Cromer Road Primary School

Age group 4–11 Inspection date(s) 1–2 March 2012 Inspection number 376534 Cromer Road Primary School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 101272 Local authority Barnet Inspection number 376534 Inspection dates 1–2 March 2012 Lead inspector John Horwood

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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 398 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Bill Webster Headteacher Helen Schmitz Date of previous school inspection 16 September 2008 School address Cromer Road Barnet Hertfordshire EN5 5HT Telephone number 0208 4493492 Fax number 0208 4400580 Email address office@cromer.barnetmail.net 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

This inspection was carried out with two days' notice. Inspectors used a number of strategies to observe learning. These included lesson or small group observations. A total of ten hours was spent observing teaching, which included visiting 20 lessons taught by 14 teachers. Meetings were held with staff, members of the governing body and groups of pupils. Informal discussions also took place with parents, carers and pupils. Inspectors took account of the 18 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection, observed the school’s work, and looked at documents including the school improvement plan, minutes of meetings, the school’s information on pupils’ progress and samples of pupils’ work. The responses to 178 questionnaires from parents and carers, 27 responses from staff and 93 responses from pupils were examined and analysed.

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Information about the school

Cromer Road Primary School is a larger than average-sized primary school. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is higher than that found nationally and an above average proportion speak English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is higher than that found nationally. The proportions of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are higher than the national figures, as is the proportion who have a statement of special educational needs. The school provides a before- and after- school club. The school meets the government’s floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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Information about the school

The school has achieved Healthy School Status and been awarded Her Majesty’s Tower of London Certificate of Merit for being the best behaved school group visiting the Tower of London in November 2010. 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

 This is a good school where pupils clearly enjoy learning. The good standards of education have been maintained over time and behaviour has much improved. Good teaching enables pupils to achieve well. A strong leadership team is enabling the school to improve. It is not yet outstanding because teaching and achievement are only good and some parents feel that they are not kept fully informed of the school’s behaviour management procedures.  All pupils make good progress. Attainment for pupils at the end of Key Stage 2 is above average in English and mathematics. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make at least good progress because of very good support.  Teaching has improved and inadequate teaching has been eliminated. The proportion of good and outstanding teaching has increased. Teaching of linking letters and sounds (phonics) is good and there is a secure approach to encouraging improved reading. In a few lessons, some pupils finish the work

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Key findings

quickly and have to wait for additional work or for others to catch up.  Behaviour around the school is good and teachers ensure good behaviour in lessons through high expectations and consistently applying the school systems of sanctions and rewards. Disruption to lessons is rare. Pupils say they feel safe in school and are taught how to keep safe and healthy. They have positive attitudes to learning and enjoy coming to school.  Senior leaders have a clear vision for improving the school. They monitor school and staff performance and the quality of teaching through pupils’ progress meetings, lesson observations and assessment data. This is leading to more good teaching and improving progress. Management systems are well established and ensure that the school runs smoothly. Leaders have ensured that effective procedures are in place to support the behaviour management of pupils but a lack of information to parents about the systems reduces the

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Key findings

confidence of some parents that issues are dealt with effectively. 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 by ensuring a greater proportion of teaching is outstanding, by setting and maintaining an appropriate and demanding level of challenge for all pupils and that this is maintained from the start of the lesson until the end.  Provide all parents and carers with information about how the school implements procedures for ensuring the effective behaviour management of pupils to increase their confidence that issues are dealt with swiftly and effectively.

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Achievement of pupils

Attainment for children on entry to Reception Year is, overall, lower than the expected levels for their age. In the Early Years Foundation Stage, children make good progress and most achieve the goals expected of them. Children’s learning and progress made are closely monitored. Children are helped to learn by good teaching and a wide range of resources both indoors and outdoors. Their emotional development is well supported by caring staff.

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Achievement of pupils

Good progress continues in Key Stages 1 and 2. Attainment, including reading, is securely average by the end of Year 2. By the time that pupils leave the school, attainment is above average in reading, writing and mathematics. In Key Stage 1, attainment by boys in writing is a little lower than for girls but good teaching ensures the gap is closed by the end of Key Stage 2. Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, pupils from different ethnic backgrounds, and those at an early stage of acquiring English make at least good progress from their individual starting points through a wide range of support strategies. There are no consistent differences in the attainment of pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and those who are not. The work seen in pupils’ books continues to show above expected levels of attainment in English and in mathematics for the oldest pupils.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils enjoy their learning, as was seen in a Year 2 English lesson where pupils had to pretend to jump inside a picture and then identify their feelings. This activity also had a good impact on their spiritual development. Lessons are typically carried out at a good pace, with stimulating activities which promote good progress. In a Year 6 English lesson about the story of John Lennon, brisk short questions were asked as part of maintaining the good pace. Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are always fully integrated into activities. Most parents and carers say their children are making good progress and developing good academic skills and this agrees with inspectors’ findings 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

Teachers have good relationships with pupils and make learning enjoyable. They plan their lessons well and use a good range of teaching styles and activities to motivate learning. This often includes role play and, in an outstanding Year 6 English lesson, adults and pupils joined in an interactive role play activity. Teachers also provide realistic links to other subjects and to the community, for example by visiting the local area to identify people’s character by their appearance and relationships. There are good opportunities to develop literacy and numeracy skills across other subjects. Teachers use assessment data well to provide challenging work for all pupils but on occasions do not always provide sufficiently challenging extension tasks for those who complete their work early. This prevents even better strides in pupil learning. Teaching assistants are well trained to support pupils’ needs and provide

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Quality of teaching

good support both in the classroom and during small group work. Teachers mark pupils’ work regularly and provide constructive comments on how they can further improve.

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Quality of teaching

The curriculum supports both academic and personal skills well. Teachers use themes and practical activities to extend and develop pupils’ basic skills across the curriculum. Teaching has a good impact on pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development through learning about other faiths and cultures as well as giving them an understanding of the arts. In many lessons, music is used to create a purposeful atmosphere and pupils are encouraged to reflect about the lesson content. In the Early Years Foundation Stage, children have good opportunities to choose the activities to work on. Teachers are good role models and have high expectations of pupils’ academic and social development. The vast majority of pupils and most parents and carers who completed questionnaires say teaching is good. This is consistent with the inspectors’ views.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

The behaviour seen during the inspection was consistently good. Pupils are adamant that this is the norm, with their questionnaire returns showing that the overwhelming majority think that behaviour is good most of the time. Their behaviour outside of school was recognised by the certificate of merit awarded for being the best behaved school during a visit to the Tower of London. Parents and carers have mixed views, although most say behaviour is good and that lessons are not disrupted. A very small minority identify concerns over behaviour and these were fully investigated during the inspection. Inspectors acknowledge that a small number of pupils with known behaviour difficulties present challenges but the teachers are very skilled at managing these situations on the few occasions these arise, and disruption to learning is rare. School leaders have recognised the need to ensure that parents are reminded and made fully aware of all of its behaviour management procedures to

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

increase confidence that all issues are dealt with appropriately. There is a clear behaviour policy which is consistently applied across the school, and pupils know the boundaries. Teachers have high expectations of behaviour and attitudes to learning. The school has effective procedures to prevent and deal with any incidents of 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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Behaviour and safety of pupils

bullying. Pupils are taught about the different types of bullying, including cyber bullying, and understand that bullying is not acceptable. Pupils say they feel safe in school because they know that adults will sort out any problems that arise. The play area has been extended with improved equipment to ensure pupils have interesting activities for break times. The school is very inclusive and exclusions are very rare. As part of the behaviour policy, if the initial sanctions do not work, pupils are sent to the ‘reflection room’ which is supervised by the senior leaders. Records show that this is very effective. The school is a very harmonious community. Inspection findings support the prevailing view that behaviour and safety are typically good. This also supports many of the comments made by pupils, parents and carers that behaviour has improved. Attendance at school is above that seen in most schools.

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Leadership and management

The senior leadership team has a clear vision of improving the school and is supported well by members of the governing body and leaders at all levels. All systems to support school improvement are securely in place and the monitoring of pupils’ progress is well established. The regular pupil progress meetings ensure that the needs of every pupil are addressed on an individual basis, ensuring they all have equal opportunities to succeed. The achievement of groups of pupils is also monitored closely so that any differences are identified early and the gap narrowed. The monitoring of teaching and learning is regular and information gained from this has been used well to identify training opportunities. As a result, previous inadequate teaching has been eliminated and the skills of all teachers have been enhanced and developed. The coordination of pupil support is good and includes ongoing monitoring of the impact of the intervention strategies. The special educational

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Leadership and management

needs coordinator, who is a member of the senior management team, is actively involved in providing much of the individual support programme. The governing body provides good support and challenge to the school. Members visit regularly and have a good understanding of the performance of the school and what needs to be done for it to improve further. They also identify what they need to do to become even more effective. School leaders and governors ensure that equal opportunities are promoted effectively and there is no evidence of discrimination of any kind. Members of the governing body and school leaders are all involved in monitoring the well- being of pupils and in making sure that all safeguarding requirements are met.

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Leadership and management

The school leaders have a good understanding of the strengths and areas for improvement. The school development plan has focused on addressing the issues from the last inspection and in supporting all aspects of pupils’ education. Leaders have ensured good management of pupils’ behaviour at play. A much better partnership with parents and carers has been established through, for example, an active ‘parent representative group’ which meets monthly, and an improved website. Actions taken by leaders have ensured that good behaviour is now typical, good achievement has been consolidated and teaching has improved and inadequate teaching eradicated. This track record indicates that the school has a good capacity for sustained improvement. 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

The curriculum is good. It is broad and balanced, with a wide range of extra- curricular opportunities. Pupils talked excitedly about their school trips including visiting France and communicating with pupils in a French school. This enhances the contribution that the curriculum and teaching make to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The school provides a well-managed before- and after- school club which helps develop pupils’ social skills in a safe and secure environment.

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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 Cromer Road Primary School, Barnet EN5 5HT

Thank you for making us so welcome when we visited your school. We enjoyed talking with you and looking at the work you do. Your school provides you with a good education.

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Inspection of Cromer Road Primary School, Barnet EN5 5HT

There are things your school does particularly well, and these are a few of them.

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Inspection of Cromer Road Primary School, Barnet EN5 5HT

 You all make good progress as a result of good teaching.  You behave well and enjoy the opportunities for being rewarded for good behaviour whilst you respect the need for sanctions.  The few pupils who have difficulty managing their own behaviour are supported well by adults.  You get on very well together and enjoy coming to school, where you feel safe.  You tell us that any type of bullying is very rare and dealt with quickly and well.  School leaders are ensuring that the school improves.

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Inspection of Cromer Road Primary School, Barnet EN5 5HT

For the school to become better, we have asked your headteacher to:

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Inspection of Cromer Road Primary School, Barnet EN5 5HT

 help you reach higher attainment levels by ensuring that teachers set you challenging work which helps you make good progress throughout the whole lesson  provide more information to your parents and carers about how they use the school procedures to deal with the behaviour management of pupils.

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Inspection of Cromer Road Primary School, Barnet EN5 5HT

All of you can help the school to move forward by continuing to work hard. We wish you every success in the future.

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Inspection of Cromer Road Primary School, Barnet EN5 5HT

John Horwood 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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