BASIC INFORMATION SHEET (BIS) - PRIMARY SCHOOLS

Governors' Inspection Response

A.        i.     School:  Belvoir Park Primary, Belfast     

           iii.   Date of Inspection: W/B 25.04.05
                                

           ii.     School Reference Number:  401-3013    

iv.   Nature of Inspection:  FI/Mathematics/ICT

B.

            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):                                                                  94%

                                                                                                             Primary      Nursery         SEN Unit

D.        i.     Number of Teachers
                  (including the principal and part-time teachers):                    13                   2                   3
                  (Full-time equivalent = 25 teaching hours)

           ii.     PTR (Pupil/Teacher Ratio):                          20.38                     NI PTR:  20.0

          iii.     Average Class Size:                                     26.5

          iv.     Class Size (Range):                                     16 to 28

          v.     Ancillary Support:
                  Number of Hours Per Week:            i.     Clerical support:                           30

                                                                          ii.     Official Making A Good                25

                                                                                 Start Support:
                                                                         iii.     Making A Good Start funding        5

                                                                                 additional hours and other

                                                                                 classroom assistant support:

          vi.     Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs:                      3

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

        viii.     Percentage of children entitled to free school meals:                                      16.5%

1.         Introduction

1.1       Belvoir Park Primary School is located in Castlereagh, Belfast .  The South-Eastern Education and Library Board (SEELB) has established, within the school, three learning support classes for children who experience moderate learning difficulties in speech and language.  The school also has a two-teacher nursery unit which is situated within the same building.  The majority of the children come from the adjoining Belvoir area; the remaining children travel into the area from the surrounding districts.  Just over 16% of the children are entitled to free school meals.

1.2       Prior to the inspection, the parents received a confidential questionnaire seeking their views about the life and work of the school.  About 50% of the questionnaires were completed and returned to the Department of Education (DE).  A number of parents added written comments to the questionnaires; where appropriate, the matters raised were discussed with the Principal and the Chairman of the Board of Governors.  The issues raised by the parents are addressed within the body of the report.  The parents also expressed their satisfaction with the work of the school.

1.3       The Education and Training Inspectorate (Inspectorate) met with a group of children from year 6.  They spoke very positively about the school and reported that they felt happy and secure and know whom to turn to if they have a concern.

1.4       The inspection focused on the work in mathematics, information and communication technology (ICT) and pastoral care, including the arrangements for child protection.

2.         The Quality of the Children’s Work

2.1       This is a welcoming school in which the children are courteous, friendly and co-operative; in general, they are well-behaved in class.  The teaching and non-teaching staff know the children well and are sensitive to their individual needs.  Around the school, colourful displays celebrate the children’s work, activities and achievements.  The school has identified the need to extend the range of after-school activities.

2.2       The school has procedures in place which implement the guidance outlined in DE Circular 1999/10, “Pastoral Care in Schools:  Child Protection” and is working towards fulfilling the requirements of DE Circular 2003/13, “Welfare and Protection of Pupils Education and Libraries ( Northern Ireland ) Order”.  In the past year, there has been an effective focus on promoting positive working relationships and behaviour.  The school’s procedures for the further development of positive behaviour strategies need to include, appropriately, consultation with both parents and children.

2.3       The parents are actively involved in the life and work of the school.  The Parent-Teacher Association holds fund-raising events to assist the school in the purchase of additional resources.  The newly-appointed mathematics co-ordinator works hard to involve parent volunteers in the Family Numeracy Project.

2.4       The standard of caretaking and cleaning in the school is excellent.  The caretaker, cleaning staff, secretary and the other ancillary personnel contribute significantly to promoting and maintaining a pleasant working environment for the teachers and for the children.

2.5       The teachers are hard-working and committed.  During the inspection, the quality of the teaching observed was always satisfactory and in a minority of lessons it was good.  In the best practice, the expected learning outcomes were made clear at the outset, reiterated during the course of the lesson and recapped at the end; throughout the lesson the children were encouraged to give extended responses.

2.6       In the lessons seen, the children were pleasant, friendly and respectful of their teachers.  In the main, they engaged purposefully in the learning activities; in the best practice, they had opportunities to discuss and deliberate with their peers and within groups.  In lessons seen, a minority of children were capable of reaching higher standards than they currently achieve.

2.7       All of the classes in key stage (KS) 1 have sessions of structured play in their weekly timetable.  In the best practice, the teachers provide a wide range of appropriate, well-resourced activities that encourage the children to develop their mathematical language and social skills.  The school is aware of the need to update and develop the structured play policy, and to ensure continuity and progression for those children coming through from the Nursery Unit.

2.8       There are 27 children enrolled in the KS2 Speech and Language Department.  All the children have statements of special educational needs (SEN); 59% of the children have an autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), the others have speech and language difficulties.  The classrooms are well-resourced and are suitably structured to help meet the specific learning needs of individual children.  The children behave well and understand the reward system and strategies for appropriate behaviour.

2.9       The head of the department has experience and expertise in teaching children with ASD or speech and language difficulties, and ably supports the other two teachers in the department.  The teachers’ planning and recording are good and focus effectively on the children’s individual needs.  The children’s books are marked with helpful and encouraging comments.  The children in the Speech and Language Department integrate effectively with some of the mainstream classes for history and religious education.

2.10     The school has identified just over one-fifth of the children as requiring additional help with aspects of their learning or behaviour.  There are effective procedures in place to identify those children requiring special help at an early stage.  A small number of the children benefit significantly from their participation in a Reading Recovery programme, introduced to the school during this year.  While Individual Education Plans (IEPs) have been devised for each child, the targets need to be more specific in terms of learning goals for the children, and the reviews of progress need to be more detailed and evaluative.  The school needs to analyse more systematically all of the available data, and use it to measure and evaluate the children’s progress and achievements.

2.11     The school identified numeracy as a priority in 2002 and chose to participate in the Northern Ireland Numeracy Strategy (NINS) in the same year.  The ensuing progress has been slow and the recently-appointed numeracy co-ordinator has identified appropriately the need to develop action plans with clearly defined targets to effect improvement in the teaching and learning of mathematics.

2.12     There is undue variation in the quality of the teachers’ planning.  In the best practice, for example in the Speech and Language Department, the intended learning outcomes are identified clearly, opportunities for ICT, mental mathematics and links with other curricular areas are highlighted and the learning activities are differentiated to match the varying ability levels within the class.

2.13     Most of the children enjoyed their mathematics lessons and concentrated well on their work.  There were some instances of skilful questioning, but generally, the children’s oral contributions could be developed further to extend their ability to think and communicate mathematically.  In KS1, the children have gathered data and constructed simple graphs to record a variety of information.  In a minority of the lessons observed, the children had good opportunities to apply their learning to problem-solving and investigative activities; in year 6, for example, the children were observed designing and making mathematical games, and the year 7 children made effective use of the nearby woodland area to use clinometers to calculate the heights of trees.  This good practice should be developed further across the school.

2.14     The children’s ICT skills vary across the classes.  Consequently, there is a need to improve the planning and practice for the integration of ICT to support learning, and to implement better the whole-school strategy for the development and progression of the children’s ICT capabilities.  The school recognises the need to build on the existing good practice, to further embed and assess ICT across the curriculum, and to provide more opportunities for the children across all the ICT strands.  The staff would benefit from further opportunities for professional development in the use of ICT to enhance the children’s learning.

2.15     The children are motivated well by the inclusion of ICT in lessons and a number of examples of the use of ICT to support and extend the children’s learning were observed.  In KS1, many of the children use educational games to practise and consolidate literacy and mathematical skills; the year 3 children produce good quality graphs and pictures using appropriate software.  The year 5 children, involved in the “Dissolving Boundaries Project”, develop and apply appropriate Internet research, multi-media presentation and electronic communication skills.  In years 6, they communicate effectively with peers in Canada using electronic mail, and design and create multi-media presentations, incorporating digital images.

2.16     The recently appointed Principal provides strong leadership, and is enthusiastic and hard-working.  He is strongly committed to the life, work and future development of the school.  He is supportive of his staff and knows the children well.  He has put in place effective procedures to create an ordered environment for learning and teaching.  The inspection findings confirm the school’s identification that there is a need to define more closely the curricular roles and responsibilities of the various members of staff, particularly the post-holders.  The matters raised in this report have already been identified by the school; it should consider adjusting its development plan to prioritise the areas identified for improvement, particularly, mathematics, ICT, structured play and some matters of child protection.

2.17     A sound start has been made in implementing arrangements for monitoring the quality of teaching and learning.  These arrangements need to continue, in particular to use the first-hand evidence presently being gained from monitoring to inform the teaching and to improve further the learning.  The school needs to develop its use of standardised scores and benchmarking data in order to determine the children’s progress and to set appropriate targets for further improvement.  The Principal has completed recently a self-evaluation of the whole-school provision.  The subsequent self-evaluative report was of a good quality and this good practice could usefully be adapted and used by all the subject co-ordinators to audit, monitor and evaluate the areas for improvement identified during the inspection.

2.18     The inspection findings identify as important areas for development the dissemination of the existing good practice, the increased involvement of the co-ordinators in monitoring and evaluating the quality of experiences and the standards reached in their respective areas of responsibility, and a sharper focus on the standards expected and achieved in each of the key stages.

2.19     Information on the children’s progress is reported to the parents at two parent-teacher consultations in the first and second terms, and through a written report in the third term.  These written reports could usefully be adjusted to ensure that those for the older children are focused more appropriately on key aspects of their learning, and cover all areas of the curriculum.  The school maintains record folders for each child which contain copies of past reports and assessments; it is appropriate that these are to be extended to include records of achievement and samples of the children’s work.

3.         CONCLUSION

3.1       The strengths of the school include:

·        the good work and provision in the Speech and Language Department;

·        the strong and effective leadership of the recently appointed Principal;

·        the sound start made in implementing arrangements for monitoring including the completion of a self-evaluation of the whole-school provision;

·        the hard-working and committed teachers;

·        the behaviour of the children;

·        the effective focus on positive working relationships and behaviour;

·        the colourful displays reflecting the children’s work and achievements.

3.2       The areas for improvement include:

·        a sharper focus on standards and outcomes, including the need to make more effective use of information gathered to inform planning for learning and teaching;

·        the dissemination of the good practice that already exists in the school.

3.3       The school has some strengths in most aspects of the school’s educational and pastoral provision; the areas for improvement need to be addressed if the school is to meet as fully as possible the needs of all the children.

4.         THE NURSERY UNIT

4.1       INTRODUCTION

4.1.1    Belvoir Park Nursery Unit is situated in Belvoir Park Primary School in Castlereagh, Belfast .  The majority of the children come from the adjoining Belvoir area, but a few travel into the area from the surrounding districts.  Just under 6% of the children are entitled to free school meals.

4.1.2    The arrangements for the inspection of pastoral care included the completion of questionnaires by parents.  Just over 50% of the parents returned the completed questionnaire and almost half of these included written comments.  The comments and responses from the questionnaires indicated a very high level of satisfaction with all aspects of the nursery’s provision, particularly the caring atmosphere, the friendly, helpful staff, the way in which the staff know the children and their personalities and the helpful newsletters and information sheets; the inspection confirms these comments.  No major issues were raised in the questionnaires.

4.2       The Quality of the Educational Provision

4.2.1    There is a settled, caring atmosphere throughout the nursery and relationships between the staff and the children are excellent.  The staff create a secure, supportive environment which contributes to the development of the children’s confidence and self-esteem.

4.2.2    The children are relaxed and happy in the nursery; they settle quickly and confidently to the activities.  The standards of behaviour are very good.  The members of staff have established appropriate rules and procedures to promote good behaviour.

4.2.3    Good use is made of a wide range of the children’s art work to create colourful displays around the playrooms and the entrance areas.  The wide range of activities, which are laid out attractively at the beginning of the day, stimulate the children’s interest and promote concentrated play.

4.2.4    The communication with parents is very good.  They are welcomed into the nursery and there are good opportunities for them to talk to the teachers informally at the beginning and end of the sessions.  As well as three formal meetings during the year, additional meetings can be arranged for the parents and teachers to discuss a child’s progress.  A detailed monthly newsletter and additional information posted on the parents’ notice board in the school’s foyer, keep the parents informed about what is happening in the nursery, and how they may help their child at home.

4.2.5    The nursery unit has in place procedures in line with guidance given in DE circulars on child protection.  These procedures are outlined clearly in the school policy; all the staff have received appropriate training and are aware of their responsibilities.  Parents are informed of the procedures through the newsletter and introductory booklet.

4.2.6    The staff prepare carefully for their work.  The written planning outlines a broad, balanced programme for the children, and is based on themes and topics which reflect appropriately the time of year and the children’s interests.  More detailed planning outlines the activities and the resources to be used, as well as the clear identification of the learning which is to be promoted.  The staff’s knowledge of the children’s needs, and the detailed evaluations of the children’s reaction to the activities are used appropriately to inform future planning.

4.2.7    The nursery staff are hard-working and committed to the children.  The interaction between the adults and the children is of a high standard and promotes appropriately the children’s learning.  The staff are very supportive of the children; they intervene imaginatively in the children’s play and encourage them to observe, to investigate, to question and to think.  They engage the children in valuable discussions about their play and their experiences, and they spend sustained periods with groups and individuals, promoting the children’s language and participating skilfully in their play.

4.2.8    The organisation of the nursery day allows for long periods of uninterrupted play, which provides the children with time to explore a wide range of experiences and to develop their play.  The daily routines allow appropriate opportunities for the children to take responsibility and develop independence, for example, through preparing for the snack and lunch, or tidying toys after play.

4.2.9    The nursery’s programme promotes effectively the children’s personal, social and emotional development.  The children make independent choices of activity and engage in the activities with enthusiasm and interest.  During the inspection, many examples of sustained and imaginative play were observed.  There were many instances of good co-operative play; the children worked well with one another, they took account of their ideas and shared materials agreeably.  The staff promote very well the children’s confidence and self-esteem by celebrating their successes, and by showing them that they value their achievements.

4.2.10  The recently developed outdoor play area is very attractive and stimulating.  During the sessions of outdoor play, the children have good opportunities to use a wide range of materials and equipment in interesting and imaginative situations.  They are encouraged to care for, and understand the environment.

4.2.11  The children have good opportunities to develop an interest in books; they enjoy browsing through the reading materials during play and adults read to them on request.  At story time, the stories are told in imaginative and interesting ways; the children listen attentively, and join in enthusiastically with familiar parts of the story.  The adults use very good questioning techniques to encourage the children to explain what they are doing, and to extend their learning.

4.2.12  The children enjoy a variety of creative experiences involving painting, printing, cutting, sticking and modelling.  There are frequent and valuable opportunities for singing and making music.

4.2.13  The staff use appropriate mathematical language when participating in the children’s play and promote an interest in counting, matching and making comparisons.  Stories, songs and rhymes are used effectively as a starting point for learning about number.  Early scientific ideas are developed effectively through stimulating play with, for example, sand, water and dough, which is helping the children to develop an awareness of the properties of these materials.  The staff also make good use of seasonal and environmental topics which have extended the children’s knowledge of, and interest in, the world around them.  The children’s experiences are extended further by members of the local community who visit the school.

4.2.14  The staff, through their observations of the children’s reaction to the activities, know the children very well and are aware of their particular needs.  They monitor the children’s progress regularly and maintain detailed records of their development and their identified needs; these records cover appropriately all the areas of the pre-school curriculum.

4.2.15  The staff maintain detailed information on the children identified as having SEN; educational plans outline clearly the progress made and the appropriate targets for development.  The staff provide good levels of support for these children, while at the same time encouraging integration and independence.

4.2.16  The resources are well-maintained and the teacher-in-charge is making good use of the available finance to create an interesting and stimulating environment; the children use the equipment with care.

4.2.17  The nursery unit is very well-organised and managed effectively.  The teacher-in-charge brings a high level of skill, commitment and enthusiasm to her work and promotes a strong sense of team-work among the staff.  She has a vision, and establishes clear goals for the nursery.  She is very ably supported by the assistant teacher and the other members of staff.  The Principal of the primary school provides strong support for the work of the nursery.

4.2.18  The strengths of the nursery unit include:

·        the warm, caring, family ethos;

·        the wide range of activities which stimulate the children’s interest and learning;

·        the wide range of art materials used to develop the children’s creative experiences;

·        the children’s concentration and engagement with the activities;

·        the well-behaved and welcoming children;

·        the hard-working and committed staff;

·        the high quality of the teaching;

·        the very good questioning which helps the children to explain and discuss their play;

·        the support for the children with SEN;

·        the sessions of outdoor play;

·        the strong sense of team-work; and

·        the leadership of the teacher-in-charge.

4.2.19  No major areas for improvement were identified during the inspection.

4.2.20  There are major strengths in nearly all aspects of the educational and pastoral provision in the nursery unit.  The needs of the children are being met very effectively.