Crown Lane Primary School

Age group 3–11 Inspection date(s) 22–23 February 2012 Inspection number 376419 Crown Lane Primary School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 100593 Local authority Lambeth Inspection number 376419 Inspection dates 22–23 February 2012 Lead inspector Michael Merchant

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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 490 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Virginia Waterhouse Headteacher Ian Hyde Date of previous school inspection 25–26 November 2008 School address Crown Lane London SW16 3HX Telephone number 020 86704713 Fax number 020 87666094 Email address enquiries@crownlane.lambeth.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 inspe cts 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

This inspection was carried out with two days' notice. Twenty-five lessons were observed and six of these were carried out jointly by inspectors and senior staff. All 16 classroom teachers were observed teaching. Meetings were held with groups of pupils, a member of the governing body and staff. The inspector took account of the responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection, observed the school’s work, and looked at the plans for improvement, assessment information, lesson plans, the school’s monitoring information and a range of school policies. They also analysed questionnaires received from 78 parents and carers, 178 pupils and 30 staff.

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Information about the school

This is a larger than average-sized primary school. The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs , including those with a statement of special needs, is well above average. Their needs include pupils with mainly behavioural, emotional and social difficulties. A very large majority of pupils are of a wide range of heritages, the largest group being pupils of Black or Black British heritage. An above average proportion of pupils speak English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is above average. Large numbers of pupils join or leave the school other than at the usual times. There is a breakfast club and after-school club which are managed by the governing body. Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are taught in a Nursery and two Reception classes. The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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Information about the school

The children’s centre attached to the school on the site is managed by the governing body. It is subject to a separate inspection report. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Key findings

 Crown Lane Primary School is a good school. It provides a good education for its pupils. It has improved significantly since its last inspection and most pupils make good progress. Teaching is consistently good and pupils have good attitudes to their learning. Consequently, the school has a good capacity to improve. This is not an outstanding school because while being proud of their successes, school leaders and staff know there is still more to do to raise pupils’ attainment and accelerate their progress further.

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Key findings

 School data and work seen by inspectors show that current attainment of pupils in Year 6 is broadly average and all groups achieve well. A relentless focus on teaching sounds and letters ensures that by the age of six, most pupils are competent readers and by age 11 many are confident readers.

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Key findings

 Consistently effective teaching has been the key factor in promoting pupils' good progress. Teachers have very good subject knowledge, give clear explanations, and expect much of their pupils. However, in some literacy and numeracy lessons pupils are given insufficient time to work independently and tasks do not always provide maximum challenge for the more-able pupils. Consequently, attainment in English and mathematics remains average and not better.

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Key findings

 Pupils have a strong understanding of right and wrong, behave well and feel safe. Pupils’ personal development is good because they are encouraged to see their potential and are given the self-confidence to work hard and aim high.

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Key findings

 The school’s success has undoubtedly been brought about by the diligent efforts of staff. They have been guided by the dynamic leadership of the headteacher with strong support from his extended leadership team. All have a very clear vision of high-quality provision. Leaders check the school’s performance rigorously and offer constructive advice and training to staff. In this way, the quality of teaching and learning, and consequently pupils’ achievement, is Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise attainment so that most pupils reach above the expected levels nationally for their age in English and mathematics by:  ensuring that effective techniques to teach writing are employed consistently so all pupils write confidently and creatively  developing pupils’ higher-level problem-solving skills in mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching in all year groups by:  giving pupils more responsibility for their own learning by encouraging them to be more active and inquisitive in class  making sure that teachers plan for and extend the learning of the more- able pupils at a consistently challenging pace throughout lessons .

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Achievement of pupils

Children join the Early Years Foundation Stage with skills and abilities that are below, and sometimes well below, those expected of their age. Effective liaison between the school and the children’s centre ensures that children settle in to the Nursery classes quickly. The well-organised learning environment provides children with exciting learning opportunities, allowing them to make choices and develop independence and they make good progress across all areas of learning. Particularly impressive gains are made in children’s personal, social and reading skills.

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Achievement of pupils

As they pass through the school, all groups of pupils, including those new to learning English, make good progress in relation to their starting points and achieve well. By Year 6, most pupils are working at broadly the levels expected of them in English and mathematics. Pupils’ number skills, in particular, have improved markedly since the previous inspection, although not all are fully confident in solving number problems which means that too few attain the higher level. Plans to teach writing more effectively, such as through raising awareness of the differences between formal and informal language, are now embedding, but not enough pupils reach the higher level in national tests in English at the end of Year 6.

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Achievement of pupils

The quality of learning in the great majority of lessons is at least good and in some, outstanding. Pupils are keen to do their best, work purposefully in lessons and greatly enjoy what they are doing. For instance, in an excellent Year 5 numeracy lesson, pupils learnt at a blistering pace because of the teacher’s exceptionally high expectations of what she wanted them to learn. All groups of pupils made excellent progress and really enjoyed working in groups to complete the challenging task of solving symmetry problems. However, this is not always the case as in some lessons Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Achievement of pupils

and classes there are occasions when higher attaining pupils are not consistently challenged.

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Achievement of pupils

There is very little difference in the progress made by the various groups of pupils, including those known to be eligible for free school meals, because the school is very conscious of their individual needs. The school works very effectively to support pupils who enter the school mid-way through the year and those with particularly low levels of attainment. Skilled teaching assistants provide effective support for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs. This enables them to overcome many of the barriers in their lives and make progress which is equal to that of their peers. Parents and carers are delighted with the support provided for their children. Their comments are reflected in the views of one who said: ‘The understanding of my child’s needs has been exceptional. Crown Lane is like my child’s second family.’

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Achievement of pupils

Across the school, pupils make good gains in reading due to the clear emphasis placed on developing pupils’ reading skills across all subjects and interventions for pupils who find learning difficult. School records show that the attainment of most at the end of Key Stages 1 and 2 is close to that expected of their age in reading. A very large majority of parents and carers who returned the questionnaires agreed that their children were making good progress at the school and that their needs were very well met.

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Quality of teaching

The quality of teaching and engagement with pupils and their learning are good and all parents and carers who were spoken to echoed this. Teaching is lively, tasks and concepts are clearly explained and activities are carefully designed to challenge the pupils to learn at a swift pace. Pupils' levels of enjoyment and motivation are high because there is mutual respect between them and their teachers. High-quality teaching, such as that seen in a Year 6 literacy lesson where pupils were writing about horror stories, captivates and enthuses pupils and keeps them on their toes with provocative questioning and challenging tasks. Teachers mark books and set targets for improvement thoughtfully and carefully. The school has set up very thorough systems to check on pupils' progress. This data are used very well to ensure that none is in danger of falling behind, and to enable teachers to consistently set the next steps for each pupil's learning.

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Quality of teaching

Where teaching falls short of outstanding, learning and progress are held back because teachers sometimes talk too much and over-direct the tasks pupils undertake. This limits the time pupils are actively and independently learning and results in slower progress and less time for pupils to articulate what they have learnt.

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Quality of teaching

The exciting and well-planned curriculum is well thought out so that teaching enables pupils from all backgrounds to enjoy learning, achieve well and gain many skills for their wider personal development. Teachers promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. Classrooms glisten with wonderful displays and Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Quality of teaching

computers are used well to enhance greatly the quality of learning. Thoughtful and stimulating assemblies encourage pupils to reflect on many spiritual, moral, social and cultural issues.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

The behaviour of pupils in lessons and around the school is good. The school promotes pupils’ well-being effectively by helping them to develop their self-esteem and confidence, particularly those pupils whose circumstances might make them vulnerable. Consequently, they feel safe and valued and enjoy coming to school. This is reflected in above average attendance rates and excellent punctuality. During the inspection, all groups of pupils said that they felt safe in the school and nearly all pupils, parents and carers who responded to the questionnaire agreed. Almost all pupils spoken to by inspectors considered behaviour in school to be typically good. The school is rightly proud of its willingness and ability to work with pupils who exhibit challenging behaviour. There have been no exclusions in recent years and pupils trust that the staff will deal with rare incidents of any forms of bullying. The

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

school’s records show, and pupils confirm, that incidents of racism or harassment are extremely rare and dealt with effectively.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

The breakfast club exemplifies the warm, stimulating, high-quality care given to pupils. It provides a very good start to the day and encourages many pupils to attend school and arrive on time. The caring ethos of the school is evident in all the school’s actions and interactions between staff and pupils. Pupils relish responsibility and eagerly take advantage of the many opportunities to participate in a wide range of after-school events and are very well informed about other people’s needs.

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Leadership and management

The headteacher has a clear and unwavering vision for his school which is supported and implemented by all staff. He communicates his high expectations persuasively so that all have a shared sense of direction and feel part of a successful team. Consequently, all aspects of the school have improved since the last inspection. School leaders keep thorough checks on all aspects of school performance and manage the quality of teaching well. The senior team use their excellent coaching and mentoring skills to offer constructive advice and training. Particularly good use is made of their most effective teachers to extend and share good practice. In this way, the quality of teaching and learning is steadily improving.

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Leadership and management

At the time of the inspection, there was no evidence of any discrimination and the school promotes equality for all pupils vigorously through sophisticated monitoring and exemplary support. Progress for all groups of pupils, given their different starting points, is broadly similar, indicating that the school’s commitment to equal opportunities is translated effectively into practice.

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Leadership and management

The governing body holds the school to account for its work well. It has been influential in helping senior managers secure effective school improvement. Good Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Leadership and management

practice in safeguarding and child protection is evident in all areas of the school’s work. For instance, checks on the suitability of adults to work with children are thorough. School leaders have ensured that the exciting and well-planned curriculum is well thought out so that pupils from all backgrounds can enjoy learning and achieve well, and it successfully promotes pupils’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural development. In this highly inclusive school, every child matters and individual needs are considered very specifically. The school works extremely well in partnership with external agencies to secure extra support for those pupils who need it.

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Leadership and management

Even though the school has many good features, staff and the governing body are not complacent and want to lift pupils’ attainment even further. They know exactly what actions to take next as a result of thorough systems of school self-evaluation. In view of the strong improvements made to provision and pupils’ outcomes in the last three years, the school’s capacity to improve further is good.

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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 Crown Lane Primary School, London SW16 3HX

Thank you all for the warm welcome you gave us when we visited your school recently. What a lovely two days we had. We really enjoyed meeting and talking to you and watching you sing in wonderful assemblies. You go to a good school that is improving quickly. It has many good features and you are right to be proud of it. Here are some of the good things we found out about Crown Lane Primary School.

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Inspection of Crown Lane Primary School, London SW16 3HX

 You make good progress as you move through the school and you achieve well. By the time you leave at the end of Year 6, your attainment is similar to that of pupils in most other schools. This is because you work hard and due to the good teaching that you receive.  Your teachers and other adults take good care of you. You told us they make sure that everyone feels completely safe and secure. We agree.  You behave well around the school and in your classes and you look after each other well. You relish working in groups and helping each other to learn and you readily help your classmates when they find things difficult.  Your headteacher, the governing body and all the other staff know in detail how to make sure that your school continues to improve.

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Inspection of Crown Lane Primary School, London SW16 3HX

To help the school improve further, we have asked those who lead and manage the school to do two things.

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Inspection of Crown Lane Primary School, London SW16 3HX

 Make sure that more of you exceed the expected levels of attainment in English and mathematics in the national tests that you take at the end of Year 6.  In lessons, ensure that all teachers plan your work more carefully so that it is better matched to your different abilities and make sure that you are able to learn more things on your own.

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Inspection of Crown Lane Primary School, London SW16 3HX

You can help them by always working hard and aiming really high.

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Inspection of Crown Lane Primary School, London SW16 3HX

Michael Merchant 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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