Elsley Primary School

Age group 4–11 Inspection date(s) 16–17 January 2012 Inspection number 376581 Elsley Primary School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 101519 Local authority Brent Inspection number 376581 Inspection dates 16–17 January 2012 Lead inspector Emma Aylesbury

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 459 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Amanda Rigali Headteacher Nicola Arundell Date of previous school inspection 13−14 May 2009 School address Elsley Primary School Tokyngton Avenue Wembley HA9 6HT Telephone number 020 8902 8003 Fax number 020 8902 4078 Email address admin@elsley.brent.sch.uk achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked

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after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when.

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You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk , or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

Clementina Ogunsanwo Additional inspector

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days’ notice. The inspectors took account of the responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection. They observed teaching and learning in 18 lessons, amounting to 10 hours and 10 minutes in total, observing 16 teachers, with four being accompanied by a member of the senior management team.

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Introduction

Meetings were held with the headteacher, a member of the governing body, staff, pupils, and parents and carers. The inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at its monitoring, assessment and attendance records, improvement plans, minutes of meetings held by the governing body, and safeguarding documents. In addition, they analysed questionnaires completed by 282 parents and carers, 99 pupils and 26 staff.

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Information about the school

Elsley Primary School is larger than the average-sized primary school. Most pupils are of minority ethnic backgrounds and the largest group are of Indian heritage. Over three quarters of pupils speak English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is above average. The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is above average, these being mainly moderate and specific learning difficulties. The school has been above government floor standards, the minimum expectations for attainment and progress, for the last three years.

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Information about the school

The school has gained the Basic Skills Quality Mark, the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Mark and the Healthy Schools award.

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Key findings

 This is a good school which has improved steadily in the last three years. Pupils, parents and carers are extremely positive and acknowledge the improvements in leadership and teaching in recent years.  Results in national tests are broadly average and pupils make good progress from their low starting points.  Teaching is typically good and the school provides well-structured individual support in lessons for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs. Teaching enthuses pupils to want to learn more and engages them in how this learning will relate to their present and future lives. However, in some lessons, teachers do not explain to pupils how they can improve their work, particularly the more able.  The school works effectively with external partners and agencies such as the educational welfare officer and the Child and Adult Mental Health Service.  Behaviour is good and pupils demonstrate that they are keen and excited to

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Key findings

engage with their learning and take on responsibilities throughout the school, such as playground friends, register monitors and pupil leaders. Pupils work well together and enjoy good relationships with adults. Pupils say that they feel safe and that the rare instances of bullying are dealt with promptly.  Pupils get on well together whatever their backgrounds. For example, they designed class charters based on the UNICEF ‘rights-respecting school’ agenda. This contributes well to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  Leadership and management are good. Through accurate self-evaluation staff know the school’s strengths and areas for development. They have been successful in improving pupils’ academic performance.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage get off to a good start, especially in communication and social development. However, the outside learning space is not utilised to its full potential to extend learning and make it more

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen the quality of teaching in lessons to raise attainment, particularly for the most able, by:  extending the challenge for the higher-ability pupils  improving the consistency of marking to guide pupils in their next steps in learning.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Sharpen the practice in the Early Years Foundation Stage by improving the outdoor area to enhance free flow in order to promote a more vibrant learning environment.

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Achievement of pupils

Children start school mostly with skill levels that are below those expected for their age, particularly in the areas of speaking, listening and communication. As a result of good teaching, children make good progress, particularly in the areas of reading and personal development. Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage make good progress; for example, in Reception they were observed confidently matching sounds and letters with words beginning with ‘z’. They were able to trace the letter shape in the air with their finger and match the correct sound.

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Achievement of pupils

The quality of pupils’ learning and progress is good. Pupils are keen to learn and respond very well to the teachers. Relationships between staff and pupils and among the pupils themselves are extremely positive. Pupils work diligently and display good attitudes to learning. This was seen in a Year 1 numeracy lesson, for example, where pupils were able to practice their tens and units successfully. Here, they randomly rolled the dice, then selected the number showing and worked out how many multiples of tens and units there were. Through effective learning strategies pupils demonstrated their good understanding with well-thought-out answers.

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Achievement of pupils

At the end of Year 6, pupils reach broadly average levels of attainment, representing good achievement from their starting points. The school’s own data for 2012 shows a similar picture. Pupils make particularly good progress in their reading; attainment is broadly average at the end of Key Stage 1 and often above average by the time they leave the school. Those pupils who read to inspectors used effective strategies to sound any unfamiliar words and were keen and motivated readers. Progress is further accelerated in reading through one-to one-guidance and small group work.

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Achievement of pupils

Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs do as well as their peers, as do those who are new to learning English, as they receive effective guidance such as group support and one-to-one tuition. As a result, gaps in performance are narrowing quickly compared to those nationally. No groups are underachieving and some make rapid progress. Many parents and carers commented about the good progress their children make, and inspection evidence supports these views.

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Quality of teaching

The quality of teaching is good. Generally, teachers deepen pupils’ understanding well and give pupils opportunities to extend their learning by attempting more difficult tasks. For example, this was evident for those observed in Year 5, where teaching was engaging, tasks were well planned and pupils were motivated to do their very best. This ensured that all pupils, including those who are disabled or have special educational needs, were fully involved with the lesson.

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Quality of teaching

Staff have established strong and caring relationships with their pupils and this has been enhanced through the use of one-to-one support and individual intervention. The positive responses of parents and carers to the questionnaire reflect this. Teachers’ subject knowledge is good and their team planning ensures that the lessons are well matched to pupils’ needs. However, in a few lessons, work set for the most able is not always sufficiently challenging in order for them to attain the higher levels. Although marking is regular, it is not always sufficiently detailed to ‘signpost’ the next steps.

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Quality of teaching

Teachers’ expectations are high and they set challenging targets which the majority of pupils know and understand. They also use every opportunity to develop pupils’ literacy skills in other areas of the curriculum. In a Year 3 humanities lesson, for example, pupils presented their research findings about the Romans, which provided a good opportunity for them to demonstrate their literacy skills by speaking to the whole class. As a result of effective planning, pupils were thoroughly engaged in the activity and made good progress. Similarly, in a science lesson, Year 1 pupils thoroughly enjoyed explaining the differences between mammals and reptiles and designed a table with pictures about the differences between these. This project from the ‘connected curriculum’ contributes well to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, and enables them to deepen their understanding of the different social and cultural environments that

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Quality of teaching

humans and animals jointly inhabit. The support of teaching assistants allows disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, and those who are new to learning English to access their learning fully.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

The majority of pupils say that they feel very safe and cared for in school and that adults are approachable if they have any concerns. The well-developed home–school liaison between staff and families encourages good communication. One parent commented, reflecting the views of many, ‘The relationship between home and school is very good, as they always keep me informed straight away if there is a problem or concern.’ Staff work effectively with families, especially those who are newly arrived in the country.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Typically, pupils’ behaviour is good and fosters positive attitudes to learning. They have a good understanding of how to lead healthy and safe lives. For example, pupil leaders ensure that there is water available and they have a good understanding of risks such as cyber-bullying, both in and out of school. They say they understand how to deal with these risks and to inform an adult if there is a problem. As a result of the school’s effective personal and social education provision, pupils display good attitudes to learning and attendance is above average. There have been no recorded instances of bullying. Pupils report that bullying is extremely rare and that all problems are swiftly dealt with. Senior leaders are confident that behaviour has improved and is consistently good. The scarcity of bullying is the result of the personal and social education programme, which strongly promotes respect for

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

everyone. The vast majority of parents and carers are supportive of the school. They share senior leaders’ positive views of behaviour and note how effectively the rare elements of bullying are dealt with.

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Leadership and management

All leaders and managers have successfully focused on the areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection. Consequently, standards of attainment and progress have improved and much has been done to strengthen the quality of teaching. For example, through well-considered training programmes, teachers are more skilful in developing question and answer sessions in lessons. The school has an accurate view of the quality of teaching and knows what has to be done to improve. Nevertheless, the outside learning environment in the Early Years Foundation Stage does not currently allow for sufficient free flow movement between the activities in order to promote children’s independence and learning through experience. This has been identified by school leaders as an area for development in the school’s improvement priorities.

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Leadership and management

The curriculum is good. The ‘connected curriculum’ focuses on developing skills from all subjects, for example, humanities and information and communication and technology, through literacy and numeracy. These provide good opportunities for pupils to learn how science and design and technology complement each other well, for example, through the project on ‘Space’. All contribute positively to developing pupils’ good levels of spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. As a result, this has enabled pupils to focus on their behaviour for learning by helping them to adopt positive attitudes. As one parent commented, ‘Every effort is always made to ensure my child is achieving and given advice on methods of encouragement.’

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Leadership and management

Members of the governing body know the school’s strengths and weaknesses well and fulfil their statutory duties. As a result, this enables them to challenge and hold the school to account well. The school has good procedures for safeguarding and risk assessment. These meet all government guidelines and include well-planned approaches to the management of pupils’ safety, risk assessment and the recruitment of staff. The school works tirelessly to eliminate discrimination and promote equality of opportunity. The groups in school make progress of which they are capable because of the actions taken by leaders. Pupils whose circumstances make them vulnerable or who previously displayed challenging behaviour now mostly enjoy their learning and make good progress. There are effective partnerships with external agencies to promote pupils’ good achievement. Pupils are well prepared for a life in the United Kingdom and a global society because of the good provision made through leaders’

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Leadership and management

good understanding of their own community and the different faiths, ethnic groups and cultures within it. The school’s international links are developing and promote a solid awareness of global issues, for example, through fundraising for ‘Red Nose Day’ and the ‘Help Somalia Foundation’.

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Leadership and management

Since the previous inspection, the school has improved attendance and strengthened teaching, assessment and moderation procedures. These successful actions demonstrate good capacity to make further improvements.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well. Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils. Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its pupils. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Nursery schools 46 46 8 0 Primary schools 8 47 40 5 Secondary schools 14 38 40 8 Special schools 28 48 20 4 Pupil referral units 15 50 29 5 All schools 11 46 38 6

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements have been introduced from 1 January 2012. This means that inspectors make judgements that were not made previously. The data in the table above are for the period 1 September 2010 to 31 August 2011 and represent judgements that were made under the school inspection arrangements that were introduced on 1 September 2009. These data are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk ). The sample of schools inspected during 2010/11 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools. Primary schools include primary academy converters. Secondary schools include secondary academy converters, sponsor-led academies and city technology colleges. Special schools include special academy converters and non-maintained special schools.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning and development taking account of their attainment.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attainment: the standard of the pupils’ work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attendance the regular attendance of pupils at school and in lessons, taking into account the school’s efforts to encourage good attendance.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Behaviour how well pupils behave in lessons, with emphasis on their attitude to learning. Pupils’ punctuality to lessons and their conduct around the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving based on its self-evaluation and what the school has accomplished so far and on the quality of its systems to maintain improvement.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the governors and headteacher, to identifying priorities, directing and motivating staff and running the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Learning: how well pupils acquire knowledge, develop their understanding, learn and practise skills and are developing their competence as learners.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Overall effectiveness: inspectors form a judgement on a school’s overall effectiveness based on the findings from their inspection of the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Progress: the rate at which pupils are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the pupils’ attainment at the end of a key stage with their attainment when they started.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Safety how safe pupils are in school, including in lessons, and their understanding of risks. Pupils’ freedom from bullying and harassment. How well the school promotes safety, for example e-learning.

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carers to share with their children. It describes Ofsted’s

main findings from the inspection of their school.

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Inspection of Elsley Primary School, Wembley HA9 6HT

Thank you for the very warm welcome you gave to us when we visited your school recently. We really enjoyed talking with you, seeing how you were getting on and considering whether we could suggest anything to make things better. We really valued the discussions we had with you and were extremely pleased to see you getting on with each other. Your school is good and your attitudes and behaviour are good. You and your parents and carers explained to us that the school keeps you safe and that it is a harmonious place. You make good progress in your lessons because of the good planning and support you receive from all staff to help you learn. All of your teachers want to help you to succeed and give you the best education possible. I have asked them to:

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Inspection of Elsley Primary School, Wembley HA9 6HT

 accelerate your progress even further by helping you to improve your work to show you how to move on to the next level so you can do your very best, especially the more able among you  develop the outside learning space in Early Years Foundation Stage to make your learning even more interesting.

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Inspection of Elsley Primary School, Wembley HA9 6HT

You too can play your part in improving the school by continuing to try your best at everything you do, by attending regularly, behaving well and achieving your targets. Once again, it was very good to meet you all and I wish you all the very best for the future.

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Inspection of Elsley Primary School, Wembley HA9 6HT

Emma Aylesbury Lead inspector procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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