Archived decisions

1.

Number of Reports received

1.1

Reports have been received from 68 schools in the primary phase.

· 27 Primary schools

· 19 Junior schools

· 22 Infant schools

2.

Main Findings

2.1

Reports have been analysed by key stage in relation to:

· Attainment of pupils

· Quality of teaching

· Improvement since the last inspection

The reports have also been scrutinised to identify particular trends or needs in the provision of religious education in county schools.

2.2

The following tables indicate the findings for each key stage (figures from the previous 3 academic years are included for comparison).

Above average

Average

Below average

2003/2004

32%

54.5%

13.5%

2002/2003

26%

61%

13%

2001/2002

29%

61%

9%

2000/2001

31%

66%

3%

1999/2000

19%

73%

8%

Good of Better

Satisfactory

Less than Satisfactory

2003/2004

45%

45%

10%

2002/2003

56%

44%

0%

2001/2002

58%

39%

3%

2000/2001

61%

39%

0%

1999/2000

56%

39%

5%

Good of Better

Satisfactory

No improvement

2003/2004

44%

44%

12%

2002/2003

40%

47%

13%

2001/2002

58%

33.5%

8%

Above average

Average

Below average

2003/2004

46%

48%

6%

2002/2003

18%

68%

14%

2001/2002

44.5%

48%

7.5%

2000/2001

22%

70%

7%

Good of Better

Satisfactory

Less than Satisfactory

2003/2004

47.5%

45%

7.5%

2002/2003

40%

60%

0%

2001/2002

75%

15.5%

9.5%

2000/2001

68%

24%

8%

Good of Better

Satisfactory

No improvement

2003/2004

58%

26%

16%

2002/2003

35%

46%

19%

2001/2002

41.5%

47%

11.5%

3.

Commentary

3.1

The figures for the academic year from autumn term 2003 to the summer term of 2004 should be read bearing in mind that each line of statistics represents a different cohort of schools. The figures have been achieved through analysis of individual reports and extracting information from the prose. Ofsted reports do not follow a set formula and there is considerable inconsistency in the level of detail Ofsted reports provide about the provision of RE in different schools. Ofsted reports, therefore, cannot be regarded as a precise tool for analysis. The figures do provide, however, a broad picture of how Ofsted inspectors have reported on a cohort of schools within the education authority.

3.2

At Key Stage 1 32% of schools were reported to be achieving above average standards for religious education and 86% of schools achieved satisfactory or above average standards for the subject. This represents a 6% increase in above average standards in relation to previous figures. 88% of schools have been reported as maintaining or improving the provision for RE since the last inspection. 90% of teaching was judged to be satisfactory or better, but within this cohort of schools 10% of teaching was judged to be less than satisfactory.

3.4

At Key Stage 2 46% of the schools inspected were reported to be achieving above average standards in religious education. This indicated a 28% increase in relation to the figures of last year 94% of schools achieved average or above average standards in the subject. The quality of teaching was judged to be good or better in 47.5% of schools, which represents a 7.5% improvement on the figures of last year with a total of 92.5% of teaching judged to be satisfactory or better. 58% of schools were reported to have made good or very good improvements in the provision for the subject, which represents a 23% improvement on last years figures. Overall, 84% of schools have made satisfactory or better improvements for religious education since the previous inspections.

4.

Other Key Findings

4.1

At Key Stage 1, when a judgement has been made about planning, 90% of the Ofsted reports indicated that it was good or very good for religious education and at Key Stage 2 the figure is 82%. The majority of these reports indicate that good planning has a positive effect on the teaching, standards and in some cases, the high profile of the subject in schools.

4.2

At Key Stage 1 96% and at Key Stage 2 93% of reports that made a judgement about the management of religious education judged it to be satisfactory or better. Out of those reports 55% judged management of RE to be good or very good at Key Stage 1 and the corresponding figure at Key Stage 2 is 62%.

4.3

More than half the Ofsted reports received provided a judgement about assessment in religious education. At Key Stage 1 50% of those schools were judged to be managing assessment and monitoring of the subject satisfactorily or better, but within half of these reports assessment and monitoring of RE in the schools was identified as in need of development. A similar picture emerges for Key Stage 2 where 55% of the reports that identified assessment and monitoring judged it to be unsatisfactory for RE.

4.4

In the reports that identified resources, it was, without exception, in positive terms. Schools were judged to provide a wide range of resources and use them well. At Key Stage 1 a small number of reports indicated that pupils made insufficient visits to non Christian places of worship.

4.5

At Key Stage 1 12 reports indicated that positive links had been made between pupils' learning in religious education and other areas of the curriculum and at Key Stage 2, 7 reports made positive judgements about cross curricular links made.

4.6

Two schools were reported to be providing insufficient time allocation to RE at Key Stage 1.

5.

The overall picture

5.1

In the 2003/2004 cohort of reports on schools a number of common features have emerged:

· there is high quality management of the subject

· schools provide effective, good quality planning

· schools provide a range of resources and use them effectively

· some schools have implemented effective assessment procedures

5.2

Reports indicate areas in need of further development:

· continue to develop cross curricular opportunities for RE

· continue to develop assessment and monitoring of the subject