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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Mrs L O’Reilly Headteacher Bempton Primary School School Lane Bempton East Riding of Yorkshire YO15 1JA

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Ofsted survey inspection programme – Design and Technology

Thank you for your hospitality and co-operation, and that of your staff, during my visit on 30 June 2008 to look at work in Design and Technology (D&T).

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Ofsted survey inspection programme – Design and Technology

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. All feedback letters will be published on the Ofsted website at the end of each half-term.

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Ofsted survey inspection programme – Design and Technology

The evidence used to inform the judgements made included: interviews with staff and learners, scrutiny of relevant documentation, analysis of pupils’ work and observation of lessons.

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Ofsted survey inspection programme – Design and Technology

The overall effectiveness of D&T was judged to be satisfactory.

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Achievement and standards

Achievement is good and standards in D&T are satisfactory.

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Achievement and standards

 Standards at the end of both key stages are in line with national expectation and pupils make satisfactory progress from their starting points on entry to the school.  Pupils in Key Stage 1 are developing knowledge and understanding of materials. Some are beginning to recognise fine differences between paper and card and use this to make decisions when selecting materials. Most pupils remember and follow instructions well and use their drawings and plans to guide their modelling. At Key Stage 2 pupils enjoy the challenge of making and they learn how to make circuits and test the things they make. Pupils discuss and share their creative ideas really well and they are keen to solve problems. However a lack of understanding about mechanisms and structures and associated technical skills holds them back from realising some of their ideas. Pupils follow instructions well but are not challenged enough to apply their creative ideas.

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Achievement and standards

 Pupils’ personal development is good. They know about health and safety and work together very well discussing ideas in pairs and sharing resources. Pupils say they enjoy D&T, they learn to persevere and they respond to activities with enthusiasm.

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Quality of teaching and learning

The quality of teaching and learning in D&T is satisfactory.

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Quality of teaching and learning

 Teachers are skilled in matching activities to meet the interests of pupils and motivation and enjoyment is high. Pupils learn satisfactorily in lessons. Class teachers’ questioning is good in enabling pupils to make links with learning in other subjects for example: Year 1 pupils close observation of mini-beasts in science supports their detailed sketching and model making in D&T. Year 4 pupils apply numeracy skills well, for example to measure quantities of ingredients when cooking. Pupils also remember and accurately demonstrate the safe way they have been taught to wash their hands.  A lack of equipment for example, insufficient mixing bowls in cooking and aprons in both food and other lessons, undermines efforts to promote health and safety and slows learning for some pupils.  Teachers organise collaborative learning well to carefully pair and group pupils to provide help and support during practical work. This

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Quality of teaching and learning

worked effectively for example in Year 1 where pupils skilfully drew and decorated their models in pairs taking turns to help each other complete their mini beasts. However opportunities to extend and push learning on, particularly for able pupils are insufficiently developed.  The school is beginning to check pupils’ progress to identify where they have difficulties and are underachieving. Assessments of pupils D&T capability has recently begun. This helps Year 2 pupils to recognise what they have achieved but is under-developed in setting clear targets to guide their next steps in improving their learning.

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Quality of the curriculum

The quality of the curriculum is satisfactory.

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Quality of the curriculum

 The curriculum meets requirements. It is broad and based upon national schemes of work produced by the Qualification and Curriculum Authority and is supplemented by cross curricular projects. These projects provide useful opportunities to develop pupils creativity, to raise pupils’ awareness of other cultures and to promote the environment. For example, some pupils have re-designed the playground, made a school garden and participated in local challenges. However the school are at early stages in planning a curriculum that incorporates such opportunities into a programme to systematically develop all pupils’ knowledge of key concepts in D&T.  The D&T after-school club is popular with pupils and provides a useful opportunity to enrich the curriculum. Pupils enjoy the option it provides to make moving buggy’s, to work with circuits and textiles.  Despite a lack of resources and accommodation for cooking pupils

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Quality of the curriculum

enthusiastically enjoy making and food tasting opportunities.

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Leadership and management of D&T

Leadership and management of D&T are satisfactory.

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Leadership and management of D&T

 You value the contribution the subject makes to pupils personal development and opportunities to reinforce learning in other subjects. A lead teacher in the local authority has been appointed to provide specialist knowledge and support. In the long term the school’s management capacity to ensure D&T develops further is good.  A positive start has been made to monitor and evaluate standards in D&T. The school’s own evaluation of how well the subject is doing is accurate and recent scrutiny of pupils work has identified gaps in their learning. Actions to tackle this are beginning.

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Subject Issue: Progression from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 2

Pupils progression from Key Stage 1 to 2 is not firmly enough planned to develop their technical skills and understanding of structures and mechanisms.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, included:

 ensuring pupils have sufficient resources and access to cooking facilities  developing pupils’ knowledge, understanding and technical skills in using mechanisms and structures progressively throughout the school  extending tasks to further develop able pupils.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, included:

I hope these observations are useful as you continue to develop design and technology in the school.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, included:

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

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