills of gifted and talented pupils are encouraged well and the school has worked hard to ensure that boys are more confident and enthusiastic about learning.

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Commentary

22. Another significant improvement is the accommodation which is now satisfactory overall. At the time of the previous inspection the school hall was very small. The very recently opened new hall, that has been created, is a very good size and means that pupils can fully develop their physical skills. The school has recently disbanded the small ICT suite and moved computers into the classrooms. However, the computers and software are not sufficient to support learning effectively. The headteacher is working to address this situation.

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Care, guidance and support

The provision for pupils’ care, welfare, health and safety is very good. The provision of support, advice and guidance based on the monitoring of pupils’ achievement is good. The involvement of pupils through seeking and acting on their views is good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• There is a very good, consistent, caring approach from all staff. • Pastoral support is very good. • The school uses informal systems well to discover pupils’ views and opinions.

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Commentary

23. As found at the previous inspection, great care is taken to ensure that both indoors and outdoors the needs of pupils for cleanliness, security and safety are very well met. The thorough approach to Child Protection procedures and awareness, detailed evaluation of health and safety risks, especially in relation to the new building, very good first aid procedures, security arrangements and supervision of pupils at break and lunchtimes, enable pupils to say they feel very secure and can work in confidence.

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Commentary

24. Pupils are provided with very good pastoral advice. Pupils know what to do if they have personal issues and are confident to ask for help. In this small school, all members of staff know individual pupils very well. They have a very trusting relationship with the pupils enabling them to provide a very high level of advice and care, which is appreciated by both the pupils and their parents. Pupils with complex learning needs are provided with good support and guidance because of the effective liaison with outside agencies. Healthy eating and care of the environment are promoted very well.

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Commentary

25. The school provides satisfactory academic advice and guidance. Praise and awards are used effectively to encourage the pupils to do well and in some subjects marking of pupils’ work celebrates and also identifies points of improvement. However, the absence of detailed academic monitoring procedures in subjects other than English and maths means that academic support and guidance is restricted in some subjects. Uley CE VC Primary School - 14 26. Good induction arrangements and continuing care and support ensure the youngest children quickly settle into the reception class. Pupils have been consulted well on issues such as the behaviour policy and school rules and assemblies and regular class discussions are used effectively to gauge pupils’ views on a range of issues. They are much appreciative of new arrangements in relation to the playground established by the headteacher following discussions with the pupils. The planned introduction of a formal consultation system, such as

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Commentary

questionnaires or a school council, has been delayed by staff illness. However, two pupils are on the working group set up to develop a school travel plan.

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Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

The school has a very good partnership with parents. Links with the local community are very good and with local schools good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The school provides parents with very good information to encourage their support. • Parents are very supportive of school and their child’s learning. • The school uses the local community very effectively and is developing good links with local schools to help enrich pupils’ learning experiences.

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Commentary

27. Parents receive very good information to help their children further in their learning. Reports and consultation sessions give very good information on progress and achievements, especially indicating relative weaknesses and areas for development to encourage parental help. As well as the informative prospectus parents receive very good information to help them with their child’s learning in the “Guidelines to help you prepare your child for a happy start in school.” The school value parents’ views highly, for example in providing an annual questionnaire as part of its self-evaluation process. As a result of last year’s survey, the school’s homework policy has been reviewed although this result has not yet been relayed to parents due to staff absence. The recently developed school website also provides very good information. The school works closely with parents of pupils with special educational needs

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Commentary

and works well in partnership with outside agencies to address any concerns raised. The quality of the partnership is similar to those described in the previous inspection report.

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Commentary

28. Parents are very supportive of the school and their children’s education. FUS (Friends of Uley School) provides a very good range of fundraising and social activities that have a major impact on improving facilities and resources for learning. Parents provide regular and helpful support with clubs and in helping maintain and improve the outdoor facilities. Parents value the importance of regular and prompt attendance ensuring their children turn up at school wanting to learn. This has a major impact on their achievements.

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Commentary

29. The school plays an important part in the life of the local community which supports pupils’ learning and personal development very well. The church plays an important part in school life and pupils contribute very well to church and village life such as singing at the annual village “songs of praise”. The school uses a local Arts centre very well to promote cultural development. Visits to and visitors from the local area help ensure pupils’ experiences are very well enriched. The developing partnership with the local schools also helps enrich pupils’ learning well, especially in relation to sporting and cultural events. The local playgroup now uses the new school hall on a regular basis which is helping younger ones to get used to the school. Pupils are very confident and self-assured by the time they leave this small village school and consider that they have been well prepared to move to the larger secondary

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The leadership and management of the school are good overall. Leadership of the headteacher and senior teacher are effective. Governance of the school is good. The school is managed well.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The headteacher and senior teacher have a clear vision for the future of the school. • The leadership of the school is effective in its commitment to integrating all pupils into the school community, including those with significant special educational needs. • The action plans for future improvements in some subjects are underdeveloped. • Some subject leaders are not monitoring pupils’ standards effectively in all year groups. • Governors understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school are good.

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Commentary

30. In the last year, the new headteacher has been a good leader in many ways. Despite difficulties encountered with the building works, staff illness and absence for professional reasons, the headteacher has established a good team spirit and sets the tone for the calm and caring manner that filters through the school. He is effective in self-evaluation and identifying ways to improve the quality of education provided. Performance management systems are being used well to improve standards. The headteacher, ably supported by the senior teacher, have led effectively a drive to improve standards for boys by Year 6 and have been particularly successful in mathematics and science and, for more capable pupils in English, mathematics and science by Year 2.

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Commentary

31. The Foundation Stage is led well by the senior teacher and most subjects are led and managed satisfactorily, except for English and geography, which are led well. Mathematics, science and ICT co-ordinators have analysed pupils’ work satisfactorily, but they are not tracking pupils’ progress throughout their time at the school. Furthermore, the action plans to develop provision for many subjects do not contain specific targets which will raise standards in these subjects.

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Commentary

32. Inevitably in a small school, the few experienced teachers carry a heavy load. The headteacher and a part time teacher lead and manage the special educational needs provision well. All pupils are included in lessons and school activities well because the headteacher and staff with leadership roles are committed to the full involvement of pupils from all backgrounds and abilities.

p.15

Commentary

33. Governors are very supportive of the school and have a clear understanding of its strengths and ways it could be improved. The governors support subject leaders well, but they do not always challenge them about how the time given to subjects are shared. All legal requirements are met by governance. Governors manage financial matters effectively.

p.15

Commentary

34. Finances are managed well by the finance manager. The above average under-spend this year is due to recent building work not being finished. The extra under-spend will be spent by the end of this financial year to buy more interactive white boards and ICT equipment.

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Financial information for the year April 2004 to March 2005

Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 309,299 Balance from previous year 29,607 Uley CE VC Primary School - 16 Total expenditure 304,587 Balance carried forward to the next 34,319

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Financial information for the year April 2004 to March 2005

Expenditure per pupil 3108 Uley CE VC Primary School - 17

p.16

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Provision in the Foundation Stage is good.

p.17

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children are very happy and confident to join in activities, so they learn well. • Good links between areas of learning make learning relevant and interesting. • There is a good emphasis on developing learning through first hand practical experiences. • Detailed tracking and monitoring of children’s attainment and progress are used well to aid planning. • Early literacy and numeracy skills are well developed. • Limited classroom space and difficult access to a secure outside area restricts some aspects of learning.

p.17

Commentary

35. The small numbers of reception children are taught with younger Year 1 pupils. When children start school their attainment is wide and varied, but average overall. Evidence shows all children are making good progress and achieve well overall. The children benefit from working alongside their older friends. By the time they start in Year 1, most are in line to exceed the expected goals for children of this age in their personal and social development, communication, language and literacy and mathematical development. They are in line to meet expectations in other areas of learning.

p.17

Commentary

36. During the inspection the usual class teacher was absent. It is a measure of how happy and confident the children are in their classroom routines that they quickly settled to learn with the temporary teachers. Evidence indicates that the quality of teaching and learning is good overall. Relationships between the teaching assistant and the children are very good. This coupled with purposeful interaction and good quality questioning encourages and carefully extends children’s thinking. In addition, the detailed, good quality planning left by the class teacher ensured that the children continued to make good progress and learn well.

p.17

Commentary

37. Children have a good range of opportunities to learn through interesting practical activities. There is a good balance between more formal teacher led activities and those which the children choose for themselves. This, together with lots of praise and encouragement, ensures that the children try hard and are not afraid to ‘have a go’. This is due to the dedication of the teacher who has worked hard to develop a curriculum more suitable for children of this age. However, the current restraints of the accommodation, with limited space for regular access to more creative and ‘messy’ learning experiences, limit the choice of activities available so that the overall curriculum is satisfactory. This together with difficult access to the very small outside play area for large equipment, which is also a public right of way, puts a limit on the creative and physical aspects of learning. The accommodation is an

p.17

Commentary

unsuitable learning environment for children of this age. In the meantime, staff make the best use of every available space.

p.17

Commentary

38. The provision is well led and managed by a very knowledgeable practitioner, who has made good improvements to planning and has developed the range of learning opportunities available since the last inspection. In addition, detailed monitoring and tracking of the children’s individual progress are used well to ensure that activities are carefully matched to the children’s abilities. This also successfully ensures that children who may have special educational needs are quickly identified and advice sought. Uley CE VC Primary School - 18 39. Due to the focus of the inspection and because different temporary teachers were teaching the class each day, it was not possible to inspect all areas of learning in depth. In the areas of

p.17

communication, language and literacy, mathematical development and personal and

social development, the quality of teaching and learning is good so that children are making good progress and achieving well. Children’s early literacy and numeracy skills are well developed because of effective planning that ensures that the children have a wide range of interesting experiences through which they learn well. Children are challenged to search for shapes in the environment and delight in finding a hexagon shaped bin and a semi-circle in the railings. The most able are already confident to handle numbers to twenty and can shop in the ‘garden centre’ using 10p and 50p coins. Less able children are also able to complete simple addition sums and recognise odd and even numbers. This is because staff are adept at making interesting links in their learning. Effective links with the current class theme of mini- beast- for example, has inspired the children to label mini-beast digital images using their

p.18

communication, language and literacy, mathematical development and personal and

good knowledge of letter sounds and to read about the life of mini-beasts. All children enjoy telling stories from the pictures in the class books and because of the effective way they have been taught, most children are already confident early readers. Children are encouraged to be polite and caring of the equipment and each other and are eager to help the new teachers. They are becoming increasingly independent and helpful little people because of the way all staff and their older friends effectively support and encourage them.

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communication, language and literacy, mathematical development and personal and

40. In the areas of knowledge and understanding of the world, creative and physical development, children make satisfactory progress because learning is hampered by limited space. Nevertheless, children are interested in everything that is planned and delight in examining small creatures using magnifying glasses, growing sunflowers and learning about life on an island. Children have a curiosity that is nurtured well, so that one boy searching a web site about Guernsey rushed to tell the teacher he had found an island called “Silly”! Children move around the small outside space well, but find the slope tricky when riding their bikes. The field is used well when weather permits and good use is made of the hall, so that the children are becoming more confident to throw balls, but are less confident to control a bat and ball. Sand and water are available and a small area has been developed as a ‘Garden

p.18

communication, language and literacy, mathematical development and personal and

Centre’, to encourage imaginative play. However, only a few children can use these at a time and opportunities to paint, cut and stick or make junk models need to be planned carefully. Children however, paint bold flower pictures and concentrate hard to make clay mini-beasts with their older friends. Sensitive encouragement ensures that the children persevere and thus make the best use of these learning opportunities.

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Consistently good teaching enables pupils to achieve well overall. • Boys do not achieve as well as girls in writing, although the gap is narrowing. • Pupils enjoy reading and parents are very supportive, so that reading is a strength of the school. • Although marking is good, lesson ends and the current individual learning targets do not consistently help pupils evaluate their own learning. • Drama is used well in other subjects, but the use of other subjects to develop writing is inconsistent. • The subject action plan is realistic and focused on raising standards, but the success criterion is too general to help judge success.

p.18

Commentary

Uley CE VC Primary School - 19 41. At the end of Year 2, standards in reading and writing are above average. This represents good progress and achievement in relation to the pupils’ attainment when they started in Year 1. Standards are lower than the results in the national tests in 2004. This is because in the current year group a well above average number of pupils have a statement of special educational needs. This impacts on overall standards attained. Nevertheless these pupils have been well supported and have made good progress.

p.19

Commentary

42. At the end of Year 6, standards are well above the national average. Pupils have made good progress and are achieving well in relation to their attainment in the Year 2 national tests. Overall standards have fluctuated over time, but this is due to the different spread of abilities in each small year group. Standards have improved since the last inspection. However, over time boys have not achieved as well as girls in the school, or as well as all boys nationally. The school has worked hard to address this gap and evidence indicates that this has borne fruit. Although boys are still not attaining as well as the girls, they are more motivated to write and the gap is closing. This year all boys are attaining expected standards in writing.

p.19

Commentary

43. At the end of Year 6, reading standards are very high because of the effective way that reading is taught from an early age. Coupled with daily opportunities to read a wide range of interesting texts and, very good support from parents, pupils achieve very well in this aspect of their learning. Most pupils read fluently and with very mature understanding of plot and character.

p.19

Commentary

44. The quality of teaching and learning is consistently good and occasionally very good. Teachers have high expectations and use their good subject knowledge to teach basic skills in an interesting and effective way. Very effective class management skills, coupled with very good relationships, provide a firm basis for learning and encourage the pupils to try hard. Pupils rise to the challenges set and boys in particular appreciate the recent focus on poetry and drama which has successfully motivated them to learn. As a result, they were observed making interesting and mature comments about the style of Ted Hughes’ poetry and the images he evokes in his ‘Moon’ series of poems.

p.19

Commentary

45. Pupils are given individual writing targets at the beginning of the year which are shared with parents and pupils and reviewed in the spring term. However, few pupils could recall these targets. In addition, whilst the marking of pupils’ work is good and points out what pupils could do to improve, lesson ends are not consistently used to review with pupils what they have learned in the lesson. These are missed opportunities to help pupils evaluate and monitor their own learning.

p.19

Commentary

46. The quality of leadership and management is good. The subject leader’s knowledge and experience show in the way that she has monitored pupils’ attainment in writing and then addressed weaknesses in boys’ achievements. However, although the subject action plan is detailed, it does not provide a means by which the school can measure the success of its work to raise standards.

p.19

Language and literacy across the curriculum

47. The use of language and literacy in other subjects is satisfactory. Speaking and listening are used well in other subjects and the recent focus on drama activities has successfully enhanced learning. However, the use of writing is less well developed. This is partly because work in some subjects is not covered in sufficient depth and pupils do not have sufficient time to write in a range of styles. Uley CE VC Primary School - 20

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MATHEMATICS

• Pupils’ achievement is good because of the use of effective teaching methods and teachers’ high expectations. • Pupils have good levels of skill in solving problems. • The co-ordinator’s action plan is not consistently focused on raising standards. • Teachers’ use of marking and learning intentions is not always specific enough. • Effective use is made of the National Numeracy Strategy.

p.20

Commentary

48. Standards in Year 6 in 2004 tests were well below average compared to all schools. This is partly because of a high proportion of pupils had significant special educational needs. There are small numbers of pupils with a wide spread of ability in each year group and so standards vary considerably from year-to-year. Standards in Year 2 tests were above average. Last year all Year 2 pupils attained the expected standards for seven-year-olds, but a below average proportion of more able pupils attained the higher level.

p.20

Commentary

49. The present Year 2 pupils entered Year 1 with above average levels of numeracy and have achieved well to attain well above average standards. Pupils’ books and folders show there is an effective emphasis on developing pupils’ basic number skills. A significant strength of pupils’ knowledge is addition. Average and more capable Year 2 pupils can add up three digit numbers effectively. Less able pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress, partly due to the effective support they receive from the well-briefed teaching assistants in the main part of the lessons.

p.20

Commentary

50. In the present Year 6 standards are well above average. Standards are higher than last year partly because there are fewer pupils with special educational needs. In the past, boys have not attained as well as girls, but this year their attainment is similar. This is as a result of more effective teaching methods being used. Pupils’ achievement in Years 3 to 6 is good because of teachers’ high expectations of effort and the pace of pupils’ work. As a result most Year 6 pupils solve complex problems well.

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Commentary

51. Pupils make good progress and achieve well as a result of good teaching and learning from Years 1 to 6. A significant strength of provision across the school is the consistent and effective use teachers make of the National Numeracy Strategy. The mental ‘warm up’ sessions at the start of lessons are handled especially well, involving all pupils in lively and enjoyable activities. All teachers manage their pupils effectively and present lessons in a lively and interesting way. This means that pupils’ attitudes to mathematics are positive. Teachers use ICT satisfactorily to support learning in mathematics. For example, teachers’ use of the interactive boards to discuss problems with graphs sustains pupils’ interest effectively. These factors have an especially positive impact on the engagement of pupils, especially boys.

p.20

Commentary

52. The assessment and marking of pupils’ work are satisfactory overall. Targets are set for pupils and shared with parents at parents’ evenings. However, teachers’ oral and written feedback to pupils does not consistently inform pupils what they have done particularly well or say how they could improve. This means that pupils do not receive specific information about their strengths or how to develop their work in the future. Learning intentions that teachers share with pupils at the start of lessons are not always specific or clearly understandable to pupils and the ends of lessons are rarely used to assess pupils’ progress in the lesson against them. Uley CE VC Primary School - 21 53. Leadership and management are satisfactory and have brought about suitable improvements since the last inspection so that standards have improved and are now well above average in Years 2 and 6. The monitoring of standards is satisfactory through analysis of pupils’ work, but

p.20

Commentary

the systems to track individual pupil progress throughout the school have been delayed by staff absence. As a result, the subject leader does not yet have the means to systematically track pupil progress and act on what is found and her action plan is not specific enough to help raise standards further.

p.21

Mathematics across the curriculum

54. Mathematics is used satisfactorily in other subjects. For example, science and geographical data is presented and interpreted using a variety of graphs.

p.21

SCIENCE

• Pupils’ skills in investigative and experimental science are good. • Most pupils achieve well in all aspects of science. • The co-ordinator’s action plan to improve provision is not consistently linked to raising standards. • Pupils’ progress is not tracked in all year groups and assessment activities are not always linked to National Curriculum levels of attainment. • Teachers’ marking and oral feedback for pupils do not consistently tell pupils about the strengths and areas for development in their work. • Literacy and numeracy skills are used well to support learning.

p.21

Commentary

55. Results in 2004 national tests for pupils in Year 6 were below the national average. Girls were doing considerably better in the subject than boys. Teacher assessments last year show that standards in Year 2 were very high when compared to the national average for pupils attaining the expected Level 2 and in the top 5 per cent of all schools nationally, but below average with regards to more capable pupils who attained the higher Level 3.

p.21

Commentary

56. In the current Year 6, standards are well above average and there is no significant difference in the performance of boys and girls. Achievement is good for all pupils, including those with special educational needs. In Year 2, standards are well above average and progress for all pupils is good.

p.21

Commentary

57. The significant improvement in standards in Years 2 and 6 is the result of much stronger analysis of test results to identify gaps in previous learning. In addition, pupils in Years 2 and 6 benefit from regular opportunities to use and apply their knowledge in investigative work. Boys, in particular, benefit from this more practical approach to teaching involving them in lessons well and this has impacted on their improved performance.

p.21

Commentary

58. Teaching and learning are good and have a positive impact on the standards achieved. Teachers are confident in their subject knowledge and place a very strong emphasis on teaching investigative and experimental science. As a result, pupils’ work in this aspect is particularly good, especially in their understanding of making predictions and carrying out fair tests. As a result of teachers’ high expectations, pupils use their literacy and numeracy skills well when carrying out and writing up the results of experiments. Pupils with special educational needs are included effectively in all lessons and so they achieve well. Teachers’ oral feedback and written marking could be more specific. This would enable pupils to know what they have done well and what they need to do to improve their work. Uley CE VC Primary School - 22 59. Leadership and management are satisfactory and have made a significant contribution to the

p.21

Commentary

much improved standards in Years 2 and 6. Improvement since the previous inspection is satisfactory. Training for teachers has made a strong contribution to raising teachers’ awareness of how to extend more capable pupils in science and the success of this is evident in lessons and in the standards now achieved. However, assessment procedures are not consistently linked to National Curriculum levels of attainment in all year groups and pupils’ standards are not monitored and tracked throughout the school; as a result, the subject action plan is not specific enough to help raise standards further.

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teachers develop pupils’ basic skills well. • Resources for ICT are rather limited. • Pupils’ use of self-evaluation is not well established. • The action plan for future developments in ICT does not focus effectively on raising standards. • Pupils’ progress is not consistently assessed using National Curriculum levels of attainment or tracked from year-to-year by the co-ordinator. • Pupils have very positive attitudes to using computers.

p.22

Commentary

60. Standards in Years 2 and 6 are in line with expectations. The majority of pupils are confident, enthusiastic and very well behaved when using computers. They log on and off the computer efficiently and save their information in a personal folder held electronically. Many pupils in Years 2 to 6 word process poems well and have good typing skills. Most Year 2 pupils can draw and create patterns using computer programmes. The majority of Year 5 and 6 pupils can create spread sheets and use formulas to calculate sums. Older pupils have access to the Internet and reasonable care is taken to ensure safe access for pupils. All groups of pupils, including those with special educational needs, make satisfactory progress and achieve.

p.22

Commentary

61. Overall, teaching and learning are satisfactory. Class lessons using the interactive white board introduce new programmes of study effectively and then pupils have opportunities to develop their skills during other times in their classrooms. Teachers have high expectations of pupils which mean that pupils are included well in sessions. For instance, Year 3 and 4 pupils learn to control and move devices effectively on a computer screen. However, many classes only have access to two up to date computers in the classrooms and there are few laptops available to pupils. This limits pupils’ progress significantly. Teachers rarely give pupils opportunities to develop their self-evaluation skills.

p.22

Commentary

62. The leadership and management are satisfactory and improvement since the last inspection is adequate. Termly planning now covers all aspects of study and builds up pupils’ skills gradually. However, assessment activities do not always use National Curriculum levels of attainment. Therefore, the subject leader can not use this information to assess standards effectively and track pupils’ progress throughout the school. The action plan to raise standards is not specific enough to help judge success.

p.22

Information, communication and technology across the curriculum

63. ICT is used satisfactorily as a tool and cross-curricular links with other subjects are adequate. However, some programmes that the school owns do not run on the computers they now have and this limits the opportunities to support learning in other subjects.

p.22

HUMANITIES

Uley CE VC Primary School - 23 64. In history, no lessons were observed and only a limited amount of pupils’ work was available during the inspection. This is because current planning arrangements mean that topics are taught in a four year rolling programme for older pupils and two year rolling programme for younger pupils. All pupils in a key stage study the same topic. Whilst this is not unusual in a small school, this arrangement means that currently older pupils have visited the subject only once this year. In addition, whilst teachers have a general overview of pupils’ knowledge and understanding of a topic, they do not have a means by which they can judge pupils’ skills against National Curriculum levels. As a result, pupils complete the same work regardless of their ability or age. This is compounded by the long gap between topics in some years which mean that the older pupils in particular do not consistently or progressively build on their

p.23

HUMANITIES

knowledge, understanding or subject skills. This arrangement also limits the opportunities for pupils to use and apply their literacy, numeracy or ICT skills in meaningful ways. The current planning and assessment arrangement therefore puts a limit on standards that pupils achieve. Older pupils for example, could recall the Greek topic and a special day of activities held in the last academic year, but had limited recall of any other history topics they had studied and in the current topic of the ‘Benin Society’, pupils in Year 3 and Year 6 were completing similar work. The subject leader in the past has had limited opportunities to develop her role or to monitor teaching and learning more formally. The new headteacher has identified this weakness. As a result, the subject leader has developed an action plan, but this is not specific enough with which to raise standards.

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

• In Year 6 pupils have an effective awareness of local environmental issues. • Teachers have good levels of expertise and high expectations of pupils. • Pupils rarely have opportunities to evaluate their work. • Resources are used effectively to make learning interesting.

p.23

Commentary

65. Standards are above expectations by Year 2. This is because teaching and learning are effective. Most pupils make good progress and achieve well because resources are used effectively. Pupils in Year 2 have a good understanding of life on an island and the physical and human features in the environment. They know how to design a brochure to attract visitors because the teacher ensures that they examine holiday brochures and web sites before they start work.

p.23

Commentary

66. Standards are above expectations by Year 6. Most pupils achieve well as a result of good teaching and learning. Pupils make good use of their literacy skills when writing factual information. This was seen when pupils in Year 6 recorded the answers to an interview with the Chair of the governors about the problems of traffic in a small village. Charts are used well when pupils explain the many things that happen to water when it hits the ground. Teachers’ good knowledge and understanding and high expectations mean that pupils learn to explain well what happened in the flood at Boscastle. Pupils’ numeracy skills are utilized effectively when they create graphs of the water consumption of their family. Teachers use effective teaching methods when maps of African and Europe are used to explain to pupils where certain countries are found. However, lesson ends and the marking of pupils’ work are not used consistently to help pupils evaluate their own learning.

p.23

Commentary

Uley CE VC Primary School - 24 67. Leadership and management are good. The co-ordinator has brought about good improvements since the last inspection and has kept the teaching of geography on a high profile within the school. An effective improvement is in the programme of work that has been created which ensures that pupils’ develop their skills progressively. However, assessment activities are underdeveloped so the co-ordinator and teachers do not have a good body of information on pupils’ attainment.

p.24

Religious education

The provision in religious education is satisfactory.

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils’ knowledge of Christianity is good. • Pupils are aware of and respect the beliefs of other faiths, although their knowledge and understanding are not fully developed. • Current planning and assessment procedures do not ensure that pupils’ knowledge, understanding and subject skills are consistently developed. • The subject leader’s role is not fully developed.

p.24

Commentary

68. Evidence indicates that standards are broadly in line with those recommended in the locally agreed syllabus and are similar to those found at the last inspection. Pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the Christian faith and its teaching are good. In Year 2, pupils can recall the key festivals of the Christian church and know about the important symbols of the Christian faith, such as the cross. They are interested to learn about the creation and curious to ask if “Dinosaurs came before God”? But they are less aware of the Muslim faith which has been a focus this year. This picture is repeated at the end of Year 6, where pupils have a good understanding of the Parables and their meaning and ask searching questions such as “Is God real? If so, why is there so much poverty in the world?” However they are less secure in their knowledge about other faith groups studied and what it really means to belong to another

p.24

Commentary

69. Only one lesson was observed so no secure judgment about the quality of teaching and learning can be made. Evidence indicates that it is satisfactory overall. Teachers’ planning indicates that they use resources and practical activities to promote interest, as seen in the one lesson observed where pupils had watched a video about the creation and then created a sequence of collages depicting each day. Currently, teachers plan similar work for all pupils, regardless of their age or ability and time is not used effectively to ensure topics can be taught in sufficient depth. Consequently, this puts a limit on standards achieved.

p.24

Commentary

70. The subject is satisfactorily led and managed by the headteacher. He is well aware of the strengths and weaknesses and with this in mind his plans to develop the subject are relevant. He has recently introduced a skill check list, but its implementation has been delayed due to unforeseen circumstances. However, his action plan is not sufficiently focused on raising standards and he has not yet monitored teaching and learning through examining pupils’ work.

p.24

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

71. In art and design, design and technology, music and physical education, only one lesson was observed in each subject, it is therefore not possible to make secure judgments on teaching, standards or overall provision. Uley CE VC Primary School - 25 72. Art and design is generally taught through topics and there can be a long gap between them; this impacts on the progressive development of subject skills. However, teachers make meaningful links with other subjects so that pupils can see the relevance of their work. Pupils’ sketching and drawing skills are satisfactorily developed by Year 6. Good use is made of shading when it is used to add depth to drawings of chairs. Teachers use effective methods when pupils learn to create imaginary insects. Art was a strong focus in the autumn term when all pupils in the school participated in a joint art project with other schools at the local community art centre around the work of Degas. Pupils’ work was exhibited locally, illustrating

p.24

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

how very effective community links add an interesting dimension to learning. The large hanging of Degas’ ‘Beach scene’ and interesting collages on the theme ‘Benin’, illustrate pupils’ creative flair well and make attractive displays in the school corridors, although displays of art and design work in classrooms are rather limited and sketch books are rarely used to evaluate others’ and their own work.

p.25

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

73. The school has planned a satisfactory curriculum for design and technology. Pupils occasionally create effective designs for projects. Year 6 pupils draw satisfactory plans when they design an African tablecloth with symmetrical patterns. Year 2 pupils create delightful puppets using felt because the teacher uses resources effectively. Pupils learn to use mechanisms well when they make moving arms on their model teddy bears. Little evidence of written evaluations by pupils was available, but Year 6 pupils said that they had evaluated some projects and said how they could improve their work. Pupils’ work is not kept in a folder and so it is hard for the co-ordinator to monitor pupils’ achievement and standards.

p.25

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

74. In music , recent initiatives by the part-time co-ordinator have meant that pupils now have the chance to learn a musical instrument. In the one lesson observed, teaching and learning was good so that most pupils in Year 2 recognise that sound can be organised and they have a satisfactory sense of melody when singing. However, opportunities were missed to encourage the pupils to evaluate and improve their work. Singing in assembly is tuneful and joyous. The skills of talented musicians are nurtured, so that recently one pupil won a scholarship to a local Cathedral school. Parents and pupils, particularly boys, are pleased with the recent improvements made to the range of musical opportunities available in the school.

p.25

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

75. In physical education the recently extended school hall has ensured that there is now sufficient space to support teaching and learning in all aspects of the subject. The school now recognises that there is a need to upgrade resources, in particular new mats, dance and gymnastic equipment are required so that it can make the best use of this new facility. The school field is used well to support games and athletics and very good links with local professional sports associations has ensured that pupils have a many opportunities to be coached in a range of sports. Evidence indicates that swimming standards are above average, due to the good opportunities to swim regularly from an early age. In the one lesson observed, teaching and learning was good. Pupils in Year 6 had satisfactory grasp of the game of rounders and specific skills were taught well. However, opportunities were missed to encourage pupils to evaluate their learning and comment on the performance of their friends

p.25

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

and then make improvements to their own performance.

p.25

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

76. No lessons were observed. The school meets all statutory requirements. The school successfully creates an environment where all pupils feel valued. They are encouraged to eat healthily, take exercise, and care for the environment, and each other. There are plans for a school council, but pupils’ views are canvassed in assemblies and other forums. Sessions are used when necessary to expand pupils’ emotional and social development. A considerable number of projects develop pupils’ awareness of ways to be a good citizen. As a result, the school successfully fosters pupils who are confident and caring young people. Uley CE VC Primary School - 26

p.25

The overall effectiveness of the school 3

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

p.26

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

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

p.26

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

p.26

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 4 The effectiveness of management 3

p.26

The leadership and management of the school 3

Inspectors make judgements on a scale: excellent (grade 1); very good (2); good (3); satisfactory (4); unsatisfactory (5); Uley CE VC Primary School - 27 poor (6); very poor (7).

p.26