St Mary's Primary School, Killyclogher: GI W/B 27 May 2002

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Education and Training Inspectorate

Report of a General Inspection

St Mary’s Primary School Killyclogher, Omagh

Inspected: May 2002 CONTENTS

Section Page

STATISTICAL INFORMATION

1. INTRODUCTION 1

2. SUMMARY OF MAIN FINDINGS 1

3. ETHOS 3

4. THE QUALITY OF TEACHING AND LEARNING 3

5. AREAS OF STUDY 5

6. MANAGEMENT ARRANGEMENTS 8

7. CONCLUSION 8 BASIC INFORMATION SHEET (BIS) - PRIMARY SCHOOLS

A. i. School: St Mary’s Primary iii. Date of Inspection: W/B 27.05.02 Killyclogher, Omagh

ii. School Reference Number: 203-2607 iv. Nature of Inspection: General

B. School Year 1997/98 1998/99 1999/00 2000/01 2001/02 Year 1 Intake 56 54 58 42 57 Enrolments Primary 336 317 349 352 358 Reception 17 22 19 12 0 Nursery Class/Classes 0 0 0 0 0 Special Unit 0 0 0 0 0

The enrolment for the current year is the figure on the day of notification of inspection. For previous years it is the figure in the annual return to the Department of Education.

The calculations at C and D should be based on the total of the primary and reception enrolments only.

C. Average Attendance for the Previous School Year (expressed as a percentage): 93.98%

Primary & Nursery Special Reception Unit Unit

D. i. Number of Teachers (including the principal and part-time teachers): 16.6 - - (Full-time equivalent = 25 teaching hours)

ii. PTR (Pupil/Teacher Ratio): 21.57 NI PTR: 19.9

iii. Average Class Size: 26

iv. Class Size (Range): 20-30

v. Ancillary Support: Number of Hours Per Week: i. Clerical support: 30 ii. Official Making A Good 30 Start Support: iii. Making A Good Start funding 0 additional hours and other classroom assistant support:

vi. Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs: 0

vii. Number of children who are not of statutory school age: 0

viii. Percentage of children entitled to free school meals: 26.5% 1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 St Mary’s Primary School is situated in the village of Killyclogher, approximately two miles from Omagh. The school serves a number of housing estates and nearby private developments. The school will move to new premises, adjacent to the present site, at the start of the next school year. Some 27% of the children are entitled to receive free school meals.

1.2 On the first day of the inspection, the inspectors met with the Board of Governors and with a group of the parents. The governors and parents praised the good quality of the children’s experiences and the dedication of the teachers. The inspection findings endorse these views. In their meetings with the inspectors, the groups of children from year 4 and year 6 reported that they feel happy and secure in the school.

1.3 The arrangements for the inspection of pastoral care included the completion of questionnaires by a sample of the parents; approximately 40% of the questionnaires issued were returned to the Department of Education (DE). The findings indicated a high degree of satisfaction with the work of the school. A small number of parents expressed a desire to be informed by the school about child protection procedures and how to support their children with their work; these issues are addressed in the body of the report.

2. SUMMARY OF MAIN FINDINGS

2.1 The relationships between the staff and the children are excellent. The teachers have created a stimulating learning environment throughout the school.

2.2 The principal and teachers know the children well and are fully committed to their welfare and education. A very caring atmosphere is evident in all of the classes. The behaviour of the children is excellent.

2.3 The school has developed strong links with the parents; they are encouraged to become involved in many aspects of school life.

2.4 The children participate in a wide range of extra-curricular activities including football, netball, hurling, basketball, music, participation at the local feis and involvement in religious festivals.

2.5 The school’s procedures are in line with those outlined in the DE Circular 1999/10, “Pastoral Care in Schools: Child Protection”. The school, however, needs to ensure that the parents are made fully aware of these procedures.

2.6 The school has prepared whole-school planning for all areas of the curriculum. The planning for some areas has been reviewed recently, resulting in valuable guidance for the teachers to help them to plan the children's learning in English, mathematics and science.

2.7 The quality of teaching is always satisfactory, frequently good and on many occasions excellent.

2.8 The children are enthusiastic and hard-working; they listen attentively, settle readily to their work and are willing and capable of taking responsibility for aspects of their own learning.

1 2.9 The school has identified a small number of children who experience difficulties with specific aspects of their learning. The special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) has a good overview of the extent of the children’s difficulties and the children make good progress.

2.10 The children benefit significantly from regular sessions of structured play. Their early learning is promoted effectively.

2.11 The children experience and enjoy a broad range of learning activities in all areas of the curriculum. The teachers in both key stages (KS) use information and communications technology (ICT) to support and enhance teaching and learning. The quality of provision in geography and history varies across the school.

2.12 All of the teachers promote, effectively, the development of talking and listening and writing across the curriculum. By the end of each KS the children read with good levels of fluency, understanding and enjoyment. The children are developing their skills as writers; many of them have created personal writing of a high quality.

2.13 By the end of KS2, the majority of the children attain satisfactory or better standards in reading, writing, mathematics and science.

2.14 The teachers monitor and mark the children's written work regularly. The school maintains comprehensive central records of the results of standardised tests and the outcomes of KS assessments. A mid-year meeting is arranged with parents to discuss their children’s progress, and an annual written report, which has been modified recently, gives details of their progress and achievement.

2.15 The principal has been in post for 12 years. She is committed to the education and welfare of the children and to improving their learning experiences and attainments.

2.16 There have been significant changes in roles and responsibilities within the staff; given the logistical challenges of moving to a new school, they need to agree a clear set of achievable priorities and procedures for the short-term development of aspects of the life and work of the school. All of the staff need to work together to ensure a collegial approach to school improvement, where individual and collective expertise are used effectively and sensitively. There needs to be more effective communication and consultation to ensure that strategic planning is more manageable and more effective.

2.17 The school has many important strengths including, the stimulating learning environment, the well behaved children, the good classroom relationships, the support of parents and the broader community, the quality of the teaching, the commitment of the principal and teachers to the welfare of the children and to the raising of the standards which the children attain.

2.18 The inspection has identified a number of issues for the school to address if it is to meet more consistently the needs of the children. In particular, there is a need for greater collegiality within the school, more effective communication and more meaningful consultation on important strategic issues.

2 3. ETHOS

3.1 The relationships between the staff and the children are excellent. The teachers have created a stimulating environment throughout the school. Classrooms and circulation areas have been made attractive by colourful displays of the children’s work, photographs of school events, merit certificates and a variety of interesting artefacts.

3.2 The principal and teachers know the children well and are committed to their welfare and education. A very caring atmosphere is evident in all of the classes. The behaviour of the children is excellent; they interact well with visitors and they are respectful of their teachers and of one another.

3.3 The school has developed strong links with the parents. They are encouraged to become involved in many aspects of school life, including participating in fund-raising events for the purchase of additional resources. The school has developed some useful curricular links with the parents in, for example, mathematics and reading; useful plans to extend these links are being developed.

3.4 The ancillary staff work well to support the work of the school; the standards of caretaking and cleaning are good.

3.5 The children participate in a wide range of extra-curricular activities including football, netball, hurling, music, participation in the local feis and involvement at religious festivals.

3.6 The school’s procedures are in line with those outlined in the DE Circular 1999/10, “Pastoral Care in Schools: Child Protection”. The school, however, needs to ensure that the parents are made fully aware of these procedures.

4. THE QUALITY OF TEACHING AND LEARNING

4.1 The school has produced whole-school planning for all areas of the curriculum. The planning for some areas has been reviewed recently, resulting in valuable guidance for the teachers to help them to plan the children’s learning in English, mathematics and science. In the other areas of the curriculum, whole-school planning is at different stages of revision and development. Individual teachers plan conscientiously for their lessons; they are beginning to identify the intended learning outcomes for the children. In addition, they are monitoring and evaluating together, the impact of their teaching on the children’s learning. The school is beginning to target specific groups of children to help them to improve aspects of their work and to enable them to reach their full potential.

4.2 The quality of teaching is always satisfactory, frequently good and on many occasions excellent. In the best practice observed, the learning outcomes were identified appropriately, the work was suitably paced and challenging, the teachers exploited opportunities to develop the children’s language and understanding through effective questioning, the work was matched well to the different abilities within the class and the learning was consolidated at the conclusion of the lesson. Where the teaching was less effective, the lessons lacked pace and clear direction and the work failed to build, effectively, on the children's previous learning.

3 4.3 The children are enthusiastic and hard-working; they listen attentively, settle readily to their work and are willing and capable of taking responsibility for aspects of their own learning. They co-operate well in pairs, small groups and in whole-class activities. By the end of each KS the children generally reach standards which are in line with their ability.

4.4 The school has identified a small number of children who experience difficulties with specific aspects of their learning. The SENCO has a good overview of the extent of the children’s difficulties. The children’s needs are diagnosed and useful programmes of support are drawn up in consultation with the class teachers. There is regular review of progress and effective liaison with the class teachers and with the parents. Three teachers have been trained in the Reading Recovery Programme; the children who receive this intensive support make good progress in learning to read and in developing their talking and listening and writing skills. The teachers in the early years classes also provide some support for individuals and small groups of children, during the last part of the school day. The Western Education and Library Board (WELB) Outreach Service provides some specialised support for a small number of children who have specific difficulties with learning and a part-time teacher provides support in language and mathematics. The provision is effective and the children who receive additional support are making good progress.

4.5 The children benefit significantly from regular and well organised sessions of structured play. The teachers and classroom assistants provide a useful range of learning activities which help to promote important aspects of the children’s learning and development. They interact sensitively with the children, to develop their language, communication and thinking. The activities support and consolidate their learning across the curriculum and provide opportunities for them to explore, create and enjoy a good range of learning resources.

4.6 The teachers use ICT to support and enhance the teaching and learning in a wide range of curriculum areas. They have completed their New Opportunities Fund (NOF) training and six of them are developing further, their skills by undertaking additional computer training courses. Under the guidance of an effective co-ordinator, an action plan and a scheme of work have been drawn up. The scheme identifies a line of progression of relevant skills, both of a generic nature and those within the strands of communication, handling information and control. The scheme also identifies the appropriate software packages to be used in the different year groups.

4.7 During the inspection, much good work was observed; for example, the children in year 7 used suitable software to prepare a Powerpoint presentation on their study of a musical show and they used a data projector to present their work to their class. There is evidence of good ICT work in the children’s books and on display in classrooms and corridors; for example, printed samples of work illustrating a high standard of skill in programming Logo. The staff record the progress of the children in each of the ICT strands and there are plans to maintain an electronic folder containing samples of ICT work for each child. The school has identified appropriate targets, including the development of modelling and the inclusion of ICT within all subject schemes of work. It is well placed to develop further the current good provision when the more modern facilities in the new school become available.

4 4.8 As part of the Education for Mutual Understanding (EMU) link with a nearby controlled primary school, a number of different year groups make regular visits to local places of interest. The children engage in a wide range of activities which support their work across the curriculum.

4.9 An awareness of the importance of a healthy diet and exercise is promoted within the school. Aspects of the science topic “Ourselves” are used effectively to increase the children’s understanding of health-related issues. Most of the children take part in the school’s Healthy Break Scheme.

5. AREAS OF STUDY

5.1 CREATIVE AND EXPRESSIVE

5.1.1 All classes have regular sessions of physical education. In the activities observed, the children followed instructions well and were able to develop movement patterns and practise specific games-related skills. In a year 1 lesson, for example, the children’s understanding of direction, number patterns and positional vocabulary was developed and consolidated well through a series of appropriate movement activities. The older children develop their knowledge and skills within the context of formal team games including netball, football, basketball and hurling. Coaches from local teams visit the school regularly to provide additional tuition. While there is guidance to support the teaching of gymnastics throughout the school, planning for other areas such as dance and games needs to be reviewed and developed further.

5.1.2 The children have valuable and enjoyable experiences in music. They listen to a variety of different kinds of music including opera, songs from musicals and classical pieces. In the lessons seen, the children listened carefully and thoughtfully, they talked knowledgeably about the life of the composer and they captured the mood of the music well as they worked in small groups to create musical sequences to illustrate their ideas. The children enjoy creating their own interpretive music and they use a good range of percussion instruments. They have opportunities to sing, to play the tin whistle from year 4 onwards and to perform at school shows and at religious festivals in school and in the community. The children have opportunities to sing in the school choir and to perform in local competitions. Some of the children who are learning to play woodwind instruments receive tuition from the WELB Music Service. The children benefit from the musical experiences which are provided.

5.1.3 In art and design, the children have extensive opportunities to work with a wide variety of media and materials to express their ideas and to illustrate their work across the curriculum. The younger children have created bold and colourful pictures linked to class topics; they have opportunities to work with clay and other resources to make models. The older children have looked at sculpture within the neighbourhood and they have created their own impressive sculpture using card, boxes and paper. The children are aware of the work of famous artists; they have a good understanding of how colour and style are used to create particular atmospheres and moods. In many of the classes the children have made models to illustrate their work in history, for example, houses through the ages and Viking ships. The children are developing good skills through enjoyable experiences in art and design; their work is valued and celebrated within the school.

5 5.2 ENGLISH

5.2.1 The teachers work conscientiously to develop the children’s experiences in literacy. They have benefited from attending recent in-service training courses and from school-based workshop sessions. A useful action plan has been prepared and the teachers have supported one another well in sharing practice and in extending their teaching approaches and resources. The children benefit considerably from a broad range of learning activities which enable them to develop their skills of talking and listening, reading and writing.

5.2.2 All of the teachers promote, effectively, the development of talking and listening and writing across the curriculum. The children respond with confidence in class discussion; they are encouraged to share their ideas, feeling and comments and to make sustained responses. In many of the lessons seen, the children listened attentively to their teachers and to one another. They responded readily and with ease and the teachers valued the children’s individual contributions. The quality of the children’s talking and listening is good.

5.2.3 The teachers use a variety of effective approaches to teach the children to read. Shared and guided reading sessions are used well to develop the children’s interest in books and reading. In the early years the children are developing a secure foundation in learning to read and write. Programmes such as Paired Reading have encouraged parents and children to read and share stories and to provide contexts in which reading skills can be developed. Supplementary reading schemes and additional reading texts have been provided to enable the children to read widely. In all of the classes the teachers have displays of books to support class topics and the central school library is used well. The older children enjoy reading novels which they use well to support their work in other subjects. In year 6, for example, the children prepared character portraits and discussed the context of the Roald Dahl stories to help them to gain valuable insights into the writing style used by the author. Captions for paintings, personal news and photographs are used well as resources for reading within the class. Many of the children talk with enjoyment about books which they have read and about their favourite authors. By the end of each KS the children achieve satisfactory or better standards in reading which are commensurate with their ability; they read with good levels of fluency, understanding and enjoyment.

5.2.4 The children progressively develop their skills as writers; they have written in a wide range of forms in, for example, science, history, religious education and mathematics. Many of the children have created personal writing of a high quality; some of the children have had pieces of their personal writing published.

5.3 ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY

5.3.1 The quality of provision in geography and history varies within the school. In years 1 and 2, the teachers have identified appropriate topics such as “Homes”, “Weather” and “The Seasons”, within which to develop the children's learning. By the end of KS1, the children have a good understanding of weather conditions and are able to build up accurate records of weather changes over the seasons. In addition, they are able to draw simple plans and maps. The children’s appreciation of chronology is developed through the making of family timelines, through the examination and discussion of artefacts and by examining the changes in style of houses over the years. In the year 1 classes, the children used old washing implements as part of their study of homes to learn about life in the past.

6 5.3.2 In KS2, the children’s experiences in geography are extended to include a more detailed examination of plans and map work, further weather studies and an awareness of different landscapes and knowledge of countries within the European Union and of Kenya. Some of this work is supported by appropriate fieldwork and by accessing and presenting information through ICT sources. The children have opportunities to explore some environmental issues, for example, in year 3 they visited a local landfill site. There is, however, an insufficient emphasis on the acquisition of geographical skills within both key stages.

5.3.3 In KS2, the children examine a number of history topics, including “Life in Early Times”, “Vikings” and “The Victorians”. Some good cross-curricular links support the children’s learning; for example, one of the novels studied by the children in year 7, is set in the Victorian period. The children in year 6 have designed and made replicas of Viking jewellery. Visits to relevant historical sites enhance further, the children’s understanding. The scheme of work for history is currently under review. It is appropriate that the progressive acquisition of historical skills has been identified as an area for development.

5.4 MATHEMATICS

5.4.1 The teachers have developed a whole-school scheme of work which provides guidance on the progression of the skills and concepts for the attainment targets in Number, Measures, Shape and Space, and Handling Data. Their medium and daily planning ensures that these skills and concepts are taught through an appropriate balance of practical work, ICT-based activities, and oral and written work. In addition, good cross-curricular links ensure that the children apply their learning in meaningful contexts. There is, however, a need to focus, more sharply, on identifying the intended learning for the children and to take greater account of the full range of abilities in each class.

5.4.2 During the inspection, a variety of activities were used effectively to develop the children’s understanding of mathematical concepts. The children in a year 1 class, for example, developed their understanding of addition by sorting blocks using the attributes of size and colour. The teacher added to the effectiveness of the lesson through the careful use of appropriate mathematical language. The children in the year 4 classes were introduced to the importance of standard units of mass by using a selection of familiar classroom equipment to weigh everyday objects. While much good work in mathematical processes is initiated through the discussion and thinking which accompanies activities such as these, there is a need to develop further the role of formal investigative work, particularly at KS2. By the end of KS2, most of the children achieve good standards in mathematics commensurate with their abilities. They have a secure understanding of important aspects of mathematics and a majority of them talk clearly about their learning to their teachers and to one another.

5.5 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

5.5.1 The scheme of work for science outlines the content and skills to be covered in each year group and identifies useful progression in the children’s learning experiences. Helpful learning outcomes have been defined in the six-weekly plans along with strategies for monitoring and evaluating the extent to which the learning outcomes have been attained. In the early years the children develop scientific ideas through sessions of structured play and through topic-based learning. Practical work is used well to develop the children’s

7 knowledge and understanding of scientific concepts and ideas. The children in year 2, for example, investigated the conditions necessary for cress seeds to grow and they demonstrated a good understanding of scientific ways of working. This solid start is consolidated at KS2 and the children develop their skills and knowledge progressively. There is, however, some narrowing of practical work in year 6 and the progressive development of technological skills is under-developed throughout the school. The children are making good progress in science and they have a good understanding of scientific ways of working.

6. MANAGEMENT ARRANGEMENTS

6.1 The teachers monitor and mark the children’s written work regularly, often with annotated and supportive comments to help them to improve their work. The school maintains comprehensive central records of the results of standardised tests and the outcomes of KS assessments. The ready access to, and interrogation of, these records aids the monitoring of the children’s progress. It helps to identify the children who require additional support in their learning and informs the setting of targets for the improvement in the standards being attained by the children in English and mathematics. A mid-year meeting is arranged with parents to discuss their children’s progress and an annual written report, which has been modified recently, gives details of their progress and achievement.

6.2 The principal has been in post for 12 years. She is committed to the education and welfare of the children, to improving their learning experiences and the standards which they attain. She has overseen the implementation of a number of important curricular initiatives.

6.3 The staff have completed a valuable audit which outlines the current position together with the issues for development in each area of the curriculum. The findings of this audit provide important information to help the staff to shape the new school development plan. There have been significant changes in roles and responsibilities within the staff; given the logistical challenges of moving to a new school, they need to agree a clear set of achievable priorities and procedures for the short-term development of aspects of the life and work of the school. All of the staff need to work together to ensure a collegial approach to school improvement, where individual and collective expertise are used effectively and sensitively. There needs to be more effective communication and consultation to make strategic planning more manageable and more effective.

7. CONCLUSION

7.1 The school has many important strengths including, the stimulating learning environment, the well behaved children, the good classroom relationships, the support of parents and the broader community, the quality of the teaching, the commitment of the principal and teachers to the welfare of the children and to the raising of the standards which the children attain.

7.2 The inspection has identified a number of issues for the school to address if it is to meet more consistently the needs of the children. In particular, there is a need for greater collegiality within the school, more effective communication and more meaningful consultation on important strategic issues.

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Copies of this report may be obtained from the Inspection Services Branch, Department of Education, Rathgael House, 43 Balloo Road, Bangor, Co Down BT19 7PR. A copy is also available on the DE website: www.deni.gov.uk