Parkhill Junior School

Parkhill Junior School Inspection report

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Unique Reference Number 133939 Local Authority Redbridge Inspection number 360594 Inspection dates 23–24 November 2010 Reporting inspector Alison Thomson

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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 Junior School category Community Age range of pupils 7–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 360 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Michelle Fuller Headteacher Denise Hughes-Mulhall Date of previous school inspection 29 April 2008 School address Lord Avenue Ilford IG5 0DB Telephone number 020 85505253 Fax number 020 85517479 Email address admin.parkhill-jun@redbridge.gov.uk

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Age group 7–11 Inspection dates 23–24 November 2010 Inspection number 360594 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. The inspectors observed 13 teachers and 15 lessons, and held meetings with members of the governing body, staff and groups of pupils. They observed the school's work and analysed 79 questionnaires from parents and carers, 92 from pupils and 36 from the staff. The team looked at documents and policies, including those relating to the safeguarding of pupils, information the school had collected about the pupils' progress and the school's records of its monitoring of the quality of teaching. The inspection team reviewed many aspects of the school's work. It looked in detail at a number of key areas:  What is the current attainment and progress of the pupils, particularly of White British pupils?  How effectively do the teachers use assessment in lessons and involve the pupils in assessing their own learning, including the involvement of the pupils in checking

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Introduction

their learning?  What is the effectiveness of the leaders at all levels in monitoring and evaluating areas that are less strong?

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Information about the school

This is a larger-than-average junior school. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is lower than average. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is much higher than average, although most speak English as their first language. Most pupils are of Indian heritage. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is above average, with the proportion of pupils having a statement of special educational needs well above average. The school has many awards including the Artsmark Gold and Healthy School Status, for the promotion of a healthy lifestyle. There have been considerable changes in staffing and in governance. The headteacher took up post in May 2010. The Chair of Governors took up post in November 2010.

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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

Parkhill Junior School is a satisfactory school. It is a very caring and supportive learning environment that is improving in several areas. It has several strengths, for example in its partnerships with others and engagement with parents and carers. The pupils, staff, parents and carers are very positive about the school. Typical comments from parents and carers are, 'My child enjoys her learning very much' and 'Great enthusiasm amongst staff and pupils lots of encouragement given'. The recently appointed headteacher has started to implement many positive strategies to bring about improvement. For example, the new security system and the wearing of reflective jackets when out on visits have helped the pupils to feel very safe. One pupil said, 'You know you won't get lost because you can be seen easily'. The staff are working well together to secure improvements and their questionnaires showed that all feel they

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Main findings

are fully involved in what the school is trying to achieve. The more rigorous tracking system now in place is leading to the earlier identification of pupils at risk of underachieving. However, many initiatives are very new and it is too early to see the full evidence of their impact. All aspects of the pupils' personal development are good. The pupils are welcoming and polite. They are considerate towards each other and their good behaviour is having a positive effect on their learning. The school listens to them well and builds into the good curriculum many opportunities to enhance their personal and social development. The pupils welcome these opportunities. For example, there are many applicants to become Official Helpers, taking on administrative and mentoring roles. The pupils' understanding of a healthy lifestyle is particularly good. The Lunch Quality Monitor team take their role of monitoring and evaluating various aspects of lunchtime, such as the quality of packed

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Main findings

lunches, very seriously. The pupils' attainment is above average. The pupils' progress is satisfactory and the progress of White British pupils, a group that was previously underachieving, is improving strongly. The teaching is also improving, but it is still satisfactory overall. There is not enough teaching that is consistently good or better at present. Consequently, learning and progress are not as good as they could be, or attainment as high as it could be. Improvements are not occurring as fast as they might do as the good practice that exists in school is not currently shared well enough. Self-evaluation is very accurate. The school knows its strengths and areas for development well. Appropriate strategies have been put in place to secure improvement, although many are in the early days of development. Much has been achieved in the short period of time that the headteacher has been in school. This ensures that the capacity for

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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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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that all teaching is consistently good or better in order to raise attainment and improve progress, by: making sure that what the pupils should be able to do after completing tasks is clearly identified so that the learning of individual pupils can be checked more easily throughout the lesson providing clear success criteria for learning so that the pupils can be more reflective and involved in checking how well they are doing in lessons using assessment data more rigorously to inform lesson planning so that activities always closely match the needs of all pupils increasing the pace of learning with the pupils getting involved in independent learning as early as possible in lessons.  Improve aspects of leadership and management in order to accelerate improvements, by: sharing more effectively the good practice that already exists within the school having the leaders and managers observe lessons with a clearer focus on

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

learning, to help improve more quickly the aspects of teaching and learning that are less strong embedding the many new initiatives, such as more rigorous pupil tracking.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

Overall, pupils of all abilities make satisfactory progress. They make good sometimes or better progress as when, for example, in a Year 5 mathematics lesson, all groups of pupils made outstanding progress, being fully engaged in independent tasks which were well matched to their abilities, but this is not always the case. In some lessons, for example in a Year 3 science lesson, too few pupils made sufficient progress as no criteria for success were shared with them and many did not understand whether they were doing well or not. The previous underperformance of White British pupils is being tackled successfully, especially boys' writing, which is improving dramatically. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities make satisfactory progress, in line with their peers, because of well-targeted support, both in lessons and in small groups. This also applies to those few children who do not speak English as their first language. Children enter Year 3 with

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

varying attainment, but above average overall. Most pupils achieve satisfactorily and, by the time they leave Year 6, their overall attainment is above that found nationally. The pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. They have a particularly well-developed understanding of and respect for each other's cultures and religions. They talk about enjoying learning about Sikh and Hindu jewellery and different praying positions. The pupils work in close partnership with pupils in a nearby single faith school and help them to learn about different religions. The pupils are well respected in the local community and raise money for many different charities. Their basic skills, including strong information and communication technology skills (ICT), prepare them well for their future. The school council are especially proud to have produced a business plan

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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

for the purchasing of playground equipment. When asked to describe the school, one pupil said, 'It gives us amazing, enjoyable learning experiences and we are proud of our work'.

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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 3

Taking into account: Pupils' attainment¹

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Pupils' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning 3

The quality of pupils' learning and their progress 3

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Pupils' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning 3

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

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2

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?

The curriculum is well organised. Different subjects and topics are woven together and learning is enriched further by visits to places of interest, events at school and a wide range of clubs. Many of these opportunities add to the progress that the pupils make and enhance their broader personal development. For example, the pupils told the inspectors how much they enjoyed their recent visit to the Tate Modern to study pop art and the opportunity, at a local educational centre, to experience what it was like to be a Second World War refugee. This enrichment also reflects the recent Artsmark Gold award achieved. The teaching assistants provide good support, enabling pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities to access the full curriculum. The curriculum aids the pupils' enjoyment significantly, but some of these initiatives are quite new. The school, rightly, judges that one of its strengths is the way in which it looks after the pupils as

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How effective is the provision?

individuals, particularly those most in need. This allows them to participate fully in the life of the school and to make progress in line with their peers. The school can point to particular successes in the way in which the school helps pupils overcome their difficulties. Strategies to improve attendance have successfully reduced persistent absenteeism and

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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

parents and carers and pupils strongly agree that the school prepares the pupils well for the next stage in their education. Many lessons have interesting activities to ensure that the vast majority of pupils are engaged well in learning. For example, in a Year 6 literacy lesson, the pupils were seen enthusiastically identifying features of biographies and autobiographies of popular celebrities. Although work usually caters well for the pupils' differing needs, information from assessment data is not always used well enough to support lesson planning. This means that the pace of learning is slow for some pupils and they are not always given enough opportunities to be actively involved in their work. The teachers usually identify what it is that the pupils should be able to do by the end of each task, but this is not always clear enough, making it difficult for them to judge individuals' progress. In

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

addition, success criteria are not clarified, or emphasised sufficiently to help the pupils to judge for themselves if they are doing well. Work is regularly marked, with good praise and sometimes with comments that help the pupils to improve, though the quality of this feedback tends to be varied.

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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 3

Taking into account: The use of assessment to support learning

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How effective are leadership and management?

The new headteacher has brought the staff together with a shared vision and ambition to make the school the best it can be. Some of the senior management posts are temporary and the school is currently advertising for a deputy headteacher. Although some of the senior and subject leaders are not long in post, their efforts are already beginning to impact well on improvements, for example in the greater rigour in monitoring pupil progress. Gaps in the performance of different groups of pupils are closing and this, along with the cohesive and harmonious nature of the school community, indicates that equality of opportunity is good. Lessons are monitored regularly and there is evidence of some teaching having improved. However, lesson observations are not focused closely enough on learning or on the previous areas for development. The school recognises that, for achievement to be good, teaching has to be consistently good or better.

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How effective are leadership and management?

Arrangements for safeguarding are good, with extensive, clear policies and secure, improved risk assessment systems. The school engages well with parents and carers through regular newsletters. They welcome the new improved security arrangements particularly and the high staff presence at the beginning and end of the day. Community cohesion is good, with clear action plans in place to evaluate impact. There are particularly strong links locally and good developing links nationally with a school of a different ethnic make-up in a rural setting. Year 4 pupils were seen in an assembly, telling parents and

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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

carers about the good time they had when they visited that school recently. Currently, the school does not have a link with a school abroad, but there are plans in place to address this. There are many good partnerships, including with the local authority, which have helped to strengthen community cohesion locally. The governing body knows the school well, including its strengths and areas for development. Many of the governors are new in post, including the Chair of the Governing Body. The governing body offers some challenge, but is not yet fully involved in monitoring its own contribution or the work of the school.

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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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3

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

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Views of parents and carers

About 22% of parents and carers returned the questionnaire. Almost all are extremely positive about all aspects of the school, including the extent to which the school keeps their children safe and how much their children enjoy school. The inspection evidence supported these views. A few parents and carers disagreed that the school helps them to support their children's learning. This is something that the inspectors judged the school was beginning to do increasingly well.

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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 Parkhill Junior 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.

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted's questionnaire

The inspection team received 79 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 360 pupils registered at the school.

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child enjoys school 43 56 33 42 2 3 0 0 The school keeps my child safe 50 63 27 34 2 3 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My school informs me about my child's progress 31 39 40 51 5 6 1 1

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child is making enough progress at this school 28 35 43 54 6 8 1 1

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The teaching is good at this school 33 42 42 53 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school helps me to support my child's learning 31 39 38 48 9 11 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school helps my child to have a healthy lifestyle 42 53 34 43 3 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) 30 38 39 49 5 6 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school meets my child's particular needs 27 34 43 54 7 9 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school deals effectively with unacceptable behaviour 31 39 39 49 6 8 1 1

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school takes account of my suggestions and concerns 26 33 39 49 6 8 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school is led and managed effectively 32 41 45 57 1 1 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

Overall, I am happy with my child's experience at this school 45 57 32 41 1 1 0 0

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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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Inspection of Parkhill Junior School, Ilford IG5 0DB

Thank you for making the inspectors feel welcome when we visited your school recently. We enjoyed talking to you, both in your lessons and around the school. Your views were very helpful to us. We judged that your school is satisfactory and getting better. Most of you behave, work and play together sensibly. You have a good understanding of what it means to be healthy and you are well prepared for the future with your above average skills in literacy, numeracy and ICT. Your questionnaires told us that you enjoy all the things that you do at school and most of you feel safe there. They told us also that you feel the adults look after you well and are interested in your views. We have asked the headteacher to help you to reach even higher levels of attainment by asking the teachers to give you greater opportunities to say how well you are learning. We would like the teachers to use the information from marking to help them plan lessons

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Inspection of Parkhill Junior School, Ilford IG5 0DB

better, so that you all work at a good pace and are actively engaged in all your tasks. We have asked the headteacher to make sure that improvements happen as quickly as possible by monitoring lessons more closely and asking the teachers to share their good ideas. We would like the headteacher and other leaders to continue to use their new ideas to help your school to improve. You can help by asking your teachers to make it clear to you, if you are unsure, how you can tell if you are doing a good job in each of your activities in class. We wish you all the best for the future and hope that you continue to enjoy school.

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Inspection of Parkhill Junior School, Ilford IG5 0DB

Alison Thomson Lead Inspector (on behalf of the inspection team)

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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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