Earlsfield Primary School

Age group 3–11 Inspection date(s) 23–24 January 2012 Inspection number 376498 Earlsfield Primary School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 101005 Local authority Wandsworth Inspection number 376498 Inspection dates 23–24 January 2012 Lead inspector Brian Netto

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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 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 449 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Aleks Leimanis Headteacher Stephen Trow Date of previous school inspection 9 October 2006 School address Tranmere Road London SW18 3QQ Telephone number 020 8946 5452 Fax number 020 8879 3719 Email address admin@earlsfield.wandsworth.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 scho ol 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 thi nk 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

This inspection was carried out with two days’ notice. Inspectors visited 26 lessons or part lessons and observed 18 teachers. They met with staff, pupils, parents and members of the governing body. Inspectors took account of the responses to the on- line questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection, observed the school’s work, and looked at school plans, records of pupils’ progress, policies, minutes of meetings and school self-evaluation documents. They received and analysed 167 questionnaires from parents and carers, as well as surveys from pupils and staff.

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Information about the school

Earlsfield Primary School is a larger-than-average-sized school. A majority of the pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds and many speak English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is above average. The proportion of pupils with disabilities or special educational needs is around the national average. Since the last inspection, there have been significant changes in staff. The school meets the current floor standard. The school runs a breakfast club and there is a private after-school club on site. The school has received a number of awards including The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Rights Respecting Schools award.

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Key findings

 Earlsfield Primary School is a good school. It has a number of particularly strong features. For example, the pupils make very rapid progress between Key Stage 1 and 2. The school’s care, guidance and support for pupils and its partnership with parents are also notable strengths.  The school has made significant improvements since the last inspection, so that attainment and attendance are both above average. Members of the governing body now play an active role in supporting and challenging the school.  Achievement is good. Pupils in Key Stage 2 attain well above national averages and make excellent progress. Pupils across the rest of the school make good progress.  Teaching is good and is ensuring that all groups of pupils, including pupils with disabilities or special educational needs, make good progress. There is, though, some reduction in the quality of teaching, particularly in Key Stage 1, when

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Key findings

tasks are not always precisely matched to pupils’ differing abilities. There are also insufficient opportunities for all classes to learn independently.  Pupils’ behaviour and safety are good and this comes in part from the strong relationships the school has built with its parents and carers. Pupils show considerable respect and care for each other, and have very positive attitudes to learning.  Effective shared leadership and management have enabled the school to tackle key areas of weakness from the last inspection. In addition, the leadership and management are ensuring that provision for the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding.  The school’s systems for monitoring and evaluation provide accurate and detailed information to support sustained improvement. However, within the school’s comprehensive improvement plan, specific priorities for improvement are not always highlighted precisely enough.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching further so that a higher proportion is outstanding by:  ensuring tasks are consistently well matched to pupils’ differing abilities equally effectively in both key stages  ensuring all classes have regular opportunities to develop their skills of independent learning.  Ensure that leaders refine improvement planning so that key priorities are highlighted more precisely.

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Achievement of pupils

Children enter the Nursery with skill levels below age-related expectations. They make good progress in many of the early learning goals so that by the time they leave the Early Years Foundation Stage, they have developed their skills in line with national expectations. Pupils make good progress during Key Stage 1, and by the end of Year 2 they attain above national averages. At Key Stage 2, pupils’ progress accelerates so that their attainment is well above average on leaving the school. As a former pupil commented, ‘Earlsfield helped me prepare for secondary school in so many ways, by encouraging neatness and 100% dedication to work.’

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils with disabilities or special educational needs make good progress from their starting points, and in 2011 many made progress above national expectations. Pupils who speak English as an additional language also progress well. In the current year groups, higher-attaining pupils are already reaching the levels expected at the end of the year. Pupils are typically very engaged with their learning, active when talking with their partners and attentive during class discussions. This contributes strongly to their good progress. Work in books indicates that pupils are making good progress over time. Pupils have a clear idea of their progress as they can reflect on their own learning using ‘I can…’ statements.

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Achievement of pupils

By the end of Key Stage 1, pupils achieve levels in reading which are above average, and by the time they leave Year 6, reading levels are significantly above average. During the inspection, Year 3 pupils were seen developing their language skills through story work. Small-group work with pupils who speak English as an additional language enabled effective development of language skills, in particular the use of synonyms and adverbs. Similarly, Year 6 were seen rearranging sentences to develop skills in emphasis and expression in writing dialogue. Another Year 6 class demonstrated skills in applying different methods to solve multiplication problems. They developed confidence in using a new method very quickly. The large majority of parents and carers agree that their children make good progress.

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Quality of teaching

Parents’ and carers’ overall view that teaching is good is consistent with the evidence from the inspection. Children in the Nursery and Reception Year develop skills in recognising sounds and letters using a variety of learning strategies, including songs and rhyme, and through small-group work. The teaching is systematic and regular. Children engage in purposeful learning activities, are well supported by adults, and, as a consequence, are able to learn independently. The regular support and practice of sounds and letters ensures that children make good progress in both reading and writing during the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Quality of teaching

In most lessons, work is well matched to the needs of the pupils, and this is a particular strength in Key Stage 2. Organising pupils into ability groups for literacy and numeracy in Years 4, 5 and 6 is helping to accelerate learning even quicker. Additional adults are deployed effectively to maximise achievement. Where teaching is very effective, excellent use is made of the interactive whiteboard, paired work maintains pupils’ focus, and regular reviews of learning occur. Teachers have high expectations and have developed strong relationships with the pupils. Probing questions and a brisk pace ensure that all pupils are challenged. In a few lessons, especially in Key Stage 1, teaching is less effective and progress is more limited when pupils are unfamiliar with the vocabulary or struggle with tasks that are too challenging or too easy. This is also the case in both key stages when teachers direct

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Quality of teaching

the learning for too long and therefore inhibit independent thinking.

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Quality of teaching

Teaching, securely underpinned by the planned curriculum, contributes effectively to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Marking is good, and is best in Key Stage 2, where pupils are provided with specific targets and guidance on how to improve.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils’ behaviour over time is good. Pupils behave considerately around the school and respond well to staff supervision. In lessons, pupils are typically enthusiastic and fully engaged, especially when tasks are challenging. Incidents of bullying or racist behaviour are rare, and pupils report that they feel very safe and that any incidents are dealt with quickly and fairly by the school. Parents and carers strongly agree that the school keeps their children safe.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils are very involved in questions of right and wrong, and each class has generated a class behaviour charter. This is supplemented by the school’s adoption of UNICEF’s Rights Respecting Schools charter. This provides the pupils with a curriculum which engages their sense of fairness and equality, and helps them learn about global issues. Pupils regularly take on responsibilities around the school. For example, older pupils act as ‘peer listeners’ at break and lunchtime to help deal with any relationship problems. Pupils enjoy attending the breakfast club, which gives them a good start to the day; as one pupil said, ‘I come every day and it’s really fun.’

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils clearly enjoy coming to school, and the strong care and attention given to individuals contributes to their outstanding personal development. Support and guidance for pupils whose circumstances make them vulnerable are exceptionally well developed. Pupils admitted during the school year are provided with excellent induction so that they can settle quickly.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Attendance has improved rapidly since the last inspection and is above average. Concerted efforts by the school and members of the governing body have helped to keep persistent absence low.

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Leadership and management

Improvements in leadership and management throughout the school since the last inspection have ensured that it has tackled key areas of weakness and it now has a strong capacity for sustained improvement. Effective leadership from the senior leadership team and members of the governing body has ensured that the school, despite losing some staff to promotion in other schools, has consolidated past performance and made rapid improvements in other areas. Governors make a strong contribution to the strategic direction of the school. Effective systems for the induction of new governors, and a thorough self-review, have enabled the governors to develop strong evaluation skills so that they can offer critical challenge and support for the school’s improvement. They ensure that safeguarding conforms to statutory requirements.

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Leadership and management

The current school improvement plan provides extensive detail of many aspects of the school’s work. However, plans do not always highlight the specific priorities for improvement precisely enough, for example in raising attainment even further in Key Stage 1. The school’s curriculum provides a wide range of learning opportunities which encourage the development of key skills across different subjects. The teaching of letters and sounds is particularly effective. Topics are culturally diverse, and plans include opportunities for parental engagement. The curriculum is enriched by a diverse programme of after-school clubs. All of these make a strong contribution to, and successfully promote, pupils’ outstanding spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. It is underpinned by a commitment to equality of opportunity, and much of the curriculum engages the pupils in understanding fairness and equality. As

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Leadership and management

one pupil said, ‘We all have responsibilities and rights.’

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Leadership and management

The school works well with the local authority and local schools to develop the teachers’ expertise, and professional development for staff is well planned to meet their varying needs. As a consequence, morale in the school is high and staff work well together under the direction of the leadership team. The school is highly regarded locally, and many of the teachers take a supportive role in professional development across the local authority. As one parent said, ‘The teaching staff are wonderful and I believe they go the extra mile in ensuring they get the best out of every child.’

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Leadership and management

Parental partnerships are extremely strong in the school. The very large majority of respondents to the Ofsted questionnaire were positive about the school. Regular and well-targeted parent workshops ensure that the majority have the opportunity to contribute to the school.

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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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3QQ

Thank you for your warm welcome when we recently visited your school. We enjoyed being told about all the good things going on at your school, and how you liked going there. We were very impressed by the way you took part in lessons and always tried the best you can. I enjoyed being shown around the school by some of the older pupils, who told me about how the school helps you understand and appreciate different cultures and religions.

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3QQ

We would like to tell you about what we found. Yours is a good school, and it has some real strengths. For example, the school does a lot to help you develop your ability to work together and mix with others, to understand the difference between right and wrong, and to appreciate the cultural diversity of our society. You told us that you feel safe in school because teachers and other adults look after you and help you understand how to keep safe. You behave very well. Most of you make good progress in English and mathematics.

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3QQ

Your headteacher and the staff are keen to make the school even better. We have asked your teachers to make sure as many of your lessons as possible are fun and challenging. You can all help by continuing to show an interest in what you are learning. We have also asked the school to look more closely at how to help you progress more, so that they can develop their plans to put this into practice.

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3QQ

We were pleased to see that your attendance has improved, and we trust that you will continue to behave well. We wish you all the best for the future.

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3QQ

Brian Netto Lead inspector procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', wh ich 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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