Setting

Mr Juri Zarins Headteacher Avenue Primary School Avenue Road Norwich NR2 3HP

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Ofsted survey inspection programme: English

Thank you for your hospitality and co-operation, and that of your staff, during my visit on 16 October to look at work in English.

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Ofsted survey inspection programme: English

As outlined in my initial letter, as well as looking at key areas of the subject the visit had a particular focus on our current survey theme: independent learning in English. The visit provided valuable information which will contribute to our national evaluation and reporting. Published reports are likely to list the names of the contributing institutions but individual institutions will not be identified in the main text.

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Ofsted survey inspection programme: English

The evidence used to inform the judgements made included: interviews with staff and pupils, scrutiny of relevant documentation, analysis of pupils’ work and observation of five lessons. The overall effectiveness of English was judged to be good.

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Achievement and standards

Achievement is good and standards in English are well above average.

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Achievement and standards

 Attainment on entry is above average. Standards are well above average. By the end of Year 6 test results were well above average in 2006 and improved further in 2007.  All pupils, including those with learning difficulties and disabilities, achieve equally well.  Although above the national expectations, boys’ writing skills are not as strong as those of the girls. Alexandra House T 08456 404040 33 Kingsway F 020 7421 6855 London enquiries@ofsted.go.uk WC2B 6SE www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Quality of teaching and learning of English

The quality of teaching and learning in English is good.

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Quality of teaching and learning of English

 Teaching seen was good and this was confirmed by the way that the pupils spoke so positively of their teachers. Pupils highlighted their enjoyment of creative writing as a particular reason for liking their English lessons.  Amongst the strengths of teaching were the following: well planned lessons, teachers setting clear intended leaning outcomes, a variety of activities to ensure that pupils are constantly on-task and effective one to one support.  Assessment is formative with teachers telling pupils what they need to do in order to improve their work further. Pupils understand their targets and know how well they are doing in achieving them.

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Quality of curriculum

The quality of the curriculum in English is good.

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Quality of curriculum

 The fact that the pupils speak so highly of their work in English reflects efforts made by the school to provide a creative curriculum.  All aspects of literacy work are covered in English and this ensures that pupils’ speaking, listening, reading and writing skills are equally taught. These are further supplemented by a strong focus on encouraging a love of reading.  Whenever occasions emerge for celebrating cultural diversity teachers successfully do so with their pupils.

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Leadership and management of English

Leadership and management in English are good.

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Leadership and management of English

 Standards continue to improve because of the good subject leadership. Teachers work cohesively together to ensure continued improvement.  Senior leadership works closely with teachers of English to monitor teaching and learning. Improvements are made within a context of very good relationships.  Standards in reading have improved because of the strong focus by the subject leader and her colleagues. Improving boys’ writing skills has been recognised as a priority by the school.

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Independent learning in English

Provision for independent learning is good.

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Independent learning in English

 The school specifically plans for creating opportunities for pupils to work independently. For example, pupils plan and write their short stories independently. They also draft and redraft their work as a matter of routine.  Pupils choose their own reading and they are encouraged to discuss what they read.  During lessons seen, there were many opportunities for pupils to write independently, evaluate each other’s and their own work, discuss ideas freely, choose their own reading and use computers for research purposes which helps them make good progress.

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Inclusion

 Pupils feel fully involved in English work. They speak well of their experiences in all aspects of the subject.  In order to ensure that all pupils are kept on task, teachers work hard to vary activities in order to cater for as many learning styles as is possible. As a result, all groups achieve equally well. Currently, teachers are being innovative in trying to enhance boys’ writing skills.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, included:

 improving boys’ writing skills across the school.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, included:

I hope these observations are useful as you continue to develop English in the school.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, included:

As I explained in my previous letter, a copy of this letter will be sent to your local authority. All feedback letters will be published on the Ofsted website at the end of each half-term and made available to the team for the next institutional inspection.

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