Holbeach Primary School

Age group 3–11 Inspection date(s) 24–25 April 2012 Inspection number 395639 Holbeach Primary School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 100688 Local authority Lewisham Inspection number 395639 Inspection dates 24–25 April 2012 Lead inspector John Mason

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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 546 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Laura Kastner Headteacher Colleen Boxall Date of previous school inspection 18 June 2007 School address Doggett Road London SE6 4QB Telephone number 020 8690 4713 Fax number 020 8314 5923 Email address info@holbeach.lewisham.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 and carers think about schools i n 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 observed 26 lessons given by all 16 regular teachers present on the days of the inspection. English and mathematics books of Year 6 pupils, absent during the inspection, were also reviewed. Meetings were held with senior leaders, middle leaders and members of the governing body. Discussions were held with pupils, both formally and informally and pupils from Years 1 and 2 were also heard reading. Inspectors took account of the responses to the online Parent View survey in planning the inspection, observed the school’s work, and looked at the school’s self-evaluation, its development planning, a range of policies and records, minutes of the governing body, records of the school’s monitoring of teaching and documents relating to the care and safety of pupils. The inspector also took account of the 165 parental questionnaires submitted.

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Information about the school

Holbeach is larger than the average size primary school. It serves an ethnically diverse community. The majority of pupils are from minority ethnic groups and a high proportion of pupils do not speak English as their first language. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is above average. The proportion of pupils who do not spend their whole primary education at the school is above average, but declining. Many of these are from abroad and arrive with little English. The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have educational needs is average, although the proportion of pupils receiving intervention at ‘school action plus’ or with a statement of special educational needs is above average.

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Information about the school

The provision includes the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum in the Nursery and Reception classes. A breakfast and after-school club managed by the school provides out-of-hours childcare. The school holds Healthy Schools and Artsmark Silver awards. The school meets the government’s floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for attainment and 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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Key findings

 This is a good school. Pupils respond extremely well to the school’s excellent focus on promoting an inclusive learning community. However, the school is not outstanding overall, because teaching is not consistently strong enough to secure outstanding progress in all year groups.  Pupils’ outstanding behaviour stems from the strong promotion of social development in the Nursery and Reception classes. In all classes, pupils show highly positive attitudes to their learning and mix extremely well. ‘We are one big family’ explained one. Pupils feel extremely safe, knowing that adults care deeply for their welfare.  Pupils achieve well. Attainment by the end of Year 6 has risen in recent years. Outcomes in national tests in English and mathematics in 2011 were average. The current Year 6 is making outstanding progress. In almost all other classes pupils are making good progress.  Good teaching results from excellent relationships in class and the use of

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Key findings

interesting materials and resources which engage pupils very well in their learning. Some teaching is still satisfactory. Questioning is not always targeted to elicit responses from pupils of all abilities. Marking is often extremely helpful, but at times too brief.  Senior leaders manage the performance of staff well and are well equipped to improve teachers’ classroom practice further. Subject leaders, though, are not fully involved in the monitoring of teaching in their subjects, which limits their full effectiveness. The good, recently remodelled curriculum contributes to the excellent promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, resulting in pupils being highly respectful of others and eager to learn from the rich cultural environment of the school. Like the new assessment practices in mathematics, the new curriculum has not yet fully bedded down and a review of both initiatives for their impact on raising standards has still to be

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

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 good and outstanding teaching by:  ensuring questioning is better targeted to elicit responses from pupils of all abilities  improving the quality and consistency of marking to ensure all pupils receive high quality guidance on how to improve  improving the skills of subject leaders in evaluating teaching in their subjects with a view to raising pupils’ attainment further.  Further accelerate pupils’ progress by ensuring that the improvements that have been started in assessment practice in mathematics and in developing the curriculum more creatively are fully embedded and systematically reviewed.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils make at least good progress in all stages of their education. As a result, levels of attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 have been rising steadily each year. Attainment by the end of Year 6 is average in both English and mathematics.

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Achievement of pupils

The current pupils in Year 6 are making rapid progress in their learning. In work seen, higher attaining pupils show flexibility and control in their writing, and are able to demonstrate humour and imagination by applying a very sure grasp of standard and colloquial English. Lower attaining pupils also make good progress, writing securely in paragraphs, with good use of time phrases and developing growing confidence in writing in a range of genres. In mathematics, pupils engage well in problem solving and applying their mathematical skills, most setting out their work clearly in a manner that promotes good logical thinking skills. School data and inspection findings indicate that the pace of progress varies between different classes, linked to some variability in the quality of teaching.

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Achievement of pupils

Children enter the school, whether in the Nursery or in the Reception classes, with skill levels which are well below those expected for their age. They make particularly good progress in the Nursery, so that when these children enter Reception they have stronger skills for learning than those who do not attend Nursery. Outcomes by the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage are improving year on year and children’s skills in most areas are now broadly in line with age-related expectations in using language and in counting, and showing clear strengths in their personal, social and emotional development. Writing skills, while improving well, are below age-related expectations.

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Achievement of pupils

Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs progress well, as do other groups of pupils, including those who enter the school midway through a key stage. During the Nursery, Reception and Key Stage 1, good foundations are laid, which enable the pupils for whom English is an additional language to make accelerated progress in their English in Key Stage 2. Gaps in performance are narrowing compared to these groups nationally. Pupils’ skills in reading are below average at the end of Key Stage 1 and average by the end of Year 6. 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

Of the parents and carers who responded to the questionnaire, most agreed and half strongly agreed that their children make good progress and develop confident skills in communication, reading, writing and mathematics. Inspection findings endorse this.

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Quality of teaching

Most teaching is consistently good. Teachers and other adults know pupils and their individual learning needs very well and tasks are mostly well matched to ability, enabling pupils to learn eagerly in groups and pairs to extend their knowledge. Teachers’ good subject knowledge engages all pupils in their learning. Routines for learning are very well established, promoting growing security and independence in pupils’ learning. For example, pupils in Years 2 and 3 know spontaneously to fetch a dictionary or number squares if they need them.

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Quality of teaching

Many activities of the curriculum link strongly with initiatives to promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. For example, activities linked to the British Council’s Wiki-Waterworld project have led to markedly increased global awareness, collaborative learning and a strong interest in enhancing pupils’ interest in other languages.

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Quality of teaching

Well-understood targets for improvement help pupils to take personal responsibility for the quality of their work. Teachers use a good range of strategies to gain feedback on the quality of pupils’ learning and most adapt the pace of their lessons well. However, in the small minority of less successful lessons, questioning is not always targeted to elicit responses from pupils of all abilities, resulting in some pupils being slow to grasp what they have to do. Marking is regular. The best provides helpful comments and opportunities for pupils to consolidate their learning, but some is cursory and, very occasionally, misleading.

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Quality of teaching

Vibrant displays make an outstanding contribution to the learning environment in the Early Years Foundation Stage and some classrooms in Key Stage 1. Resources here are very well presented and labelled to ensure effective child-initiated learning. Well- planned adult-led activities, such as the teaching of phonics (letters and sounds), ensure that pupils’ reading skills develop well. Good tracking, deployment of teaching assistants and awareness of the learning needs of those pupils with disabilities, special educational needs or those for whom English is not their first language, ensure that provision is well matched to need. In one class, for example, the sensitive support for an autistic child enabled him to refocus very well on his mathematics after a short period focusing on a more personalised topic.

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Quality of teaching

The vast majority of parents and carers feel that their children are well taught. Inspection findings concur with this and lesson observations showed a strong correlation with the school’s own monitoring of teaching.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

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

Pupils’ behaviour over time around the school is exemplary. Typically, pupils manage their own behaviour extremely well, as illustrated by the enthusiastic and collaborative manner in which they organised activities during a wet break. They pride themselves in the inclusive ethos of the school and make every effort to ensure that others learn and thrive in an atmosphere of respect and dignity. For example, one girl who joined the school with no English and now speaks very eloquently explained how important it was that she should support others to excel in their English. Pupils are keen to take responsibility. School council members conscientiously represent the views of others and strive to make the many fund raising activities, which they organise, successful and important events for the social integration of the school community. Pupils, together with parents and carers, all affirm that behaviour is consistently of a very high standard and that safety is given

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Year 6 ‘play pals’ do an excellent job in ensuring playtimes are safe and positive experiences for all pupils. Pupils are very well able to identify risks and what constitutes harassment or different types of bullying. They concur with school records that bullying of any kind is very rare and dealt with promptly and effectively by staff.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils greatly value the wide range of stimulating opportunities which extend the curriculum, such as the choir’s visit to the O2 arena to support their learning and promote their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are extremely well supported and integrated into the school community.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Attendance is above average. There have been no permanent exclusions and very few fixed-term exclusions. The school is working hard with parents and carers to address the repeated lateness of a very small number of pupils. The breakfast and after-school clubs provide excellent activities to support pupils’ learning and social development.

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Leadership and management

The senior team, bolstered by two strong recent appointments and a highly skilled and supportive governing body, has a clear strategic vision for the school. Well- focused support has increased the proportion of good teaching and robust plans to model and disseminate outstanding practice are in place. The new, more creative curriculum is good, providing pupils with inspiring memorable experiences to widen their horizons and teachers with a wider range of contexts in which to develop pupils’ skills in literacy and numeracy. Complemented by a wide range of visits, it strongly promotes spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Like the recently agreed new assessment and tracking system for mathematics, the remodelled curriculum has yet to be fully evaluated for its impact on raising attainment further.

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Leadership and management

The Early Years Foundation Stage is well managed and the redevelopment of the 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

outdoor area for this key stage has contributed significantly to improved outcomes. Subject leaders effectively support staff in their planning, but do not undertake enough classroom observation to contribute more to the development of teaching skills in their subjects.

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Leadership and management

The governing body and headteacher have a very clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. The good engagement of the whole staff in their professional development ensures the successful implementation of all programmes for improvement. The school promotes equality in an exemplary way, with socially disadvantaged groups narrowing the gap with others well and through strong endeavours to engage parents in children’s learning. Support for vulnerable pupils is a significant strength of provision and the school’s arrangements for safeguarding pupils meet statutory requirements and give no cause for concern. The school clearly has the capacity for further improvement, sustaining the good teaching and outstanding behaviour of pupils noted at the last inspection, while focusing well on raising attainment further.

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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 54 42 2 2 Primary schools 14 49 32 6 Secondary schools 20 39 34 7 Special schools 33 45 20 3 Pupil referral units 9 55 28 8 All schools 16 47 31 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 to 31 December 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

Floor standards: the national minimum expectation of attainment and progression measures.

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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 Holbeach Primary School, London SE6 4QB

Thank you very much for being so welcoming when the inspectors recently visited your school. We very much enjoyed talking with you, listening to you read and seeing you at your learning in lessons. Your opinions and responses to the questionnaire were very helpful to the inspection. Please also thank your parents and carers for completing their questionnaires.

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Inspection of Holbeach Primary School, London SE6 4QB

We find that Holbeach is a good school. We found that you really enjoy coming to school and that you all make good progress. Year 6 are even making such rapid progress at the moment that their progress is outstanding. You told us that you have a lot of respect for the kindness of your teachers and for the effort they put into preparing interesting lessons and other activities for you. We were so impressed by how much you learn from one another and your strong sense of safety and responsibility to one another, that we agreed your behaviour is outstanding.

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Inspection of Holbeach Primary School, London SE6 4QB

Your school is well led and managed, and teaching is good. Indeed, it is very close to being an outstanding school. To make that extra step to become an outstanding school, we have asked the headteacher and her team to further improve the quality and consistency of your lessons by making sure that:  more of you have the opportunity to answer your teacher’s questions  teachers’ marking always gives you comments for improvement  teachers share their teaching skills with one another more closely.

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Inspection of Holbeach Primary School, London SE6 4QB

We have also asked that the new curriculum, which is helping you to find school so enjoyable, is carefully checked and the changes in the way teachers track how well you are doing in mathematics really help to raise the quality of your work.

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Inspection of Holbeach Primary School, London SE6 4QB

You will certainly be able to help in this by staying as keen to learn as ever.

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Inspection of Holbeach Primary School, London SE6 4QB

I wish Year 6, who sadly we did not meet, every success with their tests in English and mathematics. Do prepare well!

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Inspection of Holbeach Primary School, London SE6 4QB

John Mason Lead inspector procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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