pdf School inspection report - Ofsted

sensible than they usually are. In the Year 6 lessons both groups concentrated well
through intensive sessions. Behaviour in the large singing gatherings was very good.
Year 6 pupils work very well together, sharing instruments in the class sessions and
having a good sense of corporate responsibility in the steel band,
152. The teaching of music varies. Some teachers are less confident than others and
some have more musical skills than others. The singing sessions were well led with
the good behaviour and concentration shown by pupils being at least in part due to
the careful preparation and good pupil management of the teachers. The subject
manager uses her good piano playing skills to accompany singing fluently and
musically. In Year 6 lessons and with the steel band she sets a high level of
expectation. Tasks in class help pupils to learn and progress towards the nationally
expected level. Music is enthusiastically led.
153. The one extra-curricular activity in music is a steel band. The school possesses a
large collection of steel pans and Year 6 pupils make an impressive sound on them.
They have grasped to a good degree the difficult rhythms needed for good steel band
playing and play with surety and not a little aplomb. Pupils gain a good sense of
achievement in music activities from the simple chord work in the lower ability Year 6
group to this work with Caribbean sounds. Boys and girls are equally involved. Indeed
in both class and band activities some of the most enthusiastic as well as most
competent contributions were made by boys.
154. The school is leading pupils into a knowledge of music and building musical skills
having sensitive regard for the pupils’ own cultural background,
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
155. Lessons in gymnastics, dance, indoor and outdoor games were observed during the
inspection. Standards of attainment in the subject meet the expectations for pupils at
the end of both key stages. This is broadly similar to the situation at the time of the
last inspection.
156. Year 1 pupils use the space of the hall well as they move around it. They produce a
good variety of high quality stretched shapes. At the end of the key stage, pupils
know the importance of preparing for physical activity by warming-up exercises.
These pupils climb confidently on apparatus and roll in a variety of ways, but have not
yet developed smooth sequences of actions.
157. Pupils in Years 3 and 4 listen to music attentively as they prepare to use it as a basis
for their dance. Many show considerable creativity in their subsequent dancing.
However, some have insufficiently developed their skills in listening to enable them to
respond rapidly and accurately to a pre-recorded tape. Year 4 pupils display
developing ball skills, bouncing a large ball around obstacles with good control in most
instances. Ball skills continue to develop well in the final two years of the key stage,
but more strategic skills, such as knowing where to hit a ball for maximum effect, are
less well developed. Efficient throwing techniques are used by only a minority of
pupils. The standard of gymnastics is very variable at the end of the key stage. Many
pupils produce well-linked sequences of movements. They use their imaginations well
to add variety to the shapes they create, especially when working with a partner
matching or mirroring their movements. However, others rush their work, leading to a
lack of control. These pupils give little attention to polishing or refining the sequences
they have constructed.
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