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INSPECTION REPORT ST MARY CRAY PRIMARY SCHOOL St Mary Cray, Orpington LEA area: Bromley Unique reference number: 101622 Headteacher: John Masson Reporting inspector: David Tytler 8990 Dates of inspection: 16 th – 19 th June 2003 Inspection number: 246139 Full inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996
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INSPECTION REPORT ST MARY CRAY PRIMARY … · INSPECTION REPORT ST MARY CRAY PRIMARY SCHOOL St Mary Cray, Orpington LEA area: Bromley Unique reference number: 101622 Headteacher:

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Page 1: INSPECTION REPORT ST MARY CRAY PRIMARY … · INSPECTION REPORT ST MARY CRAY PRIMARY SCHOOL St Mary Cray, Orpington LEA area: Bromley Unique reference number: 101622 Headteacher:

INSPECTION REPORT

ST MARY CRAY PRIMARY SCHOOL

St Mary Cray, Orpington

LEA area: Bromley

Unique reference number: 101622

Headteacher: John Masson

Reporting inspector: David Tytler8990

Dates of inspection: 16th – 19th June 2003

Inspection number: 246139

Full inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996

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© Crown copyright 2003

This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, providedthat all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and

date thereof are stated.

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, theschool 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.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Infant and Junior

School category: Community

Age range of pupils: 4 - 11

Gender of pupils: Mixed

School address: High StreetSt Mary CrayOrpington

Postcode: BR5 4AR

Telephone number: 01689 826081

Fax number: 01689 826081

Appropriate authority: The Governing Body

Name of chair of governors: Dennis Robins

Date of previous inspection: February 1998

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Team membersSubject

responsibilitiesAspect

responsibilities

8990 David Tytler Registered inspector What sort of school isit? How high arestandards? Whatshould the school doto improve further?How well are pupilstaught? How well isthe school led andmanaged?

9883 Brian Silvester Lay inspector Pupils’ attitudes andpersonal development.How well does theschool care for itspupils? How well doesthe school work inpartnership withparents?

24891 Jackie Johnson Team inspector Mathematics, artand design,geography,music andphysicaleducation

How good are thelearning opportunitiesoffered to pupils?

23009 Anne Hogbin Team inspector FoundationStage, specialeducationalneeds, science,information andcommunicationtechnology anddesigntechnology

32404 Alexa Kowalski Team inspector Educationalinclusion,English as anadditionallanguage,English, historyand religiouseducation

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The inspection contractor was:

Serco QAA

Herringston BarnHerringstonDorchesterDorsetDT2 9PU

Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be raised with the inspectioncontractor. Complaints that are not satisfactorily resolved by the contractor should be raised withOFSTED by writing to:

The Complaints ManagerInspection Quality DivisionThe Office for Standards in EducationAlexandra House33 KingswayLondon WC2B 6SE

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REPORT CONTENTS

Page

PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 7

Information about the schoolHow good the school isWhat the school does wellWhat could be improvedHow the school has improved since its last inspectionStandardsPupils’ attitudes and valuesTeaching and learningOther aspects of the schoolHow well the school is led and managedParents’ and carers’ views of the school

PART B: COMMENTARY

HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 12

The school’s results and pupils’ achievementsPupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT? 14

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHEROPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS? 16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS? 19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK INPARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS 20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED? 21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER? 23

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS 24

PART D: THE STANDARDS AND QUALITY OF TEACHING INAREAS OF THE CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES 29

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

St Mary Cray Community Primary School, with 219 pupils on roll, is slightly smaller than most primaryschools. Most of its pupils come from families living in housing association homes and movement in andout of the area results in a significant number of pupils starting and leaving the school other than at theusual time. The percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is high, and well abovethe national average. The percentage having special educational needs, mostly moderate learningdifficulties, is also well above average. Sixteen percent of pupils come from a wide range of ethnicminority backgrounds. Very few pupils speak English as an additional language although two are at anearly stage of learning English. A small number of pupils come from housed travellers’ families. Overall,attainment on entry into the school is below average. Pupils in the current Years 1 to 6 entered theschool with well below average speaking and listening skills. The attainment on entry of this year’sintake into the reception class is average, although their language skills are below average.

HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

St Mary Cray Primary School provides a sound education for its pupils. The satisfactory teachingenables pupils to achieve satisfactorily. Although standards in English, mathematics and scienceremain below average by the time pupils leave school, there has been a rising trend in standards overthe last five years, despite the high proportion of pupils entering and leaving the school and a well aboveaverage proportion of pupils with special educational needs. Pupils’ personal development is good andthe school’s leadership and management is sound. When account is taken of these factors, the schoolprovides satisfactory value for money.

What the school does well

• Children in the reception class achieve well due to the good teaching and make a good start to theirtime in school.

• The good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development and teachers’ goodmanagement of pupils ensure they have positive attitudes and generally behave well.

• The school provides a good level of care for its pupils to ensure that they can take advantage of thelearning opportunities available to them.

• Parents value the work of the school and are becoming increasingly involved in supporting theirchildren’s education.

• Close and productive links with the community are used well to widen the experience of pupils.

What could be improved

• Whilst achievement is satisfactory or better in most subjects by the time pupils leave the school, itis unsatisfactory in ICT, design and technology, geography and religious education.

• Marking and the use of assessment information are not consistently good enough to set clear goalsfor improvement for individuals and groups of pupils and to ensure that work is planned to met theneeds of pupils of differing levels of attainment; as a result, potentially higher attaining pupilssometimes do not make enough progress.

• Though teaching is satisfactory overall, the quality is inconsistent and unsatisfactory teaching isnot always picked up by co-ordinators or senior managers.

• Attendance and the procedures for monitoring and promoting it.

The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in February 1998 and has made satisfactory if sometimes slowimprovement since then. It has successfully addressed the key issues concerning increased parental

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involvement in the school and their children’s learning, and in ensuring that overall there is a consistentapproach to behaviour management. The school improvement plan is now more clearly focused and is auseful working tool. The school is not yet using assessment information to plan for the needs ofindividual pupils and groups of pupils, including those with higher attainment. Results in the NationalCurriculum tests for Year 2 and Year 6 have risen since 1998, but apart from mathematics in Year 2 in2002, where results were above average, they remain below the national average in English,mathematics and science. The quality of teaching has been maintained as satisfactory overall withsome good and very good teaching observed.

STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by pupils at the end of Year 6 based on average point scores inNational Curriculum tests.

compared with

Performance in: All schools similarschools

Key

2000 2001 2002 2002

English D C E B well above averageabove average

AB

Mathematics D E E D averagebelow average

CD

Science D E D B well below average E

Challenging targets were set for the percentage of pupils to achieve the expected Level 4 in English andmathematics in 2002 but the school did not meet them. Standards in Year 6 are adversely affected bythe large number of pupils having special educational needs, coupled with the significant number whoenter and leave the school other than at the normal times. Taken together, these factors have limited thenumber of pupils reaching the higher levels. Indications are that many pupils who have been in theschool throughout their education achieve well.

The school has an action plan for mathematics and provided extra classes in all three subjects beforethis year’s Year 6 tests; these are already having a positive impact on standards. Whilst standardsremain below average in all three subjects, there has been an improvement in English and mathematics.In comparison with similar schools, pupils do well in English and science. The provisional results for thisyear’s tests indicate that the school came close to meeting its lower but still challenging target inEnglish and exceeded it in mathematics. There was a substantial increase in the percentage of pupilsgaining the higher Level 5 in English and considerably better results in mathematics although theproportion gaining Level 5 remained broadly the same. The science results are similar to last year’s,although there has been an increase in the percentage gaining Level 5.

In the National Curriculum tests for Year 2 pupils, results in 2002 were below average in reading, wellbelow average in writing and above average in mathematics. When compared with similar schools theirperformance was well above average in reading and mathematics and below average in writing. Teacherassessments in science show that all the pupils in Year 2 in 2002 reached the expected Level 2, withnone either above or below. The work pupils were doing during the inspection shows similar standards tothe 2002 test results in reading, mathematics and science, but standards in writing have improved andare now below average. There has been a consistent improvement over time in National Curriculum testresults in Year 2 but they remain below average in reading and writing.

Standards in information and communication technology, geography, design and technology andphysical education are average in Years 1and 2 but are below average in Years 3 to 6. Standards in artand design, history and music are average throughout the school. Standards in religious education meetthe expectations of the locally agreed syllabus in Year 2 but not in Year 6.

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By the time they enter Year 1, children in the current reception class are likely to meet all the earlylearning goals but a minority will still have significant weaknesses in literacy and communication skills.Pupils in Years 1 to 6 make sound progress in their learning and their achievement is satisfactory.

PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Good. Pupils are enthusiastic learners and most try hard to do well.

Behaviour, in and out ofclassrooms

Good. Most children behave well most of the time. In a minority of casessome boys, mostly in Years 1 and 2, become restless and interrupt thelearning of others, usually because the teacher fails to engage them.Behaviour in assemblies, breaks, lunchtimes and around the school isgenerally good.

Personal development andrelationships

Good. Pupils have a growing number of responsibilities as they movethrough the school. The good relationships that exist throughout theschool make an important contribution to their personal development.More opportunities should be provided for pupils to take the initiative inlessons.

Attendance Poor: well below the national average, although it has risen slightly thisyear.

TEACHING AND LEARNING

Teaching of pupils in: Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

Quality of teaching Good Unsatisfactory Satisfactory

Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory;unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that the teaching is adequate and strengthsoutweigh weaknesses. The good and sometimes very good teaching in the reception class enables children to make goodprogress in their learning and achieve well. The proportion of unsatisfactory teaching seen in Years 1 to2 was high and in these lessons pupils made slow progress. Their achievement over time, however, issatisfactory. The sound teaching in Years 3 to 6 leads to all pupils achieving satisfactorily. Very fewexamples of good teaching were seen in most year groups and a small number of very good andunsatisfactory lessons were observed. The teaching of English and literacy is sound overall and pupilsmake satisfactory use of their literacy skills in other lessons. The teaching of mathematics andnumeracy is satisfactory overall and pupils make sound use of their numeracy skills in other subjects.Teaching in information and communication technology is unsatisfactory and pupils do not achieve wellenough. Teaching throughout the school is good in music, and in Years 3 to 6 in physical education.

The good and better lessons were underpinned by teachers’ good knowledge and understanding of thesubject and characterised by a brisk pace, a good range of activities that engaged and held the interestof pupils and work that built on what pupils already knew and could do. As a result, they made good andoften very good gains in their learning. The majority of lessons were judged to be satisfactory. Here, thepace of work slows, leading to a lack of concentration and slower progress. In the unsatisfactorylessons, the work did not match pupils’ prior attainment and on occasions the teacher’s behaviourmanagement skills were not always secure. As a result, pupils became restless and disinterested,making very little progress in their learning. The school does not make enough use of information onwhat pupils know and can do to plan for the needs of individuals or specific groups.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Aspect Comment

The quality and range of thecurriculum

Satisfactory overall: good in the reception class and in mathematics. TheICT curriculum does not meet statutory requirements. Pupils’ experienceis widened through a good range of extra-curricular activities andproductive links with the community.

Provision for pupils withspecial educational needs

Satisfactory. Pupils make sound progress in line with their individuallearning plans but would make better progress if class teachers tookmore account of pupils’ targets when planning lessons in all subjects ofthe curriculum.

Provision for pupils withEnglish as an additionallanguage

Satisfactory. The small number of pupils who speak English as anadditional language make satisfactory progress and the school seeksadvice on how best to meet their needs and acts upon it.

Provision for pupils’personal, including spiritual,moral, social and culturaldevelopment

Good overall. Their spiritual, moral and social development is good andsupports their good behaviour and attitudes. Pupils’ cultural developmentis satisfactory, but more could be done to prepare children for life in ourmodern multi-cultural society.

How well the school caresfor its pupils

The pastoral care of pupils is good. Arrangements for gatheringinformation on what pupils know and can do are satisfactory but theinformation gained is not used to plan sufficiently for individual needs orspecific groups.

The school is well regarded by parents and it has built an effective partnership with them. A growingnumber of parents, who receive training from the school, are helping in classes but it is still only aminority who give their children consistent help at home.

HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Aspect Comment

Leadership and managementby the headteacher and otherkey staff

Satisfactory. The long-serving headteacher is well regarded by thewhole school community. He provides good pastoral managementand is committed to raising standards. The role of the co-ordinatorsis, however, underdeveloped and they do not all have a clear idea ofteaching and learning in their subjects, which has an adverse impacton he standards achieved.

How well the governors fulfiltheir responsibilities

Satisfactory. All governors are wholly committed to the school andtake a particular interest in ensuring that the school budget is spentin order to meet their priorities. Key governors are playing a morepositive role in planning for the future of the school.

The school’s evaluation of itsperformance

Unsatisfactory. There is no consistent or rigorous monitoring orevaluation of teaching and learning in the classroom. The schoolimprovement plan is a useful working tool, is reviewed regularly and isadjusted accordingly.

The strategic use of resources Satisfactory. The school makes sound use of all the resourcesavailable to it and is beginning to apply the principles of best value inall aspects of its work.

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The school has sufficient teachers, support staff and resources to teach the National Curriculum.Resources in ICT and the school library, however, are unsatisfactory. The accommodation issatisfactory.PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Their children like school.

• Behaviour is good.

• The school expects their children to work hardand do well.

• Their children are being helped to becomemature and responsible.

• They feel comfortable in approaching theschool and say there is a good partnershipwith parents.

• The school is well led and managed.

• There were no significant concerns.

Only a small minority of parents responded to the questionnaires sent home before the inspection.Inspectors agree with the positive views of these parents, apart from those on the leadership andmanagement of the school, which were found to be satisfactory.

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PART B: COMMENTARY

HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS?

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. Attainment on entry to the school overall is below average, although this year’s intake into thereception class is broadly average. Many children, however, currently enter the reception classwith below average standards in communication, language and literacy. The good teaching in thereception class, coupled with the good use of assessment information, enables children to achievewell. By the time they enter Year 1 most of the current reception class are likely to have met theEarly Learning Goals.

2. Pupils’ results in the National Curriculum tests taken at the end of Year 2 in 2002 were belowaverage in reading, well below average in writing and above average in mathematics. In comparisonwith similar schools the performance of the pupils was well above average in reading andmathematics and below average in writing. Teacher assessments in science show that all thepupils in Year 2 reached the expected Level 2, with none below or above.

3. The percentage of pupils gaining the higher Level 3 in reading and writing was well below average.In mathematics, the percentage gaining the higher Level 3 matched the average. One of thereasons may be that better use is made of assessment information to plan for the needs of allpupils in mathematics than it is in other subjects. Assessment procedures are insufficientlyrigorous and the information obtained is under-used. As a result, teachers often plan work that isunsuited to the needs of the higher attaining pupils.

4. Pupils in the current Year 2 have similar standards in all three subjects. Whilst there has beenrapid improvement in reading and good improvement in writing over time, standards remain belowaverage. The significant improvement in mathematics between 1998 and 2002 raised attainment toabove average. Standards in the current Year 2 are now average but this again is a considerableimprovement since 1998.

5. Results in the National Curriculum tests taken by pupils at the end of Year 6 in 2002 were wellbelow average in English and mathematics and below average in science. In comparison withsimilar schools, results were above average in English and science but below average inmathematics. The percentage gaining the higher Level 5 was far below the national average inEnglish and mathematics and below average in science. Provisional results for the tests taken thisyear show a significant increase in the percentage of pupils gaining Level 5 in English andconsiderable improvement in mathematics although the proportion gaining Level 5 is likely to bebroadly the same. Results in science match those achieved last year but show an increase theproportion obtaining Level 5. The improvement in mathematics follows a review of last year’s testresults, which resulted in a mathematics’ action plan drawn up in consultation with the localeducation authority. This has already had a positive impact on standards.

6. Following the school’s failure to meet its challenging and perhaps unrealistic targets for thepercentage of pupils to achieve the expected Level 4 in English and mathematics in 2002, theschool set lower but challenging targets for 2003 based on pupils’ prior attainment. Evidencegathered during the inspection, together with the provisional results, shows that the school is likelyto meet the targets for 2003. Standards in the current Year 6 are below average in all threesubjects. This indicates an improvement in English and mathematics since 2002 when standardswere well below average. There has over time been a steady improvement in English and rapidimprovement in science. Whilst results in mathematics have fluctuated since 1998, there has beenan underlying improvement.

7. The satisfactory teaching throughout the school enables pupils to make sound progress as theymove through the school and to achieve satisfactorily.

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8. A number of significant factors explain the lower attainment. A high number of pupils have specialeducational needs and a significant number of pupils join and leave the school other than at theusual times. The school’s own analysis of National Curriculum test results in Year 6 show thatpupils who have been in the school for the whole of their primary education perform better thanthose who have joined the school after the reception class.

9. Another important factor, however, is that teachers do not use assessment informationconsistently to ensure that work is set that matches the needs of all pupils, particularly the higherattaining pupils, who do not achieve as well as they might.

10. Pupils make satisfactory use of their literacy and numeracy skills in other subjects, althoughteachers should incorporate more opportunities in their lesson planning. Standards in ICT areaverage in Years 1 and 2 but below average in Years 3 to 6, largely due to the teachers’ lack ofconfidence in teaching the subject and because resources are not always suitable for the pupils’prior attainment. Teachers’ lack of confidence, despite some training, is also one of the principalreasons that pupils do not make satisfactory use of their ICT skills in other subjects. Theseshortcomings have been recognised by the school, which has drawn up a detailed action plan forimprovement that includes a greater involvement of the enthusiastic and skilled co-ordinator intraining her colleagues.

11. Standards in geography and design technology match the national average in Years 1 and 2 butare below average in Years 3 to 6. Standards in art and design, history, music and physicaleducation are average throughout the school. Standards in religious education meet theexpectations of the locally agreed syllabus in Year 2 but are below expectations in Year 6. Anunderlying reason for the lower standards since the last inspection in design and technology,geography, ICT and religious education is probably the reduced time given to some subjects asthe school decided to provide extra teaching time in Year 6 in English, mathematics and sciencein the run-up to his year’s National Curriculum tests. In addition, attainment in these subjects isalso affected by the inconsistent use of assessment information to plan lessons that meet theneeds of all pupils. The lack of monitoring of teaching and learning by co-ordinators has alsoimpaired their ability to support colleagues in raising standards.

12. The achievement of pupils with special education needs is satisfactory overall. Those with thegreatest need make good progress because they are supported well by special needs assistantsand their teachers. However, those with a lower identified level of need do not make such goodprogress because, whilst teaching is usually matched to their needs in English and mathematics,it is not in other subjects. This was also identified in the previous inspection.

13. A scrutiny of pupils’ previous work, together with classroom observations, shows that pupils whospeak English as an additional language are well supported and make at least satisfactoryprogress and achieve in line with their peers. New arrivals are quickly assessed with advice soughtfrom the local education authority (LEA) and a programme put in place to meet their needs. Thelocal authority also provides very good support for children coming from a traveller’s background.The pupils are assessed and close liaison between the LEA, the special needs co-ordinator andclass teachers ensures that a suitable programme is provided. As a result, these pupils also makesatisfactory progress and achieve in line with their peers. Not all families, however, take advantageof the extra support offered.

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. Pupils are keen to attend school and play a full part in its life, including the good range of extra-curricular activities. They have good attitudes to their work and pupils respond well and quickly totheir teachers’ instructions, an improvement since the last inspection. They enjoy being involved intheir own learning. Pupils answer questions enthusiastically and older pupils are confident to ask ifthey are unsure about what they should do. Parents confirm that their children enjoy school andare keen to learn. The few lessons where pupils did not concentrate were usually linked toshortcomings in the teaching, which failed to engage and hold their interest.

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15. Behaviour in classes, assemblies, at breaks and lunchtimes and around the school is good, animprovement since the last inspection. Pupils’ good behaviour has a positive impact on theirlearning. Parents are happy with the standard of behaviour achieved in the school and outsidersfrequently praise pupils’ behaviour when they are on visits. Pupils are polite and thoughtful andolder pupils are willing to help younger children. The good moral and social development providedby the school has a clear and positive impact on the good standards of behaviour. Occasionally,the unsatisfactory behaviour of a minority disrupts the learning of others, usually because of gapsin the behaviour management skills of teachers. The introduction of a school-wide behaviour policyhas led to a significant fall in exclusions since the last inspection.

16. Relationships between pupils and between pupils and adults are good. Pupils work and playtogether well and are willing to share and take turns. Pupils have a mutual respect for one another.The small number of ethnic minority pupils are integrated well into the life of the school and thereare very few incidents of a racist nature.

17. The personal development of the pupils is good, which represents an improvement since the lastinspection. They respond well to the opportunities given to them to take responsibility and showinitiative. More opportunities, particularly to work together in classes, have yet to be provided forpupils to take more responsibility for their own learning. Pupils have duties in their class and thereis the ‘Star of the Week’ certificate for a pupil in every class. Each class identifies two class rulesin addition to the school’s rules. During the annual Focus Week at the start of the school year,pupils help devise rules that would make it easier for the adults in the school to fulfil their roles.Year 6 pupils are trained to act as monitors and wear sashes in the playground to make themclearly identifiable to younger pupils, who can turn to them for help and support. Pupils have dutiesaround school, including ringing the bell at the start of sessions, photocopying and providingrefreshments for after-school activities. Year 6 pupils participated in a citizenship programmeorganised by the local police and pupils throughout the school show initiative by raising money forcharities.

18. Pupils in the reception class have good attitudes to school and most behave well. The ‘WelcomeAssembly’ for new children and their parents, and the welcome gift of a book from the governors,are highly appreciated and promotes very good initial relationships and attitudes to school.Teachers have a good range of methods to promote good behaviour such as clear class rules,rewarding good behaviour regularly and putting taped crosses on the carpet area to identify wherethose pupils who find it difficult to stay still during whole class sessions should sit. The majority ofchildren are on course to meet the early learning goal related to this area by the time they leavethe reception class.

19. The level of attendance is poor, well below the national average for primary schools, with highlevels of unauthorised absence. Whilst the school has been successful in a slightly improvedattendance rate in the last 12 months, it remains low and has a negative impact on attainment andachievement. There is no evidence of truancy and most pupils arrive at school on time.

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

20. The quality of teaching in the reception class is good. It is unsatisfactory in Years 1 to 2 butsatisfactory in Years 3 to 6, as it was at the last inspection. The good teaching in reception by thetwo part-time teachers enables pupils to make good progress in their lessons. Particular strengthsare the very effective teaching methods and the management of the children’s behaviour. Teachersbase their teaching on giving children first-hand experiences and use the many adult helpers togood advantage. The very good relationships with parents ensure that they are fully involved in theirchildren’s learning at home and at school. Teachers and classroom assistants constantly monitorwhat children know and can do in order to plan future teaching. The two relatively weaker areas inreception teaching are the limited outdoor facilities and resources, which limit the number offocused opportunities for creative play, and the lack of challenge for the few higher attaining pupils.The teaching and learning of reception children who speak English as an additional language orwho have special educational needs is very good because teachers are clearly focused onchildren’s needs and adapt their methods and teaching to enable children with special educational

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needs to make very good progress. Children who speak English as an additional language makegood progress.

21. The teaching of literacy and numeracy skills is sound throughout Years 1 to 6 and pupils use themsatisfactorily in other subjects. Teaching and learning in information and communicationtechnology, however, are unsatisfactory and little evidence was seen of ICT being used to supportlearning in other subjects, an area that has been identified as a priority for improvement by theschool. Teaching in physical education is good in Years 3 to 6 and music teaching is goodthroughout the school and pupils learn well. Timetabling arrangements meant that it was notpossible to make overall judgements in design and technology, art and design, religious educationand geography in Years 1 and 2. Teaching was satisfactory in other subjects. Teachers makesound use of homework to build on work in the classroom.

22. In lessons otherwise judged to be satisfactory, the pace was sometimes slow, often because toomuch time was spent in settling pupils at the start of each lesson, and pupils could not maintaintheir interest or concentration. In others, the work was not matched to pupils’ attainment so that itwas too hard for some and too easy for others. As a result, pupils, particularly the lower andhigher attaining pupils, did not learn as well as they could have done.

23. The unsatisfactory lessons were in Years 1, 2, 3 and 5 in English, ICT, science, geography andmathematics. The proportion was higher in Years 1 to 2 than it was in Years 3 to 6. Unsatisfactorylessons were generally characterised by shortcomings in the management of behaviour, ratherthan teachers consistently implementing the school’s approach to maintaining good levels ofbehaviour. Other factors were the lack of involvement of pupils in their learning, unclear instructionsand demonstrations, low expectations of what pupils could achieve, gaps in teachers’ knowledgeand understanding of the subject and work that did not build on pupils’ prior attainment. As aresult, pupils in these lessons made very little progress.

24. In Years 1 and 2 most aspects of teaching are at least satisfactory overall. The management ofpupils’ behaviour is generally good, but the use of marking and regular questioning during lessonsto check on pupils’ understanding of what has been taught and to ensure that they have achievedas well as they might is unsatisfactory. The final review session is often too brief and frequentlycentres on what has been covered rather than what has been learnt.

25. Good lessons were seen in mathematics, English and music, which enabled pupils of all abilitiesto make good progress. In a good Year 2 lesson focusing on the concept of more than/less than, agood range of activities engaged and held the pupils’ interest. The teacher ensured the involvementof all pupils by tailoring her questions to the pupils’ prior attainment. As a result all pupils felt partof the lesson and made good gains in their learning.

26. In a good Year 1 music lesson, pupils responded well to the teacher’s good subject knowledge,which resulted in clear explanations and demonstrations so that four pupils were able toaccompany the class singing of “One, two, buckle my shoe” on untuned percussion instruments.In this successful lesson, pupils enjoyed their learning and made good progress.

27. In Years 3 to 6, all aspects of teaching are at least satisfactory overall. In most cases teachersmanage the behaviour of pupils well, ensuring that their concentration is sustained so that theycomplete work and learn at least satisfactorily. Some good and very good lessons were seen in arange of subjects, which enabled pupils to make good or very good progress.

28. In a very good Year 6 history lesson by two teachers, pupils made very good progress throughlearning a good mix of historical facts and using drama and their literacy skills to reinforce theoutrage felt by churchmen about Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. Pupils responded well tothe teachers’ high expectations of what they could achieve. The lesson was well managed andorganised so that all pupils could do well.

29. In a very good Year 4 religious education lesson on the Islamic way of life and its similarities withChristianity the teacher’s brisk challenging pace engaged pupils’ interest and held it. They were all

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genuinely interested and were fully involved in their own learning. The very good relationships inthis class allowed the teacher to use her own experiences to start a good discussion in whichpupils felt able to discuss their own feelings. In a good Year 6 science lesson the teacher madeparticularly good use of questions to encourage pupils to think for themselves and to check andreinforce their learning, and as a result pupils made good progress.

30. The teaching and learning of pupils with special educational needs is satisfactory. Class teacherswork closely with special needs assistants and the special needs co-ordinator to supporteffectively those with the greatest need and those with a Statement of Special Educational Needs.In Years 1 to 6, teachers make good quality individual programmes of work and targets for theirspecial needs pupils but are not yet using them well enough to plan the most appropriate teachingacross all curriculum areas, especially in Years 3 to 6. This was also identified in the previousinspection. Teachers have insufficient knowledge of different learning styles to help these pupils aswell as they might with little use, for example, made of ICT.

31. The school has a small number of pupils who speak English as an additional language, two ofthem at an early stage of learning the language. Working closely with the local educationauthority’s specialist support teacher, their needs are quickly identified and a suitable programmedevised in conjunction with class teachers. As a result they receive good support and achievesatisfactorily. There are also a few pupils from a traveller’s background. They too benefit fromspecialist help from the LEA and achieve satisfactorily.

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

32. The quality and range of the curriculum continues to be satisfactory overall and its quality andrange contribute to the sound achievement of the pupils. The curriculum does not, however, fullymeet the requirements of the National Curriculum as the school does not have the appropriateequipment to teach the control element in information and communication technology. The areasfor improvement identified in the last inspection report have been dealt with satisfactorily. Theneeds of pupils in the mixed-age classes have been addressed through a rolling programme andall subjects have appropriate schemes of work, which has helped pupils to build on theirknowledge and understanding as they move through the school.

33. The literacy and numeracy strategies are satisfactorily established, although the time allocated toteaching literacy is higher than in most schools. The school allocated a further three hours a weekto the core subjects of English, mathematics and science before the national tests for pupils inYear 6. As a result, the time available for some other subjects, such as geography and designtechnology, has been reduced and there has been some lowering of attainment.

34. The school is not always successful in ensuring that work is appropriately matched to meet theneeds of all pupils, particularly the potentially higher attainers. In literacy, mathematics andscience, for example, tasks set are often not suitable for the range of pupils in the class and thelearning of groups of pupils within it is consequently diminished. The school does, however, workhard in other ways to ensure that all pupils reach their potential in these subjects. Before thenational tests, for example, pupils were put into ability sets for mathematics and science. Lowerattaining pupils in mathematics in Years 3 and 4 are withdrawn from lessons each week andreceived focused teaching from a specialist mathematics teacher. These initiatives have had apositive effect on the learning, not only of these pupils but also of others in the class who receivemore one-to-one time from the class teacher.

35. Literacy and numeracy skills are used satisfactorily in other curriculum areas. In geography, forexample, pupils write about life in St Mary Cray and life in Chembakolli, an Indian village, andinterpret graphs of temperatures and rainfall related to Egypt. The school does not yet plan for, oruse, all the opportunities it could to improve pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills in all subjects.Information technology is not used to support learning in other subjects.

36. The provision for personal, social and health education (PSHE) is satisfactory. It is taught indiscrete lessons, religious education, circle time, assemblies and science and contributes

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appropriately to the good personal development of the pupils. In a Year 6 lesson, for example,pupils were able to discuss their transfer to secondary school in a calm and open manner, puttingtheir concerns into words. All pupils benefit from weekly circle time but a formal scheme of workthat identifies which aspects are covered in which curriculum area is not yet in place. Diet andhealth are addressed appropriately and issues related to sex education and substance abuse aredealt with in line with the governors' policy.

37. There is a good curriculum in the reception class, which is firmly based on learning through first-hand experiences. St Mary Cray Children’s Project has made a good impact by widening therange of purposeful play experiences. The lack of a secure and shaded outside area and lack ofresources such as climbing equipment and wheeled vehicles, however, prevent teachers fromplanning a curriculum beyond the classroom throughout the year. Good use is made of the localenvironment for monthly walks and of visitors to the classroom. Curricular planning is very good asa result of the wealth of adult help available, which enables a wide range of group activities to bearranged throughout the day. The interesting curriculum motivates the children and promotes goodattitudes to learning.

38. The curriculum is adapted satisfactorily for pupils with special educational needs, following theguidance of outside specialists where appropriate, to ensure equality of access and to meet therequirements of the new Code of Practice. The co-ordinator has identified two areas where thecurriculum needs strengthening: the use of ICT and to ensure that curricular planning providesgood support for pupils with special educational needs in all subjects, as identified in the previousinspection. The school is given guidance from the local education authority on how to provide asuitable curriculum for the small number of pupils who speak English as an additional language.

39. The range of extra-curricular activities is good and provides opportunities for all pupils. It includesregular clubs for art, choir, grassroots football, netball and multi-sports. A variety of regular visits toplaces of interest, including a week in an outdoor centre for Year 6 pupils, also provide goodsupport for the formal curriculum and contribute well to pupils' personal development. Visitors whoare invited to share their enthusiasm and particular areas of expertise with the pupils includedrummers, a gospel choir and a sporting champion. The school has also appointed a play leader,who is helped by Year 6 pupils, to organise lunchtime activities, which are available to all pupils inturn. This arrangement provides a good focus for pupils and is one that they clearly enjoy.

40. The school’s links with the local community overall are good and make an important contributionto the learning opportunities available. Representatives from business have supported a number ofinitiatives in the school, which have had a marked effect on pupils' learning. This support rangesfrom welcoming pupils into the work place to donations of various kinds.

41. The school has good links with other schools in the area, which ensures the smooth transition ofpupils into and out of the school and provides opportunities for pupils to be involved in sporting andmathematical activities. The curriculum has also been enhanced through links with a localsecondary school, which enables teachers to study new methods and initiatives.

Personal development, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

42. The personal development of pupils continues to be good overall. The provision for pupils’ spiritual,social and moral development is good. Pupils’ cultural development is satisfactory overall, butmore could be done to prepare them for life in our modern multi-cultural society. The school verysuccessfully meets the requirement for a daily act of collective worship, which provide goodopportunities for pupils to reflect on their achievements and to consider their roles within theschool and the wider community. In one assembly, for example, after listening to VaughanWilliams’ “A lark ascending” pupils were encouraged to take pride in all that they did, andeverybody had something of which they could be proud. They learnt too that sometimes peopleneeded help to achieve their best when they saw the change in appearance in a sweet pea plantwhen it was given support. In another, taken by a local clergyman, pupils came face to face withthe wonder of flight as a paper plane flew into the hall.

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43. The school’s good provision for spiritual development encourages pupils to consider the needs ofothers when, for example, they play an active part in raising money for charities and have a say inhow the cash should be distributed. In religious education lessons in particular, pupils arebeginning to develop their own ideas and consider the beliefs and faiths of others. Year 6 pupilswere given a good understanding of what it was like to have been evacuated during World War IIwhen they dressed in the clothes of the day and only allowed to eat food that was available at thetime.

44. The very good relationships in a Year 4 lesson on the Islamic way of life enabled the teacher touse her own experiences to start a sensible and thoughtful discussion in which pupils felt able todiscuss their own feelings. Children in the reception class gain a good understanding about theChristian religion through Bible stories and visiting the church to take place in a mock Christeningand to learn the significance of different artefacts. Art and design lessons also make a goodcontribution to pupils’ spiritual development as they are encouraged to appreciate beauty in art andnature. Three Year 4 boys, for example, spent lunchtimes during the inspection sketching a tree inthe school grounds.

45. The school’s provision for moral and social development is good. Assemblies, circle time andlessons in personal and social education make a positive contribution to pupils’ moraldevelopment. All the assemblies seen during the inspection had a strong moral and social theme,stressing rights and responsibilities and celebrating achievement. Moral development is reinforcedby the good role models provided by all adults in the school and a strong, effective behaviour codeunderstood and respected by all. Pupils appreciate rewards and accept sanctions as fair. Tripsand visits, particularly the weeklong residential visit for Year 6, make an important contribution tothe pupils’ social development.

46. An important feature is the Focus Week at the start of the academic year when adults who holdparticular roles in the school, such as the head, teachers, governors, the caretaker and secretary,explain their duties and discuss with pupils how they can work together to ensure that they fulfilthose roles as effectively as possible. Generally good and positive relationships exist betweenpupils and between pupils and adults. As a result, pupils respond well in lessons and worksensibly together. In physical education, pupils work well together, describing positive features intheir own performance and those of others. In a Year 6 games lesson, for example, the pupilsworked purposefully in pairs developing racket and ball skills. Pupils’ enthusiastic participation inthe wide range of clubs and extra-curricular activities helps them to develop socially and grow inconfidence as they boys and girls work alongside pupils of different ages.

47. The school’s provision for cultural development is satisfactory. Music plays an important part in thedaily school assembly and in lessons pupils begin to appreciate music from a variety of periodsand cultures. Teachers in the reception class ensure that pupils have an understanding of lifebeyond Great Britain through teaching songs from China and reading stories from Africa. Year 6pupils visit live theatre and take part in a performance for parents at the end of the school year. Inart and design, pupils build a sound knowledge of the work of a range of Western artists andtechniques, such as batik on pieces of cloth. In Year 6, pupils worked hard in the planning andproduction of mosaic faces from painted pieces of eggshell. Whilst the school has had visits froma Gospel Choir, a group of African drummers and two Black British sports champions,opportunities are missed in pupils’ multi-cultural development and they are not fully prepared forliving in our modern diverse society.

48. The provision for the social, emotional and behavioural development of pupils with specialeducational needs has recently improved following advice from local authority specialists.Recommended behavioural management methods and ways of raising these pupils’ self-esteem,such as by introducing play therapy sessions, have been introduced. The school is piloting aspeech therapy and communications programme, which is effectively raising standards. Aseparate Year 5 and 6 class provides a secure and safe learning environment for pupils withspecial educational needs who lack confidence and are sometimes reluctant learners. The socialdevelopment of these pupils, however, is limited in the sense that they do not mix with others inlessons. The school plans to review this practice.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

49. The school continues to provide well for the pupils’ welfare, health and safety. The teachers knowtheir pupils well, recognise their needs and give them good support and guidance. Parents are veryhappy with the pastoral care from what they describe as a caring school. The school nurse anddoctor visit regularly and carry out medical and dental checks. The nurse gives talks to pupils andparents on matters of mutual concern. Pupils in the reception class and in Years 1 and 2 receive adaily piece of fruit. The lunchtime activity organiser arranges games and activities for all pupils atlunchtime, which has had a considerable impact on pupils’ behaviour. Arrangements for childprotection are satisfactory. The headteacher is the named person responsible and he and theteachers have received appropriate training. Training is planned for the non-teaching staff.

50. The school tries to ensure that the needs of all pupils are met. A few, for example, have regularplay therapy and pupils new to the school who speak English as an additional language arequickly assessed and their needs met. Specialist help is also available for children who come froma traveller background. A trained adult is available to pupils as “a listening ear” so that pupils cantalk about any concerns affecting them, including those relating to attendance.

51. Teachers and other adults in the reception class know the children well and there are very goodarrangements for gathering information on what they know and can do. As a result, lessonplanning is more detailed. The new Pupil Profile booklets for parents are excellent.

52. Satisfactory procedures are in place to track pupils’ progress and assess attainment in English,mathematics and science through national test results at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 andoptional tests in other years. Some work has been done on value-added data analysis and targetsetting. Targets are, for example, set for the end of each year for individual pupils based on theirattainment the previous year. These targets, however, are not used to determine what needs to bechanged in the classroom for them to be achieved and explained in words the pupils understand.Assessment information is not yet being used to plan for the needs of individuals and specificgroups, particularly the higher attaining pupils. The value added system used to assess progressis proving useful as it is enabling the assessment co-ordinator and special education needs co-ordinator to identify those pupils who have not made the expected progress and to investigate thereasons for this.

53. All pupils have an assessment folder with termly assessment sheets for English, maths, scienceand religious education, which provide information on levels of attainment with some evaluativecomments. These are not always sufficiently precise or clear to enable pupils to understand whatthey need to do to move their learning on. New tracking sheets for ICT are yet to be used.Assessments for other subjects are carried out at the end of each year but these do not give theteacher enough information on how to plan the next stages of learning, an area for developmentidentified in the last report.

54. The school does not have a marking policy and as a result the marking of pupils’ work isinconsistent. Whilst there are some examples of marking which helps pupils to improve their work,much marking is simply ticks and crosses.

55. There are good assessment procedures and records for pupils with special educational needs,which comply fully with the new Code of Practice. Assessment procedures for these pupils haveimproved in the last year and are very well used to determine targets for short-term individualeducational plans and to monitor progress over the longer term. There has recently been a focuson early identification of pupils’ needs resulting in more children being identified and their needsaddressed in Years 1 and 2, in line with recommended good practice. Information from tests toprovide an objective assessment of need and progress is being used well by the special needs co-ordinator and has resulted in a sharp decrease in the last year in the numbers of pupils classifiedas having special educational needs. The co-ordinator has plans to improve this area further bylinking assessment and individual target setting more closely to National Curriculum levels.

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56. The school’s procedures for monitoring and supporting pupils’ personal development are good.Personal development is monitored by teachers and other adults in the school and is reported onto parents in the annual reports on their children. Pupils’ personal development is well supportedby personal and social education lessons and through opportunities for pupils to takeresponsibility and show initiative.

57. The school’s procedures for monitoring and promoting good behaviour and eliminating oppressivebehaviour are good overall. There is a behaviour and anti-bullying policy, which contains a suitablerange of rewards and consequences to encourage good behaviour. These are prominentlydisplayed in classrooms, are generally used well by teachers and understood well by pupils. Thegood use of the behaviour policy is one of the reasons that behaviour has improved since theprevious inspection. Incidents of bullying are infrequent but, when they do occur, they are dealtwith swiftly and correctly and in accordance with the policy. Parents did not express any concernsabout bullying. Any misbehaviour at play or lunchtime is logged and appropriate action taken overany concerns.

58. The school’s procedures for monitoring and improving attendance are unsatisfactory overall. Thereis a weekly computer printout of absences and parents are contacted if there are any concerns orif an absence has not been explained. Parents are written to annually to inform them of theirchild’s overall attendance and how it compares to the expected standards. The school providescertificates for class attendance and full attendance by individual pupils, but there are no rewardsfor improved attendance. Registers are marked regularly but greater care is required in a few casesto ensure all pupils are marked present or absent. The school’s target of improving attendance bythree per cent in 2002/03 has not been met and the school improvement plan does not set out thestrategies planned to improve the poor level of attendance.

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

59. Parents are supportive of the school and the links between the school and parents have a positiveimpact on their children’s learning, an improvement since the last inspection. Parents feel verywelcome and comfortable in approaching staff to talk about their children. The quality ofinformation provided to them is good. Regular information letters are sent home: the Friends of StMary Cray Primary School send a newsletter every two months and a twice-yearly newsletter issent by the St Mary Cray Children’s Project, which supports parents with children in the receptionclass. The project, which has received a good response from parents, helps them to become fullyinvolved in their children’s education by giving them training in, for example, computers and firstaid. A crèche is provided to enable mothers to attend the classes. Many go on to give valued andvaluable help in classrooms.

60. Parents are invited to special events, such as sports days, a leavers’ assembly, class assembliesand Christmas celebrations. The very active friends’ association provides a wide range ofimaginative events to raise money, which is used to provide extra resources.

61. The parents’ meeting and the parents’ questionnaire before the inspection did not receive a highresponse but the positive comments made were very similar to a survey carried out by the schoolearlier in this academic year, which had a good response. Some parents had concerns abouthomework but inspection evidence shows that the amount and use of homework is satisfactory.All pupils take reading books home and more formal homework is provided from Year 4 onwards.Any unfinished homework is done at break time. Each pupil has a reading record book and acontact book. Some parents were not happy with the provision for extra-curricular activities butinspectors found that the provision was good. Overall, however, the school enjoys the confidenceof all members of the school community.

62. Annual reports tell parents what their children know, understand and can do in English,mathematics and science and set targets for improvements. Reports on the other subjects tend tobe descriptive and do not generally tell parents what their children know, understand and can do.Some parents do not like the computer-generated reports and feel that they tend to produce thesame stock phrases each year. Parents are invited to discuss the reports with the class teacher

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but few do. Two formal consultation evenings for parents to discuss their children’s progress withteachers are generally well attended.

63. Good arrangements prepare children and their parents for entry into the reception class. Parentsand their children are invited into the school in the term before they are due to start. Parents aretold about the school and children begin to get to know their teacher. There are very goodrelationships with parents of reception pupils. Parents read regularly with their children, sharing thebooks brought home from school. They appreciate the ‘Welcome Assembly’ when their childrenstart school. Many help in the classroom and on visits. Most regularly participate in a weeklyexchange scheme run by one of the parents, which provides a wide range of boxed games to playat home that underpin pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills.

64. The new end-of-year report designed by reception teachers is outstanding - a document to betreasured for life. This, together with many informal discussions, gives parents a realistic appraisalof what their child can do and what needs to be practised to improve. A meeting has been held inwhich the new pupil profiles were explained to parents of reception children. The closeness ofrelationships with parents results in a productive partnership between home and school and has apositive impact on standards.

65. Parents of pupils having special educational needs are kept fully informed both formally andinformally of their children’s progress and invited to take part in reviewing their future needs. Themajority of parents respond well to this and take an active part in devising the individual educationplans.

66. The school has an open morning each February to encourage local families to choose the schoolfor their children. In September, parents of Year 6 pupils are invited into school to hear about thenational tests for their children and the arrangements for transfer to secondary schools. Parentsare also invited to curriculum evenings, at which a crèche is provided, on issues such as theliteracy and numeracy hours. The annual governors’ report and school prospectus are informativeand well presented, although there are some minor omissions in the prospectus.

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

67. The leadership and management of the experienced headteacher are sound. He has led the schoolover a number of years and is well regarded by teachers, governors, pupils and parents. Heremains committed to the success of the school and to raising standards, working closely withlocal education authority advisers. The school very largely meets its aims for pupils’ personaldevelopment. Pupils from all backgrounds are full members of the school community. The schoolhas a clear statement on racial equality and is successful in promoting it, as is reflected in thegood relationships throughout the school. All pupils work and play together harmoniously. Theschool does not yet, however, fully meet its academic aims. A number of strategies agreed withthe local education authority are already in place to raise standards in, for example, mathematicsand information technology.

68. The leadership and management of co-ordinators overall are satisfactory but their role is need ofdevelopment. Time has not been allowed for them to monitor teaching and learning in theirsubjects so that they can plan with colleagues the steps that are needed to raise standards. Theschool plans to restart a rolling programme in September. Recent, focused monitoring by theheadteacher and local authority advisers has led to some extra training and support.

69. The leadership and management of the special needs co-ordinator (SENCO) are good. Allprocedures and connected paperwork are of high quality. The SENCO, however, is not formally amember of the senior management team as recommended in the Code of Practice. This inhibitssome aspects of the management of the special needs provision, such as regular meetingsbetween her and the adults working with the large number of special needs pupils in the schoolwhen they can share experiences and discuss training needs to bring about improvement. Neitherare there formal opportunities for the SEN governor and SENCO to meet and discuss the specialneeds provision in the school. Governors’ knowledge comes from informal contact and the

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SENCO’s annual review. There is very good liaison with outside specialists who use their expertiseto help the school improve their provision. The co-ordinator has a clear vision for the future basedon an informed view of where provision is now and how it can be improved to raise standards andbenefit pupils identified as having special educational needs.

70. The school makes satisfactory provision for the small number of pupils who speak English as anadditional language and for the few who come from a traveller’s background. These aspects of theschool’s provision are well managed in conjunction with the relevant local authority specialists.

71. Governors are very supportive of the school with many involved on a regular basis, helping inclasses and on school visits, including the Year 6 residential trip. This aspect of their work cannotbe faulted. However, their closeness to the school sometimes makes it difficult for them to act asa critical friend to the school. Plans are in hand to ensure a more analytical approach. Thegovernors have not ensured that all aspects of the National Curriculum for ICT are taught.

72. The school improvement plan is a useful working document and identifies clear priorities forimprovement with costings, responsibilities, timings and specific success criteria aimed at raisingstandards. The school has set targets for improved attendance but the improvement plan does notcontain any suggestion on how this might be achieved. Governors review and refine the plan andmonitor its progress towards meeting its aims at their termly meetings.

73. The headteacher and governors ensure that the budget is used to meet clear educational prioritiesand makes sound use of all the monies available to it. The school is good at raising money from anumber of different sources and analyses the cost-effectiveness of its spending decisions. Theschool does not make satisfactory use of new technology in the classroom or in the office.

74. The school did not meet its targets for the percentage of Year 6 pupils to achieve the expectedLevel 4 or above in the national tests in English and mathematics in 2002. Inspection evidencesuggests, however, that the action taken in the current academic year has been effective inmeeting revised but equally challenging targets. All those concerned with the school arecommitted to further improvement and the headteacher, staff and governors are working closelywith the local education authority in seeking ways to deliver it.

75. The school has sufficient teachers and skilled support staff to meet the demands of the NationalCurriculum and religious education. Many of the staff have been in the school for many years andthere is very little staff turnover or absence. The concerns about staffing in the previous Ofstedreport have been addressed. Performance management is in place for all teaching staff, who havetheir three targets, one of which is a whole-school target, monitored regularly. Non-teaching staffare to be included in the scheme in the next academic year. There is no policy for the induction ofnew staff but the procedures that have been adopted previously are satisfactory. The professionaldevelopment of the teaching staff is related to their performance management targets and thepersonal training needs of the staff.

76. The accommodation is satisfactory to deliver the National Curriculum; the buildings and largegrounds are well maintained, clean and tidy. The hall is, however, cramped for whole-schoolassemblies and for physical education lessons and there is a shortage of storage and office spaceand some of the classrooms are small for large groups of pupils. There is no discrete secureoutside play space for children in the reception class, as was reported at the time of the lastinspection. There are sufficient learning resources to deliver the National Curriculum, except for ICTand the library, where resources are unsatisfactory. There is no fiction library, although books areavailable in classrooms, and too few books to support multi-cultural education. The school does,however, borrow resources from the LEA’s loan service.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER

77. In order to raise standards throughout the school, but particularly for pupils with the potential forhigher attainment, the headteacher and governors should:

1. Raise standards in ICT throughout the school by*:• Ensuring that all aspects of the ICT curriculum are taught;• Ensuring the confidence of all teachers in teaching all aspects of ICT is increased by

providing appropriate training;• Ensuring that ICT is used to support teaching and learning in all subjects of the

curriculum;• Auditing the software and hardware available to ensure its reliability and suitability for the

ages of the pupils.Paragraphs 10, 21, 30, 38, 71,76, 90, 91, 96, 110, 112, 115, 119, 127, 138, 140, 141, 143,147,167.

2. Raise standards in design and technology, geography, physical education and religiouseducation by the end of Year 6 by:• Ensuring appropriate time for the teaching of these subjects;• Ensuring that lessons are planned and delivered so that pupils build systematically on

their skills in these subjects as they move through the school;• Providing planned opportunities for pupils to discuss issues raised in their lessons;• Providing more opportunities for pupils to carry out their own investigations and research.Paragraphs 33, 127, 129, 163.

3. Improve the use of assessment information in order to*:• Ensure that work is set which builds on prior attainment in all subjects;• Set targets for individuals and groups and monitor their progress towards meeting them;• Ensure a consistent marking policy which will identify pupils’ strengths and weaknesses

and help them to improve.Paragraphs 3, 9, 11, 52-54, 105, 106, 108, 114, 122, 128,132, 133, 139,143, 148, 167

4. Improve the quality of teaching by developing the role of the subject co-ordinators by*:• Ensuring that they are able to monitor and evaluate teaching and learning in the

classroom, providing training where necessary;• Empowering them to become leaders in their subjects so that they can support

colleagues.Paragraphs 68,69, 116, 108, 122, 128, 133, 147, 154, 162, 168.

5. Improve attendance by*:• Setting realistic year-on-year improvement targets;• Make the aim of improving attendance a priority of the school;• Emphasising the importance of attendance in the prospectus and other communications

with parents.Paragraphs 19, 58, 72

*These have already been identified by the school as areas for improvement.

The governors should also consider:• Providing more planned opportunities for pupils to use their literacy and numeracy skills in other

subjects of the curriculum.Paragraphs 10,35, 89,99, 138, 153, 160. 167• Improving multi-cultural education so that pupils are prepared for life in a modern diverse society.Paragraphs 42, 47, 76, 168

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of lessons observed 52

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 85

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory

Poor Very Poor

Number 0 6 15 28 5 0 0

Percentage 0 11 28 52 9 0 0

The table gives the number and percentage of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgementsabout teaching. Care should be taken when interpreting these percentages as each lesson represents more than onepercentage point.

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll YR – Y6

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 219

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 88

FTE means full-time equivalent.

Special educational needs YR – Y6

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 6

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 75

English as an additional language No of pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 4

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 26

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 24

Attendance

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence

% %

School data 7.8 School data 1.8

National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Year Boys Girls Total

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2002 15 13 28

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

Boys 14 8 14

Numbers of pupils at NC level 2and above

Girls 12 9 12

Total 26 17 26

Percentage of pupils School 93 (71) 61 (79) 93 (85)

at NC level 2 or above National 84 (84) 86] (86) 90 (90)

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

Boys 11 13 15

Numbers of pupils at NC level 2and above

Girls 11 11 13

Total 22 22 28

Percentage of pupils School 79 (44) 86 (74) 100 (47)

at NC level 2 or above National 85 (85) 89 (89) 89 (89)

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Year Boys Girls Total

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2002 18 17 35

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

Boys 12 9 16

Numbers of pupils at NC level 4and above

Girls 12 8 13

Total 24 17 29

Percentage of pupils School 69 (77) 50 (58) 83 (86)

at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 73 (71) 86 (87)

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

Boys 11 11 15

Numbers of pupils at NC level 4and above

Girls 10 9 12

Total 21 20 27

Percentage of pupils School 61 (72) 58 (33) 78 (95)

at NC level 4 or above National 73 (72) 74 (74) 82 (82)

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Categories used in the Annual School Census No of pupilson roll

Number offixed periodexclusions

Number ofpermanentexclusions

White – British 193 6 1

White – Irish 0 0 0

White – any other White background 2 0 0

Mixed – White and Black Caribbean 0 0 0

Mixed – White and Black African 2 0 0

Mixed – White and Asian 2 0 0

Mixed – any other mixed background 3 0 0

Asian or Asian British – Indian 0 0 0

Asian or Asian British - Pakistani 0 0 0

Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 1 0 0

Asian or Asian British – any other Asian background 0 0 0

Black or Black British – Caribbean 3 0 0

Black or Black British – African 5 0 0

Black or Black British – any other Black background 3 0 0

Chinese 1 0 0

Any other ethnic group 3 0 0

No ethnic group recorded 0 0 0

The table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. It gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from thenumber of pupils excluded.

Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and classes: YR – Y6

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 11.4 Financial year 2002-03

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 19.2:1

Average class size 24.3 £

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 681,731

Total number of education support staff 6 Total expenditure 653,479

Total aggregate hours worked per week 70 Expenditure per pupil 2,984

FTE means full-time equivalent. Balance brought forward from previous year 28,252

Balance carried forward to next year 7,304

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 2

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 2

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 0

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0

FTE means full-time equivalent.

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Questionnaire return rate

Number of questionnaires sent out 219

Number of questionnaires returned 28

Percentage of responses in each category

Stronglyagree

Tend toagree

Tend todisagree

Stronglydisagree

Don’tknow

My child likes school. 54 46 0 0 0

My child is making good progress in school. 46 46 4 0 4

Behaviour in the school is good. 29 71 0 0 0

My child gets the right amount of work to do athome.

32 54 4 4 7

The teaching is good. 50 46 0 0 4

I am kept well informed about how my child isgetting on.

46 43 7 0 4

I would feel comfortable about approaching theschool with questions or a problem.

57 43 0 0 0

The school expects my child to work hard andachieve his or her best.

61 39 0 0 0

The school works closely with parents. 46 46 7 0 0

The school is well led and managed. 61 32 0 0 7

The school is helping my child become mature andresponsible.

46 54 0 0 0

The school provides an interesting range ofactivities outside lessons.

39 36 7 7 11

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PART D: THE STANDARDS AND QUALITY OF TEACHING IN AREAS OF THE CURRICULUM,SUBJECTS AND COURSES

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

(Provision for early years learning at the Foundation Stage (nursery and reception classes) covers sixareas of learning. To prepare for work within the National Curriculum, children are expected to progressthrough three steps and achieve early learning goals in each area of this learning by the end of thereception year. Guidance for this stage expects learning to be a balance between focused work ingroups and structured play with a purpose.)

78. Pupils start school in the reception class, and the provision they receive continues to be a strengthof the school. Reception teachers visit children in their nurseries to help them make a smoothtransition to school. The ‘Welcome Assembly’ for new children and their parents, and the welcomegift of a book from the governors, are highly appreciated and promote very good initial relationshipsand attitudes to school. Attainment on entry to the reception class is average for the current year.However, many children have below average standards in their communication, language andliteracy. The quality of teaching provided by the two part-time reception teachers is good. Theywork closely together to ensure consistency of teaching and learning.

79. The reception class benefits from a high amount of extra adult help, which has a positive impact onpupils’ learning and the range of activities that can be planned. The good teaching is firmly basedon the children learning through first-hand experiences. The St Mary Cray Children’s Project hasled to a widening range or purposeful play experiences. Good use is made of the local environmentin most areas of learning. Parents contribute well to pupils’ learning: many regularly help in schooland on trips, and take part in a weekly scheme to take a maths or reading game to play at home.Very good assessment systems and the fact that teachers know their pupils well have resulted inthe successful use of the new pupil profile booklets. The reports that have been produced forparents this year are outstanding both in content and presentation. Children with specialeducational needs achieve very well in the reception class and those who have English as anadditional language achieve well. The school’s leadership of the Foundation Stage is unsatisfactorybecause there is nobody on the senior management team with a good grasp of its needs who cantake strategic decisions. It does, however, function well from day-to-day because of the talents andhard work of the two reception teachers who give up much of their own time to maintain standards.There is, however, no secure and shaded outside area and a lack of resources such as climbingequipment and wheeled vehicles make it impossible to plan a curriculum beyond the classroomthroughout the year.

Personal, social and emotional development

80. Most children are on course to meet goals in this area by the end of the reception year. Whenchildren start reception, attainment is similar to that expected for children of their age. Adultsfocus strongly on this area and by the end of reception children develop a good level ofindependence and behave well. Teachers have a very good range of methods to promote goodbehaviour such as clear class rules and rewarding good behaviour regularly and by the end ofreception, pupils are keen to learn, confident to try new activities such as changing the colour onthe computer screen to make more interesting patterns, and have very good relationships withtheir teachers and other adults who work with them. This enables them to achieve well. Childrenquickly become secure in routines and work independently while the adults are working with otherchildren. They co-operate well when sharing construction toys and concentrate for good lengths oftime when, for example, they use coloured cubes to find the patterns in numbers that equal ten orinvestigate the changes made when water is added to different materials such as icing sugar, flouror powder paint.

Communication, language and literacy

81. The majority of children are on course to meet the learning goals in this area by the end ofreception. Children achieve well because communication, language and literacy is taught well,

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based on the National Literacy Strategy. Teachers provide many opportunities for children to talk tothe whole class when, for example, explaining what they have learnt or how a piece of recordedmusic makes them feel. During group work, all adults ensure that children use the correct spokenlanguage and develop correct reading and writing skills. Teachers use interesting methods todevelop vocabulary, recognising the importance of learning through experience. Schoolphotographs show children concentrating on forming a clear understanding of positional vocabularysuch as ‘over’ and ‘behind’ by moving round the benches in the nearby recreation ground. Childrenwith special educational needs and those with English as an additional language achieve well inspoken English because of the focus given to it and the interesting methods used to engage theirinterest. An assistant, for example, played a game to teach the name of animals to a child withspecific language difficulties and limited concentration. The animals were hidden under soap sudsin a bowl of warm water and had to be felt and named. The activity appealed to the child, whoconcentrated and learnt very well. Others asked to join in, which had positive inclusion benefits.

82. Early reading and writing skills are taught well and intertwine effectively with a good emphasis onhow to write letters correctly, learning the sounds letters make and how these combine into words.Interesting methods are used to enable teachers to assess instantly how well children are learning.The teacher, for example, asks children to write a simple word such as ‘bat’ on individualwhiteboards. This shows that most pupils with average prior attainment can write short regularwords correctly. Those with higher prior attainment make good attempts at harder words such asbutterfly using their phonic knowledge. Teachers use ICT well in this area, encouraging children towrite, illustrate and print their stories for a wall display. This shows a complete range of priorattainment from those who write a full sentence to those managing initial sounds of words only.Basic reading skills, such as how to look for picture clues or predict what might happen next, arewell taught. Teachers encourage children to take books home to share with parents as well astheir class guided readers, which makes a good link between home and school. Reading is integralto most activities and teachers introduce children to fiction and non-fiction books. Children, forexample, shared a large sized book showing children experimenting with water before carrying outsimilar activities themselves. As a result children have very good attitudes to reading and writing.Teachers ensure that most levels of ability are suitably challenged, which enables them to achievewell. Whilst the overall provision for children with the highest prior attainment is satisfactory thereare too few opportunities for them to forge ahead as teachers do not have high enoughexpectations for them so that, for example, they can become independent readers or write theirown stories using simple punctuation.

Mathematical development

83. Attainment in mathematics is on course to meet expectations. Reception teachers follow theNational Numeracy Strategy. Teaching is good and children achieve well. Very good focus isplaced on developing mathematical vocabulary to ensure that children experience the breadth ofthe curriculum. Children use cubes to balance their scissors on scales; they use coins to buyitems in the shop; and make robots from shapes using the correct names of circle, square andrectangle. There is a good emphasis on understanding the number system using a wide variety ofpractical activities, including number songs, rhymes and stories. Good teaching was seen in alesson where the teacher had a variety of interesting activities to ensure children understoodnumbers to ten. For example, ten children stood at the front of the class and chose either a red ora yellow sheet of paper to hold up. Depending on what they chose there was an instantdemonstration that ten can be composed in different ways. This enabled all children to understandthe principle well. The highest attainers can see an emerging pattern of adding different numbersup to ten and write this down as conventional sums without help. Insufficient demand, however, ismade of them during group work to enable them to move forward as fast as they might. Thesechildren were able to demonstrate to inspectors their capability for working with higher numbersand adding and subtracting up to 15 in their heads, but having quickly completed their set task ofadding numbers to 10, they moved onto free play.

Knowledge and understanding of the world

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84. Children are on course to meet this early learning goal by the end of the reception year. Thecurriculum motivates pupils and has a positive impact on standards. The monthly walks and visitsto places such as a farm, church and local restaurant, and visitors such as the local museumcurator and vicar, add a stimulating extra dimension to classroom learning. The development of thefoundations of ICT and science are strong. In a lesson where children made very good progress tovery good teaching, children mixed water with icing sugar to decorate pretend biscuits. Theyexperimented with mixing water with powder paint to make different colours and with flour to makedough, which they rolled out and cut into different shapes. They felt the texture of neat washing upliquid and then added water to make soapsuds. By the end of this session all children had a verygood understanding of how different materials change when they combine with water. On anotheroccasion, a walk to a local river to play ‘Pooh Sticks’ provided children with first-hand knowledgeabout how water flows in one direction. Apart from the weekly formal ICT lesson in the new suite,children have free access to the class computer and printer, both of which they use often andwithout help. They know how to use both the keyboard and the mouse to good effect and can printtheir own work. Teachers also use computer programs very well to promote learning in differentcurriculum areas and with different groups of children when, for example, promoting languagedevelopment of special needs pupils. Pupils have a good realisation that life was different beforethey were alive. They handle the copper, mangle and flat iron from the local museum and marvelhow different their mothers’ washing routines are now. Children have a good understanding aboutthe Christian religion through Bible stories and visiting the church to take place in a mockChristening and to learn the significance of different artefacts. Teachers ensure pupils have anunderstanding of life beyond Great Britain through teaching songs from China and reading storiesfrom Africa.

Physical development

85. Limited evidence indicates that in their physical development, children are on course to attain theearly learning goals by the end of reception. Very good teaching and learning took place in thelesson observed. All but three children quickly changed into PE kit and joined in the interestingwarm-up activity of being different types of beans - from runner to chilli - moving imaginatively andusing space well. Children showed appropriate body control in a range of activities with hoops andballs including aiming at goals and dribbling round a circuit of cones. Children worked hard, aidedby several adult helpers, on becoming more accurate. Children were managed very well. Becausethey found the lesson stimulating, everyone’s behaviour was extremely good.

86. The weakness in this area is resources and consequently in the physical development programmethat can be planned. Much of the hall equipment is too large and heavy for reception children touse safely and effectively. Without suitable outside resources and limited access to the schoolhall, teachers find it very difficult to provide suitable opportunities for developing this area oflearning as well as they would like. This is further hampered by the inability to provideopportunities to develop children’s awareness of space and movement through using wheeledvehicles and climbing apparatus in a secure area. Whilst children are encouraged to bring theirown wheeled toys from home this is more for free play and social development rather than aplanned and purposeful learning opportunity. In the classroom, children handle tools, objects,construction, and malleable materials safely and with increasing control, developing their smallermuscles and hand/eye co-ordination. They use scissors to cut different types of paper to makecollages of pizzas and use paintbrushes with increasing skill and concentration.

Creative development

87. Teaching in this area of learning is satisfactory and children are likely to meet expectations by theend of reception. The weakness in this area is in the planning of creative play, which is toounstructured, as the activities have no specific learning intention focused towards developingimagination and extending vocabulary. Teachers are hampered by a lack of resources. There is alimited range of dressing up clothes and no outside play equipment or secure area. Children sing arange of songs, including those from other countries, listen to a variety of taped music and keepthe tempo with percussion instruments. They use paint well to express their ideas and to makepatterns and use mediums such as charcoal to draw self-portraits. Teachers provide a good variety

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of opportunities for cutting, gluing and sticking activities. One interesting example was seen wherechildren used strips of different coloured paper to make a three-dimensional collage to show theirunderstanding of positional vocabulary such as ‘over’, ’under’ and ‘through’.

ENGLISH

88. Standards in English overall are below average for pupils in Year 2 and Year 6. There have,however, been significant gains in reading standards. Over the last five years, the gap betweennational expectations and the school’s results in national reading tests for pupils in Year 2 andYear 6 is closing. Provisional results for this year’s Year 6 tests show a substantial increase in thepercentage of pupils gaining the higher Level 5. Evidence provided by the school shows thatchildren in the current Year 6 came into school with below average literacy skills. They have madesound progress over time, and their achievement is satisfactory. Pupils currently in Year 2,however, are likely to attain standards below those of pupils last year in reading and similar tothose attained last year in writing. The majority of pupils show satisfactory achievement over theyear with some lower attaining pupils making good progress.

89. Pupils in Years 1 to 6 entered the school with well below average speaking and listening skills.They make good progress and achieve well although standards remain below average. Someteachers are providing suitable opportunities to develop pupils’ speaking and listening skills. Forexample, paired work in a Year 2 class and role-play in a Year 6 history lesson enabled pupils totalk and listen confidently, discussing concerns and thoughtfully developing their ideas. The Year 6pupils confidently aired the views of church leaders and Charles Darwin when learning about thetheory of evolution. These opportunities contribute to the good achievement of the pupils. However,they are not provided consistently in every class. In some lessons, teachers do not allow time forplanned discussions, and this limits the overall achievement of pupils.

90. Standards in reading are below average throughout the school. By Year 2, most pupils are able toread simple texts, using a variety of strategies to decipher words and some pupils are able to talkabout why a play is written in the way it is and are able to change expression to indicatecharacters. Most Year 6 pupils read confidently and choose their own reading material. A fewhigher attaining pupils are fluent, articulate readers when, for example, reading their work aloud toa whole-school assembly. Pupils are encouraged to take books home regularly to share withparents; home-school reading diaries contain comments from parents and teachers and usefulhints for parents sharing books with their children. However, despite the improving trend instandards more can still be done to help pupils develop their reading skills. There is, for example,a lack of fiction and non-fiction books within the school and many Year 6 pupils bring their booksfrom home, to supplement the restricted amount and range of reading material. There are also veryfew opportunities for the shared reading of whole texts because overhead projectors, big bookstands and ICT resources are not used to their potential.

91. Standards in writing are also below average throughout the school. By the end of Year 2 themajority of pupils are able to write a story using some capital letters and full stops and they areable to use sequence words. Some pupils are able to turn statements into questions and correctlyspell many common words. In some lessons, all pupils do the same work and, as a result, thehigher attaining pupils are not sufficiently challenged to extend their learning. Higher attainingpupils at the end of Year 6 are able to write well. They can write clearly expressed letters and wereable to sustain ideas, which were well organised and developed when writing about a forthcomingresidential visit. Most pupils in Years 2 and 6 achieve satisfactorily with some lower attainingpupils making good progress. Standards of handwriting are satisfactory overall. The majority ofchildren in Year 2 are able to form their letters correctly. The encouragement of teachers andregular practise enable them to link letters and improve their letter formation. Presentation,however, is variable and often untidy. Older pupils are developing their own style and by the timethey leave Year 6 their handwriting is legible, clearly formed and joined. ICT is not used sufficientlyto encourage pupils to draft and improve their writing.

92. The quality of teaching and learning across the school is satisfactory although there are variationsbetween classes with many examples of good teaching. Teachers have high expectations of

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behaviour and a range of strategies to manage challenging behaviour should it arise. As a result,most pupils in most lessons show good levels of concentration enabling teachers to teach andpupils to learn. Pupils lose interest when sessions are too long and they are unsure of the task.Pupils with special educational needs or having English as an additional language are supportedwell and show at least satisfactory achievement, with some making good progress. Pupils benefitfrom extra-curricular activities such as a drama club for Years 1 and 6, which encourages thedevelopment of speaking and listening and visits provide a purpose for writing. Year 6 pupils visitlive theatre and take part in a performance for parents at the end of the school year.

93. Good teaching and learning is characterised by:• Teachers making sure that opportunities for speaking and listening are built into the lesson;• good questioning skills and intervention being used by the teacher to help pupils extend their

thinking and improve their strategies to read unknown words;• teachers making good use of probing questions to explore the text and enable pupils to use

higher-order reading skills.

94. In lessons otherwise judged to be satisfactory there were shortcomings in the following areas:• not enough whole-class text work so that the pupils and teacher read together to support their

reading skills;• teachers’ plans and activities did not match the needs of the class so that pupils of all

abilities were doing the same work and their progress was limited;• phonics lessons were not active enough to hold the interest of younger children and as a

result their progress was slowed;• teachers did not show good examples of extended writing skills;• the review at the end of the lesson did not always focus sufficiently on what had been learnt in

order to plan future lessons to plug any gaps.

95. The procedures for assessing and tracking the attainment of the pupils, newly introduced at thelast inspection, are satisfactory. The information gathered, however, is not always used to informteachers’ planning. As a result, the work set in lessons does not always match the priorattainment of pupils.

96. The management of English is satisfactory although the pace of change has not been as quick asit might have been. There is insufficient formal monitoring of teaching and learning and, as a result,variations in the quality of teaching and learning between classes. Whilst teachers have newresources they are not always used and, as a result, implementation across the school isinconsistent. The English co-ordinator has correctly identified the need to develop teachers’knowledge about target setting. Plans are also in place to develop a new system for planningguided reading sessions and to develop the systematic teaching of spelling throughout the school.There has not been sufficient focus on promoting the use of ICT across the subject and, as aresult, pupils do not have the opportunity to draft or redraft their writing or to read and researchusing information available from the Internet. Whilst there are some new books, library provision isunsatisfactory, which limits opportunities for research and restricts the pupils’ range of reading andthe development of reading skills. There are also very few books available depicting minority ethnicgroups.

MATHEMATICS

97. The attainment of pupils in the current Year 6 is below average, as it was during the lastinspection. Provisional results for this year’s National Curriculum tests are significantly better thanlast year, although the proportion of pupils gaining the higher Level 5 is broadly the same. By theend of Year 6, pupils of average attainment have a sound understanding of number and the fouroperations and work accurately when multiplying by one-digit numbers, but long multiplication isnot secure. Their understanding of decimals is in the process of development but calculations, forexample, the division of a decimal number by a single-digit number, are not totally accurate. Theyunderstand that fractions can be equivalent and that data can be represented in various ways.Higher attaining pupils are more confident with long multiplication. They calculate simple

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probabilities and can abstract information from conversion graphs. Pupils in the current Year 6entered the school with below average attainment and have made satisfactory achievement overtime, as have the pupils with special educational needs or having English as an additionallanguage.

98. The attainment of pupils in the current Year 2 is in line with national standards, as it was at thetime of the last inspection. Pupils of average attainment in Year 2 have a secure knowledge of theappropriate language of mathematics, are beginning to use the number bonds of ten in addition oflarger numbers and understand place value in two- and some three-digit numbers. They recogniseodd and even numbers and can halve some even numbers less than ten with accuracy. They havean understanding of halves and quarters. Most pupils know the names of simple plane shapes andsolids but are not yet secure in identifying their basic features. Higher attaining pupils add 10 and100 to two- and three-digit numbers and are more confident with the properties of simple two- andthree-dimensional shapes. Pupils in the current Year 2 entered the school with below averagestandards. The good start they made in the reception class, together with the school’s focus onraising attainment in mathematics has enabled them to achieve well. Pupils with specialeducational needs have also achieved well with regard to individual prior attainment.

99. The pupils' competence in numeracy is used satisfactorily in other curriculum areas through theuse of interpretations of graphs in geography, for example. Opportunities, however, are missed andthe school has not yet examined its curriculum with a view to maximising the support of pupils'mathematical development with planned experiences in other subjects. The support of literacythrough planned experiences in mathematics is also capable of further development. ICT is notused enough to support the teaching of mathematics.

100. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall, maintaining the standard noted during the lastinspection. In Years 1 and 2 it ranges from satisfactory to good, but is satisfactory overall. InYears 3 to 6 it ranges from unsatisfactory to very good and is satisfactory overall.

101. Teachers have sound knowledge and understanding of the key skills required and, in Years 1 and2, they plan work for at least three levels of attainment across each year group in order to ensurethat suitable challenge is provided for the range of pupils. This is effective when the tasks areclosely matched to the pupils' prior attainment. In a Year 2 lesson based on the theme 'more thanand less than', for example, the pupils worked with numbers that were appropriate for them. This,and the motivation provided by the tasks set as games, ensured that pupils worked hard, enjoyedthe lesson and learning was good. In less effective lessons in Years 1 and 2 the match of work toindividual needs is less successful, pupils struggle to understand and become restless.

102. Across the school, teachers' management of pupils is generally good and positive relationshipsexist within the classroom amongst pupils, and between pupils and adults. Consequently pupilsrespond well in lessons and work sensibly together when required to do so. This contributes wellto their social development. Learning support assistants provide effective support and makepositive contributions to the pupils' learning by their competent reinforcement of the teachers'objectives. A good working atmosphere is a feature of most lessons.

103. Teachers plan and organise lessons satisfactorily. In Years 3 to 6, however, the work planned isoften not totally suitable for the range of pupils within each class and this has a detrimental effecton the learning of groups within it. In some lessons, the work is too challenging for all but a fewpupils, while in others, higher attaining pupils rehearse skills unnecessarily instead of moving on tothe next level of work.

104. In the most effective lessons the learning objectives are made clear to the pupils at the start of thelesson, displayed at the front of the classroom and referred to again in the review session at theend in order to confirm with the pupils what they have learned. In a Year 5 lesson based onmultiplication, the objectives for the lesson were clearly printed on the pupils' worksheets, whichalso included key vocabulary, providing good literacy support for the pupils. However, the use oflesson objectives and key words is variable across the school.

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105. Teachers rely heavily on one-to-one questioning and this does not make the best use of time forthe majority of the class, or provide teachers with an assessment of the understanding of thewhole class, before starting individual tasks. Where teachers make good use of individualwhiteboards, however, time and assessment are improved.

106. The quality of teachers’ marking of pupils' work is variable. At best it is marked appropriately withhelpful comments for the learners. The quality of a minority of marking is unsatisfactory anddetrimental both to pupils' learning and the quality of the presentation of their work.

107. The curriculum is broad and balanced and meets the requirements of the National Curriculum as itdid at the time of the last inspection. Pupils of lower attainment in Years 3 and 4 are withdrawn forsome of their mathematics time each week and receive very good quality support from a specialistmathematics teacher and this has a significant effect on the quality of their learning. Similarsupport has also been provided for lower attaining pupils in Years 5 and 6. The school makes useof published schemes in Years 1 to 4 and government guidance in Years 5 and 6. The quality ofthe use made of these is variable and is sometimes the cause of lack of match of work to pupils'needs.

108. Assessment procedures are good and these are analysed appropriately in order to ascertainpupils' individual achievement, track their progress and inform class teaching. However, pupils arenot set individual learning targets for improvement and the school does not yet use the analysis inorder to plan a whole-school response through forward planning. Assessment has improved sincethe last inspection. Leadership and management of mathematics are satisfactory. The well-organised and enthusiastic co-ordinator has carried out some monitoring of teaching and learningin the classes but this role has not yet been done systematically. Improvement since the lastinspection has been satisfactory and the school is now well placed to improve further.

SCIENCE

109. The standard of work in Year 6 is below average, a decline since the last inspection whenstandards were described as average. Standards dropped to well below average following the lastinspection but since then have improved. There is no indication in lessons that boys perform betterthan girls although there is clear evidence that this has happened consistently in the national testsover in the last three years. Provisional results in this year’s National Curriculum tests are similarto last year’s, although there has been an increase in the proportion of pupils gaining Level 5.Pupils’ achievement, including that of pupils with special educational needs or having English as anadditional language, is satisfactory over time. Pupils in Year 6, however, achieve well because ofthe increased focus on raising standards and the revision programme for the national tests.

110. Year 6 pupils understand the concept of a fair test which they use well when carrying outexperiments such as finding out how many paper clips are attracted to a magnet through differenttypes of material. Most record their findings and observations neatly. Few pupils, however, moveto the next step to draw a scientific conclusion or a hypothesis leading to independent furtherenquiry because teachers do not provide enough opportunities. Although all pupils understand howto make a prediction, lower attaining pupils do not base theirs on scientific principles. They think,for example, that larger items will sink because they are bigger, despite understanding theycontain more air. Pupils do not know how to use ICT either, as part of their investigative process orto communicate their findings, as they do not have the opportunity to do so. Most pupilsunderstand the function of different teeth and the heart and link this well to an appropriateunderstanding of how to keep healthy. There is a general lack of understanding about how earthmoves in space and the effect this has on night and day or how to draw conclusions from a tableof information.

111. Evidence in books shows there is little difference in scientific knowledge and understandingbetween pupils with average and above average prior attainment. Although all pupils copy a lot ofinformation from the board neatly, the standard of presentation for below average pupils isgenerally unsatisfactory as their own work is untidy, often unfinished and shows a lack ofunderstanding of what has been taught. Some of this group of pupils have difficulty reading the

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test papers unaided because of their low levels of reading ability.

112. The standard of work in Year 2 is average although no pupil attains above the nationally expectedstandards due to the unsatisfactory curriculum provided. As a result, pupils with the potential toattain more highly, underachieve. There is little evidence to show differences in scientificknowledge and understanding between any groups of pupils, except that those with greater skillsin English and communication express their ideas more clearly. Pupils do not know how to useICT as part of their scientific work as they are not taught to do so. They can distinguish betweennatural and man-made materials such as wood and metal, can name different light sources,understand that electricity is dangerous, know what constitutes a healthy diet and understand theimportance of exercise.

113. Teaching is satisfactory overall, ranging from unsatisfactory to good. The good teaching in Year 6resulted from careful planning of a range of investigations, the good use of extra adult help, and aclear focus on the stages of preparation, experimenting and reporting which enabled the majority ofpupils to make good progress. Teaching overall in Year 6 is good because the teacher has a clearfocus on raising standards and expert knowledge of what pupils should know and do. Herassessments across the programme of study and clear information to pupils as to how to improvehave shown a direct result in rising attainment levels in the last few years. The unsatisfactoryteaching in one lesson was caused by a weakness in the organisation of an activity to sortdifferent materials by their properties. Pupils did not have the patience to wait their turn to put theiritem in the centre of the class circle and discuss it. They lost concentration and their behaviourdeteriorated so that the progress made by the majority was unsatisfactory.

114. Evidence from previous work and from lesson observations suggests that most teaching issatisfactory. This is because teachers aim their lessons towards the middle of the class with toolittle consideration of appropriate levels of scientific challenge for higher and lower attaining pupils.Teachers do not use ongoing assessments sufficiently to establish pupils’ prior understanding inorder to plan their lessons effectively with appropriate levels of challenge. Consequently, teachersare not providing sufficient opportunities for all pupils to achieve as they might. In Year 4, forexample, when pupils were investigating simple electrical circuits, the group of pupils with lowestprior attainment made little progress because the task was too difficult for them.

115. All teachers use questioning well to establish pupils’ levels of understanding and to move them onand focus well on making science a practical subject so pupils gain scientific knowledge throughexperiments and investigations. Teachers’ use of ICT in their lessons is weak. The school,realising teachers’ knowledge of how to judge pupils’ National Curriculum attainment levels wasweak, arranged training from the local education authority, which is resulting in a greaterawareness of standards. Teachers are not yet applying their more secure knowledge of NationalCurriculum levels to planning their lessons or, with the exception of Year 6, to set targets forpupils.

116. Overall, when account is taken of the rising tests results in recent years, improvement since thelast inspection is satisfactory. However, leadership and management of science areunsatisfactory. The co-ordinator does not have a clear overview based on evidence of where thesubject stands or a focus on how to raise standards. The annual review is weak and there is noregular and focused professional dialogue between the co-ordinator and governing body. The co-ordinator is not using available data effectively as a diagnostic tool to recognise, for example, thatno pupils in Year 2 attain above the nationally expected level and then to find out why bymonitoring the curriculum, teaching and learning. The new procedures to track pupils’ progresshave not yet proved themselves. The co-ordinator does not monitor teaching or learning by differentgroups of pupils and so has little appreciation of the strengths and weaknesses found during theinspection.

ART AND DESIGN

117. Pupils' attainments at the end of Years 2 and 6 are in line with national expectations as they wereat the time of the last inspection. In Years 1 and 2, pupils experience an appropriate range of

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activities and media enabling them to explore pattern, colour and shape and to develop soundskills of observation. In Year 1, for example, pupils use these to produce effective self-portraits.Pupils also become accustomed to using their improving skills to support learning in othercurriculum areas, as in the production of an effective collage representing the Fire of London inhistory, in the paper batik candles and masks for work on Divali during religious education and inthe pottery and papier mache trees linked to effective poetry work in literacy.

118. Throughout Years 3 to 6, pupils continue to develop appropriate individual skills. In Years 5 and 6,for example, pupils interpret the view across the recreation ground using a variety of media. Theybuild up a sound knowledge of the work of a range of artists. Pupils in Year 4 develop theirpointillist techniques in pictures of apples and pupils in Year 5 do pastel drawings in the style ofRenoir. They also use their art and design skills to support other areas of learning. In Year 6, forexample, pupils draw 'Scenes from the Beginning of Life'. Pupils, including those with specialeducational needs or having English as an additional language, achieve satisfactorily and artcontributes well to pupils' cultural and spiritual development.

119. The use of information and communication technology, either as a research tool or in theproduction of art work is, however, unsatisfactory and pupils' skills in working in three-dimensionsare capable of further development.

120. Timetabling arrangements during the inspection meant that it was not possible to see enoughlessons to make a judgement on teaching. The quality of work produced indicates, however, that itis at least satisfactory and sometimes better. A good example of this is the high quality, effectivebatik panels produced by Year 2 pupils. In the two lessons observed, the quality of teaching wasgood. In both lessons pupils were managed well and were enthused by the tasks set. In a Year 4lesson, pupils sketched the outside of the school and included ideas that would improve theenvironment. Pupils worked hard at this task, motivated by the fact that their ideas are to betranslated into ceramic tiles later in the year with a visiting ceramicist. Similar enthusiasm wasseen in Year 6 when pupils worked hard in the planning and production of their mosaic faces frompainted pieces of eggshell. In both these lessons the tasks were clearly modelled and theresulting learning was good. The quality of teaching at the time of the last inspection wasdescribed as promoting sound standards.

121. All teachers display a range of pupils' work well and classroom and corridor displays are of goodquality, an improvement since the last inspection.

122. The curriculum is sound overall and satisfactorily enhanced by visits and visitors, who share theirexpertise and enhance learning. A good example of this is the art/craft workshop held after a visitto a field study centre. A successful art club open to all pupils also raises the profile of the subjectin the school and gives pupils the opportunities to work with others of different ages. Assessmentprocedures have not improved since the last inspection. The subject co-ordinator is enthusiasticbut her role has not yet been developed to include the systematic monitoring of teaching andlearning within the school. The subject has made satisfactory improvement since the lastinspection.

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

123. Standards in Year 6 are below average, a deterioration since the last inspection. This is becausethe subject has had less emphasis in Years 5 and 6 in the last few years whilst the school hasfocused on working to raise standards of English, mathematics and science. Discussions withYear 6 pupils show they lack an appropriate level of knowledge and understanding of designingand making quality products by using a broad range of materials, components and techniques.They lack the expertise to produce designs and plans identifying the stages involved in making theproduct and listing the tools and materials they will use. The achievement of pupils in Years 3 to 6is, therefore, unsatisfactory.

124. Previous work shows that standards at the end of Year 2 are average and pupils achievesatisfactorily. Pupils use an appropriate range of materials to design and make simple products

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such as a moving vehicle for their teddy bears. They have a satisfactory knowledge of how to sawwood to make axles and different methods to fix wheels, paper, card and material together. Theydraw simple plans of what they want to make and the materials and tools they will need.

125. Photographs show some good quality work has been produced in Year 4. Pupils were challengedto design and make a moving storyboard based on their Christmas play. The design led to aprototype, which was reviewed and amended before their final product. One pupil, for example,changed the thickness of card used. On another occasion pupils completed the design andmaking process including meaningful evaluations at all stages to create an alarm to go off when apiece of fruit was taken from its tray.

126. Timetabling arrangements during the inspection meant that it was not possible to see any lessonsand so no judgements are made about teaching and learning.

127. The curriculum for design and technology is unsatisfactory because pupils do not have sufficientopportunity to develop their skills and understanding across the programme of study to anappropriate level by the end of Year 6. ICT is not used within the subject. There is no consistencyabout timetabling. Practical work in subjects such as science and history are often confused withdesign and technology. Consequently, the school is providing insufficient opportunities for olderpupils to:• design and make quality products using a broad range of materials, components

and techniques;• teach the skills to evaluate their work as it develops and design alternatives;• enable pupils to produce designs and plans that list the stages involved in making the product

and list the tools and materials used.

128. The leadership of the subject is unsatisfactory. The co-ordinator has little input other than givingadvice when asked, and managing resources. The role description attached to the policy is notcarried out effectively. There is no clear view of strengths or areas to develop, neither of curricularcoverage in terms of content or time nor of standards of teaching or learning. Assessmentprocedures are unsatisfactory because they are optional. Where they are used, as in Year 4,assessment is very good and gives a clear indication of the standards attained and future individualtargets. In general, however, there is no identification of the skills pupils have mastered and whatthey need to learn next.

GEOGRAPHY

129. Pupils' attainment by the end of Year 6 is below average and has fallen since the last inspection.Pupils reinforce and develop map reading skills in Years 3 and 4 and use these appropriately intheir historical study of St Mary Cray and when mapping the positions of mini-beasts in science,for example. They compare life in St Mary Cray with that of people in Chembakolli and understandappropriate similarities and differences related to landscape, weather, family life, homes andoccupations. Much of the work done in Years 3 to 6 is linked with history. When studying theRomans, pupils look at why a settlement grew up there and when learning about the Egyptians,consider the weather, temperature and rainfall. History is generally the stronger focus and there islittle evidence of geographical studies in the latter years of school. Taken together these factorscontribute to the reduction in standards at the end of Year 6. There are also too few opportunitiesfor pupils to show a concern and understanding of environmental issues such as the reduction ofthe rainforests and the effects on people, animals, plants and climate. Overall pupils’ achievementduring Years 3 to 6 is unsatisfactory.

130. Attainment of pupils at the end of Year 2 is average, as it was at the last inspection. ThroughoutYears 1 and 2 pupils make sound progress in their knowledge and understanding of geographyand in the development of geographical skills. Pupils in Year 1 make satisfactory use of the localarea and draw simple route maps such as for a journey to school. In Year 2, pupils consider howtheir local area can be made safer. They make good use of data handling skills for the trafficsurvey done as part of this investigation. By the end of Year 2, pupils are familiar with the physicaland human features in their own environment and have a sound understanding of what it would be

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like to live in an island home, such as the fictional Isle of Struay. Pupils, including those withspecial educational needs or having English as an additional language, achieve satisfactorily.

131. Timetabling arrangements during the inspection meant that it was not possible to observe anylessons in Years 1 and 2. The quality of teaching in Years 3 to 6 is satisfactory, as it was duringthe last inspection. One unsatisfactory lesson was seen. Teachers display sound subjectknowledge and lessons are planned and organised satisfactorily, ensuring that busy sessions runsmoothly. In more effective lessons, teachers use questions to ensure that pupils have sufficientinformation to complete the task satisfactorily. In a Year 4 lesson, based on the sequencing of fourhistorical maps of St Mary Cray, for example, the teacher questioned the pupils about the dateswhen significant buildings were built or demolished in order to provide the pupils with clues. Theuse of paired work in this lesson also contributed well to pupils' learning and their socialdevelopment. In less effective lessons, pupils are not adequately prepared for their individual tasksby the whole-class session and lose motivation and interest.

132. Teachers manage pupils well and good relationships are evident in most classrooms and underpinthe learning process well. Teachers mark pupils' work but do not always include advice on howthey might improve their work and do not support pupils’ literacy skills by teaching subject specificvocabulary.

133. The curriculum continues to be satisfactory overall and the school has made satisfactoryimprovement since the last inspection. The local environment supports learning well althoughopportunities for pupils to examine areas slightly further afield are limited. Assessment procedureshave not been fully developed. The subject co-ordinator is enthusiastic but her role does not yetinclude the systematic monitoring of teaching and learning to support colleagues in the classroom.The support of the subject by information and communication technology is capable of furtherdevelopment. Resources are generally adequate but school atlases are not up to date.

HISTORY

134. Standards in history are average throughout the school as they were at the last inspection andpupils achieve satisfactorily. Pupils in Year 6 can talk about change over time and how peoplelived during World War II and Victorian times and are able to express opinions about events.Pupils in Year 2 can remember many facts about the Fire of London and can talk about thedifferences between then and now.

135. Pupils in Year 1 had a visit from a local museum curator and were able to examine artefacts linkedto a topic on the seaside with appropriate historical knowledge and interest. Pupils in Year 2 knowabout Samuel Pepys and his diary and are able to explain that an index in a book could be usedto look up information. They cannot, however, explain how people find out about the past.

136. Year 6 pupils have re-enacted the evacuation of children during World War II dressing in themanner of the day and only allowed to take food for lunch that was available at the time. As aresult of such activities, pupils gain a good understanding of how people lived. Pupils’ work showsthat a very good topic in Year 4 studying the school and local community made good use ofavailable artefacts such as school log books. Visitors talked about their time in the school andhow the local area has changed.

137. Teaching in history is satisfactory across the school with some examples of good teaching. Inthese lessons, pupils were fully engaged in interesting tasks and activities, such as a role play inYear 6, when pupils took sides to express the viewpoints of church leaders and Charles Darwin.This also provides very effective links with literacy.

138. Resources are satisfactory: boxes containing information and artefacts are kept centrally andsupport the teaching of each topic. The majority of pupils, however, do not have enough access toresearch books or ICT and this restricts their investigative skills.

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139. Leadership and management of the subject are satisfactory. The co-ordinator is enthusiastic andactively promotes the subject. Assessment is an area for development. The current system ofassessing at the end of the year rather than assessing what pupils can do at the end of each topicdoes not inform teachers’ planning. As a result, teaching is not always matched to the needs of allpupils, particularly those with the potential for higher attainment.

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

140. Standards in ICT by the end of Year 6 are below average, a deterioration since the previousinspection when they were average. At the end of Year 2, pupils’ standards are average. Pupils’achievement, however, is unsatisfactory throughout the school. Pupils with special needs andthose who are at the early stages of learning English do not always achieve as well as the rest ofthe class because the work is too hard for them.

141. Discussions with Year 6 pupils show that they lack an appropriate level of knowledge andunderstanding across the National Curriculum programmes of study. They do not have sufficientexpertise in control technology or use of the Internet for either research or communication becausethey are not taught to do so. This was also a criticism in the previous report. Pupils do not knowhow to input images or alter the colour of the fonts. Most can save their work but many are unableto retrieve it.

142. Evidence from earlier work by Year 2, before a recently purchased commercial scheme wasintroduced, shows that pupils have developed appropriate keyboard skills to make lists of fruit.They use the mouse proficiently to move the cursor to select and use various tools on screen byclicking on icons to draw and colour self-portraits. They know how to drag and drop items on thescreen and to delete those they no longer need. Some, with help, save their work and log on.Pupils appreciate the initial elements of control technology by using a programmable robot.

143. Teaching and learning are unsatisfactory. There is a general lack of expertise and knowledge byteachers about ICT in general, the requirements of the new scheme and how to operate themachines in the suite. As a result, they do not give clear enough demonstrations or directions totheir classes or anticipate problems that may occur. Teachers’ planning is unsatisfactory, as it isnot based on what pupils already know and what they need to know next because the newscheme does not match the prior attainment of their pupils.

144. There is insufficient planning to meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs and thosewith English as a second language who cannot read the worksheets or writing on the screen wellenough to achieve satisfactorily, nor do teachers plan extension work for those with higher priorattainment. Teachers’ management of their classes in the computer suite is unsatisfactory as theydo not ensure that both pupils sharing a machine have equal turns in using it. Often it is the moredominant pupil who has the hands-on experience and this is not monitored sufficiently.

145. Weaknesses in teaching lead to pupils not being fully engaged in their work and not learningenough during lessons. Consequently, most lessons become noisy and behaviour needs constantchecking. In some lessons, however, there were strengths that led to satisfactory learning. Thiswas when extra adult help was used well to support particular pupils and when teachers withgreater expertise gave clear instructions about creating databases before pupils entered the suite,so they were focused on their task and could make satisfactory progress. Teaching and learning inYear 6 are unsatisfactory. Pupils’ attitudes overall are unsatisfactory- they do not look forward totheir ICT lessons because they are not engaged by the teaching.

146. The curriculum is unsatisfactory. Elements such as control technology and use of the Internet arenot yet developed. This was noted in the previous inspection and has not improved. Whilst therecent purchase of a published scheme does, in theory, ensure all elements of the NationalCurriculum programme of study are covered, it is not working in practice because it has not beenadapted to meet the particular needs, skills, interests or experiences of the pupils in the school.Consequently, pupils find the curriculum boring and are developing negative attitudes. There is very

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limited use of ICT in other subjects and so pupils do not see ICT as a meaningful tool for research,an exciting and alternative way to present their work or as an aid to communication.

147. The leadership and management of the subject are unsatisfactory, as pupils are not attainingappropriate standards and attitudes by the time they leave the school. The school has, however,recognised this and is working hard to address it. It has recently appointed a keen co-ordinatorwho has worked very hard with a local authority advisor to devise a detailed action plan to movethe school forward. This contains references to all aspects noted as unsatisfactory during theinspection. The co-ordinator’s ability to support other teachers this year has been hamperedbecause she is part time, has not had any opportunities to monitor teaching and learning and doesnot teach in Years 1 to 6. The lack of a budget allowance has prevented the co-ordinator fromattending the termly local co-ordinators meetings to keep abreast of developments and shareexpertise with colleagues from other schools. The school is, however, changing her duties fromSeptember so that she can demonstrate class lessons and work alongside teachers throughoutthe school in order to increase their expertise, identify training needs and gain a first-handknowledge of the strengths and weaknesses in the subject.

148. The school’s procedures for assessing what pupils already know and can do in order to plan fortheir future learning in ICT are unsatisfactory. Recognising this, a new assessment sheet has beenintroduced this term. The school acknowledges the need to have a complete audit of its hardwareand that it needs to replace some of it. Teachers currently complain of incompatibility betweenhardware and software and of machines breaking down or not working. There is no systemwhereby machines are mended quickly, which causes frustration. Although the school has madeunsatisfactory progress in ICT since the last inspection, it is well placed to improve.

MUSIC

149. Standards in music remain average throughout the school. All pupils, including those with specialeducational needs or having English as an additional language, achieve satisfactorily.

150. By the end of Year 2, the majority of pupils sing songs in tune and have a clear understanding ofpitch and rhythm. They know the names of simple percussion instruments and use theinstruments competently when performing simple phrases. Pupils perform together satisfactorily,as in a Year 1 and 2 lesson where they sang 'One, two buckle my shoe’. They show pleasure intheir performances and work hard to improve them.

151. Pupils continue to make satisfactory progress as they move through Years 3 to 6. They sing morecomplex songs and hymns supported by regular hymn practice, a published scheme of work andlimited input by a specialist music teacher who supports learning across these year groups inturn. By Year 6, pupils have developed an appropriate understanding of the language related towritten music but have limited opportunities to represent their own compositions in personalnotation in the process. They build up a satisfactory appreciation of music from a variety of periodsand cultures and this is supported well by the weekly music played during assembly, visitingdrummers and a gospel choir, for example.

152. The overall quality of teaching is good, and it is sometimes very good. Lessons are generally wellplanned and organised and contain a good range of activities that engages the interest of thepupils. In a high quality Year 4 lesson taken by the specialist music teacher, the wide range andvariety of challenging tasks also kept the pupils well motivated throughout. Here even the clappingtechnique used by the teacher to focus the pupils changed throughout the lesson and constituteda learning process as well as an attention aid.

153. Lessons based around a published scheme are also executed competently, teachers using thepre-recorded tapes as a basis for the lesson but also including a significant input of their own. In aYear 5 lesson based around the song 'It's never gonna be the same again', the teacher used hisown powerful voice well to help the pupils to learn this new song. Lessons overall are challengingand purposeful, although opportunities for pupils to listen to their own or other’s performances andto appraise constructively these are more limited. The support of literacy through the display and

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use of key words, for example, was not evident. Pupils’ attitudes to music throughout the schoolare good however. The quality of teaching has improved since the last inspection, when it wasjudged to be satisfactory.

154. The curriculum is satisfactory and supported appropriately by visiting musicians. Regular musicalperformances such as ‘Grease’ also support learning well, as well as performances at Christmasand Easter. There is an active school choir, which also helps to raise the profile of the subjectwithin the school. Pupils are formally assessed annually and this information is satisfactorilyincluded in the school’s report to parents. There is now a subject co-ordinator who is also apianist, and this is an improvement since the last inspection. However, the role of the co-ordinatorhas not yet been developed to include the systematic monitoring of teaching and learning withinthe school. Resources are adequate and some use is made of electronic keyboards, however thesupport of the subject by information and communication technology is capable of furtherdevelopment. Music contributes well towards pupils' spiritual, social and cultural development.Overall, the subject has made good improvement since the last inspection.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

155. Whilst standards at the end of Year 6 remain below average, because of a deficit in teaching in thepast, standards in Years 3 to 5 match what is expected for children of their age. By the end ofYear 2, standards are average, as they were at the time of the last inspection.

156. By the end of Year 2 pupils have an appropriate awareness of space and use a variety of methodsof exploring it. In Year 1, pupils move in different directions focusing on different body parts andshowing an awareness of suitable landing procedures at the end of sequences. They have anappropriate awareness of those around them and describe positive features in their ownperformance and those of others, sometimes suggesting improvements. Overall pupils, includingthose whose first language is not English, achieve satisfactorily. Pupils with special educationalneeds make sound progress related to their individual prior attainment.

157. By the end of Year 6, pupils are able to link sequences of movement, use relevant equipment andhave appropriate ball skills. The majority of pupils, however, do not show sufficient control andprecision for pupils of their age. In Year 3, however, pupils use appropriate movement and planningskills well, devising and acting out dinosaur movements in dance, and Year 5 pupils combineappropriate skills of observation, estimation and co-ordination together with stamina inorienteering. The achievement of pupils has improved since the last inspection, particularly in Year3 and some of Year 5, but this improvement has not yet reached pupils in Year 6. Achievementoverall, therefore, remains unsatisfactory in Years 3 to 6.

158. Teaching in Years 1 and 2 is satisfactory overall. It is good overall in Years 3 to 6. Teaching hasimproved since the last inspection when a third of the teaching was judged to be unsatisfactoryand the overall quality was satisfactory. Teachers' management of pupils during indoor and outdooractivities is generally good. This and the good relationships displayed in the majority of lessonsencourage positive responses from the pupils. In a Year 6 gymnastics’ lesson, for example, thepupils worked purposefully in pairs to develop their skills and this enabled the teacher to movearound and work with a variety of pupils, developing their skills and producing overall good learningin this lesson.

159. In the most effective lessons, pupils are active, tasks are challenging and teachers usedemonstrations and questioning well in order to help pupils improve their skills. In a Year 3 lesson,for example, the teacher's questions helped the pupils to recognise the heavy quality ofmovements required to portray a waking dinosaur and to include this in their own portrayals. InYear 6, similarly, pupils were guided to improve the quality of movement in their fairground ridesequences. In less effective lessons, pupils rehearse movements but with limited improvementbecause the teacher does not help them to recognise quality in movement or encourage them tosuggest how these can be improved further.

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160. Teachers provide opportunities for pupils to work individually, in pairs, small groups or as a wholeclass and this contributes well to their social development. Opportunities to develop pupils’ skillsin speaking and listening are sound in the majority of lessons; however, opportunities to supportnumeracy are sometimes missed. Good links are made with music in dance lessons and, forexample, through the use of different types of percussion instruments to accompany differenttypes of jumps in a Year 2 gymnastics lesson. The use of information and communicationtechnology to support learning is limited.

161. The planned programme of study has improved since the last inspection. It meets NationalCurriculum requirements and is now satisfactory. Swimming skills are developed in the first term ofYear 6, however, which may not allow slower learners to develop the appropriate skills and doesnot help to ensure water safety for pupils throughout the majority of their time in the school. Pupils'learning continues to be supported well by a good range of extra-curricular activities and inter-school competitions. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 benefit from a range of outdoor activities during theirannual camping sessions and this too contributes well to pupils overall physical, social andpersonal development.

162. The lack of subject co-ordination and expertise was adversely affecting standards during the lastinspection. The subject is now led by a competent co-ordinator and standards are rising. The co-ordinator does not yet have time to monitor teaching and learning. The subject has made goodimprovement since the last inspection.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

163. By Year 6, pupils are not reaching the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus, althoughstandards are currently in line with expectations at the end of Year 4. Achievement in Years 5 and6 is unsatisfactory. In the last inspection, all pupils were reaching the expected standards. Thecurriculum is based on the Bromley Agreed Syllabus and is mainly of a Christian nature. Whilstthe syllabus includes other faiths such as Judaism, Islam and Hinduism, more attention needs tobe given to make this learning more meaningful, through, for example, visits and visitors related toother world faiths.

164. By Year 2, pupils are reaching the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus. Pupils in Year 2were able to talk about the different clothes that a priest wore in church and that an Imam was incharge of a mosque and a priest in charge of a church, they were able to recognise objectsspecial to Christians, recognise some religious symbols and talk about them. Higher attainingpupils in Year 4 identified Islam as a way of living, they know about the Jewish holy writings andthat the Qu’ran should never, for example, go on the floor. Pupils in Year 3 knew about the pillarsof Islam, Palm Sunday and the Easter Story.

165. Whilst able to give some facts about Islam and Judaism, pupils in Year 6 were unable to makecomparisons about different beliefs and found it difficult to express a personal view about religion.Very little time is allowed in lessons in Years 5 or 6 for discussion and there were no visitors orvisits other than of a Christian nature. As a result, pupils are not able to look for deeper meaningsin religious writings or explore how they affect their own lives.

166. Due to timetabling arrangements during the inspection it was only possible to see three lessons,one in Years 1 and 2 and two in Years 3 to 6, so it is not possible to give an overall judgement onteaching. A scrutiny of work and discussions with pupils, combined with the lessons seen,suggest that teaching is satisfactory in Years 1 and 2. The lesson seen in Year 4 was good andthe one seen in a Year 5 and 6 class was satisfactory. The lack of discussion, research andinvestigation, however, hinders learning in Years 5 and 6. Year 4 pupils made good use of literacyskills and made very good gains in understanding the Islamic way of life and the similarities withChristianity. A visiting priest in Year 2 engaged pupils’ interest when showing them vestmentsworn in church. Good relationships enabled the teacher to keep control and interveneappropriately.

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167. The current assessment sheet is based on coverage of particular topics without reference to thelevels of attainment achieved. As a result, it is difficult for teachers to match work to pupils’ priorattainment. Resources have improved since the last inspection. However, there is no evidence ofICT being used to support learning and there is insufficient use of reference books to research andinvestigate other religions.

168. Leadership and management of the subject are satisfactorily overall. The co-ordinator has correctlyidentified the need to implement more multi-cultural and inclusion aspects into the curriculum andkeeps the governing body informed of developments. Whilst she monitors teachers’ planning shehas no time to monitor teaching and learning or review a sample of pupils’ work.