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OFSTED

Mr. J. V. Drinkwater

Dates of inspection : 20-24 September, 1999

What the school does well

• The school has a strong commitment to raising standards and is in a good position to move forward.
• Standards in English, mathematics and science have risen. The current Year 6 children are on track to continue this improvement
• Children often make good progress in lessons and they make steady progress over the long term.
• The more talented children make good progress when taught in small groups for English and mathematics.
• Children make good progress in information technology.
• Children's attitudes towards work, to each other and staff are good. Behaviour is also good.
• Overall, teaching is good. A particular strength is the way teachers deal with children who misbehave or have a poor attitude to their work.
• Teachers know the children well and show sensitivity and consideration for their welfare.
• The Area Support Centre provides children with a good grounding in literacy and numeracy.
• The Learning Support Assistants make a very good contribution to the quality of education in the school.
• The teachers make good use of the National Literacy Strategy and have made a positive start to developing the recently introduced National Numeracy Strategy.

How the school has improved since the last inspection

The school has made satisfactory improvement since the last inspection.

In the last 4 years, there has been a clear trend of improvement in national test results. in English, by 16%, in mathematics, by 19%, and in science by a remarkable 36%. Only in 1998 did the results dip in English and mathematics. The school has fully implemented the National Curriculum requirements for design and technology and information technology. The quality of teaching has improved considerably. The last inspection reported that 28% of teaching was unsatisfactory or poor. This now stands at 11%. The school has succeeded in maintaining good standards of pastoral care.

Chantry Junior is an improving school. The headteacher and many staff have a positive attitude to the challenges within the school and are determined to continue to move forward. The chair of governors gives consid erable support to the school. The other, existing governors, are supportive of the staff and the school. Consequently, the school capacity for sustained improvement is good.

Overall, the teaching is good. Out of eighty-nine lessons observed, seventy-nine were satisfactory or better. T here is consistently high quality teaching of Year 6. Most of the teaching in the Area Support Centre is also of a high quality.

Breaking this down into detail, teaching was very good or excellent in twenty-nine lessons. Eleven of the sixteen teachers observed teachers observed achieved a very good standard in at least one lesson. In fifty lessons, the teaching was satisfactory or good.

The Learning Support Assistants in the school work alongside the teachers. They make a very good contribution to the quality of education in the school.

A particular strength of the teaching at Chantry Junior school is the way teachers deal with children who misbehave or have a poor attitude to their work. The school has recently adopted a clear approach to managing children's behaviour. Teachers are trained to use this approach. There is consistent display of the school code of conduct in classrooms. The high expectations of good behaviour and the implementation of assertive discipline are common strengths where teaching is satisfactory or better. The best teachers temper the approach with humour and they have very good relationships with the children in their care. For instance, they make sensitive allowances for children upset by something that has happened at home. The good management of behaviour has a positive impact upon the children's response in lessons.