BASIC INFORMATION SHEET (BIS) - PRIMARY SCHOOLS
A. i. School: D H Christie Memorial Primary iii.Date of Inspection: W/B20/03/01
ii.School Reference Number: 301-2284 iv. Nature of Inspection: General
B.
School Year / 1996/97 / 1997/98 / 1998/99 / 1999/00 / 2000/01Year 1 Intake / 64 / 54 / 64 / 60 / 59
Enrolments
Primary / 479 / 469 / 452 / 450 / 423
Reception / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0
Nursery Class/Classes / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0
Special Unit / 12 / 12 / 11 / 12 / 11
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):96.34%
Primary &NurserySpecial Reception Unit Unit
D. i.Number of Teachers
(including the principal and part-time teachers):16.4-1
(Full-time equivalent = 25 teaching hours)
ii.PTR (Pupil/Teacher Ratio):25.79 NI PTR: 19.9
iii.Average Class Size:30.2
iv.Class Size (Range):26-32
v.Ancillary Support:
Number of Hours Per Week: i.Clerical support:50
ii. Official Making A Good30
Start Support:
iii. Making A Good Start funding65
additional hours and other
classroom assistant support:
vi.Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs:1
vii.Number of children who are not of statutory school age:0
viii. Number of families in school:318
ix.Percentage of children entitled to free school meals:6%
1.INTRODUCTION
1.1D H Christie Memorial Primary School is situated on the western side of Coleraine. Almost all of the children come from the town. The enrolment has decreased over recent years; the annual intake is at the maximum set by the Department of Education and the school reports that places for entry are over-subscribed. Approximately 6% of the children are entitled to free school meals. The school has identified 10% of the children as in need of additional help with their learning.
1.2The arrangements for the inspection of pastoral care included the completion of questionnaires by the parents as well as meetings with parents, governors and children. Returns were made by approximately two-thirds of the parents who received questionnaires. The comments indicated that parents and governors are very supportive of the work of the school. They commended the caring ethos, the good relationships, the organisation and reputation of the school in the community. In addition, the parents reported that their children were well settled at school, found their work interesting and were given an appropriate amount of homework. In general, the inspection report confirms the views expressed. A minority of parents did not feel well-informed about the school’s child protection procedures. While a number of parents reported a good level of communication with the school and its management, a similar number expressed concern about their contacts with the school. A minority of parents were unhappy with the large numbers of children in some of the classes. This report makes comment on these concerns in paragraphs 2.2, 2.7, 3.5, 6.3 and 6.4 below.
2.SUMMARY OF MAIN FINDINGS
2.1A caring ethos permeates the life and work of the school. The children are co-operative and well-behaved. There is a good environment for learning. The garden area and pond are valuable resources for the children’s learning.
2.2The children engage in a wide range of extra-curricular activities which include sporting, cultural and social elements. The youth club provides the older children with a range of interesting experiences and is a valuable centre for the wider community. The school enjoys good support from parents and governors. The school is implementing fully the guidance outlined in the Department of Education’s Circular 1999/10, “Pastoral Care in Schools: Child Protection”. The arrangements for reporting the children’s progress to parents are reasonable.
2.3The teachers are hard-working and conscientious. Whole-school planning is generally sound; it is implemented more effectively in key stage 1 (KS1) than in KS2. The quality of the individual planning ranges from excellent to weak; in general, the teachers prepare well for their lessons. The quality of teaching is always satisfactory, often good and at times excellent. In a few KS2 classes, the children have a narrow range of experiences and there is a lack of challenge in their work.
2.4The children are well motivated to learn. The quality of the presentation of their work is excellent. The children at KS1 often achieve good to excellent standards. In KS2, the children make progress which is sound or good relative to their ability. There is evidence that the confidence and achievements of the older children could be higher, particularly for the more able children.
2.5The children develop good standards in reading and writing. In mathematics and science, they gain a thorough knowledge of the essential concepts and theory but they have more limited experience in investigation and practical work. In their other subjects, the children have a range of useful experiences although they have insufficient opportunities to talk about and evaluate their own and one another’s work. School trips and visits are used well to stimulate the children’s interest and widen their educational and social experience.
2.6There is good provision for the children identified as having special educational needs (SEN). The children receive support matched to their needs in English and mathematics. Detailed records are maintained and the children make steady progress.
2.7The school development plan needs to be reviewed in the light of the inspection findings so as to prioritise the work of school in a sustainable way, with a clear emphasis on teaching and learning. It is timely that the school has identified the review of staff roles and responsibilities as an area for development. In general, there is insufficient monitoring and evaluation of the quality of the teaching or the standards maintained by the children. There are some deficiencies in the curricular organisation. There is evidence that the size of a few of the classes is restricting the children’s opportunities to engage in practical and investigative activities, particularly where the class is based in a smaller room.
2.8The quality of the accommodation is generally good. There are inadequate storage areas throughout the school. The quality of caretaking is good.
2.9D H Christie Memorial Primary School has many important strengths. These include the caring ethos and good relationships; the hard-working and committed teachers; the range of extra-curricular provision, including the youth club; the well-behaved children with a positive attitude to learning; the stimulating learning environment both inside and outside the school; the quality of the teaching which is always satisfactory, often good and at times excellent; the high standards of presentation of the children’s work; the good standards in KS1 and sound standards at KS2 and the very good SEN provision. The inspection has identified important areas for improvement including the need for the more effective implementation of planning; the need for greater challenge and a wider range of learning experiences in a few KS2 classes; the need for a critical review of the roles and responsibilities of the teachers to include a systematic monitoring and evaluation of planning, teaching and learning. These issues need to be addressed if the school is to meet, more consistently, the needs of all the children.
3.ETHOS
3.1A caring ethos permeates the life and work of the school. The teachers are committed to the children’s needs and they give much additional time to their care. The children are friendly, polite and well-mannered. They co-operate well with their teachers and with one another. The children are encouraged by the teachers to develop self-discipline. There is a clear team spirit among the teaching and ancillary staff which facilitates the co-operative working of the school.
3.2Attractive displays of the children’s work enhance the classrooms and the circulation areas in the school, and are used well by the teachers to stimulate the children’s interest and review their learning. These displays include many photographs of events and activities which celebrate the children’s achievements. The school is set in spacious and well maintained grounds. The garden area and pond are valuable and effectively used resources for elements of the children’s work across the curriculum.
3.3The children have opportunities to participate in a wide range of extra-curricular activities which complement and extend their curricular experiences. They enjoy a variety of sports and some of the school teams have achieved notable success in local and national competitions. All of the children have opportunities to perform through music or drama in regular performances. These opportunities include a vibrant orchestra and the annual musical show. The children go on educational visits which provide a clear stimulus for their learning. The older children have the opportunity for residential visits to an outdoor educational centre, London or the ski trip to Bulgaria. The school organises a lively and friendly youth club where the older children and their friends can play games, use the Internet café and other information and communications technology (ICT) resources, and make visits to local recreation facilities. The youth club is an important centre for the wider community.
3.4The parents and governors are strongly supportive of the school. The active Parents’ Association organises fund raising and social events. In recent years, for example, it has helped the school to purchase books and the sound system in the assembly hall. The children regularly raise considerable amounts for a range of charities. The Honourable The Irish Society maintains close and supportive links with the school.
3.5The school is implementing fully the guidance outlined in the Department of Education’s Circular 1999/10, “Pastoral Care in Schools: Child Protection”. The teachers know well the children and their backgrounds; this knowledge is used effectively to promote the education and welfare of the children. The school is developing a useful pastoral care programme which provides opportunity for the children to talk about issues which concern them.
4.THE QUALITY OF LEARNING AND TEACHING
4.1Whole school planning is generally sound. In KS1, the teachers have agreed a useful format for their half-term planners. Across the school, the teachers in each year group plan together and so promote a consistent experience at each stage. In some KS2 classes, the teaching and learning experiences do not reflect sufficiently the whole-school planning in many subjects. The quality of the individual planning ranges from excellent to weak; in general, the teachers prepare well for their lessons.
4.2The quality of teaching is always satisfactory, often good and at times excellent. The features of the good practice seen include work which is well matched to the range of ability of the children; the use of a variety of teaching approaches; lessons which are well ordered with a good introduction and appropriate review or conclusion; good pace in the work and clarity on the part of the children as to what they should learn. In many instances, the teachers make good reference to previous learning and the activities are well-linked to the children’s interests and the world around them. In a few KS2 classes, the children have a narrow range of experiences and there is a lack of challenge in their work.
4.3The children are well motivated to learn. Often they enjoy their work and show interest and enthusiasm. The quality of the presentation of the children’s work is excellent. The children at KS1 often achieve good to excellent standards. In KS2, the children make progress which is sound or good relative to their ability. There is evidence that the confidence and achievements of the older children could be higher, particularly for the more able children.
4.4The children’s work is always marked. In the best practice, the teachers’ comments identify strengths and weaknesses and encourage improvement in the children’s work.
4.5The school has identified 44 children requiring additional support with their learning. A clear whole-school policy guides the school’s provision for these children. The procedures for identification of the children’s special needs are sound and the teachers draw up appropriate education plans which ensure that the support is focused carefully on the children’s needs. The children receive additional support in language and mathematics, according to their needs. In most instances, the children are withdrawn from class to receive regular sessions of support; there is also some in-class support. The special needs teachers are suitably qualified and provide a supportive environment which raises the children’s self-esteem and encourages them to participate fully in the well-planned and varied learning activities. The SEN co-ordinator maintains comprehensive records and there are regular reviews of the children’s progress. The children enjoy the support sessions and participate enthusiastically. There is evidence that the support is assisting the children to make steady progress. The school makes a significant and effective investment in special educational needs, both in terms of teaching time and resources.
4.6There is a good element of Education for Mutual Understanding (EMU) in the life and work of the school. The children communicate with their peers in schools in Greece and Sweden as part of the Comenius Project. Over the past five years, the children have worked with others from a neighbouring maintained school under the Coastal Guardians Scheme. The children learn about healthy eating and the benefits of regular exercise as an integral part of their experiences.
4.7Many good examples of the integration of ICT into the children’s learning were observed during the inspection. The school has made progress in identifying the levels of ICT expertise of the staff and a suitable staff development programme is in place. All teachers use the computer in their own rooms and make good use of the school’s ICT suite. There is, however, a variation in the extent to which ICT is used across the year groups. There is a need to define and record the skills which the children should develop in each year group and to implement a programme which builds on the work in the previous year groups. By year7, the children have developed good communication and information handling skills, for example, they make competent use of CD-ROMs and the Internet for research purposes. However, the ICT strands of modelling, measurement and control are underdeveloped. The use of databases and spreadsheets to input and manipulate information is at an early stage of development.
5.AREAS OF STUDY
5.1CREATIVE AND EXPRESSIVE
5.1.1Throughout the school there are displays of the children’s work in art and design. Much of the work is used effectively to support topics being studied across the curriculum. The children have a good range of experiences, and there are many examples of them having opportunities to produce work in two dimensions using a range of media. In general, there are insufficient opportunities to develop three-dimensional work. In the best practice seen, the teaching is based on clear learning outcomes and provides suitable opportunities for the children to develop skills in an appropriate range of materials and processes. In a number of craft lessons, the children have insufficient opportunities to develop their own creativity. Appropriately, the children learn about and investigate the work of artists, and they observe artefacts. In year 7, the children talk confidently about their investigation of the work of Picasso. Opportunities for the children to talk about and evaluate their own and one another’s work are underdeveloped.
5.1.2The children make and respond to music throughout the school; the policy document for music highlights opportunities for the children to compose, listen, perform and respond to music. In the excellent work observed at KS1, the children selected instruments and created a simple sound story in response to a narrative; the children showed well-developed listening skills and good recognition of rhythm. In KS2, the children sing, and also make and respond to music. A greater range of teaching approaches is required to motivate, interest and challenge some of the children. Peripatetic music teachers help teachers to provide tuition for those children learning to play woodwind, brass and stringed instruments; this group forms a high quality school orchestra. Throughout the year, good opportunities are provided for all the children to perform at assemblies and for parents.
5.1.3The children enjoy physical education, and the vast majority participate in the range of activities with enthusiasm. The programme at KS1 is broad and balanced. During the afternoon sessions at KS2, the children participate in a range of games, swimming and some have opportunities to dance. The structure and pace of a year 2 dance lesson were good; the children showed concentration when performing difficult sustained movements and were developing awareness and control of their body shape. The standard of the children’s ball-handling skills in rugby and football is good, and they are gaining basic skills in hockey. In most instances, the children are given insufficient opportunities to observe and talk about their own and one another’s performances. The school has appropriately identified the need for a review of the physical education policy and schemes of work, as well as the nature and scope of the afternoon programme.