Setting

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 08456 404040 F 020 7421 6855 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Mr M Dixon Headteacher Laygate School Laygate Road South Shields South Tyneside NE33 4JJ

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Ofsted subject survey: good practice in mathematics

Thank you for your hospitality and co-operation, and that of your staff, during my visit on 19 June 2008 to look at work in supporting good achievement for pupils in Key Stage 2.

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Ofsted subject survey: good practice in mathematics

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 without their consent.

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Ofsted subject survey: good practice in mathematics

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 two lessons.

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Features of good practice observed

 In 2007, pupils in Key Stage 2 made outstanding progress, some of the best in the country. Standards at the end of Key Stage 1 and 2 are below average but demonstrate excellent achievement for children who enter the school with skills and abilities which are well below those expected for their age.  The school is highly inclusive with very good support and achievement for vulnerable pupils and for the large proportion of pupils who speak one of thirty six different languages as their home language.  Pupils identified as part of the ‘Making Good Progress’ support made better progress than others in their year group, with some making exceptional progress.  There is some outstanding teaching which supports excellent learning.  Highly effective relationships between staff and pupils are based upon mutual trust and respect.  Some skilful management of pupils ensures they are engaged in lessons. This

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Features of good practice observed

includes very good use of teaching assistants and other additional adults to support targeted pupils.  Assessment is highly effective. Teachers monitor the work of pupils in class and teaching assistants record significant contributions by pupils during whole-class question and answer sessions.  The good curriculum uses the revised framework well. There are helpful links to appropriate resources to use on the electronic whiteboards which are used effectively by staff. Lessons are not over-reliant upon published schemes but build upon pupils’ work to make sure they are challenged at the appropriate level.  Good use is made of speaking and listening targets within mathematics lessons to improve oracy and mental calculation as well as improving reading and writing.  Your strong drive and support for staff, along with that of the deputy headteacher, who is also the subject coordinator, means that staff are constantly

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Features of good practice observed

refining their work within mathematics. The school has a coherent approach to improving the quality of teaching and raising standards.  You support parents well to help them support their children. This is why many parents see the school as being at the centre of the local community.  The school values teaching assistants and many of them have completed appropriate courses to improve their expertise.

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Areas for development

 Continue to raise standards in mathematics building upon the experiences from the ‘Making Good Progress’ work this year.  Ensure greater coherence between the times mathematics is applied within subjects across the curriculum so that pupils are able to use and reinforce their skills in these subjects soon after they have been taught them within mathematics lessons.

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Areas for development

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

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Areas for development

As I explained previously, a copy of this letter will be sent to your local authority and will be published on Ofsted’s website. It will also be available to the team for your next institutional inspection.

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