Boxgrove Primary School

Age group 3–11 Inspection date(s) 21–22 March Inspection number 376355 Boxgrove Primary School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 100150 Local authority Greenwich Inspection number 376355 Inspection dates 21–22 March 2012 Lead inspector Sheena MacDonald HMI

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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 393 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Caroline White Headteacher Holly Broughton Date of previous school inspection 18–19 September 2008 School address Boxgrove Road London SE2 9JP Telephone number 020 8310 1912 Fax number 020 8312 9705 Email address headteacher@boxgrove.greenwich.sch.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 thi nk 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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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. 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

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T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

Sheena MacDonald Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days' notice. The inspectors observed teaching and learning in 23 lessons, involving all teachers, and carried out learning walks throughout the school to look at the quality of learning. They held discussions with the headteacher, senior leaders and members of the governing body. They observed the school's work, talked with pupils, heard several read and discussed reading and writing with them, looked at case studies relating to a sample of pupils and scrutinised pupils’ books. Inspectors looked at the school development plan, monitoring and assessment information, the minutes of the governing body’s meetings, policies and procedures relating to safeguarding. There were no responses for inspectors to consider from the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) when preparing for the inspection; however, the inspectors took account of the questionnaires from staff, pupils and 277 parents and carers.

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Information about the school

The school is larger than most primary schools and the number on roll is rising. About two thirds of the pupils are from minority ethnic groups. The largest group is Black African, mainly Nigerian, and there are small numbers of pupils from a variety of other ethnic groups. The proportion of pupils who speak languages other than English is higher than average, although few are at the early stages of learning English. There is a much higher than average proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals. The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is also above average and these pupils mainly have behavioural, social and emotional difficulties or speech, language and communication difficulties. The number of pupils joining or leaving the school at other than normal times is increasing and is now slightly higher than average. The school has a Nursery with 50 part-time places for 3- and 4-year olds. In 2011, the school met the

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Information about the school

government’s floor standard which sets the minimum expectations for attainment and progress.

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Information about the school

Shortly after the previous inspection in September 2008, the school entered a ‘soft’ federation with Heronsgate Primary school for two years in order to strengthen leadership and management. There has been considerable building work in recent years to accommodate an increase in the number of classes. 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. It has improved from satisfactory at the previous inspection but it is not yet outstanding because achievement and teaching are good rather than exceptional and more-able pupils do not progress as rapidly as others. The vast majority of parents, carers, pupils and staff agree that this is a very happy school where pupils make good progress. There is a very strong sense of community, mutual respect and shared values. As a member of the school council commented, ‘every child is included and welcome no matter what their race or gender’.  Pupils make good progress from relatively low starting points and, by the time they leave, attainment is broadly average. Although the proportion of pupils at the end of Key Stage 2 who achieve expected levels for their age is well above average, fewer than average achieve at the higher levels. This reflects that more-able pupils have, in the past, made satisfactory rather than good

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Key findings

progress.  Teachers use skilful questioning and discussion to promote pupils’ speaking, listening and thinking skills. There is some excellent teaching but teachers do not always adapt the learning during lessons to ensure that all pupils are fully supported and challenged. The teaching of handwriting is not consistent and, as a result, pupils’ fluency in writing is often hampered by poor handwriting skills.  Pupils’ enthusiasm for school is reflected in consistently high attendance. Their excellent behaviour and attitudes make a very positive contribution to the strong sense of security, belonging and also to the purpose and direction of the school. As a result, behaviour and safety are outstanding.  The headteacher has an ambitious vision based on secure understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. Levels of accountability are high and staff performance is managed particularly well. Throughout the school, there is

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Key findings

a sense that everyone is in full agreement with the school motto, ‘’With determination we can achieve any goal.’ 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, and ensure that the progress of more-able pupils is consistently at least good by:  using the good practice which exists in the school to ensure that all teaching is as good as the best  improving the use of assessment information during lessons so that all pupils have work which is well matched to their abilities  improving the teaching of handwriting and presentation skills.

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Achievement of pupils

Almost all of the parents and carers who returned questionnaires believe that children make good progress and the inspection team agrees. Children get off to a flying start in the Nursery and achieve well throughout the school so that attainment has risen sharply over the past two years, especially in reading and writing. Attainment in reading is broadly average by the end of Years 2 and 6. Mathematics has been relatively weaker but assessment information, lesson observations and the work in pupils’ books indicate that this is improving rapidly. The evidence also shows that more-able pupils are on track to reach higher levels this year in all subjects.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils are enthusiastic learners, determined to do their best in lessons. Given the high number of pupils with English as an additional language and others with speech and language difficulties, the school rightly places great emphasis on developing pupils’ communication and language skills. As a result, pupils discuss their learning confidently using the correct vocabulary. For example, in a Years 5/6 science lesson, pupils gave examples of different processes such as melting and condensation and explained why some changes were reversible or irreversible. Year 5 boys enthusiastically discussed their work on the Highwayman poem and confidently gave examples of metaphor and simile. Younger pupils are keen to read and make good use of phonic (linking letters with the sounds they make) knowledge to sound out unfamiliar words.

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Achievement of pupils

The school uses assessment information well to quickly identify any pupils who may be falling behind and ensure that gaps in knowledge are addressed. Well-targeted support programmes, as well as additional help from teaching assistants in lessons, enable pupils to catch up. Information is analysed rigorously to identify whether any groups of pupils are at risk and action is taken so that there are no significant differences in the achievement of boys, girls or different ethnic groups. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are well supported and also make good progress. 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

The inspection team agrees with parents, carers and pupils that teaching is good and this explains pupils’ good progress. Classrooms are well organised and welcoming. Teachers and senior staff plan good lessons which have clear objectives and include a range of strategies to involve and engage the pupils. Regular planned talk sessions enable pupils to organise their thoughts before writing. Teachers often make the learning more relevant by using news stories or current events as a stimulus. Good links are made between the learning in different subjects, for example children in the Nursery made and played musical instruments, sang related songs and bought and sold instruments in the class shop.

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Quality of teaching

Although generally good, there is some variability in the quality of teaching. In some lessons there is a focus on completing activities rather than adapting them to make sure they are at the right level, particularly to challenge more-able pupils. Teaching in literacy and mathematics is underpinned by good subject knowledge; however, teaching across other subjects is more variable, often because pupils do the same work so it is not always pitched correctly. Teachers’ marking of pupils’ work is helpful in showing them how well they are learning and the next steps. Some marking is excellent and gives pupils additional challenge and opportunities to respond and reflect more deeply on their own learning.

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Quality of teaching

Teachers promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, cultural and social development very well by being good role models and having high expectations with regard to behaviour and cooperation. A strong emphasis on values permeates the school and supports pupils to develop self-confidence, mutual respect, care for others and perseverance. The impact of this is very clear in the excellent relationships. It is also evident in pupils’ work, such as the high-quality poetry written by older pupils exploring feelings and values inspired by a study of the poem Earth Cries. Pupils commented that they had learned from the recent focus on the value ‘unity’ that ‘if they worked together they can do anything!’

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

The school fosters a very positive ethos based on mutual respect and celebration of diversity. Almost all parents and carers say that behaviour is consistently good and their children are safe in school and the pupils agree. They also believe that bullying is rare and dealt with effectively. Scrutiny of behavioural records shows that behaviour is exemplary over time too. There are clearly understood and consistently applied systems for managing and promoting good behaviour. The positive impact can be seen in a very sharp fall in the extremely small number of instances of poor behaviour. Pupils with significant emotional and behavioural difficulties receive excellent support so that they achieve often remarkable improvements.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils are very keen to come to school and arrive on time ready to learn. They make an exceptional contribution to their own learning. Behaviour in lessons is consistently good and often outstanding. Pupils are very enthusiastic participants, listen 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

courteously to each other and persevere even when the going gets tough. They work independently with very little need for reminders to stay on task and cooperate exceptionally well in group tasks. Pupils take responsibility for the safety of others and this is evident during playtimes when an excellent range of play equipment and activities are thoroughly and safely enjoyed by all. Playtime buddies are on hand to help anyone who needs a friend. One pupil who joined the school recently said that buddies had helped him make friends when he first arrived. Pupils have an excellent understanding of how to stay safe in and out of school, and older pupils thoughtfully discuss issues such as internet safety and knife crime.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

School councillors say their role is to represent the school, make sure every child has a say and help the school to improve. They know their views are important and influential. Pupils contribute to school self-evaluation very responsibly by commenting on the success of aspects of the school development plan or saying which of the current key priorities they think are the most important. They have many chances to take responsibility and carry these out conscientiously. An example of this was seen during the inspection when a pupil, without any fuss, closed down the computers at the end of the lesson.

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Leadership and management

The high quality of leadership and management of the senior leadership team is driving improvement at a cracking pace. Morale is high and staff wholeheartedly agree that the school is well led and managed. The improvements seen in all areas since the previous inspection show that the school has good capacity to improve further.

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Leadership and management

Senior leaders carefully analyse data, regularly spend time in lessons and scrutinise the pupils’ books so that they have a good understanding of strengths and areas for improvement. They provide detailed feedback to teachers, allied to a comprehensive and personalised training programme. New teachers commented on how helpful this is in helping them to improve their practice. The school recognises the need to share the best practice more widely. Although milestones to evaluate the success of the school’s development plan are not as clear as they might be, the school’s targets for improvement demonstrate high expectations. The school’s current priority is on improving reading even further and the leadership and management of this are excellent. There is a real buzz about literacy and communication throughout the whole school. Other subject leaders are relatively inexperienced and are developing their roles with support and training.

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Leadership and management

Relationships with parents and carers are highly positive. An exceptionally high number returned the questionnaires and the vast majority were positive. A governor commented that parents and carers had always supported the school but now they were proud of it and this was reflected in several of the written comments. Parents and carers say that the school keeps them well informed, helps them to support their children’s learning and several commented on how much they appreciate the opportunities they have to participate in school life. 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

Throughout the school, subjects are brought together in topics and themes that are interesting, relevant and engaging. This aspect is particularly strong in the Early Years Foundation Stage. There are opportunities to develop literacy and mathematical skills in other subjects and the school is developing this approach further. The curriculum makes a strong contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. There are many opportunities for pupils to reflect on, and discuss, important issues and they show mature and thoughtful attitudes. Pupils are enthusiastic about the regular visits, themed weeks, after-school clubs and opportunities to work with musicians and artists. Pupils with particular learning and emotional needs are very well provided for with small-group and one-to-one support when necessary, for example to develop their language skills.

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Leadership and management

Governors know the school well and provide challenge as well as support. Arrangements to keep pupils safe are exemplary. Leaders at all levels are strongly committed to promoting equality and tackling discrimination and provide good support to make sure that all groups whose circumstances may make them vulnerable to underachievement make similarly good progress. Several parents and carers took the opportunity to comment on how well the school meets their children’s needs and helps them to overcome specific difficulties.

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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 Boxgrove Primary School, London SE2 9JP

Thank you for being so friendly and welcoming when we visited your school recently. What you told us, especially those of you who gave up your playtimes to talk to us, helped us when we were thinking about our findings. After having a very close look at all sorts of things, including coming into lots of your lessons, and looking at what your parents and carers said, we agree with you all and think that your school is good. This is a big improvement since the previous inspection, so well done!

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Inspection of Boxgrove Primary School, London SE2 9JP

Here are the highlights.  Your behaviour is excellent. You come to school regularly, get on well together and help to make your school a place where everyone can achieve and enjoy themselves. You are a credit to your school and parents!  You all make good progress and achieve as well as most other pupils.  The adults know each of you very well and make sure you are safe and happy. If you need extra help they make sure you get it.  Teachers think of really good questions to get you thinking and talking.  Senior leaders are doing a good job in making sure your school keeps improving.

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Inspection of Boxgrove Primary School, London SE2 9JP

We know you all want the school to be even better so we have asked the teachers to share their good ideas more so that all of the teaching is as good as the best. We have also asked them to look carefully at how well you are learning during lessons and listen to your answers so that they can change the activities and make them harder or easier to suit your different needs. We also think that some of you would enjoy even harder work! We noticed that your handwriting could be better and have asked the school to decide how to teach you handwriting skills and then stick to that approach in all the classes.

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Inspection of Boxgrove Primary School, London SE2 9JP

Thank you again for helping us and good luck for the next chapter in your school’s story.

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Inspection of Boxgrove Primary School, London SE2 9JP

Sheena MacDonald Her Majesty's 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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