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Standards and Quality Report 2002-3 |
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West Barns Primary School serves the community of West Barns village and its surrounding area including Belhaven, Tynefield and into the Lammermuir Hills up to the Halls, with many pupils coming from the nearby town of Dunbar. The School During the session 2002/2003 the school roll comprised 95 pupils, 7 teaching staff including those designated to support pupils with learning difficulties and special needs, with 1 classroom assistant and 2 auxiliaries. The present school building came into use in 1972 and overlooks the John Muir Country Park and the Firth of Forth. The building is on three floors; the lower ground housing the P1-P4 in two classrooms; the ground floor containing the administration offices, staffroom, medical / learning support room, the school hall / dining area and adjoining resource area stage, and kitchen; the upper floor caters for P5-P7 in two classrooms, with a covered balcony between housing a computer suite. The Nursery is housed in a separate building to the rear of the main school. The school is set in a large grass play area, with its own seven-a-side football pitch, and a tarmac netball pitch. West Barns School is co-educational and non-denominational providing education for children from approximately three to twelve years old. At the present time there are 95 pupils in four composite classes i.e. P1/2/3, P3/4, P5/6, P6/7, with 20 children in the Nursery Pre-School class, and 20 three year olds. When year groups are required to be split, as in the case of P5/6 and P6/7, it is the policy of the school to do so by age. School aims To promote the highest standard of achievement, through programmes which enable all pupils to realise their full potential as individuals, and to develop the values needed to become full members of society. To provide equality of opportunity for all pupils, regardless of gender, racial or cultural background, by identifying and removing barriers to achievement, and programmes which are appropriate to the needs of the pupils. To provide a broad education through a balanced curriculum covering essential learning areas with high levels of competence in basic literacy and numeracy, social subjects, science and technology. To provide a sound foundation in the early years for future learning and achievement through programmes which include support for parents in their vital role as their child's first teacher. To encourage pupils to become independent and lifelong learners by learning experiences which will develop the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to be successful in the modern, ever changing world. To ensure good health in all pupils through strategies which promote physical and mental well-being and self-esteem. To maintain and improve the quality of educational experiences for pupils through a programme of continuing professional development for all staff. Development Plan The following priorities were identified in last year's report and incorporated within the school's development plan this session: To develop a sex education programme and policy To establish an effective whole school PSD programme To establish a whole policy and programme for Drug education To develop a whole school framework for Health Education/promotion All the priorities are fully achieved except for Health promotion, which is a two-year development programme and is well on track to meet the timescale. Evidence Aims of the school Assessment Records Broad view audit records Curriculum statements Curriculum structure and balance (audit) Departmental development plans Development plan - progress reports External agency links ( record ) Financial report/budget/forecast Health and Safety file Health and Safety procedures Local Authority review/report Parental involvement ( record ) Programmes of Study/schemes of work Pupil Council ( record ) Quality Indicators - detailed audit Resource audit School Development Plan Staff development programme Staff involvement in school self-evaluation Surveys and questionnaires Teacher evaluations Tracking records As part of the school's procedures for monitoring effectiveness and evaluating progress towards development targets, the following methods have been deployed during the year: Curriculum Overall we judge that the curriculum provided by the school is broad, balanced and closely matches the national 5-14 guidelines and East Lothian Council advice. We have audited and reviewed our programmes of study across the curriculum and have made some improvements, notably in Language where we have developed a programme, which deals in a systematic way with grammar and the structure of written language. These changes are to meet the priority of improving attainment in writing detailed in the school development plan. We have revised our Mathematics programme, which allows teachers to teach areas of mathematics across the national attainment levels. The changes make for a more coherent approach to planning, teaching and learning, as well as allowing for the better use of resources. The topics for Environmental Studies have been revised to incorporate Technology, Science and Health as discrete subject areas. Excellent progress continues to be made in the area of ICT across the curriculum. Senior pupils are more involved with the school website and the introduction of a server which allows pupils their own passwords and folders has meant that floppy discs are now rarely used and work is safely stored. P6 and P7 continue to have modern language tuition once a week. The Expressive Arts continue to have an input from our PE and Music Specialists, and the Art and Drama programmes are proving to be very effective in producing excellent work throughout the school. We are in the process of implementing a revised Personal and Social Education programme, which incorporates such issues as Citizenship, Bullying and Drug education. The school is currently involved in piloting Personal Learning Plans in conjunction with Learning and Teaching, Scotland, and are involved in the pilot to become a Health Promoting School. Overall Level of Performance : Very Good ( 4 ) Attainment At West Barns Primary School we continue to promote and encourage the highest levels of achievement by our pupils. Overall, we judge that the attainment is very good, but in the National Priorities of Mathematics and Language there is room for improvement. Assessment of National Test data, teacher assessments and end of unit tests provide evidence of individual pupil performance, and attainment in Reading, Writing and Mathematics, as well as Reading and Spelling Ages is tracked using a database. Performance in National Tests show that most pupils are meeting the national attainment targets in Mathematics and Reading, but Writing has need of improvement. This has resulted in targeting Writing within the Development Plan as a priority. However, care should be taken in drawing conclusions from raw data as the school population in relationship to class sizes varies from year to year, and there may be distortion to the overall trend when class size can mean that a pupil may account for 10% of that class. P3, P4, P6 and P7 are only taken into account in these figures and show the percentage of children attaining or exceeding national tests levels for their stage. Reading 2000-70% 2001-76% 2002-78% 2003-76% Writing 2000-66% 2001-58% 2002-63% 2003-59% Mathematics 2000-70% 2001-78% 2002-85% 2003-76% Our involvement in the Achievement of Literacy pilot scheme being run by the City of Edinburgh Council has made a marked increase in the pace of attainment in reading and writing in the infants, with many independent writers by the end of P1, and in P2 some children writing at Level B before the end of the session. This strong upward trend in the lower school will make a significant difference to overall attainment in Language over the next few years. Target setting within a continually shifting abilities range amongst pupils is notoriously difficult, however, it does give some indications of progress, or lack of it, and over time can indicate weaknesses or strengths within the curriculum. We have set our targets for June 2004 with due regard to our tracking system and teacher assessment and predictions of progress, and these are: Reading-80% Writing-65% Mathemetics-80% Personal Learning Plans are now established in P5-P7 and have been revised in order to meet the need to improve attainment in certain areas of the curriculum. Targets are set in groups rather than individuals and are based on perceived areas for development identified by the teacher in discussion with pupils. There is still a parental involvement, but they are not involved in the initial target setting. Overall attainment is Good ( 3 ). Learning and Teaching The quality of the learning experience for pupils in West Barns Primary continues to be very good. There is an ethos of achievement within the school fostered and encouraged by a committed teaching staff. Teachers' planning is based on the 5-14 Guidelines and the programmes of study developed within the school. The Year Plan ensures that each curriculum area is given due attention throughout the session and is an overview of the planning year. Termly plans detail topics or blocks of teaching and learning outcomes taking into account relevant strands and attainment targets. Assessment and evaluation are built into the plans. Breadth and balance within the curriculum, as well as the pace of learning, are integral components of the forward plans. Teachers use a variety of teaching methods and differentiated approaches targeted at the needs of pupils within their classes, which may be detailed within the forward plans. Teacher/pupil interaction is encouraged and the opinions of pupils are valued. As a staff we have been looking at the process of questioning within a formative assessment framework, and teachers are paying particular attention as to the purpose and clarity of questioning, focussing on waiting time (i.e. the length of time a teacher gives for an answer) as a way of encouraging involvement of all pupils within a class or group. A purposeful learning environment at all stages encourages pupils to take responsibility for their learning; to exercise initiative; to set personal targets, and to evaluate their performance against agreed criteria. Assessment is an integral part of teaching and as such informs the teaching process. In West Barns assessment is focussed on five children per week across the curriculum, which means that children's progress is regularly recorded and the clear picture formed is the basis for reporting to parents via consultations and final report. In addition to the final report an interim report is issued towards the end of the first term. There are two parental consultations; the first in October and the second in February, with the offer of parental consultation after the final report. Parents are kept informed of their child's progress throughout the session by homework diaries, well done slips, and in the case of the older children, their Personal Learning Plan. The school operates an 'open door policy' and parents are more than welcome to discuss with the class teachers any matter of concern regarding their child. In order to keep abreast of curricular change and innovation the staff pursue continuing professional development through regular attendance of courses in a variety of curricular areas. We consider our overall performance in this area very good (4). Support for Pupils The quality of pastoral care for pupils and their personal and social development is very high at West Barns Primary. Staff work collectively to maintain a climate where mutual trust, respect and confidence are evident throughout the school. Staff are alert to the emotional, physical and social needs of individual pupils and effective arrangements are in place throughout the school for the care and welfare of pupils. The school operates an effective Personal and Social Development programme. Pupils are encouraged to develop positive attitudes towards schooling, and adopt a responsible attitude to learning and interaction with teachers and their peers. Circle Time is used in all classes and Golden Rules, School and Conflict Councils, as well as Star Of the Week and Well Done slips contribute to the overall PSE programme. Progress is monitored through the assessments of progress made by teachers, and a Cause for Concern file alerts the Headteacher if and when problems arise with particular children. There is a well developed Learning Support system in operation with a Learning Support teacher who liaises with staff, producing Individual Learning Plans for pupils who may need them, testing children who may require such assessment for such problems as Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, etc. The Learning Support teacher also sits on the Integrated Support group representing the school. She is the first point of contact with Psychological Services and works closely with the Psychologist, parents, pupils and staff. Time is allocated to the Learning Support teacher for regular consultation with staff members. At the present time two pupils attend the literacy base in Longniddry for Language difficulties. There are a number of pupils using hardware (i.e. Alphasmart keyboards) supplied ICT Special Needs, and one pupil receiving outreach support. P7 pupils continue to participate in the Cluster Transition programme which is proving to be very effective. Within the programme they have the opportunity to participate in a residential cluster camp. P6 pupils are matched with Pre-School Nursery pupils in a Buddying programme as part of transition to P1. We consider that the school has a very effective system of support for pupils and overall can be judged as very good (4). Ethos West Barns Primary School has aims which we hope reflect the ethos of the school. These aims are primarily focused on children's learning within a broad and balanced curriculum. The environment of the school, which is secure and happy, is intended to provide opportunities for each child which allows them to perform to the best of their abilities; where their attainment can be maximized; where their learning experience is of the highest quality regardless of gender, or social or cultural background; where they can learn to understand and care for their personal and wider environment, and they are helped towards understanding and accepting responsibility for their own actions; where children are helped to meet any challenge confidently whether it be physical, intellectual, emotional or practical. We consider that continue to have strengths in the following areas: - a sense of identity and pride in the school - a sense of equality and fairness - high pupil and staff moral - strong relationships with the parent body and PTA - high expectations in pupils and staff of attendance, behaviour and discipline - an ethos of achievement reflected in pupils learning and attitude to school work. We also aim to involve the local community in the life of the school, and the staff and pupils in the life of the community. Resources The accommodation and resources continue to be of a high standard in West Barns School and provide a safe and stimulating environment where learning can prosper. Some changes have been made within the school in preparation for the new session, namely the erection of a wall to separate the hall from the resource area, and the enlargement of the staff room. The school continues to be at the forefront of the ITC revolution and has introduced a server into the school which links computers. This allows staff access to a file sharing opportunity which provides access to forwards plans, assessment, policies, etc. The pupils have no need for floppy disks as all material can be saved to their own personal space on the server. Pupils have their own user names and passwords. Through the involvement in the Health Promoting pilot scheme and PTA funding we have been able to provide playground games for children, as well as picnic benches within the school grounds. All school staff decide spending priorities, and the PTA are consulted as to their views. The PTA continue to l support. Leadership West Barns Primary continues to place quality assurance to the fore. To that end the Headteacher monitors Forward Plans, Assessments and Reports and discusses them with staff. All are available on the school server and the Headteacher is able to access them at any time. The Headteacher spends time in classrooms working with pupils, which allows observation of classroom practice. The Headteacher who sees a selection from each class each week monitors pupils’ work in the form of jotters and folders. Staff are kept informed through a staff notice board and regular staff meetings. Parents are informed through a monthly newsletter and a yearly curriculum plan. The school development plan is discussed with the Parent Teacher Association committee whose members' views are welcomed and valued. The Quality and Standards Report will be discussed with the PTA before being made available to the wider parent body, and being published on the school website. All staff are part of the East Lothian Council Review and Appraisal Scheme. The management structure of the school continues to operate through consensus of opinion and teamwork. Promoted staff continue to support teachers, classroom assistants and ancillary staff through advice and practical help. Other achievements Throughout the session staff and pupils have continued to make worthwhile contributions to the life of the school. The website continues to flourish with pupils continuing to take responsibility for sections as well as their own web pages. Our Junior Road Safety Officers have made valuable contributions to pupil awareness and continue to publicise the need for care coming and going to and from school, as well as in other areas of life. The School Council has made valuable suggestions to move forward the running of the school. Our Netball team won the County Shield for the third year running, adding the league title to their achievement. Our swimming team performed exceptionally well and gave a very good showing at the county swimming festival. Pupils continue to support Jennifer, a Nigerian girl and continue to take part enthusiastically in charity events such as Children in Need. Future Developments The areas planned for future development are as follows: 1. To raise attainment in Writing 2. To develop education about citizenship 3. To continue to develop a whole school framework for Health Education/Promotion |