Inspection Report
DENI School Inspection 2003
Summary of Inspectors' findings.
2.1 The school has a very positive and inclusive ethos. The relationships in classrooms and corridors are typified by good manners and excellent behaviour. The children interact with one another, with the teachers and the ancillary staff, with natural politeness and evident good humour. The children are content, happy and relaxed in the school; they are courteous and welcoming to visitors.
2.2 Through its routines and activities the school sets out to encourage the children to have respect for one another and for others, both within and outside the school community, who may have different religious and cultural traditions. There are good links with the local community, including a long established contact with a nearby primary school as part of the Schools Community Relations Programme The school also has strong links with individuals and groups who are working in the developing world. The school has a long tradition of supporting various national and local charities and has raised significant sums of money as part of this work.
The teachers work hard and are very supportive of the children; they know the children well. The levels of co-operation and support amongst the teachers are high. The teachers are very aware of the range of abilities within each class and most are good at matching the work to those abilities, including making provision to challenge the more able children.The teaching is often imaginative and helps to build the children’s confidence.
2.5 The children appreciate the efforts made by the teachers on their behalf. They have positive attitudes towards learning. They work willingly with their teachers and with one another; they show interest and enthusiasm whether working as individuals, in small groups or in the whole-class setting.
Good links are maintained between the pastoral care system and the class teachers to help ensure that the needs of individual children are identified and met. The children are open, settled and secure; they are appreciative of the school ethos and feel safe in the school.
2.13 The vast majority of children attain standards in English which reflect their ability. By year 7, they can read with understanding, fluency and expression, write in a wide range of forms and styles and are confident at expressing their thoughts and ideas in class discussions.
The vast majority of children are confident in their answers; they are able to express an opinion, articulate clearly what they are thinking and what they hope to achieve.
ICT: the children benefit significantly from their ICT experiences Almost all of the children are motivated highly by the effective inclusion of ICT in lessons. They are confident in their use of the computer to support their work in a range of subjects and they are competent in their manipulation of the hardware and software. The tasks set are interesting and challenging; they develop the children’s knowledge and understanding, and consolidate and extend their ICT skills across the curriculum.The children in a number of classes are making effective use of digital cameras and presentation software to enhance their learning in various subjects. In these lessons, for example, the children were able to transfer digital images from the camera to the computer and create a power point presentation which they presented to their peers and to children in other classes.
The children’s written work is marked regularly and the standard of marking is good. The teachers’ comments encourage the children, and much of the marking informs the children about the quality of their work and how they could improve aspects of it.
2.21 This school has many significant strengths. These include the very positive and inclusive ethos that fosters respect and mutual understanding, the quality of the relationships throughout the school, the arrangements to support the pastoral care and welfare of the children, the high quality of the teaching, the hard-working and supportive teachers, the commitment to SEN, the standards achieved by the children, the use of ICT, the wide range of extra-curricular activities and the strong support of the parents and the Board of Governors.
