News

Testing times

At the end of every term, teachers make an assessment in Reading, Writing and Maths so that we can make sure all our children are making good progress.  Teachers do this through continual assessment: they observe who’s able to do things in whole-class teaching, in groups, when marking etc.

The end-of-year teacher assessments are even more important – we analyse the data in even greater detail.  To help get an accurate picture, teachers in Year 2 to Year 5 use some tests.  The tests don’t replace the teachers’ assessment; they inform it. Teachers are aware that a test represents just a snapshot, whilst their continual assessment shows what a child can really attain.

The teacher assessments at the end of each Key Stage are most important – they represent where a child has reached before moving into the next Key Stage.  Year 6 children are coming to the end of Key Stage 2.  As they are about to move to secondary school – an important transition point – the children will be given levels derived from both a teacher assessment and a test (the SATs).  The SATs are happening this week for the Year 6 pupils. Some children will be invited to have a go at Level 6 tests in Reading and Maths – these happen next week. Level 6 represents a level three or four years ahead of national expectations.

In Key Stage One, Year 2 teachers must submit assessments to the local authority and the Department for Education.  (Ofsted use these assessments to measure how well a school is doing based on Year 2 to Year 6 progress, for example.) Miss Hewson makes the assessment based partly on some tests, partly on continual assessment (just like in Year 3 – 5).  Last week, we had a visitor from Leeds Children’s Services.  He came to evaluate whether our end of Key Stage One teacher assessments are accurate and fair.  The meeting was a challenging three hours in length – the local authority assessor was very knowledgeable, very thorough, very rigorous but also very fair.  I’m delighted to report that this moderation process went extremely well.  Here’s an extract from the report:

[Miss Hewson] is confident in applying accurate and consistent judgements and did not overly rely on test results. The specific writing pieces seen were in line with national standards and correctly levelled. She talks about the children with good knowledge of their learning and an appreciation of their prior learning and circumstances. Her preparation was thorough and thoughtful, with a balanced range of evidence prepared diligently. The iPad evidence for reading was a great resource. It was a pleasure to work with you.

Well done, Miss Hewson, and well done to all our pupils trying their best in their tests just now.

Training days

The training days for next year have been provisionally set for the following dates:

• Monday 03 September (this is the first day after the summer holiday; school would be open to children in Y1 – Y6 from Tuesday)
• Thursday 15 November (this date is fixed; it is to elect police commissioners)
• Monday 25 February (the first day after February half-term holiday)
• Thursday 02 May (polling day is usually the first Thursday in May, so it is likely we will have to close on this day)
• Monday 22 July (this is the last day of the school year – families tell us they would prefer not to attend for just one day in a week; instead of a training day on this date, teachers will stay for three after-school ‘twilights’ during the year, which is as well as the regular weekly professional development meetings held on Mondays)

Last week, teachers spent the training day in school working on our School Development Plan and action plans for 2012-13. Nearly all schools in England should have a School Development (or Improvement) Plan and accompanying action plans. They outline across a period of time how a school can make changes and keep up to date on educational trends.

This year, our teachers have begun to plan using Google Docs rather than Word. This is a step towards greater use of ‘the cloud’ to prepare, save and share / collaborate. Google Docs (and Google Drive) is a move away from saving things on a PC towards sharing things in a more ‘virtual’ way, which allows greater collaboration. The next steps will be for teachers to work in this way for more and more projects, and to get our governors using and sharing as well.

Our new SEAL theme...

…starts next week. 

This week, we think about our manners: we encourage children to make way for others.  We’ve talked about stepping to one side or holding the door open for others, and especially for people who might have difficulty walking, or those who might be carrying heavy bags, or generally those to whom we want to show respect.

The SEAL theme beginning next week and lasting for the rest of the half-term is Relationships.  This theme explores feelings within the context of our important relationships including family and friends.  The key areas of learning are self-awareness, managing feelings and empathy.  There is a focus throughout the theme on helping children understand the feelings associated with an experience that we all need to cope with at some time: that of loss – whether of a favourite possession, a friend, a family home, or a loved one.  Although relatively few children are bereaved, most will experience losses of other kinds during their childhood; losing a home, losing friends because of moving house or changing schools, or losing a pet are examples.  We therefore ask you to alert us to any experiences your child has had that might make this area particularly difficult for them – for example, a bereavement.

Attendance matters

Attendance data has been released by the government.  Statistics show a small rise in the number of pupils skipping school without permission, but a drop in overall absence rates.  This trend is similar at Moortown.  We’re working closely with parents to make sure their children will not be deemed ‘persistent absentees’ – missing frequent days really does affect learning – but we also know that the children in question have ongoing medical issues.  In contrast, like the national data, we’re pleased to see absence rates continue to fall, although we need to keep getting better at this, especially when we compare our attendance figures with other local schools.

Nationally, there has been a small increase in the numbers of children missing school for family holidays.  The government wants to reduce this figure.  Again, it’s the same for our governing body: whilst we have seen a fall in the number of families who take a term-time holiday, we need to reduce this further.  This term, the governors have agreed a new criteria before we consider whether we authorise a term-time absence: we will not authorise a holiday if a holiday has been taken the previous year.

Attendance matters.  Help us to make 2011-12 our best year ever for attendance.

Fantastic feedback

It’s always nice – and useful – to receive feedback about our school, whether from bodies that present awards to more casual comments.  Here’s some feedback from West Sussex…

“I think your website and content is excellent: very considered and incredibly useful for parents to be able to check and get a quick overview of what their children have been learning. Very powerful stuff!…excellent Social Media Policy…Would it be possible to slightly change your policy and be able to use it ourselves…I came across your website via Twitter as we have also set up a Twitter account and think your Tweets are excellent.  I also think your Walk to School video is amazing.”

Having a website as good as ours is important to us – we want you to feel like you know as much about the school and all the great teaching and learning that goes on.  For our pupils, there is a chance to celebrate successes and, for Y6 pupils, share opinions on the forum.  It helps new parents who can find out basic information about the school, such as uniform, school times etc, and can also attract new parents – we’ve had a family join our community who selected Moortown Primary as their preferred schools…whilst still living in Australia!

Ofsted proposals

It’s hard to miss all the talk of Ofsted and its proposals: almost on a weekly basis, we hear of Sir Michael Wilshaw, the Chief Inspector, and his ambitions to raise standards in schools.  There’s currently a consultation process which sets out seven proposals for changes to the way schools are inspected. From September 2012, it is proposed that:

1. Schools cannot be judged ‘outstanding’ unless their teaching is ‘outstanding’.
2. Schools will only be deemed to be providing an acceptable standard of education where they are judged to be ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’.
3. A single judgement of ‘requires improvement’ will replace the current ‘satisfactory’ judgement and ‘notice to improve’ category.
4. Schools judged as ‘requires improvement’ will be subject to a full re-inspection earlier than is currently the case.
5. A school can only be judged as ‘requires improvement’ on two consecutive inspections before it is deemed to require special measures.
6. Inspections will be undertaken without notice.
7. Inspectors should undertake an analysis of an anonymised summary, provided by the school, of the outcomes of the most recent performance management of all teachers within the school, as part of the evidence for a judgement on leadership and management.

I don’t often comment on affairs beyond the great things happening at Moortown Primary.  However, in this case, please allow me to present my own response to two of the proposals:

Point one

When we were inspected in November, teaching at Moortown Primary was judged to be ‘good’.  Some lessons were deemed to be ‘satisfactory’, some lessons ‘outstanding’.  This proposal means that Moortown Primary may be inspected again sooner than anticipated.  A re-inspection might lead to a ‘good’ judgement for the school as a whole, assuming the quality of teaching was the same as in November.  There are two issues with this:

Changes in Free School Meal Entitlement

Changes in Free School Meal Entitlement

As of April 2012 there are changes to the qualifying criteria for Working Tax Credit and in turn how families will be entitled to Free School Meals.

There will be new benefit rules applied to Working Tax Credit claimants that could mean that some people will lose their Free School Meals entitlement, but, could possibly then be entitled through their receipt of Child Tax Credit.

At the moment, couples responsible for at least one child and working at least 16 hours a week between them can get Working Tax Credit. From 6 April 2012, in most cases, to qualify for Working Tax Credit their joint working hours will need to be at least 24 hours a week. This will mean if both parents work their joint weekly hours must be at least 24, with one of them working at least 16 hours a week, or if only one parent works, that person must be working at least 24 hours a week. If neither of these applies, Working Tax Credit will stop from 6 April 2012. Some of those coming out of entitlement may well qualify for Free School Meals if they still receive Child Tax Credit and their Annual Taxable Income, as assessed by HMRC, is below £16,190. 

The key thing to note is that if any parents lose their Working Tax Credit entitlement from April, it may be worth them contacting the Benefits Helpline (tel 0113 2224404) and asking for their eligibility to Education Benefits, Free School Meals and School Clothing Allowance to be reconsidered.

Good behaviour doesn't happen by accident...

In the last three years, some children at Moortown Primary have responded to some simple questions about school and their feelings and behaviour.  This has been part of the ‘Me and My School project’.  The results for our school, from the provision we have in place to the outcomes for our children, were excellent.  Below is the press release following the publication of the project.  Don’t be put off by the reference to mental health – this can be as simple as weekly SEAL sessions and the occasional chat with Mrs Wilson, our Learning Support Mentor.

School-based mental health support results in positive outcomes for children

A study of more than 18,000 children across England has found that embedding expert mental health work in schools as part of the Targeted Mental Health in Schools (TaMHS)   programme, led to greater improvements in primary school pupils’ reported behavioural problems  than for pupils in schools without TaMHS support. The benefit from a focus on mental health in schools was even more pronounced where schools also provided pupils with self- help leaflets designed to give tips of how children could help themselves if they were feeling stressed or troubled. Random allocation of schools to intervention groups meant these results can be treated as robust.

This three year longitudinal study following children in 25 local authorities across England also found that tools designed to improve communication between health and education professionals (such as the Common Assessment Framework), good links between schools and specialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and the provision of mental health information to pupils were all associated with reductions in pupil’s difficulties in controlling aggression and anger in secondary school.

These findings come from an independent evaluation of TaMHS, led by UCL (University College London) and involving eight academic institutions and other organisations across the UK (Universities of Manchester, Leicester, Durham, York and Glasgow, The Anna Freud Centre, the Institute of Psychiatry and the National Institute for Economic and Social Research).

Over the course of the project, researchers tracked and analysed the progress of 18,235 children in 526 schools.

The TaMHS programme aimed to help schools deliver targeted support to those with, or at risk of, mental health problems.  Between 2008 and March 2011, £60 million was allocated across all local authorities inEnglandin order for them to develop additional provision of mental health support in selected schools, including individual, group and whole-school interventions.

One in ten children in theUK has a clinically diagnosable mental health problem and the authors of the report recommend intervening early as a key to managing behavioural problems. “It may make sense to prioritise mental health work with primary school pupils in relation to behavioural problems to have maximum impact before problems become too entrenched,” says the report. 

The report also suggests that inter-agency working and improved relationships between secondary schools and specialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, as well as provision of materials to help young people find and access support, should be prioritised. 

Dr Miranda Wolpert of the UCL CAMHS Evidence Based Practice Unit led the research. “This report indicates that targeted help in primary schools has helped reduce behavioural problems and should continue,” she says. “It also indicates the need to build on the good work already happening across schools and the health services to ensure joined up services and support for mental health needs, especially for secondary school pupils.”

The full report and briefing note is available at https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/standard/publicationDetail/Page1/DFE-RR177

Mrs Burke recently visited our South African link school

Mrs Burke is responsible for ‘Positive Contribution’ in school.  This role all about creating links with community, from a local level to an international level.  We’re setting up an international link with Shallcross Primary School, Durban, South Africa.  Here, she recounts a recent visit to the school:

After a seventeen hour flight, I arrived in Durban, tired but excited about visiting our partner school, Shallcross Primary.

The school day begins at 7.30am and, because the school is located on the outskirts of the city, I was collected by a teacher at 6.20am to make the long and hazardous drive – a child was knocked down near the school one morning.

On arrival at the school, the first thing that struck me was the number of pupils.  There were children everywhere!  I soon discovered there are around 1500 pupils at the school and the number is growing.  No one is ever turned away.  The buildings are very run down and space very limited.  Despite promises of a new school, this has not yet happened and the school has had to make do.  There is no hall for assembly or PE, no library and the teachers have given up their staffroom to accommodate more pupils.  The school takes children from Reception to Year 7 and each year group has three or four classes.  Each class has on average 45 pupils with one teacher!

Lessons are delivered with little or no differentiation because of the high number of pupils in each class.  The children arrive in Reception having had no nursery and, for most, having never seen or used a pencil, paint or books.  On arrival, they speak only their home language of Zulu and the curriculum is delivered in English.  The government has just introduced a new curriculum with emphasis on the teaching of phonics from Reception.  I was delighted to be asked to demonstrate a phonics lesson!

Despite all the problems the school faces, including unqualified teachers, large pupil numbers, lack of space, limited resources and no computers, the children and staff at the school are highly motivated with children keen to learn and the staff doing their best to provide the best education they can.  I was impressed with the children’s behaviour and the low level of disruption in the classes despite the high numbers of pupils.  All the children were respectful and polite to me and very interested in our partnership and the projects we have been doing.  They asked relevant and thoughtful questions such as:

• What subjects do you teach?
• Do you play sports?
• How much are the school fees?
• Are there any black people in England?
• What do you eat?
• Have you met the Queen?
• Can you sing the National Anthem?

I could have stayed in each class for a week to answer all their questions!

The children enjoyed looking at the different things I’d brought with me.  These included photos of Moortown Primary, including in the recent snow!  I also brought a collection of children’s work, including lots from the Y3 and Y4 Mini-Topic called ‘View from our Window’, which helped compare Shallcross and Moortown areas.

I have brought back many memories of my short time in Durban to share with our pupils. I am certain that through the project and the enrichment it can bring to the curriculum, the children in both schools can learn from each other and develop greater empathy and understanding of the world we live in.

Hobby Half Day

On the last day of the half-term, children enjoyed another successful Hobby Half Day with all sorts of activities going on!  From i-jamming on iPads to fitness circuits, all of the children had a very busy afternoon.  All ages of children were working together and learning from each other and every classroom was a hive of activity.  Here are just a few photos to show you what was going on.