The School Profile
takes the place of the Annual Report to parents and eventually all school
profiles will be lodged on a national web site.
School Profile
2005/6
What have been our successes this year?
We received a congratulatory letter from the LEA for providing, over the past five years, a good and in some years an outstanding quality of education for all its pupils – ‘a record of consistency not easy to achieve over such a long period of time’.
Recent SATS results have again been very good with Maths and English well above the national average.
We have been requested to allow our travel plan, which provides safer access to the school site and safer road crossings on the route to school, to be used as an exemplar for other schools that are developing their own plans.
The school has been awarded a Gold Artsmark award from the Arts Council for excellence in music, dance, drama, art and design.
Strategies have been introduced to encourage healthy eating focussing on the advantages of good nutrition and involving children, staff, parents and governors. There has been a marked improvement in children’s understanding of the concepts involved, their willingness to try new foods and the content of lunchboxes.
All year groups have benefited from the Assessment for Learning initiative which encourages children to self reflect and ultimately to become confident lifetime learners.
What are we trying to improve?
In line with the Every Child Matters agenda the school is developing new initiatives to ensure that every child reaches their full potential and works towards being life long learners. When they leave the school, they should have the knowledge, skills, attitudes and understanding with which to make the most of all social and educational opportunities offered them throughout the rest of their lives.
Additionally, the school is working to enrich and extend the visual arts curriculum by working closely with other local schools and with the Primary Schools Learning Network to encourage and engage children in the learning process by improving their self-confidence.
Next, specific elements of the school environment will be improved under the buildings and grounds maintenance programme. Projects for the next two years include toilet refurbishment and further landscaping of the school field.
Under another initiative, governors will continue to explore ways of relating more effectively with parents and the local community.
Space constraints just allow mention of improvement of ICT facilities by providing mobile laptop units will complement existing computer suites.
How much
progress do pupils make between 4 & 7?
Pupils at
Personalised learning is very important to our school. Learning objectives are shared with the children at the beginning of every lesson in every curriculum area. The success criteria for the achievement of those learning objectives are made explicit, enabling children to make judgements about their own progress towards those objectives and to be able to discuss their strengths and areas for development with confidence.
Annual targets, based on a five year average, have been consistently met or exceeded and are 10% higher than those achieved by 7 year olds nationally.
Our most able pupils make very good progress and children who demonstrate particular interests or aptitude are encouraged and challenged to develop their skills both in and out of school.
Children with special needs do very well. Each child has an individual educational plan which has clear achievable targets and which is set and reviewed in partnership with the pupils and their parents.
How have our results changed over time?
Over a number of years Sun Hill has achieved consistently good results above the national average and in terms of value added. Initial SATS results show that children have again performed well this year, particularly the boys who have performed exceptionally well against the national trend. 84% of children achieve level 2B or above, in line with a whole school target of 85%. Those who achieved level 2C or below have been earlier identified as in need of additional support and placed on the Special Needs Register. All are keen and enthusiastic learners and love school.
This year, our pupils’ achievements in learning can be measured by the levels they have achieved in speaking, listening and science. The work done to develop the key skills of communication, problem solving, data handling, reasoning and evaluation have produced results which are in some cases nearly twice as high as those achieved nationally.
Children’s Services and school data show that our children make very good progress in relation to their prior attainment and this is particularly reflected by the progress children make on the Special Needs Register.
How are we making sure we are meeting the learning needs of individual pupils?
The school uses an extensive system of individual attainment tables and rigorous tracking procedures to monitor progress. Children’s learning is constantly but unobtrusively assessed. Targets are set for each individual child under the Assessment for Learning initiative and children are involved in their own target setting.
The school also sets whole school targets as part of the School Improvement Plan and the Curriculum, Standards and Assessment Committee regularly review these. Individual governors with special responsibilities monitor specific areas of the curriculum.
Turning to the Special Needs area, a fully trained teacher is dedicated to the provision of professional support for every child with learning difficulties, aided by a generous provision of qualified Learning Support Assistants and each of these children has an Individual Educational Plan which sets short term attainable targets.
To ensure that all this work stays co-ordinated, Class teachers and Learning Support Assistants have regular year group meetings to discuss plans and the progress of individual children.
What have pupils told us about the school, and what have we done as a result?
The Assessment for Learning initiative allows children to assess their own learning and performance and to share their thoughts with their teacher. Children’s views are sought through questionnaires and an effective school council. The council meets monthly, elects its own chair and displays minutes on a notice board. Discussions have included school lunches, playground management and the bullying and behaviour policy. The children’s views have influenced the arrangements and rewards for the healthy eating initiatives. The head teacher also runs a post box scheme whereby children can express their thoughts, feelings and concerns in confidence.
To ensure that playtime is a positive experience for all, the children operate a rota system under which designated children wearing “happy hats” look out for others who need befriending. Also, a child friendly version of the bullying and behaviour policy is displayed in each classroom.
How do we
make sure our children are healthy, safe and
well-supported?
The school is working towards achieving the Healthy Schools Standard and works hard to support families by maintaining an ‘open door’ policy.
In addition, we review the Health and Safety policy annually and undertake regular checks and risk assessments. Child Protection has a high priority – we have appointed a Child Protection governor and staff and governors have trained appropriately. The school has policies for bullying and behaviour and sex education.
Finally in this section:
· A new travel plan has been drawn up to provide safer access to the school site.
· A Learning Support Assistant has been specially trained to provide emotional support for children in need.
· Children support one another in the playground to ensure that playtime is a happy experience for all.
· Children are provided with a healthy lunchtime menu and are encouraged to try different foods using rewards and other incentives. Healthy lunch boxes are also rewarded.
How do our
absence rates
Sessions of authorised
absences - 1765 = 4.9% (115 pupils)
Sessions of unauthorised
absences - 49 = 0.1% (12 pupils)
What activities are available to pupils?
There are structured playtimes and a science garden and wild-life pond. Visiting artists and performers regularly visit the school and specially themed assemblies and concerts allow the children to show off their special talents. A wide range of outside visits are organised to places such as museums, art galleries, the zoo, Winchester Cathedral, farms, Portsmouth dockyard, local churches and sites of local interest. Practical activities are occasionally organised such as a night walk to demonstrate the qualities of light as part of the science curriculum.
Complementing these activities and facilities, a wide range of clubs and activities are offered in school time on Thursday afternoons. The school has a dedicated arts studio and a kiln. PE and dance are supplemented by regular appearances in local festivals.
Additionally, the school offers French, Games and Art clubs after school, and there is an after school child care facility.
How are we working with parents and with the community?
Parents and governors are involved in many aspects of school life, attending school assemblies and open evenings, working in the classrooms and accompanying school trips, running specialist activities and looking after the school pond and science garden. There is a successful PTA and the local rector and other visitors regularly come into school. Parents receive termly progress reports and reading logs are used to encourage children and parents to work together. Curriculum evenings, report sessions and review days are very well attended. Parents and visiting artists have contributed towards the recent Artsmark gold award
A designated Community Liaison Governor is linking with other local schools and the Town Partnership. These will work together o to identify extended services to be provided to support pupils and their families from the age of 0-19.
The school maintains an attractive and comprehensive award
winning web site.
What do our pupils do after leaving this school?
The majority of children leaving the school move to the
Ofsted’s view of our school
Date of last inspection February 2003
Ofsted graded our school as very good on a scale comprising the following possible ratings: very good (grade 1); good (2); adequate (3); not adequate (4).
What have we done in response to Ofsted?
Unusually the latest Ofsted Report found no areas which merited particular action. It was suggested however that some attention might be given to developing speaking and listening skills and improving the provision of extra curricular activities, which were recorded as minor topics for improvement. Consequently strategies have been introduced to encourage independent thinking and listening skills designed to make the children independent and self reflective learners and a governor has special responsibility for this area. A number of activities and school clubs have been developed.