Metamorphosis tripped off infant lips as lightly as ladybird. Beautifully dressed by loving hands at home as butterflies, dragonflies and hungry catterpillars, Bookwell Infants performed their own Insect Play the Musical: a science lesson on the life cycle of insects in a captivating blend of recitation, song and dance. The science itself was rigorous and precise, but a lovely sense of fun made it memorable, and even the insects could teach timely lessons about the importance of being kind to one another. Some charming dragonflies rescued a bee who could not buzz from persecution and more important taught the other bees a lesson about not ganging up on someone who is different. The story line that bore striking similarities to The Ugly Duckling. This multi-media production was illustrated very effectively with delightfully coloured pictures all around the walls of the hall and with attractively illustrated captions on the white screen which effectively reinforced reading skills.
Even on a very grey day the pride of the parents shone brightly on the children and their school, and this hugely important factor in the success of the school was recognised in the report on the OFSTED inspection conducted on 13th and 14th June. Parents told the inspectors that they felt their children were well cared for, enjoyed school, worked hard and achieved well. The inspectors found that the school was good (Grade 2) in every area they assessed and they particularly praised its success in teaching basic skills systematically and then using them in interesting contexts across the curriculum: their Insect Play illustrates that perfectly, showing how Bookwell can sometimes cross the fine borderline from the Good to the Outstanding. According to the inspectors, the school could still improve by increasing the pace of lessons, in order to give children more time to work at their own tasks, and by increasing the opportunities for pupils to take even more responsibility for their own learning, but pupils made strong progress throughout the school, particularly in English.