Dulwich Wood Primary School

Age group 4–11 Inspection date(s) 6–7 March 2012 Inspection number 376463 Langbourne Primary School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 100801 Local authority Southwark Inspection number 376463 Inspection dates 6–7 March 2012 Lead inspector Stephen Dennett

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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 180 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Dorothy Wright Headteacher Carol Field Date of previous school inspection 1–2 December 2008 School address Bowen Drive West Dulwich London SE21 8PL Telephone number 020 8670 5470 Fax number 020 8670 0487 Email address office@langbourne.southwark.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 a nd 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 visited twelve lessons, observed seven teachers and held meetings with members of the governing body, staff and groups of pupils. 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 policies, pupils’ books, safeguarding records and evidence of the monitoring of teaching and learning. The team examined 34 questionnaires from parents and carers, 105 from pupils in Key Stage 2 and 16 from staff.

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Information about the school

Langbourne is a smaller than average-sized primary school. The proportion of pupils of minority ethnic heritage is well-above average. The largest group represented is Black African, closely followed by Black Caribbean and White British; there are other small groups of mixed race and Asian origin. The precentage of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well-above average. The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, including those with statements of special education needs, is well-above average. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is also well-above average. The school meets current government floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress. An after-school club run by the local authority uses the same premises and was inspected separately. Amongst others, the school has achieved the Eco Schools Silver Award.

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Information about the school

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. Standards have improved since the last inspection and continue to rise; nearly all pupils are making good progress in relation to their starting points; teaching is effective; and pupils’ behaviour is almost always good. Overall effectiveness is not outstanding because the proportion of outstanding teaching is not yet high enough and, as a result, pupils are not making rapid and sustained progress across the school. Standards at the end of Year 2 are below average, particularly in speaking and writing. In addition, there is a need to eliminate the very few incidents of low-level disruption in lessons.  Pupils’ achievement is good. Groups of pupils, including those from different ethnic backgrounds, make good progress because their individual needs are met effectively. The school has successfully narrowed the gaps in achievement between different groups. At the end of Year 6, pupils’ attainment in all

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Key findings

subjects is broadly average.  Teaching is good. Teachers plan challenging activities tailored suitably to pupils’ ability levels. Assessment is used effectively to track pupils’ progress and to identify targets for improvement.  Behaviour is good and has improved greatly since the last inspection. Pupils have positive attitudes to learning and all say they enjoy school very much. Their behaviour is mainly good and some is outstanding. However, very occasionally, a very small minority of pupils are not engaged in lessons and this can result in low-level disruption. Attendance is above average and has improved over the last two years.  The headteacher provides robust and clear leadership to the school, which is focused resolutely on raising standards. Staff and the governing body share the drive for improvement, with the result that the school has improved substantially since the last inspection. Rigorous monitoring of teaching and

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Key findings

effective performance management by senior managers have led to improvements in the quality of teaching, which in turn are resulting in pupils’ accelerating progress and rising standards. 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?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching and raise standards at Key Stage 1 by ensuring that teachers give pupils more opportunities to practise and develop their speaking and writing skills.  Eliminate the very few instances of non-engagement and low-level disruption in lessons by reinforcing the school’s clear behaviour policy continually and providing additional support for those pupils who have difficulty in managing their own behaviour.

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Achievement of pupils

Children’s skills on entry to the Reception class are typically well below expectations for their age, especially in communication, language and literacy. Attainment in reading, writing and mathematics, for both boys and girls, is below average at the end of Year 2 and broadly average at the end of Year 6. Pupils’ language and writing skills are well-below average in Key Stage 1. From their starting points, which are often very low, the great majority of pupils, including disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, makes good progress through the school. Pupils known to be eligible for free school meals do as well as their peers. Although the performance of boys was previously below that of girls, especially in writing, the gap has now been narrowed considerably and boys are making better progress overall. Some previous underachievement by Black Caribbean pupils has also been tackled

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Achievement of pupils

and, as a result of the more-engaging curriculum, most are making good progress. Pupils who speak English as an additional language make good progress in their acquisition of English, as well as in the development of their key skills.

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Achievement of pupils

Progress in almost all the lessons observed was at least good. Pupils enjoy learning and teachers plan work that they find motivating. Pupils have growing levels of confidence and independence and they take pride in assessing and evaluating their own work. Levels of concentration are usually good, leading to accelerated learning. This was particularly true in a good lesson on phonics (letters and the sounds they make) in Year 2, when the pupils demonstrated a secure grasp of groups of the letter sounds being taught. They persevered well and helped each other to write correct sentences using words with those sound patterns. In another lesson, pupils in Year 6 made good progress in writing because of engaging activities, such as writing down questions to ask different characters in the poem ‘The Highwayman’. They show a growing vocabulary and many have well-developed, neat handwriting.

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Achievement of pupils

Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage settle quickly into school life and make good progress in all areas of learning, although, because of their low starting points, their attainment is still below expectations by the time they enter Year 2, particularly in writing. Children’s speaking skills are often very limited, although improving as a result of effective teaching. In a good literacy lesson, children enjoyed working on an imaginary interview of Little Red Riding Hood. They discussed the kind of questions 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

they could ask her, such as, ‘What did you do when you couldn’t see Granny?’ Pupils’ standards of reading at the ends of Year 2 are below average, but improving rapidly. By the end of Year 6 attainment in reading is broadly average. The older pupils say that they enjoy reading and selecting their own books from the school library.

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Achievement of pupils

Almost all parents and carers responding to the questionnaire feel that the school meets their children’s needs, that their children are making good progress, and that the school helps them to support their child’s learning well. Inspection findings support these positive views.

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Quality of teaching

The work planned by nearly all teachers makes good use of their knowledge of the pupils’ attainment to ensure it is appropriately challenging for all. Clear links are made between different areas of the curriculum as part of topics and pupils’ spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development benefits as a result. In most of the lessons observed, the pupils were clear about what they would learn and the small steps by which they could measure their own progress; this is assisted by teachers’ good marking, with helpful comments on how pupils could improve their work. Teachers plan interesting activities that successfully motivate pupils and the pupils are encouraged to take pride in all of their work. Teachers and teaching assistants work together effectively to support all pupils, but especially disabled pupils and those with special educational needs. Teachers use a good range of teaching methods and

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Quality of teaching

make effective use of interactive whiteboards to engage pupils in learning. However, occasionally, opportunities are missed to develop pupils’ spoken language and writing skills, especially at Key Stage 1. In other respects, the impact of the planned curriculum on teaching is good. The school makes good use of the school site to enhance pupils’ learning, including a well-designed outdoor classroom. Teachers promote pupils’ personal development well through the effective use of philosophy to get pupils to reflect on their own and others’ opinions. Through teachers’ high expectations, most pupils have a good appreciation of right and wrong and how to behave appropriately with other children and adults. Pupils have a good grasp of environmental issues through writing about topics such as saving whales and the importance of recycling as part of the Eco Schools Award scheme.

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Quality of teaching

An overwhelming proportion of parents and carers feel that their children are taught well and are prepared for the next stage of their education. The inspection findings support this view fully. One parent wrote, ‘I have had three children at this school … and they have all been happy and achieved well … because the staff are great.’

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Behaviour has improved dramatically since the previous inspection and is now good. Pupils’ enjoyment of school is demonstrated by above-average attendance and their positive attitudes to learning. The pupils are very welcoming and interested in visitors. The way they behave in lessons and around school is usually at least good. However, on rare occasions, some pupils have difficulty in managing their own behaviour and there is a very small amount of low-level disruption as a result in a 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

few lessons. Most pupils show consideration for others and work and play together harmoniously. School records indicate that there have been very few incidents of bullying or racism in the last two years; this represents an improvement from previously, when there was some incidence of homophobic bullying. This has now been eliminated completely. Nearly all pupils agreed that bullying only happened very rarely, was seldom serious, and was dealt with promptly and effectively by the adults in school. Pupils were confident that they felt very safe at school and had a good awareness of possible dangerous situations. The school has ensured that pupils are well aware of safe and appropriate use of the internet and how to avoid cyber bullying.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Most parents and carers agreed that behaviour was good overall and bullying was handled effectively. However, a few said that they thought there was very occasional disruption to lessons. The inspection findings confirm these views.

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Leadership and management

The headteacher has a clear vision that is shared by other senior managers, the governing body, and all staff. The quality of teaching has been improved since the last inspection through focused professional development, which has resulted in teachers raising their expectations of pupils. Nevertheless, senior leaders are aware of the need to ensure that all teachers focus consistently on the development of pupils’ language skills. Leaders have identified correctly that boys, pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, and Black Caribbean pupils were underachieving and have worked successfully to close gaps in achievement, partly through re- designing the whole curriculum to meet all pupils’ needs better, including these groups. The governing body has a clear view of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement because of its active involvement and the rigour of the challenge it presents to the school. Areas for improvement from the last inspection have been

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Leadership and management

tackled successfully and, as a result, standards at the end of Key Stage 2 have risen from well-below average to broadly average. The school’s self-evaluation is focused clearly on the correct priorities and stems from an effective programme of monitoring and evaluation. Consequently, the school has a good capacity for sustained improvement.

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Leadership and management

The curriculum is good because it meets the needs of pupils well and is playing a major part in engaging them in learning. It has been effectively reviewed to create opportunities for more links across all subject areas. The curriculum is also providing a good platform for promoting pupils’ spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development effectively, especially through the focus on developing pupils’ thinking and language skills. Their cultural development has been enhanced particularly through an arts week and a school carnival. Music is also a strong feature of the curriculum.

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Leadership and management

The school is successful in promoting equality of opportunity and tackling discrimination. It has systems for identifying groups and individuals who need additional support and has proved successful in providing appropriate strategies to accelerate their learning. Safeguarding procedures meet statutory requirements. All 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 parents and carers are happy that the children feel safe at school. Nearly all parents and carers say that the school keeps them well informed and responds well to any concerns raised.

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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 Langbourne Primary School, London SE21 8PL

Thank you for welcoming us on our recent visit. This letter is to tell you what we found out. We came to see how well you are all learning and we enjoyed our two days at your happy and friendly school. Thank you for talking to us about your work and what it is like to be a pupil at your school.

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Inspection of Langbourne Primary School, London SE21 8PL

We think that your school is good and has improved over the last few years. You are taught well and you make good progress in reading, writing, and mathematics. Teaching is good and your teachers provide you with interesting lessons, which you all said you enjoy. The adults help you to grow up well, to learn how to keep safe, and to care for each other.

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Inspection of Langbourne Primary School, London SE21 8PL

Your teachers and the school’s governing body all want to make your school even better. We know that pupils in Key Stage 1 are trying hard, but you need to do even better, particularly in writing. We have asked your teachers to help you improve by giving you more opportunities to talk about what you can write and to express yourselves more clearly. You can help by listening carefully and writing as much as you can. Another thing we noticed was that, occasionally, a few of you lose interest in what you are learning and begin to disrupt the lesson. We have asked your teachers to help you behave better and manage your distractions. You can help by listening carefully, not calling out and concentrating all the time on what you should be doing.

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Inspection of Langbourne Primary School, London SE21 8PL

For all of you, the important things are to carry on working hard, making your contribution to school life, and to continue growing into caring and responsible young people. You have all our best wishes for the future.

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Inspection of Langbourne Primary School, London SE21 8PL

Stephen Dennett Lead inspector (on behalf of the inspection team) 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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