Old Oak Primary School

Old Oak Primary School Inspection report

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Unique Reference Number 100335 Local Authority Hammersmith and Fulham Inspection number 354839 Inspection dates 3–4 November 2010 Reporting inspector Martin Beale

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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 340 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Graham Welch Headteacher Madeleine Parker Date of previous school inspection 27 November 2007 School address Mellitus Street London W12 0AS Telephone number 020 87437629 Fax number 020 87498360 Email address admin@oldoak.lbhf.sch.uk

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Age group 3–11 Inspection dates 3–4 November 2010 Inspection number 354839 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 after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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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 1234 234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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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 documentation 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'. Royal Exchange Buildings St Ann's Square Manchester M2 7LA T: 0300 1234 234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by three additional inspectors. They visited 19 lessons, seeing 12 teachers at least once, and held meetings with staff, groups of pupils and the vice chair of the governing body. Informal discussions were also held with parents and carers as they arrived with their children at the start of the day. Inspectors observed the school's work, and scrutinised assessment information, pupils' books, records of pupils' progress and improvement plans. The team analysed 167 parental questionnaires, 85 responses to the pupil survey and 40 responses to the staff questionnaire. The inspection team reviewed many aspects of the school's work. It looked in detail at a number of key areas:  The school's success in improving achievement in mathematics and the impact of the school's focus on writing.  The provision of opportunities for pupils to take more responsibility for their learning.

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Introduction

 The effectiveness of the school's support and guidance for the learning and progress of pupilswhose circumstances might make them more vulnerable.

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Information about the school

This large primary school serves a culturally diverse community. Most pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds, with a quarter being of Black African heritage. Two thirds are from homes where English is spoken as an additional language. More than half of the pupils are known to be eligible for free school meals. A higher than average proportion of pupils join or leave the school other than at the usual times. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is well above average. Their needs are mostly associated with learning difficulties related to literacy and to their behaviour and emotional development. Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are taught in a Nursery and two Reception classes, the second of which takes in children each January. There are two mixed-age classes in Key Stage 2. The school has received the Intermediate International School Award and achieved Healthy Schools status.

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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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Main findings

Old Oak Primary is a good school. It owes its success to the strong leadership by the headteacher and senior leaders of a cohesive staff team all of whom strive hard to improve the achievement of the pupils. They have the support of parents who say how much their children enjoy school and are particularly happy with the way their children are looked after. This is a view shared by the pupils, who say how safe they feel in school and that they are confident the adults will deal with any concerns they take to them. Pupils behave well and show great consideration towards each other. Pupils from a wide range of ethnic and cultural backgrounds work and play happily together. They greatly enjoy participating in physical activities and sporting competitions, and learn as they get older how to identify risks and keep themselves safe. Pupils enjoy learning about the customs and thoughts of others, while thinking about the values they will adopt to

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Main findings

help shape their future lives. They are polite and courteous towards visitors. They enjoy making new friends and helping to smooth the start for newcomers to the school. The headteacher and her staff understand clearly the circumstances of the pupils and their families. They use this knowledge to tailor action to meet the specific needs of individual pupils and to support families by directing them towards appropriate local agencies. The staff team is particularly effective in promoting the well-being and development of pupils whose circumstances make them more vulnerable. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and the many pupils who arrive in school speaking little or no English. Children get off to a good start in the Nursery and Reception classes because the adults plan interesting activities for them in a safe and secure environment. The pupils' continuing good progress across Years 1 to 6 is based on lively and interesting teaching

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Main findings

that generates much enthusiasm and moves learning forward at pace. Teachers make learning interesting while ensuring that pupils of different ages in their classes make equally good progress. The most effective teaching is inventive, challenges the pupils' thinking and grabs their attention. However, they are not consistently provided with opportunities to become more independent such as through taking responsibility for planning aspects of their learning or sharing their ideas with their teachers or their classmates. Furthermore, marking does not always make clear the steps pupils should take to meet their individual learning targets, give them time to respond to their teacher's comments and provide opportunities to assess their own progress and that of others. The recent attention paid to sharpening the pupils' mental arithmetic skills has reaped dividends and their progress in mathematics is accelerating. Writing has now emerged as

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Main findings

the weaker element particularly at Key Stage 2, and the school is only just at the point of

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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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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

identifying the action it needs to take to tackle this area. Pupils are encouraged to develop their writing skills in subjects such as science, but do not consistently have the opportunity to plan and develop extended pieces of writing over a period of time. Basic skills are not always secure and presentation can be careless. Furthermore, the pupils' progress in writing is not checked sufficiently frequently for rapid action to be taken to tackle any underachievement. Since its last inspection, the school has developed much sharper procedures by which it checks on everyone's performance, evaluates the information obtained and then identifies how it will tackle priorities for improvement. There is a shared awareness among staff and governors of the school's strengths and where there is scope to do things better in order to raise the pupils' achievement. Where weaknesses occur such as in mathematics, they

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

are tackled robustly and with success. On this basis the school has good capacity for further improvement.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of the pupils' writing by: providing more consistent opportunities across the school for pupils to develop extended pieces of writing focusing more sharply on developing basic skills and the presentation of work checking more frequently on the impact of action taken to improve writing and the progress being made by pupils.  Involve pupils more in taking responsibility for their learning by: providing more opportunities for pupils to plan and discuss their learning providing clear targets for the improvement of their work generating greater consistency in marking pupils' work.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

Pupils have a great determination to succeed and so learn and consolidate new skills rapidly in many lessons. They are interested in what they are learning and become immersed in the tasks they are undertaking, often working constructively with a partner. Most pupils who are at the school from Year 1 reach nationally expected levels by the end of Year 6 in both English and mathematics, including pupils of Black African backgrounds. Later arrivals, often from abroad and speaking very limited English, make at least good and at times outstanding progress but, because of their short time at the school, do not always reach expected levels by the time they leave for secondary school. Pupils develop teamwork skills and greatly enjoy sharing their thoughts in discussion with each other. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress not just academically but also towards targets related to their behaviour and

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

personal development. Pupils new to speaking English develop skills quickly and are able to participate fully in lessons, through their immersion in an environment rich in talk and language.

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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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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

The active school council gives the pupils a voice in developments such as the lead they took in successfully improving behaviour around the school. They have also taken responsibility for trying to improve the local area by planting trees and bulbs. Their developing contribution to the wider community has been recognised by the Intermediate International Award, and seen through the developing links with schools abroad and their raising of funds for Sport Relief. Pupils understand the issues around the adoption of a healthy lifestyle as reflected in the achievement of the Healthy Schools award. Older pupils show an ability to reflect on their values and experiences of life.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for pupils' outcomes

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Pupils' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning 2

Taking into account: Pupils' attainment¹

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Pupils' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning 2

The quality of pupils' learning and their progress 2

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Pupils' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning 2

The quality of learning for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and their progress

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3

Taking into account: Pupils' attendance¹

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The extent of pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2

1 The grades for attainment and attendance are: 1 is high; 2 is above average; 3 is broadly average; and 4

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How effective is the provision?

Teachers use their assessments of the pupils' knowledge, skills and understanding to plan lessons that are appropriately matched to their individual needs and use new technology creatively to recap previous work and to engage pupils in their learning. An excellent example of this was seen during a Year 4 mathematics investigation. The teacher made the lesson interesting by adopting a wide variety of methods. The lesson generated confidence among the pupils that they could succeed, because it was made clear to them the purpose behind what they were doing and how to tackle any challenges they might meet.

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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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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

Subject programmes are planned to take account of mixed-age classes and to meet the specific learning and language needs of the pupils. Pupils have plenty of opportunity to develop their writing and computer skills across subjects. Learning is linked carefully between subjects. For example, Year 6 pupils wrote the instructions for folding a net to make a cube in their English lesson. The pupils' experiences are enriched in many ways such as through visits to London museums and art galleries as well as the range of sports available. The staff team has created a very harmonious and purposeful atmosphere into which new arrivals settle quickly. Support from the learning mentor, the school counsellor and a wide range of external agencies is sharply focused because pupils are known as individuals and their needs fully understood. This support is particularly effective for pupils who have emotional and behavioural difficulties and pupils whose circumstances make

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

them more vulnerable. Carefully planned activities help pupils make a smooth start at whatever stage they arrive and prepare them well to take the next step in their education.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for the quality of provision

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The quality of teaching 2

Taking into account: The use of assessment to support learning

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How effective are leadership and management?

The headteacher's vision for the school is based on a relentless drive to raise achievement, promote equality of opportunity and reduce any barriers that might impede the pupils' learning. Expectations are high and targets are challenging. The careful analysis of assessment data is used to check for gaps between different groups. As a consequence of action taken, there are no patterns to any variation in achievement by gender or ethnicity. There is a concerted drive to improve teaching. Senior leaders play a significant role in helping their colleagues to improve their performance and so raise the achievement of the pupils. The school can point to many examples where teachers have become more effective through providing a range of tailored support including working alongside others either from within or outside the school. Governance is good. The governing body has adopted a wide range of methods to gain

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How effective are leadership and management?

first-hand evidence of the school's performance so that it can challenge its leadership to do even better and be more involved in shaping the school's strategic direction. The governing body ensures that statutory requirements are met, and that everyone is kept safe through the rigorous implementation of policies and by carefully vetting all those who work in the school.

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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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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

Staff and members of the governing body recognise the good value for money the school gains from its links with others. These help to extend the opportunities provided for the pupils and to support their welfare. The partnership between home and school is strong and productive, particularly in helping parents to support their children's learning and to develop the language skills of those new to speaking English. Staff and members of the governing body understand the context within which the school operates and provide a wide range of actions to enhance community cohesion. However, they have not always evaluated sharply the impact of these activities as a basis for planning further action.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for leadership and management

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2

Taking into account: The leadership and management of teaching and learning

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Early Years Foundation Stage

The close partnership between home and school means that the children settle quickly into the Nursery and Reception classes at whatever stage they arrive. Children enter with skills much lower those expected for their age and often speaking limited English. They make good progress although attainment is still below average by the time they enter Year 1. Leadership and management are good and there is a strong sense of purpose among the staff team. They work well together to identify areas for development such as the recent improvements to assessing the children and checking their progress. The adults have a good understanding of how young children learn. They use this to balance when to let the children develop ideas themselves and when to intervene to move their learning forward. The focus placed on the children's personal development means that they work and play constructively together and form trusting relationships with the

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Early Years Foundation Stage

adults. They behave well and show that they feel safe through the confident way they select and use resources.

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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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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

Adults focus on developing the children's speaking skills at all times, which enables those new to learning English to develop confidence and language skills quickly. Activities are carefully planned to interest the children and to move their learning forward, although assessments of children in Reception are not always used to finely tune activities to meet their needs. Activities provided in the Nursery smoothly link learning inside and outdoors, but current restrictions imposed by the building mean teachers and children in Reception do not have immediate access to an outside area. The planned building works are aimed at tackling this problem.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for the Early Years Foundation Stage

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Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

Taking into account: Outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage

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Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

The quality of provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

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Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

The effectiveness of leadership and management of the Early Years Foundation Stage

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Views of parents and carers

The number of responses to the questionnaire was much higher than from most other primary schools. The level of parental satisfaction is above average in response to almost all questions. The inspection supports the positive views of parents and carers about how their children are helped to adopt a healthy lifestyle and the way they are informed about their progress. The inspection team's findings endorse parents' views that teaching is good, that their children are making good progress and that the school is well led and managed. Inspectors took note of the views of a small number of parents and carers who felt that the particular needs of their children are not met and unacceptable behaviour is not dealt with effectively but found no unacceptable behaviour during the inspection.

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted's questionnaire

Ofsted invited all the registered parents and carers of pupils registered at Old Oak Primary School to complete a questionnaire about their views of the school. In the questionnaire, parents and carers were asked to record how strongly they agreed with 13 statements about the school. The inspection team received 167 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 340 pupils registered at the school.

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child enjoys school 100 60 67 40 0 0 0 0 The school keeps my child safe 98 59 68 41 1 1 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My school informs me about my child's progress 86 51 76 46 4 2 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child is making enough progress at this school 63 38 88 53 11 7 4 2

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The teaching is good at this school 65 39 92 55 8 5 2 1

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school helps me to support my child's learning 56 34 95 57 14 8 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school helps my child to have a healthy lifestyle 69 41 86 53 6 4 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school makes sure that my child is well prepared for the future (for example changing year group, changing school, and for children who are finishing school, entering further or higher education, or entering employment) 51 31 85 51 13 8 2 1

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school meets my child's particular needs 50 30 89 53 17 10 3 2

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school deals effectively with unacceptable behaviour 66 40 83 50 11 7 4 2

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school takes account of my suggestions and concerns 42 25 103 62 14 8 2 1

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school is led and managed effectively 72 43 85 51 5 3 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

Overall, I am happy with my child's experience at this school 80 48 77 46 8 5 2 1

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The table above summarises the responses that parents and carers made to each statement. The percentages indicate the proportion of parents and carers giving that response out of the total number of completed questionnaires. Where one or more parents and carers chose not to answer a particular question, the percentages will not add up to 100%.

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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.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils.

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Grade Judgement Description

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

New school inspection arrangements were introduced on 1 September 2009. This means that inspectors now make some additional judgements that were not made previously. The data in the table above are for the period 1 September 2009 to 31 March 2010 and are the most recently published data available (see www.ofsted.gov.uk ). Please note that the sample of schools inspected during the autumn and spring terms 2009/10 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools. Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100. Secondary school figures include those that have sixth forms, and sixth form figures include only the data specifically for sixth form inspection judgements.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning, development or training.

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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

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving. Inspectors base this judgement on 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 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. The following judgements, in particular, influence what the overall effectiveness judgement will be.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

 The school's capacity for sustained improvement.  Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils.  The quality of teaching.  The extent to which the curriculum meets pupils' needs, including, where relevant, through partnerships.  The effectiveness of care, guidance and support.

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

main findings from the inspection of their school.

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

Inspection of Old Oak Primary School, London, W12 0AS

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

Thank you all very much for your friendliness and help when we visited your school recently, for making us feel welcome and for being so ready to share your thoughts with us. We had a chance to talk to quite a lot of you and we have told your teachers that you were very helpful and polite. We agree with you that Old Oak Primary is a good school. You clearly enjoy school and we agree with you that your teachers take good care of you and try hard to keep you safe. Your behaviour is good, and we were impressed by the way you help newcomers to the school to settle in quickly and make new friends. The youngest of you get off to a good start in the Nursery and Reception. The rest of you make good progress during your time in school, learning the skills you need for the future. Those of you new to speaking English develop your skills well and soon make similar progress in all subjects as others in your classes. This is because you are taught

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

well and have interesting things to learn. Those of you who find learning more difficult also make good progress because of the support you receive. Everyone is trying hard to make the school even better. There are two things in particular we have asked the teachers and other adults to do.  Improve your writing.  Involve you more in taking responsibility for your learning. You can play your part in helping the school to get even better by continuing to work hard. Well done for showing pride in your school. Yours sincerely

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www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please

telephone 0300 1234 234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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